A controversial City Council rule that Councilmember Kriss Worthington called the “largest restraint to free speech in Berkeley history” could be history itself shortly after a public hearing at tonight’s (Tuesday, April 20) City Council meeting. 

Already five members of the council—Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmembers Linda Maio, Gordon Wozniak, Dona Spring, and Worthington—have publicly supported a reform to the council’s rule on ex parte communications which forbids councilmembers from so much as overhearing conversations about pending projects that they could vote on as a quasi appeals court. A sixth councilmember, Margaret Breland, is ailing and has not been available for comment, but in 2001 she spearheaded an identical reform drive that failed to win a council majority. 

The impetus for this round of “ex parte” reform came from the Mayor’s Task Force on Permitting and Development, which last December called on the City Council to “hold a public hearing to discuss modifying [the rule] to allow for more open communication” in the permitting process. “Regardless of whether the ex parte rule is modified,” the Task Force’s final report went on to suggest, “the city should provide clear and concise information on the rule so that everyone understands how this rule is to be followed and the consequences of the failure to do so.” 

City Manager Phil Kamlarz has asked the council, following tonight’s public hearing, to provide his office with direction as to how to regulate such ex parte contacts. Under normal council procedure, the city manager’s office would draft any council recommendation into a proposed change to Berkeley’s city ordinances, which would then be voted on by the council at a later date. 

A change in the rule this time around could transform the city’s often contentious and litigious process for approving new developments. Instead of relegating the City Council to the sidelines of the debate from the time a project is submitted to the planning department up until the City Council is called on to make the ultimate call after an appeal, councilmembers would be able to talk to both developers and opponents of projects to foster compromises before the issue ever reaches the council. The content of all conversations would have to be disclosed by the councilmember before the public hearing. 

Presently, all communications from the public to councilmembers on pending developments and other issues that might be appealed to the city council must be in writing and shared with all councilmembers.  

The current prohibition on oral communications in Berkeley and several other California cities is meant to safeguard the city from lawsuits in which one party could claim that their due process rights were violated because a councilmember had access to information that might have biased his vote on a project.  

“It’s about fairness,” said Bill Connors, city attorney of Monterey. He said that the strict rules on councilmembers preserve the integrity of their vote since they are privy to the same arguments and information presented at the hearing. In addition to Monterey, Mountain View and San Diego have rules similar to Berkeley’s. 

But opponents of the rule, like Councilmember Spring, argue that it stifles free speech, fosters alienation and in cases in which the hearing involves a proposed development, stacks the deck in favor of developers. 

Developers, she said, peddle their projects to councilmembers and then quickly submit their applications so residents are effectively shut out of the project. The end result is that the city staff ends up controlling all of the information and works, “hand in glove with the developers.” 

“Ultimately you get staff driven development,” she said. 

Berkeley Planning Commissioner Dan Marks declined to comment on the issue. 

To avoid any perception of due process violations, Spring and her fellow councilmembers are kept at arms length from the public, once a developer has completed his application. 

If a constituent mentions a project to any councilmember, including the mayor, the elected official must withdraw from the conversation; if the constituent calls the office, the elected official can’t call back; if the constituent leaves a message stating an opinion on the pending project, the elected official can’t listen to it. Even e-mails are to be directed to the city clerk so they can be included in the public record and available to all councilmembers. 

While the restrictions might be a hassle for the mayor and councilmembers, for a resident opposing a development they can be outright infuriating. “It took a year out of my life,” said Sharon Hudson, president of the Benvenue Neighborhood Association, and a leader in a two-year neighborhood struggle to block a development planned on the street by the American Baptist Seminary. Since she couldn’t talk to her representatives, Hudson estimates she wrote about 200 pages on the project, 90 percent of which she guesses “was never read by anybody.” 

“If I could have spoken to them for five minutes that would equal about 10 pages worth of work,” she said. It’s a more honest way of communication. That way they can ascertain if I’m a total flake.” 

Had Hudson lived a couple of miles south, she would have done a lot more talking and a lot less writing. 

Oakland has one of the least restrictive rules in the state when it comes to allowing city councilmembers access to developers and opponents to the developments on which the council must ultimately rule. Councilmembers can talk to whomever they want and they don’t have to disclose the content of their conversations. City officials and local developers say their system has allowed Oakland to avoid the drawn out nasty land use battles endemic to Berkeley without putting the city at risk of a lawsuit. 

Oakland City Councilmember Jane Brunner said she always tries to talk to neighbors and developers when considering new projects planned in the city. “That’s how I make my decision,” she said. Last year when opponents railed against the 700-unit “Uptown” housing development for not including enough affordable units Brunner and other councilmembers brought both sides together and forged a compromise to build a separate “totally affordable structure” on the lot, settling the issue before it ever reached the full city council. 

Ali Kashani, the outgoing head of Affordable Housing Associates, praised the Oakland system. In 1996, when opposition emerged to his proposal to turn a motel into affordable housing for senior citizens, Kashani turned to then Oakland City Councilmember Nate Miley for help. 

“He had the balls to say ‘what are your issues?’” Kashani said. “He’d take sides, he’d say this is what we’re going to do.” 

In contrast, Kashani said that Berkeley city councilmembers “hide behind ex parte” to duck controversial cases. Nevertheless certain council members, he said, will violate the law to speak to developers or opponents to developments with whom they have close ties. 

“What’s frustrating for both sides is if you don’t have a relationship you’re told they can’t talk to you because of ex parte,” he said. “It stokes the level of people’s frustration and adds hostility to projects,” he said. 

A case in point might be Kashani’s Sacramento Senior Housing project that remains tied up in the courts after the City Council voted to approve the project over stiff neighborhood opposition. Marie Bowman, who has led the fight against the project, said she was denied access to city councilmembers, but didn’t think the same held true for Kashani. “He would brag that [Councilmember] Linda [Maio] would take care of him,” she said.  

Looking back on her three-year ordeal, Bowman thinks the neighbors could have negotiated for an acceptable development had they been able to communicate to city councilmembers like Oakland residents can. 

“If they had read the information and understood what our concerns were, I think a better project would have been built,” she said. 

So how can neighboring cities have such polar opposite rules on a legal issue? The answer appears to be diverging interpretations of state law and Berkeley’s litigious history when it comes to civil procedures. 

The Berkeley City Council adopted the rule in 1985 as part of a reform drive to protect the city from litigation, City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque said. That year the city faced a barrage of lawsuits, many with merit, from residents who argued that city procedures violated state law. 

“People were challenging everything we were doing. We had to figure out what we needed to do to protect ourselves,” she said. 

When it came to ex parte communications, Albuquerque recommended the council take the strictest and safest interpretation of the constitutional rights to due process, even though, she acknowledged, the law is unclear on the subject.  

“The U.S. Supreme Court has said this is a matter of flexibility, but there is no case in California that has ruled on this question.” 

Recent case law, said Albuquerque, suggests that since 2001 state courts have taken a tougher line against city procedures that violate due process. In essence for a hearing to be considered fair, all parties must be aware of all information provided to the decision-making body, so each party can respond to that information. 

In one case Nightlife Partners versus Beverly Hills, she said the appeals court judge based his decision to invalidate an administrative procedure in Beverly Hills on the state’s Administrative Procedure Act. The act applies to state agencies, not cities, but Albuquerque feared judges, lacking sufficient case law on matters dealing with cities, might now use the APA as a “gold standard.” If that were the case, anything less than a full ban on ex parte communications called for in the APA could face judicial scrutiny, she said. 

But Oakland Assistant City Attorney Mark Morodomi read the law differently. He said recent cases show that state courts recognize that councilmembers are not judges and they “need to be interacting with homeowners and neighbors.” 

Michael Asimow, a UCLA law professor with a specialty in municipal administrative law concurred. “I would be shocked to see a state court overturn a land use decision because either the opponent or applicant had ex parte contacts.” He said the Nightlife case involved the revocation of a business license, which has historically carried strict due process guidelines.  

However, he said, land use has never been interpreted to require strict standards for ex parte contacts. “What due process calls for is not a pristine type of hearing,” he added. “Councilmembers are allowed to decide cases even when developers make contributions to their campaigns. That would be a due process violation in any other type of case but land use.”  

Tonight (Tuesday, April 20) is public hearing night for the Berkeley City Council. Aside from the much-anticipated hearing on ex parte communications (see accompanying story, above), residents will also get a chance to weigh in directly on proposals for the allocation of public housing funds, a new police youth service counselor, higher park fees, a new parking rate plan for the Center Street garage, and the first of several fee hikes targeted at closing the city’s $10 million deficit. 

While the ex part e hearing is scheduled for information-gathering only, with the council set to make possible ordinance-changing recommendations at a later council meeting, the remaining proposals have accompanying resolutions that the council is scheduled to vote on toni ght.  

The youth service counselor would be paid for by the city out of part of a $155,816 grant from the California Citizen’s Option for Public Safety. The money was originally slated for a youth center, Councilmember Kriss Worthington said, but after efforts to start up the center were delayed and bumped up against the grant application deadline, the city changed course. In addition to the youth service coordinator, the funds will also pay for a youth program volunteer coordinator, police aides and DNA testing of suspected criminals. 

The city manager’s office is recommending raising more than $58,000 for the general fund in recreation fee hikes, including increasing tennis court fees in general and charging youth for the formerly-free tennis lessons ta ken during the After School and Fun Club Programs, eliminating city purchase of BART and bus tickets for youth field trips, and eliminating free swimming for Summer Fun Camp participants. 

A bigger boon to the general fund will come if, as expected, the c ouncil approves a proposal to discontinue the waiver of building permit fees for seismic retrofits of residential buildings. The city approved the fee waivers, which average $400, in 1991 to encourage homeowners to retrofit their properties. Over the last five years Berkeley has waived an average of $298,000 annually in building permit fees for seismic retrofits, according to a report from Planning Director Dan Marks. 

The council is also expected to approve a new fee policy for the Center Street garage. To bring more short-term shoppers downtown, city staff has proposed a flat-rate $1.50 fee for two hours of parking between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Currently, the city charges a $3 fee for two hours of parking and $1 for the first hour of parking. The change is not anticipated to affect parking revenues. 

On the housing front, the City Council will discuss this coming year’s allocation of federal housing money. Berkeley will receive $3.88 million in 2004-2005 from th e Federal Community Development Block Grant—$75,000 less than the current fiscal year. The proposed budget includes no money for the University Students’ Cooperative Association and 10 percent cuts to Affordable Housing Associates and Resources for Commun ity Development, Berkeley’s two largest non-profit developers. 

Aside from public hearings, the council will consider a proposal from Mayor Tom Bates to hold four special City Council community meetings on the city budget each Thursday in May. Mayor Bates had also proposed that the council request Alameda County to conduct an investigation of problems encountered with the county’s Diebold voting machines and that the city staff explore other options if the problems persist. 

›

As Tibetan hunger strikers moved into their sixteenth day in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York, a small group of Bay Area residents turned out Saturday in downtown Berkeley to show their support by staging their own one-day strike. 

Resting under a canopy set up at the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Center Street, some 25 protesters meditated, prayed and chanted. 

The strikers’ demands include China’s release of several high-ranking religious leaders—including one that is set to be executed—as well as an independent investigation into the abuse of human rights by the Chinese government in Tibet.  

The three hunger strikers in New York said they are prepared to stay in front of the U.N. building until these concessions are met. In the meantime, solidarity actions such as the one in Berkeley have popped up around the country. 

“Our ultimate aspiration is the end of the Chinese occupation of Tibet,” said Topden Tsering, president of the San Francisco Tibetan Youth Congress, the organization that organized the strike. “But right now they are outside the U.N. with very practical demands.” 

One of the religious leaders currently held by China is Ghedun Choekyi Nyima, the eleventh Panchen Lama and the second highest leader of Tibet. Nyima has been jailed since 1995, when he was captured at age of six. The other prisoner, Tulku Tenzin Delek, a Tibetan lama, was arrested and sentenced to death for refusing to renounce allegiance to the Dali Lama, according to Tsering. Both figures, said Tsering, were arrested because they were seen as a threat to Chinese power in Tibet. 

Tibet has been under Chinese occupation since 1959 and has garnered a broad base of support here in the United States. Yet according to Tsering, China’s influence in the world market has kept anyone, including the United States, from making any definitive moves to demand the end of the occupation. 

The protests here in Berkeley and in New York, as a result, are part of a new wave on non-violent resistance by Tibetans, said Tsering. In 1997, Tibetan Youth Congress hunger strikers in Delhi, India, held out for 59 days until they were forcibly removed by the Indian police. During that struggle, a young Tibetan man dowsed himself with gasoline and set himself on fire to redraw attention to the struggle. 

“We are letting the free world know that even though you have business to do with China, we should also have the freedom to have our culture, and our freedom,” said Dhonyo Tenzin, a Berkeley resident who was originally born in Tibet. 

“The U.S. should not just look for incentives like oil to support people,” said Tsering. 

Tsering said a strong Tibetan community has developed in the diaspora and he hopes support will continue to grow.  

“Even after more than 40 years we have not forgotten our culture,” he said. “We can go back to a free Tibet and we will.” 

Fed up with what they say is more than 25 years of strewn trash, raucous parties and a plague of vermin, 22 neighbors earlier this month filed small claims court suits totaling $110,000 against Le Chateau, UC Berkeley’s most notorious student housing cooperative. 

The neighbors are each seeking the maximum $5,000 in damages from the University Students Cooperative Association (USCA), which counts Le Chateau as one of its 20 member cooperatives. The suits charge that the co-op, founded in the late ‘70s and known for its quirky residents that several years ago would invite homeless people from People’s Park to camp on their roof, has created a nuisance and diminished property values in the neighborhood. 

George Lewinsky, who has lived next door to the 85-student three-building complex on the intersection of Hillegass and Parker streets since 1989, described the usual state of affairs: “When I look out my bedroom window I see the entire entrance to their backyard covered with trash.” He said on a couple of occasions the co-op, which houses about 85 mostly first-year students, has been so loud, his wife has had to sleep in a different bedroom. 

The nuisance suits come at a time when Lewinsky acknowledges that behavior at Le Chateau is actually improving. Last year after a meeting with neighbors and city officials, the co-op adopted an addendum to its charter that set stringent noise rules and fines for residents who violated them. Six residents were fined last semester, said former manager Ryan O’Laughlin. However, the USCA refused to meet the neighbors demand that it hire a professional manager for The Chateau. 

“Rotating elected managers has not worked,” Lewinsky said. “There’s no consistency in the way the place is managed and in the way members treat the neighbors.” 

But a professional manager would “go against the entire idea of a co-op,” said Ben Reccius, a freshman and the social manager of The Chateau. “It’s about co-operative living, not a professional management company overlooking everything.” 

For most co-ops, including Le Chateau, managers are elected by residents and then go through a week-long training session.  

However, there is precedent for installing a professional staff. Rochdale, a student cooperative, has had a professional manager since its inception and, USCA General Manager George Proper said UC Berkeley was pushing for the USCA to install a professional manager at Cloyne Court—another freshman dominated co-op—as part of a new lease agreement. 

Proper said Le Chateau—which sits on USCA-owned land—could one day receive a professional manager, but that the co-op board of directors would not tie any management change to the lawsuit, which the USCA has pledged to fight and if necessary appeal to the superior court.  

Should they lose, Proper guessed that the fines would be paid through reserve funds accumulated over several years by all 1,300 students who belong to the USCA. He added that despite a similar case more than 15 years ago, a legal battle wouldn’t spell the end for Le Chateau. In the late 1980s the USCA closed Barrington Hall rather than fight a neighbor-driven lawsuit filed in superior court. 

The small claims case against Le Chateau is believed to be the first against a student co-op or a fraternity, but Berkeley Neighborhood Services Liaison Michael Caplan, said such suits are a growing trend in Berkeley and elsewhere. He is aware of three to five groups of neighbors considering filing joint small claims suits against owners of problem properties. Earlier this year a group of neighbors won their case against a neighbor they alleged harbored known drug dealers at his property in West Berkeley. 

“Nuisance suits are always the last resort,” Caplan said. “It’s a way to put pressure on the property owner when other means of problem solving are not available.” 

Lewinsky said he and other neighbors had exhausted all of their options. In 1996 he and the USCA reached an agreement through Berkeley Dispute Resolution Services, but new managers and students who weren’t part of the negotiations never honored the deal, he said. 

Co-op officials, though, insisted that the agreement reached last October was working and should have been given more time.  

“We’ve done everything within our power to appease them,” said Reccius, the social manager. He said the co-op had built outdoor storage cupboards to store garbage, hired an exterminator to prevent mice and rats that neighbors say are rampant, gave neighbors notice when they would have parties and provided managers with beepers so neighbors could contact them when issues arose. 

Ryan O’Laughlin, a former manager and current resident of Le Chateau, said neighbors often beeped him with frivolous complains including a loud pool filter and noisy nighttime dishwashing. He said this semester neighbors stopped beeping managers and started calling police. 

O’Laughlin understands that the tawdry history of Le Chateau, especially the unwelcome invitations to homeless people, has left neighbors dubious that a solution can be reached. 

“Even though the house is improving they’re convinced that five years from now it’s going to be like five years ago,” he said. “There were some assholes who used to live here, but don’t want our house to go back to that. They just don’t trust us to police ourselves.”›

In the upcoming weeks, UC Berkeley officials will be meeting to finalize changes to the student code of conduct that could prevent students from having legal representatives during on-campus hearings. The potential change in policy leaves many students worried about their due process rights on a campus well-known for civil unrest.  

According to UC administration sources, the student code of conduct is normally revised every five to six years. 

Last Friday, the Student Code of Conduct Review Committee (SCCRC)—charged with overseeing the changes—delayed a scheduled meeting on the matter for two weeks. Students, nonetheless, held a press conference Friday outside California Hall to let the administration know that they will continue to demand representation and other due process rights during campus hearings. 

“It’s a very slippery slope and we don’t want to slide down it,” said Boris Sorsher, a member of the campus American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), about possible changes to the code. 

According to Neil Rajmaira, UC Berkeley’s student judicial officer, students are currently allowed to be represented by a lawyer or anyone of their choosing during on-campus hearings. But last March, the SCCRC tentatively voted that students could only be allowed to be represented by attorneys if it were deemed necessary by the hearing panel. Although this was considered a compromise position at the time, students want the SCCRC to reverse its vote and return to full attorney representation. In addition, students say they are worried that the SCCRC might vote at the next meeting to further erode student representation rights. 

“This essentially will set the tone for the next five or seven years,” said Sorsher. “If they implement these rules it could restrict liberties in the future as well.” 

Proponents of the changes say they are trying to make the hearing process more educational and less adversarial. They say students learn more from the process when they represent themselves. Students say that the consequences they can face are serious enough to merit representation by a lawyer. 

Last November, Ronald Gronsky, a professor in the Engineering department who co-chaired the committee responsible for updating the codes, told the Berkeley Daily Planet that the changes were also meant to bring UC Berkeley’s policies into line with the rest of the UC System.  

Calls placed to other UCs, however, find that they have varied policies for on-campus hearings. UC Santa Barbara allows students to have lawyers advise them during hearings but not speak for them. At UCLA, students can have lawyers represent them or advise them and do not need permission from the hearing panel. At UC Davis, lawyers can represent students during hearings where the penalties are suspension or expulsion. They can only advise students when the penalty is probation. 

All the campuses, including Berkeley, also have non-lawyer university officials who can advise or, if allowed, represent students. 

Several of the university officials in charge of hearings at other campuses said they believed in making the process educational but also thought it was important right to have an attorney, especially if the student is facing criminal charges outside the university for the same incident. 

“Any form of representation oftentimes allows for better communication,” said Brian A. Carlisle, Assistant Dean of Students for UCLA. “It’s not fair to have a student face charges that are major at a university and not let them have representation.” 

Jeanne Wilson, director of student judicial affairs for UC Davis, said the university encourages students to seek legal advice or representation if the student faces criminal charges along with their campus charges. She said though lawyers can bog a hearing down, more often they facilitate the process and make it more comfortable for the students. 

Neither Carlisle nor Wilson know of any law that says students are guaranteed representation.  

“I’m not aware of any California case that definitively says that students at a public university have the right to attorney in a disciplinary process,” said Wilson, who practiced law in California for several years before joining UC Davis. 

The issue of due process for students at UC Berkeley is particularly timely because of several high profile on campus cases within the past couple of years. Most recently, three students faced campus charges for their participation in an anti-war demonstration and sit-in when the war broke out in Iraq. 

Two of them could receive letters of warning that stay in their campus file and are reportable on graduate school applications, if they apply for government jobs, or waive their rights to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  

The anti-Iraq-war student protesters were allowed representation at their hearing, but had to fight to have open hearings, another issue students plan to address during the code of conduct committee’s next meeting. At one hearing, all three of the protesters walked out because the panel refused to open to it to the public. Sorsher from the campus ACLU said the university cites privacy reasons for trying to close hearings. Students say it is part of their due process rights to have them open.ª

Student commission captures honor 

UC student and Berkeley Housing Commissioner Brandon Simmons has won one of three prestigious John Gardner Fellowships awarded annually to UC Berkeley students. 

The fellowships are named for John Gardner, who received his doctorate from UC Berkeley and went on to serve as secretary of health, education and welfare from 1965 to 1968 under President Johnson and founded Common Cause. The fellowships team graduating seniors with distinguished citizens in government and public service. 

Three other fellowship are given to graduating seniors from Stanford University, where Gardner received his baccalaureate and master’s degrees. 

Former Daily Planet reporter honored 

The California Teachers Association has honored former Berkeley Daily Planet reporter David Scharfenberg with a John Swett Award, a journalism prize awarded annually for journalists “who honor all teachers with their skillful and sensitive work,” said CTA President Barbara Kerr. 

Scharfenberg’s award came for his ongoing coverage of education issues for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. 

UC Berkeley professor to head S.F. Federal Reserve 

UC Berkeley economics professor Janet Yellen will become the first woman to head the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco when Robert Parry, the current president and CEO, retires in June. 

Yellen, who also serves as the Eugene and Catherine M. Trefethen Professor at the Haas School of Business, joined the UCB staff in 1980. From 1994, Yellen was on leave from the school to serve of the Fed’s board of directors. 

She becomes the fourth woman to head a Federal Reserve Bank. 

Sexual predator sentenced 

An Alameda County Superior Court judge sentenced serial child molester Kenneth Parnell, 72, to 25 years in state prison last week for attempting to buy a four-year-old boy 

It was his fifth conviction.  

Parnell was busted by Berkeley police last year after the sister of his former caretaker told him Parnell wanted to buy an African American boy. 

Parnell soared to national notoriety after the escape in 1980 of 15-year-old Steven Stayner—kidnapped as a sex slave in Merced eight years earlier—and five year old Timothy White of Ukiah. 

Stayner spent only five years in prison for the two kidnappings and was paroled to Berkeley in 1985. The parents of both children urged that Stayner receive the maximum sentence in the Berkeley case. 

Road Rage Leads to Berkeley Shooting 

An outbreak of road rage ended on a dead end Berkeley street Saturday afternoon when one driver shot another in the arm. 

The incident started in North Oakland shortly after 12:30 p.m., and one angry driver pursued another through city streets and on into Berkeley. Unfortunately, the fleeing driver turned onto the 1600 block of Fairview Street, which ends in a barrier at King Street. 

Forced to turn around, the panicked motorist had to pass his pursuer, who fired one shot, striking the 22-year-old in the arm, according to Berkeley Police spokesperson Kevin Schofield. 

The victim was rushed to Kaiser medical center in Oakland, where he was treated for a non-life-threatening injury. 

