In a small corner of West Berkeley, next to a noisy set of train tracks and behind a copper-colored gate, lies one of the most remarkable sites in the East Bay: a twisting, colorful community garden, overflowing with flowers, artwork and purpose. 

At the center of the Peralta Community Garden is one of the city’s most remarkable people, Karl Linn — an 80-year-old psychologist and landscape architect who fled Nazi Germany as a child and has spent a lifetime building gardens that pull people together. 

“All I’m doing to contribute to the growth of community among people has to do with my experiences with racism,” said Linn, who was the only Jewish child in the small farming community of Dessow. “I still hear Hitler’s shrill voice talking about how to get rid of the Jews. I still hear the Nazis’ goose-steps on the cobblestones.” 

Linn and the Peralta Community Garden are at the center of a new documentary by local filmmaker Rick Bacigalupi that will premiere Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The 76-minute screening, at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian-Universalists, 1924 Cedar St., is free and open to the public. 

The film, “A Lot in Common,” begins in 1997, when the garden was just an overgrown patch of dirt owned by BART. The documentary builds slowly, tracing a core group of community activists who survive city politics, a brouhaha over a bunny rabbit and a friend’s battle with cancer to build the garden. 

The film includes interviews with PBS reporter Ray Suarez, author Jane Jacobs and British scholar David Crouch to lend context to the story. But it is the neighbors — a retiree and his grandson, a psychic and her rabbit, and Linn himself — who are the stars. 

Bacigalupi said it was Linn’s move from refugee to dedicated community organizer that drew him to the story. 

“I think it’s really interesting what people do with hate,” the filmmaker said. “He turned it around into a lifetime of love.” 

Linn, a stocky, bright-eyed man with a thick German accent, grew up on a fruit tree farm in northern Germany where he developed a strong connection to the animals and trees on the family land. 

“Seeing 2,000 fruit trees blossom was so exhilarating,” he said. “So nature was always a place of peace, of healing, of inspiration.” 

Linn’s world changed in 1933 when the Nazis took power and the children in his two-room schoolhouse turned on him. 

“My fellow students started to experience me not as a friend, but as the only target they could find to practice anti-Semitism,” he said, recalling an unsuccessful attempt to force him into singing a hateful, anti-Jewish song.  

After a pair of Nazi soldiers threatened his father, the family sold their farm and fled to Palestine, settling in an area that would later become part of Israel. Linn, who now hosts Jewish-Arab dialogue sessions in Peralta Community Garden, said he is still torn about his family’s move to Palestine, where he took up residence next to a Palestinian graveyard. 

“I realize that Jews had no place to escape because of the Holocaust,” he said. “But, at the same time, displacing others to save your life is very burdensome.” 

As a young man, determined to understand how Nazism could flourish, Linn left Palestine to train as a psychologist in Switzerland before emigrating to the United States.  

After a brief stint as a therapist, Linn turned to landscape architecture, convinced that nature and labor could heal the human spirit. As a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1950s, Linn began taking his students to inner-city neighborhoods where they worked with residents to build common areas and a sense of community. 

On the streets of North Philadelphia, Linn struck up a lifelong friendship with Carl Anthony, a black community organizer. 

Anthony, now a program officer for the Ford Foundation in Washington D.C., said he remembers being awed by Linn. 

“I was impressed with how he was able to combine social justice issues with urban planning,” Anthony said. 

Anthony was particularly enthralled with Linn’s notion of “urban barn-raising.” The concept, still central to Linn’s thinking, builds on the Mennonite tradition of coming together as a community to construct a barn — or, in the urban setting, a community garden or common space — that bonds the community. 

“The experience of inter-dependence is a very important experience for all of us,” said Linn. “It helps with [feelings of] isolation.” 

For two decades, Linn used urban barn-raising as an organizing principle, creating nonprofit organizations around the country — in New York City, Chicago, Louisville, Ky., and Syracuse, N.Y. — that focused on the communal construction of common spaces. 

In 1987, Linn moved to the Bay Area. Within six years, Berkeley had named a small garden after him — just across the street from a plot of land, owned by BART, that Linn and a group of neighbors would change into the Peralta Community Garden. 

Today the garden includes a mix of ambitious art projects, Tibetan peace flags, an eco-friendly tool shed and periodic community gatherings. 

Linn’s persistence helped raise the government and foundation money that funded the park and the neighborhood volunteerism that built it. But some who worked with Linn kid him, good-naturedly, for going a bit overboard. 

“He’s a good person, he’s good hearted,” said Kay Wade, one of the neighbors, in the film. “But he’s a control freak.” 

Bacigalupi said there was some tension early in the filmmaking process, when Linn sought to exert control over the documentary and to mute criticism of the garden and his leadership. 

But in the end, the filmmaker said, “Karl had a tremendous generosity of spirit. He was open to constructive criticism and showing more than just the community garden line. 

“Karl is truly an amazing person,” Bacigalupi continued. “His commitment and drive and just his sheer stamina is unbelievable. It’s very easy to forget that he is 80 years old.”

TUESDAY, APRIL 29 

State of the City Address by Mayor Bates, at Longfellow Middle School Auditorium, 1500 Derby St., at Sacramento, at 5:30 p.m. If you have questions or need more information, please contact the Mayor's 

Office at 981-7100 or mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

The Reality of Public Power 

Panel Discussion 

Moderator: Reid Edwards, Director of Community Relations, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Panelists: Bill F. Roberts, Ph.D, President, Economic Sciences Corporation; Hal Concklin, Director of Public Affairs, Southern California Edison; Paul Fenn, Director, Local Power; Cynthia Wooten-Cohen, Energy Consultant. At 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. For reservations: 981-5435. energy@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

“Palestine is Still the Issue,” a documentary by John Pilger will be screened at 7 p.m. in Wheeler 100, UC Campus. Flyer available at http://justiceinpalestine.org/flyers/PalestineIssue.pdf. For a map or directions, see www.berkeley. 

edu/map 

Berkeley Camera Club 

Meets every Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 525-3565.  

www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 

Berkeley Poetry Slam at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave. $90 cash prizes. Cost is $7 at the door, $5 with student i.d. 841-2082. 

Community Dances in Berkeley, traditional English and American dances, 8 p.m. every Wednesday, $9. 7 p.m. first Sunday, $10. Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St., 233-5065. www.bacds.org 

THURSDAY, MAY 1 

BOSS Graduation, Join the community for a very special Graduation honoring poor and homeless people who have achieved self-sufficiency and independence. The evening will include a ceremony, performance and a sit-down dinner, 6 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel at the Berkeley Marina, 200 Marina Blvd. Tickets $50 each.  

To RSVP, call 649-1930. 

A Lot in Common, video documentary by Emmy award-winning producer/editor Rick Bacigalupi about the growth of community as neighbors, artists and others build and use the Peralta and Northside Com- 

munity Art Garden Commons, at 7:30 p.m., at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Uni-versalists, Cedar St. and Bonita. For information contact Rick Bacigalupi 415-282-0340. ALotinCommon@aol.com 

Third Annual May Day Celebration, at 2 p.m. at Ink Works Press, 2827 Seventh St., with food, drink, music, dancing and children’s activities, in honor of the workers who struck in Chicago in 1886 for the eight-hour day. 845-7111. www.igc.org/inkworks 

Black Panthers 1968 Gallery Talk, by Ula Taylor, Professor of African American Studies, on the experience of women in black revolutionary movements, at 12:15 p.m. in the Berkeley Art Museum Theater Gallery, 2626 Bancroft Way. 643-6494.  

rmacneil@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Bike Repair: Suspension  

Do it yourself! Part of The Missing Link Bicycle Co-Op’s 30th annual Free lecture series, at 7:30 p.m. at Missing Link, 1988 Shattuck Ave. 843-7471.  

Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1 FM, holds public meetings for all interested people first and third Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 595-0190 

FRIDAY, MAY 2 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 

548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. 496-6000, ext.135. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship www.bpf.org 

The Rachel Corrie Banner Project fundraiser with  

Jessica Rice, at 7:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Hall at 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. For more information on Rachel Corrie's tragic death by being bulldozed by an Israeli soldier while protecting a Palestinian home from demolition, please go to www.electonicintifada.net 

$20 donation requested, no one turned away for lack of funds. 

Sex, Lies & International Economics a film on alternative economics for women’s equality at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. All events are free. 

540-0751. ww.thelonghaul.org  

SATURDAY, MAY 3 

Studies from Nature, drawing workshop for ages 10-14 taught by artist Olga Segal, noon to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale; scholarships available on request 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tours, “Stage Craft Studios and the Bay Architects,” led by James Novosel. 10 a.m. $5 members, $10 non-members. For reservations call 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

Light Search and Rescue Class offered by the City of Berkeley’s Emergency Operations Center, from 1 to 5 p.m. at 997 Cedar St. For more information call 981-5605. TDD: 981-5799. 

Northcoast Timber Wars Movie Night featuring “Matole Resistance” and “Fire in the Eyes” at 7:30 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. All events are free. 

540-0751. ww.thelonghaul.org  

Introductory Day Long Meditation Retreat 

9:30 am - 4:30 pm 

Berkeley Buddhist Priory 

1358 Marin Ave. Albany 

Advance registration is necessary. 528-1876.x www.berkeleybuddhistpriory.org 

Sick Plant Clinic  

UC Botanical Garden experts diagnose your plant woes the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden 

Cinco de Mayo Celebration at LeConte Elementary School, 2241 Russell St. from noon to 3:30 p.m. Music by Colibrí, mariachi music, baile folklorico performed by LeConte students, other musical acts, DJ music by DJ FUZE, and a special appearance by KMEL's Chuy Gomez. Also Latin American food and a silent auction. Benefit for LeConte's 

Dual Immersion Program and the LeConte PTA. Tickets are $3 for children and $7 for adults. 644-6290. 

Walking Tour to Explore Creek Mouths on the Bay Trail, sponsored by Friends of Five Creeks with Berkeley Path Wanderers and Friends of Albany Beach. Meet at 10 a.m. at Seabreeze Market, Univer- 

sity Ave. just west of freeway. Bring water and dress in layers. 848-9358. f5creeks@aol.com, www.fivecreeks.org.  

African Spring Festival, at 6:30 p.m. at 155 Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. Featuring authentic African cuisine and professional and student performances including dances, plays, music, fashion show and more. Tickets are $7 in advance, $ 10 general admission and $5 for children under 12. 286-7976.  

africanfestival@yahoo.com 

Low-Income Cohousing  

For low-income working people, both families and individuals, and people on fixed incomes. Informational meeting from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, South Branch, 1901 Russell St. 

Community Dances in Berkeley, traditional English and American dances, 8 p.m. every Wednesday, $9. 7 p.m. first Sunday, $10. Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St., 233-5065. www.bacds.org 

Unselt Birding Breakfast and Quarterly Bird Walk, with Chris Carmichael, Manager of Collections and Horticulture, and expert birder Dennis Wolff on a morning walk to discover the Garden's bird life. Heavy rain cancels this walk. 8 to 11 a.m. UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Fee $35, Members $25. 643-2755 for more information or to register. 

Visit the Cedars, horticulturist Roger Raiche hosts a visit to his property, The Cedars, home to serpentine ecosystems and with the Rhododendron occidentale in bloom, along with other early bulbs and annuals. Fee $50,UC Botanical Garden Members $30. Reservations required, call 643-2755. 

Gardening for Wildlife, from 10 a.m. to 3.p.m. at Diamond Park Recreation Center, Oakland. Learn how to diversify your garden's architecture by including native trees, shrubs, and annuals that provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, including butterflies. Attract wildlife to your garden by providing food, water, and shelter for birds, butterflies, and beneficial garden insects. Avoid the use of pesticides that affect water quality and harm beneficial insects, birds and other wildlife. Cost is $10. For information call Mary Malko 231-9430. or email mary@aoinstitute.org, www.aoinstitute.org 

SUNDAY, MAY 4 

Exploring Clay, Inventing Creatures, a workshop for ages 5-10, at noon to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. Cost is $5 - $10 sliding scale; scholarships available on request. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Berkeley Free Folk Festival, also on Sat. May 3. Music and workshops, activities for children, from noon to 9 p.m. at Malcolm X School, 1731 Prince St. Sponsored by Freight and Salvage. For information 649-1423. www.freightandsalvage.org/bfff 

Humanizing the Israel-Palestine Conflict: Day of Mutual Recognition, with  

Mohammed Alatar and Rabbi Michael Lerner, from 1 to 6 p.m. at the International House. Sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, facilitated by the Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue group. Free Middle Eastern dinner included. Reservations required, call 301-2777 or email berkeleytikkun@ 

yahoogroups.com 

Eckhart Tolle's Talks on Video, free gatherings, at 7:30 p.m. to hear the words of the author of "The Power of Now" at the Feldenkrais Ctr., 830 Bancroft Way. Will meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. 547-2024. EdShorelin@aol.com 

MONDAY, MAY 5 

Berkeley CopWatch meets at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 

Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

Five Star Night, Annual Fundraiser for Alameda County Meals on Wheels at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension. For information call Marci Vastine 567-8056.  

Oakland/East Bay National Organization for Women, with Tammy Fitz-Randolph, certified mediator. She will discuss conflict resolution particularly as it applies to women from 6 to 8 p.m. at the South Berkeley Library, 1901 Russell St. Meetings are open to all and are free. 287-8948.  

ONGOING 

Activist Skill Class: Practical Skills for Difficult Times 

Tactics and strategies of activism with Karen Pickett and Phil Klasky. Classes offered through Merritt College, Tuesday evenings and Saturdays, beginning April 29 through May 24. To register call 548-2220 x 233. Classes at  

The Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Cooking and Baking Classes, offered by The Bread Project in conjunction with Berkeley Adult School. Contact Lucie Buchbinder at 644-1713 for more information.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Community Environmental Advisory Comission meets Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at  

2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy 981-7461. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Public Works Commission 

meets Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center, Jeff Egeberg 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thursday, May 1, at 7 p.m. in the  

South Berkeley Senior Center 

Oscar Sung 981-5410. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/housing 

Public Works Commission meets Thursday, May 1, at 7 p.m., in the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

Council Agenda Committee Meeting meets Monday, May 5 

at 2:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Monday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen 981-7419. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m.in the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector 981-5510. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/peaceandjustice 

Youth Commission meets Monday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. at 

1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton 981-6670. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/youth 

FILM 

S.F. International Film Festival showing Cautionary Tales at 7 p.m. and Historias Minimas at 9:15 p.m., at the Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way. Cost is $7.50 members, UC students; $8.50 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $10 adults. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Merle Updike Davis, Clinical Social Worker, and author of “Ties Across Time: A Woman’s Life in Social Work” speaks at Tea and Talk at 11:15 a.m. at the YMCA, 2001 Allston Way. 848-9622. 

Greg Palast reads from “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

845-7852. ww.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Symphony performs Mozart, Overture to Don Giovanni; Unsuk Chin, Violin Concerto (U.S. Premiere) with Tibor Ková, violin; Mozart, Piano Concerto in C Minor, with Benedetto Lupo, piano; and Régis Campo, Symphony No. 1 (World Premiere), at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC campus. Tickets are $45, $32, $21 and $10 students. 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphony.org  

Double Fling Ding: Crooked Jades, Bluegrass Intentions and Evie Ladin perform at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11. 525-5054.  www.ashkenaz.com 

Austin Willacy, ‘til Dawn 

House Jack vocalist plus vibrant young a capella ensemble at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 adv, $16.50 door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 

FILM 

Film 50 showing The Piano at 3 p.m. (sold out). S.F. International Film Festival showing Hukkle at 7 p.m. and We are the Music at 9 p.m., at the Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way. Cost is $7.50 members, UC students; $8.50 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $10 adults. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Focusing on Photography a panel discussion exploring approaches to photography from the perspectives of art, anthropology, and journalism. Participants include Constance Lewallen, BAM; Kenneth Light, Center for Photography Gallery, Grad School of Journalism; and Ira Jacknis, Hearst Museum. At 5:30 p.m., 160 Kroeber Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthro- 

pology. 643-7648. nmullen@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Millicent Dillon reads from her new novel “A Version of Love,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books, 1491 Shattuck Ave. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

John Oliver Simon and students from Cragmont, Hawthorne and Rosa Parks Elementary Schools, read their poetry in English and Spanish at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. 

Mark Costello reads from “Big If,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Noon Concert, Faculty Recital, Compositions for piano, written and performed by Cindy Cox. Concert is free, doors open at 11:55 a.m. Hertz Hall, UC campus. 642-4864.  

http://music.berkeley.edu 

Sauce Piquante 

Cajun dance lesson with Cheryl McBride at 8 p.m., show at  

8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. ww.ashkenaz.com 

Third World with MC UC BUU, DJs Kuu & Curious perform Dancehall, Hip Hop, and Funk at 9:30 p.m. at Blake’s on Telegraph. Cost is $5. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Caroline Aiken, singer/songwriter, performs at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 adv, $16.50 door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jacqueline Rago and Students Recital, an evening of Venezuelan music and persussion, in a benefit for La Peña, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8. 849-2568.   www.lapena.org 

THURSDAY, MAY 1 

FILM 

S.F. International Film Festival, presents Women's Prison at 7 p.m. and Monday Morning at 9:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. A pre-film reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the BAM Theater Gallery. Cost is $7.50 members, UC students; $8.50 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $10 adults. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Lunch Poems: Student Reading, includes winners of prizes from the Academy of American Poets, Cook, Rosenberg, and Yang as well as students nominated by Berkleley's creative writing faculty, at 12:10 p.m. in the Morrison Room, Doe Library, UC Campus. 642-0137. zrogow@uclink4.berkeley.edu 

Black Panthers 1968 Gallery Talk with Ula Taylor, Pro- 

fessor of African American Studies, at 12:15 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum Theater Gallery, 2626 Bancroft Way. In conjunction with the photographs by Ruth-Marion Baruch and Pirkle Jones. 643-6494 

rmacneil@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Raphael Cushnir describes “Setting Your Heart on Fire: Seven Invitations to Liberate Your Life,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. wwwcodysbooks.com  

Bill McKibben explores the dangers of technology in “Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age,” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

UC Jazz at Noon free concert on Lower Sproul Plaza. 