The shooter, described as an African American male driving a recent vintage maroon or burgundy import sedan, remains at large. 

Berkeley police make three gun arrests  

Six minutes before Saturday’s road rage shooting, Berkeley Police were summoned to the 1600 block of Russell Street by an alert citizen who reported a gunman carrying a pistol inside his jacket. 

Officers arrested Manuel Gorrostieta-Martinez on one charge of carrying a concealed weapon, with a separate “enhancement” charge citing him as a gang member. He was taken to Berkeley City Jail, said BPD spokesperson Kevin Schofield. 

The next arrest came at 2:40 a.m. Sunday in the 1600 block of Stuart Street when an officer spotted a young man acting suspiciously. The officer stopped the youth, and quickly found a loaded handgun nearby. 

The 17-year-old was booked into city jail on one charge of carrying a concealed weapon and another of carrying a loaded weapon. 

The same two charges were filed against Mark Lesh, a 21-year-old Oakland man, after an officer stopped him for driving with his high beams. A subsequent search discovered a loaded pistol under the seat, said Officer Schofield. 

Lesh was booked into city jail on the two firearms charges and the vehicle code violation.

When the air raid sirens shatter Berkeley’s daytime calm this Thursday and next, don’t worry. It’s only a test. 

Though George Bush told reporters last week that until 9/11, Americans felt safe from attacks over the oceans, anyone over the age of 40 will probably remember the days when the Cold War was at its scariest heights and duck-and-cover drills and siren tests were monthly events. 

Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on both days, the city’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services will be sounding siren blast s to test how well the noisemakers can be heard in different parts of the city. 

For each proposed siren location tested, city workers will sound a series of four one-minute siren blasts spaced several minutes apart. The mobile test sirens will be located at Indian Rock Avenue and Oxford Street, Panoramic Way at the Oakland city limits, Bonar Street and Allston Way, and Cragmont Avenue and Regal Road. 

The sirens could cover a range of emergencies, including fires in the hills and chemical spills, according to Emergency Service Manager Bill Greulich. 

—Richard Brenneman

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 

Morning Birdwalk in Briones Regional Park to watch spring songsters. Meet at 7 a.m. at the Bear Creek Rd. entrance parking lot. 525-2233. 

Friends of Strawberry Creek Mike Vukman on the Streamside Management Program for Private Landowners in Contra Costa County, at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library 3rd floor Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge St. caroleschem@hotmail.com  

Organic Produce at low prices sold at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon Streets from 3 to 7 p.m. 843-1307. 

Free Lead-Safe Painting and Remodeling Class Learn how to detect and remedy lead hazards and conduct lead-safe renovations for your home. At 6 p.m. at the Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 567-8280.  

Eco-Feminism and Environmental Racism Forum with Dr. Val Plumwood, Australian National University, at 7 p.m. at the GTU Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2560. 

“A Thousand Miles on the Appalachian Trail” A silde presentation with Peter Kirby at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

More Wildflowers of the East Bay Plant expert Glenn Keator will guide you in using plant keys to make positive identifications, using the Jepson Manual (available for purchase at first class), microscopes, and the resources of the UC Botanical Garden. Class meets Tues. April 20-May 18. Cost is $185, $165 for Garden Members. 200 Centennial Dr. To register call 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club General Membership meeting on “The Health Care Crisis and the 2004 Elections” at the First Congregational Church, 27th and Harrison, Oakland. Social hour and potluck at 6 p.m. www.democraticrenewal.us 

“International Trade: The Great Debate” with Robert Reich, Bradford DeLong, Steven Vogel and Harley Shaiken at 6:30 p.m. in Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Bldg., UC Campus. Sponsored by the Undergraduate Political Science Assoc. www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~upsa/ 

“Mexico and California: New Challenges for Consular Affairs” with Georgina Lagos, former Consul General of Mexico at 4 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. 

East Bay Communities Against the War Video and discussion on “The Fourth World War” at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Neighborhood Center, 530 Lake Park Ave. Suggested donation $1. 658-8994. www.ebcaw.org 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave. Advance sign-up needed. 594-5165.  

“Communist Party in South Africa and Kerala” with Michelle Williams, UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate, Sociology, at 4 p.m. at 652 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Center for African Studies. 642-8338. 

“The Artist as Shaman/Mystic” a one-day workshop with iconographer Robert Lentz at University of Creation Spirituality, 2141 Broadway, Oakland. Cost is $50-$80. to register call 835-4827, ext. 19. 

“Dreams: Past, Present, and Future” with Brother Brendan Madden, lecturer from St. Mary’s College, at 7 p.m. in El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday, meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us, call 215-7672.  

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 

Public Forum on UC’s Management of the Dept. of Energy Labs at 7 p.m., at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave, at the corner of Bancroft. 643-0602. http://ga.berkeley. 

edu/academics/ucdoeforum/ 

“Chiapas Front” video and report on Montes Azules evictions at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Death on a Friendly Border,” a documentary on the deaths on the US-Mexico border, with Rachel Antell, at 6:30 p.m. at Ellen Driscoll Theater, Frank Havens School, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. 835-9227. 

“Remembering Rwanda: Ten Years After the Genocide” with Sarah Freedman, Prof. of Education and Research Fellow, The Human Rights Center, Rangira S. Gallimore, Assoc. Prof. of French, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, Harvey Weinstein, Clinical Prof., School of Public Health and Assoc. Dir., The Human Rights Center, at 3:30 p.m. at the Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. 642-0965. www.hrcberkeley.org/ 

event_rwanda.html 

“Storm From the Mountain” a doumentary on the Zapatista caravan as it journeyed through twelve Mexican states visiting indigenous communities, at 7 p.m. at The Fellowship of Humanity, 390 27th St., Oakland. 393-5685.  

“250 Great Hikes in California National Parks” with author Ann Marie Brown at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Nobel, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861. 

Sons In Retirement,Inc. East Bay Branch #2 invites all retired men to come to our regular luncheon meeting at The Galileo Club, 371 South 23rd St., Richmond. Social hour 11 a.m. followed by lunch for $12 and a speaker. Contact Dick Celestre 925-283-1635.  

“Hormone Replacement Therapy” Elizabeth Plourde, medical researcher, clarifies the controversy over hormone replacement therapy and reveals what types of hormones are actually beneficial for women. At 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets at 7:15 a.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 524-3765. 

Berkeley Stop the War Coalition meets at 7 p.m. in 255 Dwinelle, UC Campus. www.berkeleystopthewar.org  

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, vigil at 6:30 p.m. Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Prose Writers Workshop meets 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, at Rose. 524-3034. 

Spring Crafts Fair sponsored by the UCB Clericals, noon to 1 p.m. Dwinelle Ishi Court, UC Campus. berkeleycue@earthlink.net 

Berkeley CopWatch open office hours 7 to 9 p.m. Assistance available. 548-0425. 

THURSDAY, APRIL 22 

Beginning Bird Watching at the UC Botanical Garden with Dennis Wolff. Meets Thursday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Fee is $75, $65 members. For information and registration call 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Earth Day Strawberry Creek Cleanup from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meet at the natural amphitheater just east of Sather Gate on the UC Campus. Trash bags and gloves provided. 642-6568. 

Creative Remodels in the East Bay a lecture with Jane Powell, author of “Bungalow Kitchens, Bungalow Bathrooms,” at 6:30 p.m. at the Center for Digital Storytelling, 1803 Martin Luther King Way. A home tour will follow on April 24. The talk and tour benefit Children’s Community Center, a cooperative preschool in Berkeley. For tickets please call 528-6975. 

“Remembering Rwanda: Africa in Conflict Yesterday and Today,” with Human Rights Watch’s Africa researcher, Corrine Dufka, a 3:30 p.m. in the Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. 642-0965. www.hrcberkeley.org/event_rwanda.html 

International Institute of the East Bay 85th Anniversary Reception Celebration with Dorothy Ehrlich, Director of the ACLU of Northern California, at 5:30 p.m. at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $75. 451-2846, ext. 324. hcastillo@iieb.org 

“Breathing Retraining” with Dorisse Neale, certified Eucapnic Buteyko practitioner, to help treat respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and immune system disorders. At 3:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

GreenCine Film Trivia Night with co-hosts Underdog and Futureboy at 6:30 p.m. at Albatross Pub, 1822 San Pablo Ave. www.greencine.com  

FRIDAY, APRIL 23 

“Spring Flora of Mount Diablo” Weekend workshop sponsored by Jepson Herbarium. A unique opportunity to stay “on the mountain” for extended hikes and exploration. Registration and deposit required, for information, see http://ucjeps. 

berkeley.edu/jepwkshp.htm 

Inspiration Point Hike with Solo Sierrans at 4 p.m. Meet at large parking lot off Wildcat Canyon Road. You need not be a member to attend. 525-2299. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Terry Woronov, PhD, Anthropology, on “Transforming Chinese Culture: Raising Children’s Quality.” Lunch at 11:45 a.m. for $12.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925.  

East Bay Farm Worker Support Committee Dinner Dance, with the 2004 Chavez Legacy Award, at 6 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St. Oakland. Cost is $10-$25. 832-2372. 

César Chávez Commemoration, with speakers, performers, music, food and an altar, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the César Chávez Student Learning Center, UC Campus. Program includes Federico Chávez, grandson of César Chávez. 642-1802. 

“The USA Patriot Act: Californians Respond” with Sanjeev Bery, Field Organizer for the Northern California ACLU, at 6 p.m. in the FSM Cafe at Moffitt Library, UC Campus.  

“Eyewitness to Empire” 2nd National CAN Speaking Tour with Khury Peterson-Smith, CAN activist from NY who visited Iraq in January, Military Families Speak Out and Campus Antiwar Network. at 7 p.m. at 126 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. www.campusantiwar.net 

“Life and Debt” a film explaining the complexity of international lending, structural adjustment policies and free trade, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 540-0751.  

Berkeley Chess Club meets at 7:15 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. All levels are welcome. 652-5324. 

Women in Black Vigil noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. 548-6310. 

Kol Hadash meets at 7:30 p.m. for Shabbat, at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. 428-1492. www.kolhadash.org 

Overeaters Anonymous meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Church at Solano and The Alameda. 525-5231. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 24 

Earth Day at Civic Center Park from noon to 5 p.m. with cultural performers, activities for children, food, craft and community booths.  

Family Farm Day at Berkeley Farmers’ Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Center St. at MLK, Jr. Way. Co-sponsored by The Ecology Center and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Bike Tour in Eastshore State Park leaving from Civic Center Park at noon and going to Richmond. Sponsored by Citizens for the Eastshore State Park. Bring water, sunblock, and windbreaker. Bikes should be in good condition. Course is flat. Route is approximately 25 miles. Helmets are encouraged. For more information 461- 4665. www.eastshorepark.org 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of Aquatic Park at 10 a.m. Pre-paid reservations required, $8 for memebers, $10 for non-members. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/  

Creek Tour with Urban Creeks Council from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with restoration expert Ann Riley. Tour of East Bay Restoration Sites includes Wildcat, Baxter, and Blackberry Creeks. Bring a lunch and dress for hiking. To register visit www.urbancreeks.org 

Turtle Time at Tilden Reptiles all around the park will be coming out of winter hibernation. Meet and greet the three exotic turtles that live at the Nature Center from 2 to 3 p.m. 525-2233. 

Earth Day Paddle at Gallinas Creek just north of China Camp State Park in San Rafael. All equipment and instruction included. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sponsored by Save the Bay. Cost is $30 members, $40 non-members. To register call 452-9261. www.savesfbay.org 

A Neighborhood Walk Through South West Berkeley, sponsored by Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Berkeley Chinese Community Church, 2117 Acton St. for music and light breakfast before the walk. 658-2467. 

Spring Plant Sale at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Spring Blooming Perennials and Shrubs with Aeirn Moore, at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Community Music Day from noon to 5 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. 559-2941. 

Women’s Peace Day at Mosswood Park, McArthur and Broadway, Oakland, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. An open-air fair calling attention to the impact of US military presence in Okinawa, Korea and the Philippines on women, communities, and the politics of the region. www.koreasolidarity.org 

Civic Arts Commission Hearing on Berkeley’s Arts and Cultural Plan at 4 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 981-7533. 

“Eyewitness to Empire” West Coast Campus Antiwar Network Conference from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Evans Hall, UC Campus. To register, contact can_wc_conf_2004 

@hotmail.com www.campusantiwar.net 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class in Fire Supression from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 997 Cedar St. To sign up call 981-5605. www. 

ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html 

Berkeley Copwatch Know Your Rights Orientation Join us for this hands-on workshop from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. near Shattuck Ave. Free, wheelchair accessible and open to the public. Donations gratefully accepted. 548-0425. 

Small Press Distribution Open House, with refreshments, readings and books, books, books. From noon to 4 p.m. at the SPD Warehouse, 1341 7th St. off Gilman. 524-1668. www.spdbooks.org 

Breast Cancer Action’s Town Meeting for Activists, with Anne Lamott and Dr. Sandra Hernandez on “Taking Care in a Toxic Time” from 1 to 5 p.m. at Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. 415-243-9301, ext. 17. www.bcaction.org 

“Families Dealing with Dementia” a workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mercy Care & Retirement Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Eileen Zagelow, BA, CMC, Geriatric Care Manager for Eldercare Services will lead the workshop. $15 donation is requested. 534-8540. www.mercyretirementcenter.org 

Guerrilla Media Action Tour with Cascadia Media Collective’s films and more at 7 p.m. at AK Press Warehouse, 674A 23rd St. Oakland. 208-1700. www.akpress.org 

Luna Kids Dance Open House for ages 10 and up, at 10 a.m. at Black Pine Circle School, 2027 7th St. 644-3629. www.lunakidsdance.com 

Yoga for Seniors at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. Open to non-members of the club for $8 per class. 848-7800. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 25 

Berkeley High School Open House and Ribbon Cutting from 1 to 5 p.m. with music, sports, arts, and refreshments.  

People’s Park 35th Anniversary Faire from noon to 6 p.m. Live music, bike rodeo, clowns, may pole and community workshops. 658-9178. 

Spinning Demonstration Witness the alchemy of spinning plant fibers into yarn at 1 p.m. at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Free with garden admission. 643-2775. http:// 

botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

“Spirited Action: Coming Together For A Change” with Buddhist author and teacher Sylvia Boorstein, activist Daniel Ellsberg, and singers Linda Tillery and Betsy Rose at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Donation $10. www.spiritedaction.org 

Forum on "A Christian Ecological Perspective" at 9 a.m., service at 10 a.m., tree and native plant planting after service at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2220 Cedar St. 848-1755. allsoulsparish.org  

Anam Cara House Open House from 4 to 8 p.m. at 6035 Majestic Ave. near Mills College. Anam Cara House provides work space to healing arts practitioners, workshops, and groups. 333-3572.  

Flowers: Their Parts and Partners We’ll take a close look at intimate parts of plants, and learn stories of their mating habits, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

A Lot of Galls Insects and other organisms cause swellings on plant parts that serve as homes for offspring. We’ll search for a variety of these growths and learn their history. From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

“Voice of the People” A variety show on current political, social and environmental concerns by The Traveling Bohemians, at 4 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10.  

Berkeley City Club free tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by Berkeley City Club and the Landmark Heritage Foundation. Donations welcome. 2315 Durant Ave. 848-7800. 

Learn Sufi Dances, Dances of Universal Peace at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 526-8944. 

“Yoga and the Vedic Sciences,” with Sam Geppi, certified Hatha yoga instructor,on the three Vedic sciences at 11:30 a.m. at at Elephant Pharmacy. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

“Modern Mystics: Bede Griffiths” with Dody Donnelly, author, theologian at 9:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd. Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Yoga with Jack van der Meulen on “Body Psychology” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Mikvah Taharas Israel invites Jewish Women to a Spa for the Soul from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Claremont Resort. Cost is $36. For reservations call Chabad of the East Bay 540-5824. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/humane 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Lisa Ploss, 981-5200. www.ci.ber- 

keley.ca.us/commissions/aging 

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Delfina M. Geiken, 644-6085. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/labor 

Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Marianne Graham, 981-5416. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/welfareˇ

Cassidy Hudson, 10, fills up with goodies at Saturday’s “Kids for Kerry Raising Dough for Democracy” bake sale on Solano Avenue. MoveOn.org raised thousands of dollars this weekend for John Kerry’s presidential campaign.t

Recently, after two decades of living in the East Bay, I finally got on a sailboat and cruised out beyond the Berkeley Municipal Pier. My friend Martin had bought a 17-foot dingy complete with two sails and some life jackets. He invited me on his maiden voyage through the jetties of the Berkeley Marina. I was hooked. 

I’d lived on the water as a child growing up along the New Jersey shore, and learned to swim, sail, and water ski at a young age. But since moving to the Bay Area, I haven’t had the opportunity to step off terra firma and dip into the water. Quite frankly, I’ve always thought it was too financially inaccessible to me, but when I heard that the City of Berkeley’s Marina Experience Program was holding its Bay Festival this past weekend, I jumped at the chance to see what they were offering. I even drove over to Hunter’s Point to pick up my friends Jernae and Brittnae so that they could join me. I didn’t want them to wait 20 years to enjoy one of the Bay Area’s most stunning natural resources. From their apartment in the projects off Third Street they have a gorgeous view of the water. It was high time they got on it. 

Our first order of business upon arrival at K Dock was to find Martin, who was offering free sailing rides on his dingy under the auspices of MADS, the Metropolitan Area Dingy Society, which provides a recreational therapy program for people with mental illnesses. We strapped on bulky orange life preservers and sailed out to the edge of the bay. Back and forth we tacked westward, then did a quick come-about and returned with the wind in our sails to the dock. 

Next, we signed up for the dragon boat ride, where we joined 20 other novice paddlers for a cruise around the marina in a 50-foot long canoe. We learned that dragon boat racing began in China 2,400 years ago and that the recreational Berkeley Dragons and the competitive Dragon Max team practice their skills at the Canoe Center on the marina. 

We wandered between the 30-plus tables set up along Marina Square, stopping at such diverse booths as the Berkeley Waterski Club, the Bay Nature Institute, the Bio-diesel Cooperative, and the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. We looked at tiny plankton through a microscope, petted the skins of walruses and seals, examined the odd, hairy-like teeth (baleen) of a whale. We checked out the food booths, sampling the fried calamari, clam chowder, and Thai barbecue while watching juggler Dana Smith and Lacey the Wonder Dog perform feats of inspiring acrobatics. We headed for the Cal Adventures Climbing Wall and then on to Adventure Playground, where we ran through the mazes, swung on the tire swings, pounded a few nails, and took several zips along on the trolley line. What fun! 

From there we explored a 70-foot giant nylon whale (sponsored by the Evelyn Roth Festival Arts program), and visited the inflatable planetarium run by Astrowizard Dave Rodrigues. We toured the newly opened Straw Bale Visitors Center, an 850-foot environmentally-friendly building constructed from recycled materials and powered by solar energy. We ended the day with our own personal rock skipping contest along Shorebird Park while we watched kayakers and sailboarders paddle and surf among the waves, accompanied by the hip swinging tunes of the All Star Cajun Band who were performing at Marina Square. 

The generosity of the participating groups was outstanding. We didn’t have time to explore the Berkeley Marine Police boat, take a complementary cruise on a Hornblower Yacht, or tour the historic Wallace Foss tugboat. But we made the most of a beautiful day on the water, sampling some of the many wonderful resources available close to home. The Berkeley Bay Festival occurs every spring. Next year, don’t miss it! 

The Berkeley Marina Experience Program can be reached at 862-3644 or on the web at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/marinaexp. 

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Tonight (April 20) the City Council has the chance to moderate Berkeley’s extreme rule prohibiting any communication between citizens and council members on land-use permitting matters, and bring Berkeley into line with practices that generally prevail throughout California. For many years the council has operated under its self-imposed rule that categorically forbids councilmembers “to discuss with any member of the public the facts of any [land use application] which may probably be the subject of public hearings by the City Council.”  

Not surprisingly, the city’s task force on land-use permitting made revision of this rule its highest-priority recommendation. Both development and preservation interests have been frustrated by this rule’s draconian impact on democratic decision making. The council can responsibly and lawfully respond to this frustration by allowing members to discuss pending applications informally with members of the public (homeowners and developers alike), so long as the contents of those discussions are disclosed in the public record before the council hears the matter.  

Berkeley’s present rule stems from the city attorney’s meritorious interests in securing fairness in City Council deliberations, and minimizing the city’s risk of litigation from losers in the land-use process. These are important interests, but like all interests, they are not absolute. Perceptions of “fairness” and a litigation-risk-free environment are in the California Supreme Court’s view trumped by the interests of the citizenry to enjoy access to their elected officials, to hold those officials accountable to the voters, and to ensure that the council makes the most well-informed decisions possible. 

The city attorney’s memorandum that the council will consider this evening focuses substantially on “fairness” in adjudicatory proceedings, but does not honor the paramount interests in civic accountability and high-quality decisions. The existing rule is based on an obsession for procedural purity in a setting far removed from the judicial or administrative arena where fundamental vested rights are at stake. Proceedings to which the rule apply are labeled “quasi-adjudicatory,” without asking the hard question of just how “quasi” the typical Berkeley land-use adjudication should be. 

In the true judicial proceeding (conducted either by judges or an administrative hearing body) we insist that the decision be based on formal rules of evidence, that the decision-maker consider only the evidence presented openly where it can be cross-examined, and divorced from political values and accountability. Judges and lawyers are bound by codes of conduct developed to ensure that when one party engages the state to claim property or prerogative from another, or when the government itself proceeds against an individual’s freedom or livelihood, the decision-maker remain focused on the competing cases of the two parties and not be swayed by the sentiments of the larger public. One reason the legal process seems so expensive is the training and experience required of lawyers to present their cases within the stringent formalities and requirements of the judicial process. 

Land-use decisions at City Hall do not—and should not—constitute “true judicial proceedings.” Viewed from the perspective of the legal profession, virtually all the participants are lay persons—most importantly, the decision makers themselves. The decisions to be made call in part for an exercise of political judgment; the views of the larger public are not only not irrelevant, they are indispensable to democratic decision-making and accountability. The city’s existing ex parte rule must be evaluated in this context. 

Any doubt about the wisdom of Berkeley’s absolute prohibition of communications between the public and council members outside the council’s public hearing dissolved in the last City Council election. During the council campaign, an extraordinarily controversial application was pending before the City of Berkeley. Members of the public appropriately asked incumbent council members and their challengers where they stood on this issue: Should the council treat a well-respected religious institution like any other developer required to mitigate harm, or should the institution’s important role in the community justify more flexible application of environmental standards?  

Incredibly, City Council candidates were advised not to answer those questions during the campaign, because the council’s ex parte rule prohibited that discussion. Even though a leading California Supreme Court decision (City of Fairfield v. Superior Court) directly addressed this situation, and concluded that political accountability of a city council to its electorate outweighed the developer’s interest in avoiding allegedly “biased” decision makers, here in Berkeley the ex parte rule deprived voters of knowing where their candidates stood on this vital public issue. (The city attorney has consistently attempted to distinguish Fairfield on technical grounds, failing to honor the spirit of the Court’s instruction, and ignoring another leading case (Andrews v. ALRB) where the Court suggested that a council of “rare intellectual eunuchs” would be adversely qualified to decide the cases before them.) 

Against the compelling case for enabling council members to be heard by and accountable to their constituents, the ex parte rule asserts a strong interest in precluding council members from relying on evidence that opponents do not know of to rebut. These interests can be harmonized, however, rather than discarding the compelling interest in favor of the strong one. Berkeley should finally adopt the general practice of most California agencies and cities that do not prohibit communications outside the council chamber, but require written disclosure of those communications and any evidence received, in time for all interested parties to learn of and rebut them.  

Councilmembers who desire to avoid such communications are not required to have them; but those who find them helpful to fulfill their duties will have the choice. And moderation of the unqualified ex parte rule would actually reduce the city’s litigation risk, by removing claims based on its violation and requiring challengers instead to prove actual harm or bias in City Council proceedings. 

Antonio Rossmann has practiced land use law for more than 30 years, and has taught that subject at Boalt Hall since 1990.  

Unlike the City of Berkeley powers that be, the Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry understands the financial plight of the middle class and is seeking to reduce its tax burden. 

Real property taxes in Berkeley are regressive and unfair and are a direct attack on the financial well-being of Berkeley’s middle class homeowners. Most Berkeley homeowners, unlike City of Berkeley employees, live in high-tax Berkeley and in a real world of uncertain employment, increased health care costs, and no guaranteed retirement system. Their home is usually their major asset in general and their primary asset for retirement. Many older Berkeley homeowners live on dwindling fixed incomes, and, by increasing the already-high local tax burden, the city is substantially impairing homeowner and community well-being. Younger Berkeley homeowners pay a high price for their homes and a large part of their income—often close to 50 percent—for housing, not because they are rich but simply because housing is expensive in Berkeley and in California. These younger homeowners are often hard-pressed to meet normal living expenses and are certainly unable to accumulate much in the way of retirement assets. Home ownership in Berkeley is simply not a proxy for wealth, high income, or substantial assets.  

We propose that before contemplating increased taxation as preferable to balancing the city budget through labor contract renegotiation, the city undertake an income/asset analysis of the typical Berkeley homeowner as compared to the typical city employee non-resident homeowner. For the income part of this study, one would need to factor in a monetary value for the 40 percent or so of total city employee compensation that is attributable to the fully-paid-by-employer benefits. For the asset side, one would need to include an asset value for the city’s retirement plan that accounts for an extended life span, employer-paid retiree health care, and an annual CPI adjustment in retiree income. 

With the help of accounting experts we have run the retirement asset numbers for a hypothetical 60 year old city employee who retired today at 75 percent of salary and whose life expectancy is another 25 years. We have assumed an additional $6,000 annual cost for health insurance, a five percent rate of return, and an annual CPI of 2.5 percent. Over the 25 year period, if this employee retires at $74,000 annually, the current asset value of this person’s retirement package is almost $1,500,000. So a Berkeley homeowner who is retiring today, for comparable retirement security would have to have about $1,500,000 invested (which, unlike the city employee pension, is not guaranteed by the full faith and credit of any government). A 35-year-old Berkeley homeowner would need to be setting aside, on average, about $70,000 annually for the next 25 years, and have an investment account at year 25 of about $2,300,000 to achieve this level of retirement security. 

So fellow Berkeley voter, if you are neither rich nor poor but instead a member of the vanishing middle class, you may want to think seriously about rejecting all of the November tax increases being pushed by the political establishment and also think about un-electing and un-appointing all city officials who are not following John Kerry’s lead and taking your plight seriously.  

Barbara Gilbert and Viki Tamaradze are co-chairs of the Berkeley Budget Oversight Committee.›

Some of Berkeley’s roots are grand structures built by wealthy people, people with the leisure and capital to chart grand designs through their acreage, and whose praises are sung by architects and historians alike. 

Some of Berkeley’s roots are buildings as plain-looking as the lives they sheltered. If you look too quickly you may miss the few remaining details that document the history of more common lives, lives which best exemplify the majority of people in an historical period but, ironically, are often less respected for that commonality. 

A small, unassuming, single-family house on Fifth Street headed for the seemingly inevitable multi-unit, multi-story replacement was discovered by an interested neighbor to have been built in 1878, making it one of Berkeley’s oldest structures. The bare sketch left of the widowed woman who built the house and lived there with two daughters, described in one document as a “washerwoman,” is an intriguing invitation to learn more about a time when both the area and the rights of women were quite different. 

If you don’t look quickly, it will be gone. The builder wants to get busy and demolish it while the weather is good. The Landmarks Preservation Commission couldn’t muster the votes to protect it, but neither could they vote down its potential as a landmark or place of interest. Constantly battered as obstructionists, they managed only to continue the matter. 

The builder is frustrated. At least one of the required permits sailed through the Zoning Adjustments Board the evening after landmark status was initiated. The building is unassuming, altered from its original design, and described as “blight” by some neighbors. Even at its birth, this building would have been very plain, very different from its gingerbread cousins of the period. 

West Berkeley, the town’s working roots in 1878 and today, gets a combination of impatience and indifference unknown in wealthier neighborhoods. The hearing on the proposed demolition of the small house, in a move some commissioners claim is out of order, was opened and closed the same night the documentation of its history was made available to those in attendance, not by the commission staff, but by the same neighbor who managed to discern from the plain but unusual lines of the Italianate building that there might be something in the building, its setting, and its circumstance that Berkeley should stop to examine, and perhaps protect. 

The woman who built the little house on Fifth Street near the factories and working opportunities of the time may never have thought of her house as worthy of notice. But Berkeley owes its working class roots and its female pioneers simple respect more routinely accorded in other parts of town. Working women’s lives are too often omitted from history, and this small building may be one of a very few chances left to honor their lives and work. 

Carol Denney is a Berkeley community activist.  

›

NATIONS AT WAR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Planet’s editorial cartoon (“The State of Palestine,” Daily Planet, April 16-19) accuses Israel and the U.S. of killing Palestine. 

So, if a Palestinian State is established, everyone in the Mideast will live happily ever after? No more jihad? No more bus bombs? 

So, if Saddam Hussein is deposed, everyone in Iraq will live happily ever after? No more violence? Democracy will flourish? 

It’s hard for the US to show much outrage at Israel for assassinating two Hamas leaders in a row. We may soon have to kill a certain Shiite leader. 

In self-defense, of course. We and Israel are both fighting a war. 

Steve Geller 

• 

DISSERVICE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The April 16 editorial cartoon by Justin DeFreitas showing the moribund state of Palestine impaled by an American Flag, with the Star of David as a replacement for the 50 stars of the United States, was inflammatory and terribly misrepresenting of reality. It does a disservice to your readers and worsens the chance for peace and justice.  

Consider these quotes from world-wide sources: 

1. “Arafat says that the Bush-Sharon deal marks the end of the peace process, but I believe it signals the beginning of his end,” commented a veteran PLO official in Ramallah. “The Palestinians are not stupid and most of them know that we have reached this situation largely because of Arafat’s failure to read the political map correctly.”  

2. “Yesterday George W. Bush outlined a path for peace between Israel and the Palestinians that has the distinct advantage of being based in reality. A Palestinian state will only come into existence when Palestinians themselves have grasped that the Jewish state is here to stay and that a peace deal will have to take account of Israel’s needs and interests as well as theirs. 

“President Bush opened a new era of possibility for peace by stipulating some of the tough stuff at the beginning. His realism—together with the daring vision of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who intends to lead unilateral pullbacks from Palestinian lands in Gaza and on the West Bank—is a wake-up call to Palestinians that their only possible future is one in which they are not placing all their hopes on the negotiated destruction of Israel (“Mideast breakthrough,” by John Podhorez, New York Post, April 15, 2004). 

Israel and the United States did not kill the idea of a Palestinian State. The Palestinians did it to themselves. When they can demonstrate responsibility for controlling their destiny, and eliminate indoctrinating their children with hatred, and halt terrorism against their neighbors, and demonstrate that they want to live peacefully with a secure state of Israel - then their long awaited state may start to become a reality.  

Shame on the Daily Planet for not providing a broader understanding to their readers.  

Arthur Braufman  

• 

EX PARTE RULE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The ex parte rule has not served our community well. 

Unlike almost every other community in the country Berkeley forbids communication between elected officials and it citizens concerning building projects once a permit application has been filed. This means that our City Council is out of the picture unless the project comes to them on appeal. By this time much time and money has been spent and people’s positions have hardened. The results is often a no-win situation for all involved. We need to find a better way. 

Eliminating the ex-parte rule would allow councilmembers to, if they wish, play an active role in bringing our community together to find solutions which we can all live with. They could provide us with the leadership that is expected of elected officials in every other community in the nation except Berkeley. Building housing is not incompatible with preservation or quality of life, it all depends on how it is done. Ensuring that it is done right is the job of our elected officials. 

Berkeley deserves better than the projects it is currently getting and I believe that eliminating the ex parte rule will lead to much better projects. When people work together early on in the process, good things can happen. Thank you Mayor Bates for your leadership on this issue.  

Tim Hansen 

• 

PUBLIC ART 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If our City Council decides to buy more public art for Center Street or elsewhere, I would like the selection(s) to be voted on by the public. I don’t see the point in spending a lot of our money for “art” that we don’t like. 

An important requirement for public art is that it be noticeable. The two “sculptures” downtown are so un-artistic that I don’t notice them: a tall, straight piece of steel and a rock. 

Proposed sculptures can be submitted as small models, then displayed so that the public can look at them and vote, like we voted for the new public safety building. There should be a lot to choose from, at least 100. 

But we can’t really afford to buy art at this economically stressed time anyway. 

Myrna Sokolinsky 

• 

POLITICAL CLIMATE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I arrived in Berkeley in 1946 to enroll in UC Berkeley. As a liberal/left Democrat, I fell in love with the political climate here. I lived in student COOP housing, became active in the Berkeley Consumer COOP (becoming chairman of the North Shattuck COOP) , campaigned for Henry Wallace for president, etc. 

I embrace employee owned businesses like the Cheeseboard, Juice Bar, et al. But today I see a very different political climate here. To be politically correct one must embrace and support the Palestinians and other Moslem nations that give little or no rights to women, that do not offer religious freedom or diversity, and that feel threaten by democracy. 

I see “Free Palestine” signs all over Berkeley. That is the last thing that Arafat wants. He came as a poor carpet-bagger from Egypt to visit his uncle the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a supporter of the Nazis who spent WWII with Hitler in Berlin. He became a willing student of the Russian KGB and the Romanian equivalent. Today he is one of the richest men in the Middle East using his skills as a super-terrorist and taking funds from Arab nations, the USA and Europe to help his cronies and to keep the Palestinians impoverished and in refugee camps. 

What the Arab nations could not achieve by military might, i.e.: defeat the Israeli military, they are achieving by duplicity, deception and terrorism. The millions of dollars that Arafat has in Swiss banks and that funds his wife’s Paris life style, could fund a healthy and prosperous existence for the Palestinians. 

How easily and swiftly this new generation has abandoned leftist values and supposedly support the underdog. How foolish to cast 250 million Arabs with their boundless wealth as the underdogs against five million Jews in their postage-stamp state. 

Aubrey Lee Broudy 

• 

SEISMIC FEE WAIVER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The members of the Berkeley Disaster Council think that the Berkeley community should be aware that the City Council is considering ending the seismic fee waiver program in order to capture approximately $300,000 per year for the city. While this is clearly tempting in the face of a $10 million shortfall, the Disaster Council hopes the City Council will resist this impulse.  

This waiver of city permit fees is the only incentive we offer to most current residents to improve the seismic safety of their homes. (The much larger transfer tax partial waiver is only available when property changes hands.) The $300,000 represents thousands of houses made safer each year. Each additional house that survives the next major earthquake intact represents a tremendous saving to the city and the community.  

The other fees that the city is studying for increases work very differently—for example, a higher traffic ticket or parking fine is only a one-time (and avoidable) annoyance to a driver. The seismic fee waiver is the sole fee change under consideration that is designed to encourage and help capture the benefits of significant private investment in the city. To end this program would be shortsighted. 

Margit Roos-Collins 

Chair, Disaster Council

Due to a production error, a word was omitted from Merrilie Mitchell’s letter (“Mean to the Extreme,” Daily Planet, April 16-19). The sentence should have read “And [Shirley] Dean is honest—amazing— considering our political leaders who ‘speak with forked toungue.’”0

A recently-revealed account of the founding of People’s Park, the south-of-campus former political battleground which celebrates its 35th birthday today as the archetype of ‘60s radicalism, alleges that it actually came into being not as an anti-war or free-space protest but because two lovers wanted a place to carry on their secret tryst. 

As Wendy Schlesinger tells it, she was 20 years old at the time and living with one man while she carried on a tryst with another man who was living with another woman over the Red Square, a dress collective located where Bongo Burger is now on Dwight Way just east of Telegraph. 

When Schlesinger’s secret lover, Michael Delacour, suggested the two create a space where they could meet, they settled on the muddy half block east of the shop, littered with abandoned cars and trash after the university tore down a collection of homes and small apartments to make way for development. 

“I said okay, so we printed up flyers and I raised most of the money and did all the speech-making,” Schlesinger said of the early days in trying to turn the neglected square block into a park. “It wasn’t a political act till later.” 

After a brief protest against delving into his past love life—“Do you really want to write that kind of a story?”—Delacour reluctantly confirmed his former lover’s story, though he said other, more political factors were also involved. 

For a half century or so, the site they chose—the half-block east of Telegraph Avenue bordered by Bowditch Street between Dwight Way and Haste Street—was much like other residential areas close to the UC Berkeley campus, a collection of 40 or some homes and small apartments. But the property’s fate had been sealed a decade earlier, when UC Regents on June 22, 1957, appropriated $1.3 million to purchase land south of the campus—including the site Schlesinger and Delacour picked. 

The university finally evicted the tenants and brought in the bulldozers in February, 1968, razing the buildings and leaving a scarred landscape behind. But for the next 14 months, the property remained a dusty weed-filled eyesore littered with abandoned cars because the school lacked funds to build on it. 

“I got invited to a meeting at the Red Square on April 13. Michael Delacour presented the idea of building a park, and different people laid out the plans,” said Stew Albert, founder—with spouse Judy Gumbo—of the Youth International Party, aka Yippies. “I was given the assignment of writing a story for the Berkeley Barb, which appeared on April 18, 1969, as a call for one and all to one to bring building materials to the lot so they could build a community park. I signed it as Robin Hood’s Park Commissioner. The Barb story appeared on April 19, and the next morning between 100 and 200 people showed up. The next weekend we had something like a thousand. It was all spontaneous, and there wasn’t much of a central authority.”  

At Delacour’s suggestion, he and landscaper John Reed had driven up to a sod farm in Vallejo, buying turf that volunteers laid on ground they had cleared and prepared. 

Then, on April 28, UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor Earl F. Cheit announced that construction would soon begin at the site for an intramural soccer field, though he promised he would notify park supporters before construction. Cheit repeated the promise two days later, and said park advocates would have creative control over a quarter of the plot. 

The other shoe dropped on May 13, when the office of Chancellor Roger W. Heyns announced in a press release that the university would begin construction on the field after erecting a fence around the park “to reestablish the conveniently forgotten fact that the field is indeed the university’s.” 

At 3 a.m. on May14, Berkeley Police and university workers surrounded the park with 51 “no trespassing” signs. Park supporters responded by organizing protests and naming an 11-member committee to negotiate with the university. 

The next day went down in Berkeley history as “Bloody Thursday.” 

Grace Christie and Jill Hutchby were working in their shop at Dwight and Telegraph, Berkeley Stamp Co. & Collectibles, where they supplemented their stock of postage stamps and other collectibles with buttons they turned out on a machine that a member of the Grateful Dead had taught them to operate. The two business owners were used to protests on Telegraph, and a friend had built them wooden panels to hang over their shop windows when things got dangerous outside. 

But May 15 was different. 

“We saw terrible things that day,” Christie recalled, “and the worst violence came from the ‘Blue Meanies’”—deputies of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department so nicknamed for the turquoise blue jump suits they wore when working crowd control. 

San Francisco television reporter Belva Davis recalled one of her own encounters with the Blue Meanies in a June 28, 1992 interview for the Washington Press Club Foundation’s Oral History Project. 

Davis, who covered events in Berkeley during the mid-1960’s, told interviewer Shirley Biagi, “I guess if I were ever afraid, my biggest fear always was of the police. Especially when I was dealing with the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, I was always afraid. ... [T]hey were so vicious. They were really, really vicious.” 

What started as a march by thousands of protesters quickly turned ugly, with police and deputies firing tear gas and protesters responding with bottles and rocks. 

Hutchby and Christie turned their store into a first aid center, keeping a supply of wet cloths for people who stumbled in with eyes blistering from the gas. 

“When it was over, we took them out through the back so they could leave by the alley,” Hutchby said. “And then one kid came in with shotgun pellet wounds in his legs. He begged us for help and he said ‘They’re arresting us at the hospital’,” Christie recalled. The two patched him us they best they could and escorted him out through the back. A merchant we knew went out during a calm period, and when he was walking back into his store, they shot him in the back with birdshot. He eventually moved out of Berkeley.” 

But Hutchby saw something else that day, images she has worked hard to banish from memory. Across from her shop, bystanders had climbed the fire escape to watch the confrontation from the roof of the building at 2509-13 Telegraph Ave.—now the home of Krishna Copy and other merchants. 

“They were told by the cops to get away from the roof, and they had turned to leave when one of the Blue Meanies raised his shotgun and fired,” Christie said. “I didn’t see the shooting, but Jill did. Our friend George Pauly was struck by buckshot, but he survived. Another man, James Rector, later died.” 

Rector, a San Jose man, had been visiting in Berkeley that day, and had climbed up on the roof to watch the action unfolding on the streets below.  

Another man—Berkeley artist Allan Blanchard—was permanently blinded in the shooting, and many others were wounded. 

Minutes after the shooting, when Christie saw a sheriff’s deputy raise his shotgun and take aim on students on another roof, she tried to race out the door. “I wanted to pull his shotgun down so I could deflect his shot,” she said. 

Fortunately, Hutchby grabbed her. “Can you imagine what they would’ve done to her if she’d grabbed the shotgun?” 

Massive protests followed the shootings, and Gov. Ronald Reagan called in the National Guard, which deployed along Telegraph side streets behind barbed wire barricades. 

Through it all, Christie was taking pictures. “We were told early on not to give our film to developers here in Berkeley because it would all come back blank. Sure enough, the thing we gave to a local developer came out blank.” 

But the rest of her photos survived, creating a unique legacy. 

Another photographer shooting during those hectic days was an electrical engineering junior who was supporting himself by working in a television repair shop on Telegraph. 

“I was shooting [pictures] for myself. I witnessed one of the [police] shootings, and I almost got shot myself. It turned out that there was one officer who did all the shootings,” said Allan Alcorn, now of Portola Valley. “There were a bunch of Blue Meanies running a pepper gas machine next to an overturned police car, and students were throwing rocks. Then this Blue Meanie aimed his shotgun and fired right at a student. When he turned the shotgun my way, I did a real fast 50-yard dash.” 

Alcorn later wound up testifying against the officer. 

“I was there at the beginning of the park, and it was a real fun kind of place. It wasn’t any kind of structured event. People just did it,” he recalled. 

After graduation, Alcorn went on to found the Atari Corporation, where he created Pong, the first-mass marketed computer game, and—as an historical aside—hired a young Reed College dropout named Steve Jobs to write games for him. 

The May violence came to an end on Memorial Day when Cody’s Books owners Fred and Pat Cody spearheaded a mass reconciliation meeting attended by thousands of students and activists. 

The following year, after Stew Albert’s protest involvement landed him in Santa Rita jail for an unpleasant two months, he decided to run for Alameda County Sheriff against John Madigan. He carried the city of Berkeley and captured 65,000 votes. 

The struggle over the park didn’t end. Riots again erupted on July 13, 1991 when the university sent in bulldozers to clear the way for a volleyball court—which was finally removed six years later.  

Today, the university still retains title over the park, though there’s an ongoing effort to raise the cash needed to buy the grounds. 

Albert now lives in Oregon, though he appeared in Berkeley recently to read from his just-published memoir, Who The Hell is Stew Albert, published by Red Hen Press. 

Now semi-retired and a venture capitalist, Alcorn hasn’t abandoned all the radicalism of his youth. “I wear an ‘I Hate Bush’ button, and I won several hundred bucks off of conservative friends betting that no weapons of mass destruction would turn up in Iraq. 

Schlesinger and Delacour are long separated. Now in business, she also heads the Gardens on Wheels Association and is active in the movement to preserve the Gill Tract. Retired, the perennial Berkeley City Council candidate Delacour now lives in Oakland. 

“I learned that leadership has a price,” Schlesinger said. “The park started as an act of love, but someone got killed and others got injured, and that’s on my conscience to this day.” 

Christie and Hutchby share an apartment on Hillegass Avenue, just across Dwight from People’s Park. 

¸

It seems a little unfair that so many reviewers and their ilk have blown the best joke of them all in Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s hilarious new production The Mystery of Irma Vep. 

Granted, the play’s been so popular for so long that they may think that by this time everybody knows what to expect. But there are still plenty of innocents out there who could be justifiably startled when only two actors show up for curtain calls …like, where are the other six characters? Well, it sure looked like the women characters might be in drag, but… 

Arnie Burton and Erik Steele are making their debut at Berkeley Rep. They’ve both compiled a lot of New York credits, but if we’re all very nice to them, maybe we can get them to stick around for a while. 

The pace is so fast and the illusions so successful that it would be possible to leave the theater swearing that there were scenes in which more than two actors appeared on stage simultaneously. When the play first appeared in Charles Ludlum’s Ridiculous Theatrical Company, the most prized seats were off-stage where it was possible to watch the quick-changes. 

Some of us would pay good money to get a chance to do that this time around. These two guys are nothing short of terrific. Altogether they play eight roles—popping on and off stage with such phenomenal speed and dexterity that the illusion of wildly different characters is flawless. 

Most of this piece of nonsense is a spoof of the great old melodramas—complete with spooky mansions, werewolves howling in the background—thunder and lightning—even the undead walking, for goodness sakes! (The staging here fantastic. The lights in the old mansion dim, an organ growls base notes and a red glow colors the stage. Ah, it’s all quite wonderful). 

Anyone who can recall the film Rebecca will instantly recall the evil housekeeper obsessed with her previous dead mistress’ perfection. This time the ghost lady is called Irma Vep. It’s tough going for a young second wife coming to her husband’s old mansion for the first time. Irma’s the one whose picture and ghost seems to be hanging around determined to cause everybody serious trouble. But in good Victorian style, we also get involved with Egyptian mummies and their unpleasant interest in the plot. 

Ah...Its a meaty thing, this play. 

In addition to all the fun and game so satisfactorily presented on stage, Ludlum played what we might like to think of as Berkeley-style tricks with the dialogue—he steals quotes from just about every hallowed poem and play you’ve ever encountered in English (yes, of course Hamlet is there), and works them into the dialogue with a perfectly straight face.  

To make a really bad phrase, there’s absolutely no mystery why The Mystery of Irma Vep has been played more often than any other play in the United States. And this is a terrific production. 

The Mystery of Irma Vep runs through May 23 at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage. $39-$55. For tickets or information call 647-2949 or go to www.berkeleyrep.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 

CHILDREN 

Jeanne DuPrau, author of “City of Ember” speaks to middle and high school students at 5 p.m. at Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6223. 

THEATER 

First Stage Children’s Theater, “Confessions of a Cat Burglar” at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater. Tickets are $4 at the door.  

“The Vagina Monologues” at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Theater in a benefit for the empowerment program GirlForward. 577-9000, ext. 152. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Chavez Memorial Exhibition with a model of the proposed solar calendar, in the Reference Lobby, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. To April 25. 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Reid Gómez on “The Poetry of Love and Politics” at 5 p.m. in the Tilden Room, MLK Center, UC Campus. 642-2876. 