Tien-Huicani, traditional music from Mexico’s gulf coast 

8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

La Peña Community Chorus in a benefit Concert for Tzotzil Indigenous Communities in Chiapas, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$15 sliding scale. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

New Century Chamber Orchestra presents Music for Immortality, featuring music by Mendelssohn, Mahler and Shulman, at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $35 from 415-397-1111. www.ncco.org 

Fred Frith and Toychestra Together and Apart, a new concerto for guitar and toys by Dan Plonsey, at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. 

FRIDAY, MAY 2 

FILM 

Heroic Grace: Martial Arts 

Come Drink with Me at 7:30 and 9:25 p.m., at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students; $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $8 adults. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Mike Riera on “Staying Connected to Your Teenager” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. wwwcodysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Noon Concert with Shaw Pong Liu, violin, Monica Chew, piano. Concert is free, doors open at 11:55 a.m. Hertz Hall, UC Campus. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

California Bach Society and Orchestra, Warren Stewart, artistic director, performs Mozart’s Requiem at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $25, $18 for seniors, $12 for students. 415-262-0272. www.calbach.org 

Solstice, a female vocal ensemble, will perform an a cappella concert at noon in the Reading Room of the Berkeley Main Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 

981-6100. 

University Dance Theater performs in their annual concert at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC campus. Also on Sat. 2 and 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 - $14, available from 866-468-3399. For informations call 642-9925. or genturc@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Opera performs 

Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Also on Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Tickets are $38 adults, $33 seniors, $16 children under 18, $10 students. 925-798-1300. www.juliamorgan.org 

Lyon Opera Ballet, performs at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus at 8 p.m. Also on Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Tickets are $24, $32, $46. 642-9988.  

www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Anthony Jeffries and his All Stars, blues band at 8 p.m. at Rountree’s, 2618 San Pablo Ave. 663-0440.  

Sensasamba and the Aquarela Brazilian Dance Ensemble performs at 9 p.m., at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 

525-5054.  www.ashkenaz.com 

Steve Seskin, Christine Kane 

An evening of song artistry at  

8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door.  

548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Casey Neill and Little Sue, at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Bay Area Latin Jazz Legacy 

Tribute to percussionist Benny Velarde with guest vibraphone and flautist Roger Glen, trumpeter Joe Ellis, and Willie Colon at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12 in advance, $15 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

For the Crown, Playing Enemy, For All It’s Worth, X Wear the Mark X, Blessing the Hogs, perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

An Afternoon of Music and Dance, with Betty Ladzekpo and Berkeley Arts Magnet West African Dance; Chris Brague and the Berkeley Arts Magnet Percussion Ensemble; and Shaeedah Deal and Dancers from Willard Middle School and Malcolm X, at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center.644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

SATURDAY, MAY 3 

CHILDREN 

Children’s Concert Season Finale with Colibri! at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $3 for children, $4 for adults. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

FILM 

Heroic Grace: Martial Arts 

One-Armed Swordsman at 2:15 and 7 p.m., Golden Swallow, at 4:30 and 9:15 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students; $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $8 adults. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

THEATER 

Berkeley High School Drama Department presents “Guys and Dolls,” music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, directed by Jordan Winer. The musical is based on short stories by Damon Runyon, of gamblers and chorus girls who lived on the fringes of the criminal world in the Broadway district of New York City. At 8 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater on Allston Way between Milvia and MLK Jr. Way. Also on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7, $5 with student i.d. and are on sale at the box office 1/2 hr. before performance time.  

Youth Musical Theater Commons presents “Les Miserables,” performed by students of King, Longfellow, Willard, BHS, and Albany High. This school edition is shorter than the Broadway version, but not short on talent. At 7:30 p.m., Longfellow Auditorium, 1500 Derby St. Admission/donation $8 adults, $5 youth, seniors. 848-1797.  

Stagebridge and Berkeley Adult School present a lively original comedy “Senior Moments,” by James Keller, at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Adult School, 1222 University Ave. Ticket information and reservations are available by calling 444-4755.  

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

ay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading from 3 to 5 p.m. at the West Branch Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com 

Prose Reading to benefit Poetry Flash with Mel Fiske and John Richards, at 7:30 p.m. at Cody's Books. $5 donation. 845-7852. ww.codysbooks.com, www.poetryflash.org 

Gloria Feldt, author and President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, reads from her new book, Behind Every Choice Is a Story, at 3 p.m., at Avenue Books, 2904 College Ave. 549-3532.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Free Folk Festival 

Music and workshops, activities for children, from noon to 9 p.m. at Malcolm X School, 1731 Prince St. Sponsored by Freight and Salvage. Also on Sunday. 649-1423.www.freightandsalvage.org 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra, under the direction of Arlene Sagan, performs Brahms “German Requiem,” at 8 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison. www.bcco.org 

West African Highlife Band performs at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 

525-5054.  www.ashkenaz.com 

Moore Brothers, Nedelle, Golden Shoulders, Willow Willow, at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. 

Il Giardino Armonica 

Music Before 1850: Music of Fontana, Farina, Piccinini, Purcell, Mancini, Vivaldi, Goldberg, Sammartini, at 8 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $42 from Cal Performances 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Javanese Gamelan 

Gamelan Sari Raras, Heri Purwanto, director. Music and Dance from Surakarta and Yogyakarta, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets $2-$8 from 642-9988. 

www.ls.berkeley.edu/dept/music 

Chicano de Mayo Celebration with Quetzal and Domingo Siete. Dance to the grooves of two L.A. bands at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13 in advance, $15 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

World Stage: Juan de Marcos’ Afro-Cuban All Stars Latino rhythms at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $20. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Barbara Higbie, pianist, fiddler, singer and composer performs at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50 adv, $18.50 door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Stfu, Born/Dead, Dead by Dawn, Dead Fall, Stockholm Syndrome, The Abandon perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, MAY 4 

CHILDREN 

Family Day with Gamelan Sekar Jaya, a program created for young audiences, members of the ensemble will demonstrate aspects of Bali's rich performance traditions using dance, gamelan instruments, and costumes at 2 p.m. at the Hearst Museum Gallery, Kroeber Hall. 643-7648.  

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Publication Celebration for 26 Magazine, Issue B with contributors Gillian Conoley, Joseph Kolb, Rick London, and Elizabeth Treadwell, at 7:30 p.m. at Cody's Books. $2 donation. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com, www.poetryflash.org 

G. William Domhoff, professor at the University of California, discusses his new book, “Changing the Powers That Be: How the Left Can Stop Losing and Win,” at 7 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. 

FILM 

Works from the Eisner Awards Competition at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4 members, UC students; $5 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $8 adults. 642-1412. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu  

World Stage: Juan de Mar 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

cos’ Afro-Cuban All Stars Latino rhythyms: classic son montuno, contemporary timba, swinging big band guajira, jazz and funk at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $20. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Les Yeux Noirs, a Paris-based octect, performs high energy dance music rooted in traditional Roma and Yiddish music at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $14. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Empyrion Ensemble, contemporary chamber music at 4 p.m. at The Crowden School Great Hall, 1475 Rose St. Cost is $10, age 18 and under, free. 559-6910.  

Lisa Says, a pop-folk ensemble at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10, $7 students. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jeff Pittson Trio performs at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool,  

Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Ellen Hoffman 

with Melicio Magdaluoy & Anna deLeon, jazz pianist and composer, 8 p.m.at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Cuarteto Latinoamericano, with Sonia Rubinsky, piano, featuring a new piano quintet by UC Berkeley Professor of Music Jorge Liderman at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall. Tickets are $32. 642-9988. 

www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Dance and Rhythm of India, a free concert, directed by Purnima Jha and students from Thousand Oaks Elementary and the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

SUPPORT FERRY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Those who oppose ferry service from Berkeley to San Francisco are correct on one point: Ferries are not a cost-effective way to relieve traffic congestion. We have a bridge and a tunnel, and better use of these resources would be a better way to solve our traffic congestion problems. 

But this doesn’t mean that ferries don’t have an important role to play. The real purpose of the Berkeley ferry is to provide an attractive alternative to existing modes of transportation and to address transportation problems not being met by other modes. 

The remarkable thing about a new ferry service from the Berkeley Marina to San Francisco is that so much of the system is already in place. We have deep water right up to the east end of the fishing pier. We have at least 600 existing parking spaces, mostly unused during the week, in close proximity to the site. We have frequent bus service all day right to the site. And we even have an existing pier ready to serve as a ferry terminal with relatively inexpensive additions. 

The distance is only 5.6 miles, and this is covered in only 20 minutes at 17 knots. By modern standards this is a relatively slow, economical and energy-efficient speed. (See the Berkeley Waterfront Web site at www.BerkeleyWaterfront.org for more details of the Berkeley Pier low-speed ferry proposal.) 

Is a ferry service elitist? The cost of moving a passenger from Berkeley to San Francisco by ferry is approximately $6.50. This is about the same as the cost of a BART ride. If the ferry is elitist, then so is BART. 

Also, ferries carry bicycles during commute hours, allow dogs on outside decks and can accommodate wheelchairs with no delay in service. This is not elitism, this is serving the mobility needs of a diverse community. 

Will a Berkeley ferry have negative environmental impacts? 

By the twisted logic of the Sierra Club, anything that accommodates parked cars is an environmental negative. Never mind that each car parked near the ferry replaces one that would have driven to San Francisco in heavy traffic. Never mind that travel by ferry enforces a non-automotive mode of transportation for at least one end of the trip. Never mind that the Berkeley Marina site has absolutely no effect on the Eastshore State Park. The Sierra Club is opposed, and it will take a significant show of local support to overcome this opposition. 

The issue is not traffic congestion or air pollution. The issue is the quality of life in Berkeley. And the issue is mobility for people not served by existing public transit. 

The Berkeley Ferry was once a valued public amenity for everyone who lived here and in nearby communities, and it can fulfill this role again. 

Paul Kamen 

• 

MATH MISTAKE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There must be a mistake in your article about the mayor’s personal investigation of homelessness in Berkeley. If there are 1,000 to 1,200 homeless in Berkeley and the city applies $10.3 million to the problem, that works out to over $85,000 per homeless person. That’s nearly three times my annual salary, and I have a home, health care and enough to eat. 

Sometimes I give money to people selling “Street Spirit.” How can they possibly need a handout from me? 

Robbin Henderson 

• 

APPALLED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As the father of a girl with cerebral palsy and as a person who was involved with the disability access review of a potential site for this year’s Berkeley Free Folk Festival, I was appalled when I read the commentary that Carol Denney wrote in your pages last weekend. For Ms. Denney to attack the festival with such vicious and untrue words is just not right. 

Few event planners have done more to address the concerns of those with disabilities than the organizers of this year’s festival. The site visit I was part of was led by wheelchair users and disability rights advocates Marissa Shaw, Karen Craig and the ADA Compliance Officer for the city of Berkeley, Don Brown, who is also a wheelchair user. 

These advocates all contributed fully in the final selection of Malcolm X School as the site that best meets the needs of the disabled community as well as the needs of the festival. These are strong, active and vocal people who are hardly terrified of speaking their minds to make sure accessibility issues, comfort and the law are not just considered but dealt with. 

Carol Denney’s claim that disability rights advocates have been intimidated, blacklisted or subject to retaliation by folk festival organizers is patently false. Far from being blacklisted, Ms. Denney is playing the main stage of the festival in exactly the prime time slot she requested. 

I hope that no one in the Berkeley community will be turned off to the festival by Carol Denney’s libelous screed. The Berkeley Free Folk Festival this year promises to be the best ever. There are multiple stages, workshops of all kinds, children’s activities and a wealth of diverse local talent that really highlights why Berkeley is so special. The festival is free and completely accessible to all. 

Timothy Lynch 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

This coming weekend, a wonderful event will take place. The Berkeley Free Folk Festival will be held at Malcolm X School on Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4, from noon to 9 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, and presented as a gift to the entire community. To see a schedule, go to freightandsalvage.org/bfff and view the complete program, including two stages, music and dance workshops, kids’ activities, an open mike and a jam 

room. All participating in any way, from organizers to performers, are donating their time to make this happen. 

I was both distressed and saddened by the commentary by Carol Denney that was published in 

last weekend’s Daily Planet, and I would like to address what was written. I have never taken part in any “campaign of retaliation” against anyone, and those who know me think it strange for me to be accused of such. I 

certainly never acknowledged having participated in such a retaliation, although I did apologize to Carol, both personally and in a letter she asked me to sign, for anything that I or anyone from the festival might ever have done to contribute in any way to divisions in the community. It is unfair to make accusations about the present staff when the past directors are no longer even involved, and everything has been done by open process. All issues raised have been addressed and no one I know of (except Carol) feels retaliated against or terrified of bringing anything up. 

Our first festival meeting was June 1 in accessible City Council Chambers. Meetings were announced in The 

Planet and any member of the community was welcome to attend. The date for our initial meeting had actually 

been arranged with Carol to make sure she could come. (The date of the November public meeting was changed 

to accommodate Carol when she realized that she would be out of town on the initial date scheduled.) The festival was originally supposed to take place in November 2002, but was moved ahead to May 2003 — in large part due to input that it was hard for people in wheelchairs to attend festivals during the rainy season.  

On October 9, a tour of possible school sites for the festival was arranged. Both Carol and Marissa Shaw of the Disabilities Commission went around with me to check accessibility, and we were all satisfied with what we saw.  

Carol asked for several meetings with her personally, which I agreed to. I met with her at least five times. Three of those meetings were attended by mutual friends of ours, invited by Carol. When she e-mailed me that she wanted yet another meeting with our two friends, I got in touch with them but neither was interested in attending. The issues had all been discussed and acted upon. At one point I suggested that we have a “talking stick” meeting in the community with people who’d had misunderstandings or problems with Carol so that we all could straighten things out. She declined this suggestion. By now I had spent months dealing with this, and I needed to get on with festival business.  

While Carol says that she has been blacklisted, she has played at several of the festivals, including this 

year where she will be on the main stage at 7 p.m., a prime-time spot she had requested. I must now get back 

to the business of the festival. It will be wonderful, accessible, inclusive and most of all, fun. 

Hali Hammer is a singer-songwriter, 

Festival Coordinator and Berkeley resident and 

activist. 

• 

TITLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As an “old-time Wobbly,” I was delighted to read in your April 25-27 edition that employees at the East Bay Depot for Creative Re-Use had voted to unionize with the Industrial Workers of the World. The Planet erred in calling it “International Workers of the World,” a redundancy. This rank-and-file run union, Industrial Workers of the World, is popularly called “IWW” or “The Wobblies.”  

Workers at two other nonprofit Berkeley recycling shops are under IWW contracts, “Curbside Recyclers” with The Ecology Center and Community Conservation Centers, or “Buy Back.” 

Harry Siitonen 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I read with great interest Angela Rowen’s article of April 22 about the persistent problem of racial disparities in community health, despite the declining overall death rate in Alameda County. I agree that the education and prevention initiatives being undertaken by the city of Berkeley and Alameda County are important means to remedy this crisis. I also wish to point out that making high-quality treatment options available regardless of insurance status will also go a long way toward solving the problem. 

I work at LifeLong Medical Care, where we offer the same, state-of-the-art treatment options and personal attention to our uninsured clients as we do our insured clients. East Bay African-Americans comprise 34 percent of our client base, making them the largest population we serve. Over 41 percent of our clients have no insurance at all, and only 12 percent of our clients have private insurance. Lack of insurance often equals lack of quality medical care for most Americans, but LifeLong is dedicated to the health of the entire community, not just its insured members. 

Clearly all health care providers need to improve the care they offer to those who suffer from racial inequities, and we need to find a way to provide universal health coverage for all. The current state budget crisis, the war in Iraq and the President’s proposal to cut taxes further will mean that LifeLong and other safety net providers will have to turn away people who need basic health care to the detriment of the community. Individuals in the East Bay generously give their time and money to help LifeLong provide care. We welcome and are grateful for that support, and we know 

that everyone wants to be part a healthy community without continued inequities based on race. 

Jessica Matthews 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In the April 25 issue, there were a couple of letters decrying the many so-called exotic species of plants that now grow in California. In particular, the blue gum tree (Eucalyptus globulus), was singled out for abuse. The fantasy that the heavy frosts of 1990 killed off many blue gums was based upon ignorance of how the tree grows. If its smaller outer branches are damaged by heavy frost, it merely grows back from the large branches, the main trunk and the 

surviving root system.  

My survey of the literature plus personal observations have shown that the Blue Gum tree has provided useful food, resting, roosting and living habitat for many species of animals including about 20 species of insects, several 

species of spiders, four amphibians, 10 reptiles, three mammals and over 50 species of birds. Hummingbirds and orioles utilize the nectar of winter flowers for food. Vultures, hawks, owls, woodpeckers and other birds use the blue gum for nesting and roosting purposes. The monarch butterfly has long since adopted the blue gum for its overwintering 

roosting and feeding.  

There seems to be a severe double standard here: People who are born in the United States are considered 

native-born. Plants that sprout here from seed as still labeled as “exotics” or “aliens” or worse. These blue gum trees are a magnificent addition to the landscapes of coastal California. They have done yeoman service in many unpleasantly windy areas by slowing down the summer winds. So lighten up, folks, and enjoy the pungent scent of the blue gums.  

James K. Sayre 

Oakland 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

Thank you for printing Zac Unger’s garden column “Cheering for the Intruders Among Us.” It's nice to see someone express appreciation for the entire spectrum of vegetation around us — so refreshingly different from the “ethnic cleansing” approach favored by many of our fellow Californians. 

Aija Kanbergs 

It is a week of both celebration and anxiety for homeless advocates in Berkeley. 

On Thursday night, the nonprofit Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) will host its annual graduation ceremony — honoring 10 formerly homeless men and women who tapped BOSS’ job training and substance abuse programs this year to pull themselves out of desperation, addiction and prostitution. 