Amy Stewart describes the remarkable achievements of earthworms in “The Earth Moved” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Robert Sullivan introduces “Rats: Observation on the History and Habitat for the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Dan Millman discusses “Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Jane Huber introduces us to “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Francisco” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Amazigh (Berber) Spring Commemoration with Moh Alileche and guests at 8:30 p.m.at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Poetry Slam Semi Finals for the National Slam Team at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082. www.starryplough.com 

Edmundo Paz Soldan introduces his erotic political thriller, “The Matter of Desire” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Laura Schapiro describes “Something From the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Bannie Chow and Thomas Cleary will read from their translations, “Autumn Willows: Poetry by Women of China’s Golden Age” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poetry for the People with Suji Kwock Kim at 3:15 p.m. in Unit 3 All Purpose Room, UC Campus. 642-2743. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Free. http://music. 

berkeley.edu/concerts.html 

Rhythm Doctors at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jules Broussard, Bing Nathan and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Whiskey Brothers old time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Catie Curtis, American troubadour, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Otto Huber Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Jim Ryan’s Forward Energy at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donations of $8-$15 suggested. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Candela performs salsa music at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

THURSDAY, APRIL 22 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

“What Remains?” sculpture exhibit by Diana Marto and Margaret Herscher in the Addison St. Windows. Reception at 6 p.m. 981-7533. 

FILM 

“El Fotógrafo” Chilean film by Sebastián Alarcón at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $6-$8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Mordicai Gerstein, author and illustrator and 2004 Caldecott Medal winner, at 4 p.m. at North Branch, Berkeley Public Library, 1170 The Alameda. 981-6250. 

“Ant Farm 1968-1978” Guided Tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

Jonah Raskin follows the evolution of “Howl: Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” and the Making of the Beat Generation” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

A.S. Byatt introduces her “Little Black Book of Stories,” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. www.codysbooks.com 

Sarah Erdman describes her time in the Peace Corps in “Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

Steven Weber discusses “The Success of Open Source” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with featured readers Rachmael and Debralee Pagan, at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985.  

Donna Genett, Ph.D., author of “If You Want It Done Right, You Don’t Have to Do It Yourself! The Power of Effective Delegation” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Albany High School Jazz Band benefit for Albany Music Fund at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Benefit for Inanna’s Temple with Land of the Blind at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$25. 841-2082. 

Swoop Unit at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Serna Band at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Bill Kirchen & the Moonlighters, rockabilly, dieselbilly and truck stop rock at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bekka’s Frogland Orchestra at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Donation of $7-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

FRIDAY, APRIL 23 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “The Sisters Rosensweig,” a comedy by Wendy Wasserstein, opens at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck at Berryman, and continues on Fri. and Sat. through May 15. Tickets are $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Aurora Theatre Company “Antigone Falun Gong” at 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St. through May 16. Tickets are $28-$40 available from 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

“The Mystery of Irma Vep,” Charles Ludlam’s theatrical cult classic at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, and continues through May 23. Tickets are $39-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Shotgun Players “The Miser” at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Theater, Thurs.-Sat., Sun. at 7 p.m. to May 2. Free. 704-8210. www.shotgunplayers.org 

“Company” a musical performed by UC Choral Ensembles at 8 p.m. in the Choral Rehearsal Hall, Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$10. 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 1:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Pico Iyer describes “Sun After Dark: Flights into the Foreign” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

Lynne Truss introduces “Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Bookson Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

University Dance Theater, directed by Marni Thomas, at 8 p.m., Sat at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sun at 2 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse. Tickets are $8-$14. 866-468-3399. www.ticketweb.com 

VOLTI and the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $25 available from 415-771-3352. www.voltisf.org 

California Bach Society performs at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $12-$25 available from 415-262-0272. www.calbach.org 

The Georges Lammam Ensemble, Middle Eastern music in a benefit for youth in the Palestinian village of Deir Ibzi’a. At 8 p.m. at La Peña. Tickets are $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Amy Obenski, original folk roots, at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$15. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Martyn Joseph, Welsh folk troubadour, 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 

Youthquake Teen Music Winners with The Panics, Dubious Divine, San Pedro, and The Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco at 8 p.m. at Ashkenez. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Maverick, Ottis Goodnight, Stymie and The Pimp Jones at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$8. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Moonrise Concert with Deborah Hamouris, Robin Dolan and Denise Casleton at 8 p.m. at Changemakers, 6536 Telegraph Ave. Cost is $8-$12. Reservations requested. 595-3915. 

All Ages Show! with The Phenomenauts, The Flash Express, The Merry Widows at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com  

Julie Kelly and the Vince Lateano Trio, jazz and Brazilian vocals at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Singer-Songwriter Night with Barry Syska at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Seventy at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

The Reputation, Love Kills Love, The Sky Flakes 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 24 

CHILDREN 

“Wild About Books” storytime at 10:30 a.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Jeff Lead and a Cinco de Mayo presentation at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Word for Word presents “The Wonderful Story of Zaal” a Persian legend about a baby rescued by a magical bird, at 3 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720.  

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

“Icons: Expressions of the Spirit” works by Karen Gutowski, Denise Hartley and Jennifer Sipple. Reception at 7 p.m. at 4th St. Studio, 1717D Fourth St. Exhibition runs to May 15. 527-0600. www.fourthstreetstudio.com 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 1:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Mordecai Gerstein tells the story of “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com 

Rhythm and Muse with Tres Santos at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Dance for Community and World Peace at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $20, no one turned away. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Healing Muses “Fantasy, Humor and Elegence” music from the Baroque at 8 p.m. at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 1501 Washington Ave., Albany. Tickets are $15-$18, reservations recommended. 524-5661. www.heaingmuses.org 

Kensington Symphony with Geoffrey Gallegos, guest conductor and Patrick Galvin, violin perform Schubert, Vieuxtemps and Beethoven at 8 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 545 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito. Donation $8-$10. 524-4335.  

Joe Lovano Nonet at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$46. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Handel’s “Messiah” University Chorus, at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $3-$10. 642-9988.  

KITKA and Mariana Sadovska, “Enchantment Songs” ancient music and stories from the Ukraine at 8 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. 444-0323. www.kitka.org 

Wake the Dead performs Celtic Roots of the Grateful Dead at 2 p.m. at Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 525-2129. 

West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson with Comfort Mensah at 9 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Zion 1 & The Crown City Rockers at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Philip Greenlief and Tony Malaby at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $8-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Irina Rivkin CD release concert at 8 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music, 1839 Rose St. Sliding scale donation. 594-4000 ext. 687. www.rosestreetmusic.com 

Rock that Uke Tour with Carmaig de Forest, Songs From A Random House, Oliver Brown and film screening of “Rock That Uke!” at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin, traditional music duo, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Wayne Wallace, jazz trombone, at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Bands Against Bush including Replicator, An Albatross, Greenlight Bombers, The Yellow Press at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St.Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 25 

CHILDREN 

Tim Cain at 3 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054.  

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

“Bohemian Berkeley 1890-1925” an exhibition on the colorful artistic community of late 19th and early 20th century Berkeley. Opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. Regular hours Thurs.-Sat. 1-4 p.m. Exhibition runs to Sept. 18. 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/ 

“Kids Collect: Honoring Elders” an exhibition by students from four Oakland schools. Reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Runs to June 6 at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Admission $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

THEATER 

The Traveling Bohemians, “Voice of the People” an ecclectic experimental performing arts group integrating poetry, prose, music and dance at 4 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 1:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Pressing Issues” on contemporary printmaking with Donald Farnsworth, founder of Magnolia Editions at 3:30 p.m., Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Admission is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Ant Farm 1968-1978” Guided Tour at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

Poetry Flash with Karen Kevorkian and Gail Wronsky at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Zakir Hussain Masters of Percussion at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Dance-A-Rama Open Studios at the Saw Tooth Complex, Dwight and Eighth from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Performances by Motivity Center, Terry Sendgraf Aerial Dance, Western Sky Studio and Eighth Street Studio. 848-4878. 

UC Jazz Ensembles Spring Concert at 7 p.m. in Pauley Ballroom, in the MLK Student Union Bldg. Tickets are $5-$10.  

KITKA and Mariana Sadovska, “Enchantment Songs” ancient music and stories from the Ukraine at 7 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. 444-0323. www.kitka.org 

Music from Scotland, England and Beyond with David Massengill at 7:30 p.m. Donation of $15. For reservations and location email sally@greenberg.org 

ACME Observatory’s Contemporary Music Series with John Shiurba and Daniel Popsicle at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donations of $8-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Los Cenzontles, traditional Mexican music, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Redemption 87, All Bets Off, Rely, Love Equals Death, Jealous Again at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Pete Magadini Quartet at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com

Is it just me, or are there more Nuttall’s woodpeckers in the Berkeley flatlands than there used to be? Maybe I’d just been missing them—my battered copy of Joseph Grinnell and Margaret Wythe’s Directory to the Bird-Life of the San Francisco Bay Region, published in 1927, lists the species as resident in Berkeley. But there was a time when most of the woodpeckers I saw here were downies, and spotting a Nuttall’s was a rare event. 

Now it’s practically a daily encounter. Almost every woodpecker I hear drumming on a telephone pole in my neighborhood turns out to be a Nuttall’s. (Although telephone poles are not rich in wood-boring insects, this behavior doesn’t represent the triumph of hope over experience. Drumming is a social signal; it’s what woodpeckers do instead of singing). And I’m always hearing their distinctive staccato whinny from the oak behind the parking lot next door, or in the mulberry trees down the street. 

I recognize these birds as Nuttall’s by their characteristic black-and-white-barred backs. Downy and hairy woodpeckers, also crisply patterned in black and white, have a single broad white stripe down the back. The Nuttall’s only real look-alike is the desert-dwelling ladder-backed woodpecker, but their ranges barely overlap. The two are similar enough that they’ve been caught hybridizing. Ornithologists still consider them separate species, though. 

Nuttall’s woodpecker, a bird of oak woodlands, is close to being a California specialty; it occurs from the head of the Sacramento Valley down into northern Baja. While it’s still common in most areas, its dependence on oaks—like that of the acorn woodpecker, the oak titmouse, and the yellow-billed magpie—is cause for concern. If Sudden Oak Death Syndrome spreads, all these habitat specialists will be in trouble. 

It’s ironic that this creature was named for a naturalist who never saw it alive. Having your name attached to a bird, or insect or plant, is an odd kind of honor. Sometimes the naming recognizes a discoverer: Lewis’s woodpecker, Clark’s nutcracker. Or it can be a way of commemorating a friend or colleague. James Bond—the real one, author of Birds of the West Indies—once threatened to name some really unprepossessing bird for Ian Fleming, but, as far as I know, never followed through. 

As it happens, a lot of North American birds bear the names of 19th-century naturalists who worked the frontiers of civilization and science: a mixed bag of geniuses and scoundrels, Army surgeons and drifters. Thomas Nuttall was one of those, a Yorkshireman born during the Revolutionary War who came to the new nation on the cusp of the new century. He was mostly a botanist—William Bartram was one of his early patrons—but, like many of his contemporaries, he had a broad streak of curiosity about the natural world, dabbling in seashells and lizards, fossils and minerals. 

After years of scuffling for a living, Nuttall got a berth at Harvard teaching botany and ornithology while writing the first practical manual of American birds. (Audubon’s elephantine work was not the handiest thing to take into the field.) He hated Cambridge, though; he described his time there as “vegetating among vegetables.” Given the choice, he’d pick wilderness over academia. 

And he saw a fair amount of that wilderness: across the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi, up the Missouri and the Yellowstone, into the swamps of the Southeast. Along with the younger naturalist John Kirk Townsend, he went west to the Columbia River in 1834 with a party of fur traders. He had the reputation of a bumbler, an eccentric even in a calling that attracted eccentrics, always wandering off into the prairie and having to be rescued. He wasn’t the marksman that Audubon was, and seems to have used his gun primarily to dig up plant specimens; once, during a tense encounter with hostile Indians, his rifle barrel was found to be clogged with dirt. But somehow he survived the rigors of the trail. After a sojourn in the Sandwich Islands, Nuttall finally made it to California in 1836. 

It was there, on the beach at San Diego, that he bumped into a former Harvard student, Richard Henry Dana, who had dropped out of Massachusetts society to crew the hide-boat Alert around Cape Horn. Nuttall had worked his way down the coast from Monterey aboard the Pilgrim, whose sailors dubbed him “Old Curious.” As Dana recounted in Two Years Before the Mast, they all thought Nuttall was touched in the head: “Why else a rich man should leave a Christian country, and come to such a place as California, to pick up shells and stones, they could not understand.” 

But Nuttall couldn’t stay in this fascinating new world. In 1840 he inherited his uncle Jonas’ estate, with a catch: he had to spend at least 9 months of every year in England. There was no escape clause. Back at Nutgrove, he first learned of his namesake woodpecker in a manuscript by his protégé William Gambel. Gambel had collected the bird near the Pueblo de los Angeles, and later found an active nest in an oak stump at Santa Barbara. 

I suspect very few people, even inveterate birders, would recognize Thomas Nuttall’s name. But it lives on in that woodpecker, and in the Latin names of the yellow-billed magpie (his own discovery) and the common poorwill, a cockle, a dogwood, a sunflower, an evening primrose, and—likely the one he was proudest of—a gorgeous rhododendron that his nephew found in the mountains of Assam. Nuttall lived just long enough to see the specimen he donated to Kew Gardens come into bloom. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 

Morning Birdwalk in Briones Regional Park to watch spring songsters. Meet at 7 a.m. at the Bear Creek Rd. entrance parking lot. 525-2233. 

Friends of Strawberry Creek Mike Vukman on the Streamside Management Program for Private Landowners in Contra Costa County, at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library 3rd floor Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge St. caroleschem@hotmail.com  

Organic Produce at low prices sold at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon Streets from 3 to 7 p.m. 843-1307. 

Free Lead-Safe Painting and Remodeling Class Learn how to detect and remedy lead hazards and conduct lead-safe renovations for your home. At 6 p.m. at the Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 567-8280.  

Eco-Feminism and Environmental Racism Forum with Dr. Val Plumwood, Australian National University, at 7 p.m. at the GTU Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2560. 

“A Thousand Miles on the Appalachian Trail” A silde presentation with Peter Kirby at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

More Wildflowers of the East Bay Plant expert Glenn Keator will guide you in using plant keys to make positive identifications, using the Jepson Manual (available for purchase at first class), microscopes, and the resources of the UC Botanical Garden. Class meets Tues. April 20-May 18. Cost is $185, $165 for Garden Members. 200 Centennial Dr. To register call 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club General Membership meeting on “The Health Care Crisis and the 2004 Elections” at the First Congregational Church, 27th and Harrison, Oakland. Social hour and potluck at 6 p.m. www.democraticrenewal.us 

“International Trade: The Great Debate” with Robert Reich, Bradford DeLong, Steven Vogel and Harley Shaiken at 6:30 p.m. in Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Bldg., UC Campus. Sponsored by the Undergraduate Political Science Assoc. www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~upsa/ 

“Mexico and California: New Challenges for Consular Affairs” with Georgina Lagos, former Consul General of Mexico at 4 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. 

East Bay Communities Against the War Video and discussion on “The Fourth World War” at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Neighborhood Center, 530 Lake Park Ave. Suggested donation $1. 658-8994. www.ebcaw.org 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave. Advance sign-up needed. 594-5165.  

“Communist Party in South Africa and Kerala” with Michelle Williams, UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate, Sociology, at 4 p.m. at 652 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Center for African Studies. 642-8338. 

“The Artist as Shaman/Mystic” a one-day workshop with iconographer Robert Lentz at University of Creation Spirituality, 2141 Broadway, Oakland. Cost is $50-$80. to register call 835-4827, ext. 19. 

“Dreams: Past, Present, and Future” with Brother Brendan Madden, lecturer from St. Mary’s College, at 7 p.m. in El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday, meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us, call 215-7672.  

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 

Public Forum on UC’s Management of the Dept. of Energy Labs at 7 p.m., at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave, at the corner of Bancroft. 643-0602. http://ga.berkeley. 

edu/academics/ucdoeforum/ 

“Chiapas Front” video and report on Montes Azules evictions at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Death on a Friendly Border,” a documentary on the deaths on the US-Mexico border, with Rachel Antell, at 6:30 p.m. at Ellen Driscoll Theater, Frank Havens School, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. 835-9227. 

“Remembering Rwanda: Ten Years After the Genocide” with Sarah Freedman, Prof. of Education and Research Fellow, The Human Rights Center, Rangira S. Gallimore, Assoc. Prof. of French, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, Harvey Weinstein, Clinical Prof., School of Public Health and Assoc. Dir., The Human Rights Center, at 3:30 p.m. at the Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. 642-0965. www.hrcberkeley.org/ 

event_rwanda.html 

“Storm From the Mountain” a doumentary on the Zapatista caravan as it journeyed through twelve Mexican states visiting indigenous communities, at 7 p.m. at The Fellowship of Humanity, 390 27th St., Oakland. 393-5685.  

“250 Great Hikes in California National Parks” with author Ann Marie Brown at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Nobel, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861. 

Sons In Retirement,Inc. East Bay Branch #2 invites all retired men to come to our regular luncheon meeting at The Galileo Club, 371 South 23rd St., Richmond. Social hour 11 a.m. followed by lunch for $12 and a speaker. Contact Dick Celestre 925-283-1635.  

“Hormone Replacement Therapy” Elizabeth Plourde, medical researcher, clarifies the controversy over hormone replacement therapy and reveals what types of hormones are actually beneficial for women. At 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets at 7:15 a.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 524-3765. 

Berkeley Stop the War Coalition meets at 7 p.m. in 255 Dwinelle, UC Campus. www.berkeleystopthewar.org  

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, vigil at 6:30 p.m. Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Prose Writers Workshop meets 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, at Rose. 524-3034. 

Spring Crafts Fair sponsored by the UCB Clericals, noon to 1 p.m. Dwinelle Ishi Court, UC Campus. berkeleycue@earthlink.net 

Berkeley CopWatch open office hours 7 to 9 p.m. Assistance available. 548-0425. 

THURSDAY, APRIL 22 

Beginning Bird Watching at the UC Botanical Garden with Dennis Wolff. Meets Thursday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Fee is $75, $65 members. For information and registration call 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Earth Day Strawberry Creek Cleanup from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meet at the natural amphitheater just east of Sather Gate on the UC Campus. Trash bags and gloves provided. 642-6568. 

Creative Remodels in the East Bay a lecture with Jane Powell, author of “Bungalow Kitchens, Bungalow Bathrooms,” at 6:30 p.m. at the Center for Digital Storytelling, 1803 Martin Luther King Way. A home tour will follow on April 24. The talk and tour benefit Children’s Community Center, a cooperative preschool in Berkeley. For tickets please call 528-6975. 

“Remembering Rwanda: Africa in Conflict Yesterday and Today,” with Human Rights Watch’s Africa researcher, Corrine Dufka, a 3:30 p.m. in the Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. 642-0965. www.hrcberkeley.org/event_rwanda.html 

International Institute of the East Bay 85th Anniversary Reception Celebration with Dorothy Ehrlich, Director of the ACLU of Northern California, at 5:30 p.m. at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $75. 451-2846, ext. 324. hcastillo@iieb.org 

“Breathing Retraining” with Dorisse Neale, certified Eucapnic Buteyko practitioner, to help treat respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and immune system disorders. At 3:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

GreenCine Film Trivia Night with co-hosts Underdog and Futureboy at 6:30 p.m. at Albatross Pub, 1822 San Pablo Ave. www.greencine.com  

FRIDAY, APRIL 23 

“Spring Flora of Mount Diablo” Weekend workshop sponsored by Jepson Herbarium. A unique opportunity to stay “on the mountain” for extended hikes and exploration. Registration and deposit required, for information, see http://ucjeps. 

berkeley.edu/jepwkshp.htm 

Inspiration Point Hike with Solo Sierrans at 4 p.m. Meet at large parking lot off Wildcat Canyon Road. You need not be a member to attend. 525-2299. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Terry Woronov, PhD, Anthropology, on “Transforming Chinese Culture: Raising Children’s Quality.” Lunch at 11:45 a.m. for $12.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925.  

East Bay Farm Worker Support Committee Dinner Dance, with the 2004 Chavez Legacy Award, at 6 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St. Oakland. Cost is $10-$25. 832-2372. 

César Chávez Commemoration, with speakers, performers, music, food and an altar, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the César Chávez Student Learning Center, UC Campus. Program includes Federico Chávez, grandson of César Chávez. 642-1802. 

“The USA Patriot Act: Californians Respond” with Sanjeev Bery, Field Organizer for the Northern California ACLU, at 6 p.m. in the FSM Cafe at Moffitt Library, UC Campus.  

“Eyewitness to Empire” 2nd National CAN Speaking Tour with Khury Peterson-Smith, CAN activist from NY who visited Iraq in January, Military Families Speak Out and Campus Antiwar Network. at 7 p.m. at 126 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. www.campusantiwar.net 

“Life and Debt” a film explaining the complexity of international lending, structural adjustment policies and free trade, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 540-0751.  

Berkeley Chess Club meets at 7:15 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. All levels are welcome. 652-5324. 

Women in Black Vigil noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. 548-6310. 

Kol Hadash meets at 7:30 p.m. for Shabbat, at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. 428-1492. www.kolhadash.org 

Overeaters Anonymous meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Church at Solano and The Alameda. 525-5231. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 24 

Earth Day at Civic Center Park from noon to 5 p.m. with cultural performers, activities for children, food, craft and community booths.  

Family Farm Day at Berkeley Farmers’ Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Center St. at MLK, Jr. Way. Co-sponsored by The Ecology Center and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Bike Tour in Eastshore State Park leaving from Civic Center Park at noon and going to Richmond. Sponsored by Citizens for the Eastshore State Park. Bring water, sunblock, and windbreaker. Bikes should be in good condition. Course is flat. Route is approximately 25 miles. Helmets are encouraged. For more information 461- 4665. www.eastshorepark.org 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of Aquatic Park at 10 a.m. Pre-paid reservations required, $8 for memebers, $10 for non-members. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/  

Creek Tour with Urban Creeks Council from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with restoration expert Ann Riley. Tour of East Bay Restoration Sites includes Wildcat, Baxter, and Blackberry Creeks. Bring a lunch and dress for hiking. To register visit www.urbancreeks.org 

Turtle Time at Tilden Reptiles all around the park will be coming out of winter hibernation. Meet and greet the three exotic turtles that live at the Nature Center from 2 to 3 p.m. 525-2233. 

Earth Day Paddle at Gallinas Creek just north of China Camp State Park in San Rafael. All equipment and instruction included. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sponsored by Save the Bay. Cost is $30 members, $40 non-members. To register call 452-9261. www.savesfbay.org 

A Neighborhood Walk Through South West Berkeley, sponsored by Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Berkeley Chinese Community Church, 2117 Acton St. for music and light breakfast before the walk. 658-2467. 

Spring Plant Sale at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Spring Blooming Perennials and Shrubs with Aeirn Moore, at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Community Music Day from noon to 5 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. 559-2941. 

Women’s Peace Day at Mosswood Park, McArthur and Broadway, Oakland, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. An open-air fair calling attention to the impact of US military presence in Okinawa, Korea and the Philippines on women, communities, and the politics of the region. www.koreasolidarity.org 

Civic Arts Commission Hearing on Berkeley’s Arts and Cultural Plan at 4 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 981-7533. 

“Eyewitness to Empire” West Coast Campus Antiwar Network Conference from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Evans Hall, UC Campus. To register, contact can_wc_conf_2004 

@hotmail.com www.campusantiwar.net 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class in Fire Supression from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 997 Cedar St. To sign up call 981-5605. www. 

ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html 

Berkeley Copwatch Know Your Rights Orientation Join us for this hands-on workshop from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. near Shattuck Ave. Free, wheelchair accessible and open to the public. Donations gratefully accepted. 548-0425. 

Small Press Distribution Open House, with refreshments, readings and books, books, books. From noon to 4 p.m. at the SPD Warehouse, 1341 7th St. off Gilman. 524-1668. www.spdbooks.org 

Breast Cancer Action’s Town Meeting for Activists, with Anne Lamott and Dr. Sandra Hernandez on “Taking Care in a Toxic Time” from 1 to 5 p.m. at Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. 415-243-9301, ext. 17. www.bcaction.org 

“Families Dealing with Dementia” a workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mercy Care & Retirement Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Eileen Zagelow, BA, CMC, Geriatric Care Manager for Eldercare Services will lead the workshop. $15 donation is requested. 534-8540. www.mercyretirementcenter.org 

Guerrilla Media Action Tour with Cascadia Media Collective’s films and more at 7 p.m. at AK Press Warehouse, 674A 23rd St. Oakland. 208-1700. www.akpress.org 

Luna Kids Dance Open House for ages 10 and up, at 10 a.m. at Black Pine Circle School, 2027 7th St. 644-3629. www.lunakidsdance.com 

Yoga for Seniors at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. Open to non-members of the club for $8 per class. 848-7800. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 25 

Berkeley High School Open House and Ribbon Cutting from 1 to 5 p.m. with music, sports, arts, and refreshments.  

People’s Park 35th Anniversary Faire from noon to 6 p.m. Live music, bike rodeo, clowns, may pole and community workshops. 658-9178. 

Spinning Demonstration Witness the alchemy of spinning plant fibers into yarn at 1 p.m. at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Free with garden admission. 643-2775. http:// 

botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

“Spirited Action: Coming Together For A Change” with Buddhist author and teacher Sylvia Boorstein, activist Daniel Ellsberg, and singers Linda Tillery and Betsy Rose at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Donation $10. www.spiritedaction.org 

Forum on "A Christian Ecological Perspective" at 9 a.m., service at 10 a.m., tree and native plant planting after service at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2220 Cedar St. 848-1755. allsoulsparish.org  

Anam Cara House Open House from 4 to 8 p.m. at 6035 Majestic Ave. near Mills College. Anam Cara House provides work space to healing arts practitioners, workshops, and groups. 333-3572.  

Flowers: Their Parts and Partners We’ll take a close look at intimate parts of plants, and learn stories of their mating habits, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

A Lot of Galls Insects and other organisms cause swellings on plant parts that serve as homes for offspring. We’ll search for a variety of these growths and learn their history. From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

“Voice of the People” A variety show on current political, social and environmental concerns by The Traveling Bohemians, at 4 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10.  

Berkeley City Club free tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by Berkeley City Club and the Landmark Heritage Foundation. Donations welcome. 2315 Durant Ave. 848-7800. 

Learn Sufi Dances, Dances of Universal Peace at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 526-8944. 

“Yoga and the Vedic Sciences,” with Sam Geppi, certified Hatha yoga instructor,on the three Vedic sciences at 11:30 a.m. at at Elephant Pharmacy. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

“Modern Mystics: Bede Griffiths” with Dody Donnelly, author, theologian at 9:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd. Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Yoga with Jack van der Meulen on “Body Psychology” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Mikvah Taharas Israel invites Jewish Women to a Spa for the Soul from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Claremont Resort. Cost is $36. For reservations call Chabad of the East Bay 540-5824. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/humane 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Lisa Ploss, 981-5200. www.ci.ber- 

keley.ca.us/commissions/aging 

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Delfina M. Geiken, 644-6085. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/labor 

Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Marianne Graham, 981-5416. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/welfare›

The state of the City of Berkeley this year has been reflected in Mayor Tom Bates’ multiple State of the City addresses. The general public must pay for what they used to expect as free public services, or else wait around and pick up the leavings at a later time. 

Last Tuesday, the mayor held two daytime, pay-at-the-door State of the City addresses at two private Berkeley establishments: a $10 early morning affair at the downtown Capoeira Jazz Cafe, and a $25 Chamber of Commerce-sponsored luncheon at the Doubletree Hotel on the Marina. 

The mayor’s office announced that the general public would be able —for free—to hear him deliver the same information he addressed to this week’s paying crowds, but spread out over a series of already-planned community budget meetings to be held throughout the city during the month of May. 

Mayor’s State of the City addresses—both in Berkeley and in other cities—have traditionally been given before the City Council and a non-paying public audience, but the trend of local mayors to switch the speeches to paying business crowds has grown in recent years. Former Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean had to add a free City Council chamber State of the City address to her Chamber of Commerce State of the City speech after vocal protests from Berkeley residents. Under similar public pressure, current Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown switched plans from a single Chamber of Commerce speech and addressed both the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and a regular Oakland City Council meeting in separate speeches. 

Bates presently has announced no plans to give a State of the City speech to a Berkeley City Council meeting in the council chambers. 

In Tuesday’s 20-minute address at the cafe, Bates said that despite being in better shape than many of its neighbors, Berkeley remains mired in a fiscal crisis. “We have problems no doubt about it,” he said. 

On the budget deficit, Bates said he was moving forward with plans to close city hall one day a month at an annual savings of $1.3 million. The monthly closure appears more likely since city unions have so far opposed a city proposal to give back three percent of city contributions to employee pension funds. Despite recent calls from some residents to reopen union contracts, Bates made no mention Tuesday of asking for further union concessions. 

To plug the rest of the deficit, Bates said the city planned to eliminate 111 city positions over the next two years, more than two-thirds of which are already vacant, as well as proceed with a series of new fees and taxes. 

The biggest revenue generator, he said, would be a $1.50 to $2 surcharge on telephone landlines and cellular phones for operating the city’s 911 service that could generate up to $2 million. As far as taxes, Bates said he was pushing ahead with ballot measures calling for $1 million to maintain paramedic services and at least $800,000 to restore many of the youth programs slated for cuts in the upcoming budget. Tax revenue for paramedic services would come from increased property taxes, he said, while a hike in taxes on property transfers would likely pay for the youth programs. 

Bates said he wouldn’t support a tax measure to fund the city’s storm water drain program, which the city council is also considering. 

Declining sales tax revenues have exacerbated the city’s budget crunch, he said, especially in the downtown where several chain stores, including Eddie Bauer, See’s Candies and Gateway have either closed shop or announced plans to leave the city. Bates said See’s might be compelled to stay, but added that otherwise the city was working to attract more independent and culture-based shops that would fit better Berkeley’s retail niche.  

“We’re not just sitting back and saying everything is up to the market,” he said. “We’re trying to make things better.” 

As evidence of better times ahead for the downtown, Bates pointed to the UC hotel and conference center planned to rise at the current Bank of America branch at Shattuck Avenue and Center Street and the new Vista College campus being constructed one block west of the hotel site on Center. 

Bates also heralded recent federal and regional initiatives that will fund infrastructure projects throughout the city. A federal transportation bill that recently passed the House of Representatives, he said, would provide $1.5 million for improvements to the I-80 interchange at Gilman Street and $3 million for the Ed Roberts campus—a project to concentrate services for disabled residents at the Ashby Bart Station. 

Measure 2, a regional transportation measure passed by Bay Area voters in March, will supply much of the revenue for faster bus service along Telegraph Avenue within the next year, Bates said. 

He listed planning goals for the coming year to include rezoning University Avenue, improving the look of Telegraph Avenue and working on the long range development plan for UC Berkeley, which released its draft Environmental Impact Report Thursday. 

Bates’ few new initiatives centered around Berkeley’s youth. He said his office was launching a summer reading program that would match UC students and other residents with 650 Berkeley students in need of individual instruction. Also, he said he planned to hire a volunteer to coordinate the city’s mentoring programs for youth. 

In one of its last acts as manager of the recently-sold Claremont Hotel and Resort, former Claremont owner KSL Resorts has fired two workers whose charges of unfair labor practices against the resort were upheld by the National Labor Relations Board. 

KSL, the company that sold the Claremont to Orlando-based real estate investment trust CNL properties last February, learned this week that it is not being asked by CNL to stay on as the Claremont’s management company. Pat Peoples, a spokesperson for KSL, would not comment, other than to say that it “was under the terms of the sale.” Union officials cheered the news of the final severing of KSL’s final ties with the Claremont. 

Meanwhile the two dismissed workers, Meheret Fikre-Sellasie and Kathryn Fairbanks, both estheticians in the Claremont Hotel spa, are calling the firings a company reaction to the NLRB ruling, as well as a retaliation against them because they have both been outspoken union supporters during the two-year labor dispute that has plagued the resort. 

The union representing the workers, the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) union Local 2850, supports the workers’ claims and is currently in the process of deciding whether to file another charge with the NLRB. 

Annie Appel, a spokesperson for the Claremont, refused to talk about the two employees’ firings, citing employee privacy concerns. 

“It’s pretty clear that these people were fired for supporting the union. We don’t know why [KSL is] doing this when they are on their way out of the hotel,” said Leslie Fitzgerald, an organizer with HERE Local 2850. “It’s retaliation, it’s really nasty.” 

The original NLRB complaint was issued at the end of March and found evidence to support a claim by Fikre-Sellasie and Fairbanks that the Claremont had violated their free speech rights last December. The complaint will now go to a hearing in front of an administrative law judge, who will decide whether to uphold or dismiss the complaint. 

Fairbanks filed the charge because she was suspended for a day after she complained to a manager and fellow worker about another manager. She said the suspension was a violation of her free speech because just days earlier, the union had challenged—and won—a rule issued by the Claremont that said workers could not speak negatively about their bosses at work.  

Fikre-Sellasie filed her part of the charge because she was written up for talking with another employee about the union, a protected right during a union organizing drive. She said the Claremont accused her of harassing the employee. 

A week after the NLRB ruling was issued, both Fikre-Sellasie and Fairbanks were suspended again for separate incidents. Fairbanks was suspended until Monday when she was called in and fired. Fikre-Sellasi was suspended until Tuesday when she was called in and fired. 

On Monday, before Fairbanks was fired, HERE Local 2850 led a delegation of community members, religious leaders and elected officials including Councilmember Kriss Worthington to meet with the Claremont management and demand charges be dropped against both workers.  

Both Fikre-Sellasie and Fairbanks say the most recent suspensions were based on ludicrous charges that support their claim of retaliation. Fairbanks said she showed up to a training meeting five minutes late along with several other employees. She was the only one suspended. 

Fikre-Sellasie was suspended for missing a client. She said the spa added the client in the middle of day, after she had checked her schedule, and failed to let her know.  

The charges against the workers were not the first for either one, but both said they had clean records before they started organizing for the union. Since they’ve been known as union supporters, both said they’ve been constantly targeted for minor infractions that management frequently lets other employees get away with. 

“They’re doing this to me because of the labor board case that we have taken to the Claremont about the violation of our speech,” said Fikre-Sellasie. “This termination does not justify the minor infraction.” 

“They are retaliating against our very strong position. I have no regrets for my union activity, I would do it again,” she said. 

The current complaint filed by the NLRB is not the first the Claremont has faced. According to Michael Leong, the assistant regional director for the Oakland office of the NLRB, the Claremont has had 22 charges filed against it. Of those 22, nine are currently in front of an administrative law judge because the NLRB issued a complaint. Other complaints by the NLRB might have also been filed but those cases have already been adjudicated and NLRB records could not be accessed by press time. 

Despite the city’s bohemian reputation, artists don’t have an easy time in Berkeley—especially when it comes to finding spaces to create, perform and display their works—and many fear the city may be losing its one sure creative haven. 

“Most of our artists are located in West Berkeley, because we’re protected by the West Berkeley Plan,” said Sharon Siskind, a visual artist who belongs to the 28-year-old Nexus collective based in the 2700 block of Eighth Street. 

What worries artists like Siskind is Councilmember Margaret Breland’s ouster of Planning Commissioner John Curl—a West Berkeley woodworker—by Tim Perry, who they regard as pro-developer. 

“We’re protected by the West Berkeley Plan, which requires developers to provide alternative space if they build on sites now occupied by artists,” Siskind said.  

“During 10 years under the plan, West Berkeley has only lost two light manufacturing jobs, which is what artists are considered. In the 10 years before that, over 2,000 jobs were lost, many of them artists. 

“But the plan is coming up for review next year and developers are lobbying the city to get rid of it. And with John Curl off the planning commission and a majority of the commission seen as pro-developer, we’re getting worried.” 

Nexus currently leases its space from the city Humane Society, which is struggling for funds. In a recent meeting with Mayor Tom Bates, Siskind said the mayor informed them that the cash-strapped society was thinking of selling their building. 

Curl, a custom woodworker, plies his craft in the landmarked Kawneer Building—aka the Sawtooth Building—on Eighth Street between Dwight Way and Parker Street, home to countless craftspeople, artists and performers. 

“The people of Berkeley organized and fought to get the West Berkeley Plan passed,” Curl said, “and the developers have never given up. They lobbied hard, so a lot of things called for in the plan never got implemented, or they were implemented in a faulty way, while we had just assumed they’d be implemented as spelled out in the plan.” 

Besty Strange, a West Berkeley painter who lives with her daughter in a live/work space in the Durkee Building, 2900 Fifth St. at Heinz Avenue, praised Curl for his help in organizing the Art Nouveau structure’s tenants to battle for cheap rents and guaranteed tenure after the building was sold in the mid-1980s. 

“The new owners tried to evict us, and the struggle lasted four years. But now the old tenants are covered by rent control and the newer ones are protected by the use permit, which insures modest rents,” she said. Another powerful support after the structure was landmarked. 

“It’s a great place,” Strange said, “and I’ve lived here since I graduated from Cal in 1978.” 

One thing promised in the West Berkeley plan but never delivered was a city-conducted inventory of art and industrial spaces in the area.  

“There’s no real inventory of arts space in Berkeley,” said Bonnie Hughes, a members of the Berkeley Civic Arts Commission. “There are a lot of spaces that are not very well known.” 

Part of the problem, she says is the city’s distinction between “people for whom art is a way of life and not a business and those for whom it’s a business. The ones for whom it’s a business get all the attention from the city, while it should be the role of the city to help everyone in the arts.” 

One of the city’s greatest needs is for venues for musical performance, especially one with a grand piano. “A lot of times people have to go to private homes. People use the house of one patron and another site. But they can’t be advertised. Jazz groups and pianists have to debut their works in houses here, while they’d be welcomed into public facilities in other cities. The Berkeley Arts festival had a space on Shattuck between Piedmont and Durant. We had some incredible performances. But we were using a borrowed piano, and when it was taken away, we had to close down.” 

The city’s largest new performance venue will be opened when the controversial nine-story Seagate building planned for the 2000 block of Center Street. 

While city zoning places a five-story limit on new downtown construction, exceptions are awarded for developers who provide dedicated apartments for low-income tenants and build dedicated public arts space. Two of the Seagate building’s extra floors were awarded for the inclusion of 11,000 square feet of arts space. 

While 2,000 feet were designated for a corridor with art displays on the walls, the other 9,000 consist of two theatrical spaces leased and controlled by the well-funded and politically connected Berkeley Rep theatrical company. Neither venue has acoustics suitable for music. 

Rob Woodworth, a drummer who serves as executive director of the Jazz House, a nonprofit learning and performance venue at 3192 Adeline St., said the difficulty of finding performance space has long been an issue in Berkeley. 

“I work a lot with kids, and it’s hard to find places for them to perform, either because the venues serve alcohol, or because they don’t want kids to perform. In general, there’s not only a shortage of performance space but of funding as well,” he said. 

Widely acclaimed in regional news media, Woodworth’s facility gives young musicians the chance to provide the opening acts for adult artists who perform there to help raise funds to keep the Jazz House afloat. 

“I wouldn’t say we’re successful, but we’ve managed to stay open for a year. But we still have a long way to go,” he said. 

Changing cultural conditions also shape the artist’s environment, particularly for musicians. 

“In some respects, the Beatles changed everything. Forty years ago, music was something of a rarified guild, but then the Beatles came along, and every teenager wanted to become a guitarist or a drummer,” said John Schott, a guitarist and the leader of John Schott’s Typical Orchestra. 

While once the Bay Area offered decent paying jobs to professional musicians, today most club performers earn no more than a single patron pays in cover charges, between $6 and $30, he said. 

“There are a lot of musicians in the Bay Area now, and most of them are willing to work for free,” he said. 

The days when the region formed one of the hotbeds of standup comedy are long gone, something Schott attributes to the dominant role of television. 

The bandleader singled out Bonnie Hughes for praise. “She’s been marvelous by finding all these vacant spaces downtown and turning them into performance spaces in between tenants. We’re been blessed by her create what amounts to guerilla performance spaces. People like here are very important to the cultural life of the city.”  

Gemma Whelan, Co-Founder and Director of “Wilde Irish Productions” which made a significant splash in Berkeley’s last theater season with their presentation of Beckett’s famous “Endgame” says the company will stage their next production in San Francisco. Whelan said she made the decision, in part, because the Berkeley City Club is so heavily booked by other companies that they “were able to get only one slot” for the entire year. 

LaVal’s Pizza Parlor’s tiny black basement on Euclid Avenue is continually booked by younger, experimental companies—but the size and the stairwell that audiences have to go down to the theater impose some obvious limitations. And other kinds of productions compete for space at the 8th Street Theatre. 

The City Club has served as a venue for numerous small theater companies. Central Works is in their 13th year at the club and others grab at it when they can.

After 12 years of playing the theatrical equivalent of musical chairs, Managing Director Patrick Dooley and his acclaimed Shotgun Players solved their performance space needs the old-fashioned way—the purchase of the Transparent Theater by a generous patron, who turned around and leased it to the theater company. 

“We’re thrilled,” Dooley announced Thursday. “It isn’t easy to find performance space in Berkeley. We know from experience.” He added that the building at 1901 Ashby Ave. was bought by a member of the company’s board of directors. Now renamed the Ashby Stage, the new theater will be the Shotgun Players’ permanent home, at least through the life of a 30-year lease. 

The Ashby Stage’s premier performance will be Dog Act by Liz Duffy Adams, which opens in Berkeley on Sept. 23 after an initial run at the Thick House in San Francisco. 

Financial troubles forced the closing of the three-year-old Transparent Theater troupe earlier this year. 

The Shotgun Players, recipients of multiple awards from the San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle, has bounced from one location to another since their initial 1992 performance in the basement of La Val’s Pizza on Euclid Avenue. 

“It had cabaret seating for an audience of 60, with benches, chairs and tables,” Dooley said. “Then, at the end of the 1997 season, we got a call about the back of a print shop at 3280 Adeline St.” 

After installing bathrooms and other improvements, Shotgun Players launched into an extensive schedule, staging shows at the print shop (called the Odyssey), as well as at city parks, the Julia Morgan Theater and also in San Francisco. 

“We had eight productions that year, and one of them was three complete one-act plays,” the managing director said. “We had productions every weekend for 52 straight weeks, and at the end of the year the fire department drove by the print shop one evening about 10 o’clock and saw people from the audience gathered on the sidewalk during intermission. They came in and asked us what was going on, and when we told them, they shut us down. 

“The California codes are particularly tricky when it comes to what the law calls ‘assembly space.’ Because of earthquakes, there are special requirements for bring people into a dark room where they’re all seated together.” Not only must the building be specially reinforced and protected by a sprinkler system, Dooley explained, but other requirements dictate a more extensive and specialized ventilation system. “So a building that would be suitable for a chiropractic office or a print shop wouldn’t qualify for performances,” he said. 

From the print shop, the Shotgun shows moved three blocks to the South Berkeley Congregational Church at Fairview and Ellis streets. As part of the package, the players agreed to teach a Friday afternoon arts class for the church. 

When Dooley realized their heavy equipment was not suited for the old building, they headed back to La Val’s for three more performances, followed by four years when every production opened at a different stage, and the actors had to build their sets and set up their risers immediately before each performance, taking them down immediately afterward. 

“Casting decisions came down to, ‘Do you have back problems?’” Dooley said. 

Love of art, not love of lucre, fueled the performances. “For six weeks of rehearsals and a six-week run of the show, the actors would get $400, the directors a hundred more,” Dooley said. “We went up a hundred dollars a year over the next couple of years.” 

For a while, Dooley and his troupe thought they’d have a new home in the Gaia Building, after the Gaia Bookstore went belly up and developer Patrick Kennedy called the director. 

“We both got very excited, but neither one of us had any idea what it would cost,” Dooley said.” We drew up several letters of agreement, and [Kennedy] hired an architect who designed a gorgeous theater. But when he learned it would cost $1 million, he said ‘Hell no!’ 

“I don’t blame him. It was the city that gave him the extra height for providing the space, but there was nothing in the law that said he had to actually provide it.” 

With the Gaia plan in limbo, the troupe rented space from Berkeley Rep, and then the city allowed them to stage Medea at the vacant UC Movie Theater. “We put $7,000 into improvements, but the owner didn’t charge us any rent,” the director explained. “The play was a huge success for us.” 

When Kennedy finally squelched the Gaia/Shotgun deal, Dooley booked some of the old faithful space. “Now we’ve go this new theater, thanks in large part to the efforts of real estate broken Michael Korman and owner Tom Clyde. It’s a great space, a former church with great acoustics and great sight-lines, access to BART and nearby free parking.” 

For the Shotgun Players, it’s been pure drama—and with a happy ending to boot.  

SEPARATE THE BELOW BY A LINE OR A BOX... 

The Shotgun Players’ acclaimed production of Moliere’s The Miser will continue through May 2 at the Julia Morgan Theater, which is also the venue for the company’s June 5 through July 3 run of playwright Doug Wright’s Quills. 

Bertholt Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle will play as planned July 11 through Aug. 29 in John Hinkel Park. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 16 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Morris Cleland, on “My Fun Family.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $12.50, talk at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925.  

Benefit for Jeff “Free” Luers with the film “Green with a Vengeance” at 7 p.m. at AK Press Warehouse, 674A 23rd St. Oakland. Donation $5-$10. 208-1700. www.akpress.org 

“Sacred Allegiances: Decentralized Development and the Rhythm of Community Religion in Cuba” with Adrian Hearn and Michael Spiro at 4 p.m. in the CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch St. 642-2088. www.clas.berkeley.edu 

The Knitting Hour Come and learn to knit or regain old skills and meet other knitters at 4:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, West Branch, 1125 University Ave. 981-6270. 

Berkeley Chess Club at 7:15 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 652-5324. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. 548-6310. 

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. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

Overeaters Anonymous meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Church at Solano and The Alameda. 525-5231. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 17 

Berkeley Bay Festival from noon to 5 p.m. at the Berkeley Marina. Tours of the new Nature Center, exhibits, vendors, food, music and free sailboat rides. 644-8623. www.cityofberkeley.info/marina/marinaexp/bayfest.html 

Berkeley Art Center Anniversary Party from 4 to 6 p.m. with a silent auction, music and refreshments, at 1275 Walnut St. Sliding scale $20 to $50. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Sproul Room, St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 587-3257. www.berkeleycna.com 

Bake Back the White House with numerous bake sale locations, including corner of Sacramento and Woolsey Sts., 1701 Capistrano Ave., 2633 Benvenue, 1323 Santa Fe Ave. at Gilman, 913 Taylor St., Albany and many more. See http://action.moveonpac.org/bakesale/ 

Rhododendron Flower Show and Sale Hundreds of rhododendron flowers plus indoor garden of tropical rhododendrons. From noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland, in Lake Merritt Park. Free. 841-5402. www.calchapterars.com  

Tilden Park Plant Walk with Terri Compost. Meet at 12:50 p.m. at the Brazil Building in Tilden Park, or at 12:15 near the Berkeley BART, in front of Bank of America to catch the 67 AC Transit bus. Donation $5-$15, not including bus fare. 658-9178. 