But recent layoffs, a 25 percent decline in foundation grants and impending budget cuts from state and local government have tempered the celebratory mood at BOSS, which provides housing, health care and education for 3,000 homeless people in Berkeley, Oakland and Hayward each year. 

“I expect the next few years to be very tough,” said executive director boona cheema. 

BOSS recently cut ties to its transitional housing program for homeless teenagers on King Street, laying off all six of its workers.  

Cheema said the Oakland-based Fred Finch Youth Center will take over the program. Its near closure, she said, suggests that nonprofits are already hurting, even though the next government budget cuts aren’t due until June at the earliest. “This is not something that will happen in the future,” said cheema. “In BOSS, it’s already happening.” 

About 80 percent of BOSS’ $8 million annual budget comes from federal, state, county and local government, including some $1 million from the city of Berkeley. 

Cheema said she expects the state to slash $400,000, the county to cut $250,000 and the city to deduct about $150,000 from the $450,000 it pays each year for a street sweeping program that employs the homeless. 

Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz said the Department of Public Works has raised questions about the effectiveness of the street sweeper program and said the city, which faces a deficit next year, is considering cuts. 

Kamlarz also said the city, which spends about $1.5 million on homeless services, may shift some of the dollars it spends on BOSS to other organizations. 

But on the whole, Kamlarz said, homeless services will fare better than other programs in the city manager’s proposed budget, which will be unveiled May 13 before City Council. 

Bates, who spent a night on the streets last week, has made homeless services a top priority, and others in the council’s progressive majority have also signaled their support. 

“It is vital that, as we see skyrocketing numbers of people becoming homeless from the economic downturn and horrible federal policy, we try to counterbalance that on a local level,” said City Councilmember Kriss Worthington. 

City Councilmember Betty Olds said homeless programs, like dozens of other services, will need to take their fair share of cuts. 

Leyna Bernstein, director of consulting services for the San Francisco-based Management Center, which provides nonprofits with management advice, said organizations like BOSS, which rely heavily on government money, are particularly vulnerable during tough economic times. 

Sonja Fitz, BOSS’ grants manager, said it’s been difficult to find new donors. “Our long-term funders are staying true, but we have not been able to interest anybody new,” she said. 

BOSS will pull in a small amount of money during Thursday’s graduation at the Berkeley Marina Radisson Hotel, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event, which doubles as a fundraiser, is expected to draw about 250 people at $50 per head. 

This year’s ceremony will focus on 10 people, including 40-year-old Sharon Barrett. 

In February 2001, Barrett and her then 10-year-old daughter, Shercee, had to leave their Oakland apartment when Barrett’s landlord decided to sell the building. Unable to find housing, Barrett and Shercee spent their nights in a shelter, a car and in the home of an older man who asked Barrett for sex. 

Depressed and scared, Barrett turned to drugs and alcohol before BOSS and the Bethlehem Temple in Oakland helped turn her life around. 

“Between those two, they just wrapped their arms around me and loved me until I could love myself,” she said. 

The article “West Berkeley Struggles to Maintain Character“ (April 25 edition), by John Geluardi, was mostly accurate in its portrayal of the struggle of craftspeople, artists and manufacturers to preserve their important contributions to West Berkeley. However, it was incorrect in asserting that the upcoming public workshop “will, in effect, reconvene the West Berkeley Committee.” 

The original West Berkeley Plan Committee was set up by the City Council in 1985, under the guidance of the Planning Commission, to develop an area plan to guide change in West Berkeley. At that time there was no plan for land use, and rapid change based purely on market forces was causing great disruption in the community. Artists, craftspeople and industries were particularly at risk in the face of unregulated office development. Gentrification was spiraling out of control, threatening the working class residential community, with its many African-American, Latino and Asian members. 

The Plan Committee soon had the participation of representatives from every stakeholder group: residents, property owners, artists, craftspeople, developers, union workers, manufacturers, environmentalists, the black clergy. Over the following years, this group developed the concepts of the West Berkeley Plan. The names of 65 of these regular participants in the Plan Committee can be found on the inside cover of the plan. I am proud to say my name is on that list. 

The West Berkeley Plan is a powerful document aimed at maintaining the primary industrial character and preserving every valuable use in that very diverse part of town. Like all area plans, it analyzed the area and set forth policies, goals and implementation strategies. It did not write zoning ordinance. When the plan was adopted unanimously by the City Council in 1993, its concepts became policy. At that time the Plan Committee was disbanded. Committee members went home assuming that the city would adequately implement the plan. 

In the following years city staff and the Planning Commission proceeded to write the ordinances and to establish the procedures that were supposed to implement the plan. This is what is being questioned today, the implementation of the plan, not the concepts, policies and goals written by the Plan Committee. That is why the work at hand is the job of the Planning Commission, doing its job of oversight, and not the job of a “reconvened” Plan Committee. 

Over the years it gradually became clear to many people that the city did not seem to be adequately implementing the plan concepts, policies and goals, particularly in the MU-LI (Mixed Use-Light Industrial) district. A full investigation was called for. The MU-LI district was called “the linchpin” of the plan, the heart of the plan; preservation of the industrial character of the MU-LI was considered key to the plan’s success and to the preservation of arts and crafts. Yet it seemed as if the MU-LI was being permitted to disintegrate piecemeal. 

The City Council called on the Planning Commission to make an investigation. The result of that investigation, the MU-LI subcommittee’s final report, is currently before the commission. The recommendations do not propose to change one word of the plan. They are geared to trying to get the West Berkeley Plan back on track. 

The Planning Commission Workshop to discuss the recommendations of the MU-LI Report will take place on June 11, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center at Hearst and Milvia. I strongly urge the community to attend and participate. Maintaining the character of West Berkeley is key to preserving the dynamic diversity that sets our city apart from all others. The West Berkeley Plan is a great plan. It deserves to be fully implemented and work as originally intended. 

Copies of the West Berkeley Plan and the MU-LI Report can be obtained from the Planning Department, 2118-20 Milvia, third floor. 

John Curl  

Planning Commissioner

Less than two years after taking over the Department of Planning and Development, Director Carol Barrett submitted her resignation late last week to take a planning job in the city of San Marcos, Texas, her home state. 

Barrett’s resignation takes effect June 6. City Manager Weldon Rucker said he is considering the formation of a three-person transition team to manage the department until either an acting director or new permanent director is named. 

Barrett is the third planning director to abruptly leave the city in the last five years. Director Gil Kelley resigned in 1998. Liz Epstein accepted the job, immediately went out on maternity leave, and then resigned suddenly when she was due to return to work.  

Rucker said he’s been troubled by the high turnover in city planning staff including the string of departing directors. He said one goal of the transition team will be to assess planning procedures and suggest ways to stabilize the department.  

“The planning department is where you have very tough, intense discussions about land use and planning policies,” Rucker said. “Some of those leaving the department have said that they don’t think there has been universal support, including from my office and the commissions.” 

Barrett is leaving a department that has been the focal point of controversy as pressure to develop housing meets with resistance from vocal neighborhood organizations concerned that too many tall, densely designed buildings — typical of recently approved projects — will change the city’s character.  

Among the reasons Barrett cited for her departure was difficulty working with the Planning Commission. The nine-member commission oversees and develops planning policy and makes recommendations on zoning ordinance amendments.  

Members fight among themselves, and the commission often clashes with planning department staff over competing visions of the city’s future. 

Barrett said she appreciated her time in Berkeley but added that too many people believe the planning director’s job is to prevent any development. 

“I think public planning anywhere is a challenge. If it was not challenging, I would not have made the move out here at all,” Barrett said. “But I became a city planner because that’s what I really enjoy doing, and one of the reasons I’m resigning is because I don’t necessarily agree with the direction the elected leaders of the Planning Commission are going.” 

The two commission-elected officials on the Planning Commission are Chair Zelda Bronstein and Vice Chair Gene Poschman.  

Bronstein did not return calls to the Daily Planet regarding Barrett’s departure, but Poschman scoffed at the ability of the chair and vice chair to dominate the commission’s agenda.  

“Anybody can put anything on the commission’s agenda at any time,” Poschman said. “It would be very difficult for two people to take the commission off in their own direction.” 

Poschman said he didn’t doubt Barrett had a difficult relationship with the commission but attributed it to a “natural conflict between staff and commissioners that arises from different roles and different values.” 

Poschman added that the job as planning director in San Marcos sounded like a good opportunity for Barrett. “It sounds like an excellent job that’s close to her family,” he said.  

Barrett starts her new job on June 9. San Marcos is about a 30-minute drive from Austin, where Barrett worked for 10 years before accepting her post in Berkeley 19 months ago.  

Barrett bought a home in the Bay Area in the last six months; her husband, however, never left Austin and one of her two sons currently works there. Her other son is a junior at UC Berkeley. 

One commissioner described Barrett’s relationship with Chair Bronstein as particularly bad.  

Commissioner Susan Wengraf said Barrett was treated with very little respect by the commission’s leadership. She said Bronstein, as the commission’s chair, would not meet with Barrett to iron out differences. 

“If certain commissioners had a different agenda than the director, they should have met with her to work those issues out,” Wengraf said. “It seemed to me that Director Barrett was trying very hard under adverse conditions. She was understaffed and working against a hostile commission.” 

Commissioner Rob Wrenn said Bronstein was a model commissioner.  

“I’ve never observed Zelda Bronstein do anything inappropriate at meetings,” he said. “In fact, what I’ve seen is that she has been a very effective chair.” 

Barrett said she’s grateful to the city manager for the opportunity to work in Berkeley. She said she was proud of getting the city’s general plan adopted as well as the award the city recently received from the American Planning Association for its infill development.

The vision of the city of Berkeley moving steadily toward ecological health by way of urban redesign and honest assessment of the future is quite different from the vision of Berkeley championed by the O’Malleys’ recast Berkeley Daily Planet. The O’Malley vision aspires to maintain the memory and coziness of the past at all costs. It is the positions of privilege of the established property owners here, the building styles and small sizes acceptable to the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) and the desire of a number of vocal neighborhood activists to keep things from changing. 

The ecological city vision recognizes that the world of, say, the 1940s, was a time when Berkeley had most of the buildings BAHA respects and neighborhood status quo activists cherish, a time when it appeared that cars and small cities got along pretty well. The world population was less than half what it is now and average per capita consumption an even smaller fraction of what it is today. Sprawl amounted to almost nothing, and the range of exotic chemicals in common use contributing to the poisoning of the environment was minuscule. Climate change was a wild doomsday scenario then — and a compounding, daily growing reality today. 

The global warming environmentalists, as I call them, those who perpetuate low density sprawl, automobile dependence, oil addiction and so on, by maintaining cities of low density while proclaiming their concern for environmental health, are refusing to look honestly into the future. They are in fact encouraging global warming and other environmental disasters. Like the citizens of many Bay Rim cities, in Berkeley they have resisted allowing city and town centers to grow taller and provide housing in balance with jobs and commerce, thus forcing development into the suburbs, causing housing shortages around the Bay and driving prices through the ceiling. Massive sprawl also results, as far away as the agricultural land of the Great Central Valley, and our share of responsibility for pollution and global climate change. 

What we need, if we take the ecological trends seriously, is taller buildings and clusters of interconnected buildings with ecological design features like rooftop gardens, solar greenhouses and pedestrian streets. These must be restricted to downtown areas and good transit centers. Why? Because density with great diversity of activity works miracles at getting people out of cars and off the fossil fuel addiction. Why isn’t it happening? Because of an extraordinary lack of architectural imagination and a repression of innovative experiments. 

Faced with the facts, many people in Berkeley and other towns with vociferous land use conservatives deny there is a connection between their city’s low density and the environmental debacle. That is meaningless denial. 

Medium density corridors are in Berkeley’s general plan, and are promoted by Smart Growth advocates everywhere. But those who promote this policy will help transit just a little while freezing the basic pattern of low-density, car-dependent development into 20 or 30 times as large a land area between those arterioles. In contrast, centers-oriented development works far better and provides the economic engine of development to open up more landscape, allowing parks, community gardens, pedestrian bicycle paths and creek restoration projects to expand. 

This sounds complex, but it is not. It amounts simply to shifting density toward the centers and creating open spaces furthest away. The process can use money from development capital flows in a market of willing sellers and buyers; it adds semi-natural garden and park areas in support of neighborhood values and a green environment in all areas of a city but the centers. Change can only be gradual, providing time for a learning process that we all must go through if we are going to honestly face the impacts of the way we build and live. 

Richard Register is a Berkeley resident. 

Richard Register 

Berkeley

During a tour of Bay Area churches Sunday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson stopped into Berkeley’s Mt. Zion Baptist Missionary Church to lend his support to local hotel employees who have been without a union contract for nearly two years.  

Jackson spoke to about 200 people and a bank of television news cameras on behalf of Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union, Local 2850. The union, which includes cooks, banquet servers, dishwashers and housekeepers, has been without a contract at the Claremont Hotel and Spa and the Emeryville Holiday Inn since July 2001.  

Union members earn between $8 and $13 an hour, and those with children say it has become increasingly difficult to afford rent, clothing, food and medical insurance in the Bay Area. 

“It is immoral to have a sumptuous world on one side and people who are starving on the other,” said Jackson, who spoke before a table laden with bags of rice, juice and canned soups donated for the union workers. “These workers don’t want any more than their fair share. What we want is profits for the owners, security for the workers and service for the customers.” 

The event at Mt. Zion was organized by a group of religious organizations who have come together to support the workers. Joining Jackson on the pulpit were five other religious leaders including Mt. Zion’s the Rev. M.T. Thompson; Father Bill O’Donnell of St. Joseph the Worker, and Rabbi David Cooper of the Kehilla Community Synagogue.  

According to Local 2850 Vice President Wei Ling Huber, workers who have family medical insurance through their jobs will have to pay an additional $67 for their medical insurance premiums starting May 1; two months later, the premium will be raised to $120. 

“Meanwhile the hotel management has been playing hardball,” Huber said. “They’ve been delaying negotiations for months and changing worker schedules and reducing their hours to discourage union activities.” 

In a press release issued Monday, Claremont marketing director Denise Chapman denied the Claremont has not been bargaining in good faith and pointed to a complaint filed against Local 2850 by the National Labor Relations Board for “failing and refusing to bargain.” 

“We are disappointed that the Rev. Jackson did not have an opportunity to acquaint himself with the Claremont Resort and Spa’s labor situation in greater detail,” the press release read. “Had he such an opportunity, he would have found that the Claremont has a long history of successful, mutually rewarding relationships with unions.” 

Huber said the Claremont was grasping at straws by bringing up the complaint.  

The Berkeley City Council disagreed with the hotel’s bargaining practices last June and unanimously approved a boycott of the hotel.  

“Starting in May, workers are going to have to make a very difficult choice. ‘Do I buy food for my children and or do I buy medical insurance,” said City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who attended the Mt. Zion event.

This weekend’s 34th anniversary celebration of the People’s Park riot wouldn’t have been the same without a little controversy. 

The celebration, which took place at the park Sunday afternoon, was full of speeches and songs and art. But there were also murmurs about a recent decision by UC Berkeley to take down an acacia tree on the east end of the park. 

The university-owned park has been a battleground since 1969 when 2,000 activists, at the height of the political ferment of the sixties, clashed with local authorities over plans to build student housing on the small patch of land just south of campus. 

Ever since then, local activists, gardeners and homeless people have staked claim to the park, engaging in sporadic, territorial skirmishes with the university. The latest emerged two weeks ago when UC Berkeley took a chainsaw to the acacia. 

“It appeared to be in danger of falling over,” explained the university’s Director of Community Relations Irene Hegarty. 

Hegarty said the university was particularly concerned because the tree was near a children’s play area and a similar acacia had fallen of its own accord just a couple of years ago. 

But activists objected. 

“I was just astonished that they would do this,” said longtime activist Lisa Stephens. “It’s not the university’s decision. They may think they own the park, but they don’t. It’s our park.” 

The university did, in fact, run the idea past a community advisory board and one member, Dana Merryday, said the decision seemed like a no-brainer at the time. 

“The acacia was cracked and we agreed as a group that it could be unpredictable,” said Merryday. “We really didn’t think of the historical value of the tree.” 

Stephens said the public process should have involved more than the advisory board. “They know that’s not adequate,” she said. “This is a major, major change to the park.”  

Hegarty said the university has delayed plans to take down three more tress in the face of community concerns. 

Talk of the acacia controversy rippled through Sunday’s celebration of the 1969 riot, but a festive mood dominated the event.  

Children played basketball and skateboarded, vendors sold jewelry and glass art, and liberal icons like hippie performer Wavy Gravy and U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) made speeches. Country Joe McDonald and Will Scarlett performed music. 

“This has been 34 years of keeping hope alive, of keeping democracy alive and of making sure the Constitution lives,” said Lee, as quoted by the Associated Press. 

CORRECTION 

In an article on the Creative Re-Use workers’ union efforts in the April 25-27 issue, the Industrial Workers of the World were incorrectly identified.

Forget about furs and champagne. Forget about the world-class singers and spectacular staging on the other side of the bay, and forget about spending $100 or more for a ticket. If you love opera, love the combination of music and theater, do not miss the Berkeley Opera’s flawed but exciting production of “Eugene Onegin” at the Julia Morgan Theater.  

The musical scene in Berkeley is rich not just because of big names who appear through Cal Performances but because of smaller, less publicized ventures. In this production, the Berkeley Opera has done the near-impossible: grand opera on an intimate scale. Much of the singing is outstanding; the small orchestra fills the theater with warm, rich sound; the chorus is effective, and the inventive staging makes a virtue of limited resources. The result, sung in English with projected supertitles, is an ideal introduction to Tchaikovsky’s rarely performed work. 

The plot of “Eugene Onegin,” taken from Pushkin, has everything one could ask from Russian literature or from opera: infatuation, jealousy, remorse, grand balls, love letters, even a duel. At the center is the title character, bored, dashing and Byronic. Onegin rejects the passionate overtures of Tatiana, a landowner’s daughter, quarrels with his best friend Lensky, and comes to regret both his coldness and his rage. Pushkin’s men and women love the unavailable (Onegin only responds to Tatiana when she is married to someone else), and the truest passion in the opera — so real and threatening it must be wiped out with death — is between Lensky and Onegin. 