Kids Garden Club Discover how bees are related to our garden and the world of plants. We will sample some honey also. From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area. For ages 7 - 12 years. Cost is $3, non-resident $4. Registration required, 525-2233. 

Conifers of California from 10 a.m. to noon at Regional Parks Botanic Garden. 525-2233. 

The Eucalyptus Tree A walk to see these naturalized forest citizens and learn their stories, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Permaculture Garden Design Learn to design your garden using permaculture principles. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wildheart Gardens, 463 61st St., at Telegraph. Cost is $10-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Non-Toxic Solutions for Pests and Diseases at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Jr. Skywatchers Club Learn how the sun and planets affect the weather. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. For ages 8-11. Fee is $4-$6. Registration required. 525-2233. 

“Why We Joined the Green Party” with African-American activists Wilson Riles, Donna Warren and Henry Clark at 7 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. Free. 644-2293. 

Grassroots Activists from Three Continents with Fides Chade, Tanzania, Gloria Vilma Ortiz Núñez, El Salvador, and Che Lopez, from South Texas, at 6:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Cedar and Bonita. $5 donation requested.  

Free Emergency Preparedness Class in Basic Personal Preparedness from 9 to 11 a.m. at 2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. To sign up call 981-5605. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/fire/oes.html 

Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College Open House from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 2550 Shattuck Ave. RSVP to Taj Moore 666-8248, ext. 108. 

“Touching Our Youth To Curb the Violence” a community outreach forum hosted by St. Paul AME, 2024 Ashby Ave. at 8:30 a.m. with Berkeley Homicide Inspector Lionel Dozier, Retired SF Police Chief Earl Sanders, Contra Costa Probation Supervisor Daryl Nunley and Michelle Milam, Field Representative, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock. 848-2050. 

Black Women of Essence Information Meeting at 2 p.m. at the Harriett Tubman Terrace Rec. Room, 2870 Adeline St. 338-5236. www.bwoe.org 

“Balancing Act: Feng Shui” with Erin Alexander from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Changemakers, 6536 Telegraph Ave. Cost is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Reservations required. 547-0964. 

“Manage Weight, Mood and Menopause” with Ed Bauman, founder of Bauman College, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200.  

Albany Senior Center Annual White Elephant Sale from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with handmade crafts, baked goods, toys and great bargains. 846 Masonic Ave., Albany. 524-9122. 

Volunteer Information Fair for the El Cerrito community and beyond, from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at 6830 Stockton, near Richmond St., El Cerrito. 799-7819. 

California Writers Club meets at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave. Panel discussion with people who have transitioned to become full-time writers. 644-0861. 

California College of the Arts Spring Sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5212 Broadway, Oakland. Ceramics, glass, jewelry, photography, textiles, drawings, paintings. 594-3666. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 18 

Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at the Willard Community Peace Labyrinth, on the blacktop next to the gardens at Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby and Stuart. Free. Wheelchair accessible. Sponsored by the East Bay Labyrinth Project. 526-7377. 

“Birds, Blossoms, and Bicycles!” Aquatic Park EGRET hosts Open Garden Day at the park’s southern entrance from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy close-up views of bayshore birds and coastal wildflowers in a car-free setting. 549-0818 or egret@lmi.net 

Holocaust Memorial Day at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Hall, 2180 Milvia St. Hear Holocaust survivors and supporters. 981-7170. 

Housing Rights, Inc. 25th Anniversary Celebration from 2 to 5 p.m at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Tickets are $10-$15, no one turned away. 474-2584. www.housingrights.org 

Berkeley Cybersalon meets at 6 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Donation of $10 requested. 527-0450.  

“Bloodlines: A Medical Mission to Iloilo, Philippines” a documentary film about a medical mission to the Philippines, at 6:30 p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. Tickets are $8-$15, proceeds help distribute the film. www.manja.org 

Klassic Kaiser Karz! classic and vintage Kaiser-Frazer automobiles from noon to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Golden State Model Railroad Museum open from noon to 5 p.m. Also open on Saturdays and Friday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline Park at 900-A Dornan Drive in Pt. Richmond. Admission is $2-$3. 234-4884. www.gsmrm.org 

“Modern Mystics: Dorothy Day” with Dody Donnelly, author and theologian, at 9:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd. Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Sacred Feminine Bookclub meets to discuss “Confessions of a Pagan Nun” by Kate Horsley, at 7 p.m. at Changemakers, 6536 Telegraph Ave. RSVP to 526-6454. 

“The Power of Now” the principles of Eckhart Tolle’s book with Jill Lebeau and Maureen Raytis at 3:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

“Eckhart Tolle Talks on Video,” gatherings at 6:30 p.m. to hear the words of the author of “The Power of Now” at the Feldenkrais Ctr., 830 Bancroft Way. Donation of $3 requested. Potluck afterwards so bring food/drink to share. Call Maitri 415-990-8977. mayahealer@yahoo.com 

Tibetan Nyingma Open House from 3 to 5 p.m. with prayer wheel and meditation garden tour, yoga demonstration, and information on classes, followed by a talk “The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind toward Dharma” at 6 p.m. at 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, APRIL 19 

Berkeley Schools Now! meets at 7 p.m. at the LeConte School library, on Ellsworth St., to discuss next steps and the BSEP process. For more information email info@BerkeleySchoolsNow.org 

“The Bush Presidency and the 2004 Election” with leading presidential scholars and White House reporters at 7 p.m. in 155 Dwinnelle Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Center on Politics. http://politics.berkeley.edu 

Tea at Four Enjoy some of the best teas and learn their cultural and natural history, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Registration required. Cost is $5-$7. Wheelchair accessible. 525-2233. 

Same Sex Marriage Symposium from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Lipman Room, 8th floor, Barrows Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by Inst. of Governmental Studies and Inst. for the Study of Social Change. 642-1474.  

“Allergy Relief with Homeopathy” with Edi Mottershead, homeopath, at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

Great Popular Fiction Bookgroup meets at 7 p.m. to discuss “Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown at Barnes and Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 

Morning Birdwalk in Birones Regional Park to watch spring songsters. Meet at 7 a.m. at the Bear Creek Rd. entrance parking lot. 525-2233. 

Friends of Strawberry Creek Mike Vukman will present a slide show on the Streamside Management Program for Private Landowners in Contra Costa County, at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library 3rd floor Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge St. caroleschem@hotmail.com  

Organic Produce at low prices sold at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon Streets every Tuesday from 3 to 7 p.m. This is a project of BOSS Urban Gardening Institute and Spiral Gardens. 843-1307. 

Free Lead-Safe Painting and Remodeling Class Learn how to detect and remedy lead hazards and conduct lead-safe renovations for your home. At 6 p.m. at the Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 567-8280.  

Eco-Feminism and Environmental Racism Forum with Dr. Val Plumwood, Australian National University, at 7 p.m. at the GTU Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd. 649-2560. 

“A Thousand Miles on the Appalachian Trail” A silde presentation with Peter Kirby at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

More Wildflowers of the East Bay Plant expert Glenn Keator will guide you in using plant keys to make positive identifications, using the Jepson Manual (available for purchase at first class), microscopes, and the resources of the UC Botanical Garden. Class meets Tuesdays April 20 - May 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. with field trips in May. Cost is $185, $165 for Garden Members. 200 Centennial Drive. To register call 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club General Membership meeting on “The Health Care Crisis and the 2004 Elections” at the First Congregational Church, 27th and Harrison, Oakland. Social hour and potluck at 6 p.m. Bring something to share. www.democraticrenewal.us 

“International Trade: The Great Debate” with Robert Reich, Bradford DeLong, Steven Vogel and Harley Shaiken at 6:30 p.m. in Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Bldg., UC Campus. Sponsored by the Undergraduate Political Science Assoc. www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~upsa/ 

East Bay Communities Against the War Video and discussion on “The Fourth World War” at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Neighborhood Center, 530 Lake Park Ave. Suggested donation $1. 658-8994. www.ebcaw.org 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave. Advance sign-up needed. 594-5165.  

“Communist Party in South Africa and Kerala” with Michelle Williams, UC Berkeley Ph.D. Candidate, Sociology, at 4 p.m. at 652 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Center for African Studies. 642-8338. 

“The Artist as Shaman/Mystic” a one-day workshop with iconographer Robert Lentz at University of Creation Spirituality, 2141 Broadway, Oakland. Cost is $50-$80. to register call 835-4827, ext. 19. 

“Dreams: Past, Present, and Future” with Brother Brendan Madden, lecturer from St. Mary’s College, at 7 p.m. in El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Brenda Becker will speak about geeting involved with classical music at 11 a.m. 845-6830. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday, meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us, call 215-7672.  

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 

Public Forum on UC’s Management of the Dept. of Energy Labs at 7 p.m., at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave, at the corner of Bancroft. 643-0602. http://ga.berkeley. 

edu/academics/ucdoeforum/ 

“Chiapas Front” video and report on Montes Azules evictions at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Death on a Friendly Border,” a documentary on the deaths on the US-Mexico border, with director Rachel Antell, at 6:30 p.m. at Ellen Driscoll Theater, Frank Havens School, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. 835-9227. 

“Remembering Rwanda: Ten Years After the Genocide” with Sarah Freedman, Prof. of Education and Research Fellow, The Human Rights Center, Rangira S. Gallimore, Assoc. Prof. of French, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, Harvey Weinstein, Clinical Prof., School of Public Health and Assoc. Dir., The Human Rights Center, at 3:30 p.m. at the Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. 642-0965. www.hrcberkeley.org/ 

event_rwanda.html 

“Storm From the Mountain” a doumentary on the Zapatista caravan as it journeyed through twelve Mexican states visiting indigenous communities, at 7 p.m. at The Fellowship of Humanity, 390 27th St., Oakland. 393-5685.  

“250 Great Hikes in California National Parks” with author Ann Marie Brown at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Nobel, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861. 

Sons In Retirement,Inc. East Bay Branch #2 invites all retired men to come to our regular luncheon meeting at The Galileo Club, 371 South 23rd St., Richmond. Social hour 11 a.m. followed by lunch for $12 and a speaker. Contact Dick Celestre 925-283-1635.  

“Hormone Replacement Therapy” Elizabeth Plourde, medical researcher, clarifies the controversy over hormone replacement therapy and reveals what types of hormones are actually beneficial for women. At 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. www.elephantpharmacy.com  

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets at 7:15 a.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 524-3765. 

Berkeley Stop the War Coalition meets at 7 p.m. in 255 Dwinelle, UC Campus. www.berkeleystopthewar.org  

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

Prose Writers Workshop meets 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, at Rose. 524-3034. 

Spring Crafts Fair sponsored by the UCB Clericals, from noon to 1 p.m. Dwinelle Ishi Court, UC Campus. berkeleycue@earthlink.net 

Berkeley CopWatch open office hours 7 to 9 p.m. Drop in to file complaints, assistance available. 548-0425. 

ONGOING 

Berkeley Video and Film Festival is calling for entries. The deadline is July 10. For information please call 843-3699. www.berkeleyvideofilmfest.org 

Re-Create: Call for Student Artwork A recycled art competition and exhibition that is open to student artists (K-12) of Alameda County. Deadline for submissions is April 24. For more information call 465-8770, ext. 350 or visit www.mocha.org, www.stopwaste.org  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. Apr. 19, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St., Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. Apr. 19, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche 644-6128 ext. 113.  

City Council meets Tues., Apr. 20, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers, Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Berkeley Housing Authority meets Tues., Apr. 20, at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. ww.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/housingauthority 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/humane 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Lisa Ploss, 981-5200. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/aging 

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Delfina M. Geiken, 644-6085. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/labor 

Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets Wed., Apr. 21, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Marianne Graham, 981-5416. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/welfare›

Berkeley police seek serial groper 

Berkeley police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a sexual predator who has assaulted at least two women on Bancroft Way near the UC campus, according to BPD sex crimes detective Keith DeBlasi. 

The first attack occurred at about 8 p.m. on April 2 near the intersection of Bancroft and Fulton Street. The second occurred exactly one week later, at 4 a.m., near Bancroft and Piedmont Avenue. 

Police have identified a suspect who matches witness descriptions of an African American man in his late thirties with graying hair and beard, standing 6’2” and weighing approximately 230 pounds. 

DeBlasi said the attacks appear to be escalating in violence, and witnesses report that one of the victims may have sustained minor injuries. 

Because the victims haven’t come forward, police have been unable to bring charges, and DeBlasi urged the victims and any other witnesses to contact the police department “to prevent possibly more serious assaults by this person.” DeBlasi suggested persons with information on the crimes to call the Sex Crimes Detail at 981-5735 or write to police@ci.berkeley.ca.us in reference to case #04-19966.

Berkeley residents better stock up on milk because, as part of the world’s largest bake sale event, the city will be over-run this weekend with cookies and brownies. And no, it’s not a Guinness Book of Records attempt, but rather another innovative campaign action by MoveOn.org to support the presidential candidacy of Democratic hopeful John Kerry. 

The national fund-raising event is called “Bake Back the White House.” 

In Berkeley there has been a mad dash to sign up and organize the bake sales, all of which took place on the Internet. As of Thursday, 36 bake sales were set to take place around the Bay Area this weekend. Nationally there are 1,000 scheduled bake sales, with more than 10,000 people set to participate.  

“People need to feel that their small amount makes a difference, and this gives us a chance to tell them that,” said Tim Hansen, a Berkeley resident who is organizing a sale on Benvenue Avenue.  

Adam Ruben, campaign director for MoveOn.org’s political action committee, said he had no way to know how much money will be raised through the event. The way these things go, he said, it will probably be better than expected. He added, however, that the event is more than just about the money. He says the event is also designed to highlight the differences between who is backing the Democratic and Republican campaigns, explaining that “we wanted to send a message about who is behind our campaign.”  

“More than 75 percent of [the Republican] campaign comes in $1,000 checks from CEOs,” he added. “In contrast, MoveOn is made up of regular Americans, They’re teachers and construction workers. 

According to the MoveOn website, more than $95 million of Bush’s campaign funding has come from $1,000-$2,000 checks. 

Tim Hansen said it’s more about a sense of community than raising money.  

“It’s about grassroots organizing,” he said. “It’s how we are going to start running campaigns that involve widespread grassroots support.” 

Hansen also credits MoveOn’s clever use of the Internet and thinks these kinds of unique strategies are going to be the key to winning back the White House. 

“Nobody could fund a presidential campaign by holding bake sales until the Internet. It’s groundbreaking, it’s significant,” he said. 

g

Friday, April 16 

10 a.m.: Virtual Bake Sale for Real Democracy, Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave, Berkeley 

Saturday, April 17 

9 a.m.: Bake Bush Out of the White House, corner of Sacramento and Woolsey streets, Berkeley 

9 a.m.: Baked Goods For Regime Change, Martin Luther King Jr. Park/Farmers’ Market, Berkeley 

9 a.m.: Krispy Kremes for Kerry, Le Visage Salon, 3510 Grand Ave., Oakland 

10 a.m.: Cookies for Kerry, 913 Taylor St., Albany 

10 a.m.: Karbs to Move On with Kerry 

1865 Solano Ave., Berkeley 

10 a.m.: Point Richmond Bake Sale for Democracy, 229 Bishop Ave., Richmond 

10:30 a.m.: Kids for Kerry Raising Dough for Democracy, 1831 Solano Ave. (outside of Front Row Video), Berkeley 

10:30 a.m.: Bake Sale for Democracy, 1701 Capistrano Ave. (corner of Ensenada), Berkeley 

10:30 a.m.: Kerry’s Benvenue Bake Sale,  

2633 Benvenue (driveway), Berkeley 

10:30 a.m.: Banish Bush By Baking!!, Grand Lake Theater, Oakland 

11 a.m.: Chocolate Chips for Regime Change, southwest corner of MLK and Harmon Street near the Vault Restaurant, Berkeley 

11 a.m.: Eat Cookies to Save America!  

Memorial Park, Albany 

11 a.m.: Bake Back the White House! (Condi Rice Krispie Treats, Beat Bush Brownies, Dick Clarke Cookies), 1323 Santa Fe Ave. (near Gilman), Berkeley 

11 a.m.: Bake Back the White House, Fourth Street near Peet’s Coffee and Hopkins Street near California, Berkeley 

11 a.m.: Richmond Annex Bake Back The White House, 6203 Sutter Ave., Richmond 

11 a.m.: Rockridge Bake Back the White House, Rockridge BART Station (Oakland) across the street from Cactus Restaurant, Oakland  

11 a.m.: Bush Bake-Out, Point Richmond Indian Statue, Richmond 

11 a.m.: The No C.A.R.B. (Cheney, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Bush) Diet Ohlone Trail where it crosses Gilman Street (at Curtis Street), Berkeley 

11:30 a.m.: Bake Sale for Democracy 

1358 Hearst Ave., Berkeley 

Noon: Brownies vs. Bush, 1809 California St., Berkeley 

1 p.m.: Bake Back Democracy, Reel Video, 2655 Shattuck Ave., near Derby, Berkeley 

1 p.m.: Let’s Sweetly Stop Bush, 2804 Benvenue Ave., Berkeley 

Sunday, April 18 

9:30 a.m.: Beat Bush with Cookie Art, 62nd/College (near College and Claremont), Oakland 

10 a.m.: Berkeley Bake Sale for Democracy, 1201 Monterey Ave., Berkeley 

10 a.m.: Farmers’ Market Bake Sale, Jack London Square, Oakland 

2 p.m.: Democracy is Delicious, Berkeley Bowl, Berkeley 

To sign up to help or to hold a bake sale, visit MoveOn’s bake sale website at www.moveon.org/pac/news/bakesale.html. 

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A draft UC Berkeley Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) projecting 18 percent growth in academic building space, 30 percent growth in student housing, and 18 percent growth in parking was released by the university this week. The documents, when implemented in final form, are expected to direct future development on the campus and in surrounding Berkeley neighborhoods for the next fifteen years.  

The public has until June 14 to make comments on the documents. All comments must be addressed by UC Berkeley officials and will be included in a final EIR sent to the Board of Regents for approval this fall. The university and the City of Berkeley Planning Commission have both scheduled public hearings on the plan, and a workshop to explain the plan is scheduled for late May. The city will also develop a staff response to the EIR to convey city concerns to the university.  

A summary of the plans, provided by the university, showed the following projections: up to 2,300 new parking spaces, 2,600 new dormitory beds and 2.2 million square feet of new office space, three-fourths of which would be on the core campus and city blocks to the west. 

The analysis showed that university expansion would cause “significant and unavoidable” worsening of traffic congestion during commute hours at University Avenue and Sixth Street and University Avenue and San Pablo Avenue. In many such cases the analysis recommends mitigation measures such as new traffic signals, according to a UC press release. 

Mayor Tom Bates said he was pleased with his cursory glance through the document. He said the proposed development appeared to be based on academic needs rather than on real estate opportunities, but he questioned if the university would be able to realize its ambitious plans. “Where are they going to get the money to implement this?” he asked. “The state can’t finance the projects they’re outlining.” 

For his part, Councilmember Kriss Worthington was angry that, from what he was told, the plan didn’t include a free bus transit pass for university employees as a way to mitigate foreseen traffic problems.  

University expansion has long been a contentious issue with residents and city officials who fear that increased construction leads to added congestion and increased expenses for the city which must pay for municipal services required to serve the university. 

Last year Berkeley paid an environmental consultant $50,000 to prepare a report, due out next month, that outlines the university’s impact on city expenses. 

A deal signed at the adoption of the last UC Berkeley LRDP in 1990 committed the university to pay the city $500,000 mostly for fire and sewer expenses, a figure Planning Commissioner Rob Wrenn said is “pretty inadequate.” “I think there is a strong expectation from the citizenry for the city to do more [to get mitigation payments] than in the last plan,” he said. 

Assistant City Manager Arrietta Chakos wouldn’t give a dollar figure on what the city hopes to recoup from the university, but said it would be far greater than the current amount. 

The first UC-sponsored hearing on the two draft plans will take place May 5 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. A May 11 hearing will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Krutch Theatre of the university’s Clark Kerr campus. 

Nic Rotolo, the Berkeley High Junior who collapsed and died on a San Jose ice rink during a hockey game last February, died from an irregular heartbeat, according to an amended death certificate released by the Santa Clara County Coroners Office Tuesday. Rotolo’s heart problem was most likely caused by a past viral infection, myocarditis, said Diana Hunter, a spokeswoman for the coroners office. 

Early reports linked Rotolo’s death to an opponent ramming his shoulder into Rotolo’s chest just seconds before Rotolo collapsed on the ice. 

Such sudden blows to the heart have been known to cause a fatal irregular heart beat, known as arrythmia. In an autopsy report, Medical Examiner Judy Melinek wrote that a videotape of the hit sustained by Rotolo demonstrated “a sudden arrhythmic death,” but since Rotolo already suffered from a heart ailment, his death could not be linked to the blow he sustained to a degree of medical certainty.  

Myocarditis is inflammation or degeneration of the heart muscle. A variety of medical conditions can cause myocarditis, including hypertension, but the most common cause is infection by viruses. 

—Matthew Artz

The Board of Education unanimously approved a new contract for its classified employees Wednesday, ending a three-year battle over wages and health benefits. 

The contract, a compromise crafted by a state mediator, denies the 360 instructional assistants and office workers a raise during the three-year contract, but does offer them the opportunity to re-open negotiations on pay and health benefits each year. Classified employees haven’t received a raise since their last contract expired in 2001. 

Two weeks ago union members overwhelmingly approved the contract, which expires in 2007. 

“When you’re in a fiscal situation like this you end up holding your nose and swallowing hard to do the best job you can to make health and welfare benefits as strong as they can be,” said Ann Graybeal, president of the Berkeley Council of Classified Employees. 

Raises have eluded nearly all district unions in recent negotiations. Last year the Stationary Engineers, Local 39, signed a contract with no salary increases. The Berkeley Federation of Teachers has been without a contract since last summer and hasn’t had a pay increase since 2002.  

The current district long-range fiscal plan calls for no employee raises through 2006, but BFT President Barry Fike isn’t taking that as gospel. “What’s put into the budget to get county approval doesn’t necessary reflect reality,” he said. Fike is hoping that a cost of living adjustment in the proposed state budget will be passed down to employees. 

But District Superintendent Michele Lawrence didn’t see any pay hikes on the immediate horizon. “Unfortunately we can’t give employee raises when the school district is still in deficit spending,” she said, adding that essentially the union members got a raise by not having to pay more for health care costs which increased 12 percent last year. 

The contract comes at a difficult time for the classified employees. Graybeal estimated that over the past two years, 70 members were either laid off or had their hours reduced below the threshold required to receive full medical insurance. 

Dee Kraus, a union member who served on the bargaining team, has seen her hours drop, but said she was happy with how the contract turned out. Asked about not receiving a raise, she said “Ask me how I feel about that if the teachers get a raise.”s

If this Sunday is a typical one in Berkeley, most residents will still be asleep around dawn. It will be quiet enough to hear the bells of the Campanile ringing across town. Berkeleyans will begin to rise and start their weekend routines—breakfast or brunch, church perhaps, or yoga, a morning walk or jog, a ruffle through the daily newspaper, an early start to garden work or studying or an excursion out of town, or perhaps just a morning spent relaxing in bed. 

Ninety-eight years ago, Berkeley was anything but tranquil. All over town the ground suddenly heaved and shook. Crockery crashed. Plaster walls cracked. Bricks fell, beds bounced, heavy furniture rattled around, books and bric-a-brac toppled.  