Several of the principals sang superbly. The most accomplished were Jorge Gomez, a ringing, expressive tenor, as Lensky, and Clea Nemetz as his fiancée Olga, Tatiana’s more conventional and cheerful sister (Cary Ann Rosko Harvath will sing Olga on May 2 and 4). Sergey Zadvorny, a recent immigrant from Ukraine, provided a powerful bass aria (and some authentic Slavic flavor) in the final act as Tatiana’s husband Prince Gremin.  

Jilian Khuner as Tatiana warmed up as the evening progressed. Her singing seemed listless at first, but she was splendid in the letter-writing scene and both queenly and melancholy at the end. (Lanier McNab will sing the role on May 2 and 4.) Unfortunately, Jo Vincent Parks was less impressive as Onegin, leaving something of a vacuum at the center of the production. This production coarsens Onegin’s character (his rejection of Tatiana is not just cold but brutal), and makes it hard to understand why everyone finds him so charming. Parks improved in the final act, but in general he lacked the dash and smoothness that Onegin ought to have. (Joe Kinyon will sing Onegin on May 2 and 4.) 

These weaknesses, however, are minor. In spite of some peculiar decisions (a silent Onegin is present like a ghost throughout Tatiana’s letter-writing scene), the staging is excellent, with some lovely and witty effects achieved with great economy: the use of chairs to suggest a ballroom, members of the chorus silhouetted on ladders against a white backdrop. The English translation and supertitles make the action understandable, and the production has several moments — Tatiana’s letter, the ball scene where festivity leads to violence, Lensky’s poignant aria before the duel — that remind you what opera is all about. This is a production, and a company, that Berkeley is fortunate to have. 

“Eugene Onegin” runs through May 4. Call 925-798-1300 for information.

Sally Streets, East Bay director emeritus of Berkeley Ballet Theater, received the Isadora Duncan Award for Sustained Achievement Monday night for her work as a dancer, choreographer, instructor and mentor.  

“She’s a brilliant artist and a funny woman who has accomplished so much,” said Lauren Jonas, Diablo Ballet Company’s artistic director. “She’s run a dance school. She’s a choreographer. And she works directly with students. While there are a lot of women in dance, there are not a lot of women directors. Sally’s real and approachable, she’s a very natural person with no outside baggage.” 

“Sally’s a true master teacher of ballet and a mentor to so many,” said Frank Shawl of Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. “Professional dancers study with her because they can learn from her. She has a great eye. She has the ability to see what a person needs to work on. She can help them change the way they look at dancing.”  

“I started ballet about the age of nine with Dorothy Pring in Berkeley,” Streets said. “Once I stepped into that studio, I knew I wanted to be a dancer. That’s were I met Victor Anderson and Anya Linden [now Lady Sainsbury]. She was my best friend as a child. I grew up and joined New York City Ballet and she went back to England and became a ballerina with the Royal Ballet.” 

Streets danced briefly in New York, with Mia Slavenska’s Ballet Variante and New York City Ballet, before returning to Berkeley where she married Alexander Nichols. Three children and eight years later Streets returned to dance with Alan Howard’s Pacific Ballet Company and then Ron Guidi’s Oakland Ballet. 

In 1979 Streets was asked to teach at Berkeley Ballet Theater. Shortly thereafter the founder left. Streets resuscitated the floundering company and dance school, which has launched numerous performers into the national and international dance scene, including her daughter, Kyra Nichols, principal dancer with New York City Ballet. 

Streets also taught at San Francisco Ballet, the Royal Ballet in London and the New York City Ballet. 

Streets’ two sons, Robert and Alex, also followed her into the footlights. Robert danced briefly before pursuing a spiritual path; Alex, a lighting and set designer, still works in the business and has won several “Izzys” for his designs. 

National dance critic and former dancer Paul Parrish has known Streets for 20 years. 

“Sally’s not into ‘pink’ dancing. She’s very much about honest dancing and the efficiency of movement, not the mystique, not that morbid atmosphere that sometimes surrounds ballet,” Parrish said. “She’s one of the great teachers. For a ballet dancer Sally has a huge following in modern dance. She understands both the anatomy and the physics of dance. She requires everything of a dancer, technically, imaginatively, but especially musically.” 

“You have to be aware to function as a dancer,” Streets said. “It’s given me a strong will. If I want to do something I think I can, I never think I can’t. It might be foolish at times but —” she trails off laughing. 

She has chosen to make her career in the Bay Area. “Some dancers want to go to New York to feel they’re dancing in the big city,” she said. “Some people don’t mind where they dance, they just want to dance. I think a lot of people stay here and dance because they like living in the Bay Area. I went all over the world in my travels with ballet. After all was said and done, I wanted to live here.” 

For more than a decade, a tiny little hole in the wall on north Shattuck Avenue has been hoppin’ and boppin’ to the melodies of live modern jazz. You won’t find it in the phone book under nightclubs, but the joint is jumpin’ nevertheless. The secret is in the cheese. 

This, the teeniest of the Bay Area’s live jazz venues, is better known at The Cheese Board Pizza Collective, and they serve up live jazz twice a day, four days a week. They also serve what is arguably the best pizza in the Bay Area.  

“I’m a regular,” said Wendell Brooks, a Berkeley High School history and music teacher and choir director. “This is a special place. What’s great is they often have older people who you would not normally see in any other venue. This is a venue that has a sense of community.” 

Brooks recalled standing in line one afternoon when a businessman from the peninsula came by and asked why there were so many people standing in line. The man complained that the shop was too small, too ratty and served only one kind of pizza. On top of that, they were only open a few hours a day. But what he really didn’t understand was why they are so successful.  

“This is what they do,” said Brooks. “This is it. We support it because the product is great.” 

Standing outside and listening to the music last Friday afternoon, Peter Lull and his friend, Mika Matsui, tried to explain the magic. 

“It’s a one-of-a-kind place,” said Lull. “I come here every week. I love Berkeley community and this is it at its best. There’s a little bit of everything. There’s the gourmet food. There’s the people coming and going. There’s the excellent music. Especially these guys [Lee Gaines on piano and Chuck Walker on drums], they’re so classy. You can tell that they’ve lived so much. The jazz is awesome. It’s just a nice crossroads here and I like to linger at the Cheese Board crossroads.” 

Kathie Campbell, who works across the street at Masse’s Pastry Shop, stops on Fridays. “I think Chuck and Lee are the best,” she said. “I’m a former musician and I’ve been listening to their music for years.”  

Fifty-year Berkeley resident Lee Gaines has been pounding the Cheese Board’s keyboards for six years. 

“It’s very, very laid back,” she said. “We’re just like a big family. I feel honored if I look around and I see someone’s toes tapping.”  

Arthur Dembling, Yesi Tezin, Dwight Ferron and Willy Perez manage the collective’s Friday afternoon shift, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Perez books the entertainment for the week.  

“It’s actually whatever the shift likes,” said Perez  

“He’s looking for cheesy music,” Tezin shouted over him, laughing. “That’s what he gets.” 

“We’ll hire anybody,” Perez said. “People walk in off the street and they say, ‘Oh, I play this, I play that.’ They leave their name and whenever we have an opening we call them. They come out and if they’re too much for us then we let them go. We’ll talk it over during that shift, and it’s what that shift can stand. If the shift says, ‘Oh no. It’s too loud or it’s not my kind of music,’ then we say no. We go with what we think we can work with. They’re not here for the money. They get paid exactly what we get paid, by the hour.” 

There’s very little turnover among the musicians or the collective members. 

Betty Shaw decided in her late forties that she wanted to become a jazz musician. She’s been at it now for more than 20 years, the last seven at the Pizza Collective piano.  

“It’s a wonderful job. It’s one of the few places where you can play jazz,” Shaw said. “I’m here on Friday and Saturday for lunch time with a wonderful bassist named Ron Croddy who used to work with Dave Brubeck. With all my heart I’m grateful for this place. I really am because it’s been a wonderful, wonderful experience. 

“At first when I started playing here, a lot of the jazz people didn’t have a high opinion of the place, but as the years have gone by it’s increased in stature. Now a lot of people want to work here. It’s a nice place to work. I don’t blame them.” 

The Cheese Board Pizza Collective is located at 1512 Shattuck Ave. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 7 p.m., closed Sundays and Mondays. 

Walking along a bustling section of Telegraph Avenue, Mayor Tom Bates, clad in beat-up sneakers and a pair of baggy, frayed blue jeans, intently watched the ground from beneath the brim of a cap pulled low over his forehead. 

Suddenly he stooped to pick up an apple that was wedged between the edge of the sidewalk and a Cyclone fence near Haste Street. 

“That’s what we call a ‘ground score’, ” said a homeless man walking alongside the mayor. The man high-fived the mayor, who then polished the small treasure on his shirt before slipping it into his pants’ pocket.  

“I’m going to save this for tonight,” the mayor said and returned his attention to the sidewalk. 

The scene might have been typical in the day of a homeless person. In this case, however, trailing 20 feet behind the mayor was a gaggle of reporters, photographers and cameramen making note of his every move.  

Bates, 65, was touring Telegraph Avenue as part of a 24-hour stint as a homeless person. During his time on the street, Bates slept in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, toured 15 homeless service centers and spoke to dozens of homeless people on city streets and in city parks. 

The mayor and his entourage finally set up camp beneath the trees behind the Civic Center around 9:30 Tuesday night. There, Bates used a public Porta-Potty that he described as a horrible experience, and was wakened around 2 a.m. by a Berkeley police officer who hadn’t been notified of the city-authorized one-night encampment. Usually the park closes at 10 p.m.  

Bates was joined in the park by about 30 people including his chief of staff, Cisco DeVries, and boona cheema, director of the nonprofit homeless agency Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency. BOSS Community Organizer Michael Diehl, who spent many years homeless and planned much of the mayor’s 24-hour itinerary, also spent the night in the park. 

Bates first promised to spend 24 hours on the street in the heat of a campaign debate last year, but in the five months since he won the mayor’s office, the trip turned into a mission of discovery.  

“I saw a lot of heart-breaking things,” Bates said. “I saw a mother with a 3-year-old baby and no place to go.” 

The mayor said that he tried to find out as much information as he could from the people living on the streets. 

“I had a lot of interchange with homeless people in the last 24 hours,” he said. “I asked them where they were from. I asked them what they did for a living, why they were homeless.” 

DeVries said it was a good time for the mayor to learn about the city’s homeless programs because cuts in state funding appear to be inevitable. He said, however, that preliminary city budgets don’t appear to include large cuts to homeless programs.  

Berkeley’s homeless population is difficult to track and currently no official head count exists. The city devotes $3 million to homeless programs, and the federal and state governments provide another $7.3 million for an annual total of $10.3 million.  

That money provides services for an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 people. 

Services in Berkeley include four shelters with 200 permanent beds for individuals and families, and an additional 75 temporary beds during the winter. There are four daytime drop-in centers and two multi-service centers.  

Of Berkeley’s estimated homeless population, 70 percent are adult, 75 percent are male, 20 percent are women with children and 61 percent are African-American, according to a fact sheet released by the mayor’s office. 

Bates kicked off his 24-hour stint with a dinner of mixed rice, broccoli and juice at the Trinity Baptist Church on Bancroft. He visited the Anne Carter Memorial Free Clothing Store at the Ecumenical Chaplaincy to the Homeless.  

He then toured the Berkeley Free Clinic before walking, with about 25 people in tow, to People’s Park. Bates sat on a plywood stage and bantered with a small group of homeless people for about 30 minutes before moving on to the UC student-run Suitcase Clinic on Dana Street.  

The clinic provides a variety of services including foot washing, chiropractic care and legal services.  

“I’m in total awe of this program,” Bates said. “The students do everything there from giving haircuts, to giving legal counsel to washing feet, which to me is one of the most humbling things possible.” 

Many service providers are concerned that coming budget cuts will decimate their programs and reduce their ability to care for the homeless.  

Bates said his one-night experience was valuable for better understanding the city’s homeless services and the people who use them.  

“Most of what I learned, I learned from talking to homeless people,” a bleary-eyed Bates said at a press conference at his final stop, the Center for Independent Living, on Wednesday afternoon. “I’ve taken in so much information it will take some time to absorb it and think it through.” 

He did suggest an immediate action that would not cost any money. He said he learned that it was critical to establish better coordination between existing homeless services. He said, for example, the attendants at the 80-bed Harrison House in West Berkeley should be better trained to deal with disabled clients, who are sometimes turned away because attendants lack basic knowledge about providing service to the disabled.  

Bates said his night gave him the impression that about half of the homeless are so by choice, and that the other half want to get off the street but are prevented by lack of support or substance abuse problems.  

“We have to find a way to help the 50 percent who want to get off the street, to get off the street,” he said. “I want to see a detox facility established somewhere in Alameda County to help these people.” 

During his tour Bates was often challenged by the homeless, who questioned the sincerity of his homeless stint. Some thought his night was an opportunity to get positive publicity for himself or perhaps a prelude to a crackdown by police or deep cuts to the homeless budget. 

A man calling himself “Breeze” said he’d been homeless for 30 years and had seen politicians pull similar stunts in the past.  

“Are you spending the night in a sleeping bag from the Free Box?” Breeze said, referring to a donation box where the homeless can find clothing and other items. “If you’re going to come out here with us, come out here with us.” 

Bates admitted that his night only allowed him brief insight to the condition of homelessness. “This was just a glimpse, a sip, a taste, but there was also a lot of reality,” he said. 

At the press conference, Bates denied his homeless night was a stunt and said there were no plans to cut services. Rather, he described himself as invigorated to work to maintain homeless services in the face of large budget deficits. 

“This was not about Tom Bates,” he said. “It’s about the people who are homeless, the casualties that walk our streets.” 

FRIDAY, APRIL 25 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 

548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. 496-6000, ext.135. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship www.bpf.org 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon, Francis U. Macy 

Co-Director, Center for Safe Energy, on the "The Growing Environmental Movement in Russia." Luncheon 11:45 a.m. $11.50 - $12.50, Speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations 526-2925, 665-9020. 

“War is a Coward’s Escape from the Problems of Peace,” a lecture by William Sloane Coffin, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, on Dana between Durant and Channing. $5 suggested donation. 

The War at Home: Organizing for Social and Economic Justice 

Conference at UC Berkeley on the war economy and how it will affect us all, from Friday evening through Sunday. Workshops include: Next Steps for the Anti-War Movement, Expanding Health Care Access, Immigrant Workers’ Rights, Defending Quality Public Education and more. Sponsored by the Democratic Socialists of America. Cost is $20 - $50 in advance, $35 - $65 at the door. Registration opens at 5 p.m., Room 2050, Valley Life Science Bldg., UC Campus. For information on registration and location, call 415-789-8497 or www.dsausa.org/lowwage 

7th Annual Charles T. Travers Ethics Conference:  

Citizenship, Education, and Public Accountability, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lipman Room, 8th floor, Barrows Hall. Sponsored by UC Berkeley Political Science Dept., UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, and The Commonwealth Club of California. This one-day conference will explore the idea of responsible citizenship  

and the role of citizens in shaping public policy. http://ethics.berkeley.edu/conference/conference.html  

US Chemical Warfare: The Tragedy of Agent Orange 

with speakers Gerald Nicosia and Fred Wilcox at 6 p.m. in the Free Speech Cafe, Moffitt Library, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Free Speech Movement Cafe Educational Programs. 642-1056.  

lcushing@library.berkeley.edu 

Downtown Berkeley YMCA Family Night, with Free Ice Cream and Karaoke.  

Belt out a few tunes and build yourself a sundae! From 7 to 9 p.m. at 2001 Allston Way, free and open to the public. 848-9622. www.baymca.org 

Please join the Pilgrimage Project for Indiaquest, part of our global search among women of spirit for equitable, 

sustainable peace. The gathering will be held at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, the Common Room, 2451 Ridge Rd., Fri. April 25 

6:30 - 9 p.m. and Sat. April 26, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Registration on site $20 or contact Linda at benetlin@aol.com or Kate at 

kbemis@linfield.edu; or visit us on the web at http://www.thepilgrimageproject.org. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 26 

Berkeley Bay Festival at the Marina from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The theme is environmental education and the Bay. A free event for all ages. Workshops, walks, canoeing class, bike rides. Build a solar cooker, explore the new pedestrian I-80 overpass and the Bay Trail, and check out the Shorebird Nature Center's straw bale building currently being built. 644-8623. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/marinaexp/bayfest.html.  

Spring Plant Sale at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 643-2755 for directions. www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden 

Kids’ Garden Club: Butterflies at 2 p.m. in the  

Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. 525-2233.  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tours, “Berkeley Verses: Exploring the Cal Campus and Its Poems,” led by Steve Finacom. $5 members, $10 non-members. For reservations call 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

Thumbs Up: Child Identification Project 

Free Child Identification Cards, for all children ages 18 months to 18 years at Eastmont Mall, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., sponsored by the California Correctional Peace Officers Assoc. and the California Youth Authority. For information call Rochelle O’Donnell 563-5361. 

Crop Circles: Quest for Truth, a documentary video will be shown with presenters F. Bogzaran and Michael Miley from 2 - 4:30 p.m. at 1744 University Ave. 845-1767. 

Small Press Distribution Open House. The only non-profit literary book distributor celebrates its 34th Anniversary with readings, browsing and food and drink, noon - 4 p.m. at its warehouse, 1341 7th St., off Gilman. 524-1668 x 305 or www.spdbooks.org 

The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO) will be holding a GI Volunteer Training from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at 630 20th St., Suite #302, Oakland, CA. We will be training military counselors to take calls from GIs and provide information on how to obtain a discharge or file a grievance. For more information call 465-1617. 

Spring Design Office Tour: The UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design Alumni Association will host a tour of design firms and artist's studios from 1-5 p.m. Locations are in the East Bay and San Francisco. Tickets are $20 for the general public, $15 for CED alumni and $5 for students. For information and registration see www.ced.berkeley.edu/news or call Lawrence Lawler 642-7459, or email lawler@uclink.berkeley.edu. 

Hitchhikers’ Rally, a benefit performance and pot luck for KPFA’s radio drama/documentary series “Hitchhiking off the Map,” at 7 p.m. at the Tea Party House in the Lake Merritt area of Oakland. Donation requested. Call 800-357-6016 for reservations and location details. 

Book Sale to raise funds for sending books to Sori Primary and Sori Secondary, in Sori, Kenya 10 a.m - 5 p.m. Also on the 27th. 3000 books, including the inventory of a closed used bookstore; quality books at garage sale prices. 1261 Campus Dr., (Go up Cedar to top, left on LaLoma, left on Glendale, left on Campus) For information call 769-7613 or SandyHodges@attbi.com 

SUNDAY, APRIL 27 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Allen Temple Baptist Church, 8501 International Blvd., Oakland, at 8 a.m. For information call 544-8918. 

People’s Park 34th Anniversary Peace Party and Concert Celebrate the history of People’s Park with host Wavy Gravy, speakers Rep. Barbara Lee, David Hilliard, Ed Rosenthal, Michael Delacour and others. Music by Clan Dyken, The F.U.G.I.T.I.V.E.S, Big Brutha Soul, Carol Denney, Country Joe and more. Food from Food Not Bombs and gardening with Roots of Peace. For information 390-0830. 

Berkeley Historical Society 25th Anniversary Celebration at the Veteran’s Memorial Building, 1931 Center St., from 3 - 5 p.m. Author/historian Richard Schwartz will give a lecture on "Landscape of Berkeley: Before Development." This is the last chance to see the Bishop Berkeley exhibit, curated by  

Steve Finacom: "'Time's Noblest Offspring' - George Berkeley and the naming of Berkeley, California." Admission free. Refreshments will be served. For information call 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

Permaculture Workshop on Greywater Systems, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Eco-House, 1305 Hopkins, on the corner of Peralta, near Gilman. Enter at Peralta gate. Donations on a sliding scale of $5 - $20, but no one turned away for lack of funds. For more information contact Katharine Jolda 465-9439. 

Yom Ha'Shoah sponsored by Kol Hadash, the Bay Area's only Jewish Humanistic congregation, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Dedicated to Holocaust Rescuers and Rescued, with three short personal stories. Call 415-507-0170 or 848-6137. or email KolHadash@aol.com 

TUESDAY, APRIL 29 

State of the City Address by Mayor Bates, at Longfellow Middle School Auditorium, 1500 Derby St., at Sacramento, at 5:30 p.m. If you have questions or need more information, please contact the Mayor's 

Office at 981-7100 or mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

The Reality of Public Power 

Panel Discussion 

Moderator: Reid Edwards, Director of Community Relations, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Panelists: Bill F. Roberts, Ph.D, President, Economic Sciences Corporation; Hal Concklin, Director of Public Affairs, Southern California Edison; Paul Fenn, Director, Local Power; Cynthia Wooten-Cohen, Energy Consultant. At 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. For reservations: 981-5435. energy@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

Berkeley Camera Club 

Meets every Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 525-3565.  

www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

THURSDAY, MAY 1 

BOSS Graduation, Join the community for a very special Graduation honoring poor and homeless people who have achieved self-sufficiency and independence. The evening will include a cermeony, performance and a sit down dinner, 6 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel at the Berkeley Marina, 200 Marina Blvd. Tickets $50 each.  

To RSVP, call 649-1930. 

A Lot in Common, video documentary by Emmy award-winning producer/editor Rick Bacigalupi about the growth of community as neighbors, artists and others build and use the Peralta and Northside Community Art Garden Commons, at 7:30 p.m., at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Cedar St. and Bonita. For information contact Rick Bacigalupi 415-282-0340. ALotinCommon@aol.com 

Bike Repair: Suspension  

Do it yourself! Part of The Missing Link Bicycle Co-Op’s 30th annual FREE lecture series, at 7:30 p.m. at Missing Link, 1988 Shattuck Ave. 843-7471.  

Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1 FM, holds public meetings for all interested people first and third Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 595-0190.  

FRIDAY, MAY 2 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 

548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. 496-6000, ext.135. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship www.bpf.org 

Sex, Lies & International Economics a film on alternative economics for women’s equality at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul, a reading room, library and community center in South Berkeley located at 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. All events are free. 

540-0751. ww.thelonghaul.org 

ONGOING 

Activist Skill Class: Practical Skills for Difficult Times 

Tactics and strategies of activism with Karen Pickett and Phil Klasky. Classes offered through Merritt College, Tuesday evenings and Saturdays, beginning April 29 through May 24. To register call 548-2220 x 233. Classes at  

The Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Cooking and Baking Classes, offered by The Bread Project in conjunction with Berkeley Adult School. Contact Lucie Buchbinder at 644-1713 for more information.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Transportation Commission Pedestrian Subcommittee meets Friday, April 25, 3 p.m. at 2118 Milvia St., Third Floor Conference Room. Carolyn Helmke, 981-7062. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/transportation/default.htm  

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Deborah Chernin, 981-6715. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/parksandrecreation/default.htm 

Solid Waste Management Commission meets Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m. at the Transfer Station, 1201 Second St. Becky Dowdakin, 981-6357. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/solidwaste/default.htm  

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at  

2118 Milvia St. 

Nabil Al-Hadithy 981-7461. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory/default.htm  

Public Works Commission 

meets Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, Jeff Egeberg 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/publicworks/default.htm

The only question unanswered at the end of “Surface Transit,” Sarah Jones’ one-woman show at Berkeley Repertory’s Thrust Stage, is “What’s that title all about?” Simple enough: It refers to the bus rides during which this New Yorker found sources for several of the characters she portrays so brilliantly.  

The performance is a skillful mix of different personas, seven in all. They vary wildly from an elderly black street woman to a white male supremacist; from a white European widow raising a child of mixed race to a streetwise young woman fending off a klutzy attempt to pick her up. There’s even an orthodox Jewish grandmother rocking sweetly away. 

Different as the characters are in sex, age and position in life, Jones is convincing as she morphs from one to another before your eyes. It’s no surprise that she has won as many awards as she has. 

Curiously, Jones does not want to be called an actress: She’s a “performer.” It’s a stance which has led the poor souls who write about her to such awkward circumlocutions as “playwright-poet-performer-activist.” Her position may be based on the fact that she has never studied acting or playwriting. (So? Neither did Shakespeare and his cronies.) Her talent for accents is based on years of mimicry. As a bi-racial and multi-ethnic child, she morphed into “whatever made sense” in her families’ different cultures. Later on, she honed her skills when she attended the United Nations International School in New York.  

But there is far more to Jones’ performance than accurate accents: her portrayals of a breadth of characters are mesmerizingly convincing. Young, old, they become real. Feminine as she is, her characterization of three male characters is unquestioningly male. It isn’t a woman behaving like a man; it’s three male characters. That’s all. Even though you’ve watched her make a few quick costume changes right before your eyes, she’s a male.  

She’s amazingly talented. 

Jones has written a script which is basically a feminist, liberal, anti-racist polemic; her messages are clear, but shown in situations with so much humor and understanding — even of the other side of the debates — that the evening is one of entertainment, not edification. 

Her presentation, for example, of a transit guard trying desperately to explain away his attempts to force sex on an unwilling partner could almost arouse sympathy for his ignorance of and obliviousness to his own behavior. It isn’t a situation that seems the stuff of comedy, but even here there is wit and a kind of bemused comprehension. But make no mistake: “Surface Transit” is feminist to the core. 

Perhaps one of the most delightful parts of the program is the portrayal of a teenage black girl at a bus stop contemptuously fending off the advances of an overly interested stranger. 

This scene includes a feminist hip-hop song, drafted as Jones’ rebuke to the relentless misogyny of the hip-hop scene. When it was banned from radio on the basis of indecency, she became the first performing artist to successfully sue the Federal Communications Commission. 

Wildly different as the production’s individual characters are, they’re linked by some incident in which they cross paths with the next one in line. It provides a continuity to the evening which is structurally satisfying as well as a means of conveying the play’s underlying messages.  

The best way to sum up “Surface Transit” is the fact that on the night this writer attended the performance, the audience, both male and female, gave it a standing ovation: a cheering, standing ovation.

FRIDAY, APRIL 25 

CHILDREN 

Harold and the Purple Crayon Storytime at 10:30 a.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

FILM 

S.F. International Film Festival showing The Century of the Self (Parts 3 and 4) at 4 p.m. Cry Woman at 7 p.m. and Marooned in Iraq at 9:15 p.m., at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $7.50 members, UC students; $8.50 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $10 for adults. 642-1412. 

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

The Handmaid’s Tale, fundamentalist Christians take over the U.S. and aren’t nice to women, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, at 8 p.m. at The Long Haul, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Kathy Harrison reads from her memoir, “Another Place at the Table,” about being a foster mother, at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St., a Cody’s evening for parents and teachers. 559-9500. 

www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Noon Concert 

Robert Kraig, violin, Rachel Teukolsky, violin, Eric Hsieh, viola, Hannah Hyon, cello 

perform Bartok’s String Quartet No. 1, op.7, in a free concert at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Doors open at 11:55 a.m. 642-4864.  

http://music.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Opera performs Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $38 adults, $33 seniors over 65, $16 children under 18, $10 students. 925-798-1300. 

www.juliamorgan.org 

Trinity Chamber Concerts 

Divertissements with the Collegium Musicum, Kate Van Orden & Anthony Martin, music directors. Music by Jean-Baptiste Lully and his enemies, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Suggested donation of $12 general, $8 students, seniors or disabled. 

549-3864. 

University Dance Theater, presents their annual performance at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $8 - $14 available from 866-468-3399. For information contact 642-9925. genturc@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Lavay Smith & her Red Hot Skillet Lickers Swing dance lesson with Nick and Shanna at 8 p.m. with a show at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054.   www.ashkenaz.com 

Orixa, Otis Goodnight & the Defenestrators, Dubphonics 

perform Rock, New Soul, Hip Hop at 9:30 p.m. at Blake’s on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886. 

www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Charlie King and Karen Brandow, extraordinary songs of ordinary people, at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room of Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St. Cost is $10-$25 sliding scale. 548-1645.  

Gabriel Yacoub, French folk fusion innovator performs at  

8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

John Foster, guitar and Zanzylum perform at the Jazz House, at 8 p.m. Minimum $10. 655-9755. 

Georges Lammam Ensemble 

performs music from Egypt, Iraq, and Saudia Arabia to benefit Friends of Deir Ibzia Summer Camp in Palestine, at  

8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568.   www.lapena.org 

Danny Caron, Brenda Boykin and Friends perform at 9:30 p.m., at downtown. 649-3810. www.downtownrestaurant.com 

The People, Sol Americana, Mister Q perform at 9:30 p.m., at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 

Holy Molar, Ex-Models, Scare Tactics, Cold Shoulder, City to City perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 26 

CHILDREN 

Bonnie Lockhart presents a  

morning of sing-along, play-along, move-along songs and music games, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $3 children, $4 adults. 849-2568.  www.lapena.org 

Dance Jammies 

A multi-generational event presented by Orches, a non-profit dance/art organization from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at 2525 8th St. 

Reservations advised. 832-3835. orches@earthlink.net 

Crowden Community Music Day, with concerts, instrument petting zoo, instrument workshops and more from noon to 5 p.m. at the Crowden School, 1475 Rose St. 559-6910. www.thecrowdenschool.org 

Demystifying Shakespeare, a workshop for ages 10 to 14, taught by Erin Merrit from Woman’s Will Shakespeare Company, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale, scholarships available on request. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

FILM 

S.F. International Film Festival showing Lost Boys of Sudan at 2 p.m., My Terrorist and For My Children at 4:15 p.m., Waiting for Happiness at 7 p.m. and Dark Side of the Heart 2 at 9:15 p.m., at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $7.50 members, UC students; $8.50 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $10 adults. 642-1412. 

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Annual Open Mike Poetry Reading takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Allen Ginsberg Memorial Poetry Garden, at Milvia and Lincoln Sts. This year's themes are Peace, War and Humanity. All are all welcome. Come read a poem or two, written by you or a favorite author! For more information or to help, contact Steve Rosenbaum at 644-3971 or srosenba@socrates.berkeley. 

edu. 

Reese Erlich, co-author with Norman Soloman, will discuss their book, “Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn’t Tell You,” at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, Cedar and Bonita. Sponsored by the Coalition for a democratic Pacifica. 669-1842. les@ix.netcom.com 

Robert Stone reads from “Bay of Souls” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. 

www.codysbooks.com 

Marco Marson reads from “Thinking Naked” at 2:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Opera performs 

Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $38 adults, $33 seniors over 65, $16 children under 18, $10 students, from 925-798-1300. 

www.juliamorgan.org 

University Dance Theater, presents their annual performance at 2 and 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $8 - $14 available from 866-468-3399. For information contact 642-9925. genturc@uclink.berkeley.edu 

En Pointe Youth Dance Company, middle and high school dancers perform The Little Match Girl and Falling Notes at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. at 3 and 8 p.m. Tickets $5. For information email enpointedance@yahoo.com 

Young People’s Chamber Orchestra, directed by Rem Djemilev, performs at 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. 

Trinity Chamber Concerts presents Solstice, a female vocal ensemble, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St.  

Donation with suggested price of $12 general, $8 students, seniors or disabled. 549-3864. 

Roy Haynes’ Birds of a Feather, a tribute to Charlie Parker, with Kenny Garrett, alto saxophone, Nicholas Payton, trumpet, Christian McBride, bass, Dave Kikoski, piano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $20, $30, $42. 642-9988. ww.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau 

Cajun dance lesson with Patti Whitehurst at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $13. 525-5054.  www.ashkenaz.com 

View From Here, Hyim, Charles Cooper Quartet perform Groove, Urban Folk Rock, Jazz Hip Hop at 9:30 p.m. Blake’s on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886. 

www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Anton Schwartz Quartet performs at 9:30 p.m., at downtown. 649-3810. www.downtownrestaurant.com 

Barry & Alice Oliver perform 

traditional & contemporary folk at 8 p.m., at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $16.50 adv, $17.50 door. 548-1761. .www.freightandsalvage.org 

Fogo Na Roupa Carnival! 

Carnival with dance and Brazilian floor show featuring Carlos Acetuno’s Fogo Na Roupa, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568.    www.lapena.org 

Hal Stein Quartet performs familiar standards and originals at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Tickets are $12, $15, $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

See Spot, Los Hulligans, Radio Noise at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8.  

841-2082. 

Replicator, Xiu Xiu, El Guapo, The Paperchase, The Yellow Press perform at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 27 

CHILDREN 

Building Experimental Musical Instruments from Salvaged Materials, a workshop for all ages, taught by Fran Holland of Tinkers’ Workshop, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale, scholarships available on request. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

FILM 

S.F. International Film Festival showing The Same River Twice at 1 p.m., Woman of Water at 3:15 p.m., Bus 174 at 6 p.m. and A Peck on the Cheek at 8:45 p.m., at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $7.50 members, UC students; $8.50 for UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $10 adults. 642-1412. 

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Annie Finch and Jennifer Michael Hecht at 7:30 p.m. at Cody's Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. $2 donation. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com, www.poetryflash.org 

Lee Nichol speaks on the “Dialog of Being” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Place. 843-6812. www.NyingmaInstitute.com 

Howard Rachelson reads from “Trivia Cafe” at 3:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble concert and benefit brunch at H’s Lordships on the Berkeley Marina, at 11 a.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $18 for children and are available from Lori Ferguson 527-8245 or Lorij45@aol.com. 

East Bay Center for the Performing Arts and the Berkeley Arts Center join in celebration of our youth in a concert by music students at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. 

University Dance Theater, presents their annual performance at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $8 - $14 available from 866-468-3399. For information contact 642-9925. genturc@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Treve Johnson, panoramic dance photograher with dance group Terrain presents a 

unique free show, Performance Peace. It begins at 12 noon at Western Sky Studios, 2525 Eighth St. at Dwight Way. Participants are asked to arrive at 11:45 a.m. to receive instructions. For more information, contact Lori Hope at 531-9099. 

San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir, Harry Carter, director, performs music of the Americas at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church,  

2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $15, seniors and students $10. 763-1453 or 763-3851.  

www.sfbaychoir.org 

Berkeley Opera performs 

Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $38 adults, $33 seniors over 65, $16 children under 18, $10 students, from 925-798-1300. www.juliamorgan.org 

The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra presents Under Construction: New works by local composers, conducted by George Thomson, hosted by Kent Nagano. A free concert at 8 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 841.2800. 

www.berkeleysymphony.org 

ACME Observatory Contemporary Performance 

Series presents a Microfestival of Live Electronic Music featuring laptop solos by Patrice Scanlon, Bill Hsu, Scott R. Looney, Jeff Lubow and Tim 

Perkis, and a special duo performance by Kristin Miltner processing James Livingston's saxophone playing, at 8:15 p.m. at The Jazz House. Admission is free, donations accepted. 649-8744. acme@sfsound.org 

http://sfsound.org/acme.html 

Rose Street House of Music holds a benefit concert, at 7 p.m., for Rose Street, a volunteer-run Berkeley house concert featuring women singer/songwriters including Irina Rivkin and Rebecca Crump of Making Waves, Shelley Doty, Jamie Isman, Rachel Efron, & Elodie Sings! For information and location call 594-4000, ext. MUS or 687. 

rosestreetmusic@yahoo.com  

University Dance Theater, presents their annual performance at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $8 - $14 available from 866-468-3399. For information contact 642-9925. genturc@uclink.berkeley.edu 

Krystian Zimerman, piano at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $30, $40, $52 642-9988. tickets@calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Benefit for Klez California 

with California Klezmer and Red Hot Chachkas from  

3 - 6 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10 - $20 sliding scale. 525-5054.   www.ashkenaz.com 

Dig Jelly, Roadside Attraction, The Anesthetics, Shaken perform Rock at  

9:30 p.m. at Blake’s on Telegraph. Cost is $3. 848-0886. 

www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Perfect Strangers perform hot traditional bluegrass at  

8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50 adv, $16.50 door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

World Drum Clinic, hands-on African drumming clinic, at the Jazz House, at 10:45 a.m. Beginners at 11 a.m., experienced at 12:30 p.m. Cost: $15 - $25. Advanced registration is encouraged. To register, contact Matthew Winkelstein at 415-356-8593 or 510-533-5111. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble perform songs from a variety of cultures and traditions, including jazz, folk, classical, and original works, at 4 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8 advance, $10 door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Allegiance, Embrace Today, Blue Monday, Lights Out perform at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra performs “Duke Ellington: 50 Years of Swing,” 

at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

MONDAY, APRIL 28 

FILM 

S.F. International Film Festival showing The Weather Underground at 7 p.m. and Stones in the Sky at 9:15 p.m., at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $7.50 members, UC students; $8.50 UC faculty, staff, seniors, disabled, youth; $10 adults. 642-1412. 

www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

THEATER 

Shotgun Theatre Lab, presents “Fig Leaf: Tales of Truth and Transgressions,” an original tell-all cabaret at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid. Cost is $10. 704-8210. www.shotgunplayers.org  

Stagebridge and Berkeley Adult School present a lively original comedy “Senior Moments,” by James Keller at 2 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst St. Ticket information and reservations are available by calling 444-4755. 