People hurried outdoors. The shaking stopped and the town seemed spared. Only here and there—in a few buildings downtown, at Berkeley High School—did there seem to be major visible damage. Then, across the bay, Berkeley residents began to see rising clouds of smoke. San Francisco was ablaze. It was April 18, 1906. The worst earthquake in modern American history had struck the Bay Area, and one of the worst urban fires ever was commencing.  

The big symbolic anniversary—the centennial of the “Big One”—arrives just two years from now, in 2006. Throughout the region, scientists, historians, policy planners and emergency workers are preparing to commemorate the event (see sidebar). 

In 1906, the East Bay was not as badly damaged as San Francisco (or San Jose or Santa Rosa, where less publicized but still horrendous damage and loss of life occurred). Ferry-borne refugees poured across the bay. Many were housed and fed here in Berkeley—and also racially segregated, in those more overtly discriminatory times.  

Tent encampments appeared on the UC campus, public buildings were pressed into service, and locals volunteered aid. The UC Cadet Corps—male students enrolled in military training—donned their uniforms and marched off to assist with guard duty in stricken San Francisco.  

UC administrators dismissed classes for the semester, arranged for free rail transportation out of town for many students, and began to total up the damage: physical, in the case of UC properties such as the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art which were destroyed in San Francisco; financial, in terms of the loss of property tax revenue and rental income for the University. 

UC was also at the epicenter—pardon the pun—of a serious research response to the earthquake at a time when many locals simply wanted to rebuild and forget, hoping or believing that the earthquake was a one-time event.  

Since the 1880s, Observatory Hill on campus had hosted one of the first seismographs in the Western Hemisphere (another was at UC’s Lick Observatory near San Jose). The 1906 event added strong impetus to earthquake research at UC. 

Geology Professor Andrew Lawson (who had mapped the San Andreas Fault and later had Bernard Maybeck design him an earthquake resistant concrete house in the Berkeley Hills) was appointed to head a scientific commission, financed by the Carnegie Institution. The commission would eventually issue an exhaustive and landmark report that would help provide the foundation for the modern science of seismology.  

History Professor Henry Morse Stephens marshaled students to gather first-hand and press accounts of the disaster. And a young Cal professor of engineering, Charles Derleth, Jr., was among the few experts to research and speak out against unsafe construction techniques even as San Francisco business interests busily sought to rebuild while minimizing the effect of the earthquake by emphasizing the fire, instead. 

Off-campus, Berkeley boomed following the earthquake and fire. Businesses and some burned-out San Franciscans relocated to what many perceived as the safer East Bay. Ironically, some resettled in the Berkeley Hills, above the Hayward Fault. Berkeley’s “streetcar suburbs” grew rapidly, and within a few years it was no longer a town but a city. 

Today, nearly a century later, the University of California remains home to some of the world’s top experts in seismology, seismic engineering and design, and the public policy aspects of planning for, and reacting to, natural disasters. The Berkeley campus has become a laboratory for seismically resistant design through the SAFER Program that has been retrofitting UC buildings at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.  

The City of Berkeley has also worked notably in recent years to become a “Disaster Resistant Community.” Public buildings and schools have undergone their own elaborate seismic retrofits, along with many commercial buildings and private homes. 

Still, up in the Berkeley hills broods the Hayward Fault, and its cousins, minor and mighty, snake beneath the Bay Area within serious shaking distance of the East Bay. Eventually, 1906 will come again, not just in anniversary form.  

Steven Finacom works at the University of California. In 2006 he will be curating a Berkeley Historical Society exhibit examining the local impact of the events of 1906.ˇ

• The marquee earthquake-related event takes place Wednesday, April 21 on the UC campus. The Seismological Laboratory sponsors the annual Lawson Lecture, featuring a distinguished speaker on issues of earthquakes and society.  

This year, the lecture is entitled “Earthquake Conversations” and will be delivered by Dr. Ross Stein of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Dr. Stein studies how earthquakes interact with each other, how faults transfer stress, and what happens when main shocks or aftershocks progress along a fault. 

“Do earthquakes talk to each other?” is how one Seismological Lab researcher describes the topic. This is a subject of more than academic interest in the Bay Area, which is seamed with interconnected faults.  

The lecture takes place April 21, from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. at Sibley Auditorium in the Bechtel Engineering Center on the UC Berkeley campus. It’s free, and the public is encouraged to attend. 

• For excellent web-based resources on earthquakes, visit the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory at www.seismo.berkeley.edu/seismo/. 

The website includes links to a vast array of seismological sources and a “Geological Tour of Bear Territory” featuring earthquake and geology related locations you can see on and near campus. www.seismo.berkeley.edu/seismo/geotour/. 

• Around the Bay Area, institutions and organizations have joined in a 1906 Earthquake Centennial Alliance and are planning a series of coordinated events to mark the centennial of 1906, two years hence. There’s a website detailing proposed activities, and participants at http://06centennial.org/ 

• There’s also a UC campus-wide effort underway to plan for local commemorations of 1906. There will be lectures, presentations, tours, displays, and publications. For an introduction to likely events, go to www.seismo.berkeley.edu/seismo/1906/. 

1

Ray Bradbury once wrote a story about a man who entered a home, hung around a while, visiting, and then killed the fellow who lived there. On his way out, the man took out a rag and wiped the places where he thought his fingers might have touched. Each time he was ready to leave, he thought of a new place to wipe where he might have left traces of his identity. And then, it occurred to him that he might not have sufficiently wiped each place, and so he went back to rewipe. The police caught him there some hours later, the house spotless and sparkling, the murderer still mindlessly polishing. He had even polished the wax apples at the bottom of the bowl on the kitchen table. 

The whole idea being to avoid capture, the point Mr. Bradbury makes is that in obsessing over the details of an exercise, you sometimes miss the whole reason you started the task. 

Thus might my liberal and progressive friends appear to miss the mark in the present hand-rubbing and chortling over the Bush administration’s actions (or inactions) on Sept. 10, 2001, and the days and weeks immediately preceding. The most important business of the day, my friends implore us, is the defeat (or, perhaps, re-defeat), of George Bush the Lesser in November, in pursuit of which they are eager to race down any convenient alley or byway. And so, the extended finger, the puckered brow, the stern-intoned question: “What did you do, Mr. Bush, to protect us?” 

Back South, they are fond of saying that when you point a finger at someone else, three fingers point back at you (I’ll wait while you hold up your own hand and demonstrate). And so, my liberal and progressive friends might properly ask themselves, “What do we suggest should have been done, given the same set of circumstances?” 

Post World War II American liberals (beginning in the days when the term “liberal” was not considered a pejorative to be run from, hands in air, fingers a-waggle) have had an uneasy relationship with both the country’s massive military might and its extensive intelligence-gathering apparatus. Heretofore, at the end of wars, we had routinely disbanded our armies and—at times almost literally—beaten our swords into plowshares and returned to our farms and factories. The defeat of the Axis left no room for such a letting-down, however, not with the perceived threat of the Communist bloc. And so we left our armies standing and our intelligence forces gathering intelligence (or whatever it is they gather), with Cold War liberals in complete assent, often baying at the front of the pack. 

But one unified theory of standing armies, we have learned, is that they do not stand for long. Unable to merely sit around and gather rust, the pistol either takes its proper place as a glass case relic, medals shining, or it looks around for something at which to discharge its bullets. And so the nation’s leaders (Cold Warrior liberals in the forefront) found their fight in Southeast Asia. That became somewhat more than the scrap for spare shoes that had been predicted, and thus began the present liberal uncomfortability with war and the elements thereof. 

So, too, eventually, came the liberal distrust of the associated activities of spying, particularly when such spying turned inward. The Kennedy brothers—our liberal icons—had no misgivings about eating White House brunch with Martin King while simultaneously authorizing FBI agents to rifle through his trash can. But the practice of domestic spying began to turn onerous to liberals after liberals began to turn against the Vietnam War, and Mr. Nixon began collecting dossiers on dissenters. 

And so began the modern American perception that while liberal Democrats are good for bringing butter to the masses, they tend to be soft as butter when it comes to the warring arts. True or not, it is a tarbaby to which they are stuck. 

The issue could be finessed so long as the old Communist bloc held. The Russian Communists were aging and rotting from within, the Chinese Communists patient, and no world power—the U.S. included—saw any benefit in a third world war. For a long time, bruised and battered in Vietnam, America lay on its shores and licked at our wounds. In those long days, with prosperity within and no grave threat to the nation from without, we might properly have spent the time talking among ourselves about the lessons of Vietnam, and the proper role of a U.S. military and U.S. intelligence-gathering service in the modern world. Unfortunately, we did not. And so came 9/11, and we found ourselves both wounded and frightened and with a terrifying military apparatus at our disposal. What could we have done to prevent the attacks? What should we do now? If we only sack the president, the liberal/progressives say, the answers will be made manifest, the road ahead suddenly bright and clear and plainly-marked. If only. 

And so the left chortles with glee over the discomfort of Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld and Rice, et. al, elevating—almost to sainthood—anyone who can poke a pin in their swelling balloon. To the nation’s peril. The left has accepted, whole hog, this Embarrass Bush Contract of Criticisms without the requisite reading of the fine print. Who, after all, is this Mr. Richard Clarke, and what type of America and world would he lead us to if we gave him the reigns? 

Forget the fingerprints, my friends. Stop the goddamn polishing. Remember the whole point of it. The tragedy of the American left, indeed, would be to wake up on the day after the November elections to find their own actions have left neo-conservative policies firmly in place, regardless of whose ass it actually is that sits on that chair in the Oval Office. 

• • • 

And, finally, a passing note. This is the 52nd UnderCurrents column, the end of a first year’s writing. Thanks, Daily Planet, for having me. Thanks, readers, for tolerating. 

The Planning Commission took a baby step Wednesday towards capping the size of future developments on University Avenue. 

After its second public hearing in three weeks, the commission formally asked the city planning staff to return next month with the study of a revised zoning plan for University that would prohibit a state rule promoting dense housing development from swelling housing projects beyond the limits now set in the avenue’s strategic plan.  

Staff and commission members agreed Wednesday tha t a recommendation to the council from the commission on revisions to the University Avenue Strategic Plan would now not be ready until July, at the earliest. 

The commission will reopen the public hearing at its next meeting April 28 and receive a new an alysis from staff at their May 5 meeting. 

Richard Graham of Plan Berkeley applauded the commission’s action. He, like many other University Avenue area neighbors, had argued that the staff proposal originally presented to the Planning Commission last mon th would promote oversized buildings that push against neighboring homes and lack viable parking and retail space. Some neighbors called that original proposal “too pro-development.” 

Two developers in attendance at Wednesday’s commission meeting, Evan Ma cDonald and Chris Hudson, formerly of Panoramic Interests, warned after the hearing that if the requested revised zoning plan were ever implemented it would “stop private development on University Avenue.”  

However, MacDonald had already issued that same “stop development” charge during the hearing against the original staff proposal. 

Zoning on University emerged as a hot button issue last February when the Mayor’s Task Force on Permitting and Development made new zoning rules for University one of its top recommendations. In February the City Council requested that the Planning Commission come up with a new zoning overlay for University by May to conform to the 1996 University Avenue Strategic Plan.  

The new zoning overlay originally proposed by city planners conforms to much of what was called for in the strategic plan. It would permit three story buildings along much of the avenue, with four stories allowed along intersections identified as having strong retail potential. The original staff proposal also includes stricter set backs included in the strategic plan to protect neighbors from being dwarfed by the new buildings. 

But most neighbors at the meeting said the proposal had a catch. 

For one, the staff plan allowed for denser development on the targeted intersections and, worse, several speakers said, it didn’t take into account a state law that allows developers to build higher and wider than the zoning ordinance permits.  

Because Berkeley requires that housing developments with more than fou r units include affordable dwellings, city developments automatically qualify for a state “density bonus” that allows a 25 percent increase in space. On University Avenue, where lots tend to be narrow and shallow, the extra space both pushes the buildings up against abutting homes and raises them an extra story. 

Dan Marks, the city planning director, said the staff zoning proposal would shrink allowable building sizes on University, but added that he couldn’t say the decrease would be enough to conform to the strategic plan when the density bonus is included. 

Bart Selden, a member of the Mayor’s Task Force On Permitting And Development, argued that since the city would be hesitant to violate the improved setbacks, bonus space would mean added height to the front of new buildings. “We’re going to have a wind tunnel,” he said. “University is going to be a shaded pedestrian-unfriendly place.” 

Responding to the neighbor’s concerns, Commissioner Susan Wengraf proposed that staff return with a revised plan t hat imposes strict limits on new developments. Her proposal would reduce allowable density at the targeted intersections and lower building heights. The intended result would be that when developers factored in the density bonus, the overall size of their project couldn’t exceed the building envelope called for in the staff plan. 

All of the commissioners did not agree that asking staff to amend the plan proposal was a good idea.  

“I think your proposal goes off the deep end,” Commissioner David Stoloff told Wengraf. He worried that her suggestion would effectively downzone the avenue and risk putting the city in violation of a 2002 California law that forbids cities from decreasing the housing capacity of one district without increasing capacity in anot her. 

Marks said the staff would study possible impacts of the state law along with the analysis of the Wengraf proposal. Figuring out how to factor in the density bonus has been tricky, he said, partly because there was no evidence that the authors of th e strategic plan—working during an era when there was little development on University—ever considered how the state rule would impact building sizes.  

Most residents and merchants who spoke at the public hearing were clear that they wanted tight control s on the size of future developments and bigger retail spaces with more parking spaces.  

Helen Lasher, of Lasher’s Electronics on University, said that recent developments have diminished on-street parking and leave so few available parking spaces for re tail shoppers that stores on the avenue aren’t viable. 

Dr. Meredith Sabini agreed that new buildings have offered a lot of new housing but very little retail to serve neighbors. 

McKinley Thompson said his private home is dwarfed by a development on Univ ersity. “I don’t like that people in the neighboring building can look down into my house.” 

Councilmember Linda Maio, who has had to recuse herself from the debate in the City Council because she lives adjacent to University Avenue, attributed the neighb orhood backlash to the Acton Court project developed by Panoramic Interests, which she said was too bulky to fit into the surrounding neighborhood. “Everyone looked at Acton Court as a template for what’s coming down the pike and they were terrified, as I was,” Maio said. 

Chris Hudson, the former Panoramic Interests developer who is still associated with Acton Court in a management capacity, acknowledged that the development didn’t rank high in the charm department. “OK, maybe we didn’t do such a good job with the architecture,” he said but added that the development had nevertheless benefited the neighborhood. 

Some residents did speak in favor of denser development. “I don’t do anything in my backyard that I don’t want anyone else to see. I don’t know what other people do,” said Joe Walton whose home is also adjacent to a University Avenue complex.  

In other business the commission voted 5-3 (Pollack, Taub, Stoloff, Perry, and Wiggins, aye and Bronstein, Wengraf and Poschman, no) to support the constr uction of a UC Berkeley pedestrian bridge across Hearst Avenue. The university has been trying to get a city encroachment waiver to build a suspension bridge linking two dormitories at the Foothill Housing Complex since the project was first proposed in 1 988. A new, scaled-down bridge has eased concerns that it will obstruct views or collapse in an earthquake, but has not won fans among design advocates. The Public Works Commission will make the ultimate recommendation to the City Council, which must dec ide on the waiver. 

Reverberations continued to flow from Councilmember Margaret Breland’s controversial move to replace Commissioner John Curl with Tim Perry. Responding to a commentary in the Berkeley Daily Planet written by Commissioner Zelda Bronstein, which he said dragged his wife’s name in the mud and labeled him as “mean and nasty,” Perry warned that if another such commentary appeared again, he would “respond in kind.”›

SOUTHSIDE ASSAULTS  

Editors, Daily Planet: 

For some time, I have been concerned about the assault robberies on the streets in South Berkeley and North Oakland that occur virtually daily. Many times, people are hit in the face or on the back of the head. The next thing they know they are on the ground with their pockets being picked. Usually, the only description the victim can give is the gender and race of the perpetrator, nothing else. Some victims are seriously hurt. About half of the incidents involve weapons. 

Several months ago, there were a couple of letters to the editor about groups of junior high school kids assaulting and robbing younger victims on the streets of Berkeley, and the reluctance of the police to intervene and to treat these incidents as crimes. Apparently one Berkeley district attorney refuses to prosecute most such cases based on a belief that Berkeley citizens would rather avoid legal confrontation for the sake of community peace. 

Several recent issues of the Daily Planet have had many letters to the editor concerning the unrestrained bullying taking place in the Berkeley public schools. Some writers noted that it is usually the victim being punished. Does anybody else see a connection?  

Osman Vincent  

• 

FAREWELL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If, given Richard Brenneman’s article of April 9 (“Berkeley’s Tower Records Throws in the Towel”), we are to say hail and farewell to a 30-year institution on Durant Avenue, let us also recall its predecessor and a genuine artifact of the counter-culture—Leopold’s. 

Leopold’s literally began in a closet across the street from the current/longtime Tower records. It was named for the memorable orchestral conductor Leopold Stokowski. 

One could make a charitable contribution at Leopold’s and get a “free” album in return, among other things. 

Hail and farewell, Leopold’s and Tower. 

Phil Allen 

• 

MEAN TO THE EXTREME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Zelda Bronstein recently blamed Shirley Dean for something Mayor Tom Bates did (“Bates, Stoloff and UC: Dean to the Extreme?” Daily Planet, March 26-29). She stretched the truth and used some totally wrong information. 

Maybe this is election year strategy to take the focus off “the powers that be”—the left-leaning Berkeley Citizens Action. Considering the horrendous mess they are making of Berkeley, I can understand why they might want to blame someone else. Their awesome power includes seven BCA-endorsed councilmembers and the city attorney who was a member of BCA when she was appointed. 

Dean is not on the council today, and can’t be blamed for most council decisions of the last 20 years, because BCA held the majority for all but two of those years. During 1995-96, Dean had the majority which did some great things, including passing the University Avenue Strategic Plan. But BCA regained control and to date have subverted the plan. 

Dean should be evaluated for what she’s done, and not done. She never was a part of the BCA’s school closures—past or present. And Dean is amazing—considering our political leaders who “speak with forked tongue.” BCA is a strategic planning group, making careful chess moves to our checkers. One of their latest strategies is to say they no longer exist! 

BCA’s record should be carefully scrutinized, documented, and even filmed! Just for fun, take a break for a moment, and image a film where our actions can change the course of events and therefore the ending of the movie. Imagine a fantasy based on the BCA story, starring Jack Nicholson (As Good As It Gets) playing Tom Bates, but include some dream scenes of the future as in A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life. 

Back to reality. The actions and agenda of Tom Bates need to be carefully analyzed. If Bates hadn’t lied to the police about stealing the Daily Cal the day before the November 2002 election, the headlines on election day would have read: “Bates Steals Newspapers Endorsing Shirley Dean.” He would certainly have lost to Dean. 

The BCA has too much power and we all know power corrupts. I know them well, because I was one of them, until they came to power for the first time in 1984. At that time they took over the city and schools and played politics with children. Now 20 years later, same thing, same plan: to redesign Berkeley for their purposes. The only difference now is their arrogance has been replaced with deception. 

Merrilie Mitchell 

• 

THE PASSION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Mark Winokur (“Film shows Need for Complex Interpretation of History,” Daily Planet, April 9-12) makes a good point. Any filmic depiction of historic events inevitably distorts, by exaggeration or oversimplification, the “true” events, in the process replacing them in “real” history.  

Referring to The Passion of the Christ, Winokur calls in a lengthy analysis for a calm recognition by Jews of Jewish involvement in Jesus’ crucifixion. He points out that at least some Biblical Jews must have been offended—for various reasons—by Jesus’ ideas and behavior, and may have overtly or covertly displayed their disapproval.  

Therefore, he says, modern Jews should openly accept this as fact and cease “a determined and insistent effort to disavow any possible or significant Jewish collaboration” in that event. Present protestations by modern Jews of ancient innocence “[do]… much to alienate us from our Christian brethren and may…only exacerbate [anti-Semitism].” 

While acceding to the historic deadly outbreaks of anti-Semitism, Winokur speaks as though dealing with a moderate affliction such as flu: Inoculate against it by rational acceptance of some ill-defined ancient responsibilities, and rest easy. Excesses such as those in the film will have no effect.  

Wrong! Those very excesses demonstrate the persistence of the virus, to which millions over the world are still susceptible: “The Jews killed Christ!” In a world of complex religious schisms (Christianity itself is replete with them) where bitterness is often deep, hard, and incisive, that short mantra still can ring out clear and distinct. 

Excesses such as those in The Passion must be challenged promptly every time, as must be all expressions which carelessly impugn any entire group or class. 

Morris Berger 

• 

SCHOOL EXCELLENCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

BSEP is a Berkeley property tax that supports Berkeley’s schools. It has been approved by voters for the past 20 years and has provided class size reduction, library and music programs in our schools. One portion of the BSEP funds are allocated to each school site for discretionary use. The funds are administered by a BSEP committee consisting of parents, teachers and the principal of each site. Each school uses the funds to provide a unique enrichment to their program. 

My experience with the BSEP committee has extended over the past 12 years at Berkeley Arts Magnet. Berkeley Arts Magnet (BAM) has a long history of arts education. The students receive one hour per day, four days a week, of instruction in dance, theater, vocal music, drums or graphic arts. These classes are taught by resident artists and are funded by our discretionary BSEP funds. BAM has won the California Distinguished School award in 1989, 1993, 1997, and 2000. In 1999 it was awarded the California Distinguished Arts and Education award. The students, teachers and parents at BAM believe the arts program enhances students academic learning. Many extra hours of volunteer time are provided by the school community to produce performances and hang art shows. The program works because we have BSEP funding and it is something our school community values and is committed to. Every Berkeley school has a unique BSEP funded program that is chosen and administered by the teachers and parents.  

The funding of the BSEP program is to be brought before the Berkeley voters for renewal soon. There is now discussion of mandating the use of the site discretionary funds into specific categories of spending at each site. These mandated spending areas could be school safety, mental health assistance, gardens, any number of worthy enrichment projects. However, mandating the use of the enrichment funds takes the creativity, community spirit, vision and commitment away from individual school sites. 

I urge the community to recognize that the BSEP enrichment programs that are inspired, developed and administered at individual school sites give the dollars spent a much higher value. Parents, teachers and students are participating in programs they personally feel are important and make their school special. Volunteer time, commitment and enthusiasm multiply the dollars spent. After BSEP allocation for class size reduction, libraries and music, Berkeley Schools Excellence Project funds should continue to be spent at the discretion of the individual school sites. 

Kate Obenour 

• 

SEX AND POT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Many no doubt read recent news articles about a Hayward pot clinic owner found with five pounds of marijuana in her car. She also was in the process of eviction for non-payment of rent on the pot facility for the second time. The first time eviction loomed a donor came to her aid with $11,000 dollars as a partner. She promptly changed the locks to the business on her “partner” who hasn’t been able to contact her.  

This illustrates why we don’t need the Community Resource Center with their pot club, needle exchange and Sexworker’s Outreach in our neighborhood, already burdened with drug wars and street violence. (Southwest Berkeley). We have a lot of crime clustered around the methadone clinic near the proposed site on Sacramento Street already as crime statistics show. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to have medical pot across the street from the methadone clinic and those struggling with addictions already. In an area plagued with excessive car break-ins already, few want to see another magnet for addicts. There are already pot clubs nearby on San Pablo and Telegraph surely this is adequate for those who need or want medical marijuana.  