READINGS AND 

LECTURES 

Philip Goldberg, Ph.D. reads from his new book “Roadsigns: Navigating Your Path to Spiritual Happiness,” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

James Frey reads from “A Million Little Pieces” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Black Studies Book Group discusses “The New African American Man” with author Dr. Malcolm Kelly at 6 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players under the direction of David Milnes, with Olly Wilson guest conducting his work, “Call and Response,” with artwork by Mary Lovelace O’Neal in a free performance at 8 p.m., Hertz Hall, UC campus. Discussion to follow performance. 642-9988. 

Krystian Zimerman, piano 

at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $30, $40, $52. 642-9988. 

www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

All Star Jam, featuring The Steve Gannon Band & Mz. Dee, at 9:30 p.m. at Blake’s on Telegraph. Cost is $4. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Northern California Songwriters: Open Mic, a 

professionally judged original song competition, at 8 p.m.  

Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $5.50 at the door. 548-1761. 

www.freightandsalvage.org24  

AT THE THEATER 

“28 Very Short Scenes About Love,” an ensemble performance conceived and directed by Linda Carr, Berkeley High School Performing Arts Chair. April 4 - 26. Fri., Sat. 8p.m. $15. Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa Street, SF 415-621-7078. 

www.28shortscenes.com 

www.theaterofyugen.org 

Aurora Theater Company 

“Partition” 

Written by Ira Hauptman, directed by Barbara Oliver. 

April 17- May 18. Wed. - Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 and 7 p.m. $32-$34. 2081 Addison St. 843-4822. www.auroratheater.org 

Berkeley Repertory Theater 

“Surface Transit” 

Written and performed by Sarah Jones, directed by Tony Taccone. April 18 - May 18 

Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. 647-2949, (888) 4BRTTIX  

www.berkeleyrep.org 

Black Repertory Group performs “Mulatto,” by Langston Hughes. April 11 - April 27. Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 at the door. 3201 Adeline St. 652-2120. www.berkeleyrepertorygroup.org 

Shotgun Players 

“Vampires” 

By Harry Kondoleon, directed by Joanie McBrien. April 12 - May 10. La Val’s Subterranean 

1834 Euclid at Hearst. 

www.shotgunplayers.com 

DEEPEN COVERAGE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

 Thank you for Mr. Geluardi’s update on the “Battle for West Berkeley.” It is always good to know what is happening in our part of town. I hope the Planet will deepen its coverage of such subjects a bit further, however.   

Curiously, the article did not mention the West Berkeley Area Plan, the framework that theoretically guides public municipal policy on land use in West Berkeley. Was that because city officials aren’t paying any attention to it either?   

Any decision about how to revise Berkeley policy with regard to preserving a light industrial area and space for artisans and artists would best be developed in the context of a “plan” of some sort, one that considered and balanced the community’s various objectives. 

Yet, Berkeley’s charter city status means that its land-use plans wither faster than their ink dries — Berkeley’s plans have no bite, don’t have to be implemented, are rarely read and are immediately forgotten. So without a meaningful framework, don’t expect reasoned debate, objective facts and development of a serious public policy; instead we shall be served another display of raw political mud-wrestling, and you can bet it is richly funded by the same development interests who expect to profit from office construction in West Berkeley.   

 Howie Muir 

• 

NO TAXES FOR WAR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The following is a letter sent to the IRS by a taxpayer who responded to the “Books not Bombs” ad in the Daily Planet. The pie chart Mr. Duran refers to can be found at: www.warresisters.org/piechart.htm. 

Dear Uncle Sam, 

In a fit of righteous jubilation — a most patriotic sentiment — I’m writing this morning to inform you of my refusal to pay the full amount of taxes you request from me today. I was born here and taught to love my country because it was the best country in the world. Reality shattered that illusion years ago, but the nightmare unfolding on Earth this year puts me at odds with this government in the most serious way possible. 

The United States is engaged in imperial roulette. Our leaders stoke fear while promising peace in the form of perpetual war — an absurd predicament that has been discredited by some of the finest human thinkers of all time, including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Albert Einstein. The Bush Administration, armed with horrific systems of modern warfare, is the most corrupt regime in the world. From now on you should consider me unwilling to pay for the murder of even one man, woman or child perpetrated by these thugs. 

Terrorists kill taxpayers because taxpayers fund slaughter and mayhem in countries that spawn terrorists. It’s a vicious cycle, and each person whose dreams have been disturbed by massacre must work to stop it. According to the pie chart on page two of the 2002 1040EZ booklet, 18 percent of 2001’s taxes will pay for war. Research shows that this is a misleading figure. The amount of money spent on war represents something closer to 47 percent of federal income taxes you collect. 

I hereby withhold 47 percent of my owed taxes because I am unwilling to be a cog in your war machine. To pay such a tax, I would have to stand in opposition to the power that guides me, and I am unwilling to do so. Only a fool would mistake Bush’s lies for God’s truth. Where in the Bible does Jesus say that peace entails dropping laser-guided bombs on innocent people? I’m not a Christian, but I’m terrified by the realization that many of my fellow taxpayers, and our “leaders,” are people who call upon Christ while executing billion-dollar acts of murderous thievery. This hypocritical and bloodthirsty oil junta does not represent me, and I will not fund its most satanic and unforgivable deeds. 

    The taxes I withhold this year will be donated to a nonprofit organization that battles poverty in this country. Now, there is a war worth fighting. If you will be rational and submit to fighting only poverty (America’s deadliest enemy), and if you will redirect my tax dollars from programs of technological military supremacy to the development of economic justice in America, I will resume payment of my war tax with great haste.   

Gil Jose Duran 

• 

WELL REVIEWED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Kudos to Betsy Hunton for her review of the play “Partition.” This play is one of the most profound theatrical experiences we’ve had in ages (and it’s funny).  

Too many reviewers write intelligently but miss the mark.  

Ms. Hunton is a rare reviewer that can actually understand and convey the essence of the play. 

Michael Mendez 

• 

SKATE PARK STATUS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The following letter was addressed to Berkeley City Council: 

Why is the Berkeley Skate Park still closed? The Berkeley City Council needs to take a hard look at the costs and benefits of this closure and either decide to open the park or call for the demolition crews.  

The initial and continuing reason for the closure of the skate park is detectable but minuscule (and sometimes undetectable) traces of Chromium 6 in the expansion joints of the large bowl of the park. As I understand it, city staff is looking for someone to say this low level of Chromium 6 poses no short- or long-term health risk. But because no research has been done in this area, there’s no established health threshold. So city staff is taking what it feels is a cautious and prudent approach to the problem by shutting down the skate park. 

But we don’t live in a “no risk” world. Certainly not the skaters who regularly find skin and bone meeting the concrete and steel rails of the skate park. When skaters were attending the design meeting for the skate park, the place looked like an advertisement for orthopedic surgeons in Berkeley. Skaters on crutches, in ankle casts and wearing wrist casts were regulars. One of the primary reasons for building the park was to take these skaters off of traffic-filled streets, out from behind the buses belching their diesel fumes, and away from the carbon monoxide-filled parking garages. They were regularly getting $100 tickets from police and having their skateboards confiscated. And this is where they have again been sent since the closure of the skate park and while city staff looks toward a “no risk” solution.  

Well, that solution doesn’t seem very likely. So the Berkeley City Council ought to take a close look at the costs and benefits of this closure of the Berkeley Skate Park. They need to hear the facts from city staff, solicit input from the community the skate park was designed to serve and listen to all the tales of gloom and doom that will be offered by concerned but most likely uninvolved community members. Then they should either reopen the park with whatever liability disclaimers they need to post (and let city staff know that barring some profound change, the park is to remain open) or put a wrecking ball to the place. 

Doug Fielding 

• 

BALANCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Just wanted to drop you an e-mail to say how much I loved reading the article “Cheering for the Intruders Among Us” by Zac Unger. As one of those who makes his living battling invasive species, I can’t say I agree with his science, but Unger’s article was entertaining to read. He reminded me that, as with so many other things in life, there is a balance between our ideals and the realities we ultimately must accept.  

Yes, I agree that invaders like oxalis in Berkeley neighborhoods are preferable to many other things that might take up space there (WalMarts, porn shops, etc.) On the other hand, I do think there needs to be places where we’ve done our best to protect (and perhaps, even reclaim) those plants and critters that thrived before the dominating influence of mankind.  

Modern society has given us lots of tremendous advantages. I, too, would look pretty scary in a loincloth, and I’m glad that I don’t have to share my commute with bumper-to-bumper buffalo. I enjoy the closeness of my neighborhood Starbucks and I’ve even been known to drop in a freeway-close McDonald’s or two. But the conservationist in me is happy that they don’t allow Starbucks in wilderness areas and that there are a few places where the buffalo still roam. Further, if I should ever decide to wear a loincloth, that there are places where I can wear one without worrying about sitting down in a bunch of star-thistle.  

Joel Trumbo 

Staff Environmental Scientist 

CA Dept. of Fish and Game 

Rancho Cordova 

• 

INVASIVE DAMAGE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I enjoyed reading Zac Unger’s lively cheer for weeds. Pulling and cutting invasives along our creeksides and waterfront over the past five years, I have also developed an appreciation for these worthy foes.  

Cape ivy, smothering and killing every other plant along many acres of our shorelines, providing virtually no habitat for wildlife, is the Zen plant, winning by yielding. Shallow-rooted and easily removed, it also breaks easily. Even a leaf that floats downstream can sprout, and stems can root after a year’s drying.  

Perennial pepperweed, choking the open flats where shorebirds probe (and San Francisco Bay’s flats are of worldwide importance for these long-distance migrants), scatters millions of seeds on wind and water. A fragment, eroded into salt water, can drift ashore months later and grow. Spiny yellow star-thistle, poisoning horses and making park walks painful, has been described as Mother Earth’s answer to overgrazing. 

But the reason for combating invasive weeds isn’t, as the article implies, chauvinism or nativism. Invasive species are an escalating worldwide problem resulting from the huge increase in population, world trade and travel — the same conditions that recently brought us West Nile virus and SARS. In India, our familiar garden lantana, a South American native, has made millions of acres useless for farming; in Africa, where California’s Monterey pines are drying up seasonal watercourses vital to farming and livestock, the problem is the same.  

A relatively few species, brought into new conditions, are able to spread explosively. Often this is because they come without the many pathogens and predators that check them in the community where they evolved. In other cases, they cross with relatives they otherwise wouldn’t have met. Or they find conditions where their survival tools instead let them take over — using up the water supply, changing the soil, or exuding chemicals that poison other plants. 

It is irresponsible to let loose a flood of such challengers — as crop experiments, as garden plants, as contaminants in seed — and then sit back and say “let nature run its course.”  

Volunteer weed warriors like me hope to keep some species from being overwhelmed too suddenly. We hope to keep some of the beauty and diversity that were the heritage of all humans. We have no answers, but we are at least obliged to try. 

Susan Schwartz  

• 

EUCALYPTUS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

What I find incredible about Mr. Unger’s paean to invading plants is not his admitted ignorance of gardening, but that he is an Oakland firefighter. Over 70 percent of the fuel in the cataclysmic Oakland fire of 1991 was Eucalyptus trees, many of which were killed the year before by a hard frost to which they were not adapted. Trees which fall down when burned. So tell me, if a 250-foot flaming Eucalyptus tree falls, and Mr. Unger is not there to see it, does it really set the neighbor’s house on fire? 

Debra Ayres 

Davis 

• 

PRO-NATIVE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am responding to the entertaining article “Cheering for the Intruders Among Us.” The main point Zac Unger misses in his comparison between plants and people who move into our neighborhoods is diversity. People from other cultures bring their own views, mores, talents and inspirations. They add depth to our culture that we wouldn’t have otherwise. In contrast, the two plants he names, Eucalyptus and Yellowstar Thistle, do the opposite. They crowd out nearby plants until there is only a monoculture where they live. Just as I thrive by being part of our multicultural community, the local insect, bird and animal species thrive by having a range of plants in their ecosystem. Mr. Unger, it’s possible to be “pro-native” without being anti-immigrant.   

Invasive plants that come here are outside their native ecosystem. The insect and animal species that kept those plants in check in their original location are not here to balance the plants’ growth with the local natives that still compete with insects and animals. When the bottom of the food chain changes, it has effects all the way up. I don’t want to lose any more natives, plant or animal.   

Another point missed is that a garden of natives requires less water and less work. They’re used to our climate. They were here before we were gardening. 

Katherine Greene 

Employees of the East Bay Depot for Creative Re-Use voted unanimously to unionize this week, capping a year of turmoil at one of the area’s most storied nonprofit organizations. 

Workers have framed their struggle as a fight for the soul of the Depot, which has been providing Berkeley and Oakland residents with low-cost recycled art supplies — egg cartons, bottle caps and toilet rolls — for 28 years.  

Management, employees say, has strayed from the nonprofit mission of the organization — stifling employee creativity and moving toward a business-like model that is focused on furniture and other high-priced goods. 

“We don’t want to become a retail thrift store,” said Adriana Carrillo, who works for one of the Depot’s youth outreach programs. “We want to be a re-use store serving teachers and students and artists in the community.” 

Employees, who now make $8 to $15 an hour, also say their wages must be increased.  

But David Elliott, president of the Depot’s board of directors, argues that unrealistic wage demands, protests outside the store and an alleged worker slowdown are doing more to weaken the cash-strapped Depot, and its larger mission, than management ever could. 

“They can’t keep undermining the Depot if they really want it to go, if they’re really committed to the Depot and what it stands for,” he said. 

The Depot’s 16 full-time and part-time employees deny that a slowdown is in effect and emphasize that they have not called on customers to boycott the store. 

Elliott dates the Depot’s problems to December 2001, when former Executive Director Linda Rinna-Levitsky retired and a new director, Rae Holzman, took the reins. Holzman ran the Depot like a collective, according to Elliott, scuttling efforts to turn the store into a more business-like enterprise. 

Holzman said she inherited an organization that had been poorly run, and was already on shaky financial ground. “I wasn’t aware of how deep in trouble they were,” she said. 

The situation came to a head last summer when Holzman quit, a Depot supporter made a late payment and legal bills peaked in a fight with UC Berkeley over the store’s university-owned space on San Pablo Avenue. 

“Last summer was a turning point,” said Carrillo. “There had always been problems, but the crisis heightened everything.” 

The Depot eventually triumphed in its legal battle with the university, winning a four-year extension on the nonprofit’s lease at a reduced rent.  

But the summer’s financial crisis reverberated throughout the organization. Employees bristled at a request, later withdrawn, to forgo a paycheck. Members of the board had to lend the organization $12,000 to make up a budget deficit. And the Depot, making use of a grant from the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, brought in the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, a Catholic social services agency which runs several thrift stores, to consult on business operations. 

Workers saw it as another sign of business-like influence on the nonprofit. Management said it was an important step toward getting the Depot on sound financial footing and keeping it open in the long term.  

Indeed, as Elliott points out, a separate $40,000 grant from the Waste Management Authority is contingent on continued financial restructuring. 

“There are some real issues and problems over there,” said Bruce Goddard, public affairs director for the Waste Management Authority. “They have to maximize the retail.” 

Employees say the shift in tone has had a devastating effect on the creative, cooperative work environment that was in place under Holzman. 

“People who’d been there a long time had a lot of autonomy — we all worked as a team,” said Helen Jones, a part-time employee. “Then they started telling us we couldn’t do this or that.” 

Concerned about the perceived shift at the Depot, employees began meeting last summer and proposed intervention by a third-party mediator. The board rejected the request, arguing it was working on personnel policies that would resolve the employees’ concerns — which also included workplace safety and an ambiguous pay hike structure. 

The board’s rejection of mediation upset employees, paving the way for this week’s vote to unionize with the San Francisco-based International Workers of the World, which has also organized recycling workers in Berkeley. 

Employees say the process of formal contract negotiations, expected to begin next week, will provide some of the financial reform — on pay scale, health care coverage and other issues — that management craves. 

“It’s always felt like it’s a growing organization and it hasn’t been able to keep up with the growing,” said Chela Fielding, a teacher and outreach worker with the Depot. “It couldn’t continue to be a mom-and-pop operation. It couldn’t continue without structure.”

With a world-class, world-hopping conductor at its helm in Kent Nagano, the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra enjoys a connection to the global music community that is rare for an orchestra of its size.  

The orchestra will make the most of this stature next Tuesday, April 29, with its third concert of the season at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus at 8 p.m. Demonstrating the vitality and diversity of new orchestral music today, the Berkeley Symphony will roll out a pair of world premieres by two “rising-star” composers from France and Korea, and will spotlight two renowned European instrumental soloists.  

Last season, young French composer Régis Campo made a splash in Berkeley when the orchestra presented the premiere of his work, “Lumen,” to great audience and critical acclaim. This time the orchestra will unveil a more substantial piece, his “Symphony No.1.” This work, Campo says, draws its inspiration from his first visit to California. 

Nagano and company also will introduce the American premiere of the “Violin Concerto” by Berlin-based Korean composer Unsuk Chin. Chin is at the forefront of a group of notable young composers who have emerged from Korea over the past two decades.  

Chin’s music is noted for its lyrical qualities and colorful instrumental combinations. She draws upon a range of influences from outside Western classical tradition, from jazz and pop to the music of Korean shamanic rituals. 

Nagano conducted the premiere of the “Violin Concerto.” The soloist will be Slovakian violinist Tibor Kovác. He is the principal second violin of the Vienna Philharmonic, and also pursues a noted solo career. 

The Berkeley Symphony also will perform two works by Mozart. Nagano will lead the ensemble in “Piano Concerto no. 24, in C minor,” written in 1786. It’s a work of great dramatic power, anticipating the stormy emotions of Beethoven and his followers. 

Mozart’s “Overture to Don Giovanni” rounds out the program. 

The symphony will spotlight local creativity this weekend, on their Under Construction concert series. This free program takes place Sunday, April 27, at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Berkeley. Under Construction is a free concert series in which the orchestra does an open rehearsal and run-through of works-in-progress by Bay Area composers.  

The pieces are conducted by Berkeley Symphony associate conductor George Thomson, and Kent Nagano serves as host. After the performance of each piece, Thomson and Nagano lead a discussion between the featured composer, the orchestra and the audience. 

Tickets for Tuesday’s concert are $45, $32, $21. Call (510) 841-2800, visit www.berkeleysymphony.org, or purchase them at the door.

When the Berkeley Folk Festival takes place in a week or so, much will be made of the accessibility of the venue, a great improvement on the locations of the past. Much will be made of the sign language interpreters assigned to translate the main stage shows. People will marvel, at least privately, at finally having wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and an accessible stage. 

What won’t be mentioned is the campaign of retaliation against those who raised these issues over the course of seven years, a campaign in which even the current director acknowledges having participated. The private apologies hardly compensate those of us who were publicly attacked for years on end and deprived of opportunities to participate. But there is a much larger, much more important issue. 

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits retaliation against people who raise access issues, but the City of Berkeley and its council, its relevant commissions, its well-meaning officers and staff, and the festival staff and advisers all proved unwilling or unable to craft any way to protect those few who had the courage to attempt to discuss access-related difficulties. 

Long after the music has faded, the vitriolic efforts to discredit those who raised the issues will have left their mark not only on the people who were personally attacked, but also on a community terrified of raising the same issues for fear of receiving the same treatment. 

We can truly acknowledge having made progress when event organizers are willing to meet and discuss accessibility issues without resorting to blacklisting and retaliation, so that no one is afraid to raise the issues in the first place. 

Carol Denney is a folk singer and a Berkeley resident.

The struggle to maintain a delicate balance between arts and crafts, blue collar jobs and office development in West Berkeley has entered another chapter in its 19-year saga.  

The Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night to hold a public workshop June 11, to air a variety of recommendations designed to slow office development and preserve light manufacturing, which includes arts- and crafts-oriented businesses, in the Multiple Use-Light Industry district, more commonly known as the MU-LI. 

Prior to the workshop, the Planning Department will mail notices to about 2,600 stake holders, among them property owners, artists, artisans, small-business owners and residents who have an interest in the district.  

The MU-LI is a diverse community predominantly characterized by light industry such as arts and crafts workshops and some manufacturing. In recent years, however, the district has seen a rise in office conversion and development, which light manufacturing supporters say threatens the district’s character.  

Corliss Lesser, a painter who lives and works in the Durkee Building, which has 17 units that are leased to artists, spoke in favor of the subcommittee’s report 

“I strongly believe zoning regulations should be looked at,” she said. “If zoning isn’t improved, artists and artisans will definitely be forced out like they were in Santa Monica and Los Angeles.” 

Durkee residents were recently put into a state of uncertainty about their future in the building. Wareham Development, which owns the Durkee, notified residents that their rent will be increased by an undisclosed amount next year after nearly 15 years of a rent control agreement with the city. 

Jane Williamson, a principle reason to ask to see records but permits generalized searches. It makes it a crime for librarians to report such searches. 

Berkeley civil liberties lawyer Jim Chanin said, "They can get anyone who ever used any library book and the library is  

prohibited under criminal sanctions from telling anyone about it. If that's not a definition of a police state, then I don't know what is," said Chanin, who is past president and a current board member of the Berkeley-Albany-Richmond-Kensington Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. 

Other opponents, such as the Bill of Rights Defense Committee say that even if no records are actually searched, the threat has a chilling effect. 

Bowman Enrie regularly uses the library though he doesn't have a library card. He said the government "should mind its own business and get a clue." 

Sylvia Salgado came out of the library with a sack full of books. "Yes, I would care if they looked at my records. I came here from Colombia 28 years ago. There they can do anything — stop you when they want, search you when they want. 

"Now, it’s getting like that here.”

Almost four weeks after suspending me for participating in an antiwar demonstration, the San Francisco Chronicle this week officially fired me from my job as a technology reporter and columnist. I consider this punishment a violation of my rights as a citizen and as an employee, and I intend to fight it with all the means available to me. 

My union, the Northern California Media Workers (Local 39521, The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America), has already filed a new grievance over the termination of my employment, in addition to the grievance filed last month over my suspension and yet another dealing with Chronicle management’s unilateral modification of the paper’s ethics policy in the wake of my case. 

I also intend to file a complaint with the California State Labor Commission under Section 1102 of the State Labor Code, which unambiguously prohibits employers from interfering with the political activity of their employees. Specifically, Section 1102 says: “No employer shall coerce or influence or attempt to coerce or influence his employees through or by means of threat of discharge or loss of employment to adopt or follow or refrain from adopting or following any particular course or line of political action or political activity.” 

The code prescribes criminal penalties for violations of this provision, including imprisonment in the county jail for up to a year. 

Unfortunately, at least one media corporation in another state has managed to get around a similar law with the perverse argument that the First Amendment gives newspaper owners the right to limit the free speech of their employees. Whether the Chronicle will make a similar argument, and whether the California State Labor Commission will fall for it, I don’t know. But the code makes no exceptions — for journalists or anyone else — and I hope the commission will go by the words of the law, order the Chronicle to reinstate me, and apply the penalties the code calls for. 

At the time of my arrest last month, Chronicle policies did not ban participation in demonstrations. In fact, the paper’s ethics policy explicitly states that “The Chronicle does not forbid employees from engaging in political activities but needs to prevent any appearance of any conflict of interest.” Since my job was writing about personal technology, not politics and war, I saw and see no conflict of interest. 

Since my suspension, management has twice made unilateral modifications to the ethics policy. The most recent “clarification” imposed “a strict prohibition against any newsroom staffer participating in any public political activity related to the war.” But I wasn’t about to make Phil Bronstein my moral compass, so I’ve used much of my unexpected free time to take part in the continuing struggle against the war and the occupation of Iraq. I’ve joined in several mass marches, I was shot in the leg with a wooden dowel at the Port of Oakland on April 7, and yesterday I was arrested in civil disobedience outside the gates of Lockheed-Martin, the world’s largest arms manufacturer, in Sunnyvale. 

Whatever happens with my union grievances and my complaint to the labor commission, I intend to continue exercising my constitutional rights and my moral obligation, as I see it, to oppose the Bush Administration’s reckless and illegal imperial adventures. Someday I may have grandchildren who ask my daughters what our family did in the face of this madness. At least they’ll be able to say we all tried to make our voices heard — my wife and both of my daughters have also been arrested in civil disobedience this month. And I’m glad to know they won’t have to say I just stood on the sidelines for fear of retaliation from my employer. 

Henry Norr is a Berkeley resident. 

Rumors that Planning Director Carol Barrett has resigned her post swirled around City Hall Thursday.  

While the City Manager’s Office made no official announcement about the resignation and Barrett did not return calls to the Daily Planet, the city of San Marcos, Texas, posted an announcement on its Web site Thursday that City Manager Dan O’Leary had hired Barrett as its new Director of Planning.  

Barrett came to Berkeley from Austin, Texas, in September 2001. The two cities had stark differences in their planning processes. Austin was coming off a 10-year growth spurt during which the city grew by nearly 200,000 residents.  

Berkeley, which is already built up, had a 10-year growth spurt of exactly 136 people according to the 2000 Federal Census.  

Barrett took over at a time when there was both heavy pressure to create more housing in Berkeley and intense resistance to development. The resistance came from vocal and knowledgeable neighborhood groups who worried tall, dense, infill development would alter the character of their neighborhoods.  

The city’s Planning Department consists of about 70 full-time employees and is budgeted at about $9 million annually. Planning Department divisions include Toxics Management, Current Planning and Building and Safety.  

According to the San Marcos Web site, Barrett will take over a planning department with 15 employees and a budget of $577,000.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Cleveland), one of nine Democratic candidates for president, blasted the Bush Administration over the war in Iraq and insisted that his shoestring candidacy has a chance during a UC Berkeley appearance Wednesday. 

“I think, on the whole range of issues, I will be able to consistently demonstrate real alternatives to the other candidates,” said Kucinich, who called for universal health care and major reductions in defense spending. 

But analysts say Kucinich, who has lagged in the polls, has little chance of winning the Democratic nomination next year. 

“He has no money and no real organization to speak of outside the Bay Area,” said UC Berkeley political science professor Alan Ross. “What I think he can do is, in the debates, bring up issues that other candidates won’t.” 

Kucinich finished last in an April Field Poll of California Democratic voters, with only 8 percent saying they would be inclined to support him. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry led the pack, with 43 percent of voters supporting him, and Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman was a close second with 42 percent of voters backing him. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 5.8 percent. 

Kucinich, the keynote speaker at a day-long, anti-war teach-in, said the Bush administration’s world view has spawned violence. 

“This administration is committed to a view of the world that makes war inevitable — us versus them,” said Kucinich. “The alternative is a politics which understands the essential interconnectedness of all peoples.” 

Kucinich, in an interview after the speech, said he would deal with “rogue states” like Iraq and North Korea by including them in discussions of world security, rather than launching wars. 

“We cannot put any nation outside the world community,” he said. 

“That’s absurd,” said Ben Barron of the Berkeley College Republicans. “There were 12 years of diplomacy, there was a 12-year attempt at sanctions to end Saddam Hussein’s regime and it didn’t work.” 

Kucinich got a largely warm reception from the roughly 300 students, professors and activists who packed Leconte Hall to hear him speak. 

“I think it’s really encouraging to have someone talking about real alternatives,” said Sarah Harling, a UC Berkeley student. 

Harling said she voted for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential election, but would cast a ballot for Kucinich next year. 

Others in the crowd were less pleased with the Ohio congressman. One student tried, unsuccessfully, to win explicit statements of support for slavery reparations and pardons for jailed American Indian activist Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of murdering a police officer. 

Kucinich said he was not prepared to make statements on Peltier or Abu-Jamal. He said the government should greatly expand the services it provides to blacks, but stopped short of calling for reparations in the form of cash payments or land.

SUSPICIOUS MINDS 

Me, I hate to go cynical, I really do, but it’s hard not to get suspicious when a politician ends up with the same result he originally advocated, but for exactly opposite reasons. 

Like when the President proposes a federal tax cut because we have a national budget surplus and then, when the national budget surplus disappears, proposes a tax cut not in spite of the fact that we no longer have a national budget surplus, but because of the fact that we don’t have the surplus. That one, of course, was easy for everyone (except my good Republican friends) to see. 

Less easy to follow is the thread of state Sen. Don Perata’s advocacy of a state takeover of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). That takeover is pretty certain after the Senate Education Committee voted this month to loan OUSD $100 million, with the schools being run by a state-appointed administrator until the money is paid back. 

Some background, for those who haven’t been following: 

Last year, OUSD Superintendent Dennis Chaconas discovered that the district was running a deficit, which is not allowed under state law. There’s no agreement on exactly what led to the deficit, although Chaconas and School Board President Greg Hodge have said that one major cause was the old computerized accounting system that failed to account for all the costs in a huge teacher pay raise (it was the new accounting system put in place under Chaconas’ watch that detected the deficit). In January, Perata announced that he was introducing a bill for a state loan, stating that “(u)nder (existing state) law, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction … must assign an administrator to run the district until the loan is repaid and the district is solvent. The school board becomes advisory, its legal authority suspended in favor of the state administrator.” He blamed the fiscal crisis on what he called “cooking the books” by a “previous business manager.” 

What Mr. Perata didn’t say — but which some folks remember — is that four years ago he called for exactly the same remedy (a state takeover of the Oakland schools) but for entirely different reasons. 

Back in 1998, the senator called for the firing of then-Superintendent Carol Quan because of Oakland’s habitual low student test scores, on-campus crime, discipline problems and substandard textbooks and instructional technology. He also cited poor fiscal management, but poor fiscal management in 1998 terms didn’t mean overspending the budget, but rather a bloated downtown bureaucracy and not enough money for direct-education things like teacher salaries and counselors. And if the OUSD School Board didn’t fire Quan, Perata said he would — guess what? — sponsor a bill to have the state take over administration of the Oakland Public Schools. In fact, at the time, he said he was already drawing up such legislation. 

Carol Quan, you may remember, resigned under pressure from Perata and Jerry Brown, and the School Board hired Oakland Assistant City Manager George Musgrove to run the schools until a full-time superintendent could be found. But when Brown tried to pressure the board to make Musgrove the permanent superintendent, they balked. Presumably working under the assumption that a big-city school superintendent ought to have some experience as a school superintendent, the OUSD board hired Dennis Chaconas. 

Still with me?  

While Mayor Brown fussed and fumed over the Musgrove rejection, Perata got pointedly quiet on the Oakland school issue during the first year or so under Chaconas. We’ve come to expect that from the senator, who tends to get distracted with other things once an issue stops breaking his way, leaving supporters and protégés to clean up the public mess and catch the hell (see Raiders, Oakland). That’s one of the reasons Perata is sometimes called the California version of the Teflon Don. 

Perata did surface briefly on the Chaconas issue back in early 2000, during another period when the OUSD was being threatened with a state takeover over charges that Oakland might owe the state $12 million for possibly overstating its daily attendance figures (the matter was settled, obviously without a takeover). Chaconas had nothing to do with the attendance problems, since he was only just then in final negotiations with the Oakland School Board to get the job. But given the situation at the time, Perata criticized the board for offering Chaconas a guaranteed three-year deal. “If all this is as bad as auditors indicate and there is no way to prevent a state takeover,” he told the Chronicle’s Matier & Ross column, “then you have just bought this guy a couple years on the beach.” Interesting how this state takeover thing keeps resurfacing, each time for different reasons. 

In any event, Chaconas skipped the beach. Instead, he stayed in Oakland and, by all accounts, helped lead a turnaround in the Oakland schools in all of the areas where Perata had expressed concern. Teacher salaries went up, as did student test scores. Some of the bureaucracy got cleared out at the 2nd Street headquarters. In schools like Castlemont High — crime-ridden and low-achieving and almost given up as a lost cause in recent years — the turnaround during Chaconas’ tenure from dejected despair to some measure of hope is clearly visible. But because of faulty bookkeeping — put together in part by a “top” fiscal manager sent over from the Alameda County Office of Education and approved in audits by both the county and the district’s own outside auditor — the Oakland schools are almost certain to be taken over by the state. 

After the state Senate Education Committee vote that came close to sealing the Oakland schools’ fate, a group of OUSD elected officials, administrators, teachers and parents met on the steps outside the capitol building and put much of the blame for the imminent state takeover on Perata’s shoulders. 

“Perata could have prevented it, if he’d wanted to,” one parent activist said. 

Did Perata want a state takeover of the Oakland schools? It’s a valid question to ask. An even more interesting question might be, did he want it as far back as 1998? 

Don’t mind me, though. I’m just being suspicious. 

J. Douglas Allen-Taylor is an Oakland resident.

Each night, the computer at Berkeley's downtown library erases everything that happened that day on its 50 Internet terminals. Titles of several thousand or so books returned that day disappear from the borrower's record. Once a month, the names of anyone who took out a particular book, whether "Winnie the Pooh" or "Das Capital," vanish as well. 

Regular record-purging is part of the library's defiance of the supposedly anti-terrorist U.S. Patriot Act, which lets the FBI and other agencies freely investigate the reading habits of library users. 

The FBI sent a speaker to a library panel discussion in February but so far hasn't asked to see any records, library director Jackie Griffin said in an interview this week. 

If they do, she said, "I would have to consult with the city attorney and decide, according to the circumstances, what to do. 

“I don't want to spit in their eye, but if they serve me with a subpoena, I certainly have the support of my board of directors, my staff and the city, not to honor it," Griffin said. 

Resistance to the Patriot Act — which opponents say does more damage to civil liberties than it does to terrorists — has been increasing. 

A survey of 1,500 libraries completed in February by the University of Illinois, reported that 444 had been approached for information by the FBI or other agencies. Some 219 libraries cooperated and 225 refused, the survey said. 

Nationwide, 91 communities, including Berkeley, have passed resolutions urging municipal employees and residents not to cooperate with government inquiries that violate civil liberties. Similar resolutions have been passed in Oakland, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, San Francisco and Mill Valley. 

Some 83 congressmen, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-9th District), now are cosponsoring the Freedom to Read Protection Act, introduced in March by Rep. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) 

Sen. Orrin Hatch, (R-Utah), the Patriot Act's staunchest supporter, recently withdrew a measure that would make the act permanent. It is now due to expire in 2005. 

Running 342 pages and titled the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act", the Patriot Act was passed by Congress Oct. 25, 2001, six weeks after the attack on the World Trade Center. 

It passed the House 357 to 66 with nine not voting. Rep. Lee voted against it. 

It passed the Senate 96 to one with three not voting. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein voted for it. Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wisc.) cast the only "no" vote. 

The act expands existing government surveillance powers by removing certain Constitutional restraints. One provision allows the government to secretly arrest non-citizens and hold them indefinitely without charge or access to an attorney. 

In the case of libraries, it doesn't require "probable cause" or a specific reason to ask to see records but permits generalized searches. It makes it a crime for librarians to report such searches. 

Berkeley civil liberties lawyer Jim Chanin said, "They can get anyone who ever used any library book and the library is  

prohibited under criminal sanctions from telling anyone about it. If that's not a definition of a police state, then I don't know what is," said Chanin, who is past president and a current board member of the Berkeley-Albany-Richmond-Kensington Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. 

Other opponents, such as the Bill of Rights Defense Committee say that even if no records are actually searched, the threat has a chilling effect. 

Bowman Enrie regularly uses the library though he doesn't have a library card. He said the government "should mind its own business and get a clue." 

Sylvia Salgado came out of the library with a sack full of books. "Yes, I would care if they looked at my records. I came here from Colombia 28 years ago. There they can do anything — stop you when they want, search you when they want. 

"Now, it’s getting like that here.”

9 p.m.  

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates arrives at the homeless encampment in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park behind City Hall. He earlier had his first homeless experience, the plain meal you can buy for a quarter at Trinity Church on Bancroft Avenue. Bates paid his quarter and ate his food. 

There are activists and homeless people waiting in the park, but mostly reporters — 15 to 20 of them, all the TV stations, even a stringer from the L.A. Times. 

9:15 

The night begins roughly. Activists greet Bates with a rendition of “He's a Jolly Good Fellow” but a rumble emerges from the gathered homeless. It becomes a rough chant: “F— the Mayor — he ain’t doin’ nothin’.” 

“J.C.,” who operates a Catholic Worker food van in Berkeley, muses as he prepares coffee. “You can always piss on somebody, but it’s a lot better to slap him on the back and give him a push in the right direction. 

“Sometimes, the harder road is the better.” 

9:30  

Bates, not perturbed, is speaking with several homeless people, surrounded by TV cameras, photographers and reporters. Because of the crowd, it’s hard to tell the topic, but it appears to have something to do with funding of homeless services. 

One of the homeless participants, “Jerome,” 55, says afterward, “I don’t feel he really got the gist of the situation.” 

Catcalling has died away. Many of the homeless people, in fact, have gone to sleep. 

Unlike Bates and the activists, who later stretch out openly, the homeless are hard to see. They huddle on benches or behind bushes or up against walls, all bundled in dark blankets or sleeping bags. 

Organizer Bob Mills explains that homeless people come to legalized campsites like this one simply to get a full night’s sleep. Generally, they’re awakened and told to move on by police. 

If the police don’t find them, Mills said, the park sprinklers will at two or three a.m. They’ve gotten him few times.  

9:45 

KTVU, Channel 2, zeros in on Bates and reporter John Sasaki asks: “You’ve been out here five and one-half hours. What have you actually learned?” 

Bates seems to have reached some inward decision. “This is not acceptable,” he says. “We have to do more.” 

9:50 

Boona cheema, director of Berkeley-Oakland Support Services, which organized the campsite, remarks, “He’s getting an awful lot of good press from you guys.” 

Red Szakas says he tries to sleep in the park where the campsite is occurring but is usually wakened every night. 

“I try to hide inside a bush, but I get rousted three or four times a week,” he said. “I’m kept awake two or three hours. You got to shake ‘em. If they tell you to leave the area, they mean it.” 

Yukon Hannibel, dressed in dark clothing, says he’s learned to hide too well to be rousted. “I just hope the mayor will see the need for a permanent homeless campsite,” he said. 

Establishing a site is in fact the main reason for the Bates camp out. Cheema says there’s not enough money to shelter the growing number of homeless and that it is inhumane to torture them with sleep deprivation. 

10:15 

Bates faces his first homeless crisis. There aren’t any bathrooms at the campsite. 

Cheema asks the night City Hall custodian to ask Bates to open City Hall’s public bathrooms. “Otherwise, I’ll go behind a tree. I’m serious,” cheema says. 

10:19 

Bates resolves the crisis, telling the custodian to open the bathrooms. 

11:15 

After talking to his wife, state Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, in Sacramento, Bates crawls into a sleeping bag. He knows the practice of covering one’s head to keep body heat from escaping. He wears a hood and wraps himself in the top of the sleeping bag. The night is cold. 

1:40 a.m. 

Berkeley police roust the campsite. Cheema gives this account: “An officer came at 1:40 and said, ‘What’s going on here?’ Tom stuck his head out and said, ‘I’m the mayor. We have a permit.’ 

“ ‘Well, can I see the permit?’ the officer said. 

“Tom didn’t actually have one and said, ‘Well, we have permission from [City Manager] Weldon [Rucker].’ 

“ ‘Weldon’s the one who keeps telling us to roust you out of here,’ the officer said.”  

The officer left. The sprinklers didn’t go on that night. 

10:10 

There are still so many photographers in the park that some begin taking pictures of each other. Bates poses for numerous group photos. 

“How are you doing?” someone asks. 

“I’m getting a little tired,” Bates says.

Back when the war on Iraq was but a gleam in Paul Wolfowitz’s eye, back when the French and Germans stood in solidarity with their American friends, back just days after Sept. 11, I stumbled into Caffe Venezia looking for some kind of sustenance. 

Jeff Wizig, the general manager, stopped to ask how everything was, and we ended up talking. Jeff and I talked openly about our dread, our grief and our hope. I left feeling heartened that even though the world had changed, I still could depend upon the kindness of strangers. 

More than likely, you’ve celebrated a birthday or anniversary at Venezia already. Open since 1980, its festive dining room, an artful creation of a Venetian piazza (complete with fountain, balconies and changing clothesline), lends itself to merry-making, as does its full bar.  

“I see Caffe Venezia as a place where people can enjoy good food with friends and family in a fun, exuberant setting,” says owner John Solomon. “We’re passionate about Italian food. Virtually all the pasta is made in-house, and all the sauces are from scratch, using only the freshest ingredients.”  

What you might not know is that Venezia now offers a completely revamped lunch menu, as well as an awfully good Sunday brunch. I’ll start with the brunch, as that’s my particular jones. 

Refreshingly, no huddled masses, yearning for a table, greet you on the sidewalk, as Venezia accepts reservations — awfully nice when the weather is inclement and you have relatives in tow. The customary eggs and pancakes are available, but with some nice touches. For example, Venezia’s delightful take on Eggs Benedict features eggs on roasted portobellos with white truffle oil. Instead of the usual oatmeal, you can order semolina porridge with medjool dates, sunflower seeds and ginger. I loved the Dutch Baby, a slightly crisp crepe served with baked apples and brown sugar, while a companion raved about his smoked salmon, caramelized onion and chive fritatta. Prices are very reasonable.  

The new fixed-price lunch menu is one of the best deals in town. Soup or salad, a choice of three entrees and a beverage will set you back a mere $8. A recently offered Insalata di Rucola, arugula and mushrooms tossed in sherry vinaigrette with fried onions, pancetta and sieved egg, had me wanting to lick my plate. A neighboring table gushed over their Pesce San Pietro, a St. Peter’s fish served with pinenut-lavender butter, while I savored my orecchiette with garlic sausage, grilled yellow tomato, chili flakes, marjoram and ricotta salata.  

Solomon founded the “How Berkeley Can You Be” parade, an opportunity, he says, “for Berkeley to celebrate itself and to realize we have more in common with one another than against.”  

He met his wife, Lois, in People’s Park in 1969, and has given one-third ownership of the restaurant to three longtime employees. He also kindly gave me the coveted Malfatti recipe.

Two top-ranking school officials announced this week that they will be leaving the Berkeley Unified School District in the coming months. 

Jerry Kurr, associate superintendent of business, will leave in May; David Gomez, associate superintendent of human resources, will leave in June to take the reins as superintendent of the Santa Paula High School District in Ventura County. 

“It’s been a wonderful experience,” said Gomez, who has been with Berkeley Unified for three years. “I’m very impressed with the commitment the community has to public education.” 

Gomez’s new job will be a 10-minute drive from his wife and son in Ventura. 

Kurr, who could not be reached for this article, took over Berkeley Unified’s troubled business office last year after serving as a consultant to the district. He helped ease the transition to a new accounting system. 

Gomez said Kurr likely will return to consulting. 

Eric Smith, the well-respected Deputy Superintendent of Business Services for the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, will take Kurr’s place on May 5. 

Smith will inherit a district with a 2003-2004 deficit of at least $3.8 million. 

“That’s part of the attraction — the challenge,” Smith told the San Luis Obispo Tribune. “Obviously some things need to be cleaned up, but I like doing that.” 

—David Scharfenberg

Bank robbery by note 

On Tuesday at approximately 2 p.m., a man stood in line at the Citibank at 2000 Shattuck Ave., and then approached a teller with a note. The teller was unable to read the entire note, but did see the word “Robbery” written among the text.  

The suspect then fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.  

The suspect was described as a black male in his late forties to early fifties, 5 feet 6 inches with a dark complexion, mustache and skinny build. He had wavy shoulder-length hair, thick plastic rim eyeglasses and wore a black motorcycle jacket and dark pants. 

Police vehicles tires slashed 

On Wednesday night a McKinnly Street resident, who lives near to the Berkeley Police Station, was smoking a cigarette on his porch around midnight when he heard a “rush of air.”  

He looked toward the street and noticed a male suspect kneeling near the rear tire of a white police van and then he heard the click of what sounded like a lock-blade knife.  

The suspect then headed west on Allston Way and the witness called police.  

When officers responded — from across the street — they found that four cars had slashed rear right tires. 

Two of the vehicles were official police vehicles, one was the personal vehicle of a police officer and the fourth belonged to a McKinnly Street resident.

ROME — My host in Rome, a retired professor of nearly 80, surprised me by proudly telling me about the peace marches she had recently attended. “I lived through the bombing of Hull during World War II,” she said of her home town in England. “That experience left me very intolerant of the whole notion of bombing people.” 

Her perspective wasn’t hard to find during my recent trip to Italy (nor during a short detour through Switzerland). Indeed, mainstream Italian newspapers like La Repubblica and Il Giorno ran stories that disapprovingly compared America’s bombing of Baghdad to the Allied bombing of Milan and Dresden during the 1940s. 

Italians may have elected the right-wing government of Silvio Berlusconi, which rhetorically supported the Bush administration’s war and recently agreed to send 3,000 Italian soldiers to help police post-Saddam Iraq. But anti-war sentiment ran high in famously polarized Italy, and opponents decorated much of the country with their symbol, a rainbow flag featuring the slogan “Pace” (Peace). I saw whole apartment buildings draped with these flags, flying from windows and balconies. 

Italians adapted the same symbol to jewelry (which several front-line employees of my U.S.-owned airline unapologetically wore to work) and clothing. Leading me to her car, my host grabbed a rainbow umbrella that matched those I’d seen in many other hands. A minor chance of rain had been forecast, but I sensed she carried it under clear skies, too. 

I found a corresponding rainbow of opinion about the war and about U.S. intentions in the European press. If the U.S. media tends toward Mars, European newspapers occupy a broader spectrum of the solar system. Unlike the model of objectivity to which North America’s regionally dominant newspapers have aspired since an early 20th-century backlash against yellow journalism excesses, most populous European countries still have a thriving tradition of multiple national papers, many of them proudly partisan in their affiliations with political parties from right to left. 

In Italy, that spectrum starts with the rightward-leaning Libertà, which trumpeted the discovery of Saddam’s airport bunker with the banner headline, “Saddam Robbed Infants’ Cribs to Build Himself Golden Sinks!” On the left, it runs to the socialist daily l'Unità, whose title plate now bears a Pace rainbow flag opposite the attribution “founded by Antonio Gramsci” (the 1920’s Italian revolutionary leader who opposed Mussolini’s rise, and for whom a major street is named in almost every city). There’s also a Communist daily, Il Manifesto, which has a more sober layout and is — ironically — Italy’s most expensive paper. 

The partisan papers run some items that you might expect. L'Unità had large headlines that proclaimed “Baghdad in Chaos,” declaimed the looting of Iraq’s national museum and library and trumpeted U.S. troops’ killing of three journalists in a Baghdad hotel. It also had a front-page reprint of a “Dear America” letter from Canadian author Margaret Atwood, recounting her early enchantment and recent disillusionment with U.S. behavior. 

What’s more surprising is that mainstream dailies carry items you wouldn’t find in their U.S. counterparts. France’s centrist Le Monde, for example, ran (on April 3) a similar front-page critique of U.S. conduct by Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. During the week of April 7, both Le Monde and Italy’s correspondingly earnest mainstream daily, La Repubblica, ran full-page articles that traced the Iraq war’s origins back to neoconservative intellectuals in and around the Bush administration. La Repubblica’s version even embedded little “baseball card” graphics to help readers sort out the likes of Richard Perle, the Heritage Foundation think tank and the American Spectator magazine. 

The following week, each paper had a similar full-page dissection of Rupert Murdoch’s Anglo-American media empire and its role in distributing “pro-war propaganda.” On April 15, La Repubblica followed up with a front-page essay playfully scrutinizing the worldwide interventionism of “The Trotskyists in the White House.” 

British papers range across a similar ideological spectrum, from right-wing national tabloids (the screamingly pro-war Sun) to left-wing tabloids (the staunchly anti-war Mirror). In between, perhaps the most interesting daily is the left-leaning broadsheet The Independent. Its April 2 front-page article trumpeted staff reporter-commentator Robert Fisk’s discovery of missile fragments that incriminated U.S. forces in the notorious killing of 58 civilians at a Baghdad market. On April 5, a front-page editorial defended Fisk against U.K. Foreign Minister Geoffrey Hoon’s criticism of him in Parliament. 

Bay Area readers used to regularly receive Independent copy — including Fisk’s widely respected dispatches from war zones. That was before the Examiner and Chronicle each terminated the Independent reprint contracts they’d inherited from the Hearst Examiner. 

Today, all the British dailies are busy chronicling the fallout from explosive documents that the right-wing Telegraph discovered inside the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. The memos suggest that an anti-war legislator within Tony Blair’s governing Labour Party received secret oil-trading contracts from the Iraqi government that yielded him at least $600,000 a year. The legislator, George Galloway, says they’re forgeries.

Purse snatching victim dragged  

Early Sunday morning a 47-year-old woman was walking home from church on Emerson Street when a dark colored car pulled alongside her. Two teenage girls emerged from the car and began to follow her. The woman turned to face the girls and asked what they were doing, when one of the girls tried to grab the older woman’s purse, according to police.  

The woman struggled to keep her purse. The two girls knocked her into the street where they kicked her. A car pulled up and the two girls jumped in. The driver began to drive away, dragging the victim for about 10 feet before she finally released the purse. The victim suffered from swelling on her hand but refused medical attention. The two girls were described as 16 to 18 years old and were wearing dark clothing.  

Dog kicked on Shattuck 

On Sunday night a woman walking her dog on the 1600 block of Shattuck Avenue stepped under an overhang to get out of a burst of rain. She noticed a homeless man in a sleeping bag.  

The man rose from the ground and approached the woman saying that he couldn’t have the dog urinating in the sleeping area. The dog then approached the man, wagging her tail, and the man kicked the dog in the ribs, according to the police report. The woman called police and the man was arrested and held on a charge of cruelty to animals. Bail was set at $5,000. 

The Berkeley Unified School District, in a cost-cutting move, is planning a major overhaul of its Independent Study program next year — shrinking year-long courses to a semester and cutting teacher-student time up to 50 percent. 

School officials and several Independent Study teachers say the proposal marks a thoughtful way to erase a roughly $200,000 program deficit while retaining the overall quality of the program, which serves about 170 students, most of them high school age. 

But opponents, including an outspoken teacher and a handful of parents and students, say the program will not be able to maintain its integrity in the face of cuts. 

“That’s just a bunch of hogwash,” said Independent Study math teacher Pam Drew. “You don’t cut instructional time in half and still maintain a sound program.” 

Students in the 11-year-old program receive several hours of one-on-one instruction from certified teachers every week, but do much of their course work at home.  

Independent Study draws a range of upper-level athletes and musicians who want free time for practice, children with emotional or learning difficulties and students who simply want to escape the anonymity of Berkeley High School. 

The district is proposing the cost-cutting moves in the context of a 2003-2004 budget shortfall of at least $3.8 million. The Board of Education already has issued pink slips to over 200 of the district’s teachers and scaled back its library and music programs.  

The board has not yet made a decision on the Independent Study restructuring, but at least one school board director said the changes make sense. 

“Every program in the district is under a microscope because of our budget problems,” said Director Terry Doran. “That program ... has not been living within its budget.” 

Doran said he is confident that the new configuration will work. But critics say the proposed cuts will gut the program. 

“It’s a pretty cynical proposal,” said Michael Burr, parent of a high school senior in the program. “I wonder if they’re going to be able to provide anything substantive if they go to this system.” 

Sara McMickle, program coordinator for Independent Study, said the proposal represents a great compromise between district officials, who need to cut costs, and teachers, who want to maintain the integrity of the program.  

McMickle suggested that the changes will actually inspire some positive, innovative changes in the program. 

“It’s kind of exciting,” she said.  

Next year, McMickle said, the program will probably offer less one-on-one instruction and move to more small seminars.  

Through meeting with several students at once, teachers will be able to minimize the cuts in teacher-student face time required under the new plan. 

Michael Denker, a French teacher, said meeting with two students at once is actually preferable when it comes to language instruction. 

“They can have someone besides the teacher to hear and bounce stuff off of,” he said. 

Art teacher Regina Woodard added that the financial solvency offered by the plan will create a greater sense of security for Independent Study staff and students. 

Students had mixed reactions to the planned shake-up. 

Shamiya Henesley, a senior, responded well to the proposed shift from a semester to a quarter system — with students taking fewer classes at once, but finishing them in half the time. Still, she was concerned about the reduction in one-on-one instruction time. 

“I like it one-on-one,” she said. 

Senior John Burr was more pointed. 

“They’re going to destroy” Independent Study, he said.  

“It seems like it’s going to move [away] from providing a decent alternative to the high school.”