Councilmember Kris Worthington expressed support for this group in a recent Berkeley Daily Planet article. Despite several e-mails sent to him, I have yet to receive a reply. 

Representatives from neighborhoods near the proposed center expressed dismay that Worthington did not communicate with neighborhood members, nor Councilmember Breland’s or Shirek’s office about his support for the center outside of his own neighborhood. It is said that Worthington suggested South Berkeley as an area where the group could be under the radar after opposition to a location near University Avenue was made clear. A few years ago, a pot club in that area was closed down after numerous armed robberies and other problems.  

At a recent meeting with neighborhood groups by those who propose the center, the representatives from the proposed “community resource center” made it clear they don’t care about neighborhood opposition. They also claimed to be working together with support from Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency, (BOSS), which was denied by BOSS leadership. At the same meeting, Robyn Few from the Sexworker’s Outreach claims not to be an advocate for prostitution. Yet, while on house arrest for federal prostitution trafficking charges, she is allowed to “work” on getting legalized prostitution on the ballot in Berkeley. 

If Mr. Worthington still supports this addict and sexworker center, surely he could be most effective finding a place for them in his own district. 

Robin Wright 

• 

HYPOCRISY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Once again, the international community is applying the double standard to judge an action taken by the Israel Defense Forces against a terror organization whose explicitly stated goal is to obliterate the Jewish state.  

Since September of 2000, Hamas has been the leading Palestinian terrorist organization taking responsibility for more than 50 suicide attacks, all under the “spiritual guidance” of Sheikh Yassin. 

We in the United States cannot afford to participate in this double standard while we hunt down the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. Is it not one of the primary responsibilities of a sovereign nation to protect its citizens? How can we be such hypocrites? 

Lorri Arazi 

Oakland 



As Democratic activists and friends of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, we read with dismay a statement imputed to her calling for more troops to bring stability to Iraq. We strongly disagree. The U.S. is sinking into a quagmire in Iraq. We cannot get out of this quagmire by going deeper into it. That reasoning led to our debacle in Vietnam. As in Vietnam, a U.S. administration has underestimated the power of nationalism. In a country where a people feel their sovereignty is being violated, greater intervention by a foreign occupier only deepens hostility and national resistance. 

While we recognize the need to safeguard our troops and our responsibility to bring greater security to the Iraqi people, increasing American military power without a fundamental change in US objectives will accomplish neither of these ends. We do have a responsibility to help the Iraqis get back on their feet. But unless there is a significant change in US thinking about Iraq, we are headed for a tragedy of monumental proportions. 

We Have to Bring in the UN 

While many Iraqi’s welcomed the fall of Saddam, they almost universally question our nation’s motives. And who can blame them? This war was instigated by an administration that lied and manipulated evidence to cloak its real motives. The U.S. will not to be able to impose its model for Iraq upon a people who distrust its intentions. More military force, under these circumstances, will backfire. It will strengthen the hand of those who are most hostile to us, making them look like the staunchest supporters of Iraqi sovereignty. 

We must bring in the United Nations. We must abandon the illusion that the U.S. can determine the final shape of Iraqi reconstruction. We must to begin to reduce our role as an occupying power, and enlist the help of the international community. Iraq needs an interim authority that can create an atmosphere of trust by convincing the Iraqi people that it truly recognizes they hold their destiny in their own hands. Only the United Nations stands a chance of brokering peaceful negotiations between the different Iraqi communities. 

The deepening crisis in Iraq is driven by a U.S. administration that learned nothing from history; that believes it can impose a national model that serves its own geopolitical agenda rather than something confirming Iraq’s particular historical trajectory. We must abandon any illusion that the U.S. can determine the final shape of Iraqi reconstruction. That is the path to quagmire. 

The way out is not for us to go further in, but to bring in those whom the Iraqis will trust to help them find their way forward—those whom the Bush administration sought to leave out.  

Vicki Cosgrove and Matthew Hallinan are co-chairs of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club.

In front of the proposed hotel, museum and conference center in the heart of Downtown Berkeley, Center Street—from Oxford to Shattuck—could be closed to motor vehicle traffic and redesigned as a pedestrian street. Imagine an entire block without the noise generated by cars, trucks and buses. A well-designed plaza could be created with benches and other street furniture. Trees could be planted to provide shade and additional landscaping could be added to naturalize the open space.  

Public art could be part of the mix and would be very appropriate on a street planned to be the new home for the Berkeley Art Museum. Part of the new pedestrian area could be set aside for outdoor lunchtime and weekend concerts. Without traffic noise, people could actually hear music performed outdoors in downtown. 

Hotel restaurant and museum café outdoor seating could face Center Street and help improve the sunny north side of this block of Center, which currently is rather unappealing and underutilized, in contrast to the south side of the street.  

Center provides the major pedestrian link between UC Berkeley and the downtown. As the major walking connector between the downtown BART/bus transportation hub and the campus, it presently accommodates more than 10,000 walking to work or school trips per day. Reinforcing the pedestrian character of the 2100 block of Center will encourage more people to walk to and from the campus, bus and Bart. 

The widening of the south side of Center sidewalk has encouraged more walking and made possible the popular café outdoor seating. By contrast, Center on the north side has narrower sidewalks lined by dull blank building walls and a paved Bank of America parking lot. It attracts little or no pedestrian traffic except bank custom. Little exists to attract walking along the north side of the 2100 block, lingering in the area or noticing a shop or café to cross the street and do business in.  

The current flow of pedestrians boosts business for all on the southside of Center from Starbucks at Oxford to Games of Berkeley at Shattuck. In good weather, outdoor seating gets good use. The block could become more of a destination for people who live and work nearby, as well as for hotel, museum and convention center guests.  

If these visitors are attracted outside, enjoying the day or evening in an ambiance that encourages window shopping and store browsing, they are more likely to explore and spend money in downtown businesses and eateries than if those visitors merely drive up to the hotel, park and stay inside. 

Berkeley’s 2001 General Plan recognizes that Center Street is a good candidate for closure and calls on the city to explore options for its partial or complete closure. Most other streets are not nearly as suitable because of the number of driveways or the necessity for motor vehicle circulation and because of the existing heavy pedestrian use.  

Numerous cities in Europe have pedestrian streets and the evidence is that they work very well for local merchants. There are also some successful examples in the United States, including the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, and pedestrian malls in Ithaca, New York, Boulder, Colorado and Charlottesville, Virginia (anchored by a hotel).  

Downtown San Jose and Monterey (anchored by hotel/convention center) have also been revitalized with pedestrian streets. Frank Ogawa Plaza is the pedestrian plaza anchoring Downtown Oakland’s redevelopment just as the pedestrian Jack London Square has been revitalized as a successful retail destination. 

How would the city pay for the costs associated with converting Center (Oxford to Shattuck) into a pedestrian street? The hotel developer could contribute, since the project would benefit from the pedestrian street location. The city could apply for TLC or Regional Pedestrian Program grant funds from MTC.  

The project will generate a lot of new revenue for the city in the form of a hotel tax and increased property taxes (or possessory interest or use taxes if UC retains ownership). The city could use a portion of the new revenue for the first two or three years to defray the cost of creating an attractive new pedestrian plaza. 

Center Street is the city’s best, if not its only, opportunity to create central public open space in the form of a pedestrian street. It’s an opportunity that should not be passed up.  

Creation of this pedestrian street would require some adjustments.  

Automobile access to any parking garage built under the hotel, conference center and planned museums would have to be from Addison or Oxford Streets, though stairs and elevators from the underground parking could lead directly to Center Street as well as to the hotel or rebuilt Bank of America branch. 

On-street metered parking spaces on the north and south side of Center Street would have to be removed. This parking, like the current Bank of America surface parking lot spaces, could be replaced in the garage built under the project. 

The current volume of automobile traffic using Center Street is relatively light, especially in contrast to the huge volume of pedestrian use. Although this would need to be analyzed carefully, closing this block is not likely to create any significant traffic impacts. 

Some buses use Center Street and their routes would have to be adjusted. AC Transit staff have indicated that ACT is not opposed to conversion of Center to a pedestrian street as long as ACT is able to work out suitable downtown alternative layover and stops for buses that currently stop on Center at Shattuck. 

Yellow delivery zones on Center would be removed. Deliveries could be made from the alley behind the south side of Center Street or from new zones on Oxford at Center. 

A portion of the pedestrian area can be kept free of obstacles to allow necessary access by emergency vehicles. 

If enough space were available with the cooperation of UC and the hotel developer, it would also be possible to incorporate a daylighted Strawberry Creek along the length of the 2100 Center Street block.  

A pedestrian Center Street plaza can create a strong and attractive entrance to the hotel/convention center, can generate additional business prosperity in downtown, can improve the natural environment, and can encourage more people to walk to work, school and shop. If designed to create the most walkable environment, the Center Street promenade can become the center for a substantial destination—Downtown Berkeley.  

Otherwise, it’s a missed opportunity the city will live to regret. 

Wendy Alfsen is a member of Walk&Roll Berkeley.›

This Saturday on the UC campus bells will ring, bands will play, dancers will dance, football players will scrimmage and choruses will sing. In building after building, faculty, students, and staff will throw open the doors of laboratories, classrooms, libraries, museums, and lecture halls. It’s Cal Day, the annual campus open house for the community. 

For many local residents, the university is a part of Berkeley but also apart. If you haven’t been on campus for months or years, or if your view of the university has narrowed to the commuter traffic passing your front door, Saturday is your day to re-acquaint yourself with the remarkably complex and interesting institution in our midst. The campus is yours to explore from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Places that usually charge admission will be open for free. Places that are almost never open to the public will welcome the casual visitor. Faculty luminaries will speak and there will be plenty of activities to entertain both kids and adults. 

Race a robot car by remote control. Buy a handcrafted pot at the ASUC Art Studio sale. Learn what fossil rat droppings say about the past. Imagine the future through computer animation. Play carnival games. See the campus cannon. Ride a motorized cable car. Wave a Cal flag. Attend the International House “Festival of Cultures.” Get a free massage. Ascend the Campanile for free. Touch a real brain (really). See inside some of the most advanced research laboratories in the world.  

There are hundreds of things to do on Cal Day. As a preview, here’s a short selection of intriguing activities: 

• Did you know a satellite passes over Berkeley every day? But it’s not spying on locals for the CIA. Cal operates a research satellite from—where else—the Silver Space Sciences Laboratory on the ridgeline above the Lawrence Hall of Science. Visit the control center where data is downloaded (sessions limited to 30 people). 10 a.m.–2 p.m. 

• Have a student expert analyze your diet, based on your description of what you typically eat. 10 a.m.–3 p.m., 120 Morgan Hall.  

• Meet the parents of Cal students at the Cal Parents tent. Maybe ask them why their children who live in that apartment building next door to you were so noisy last night. No, seriously, it’s a good opportunity for parents of college-bound kids to talk with other parents. 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Dwinelle Plaza.  

• Rappel down the south façade of Wheeler Hall, assisted by student Army ROTC cadets. This is always a big draw for both participants and spectators. South entrance of Wheeler Hall. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 

• Students at the College of Engineering build solar cars and mysterious “super-mileage vehicles” for competitions. View the vehicles and meet their designers and operators. 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Memorial Glade (west of Evans Hall, northeast of Doe Library). Oh, and there’s Bearkelium, the latest edition of the ever-popular concrete canoe (O’Brien Hall breezeway, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m.), AND robot car racing on a 100-meter course (10 a.m.–noon, Cory Hall courtyard).  

• Cal’s “Castle on the Hill” is the oldest public college residence hall in California. Bowles Hall proudly celebrates its 75th anniversary with an open house, tours, and a historical slide show. 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 

• “Ask the Mathematician.” Experts from the Math Department will answer your math questions, simple or convoluted. (9 a.m.–4 p.m., Evans Hall west entrance).  

Other opportunities to keep in mind: 

Campus museums have collections that make up a veritable Smithsonian of the West. On Cal Day most are open for free, including some that have amazing collections but no regular public exhibit galleries.  

Over at the Paleontology Museum in the Valley Life Sciences Building there’s a special exhibit of fossils found here in the East Bay and a number of activities, including free behind-the-scenes, tours from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. And in the same building the spectacular but rarely seen Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and University and Jepson Herbaria are open for tours much of the day. 

The Botanical Garden in Strawberry Canyon opens its gates from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.,, and the Essing Museum of Entomology exhibits “beautiful and bizarre” specimens of arachnids and insects from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (second floor hallway, Wellman Hall). You can also bring spiders and insects—and “bug riddled plants”—to the same place, for identification.  

The Berkeley Art Museum (11 a.m.–5 p.m.) and Lawrence Hall of Science (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) are also open for free. And the Pacific Film Archive is screening “exciting new works by filmmakers from around the globe”, free from 3-6 p.m.. 

In addition to exhibits and open facilities, professors and staff offer a medley of lectures throughout the day. Some of the more enticing topics include: “The Physics of Bicycle Riding” (Professor Joel Fajans, 11 a.m., 4 LeConte Hall); “Why Does Good Health Care Feel So Bad?” (Professor Alan Steinbach, 10 a.m., 130 Wheeler Hall); “Bear In Mind: The California Grizzly Bear” (author Susan Snyder, Bancroft Library, 10 a.m.); “What’s the Good of the Liberal Arts?” (Professor and Dean Steven Botterill, 10 a.m., 155 Dwinelle Hall). 

You can find out about these events at www.urel.berkeley.edu/calday/ or by visiting one of the information centers located just inside the campus’ major entrances. ˇ

Born on New Years Day 1942 in Washington D.C. to a Jewish mother and a Presbyterian minister father and named after Soviet leader Josef Stalin, Berkeley’s Country Joe McDonald went on to star at two of the seminal musical events of the ‘60s—the 1968 Monterey Pop Festival and, a year later, Woodstock. 

With their “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” his Country Joe and the Fish band became icons of the anti-Vietnam War movement. Their notorious “Fish Cheer” captured on film at Woodstock (“Gimme an F! Gimme a U! Gimme a C! Gimme a K!”) heralded a new and widely celebrated defiance of convention. 

And then it was over, the band dissolving at the peak of their popularity. 

The Berkeley-born band has now reunited, minus guitarist Barry “Fish” Melton, as the Country Joe Band. And while they may be a little more sedate and a lot grayer, McDonald and company have kept the puckish spirit that made them band a major force in the countercultural and anti-war scenes of three decades ago. 

Berkeley residents will get a chance to see the resurrected Fish perform in Berkeley this Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St., in a concert benefit for Options Recovery Services. 

“I’m really glad to get this event in Berkeley,” McDonald said. “Options Recovery is a really good 12-step program. They operate out of the Veterans Memorial Building, working with homeless people with drug and alcohol problems—many of them vets, which is a cause dear to my heart. 

“[It’s] thanks to a 12-step program [that] I don’t do drugs or alcohol anymore,” he explained, adding with a smile, “although I’ve had my share.” The last entry in the marijuana news section of his web site is dated Nov. 19, 2001. 

“I’ve been trying to bring the band back together for a long time, especially since I’d been unsuccessful in getting other musicians to play the psychedelic music of that era,” McDonald said. “I started working on it about six months ago, and it soon became apparent that Barry Melton’s schedule was too full, and since he’s the ‘Fish,’ we’re now the Country Joe Band. We’re sounding very good.” 

Lead guitarist Melton now heads the Yolo County Public Defenders Office in Woodland, supervising the 21 lawyers who represent poor and indigent criminal defendants and playing gigs in clubs across Northern California. 

The band’s partial reunion was sparked by the announcement that the World Peace Music Awards had decided to honor them as American musicians who lent their musical talent to the movement to end the war in Vietnam. 

Other recipients of the “Life of Peace” awards at the June 26 ceremony in Hanoi are other veterans of Berkeley in the ‘60s: Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, the folk-singing trio Peter Paul and Mary, and the late Vietnamese composer Trinh Cong Son. 

Meanwhile, the “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” has renewed meaning in the days of an Iraqi war that is being increasingly compared to Vietnam. “A lot of young people haven’t heard the rag, but a lot have because of the Woodstock film. We’ll be doing some of the psychedelic instrumentals and love songs from our first two albums, a few songs from Woody Guthrie, and a new song, “Cakewalk to Baghdad,” about the Iraq war,” McDonald said, leaning back in his perch on the comfortable couch in his 1915 home on a quiet North Berkeley street. 

“We’re thinking about making a CD, but we’re just handling it one day at a time. We’ll just see what happens.” 

One hopeful sign for longtime fans is the planned DVD of an upcoming performance in Sebastopol, part of a tour that includes the Berkeley appearance. 

“What we hope to do with our tour is provide a little humor and validate our audiences’ goodness,” McDonald said. “We play pretty nice and we try to make fun of the president—a fine old American tradition. We hope to have a few reverent moments.” The he grinned. “And maybe make a few bucks, too.” 

Meanwhile McDonald, who lives in a comfortable North Berkeley bungalow with his spouse and two children, said he’s spent much of his time in recent years caring for his children and home while his wife works as a delivery room nurse. 

Nursing has become one of McDonald’s special passions, and led to his creation of a web page (www.countryjoe.com/nightingale/fnstore.htm) devoted to Florence Nightingale, who’s heroic effort tending for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War is considered the founding event of modern nursing. McDonald’s efforts on behalf of nursing have garnered considerable praise from the profession. 

McDonald grew up in El Monte, Cal., where his parents moved because their Communist Party activities had brought down too much heat. “They became disenchanted with the Communist Party,” he said, “and growing up I knew them as what you’d call left-wing liberals, the kind ‘compassionate conservatives’ loathe.” 

He’s been a familiar face around Berkeley since he first arrived here in 1965, as the campus was moving from the era of the Free Speech Movement into that of the Anti-War Movement. He teamed up with Melton not long afterward.  

Country Joe and the Fish started out as a duo, and turned into a band after McDonald and Melton signed a recording contract with Vanguard Records. 

Gary “Chicken” Hirsh had come to Berkeley from Chicago “where any self-respecting drummer is born,” he said. He’d “been playing with a few other bands when I ran into Barry Melton in the Café Mediterraneum on Telegraph Avenue, having recently been kicked out of the California College of Arts and Crafts for using the word ‘fuck’ on a final. I was critiquing the teacher’s questions.” 

It was two weeks before recording was to commence on the first album, and Melton was looking for a drummer. “So I raised my hand and said, ‘I’ll go,’” Hirsch said. 

He was joined by bass player Bruce Barthol and David Bennett Cohen on keyboard and guitar. And though McDonald wrote the ban’s trademark “Fixin’-to-Die Rag” before their first album, it didn’t appear until their second. 

With their appearance at Woodstock, the band became an international sensation before dissolving at the peak of their popularity. They reunited briefly for two gigs in 1994, one in Berkeley and the other at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Melton bowed out the day before the first performance. 

Hirsh eventually moved to Ashland, Ore., where he established himself as a painter while he continued to play his drums. Barthol is well-known to Bay Area residents as a performer and the resident composer and lyricist with the San Francisco Mime Troupe. Cohen now lives in New York, where he continues to perform. 

For fans who can’t wait until Sunday evening to catch a reprise of Joe’s signature song, go to www.countryjoe.com and scroll do to “Musical Notes” and click on the song. That leads to a page with the lyric and a place for click for a streaming audio rendition. 

Then sit back, relax and enjoy—especially the memorable chorus that begins: 

“And it’s one, two, three, 

“What are we fighting for? 

“Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn, 

“Next stop is Vietnam. . .” 

The Country Joe Band benefit for Options Recovery Services takes place this Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets $20. Call 666-9552 for information and tickets 

f

FRIDAY, APRIL 16 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

“Watercolors” by Howard Margolis Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at Schurman Fine Art Gallery, 1659 San Pablo Ave. Exhibit runs through May. 524-0623. 

Paintings by Julia Ross Reception from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The French Hotel, 1538 Shattuck Ave. Exhibit runs through April 30. 527-0173. 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “The Sisters Rosensweig,” a comedy by Wendy Wasserstein, opens at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck at Berryman, and continues on Fri. and Sat. through May 15. Tickets are $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Aurora Theatre Company “Antigone Falun Gong” at 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St. through May 16. Tickets are $28-$40 available from 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Black Repertory Group Theater “Trilogy of One Act Plays” Gala reception at 6 p.m., show at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2:30 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. 652-2120. www.blackrepertorygroup.org 

“The Mystery of Irma Vep,” Charles Ludlam’s theatrical cult classic at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, through May 23. Tickets are $39-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Shotgun Players “The Miser” opens at 8 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Theater, Thurs. - Sun. through May 2. Free. 704-8210. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 5 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Marc Cooper discovers “The Last Honest Place in America: In Search of Paradise and Perdition in the New Las Vegas” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Bob Randolph at the Fellowship Café & Open Mic, 7:30 p.m. at Fellowship Hall, Cedar and Bonita Sts. A donation of $5-$10 is requested.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Young Syncopations” En Pointe Dance presents original works by six young choreographers at 1:30 and 8 p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. Tickets are $6 in advance, $8 at the door. enpointedance 

@yahoo.com 

University Dance Theater, directed by Marni Thomas, with premieres by Christopher Dolder and Carol Murota at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse. Tickets are $8-$14, from 866-468-3399. www.ticketweb.com 

“Isadora ... No Apologies” a dance play recounting the life of Isadora Duncan at 8 p.m. at Lisser Hall at Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Tickets are $10-$15 at the door. www.isadoraduncan.org 

Redmeat at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Musicians from Marlboro at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Pre-concert talk by violinist Scott St. John at 7 p.m. Tickets are $38. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Palenque performs Cuban music at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Andrew Tosh & The Tosh Band, Sister I-Live, the Reggae Angels at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Double Standards, jazz trio, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Original Intentions at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $7-$10. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Laura Risk with Steve Baughman, Irish fiddle and guitarist, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $16.50 in advance, $17.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Danny Caron, jazz and blues guitar, at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Seek, Dynamic at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $8. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Hot Cross, Lickgoldensky, Cat on Form, Heart Cross Love at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

ROVA, avant garde saxophone quartet, at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Cost is $10-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Bobby Vega and Chris Rossbach Group at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Point Blank at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

SATURDAY, APRIL 17 

CHILDREN  

Juanita Ulloa will perform original and traditional Mexican songs for the whole family at 11 a.m. at Berkeley Public Library, West Branch, 1125 University Ave. 981-6278. 

“Wild About Books” storytime at 10:30 a.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Bonnie Lockhart at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $3-$4. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Dance Jammies, a multi-generational dance event from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Motivity Center, 2525 8th St. Cost is $9. 832-3835. 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 1:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Public Library’s Teen Playreaders present a multilingual poetry reading at 2 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda. 

Andrew Todhunter shares his gastronomic adventure of working in a Paris restaurant in “A Meal Observed” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Gary Bogue and Chuck Todd give advice on living with urban wildlife in “The Racoon Next Door” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble. 644-0861. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

University Dance Theater, directed by Marni Thomas, with premieres by Christopher Dolder and Carol Murota 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse. Tickets are $8-$14, from 866-468-3399. www.ticketweb.com 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performs Scarlatti’s “Vespers of St. Cecilia” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant. Tickets are $29-$60 available from 415-392-4400. www.philharmonia.org 

Trinity Chamber Concerts with Christine Mok, violin, and Miles Graber, piano, performing works of Beethoven, Kreisler, Ravel and Stravinsky at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana at Durant. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. 

All Bach Concert with David Ryther, violin, Aria Di Salvio, cello, Marvin Sanders, flute, at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center. Tickets are $15-$50, benefits the Berkeley Art Center. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Aux Cajunals at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Vieques Si, Marina No, celebrating a victory for social justice at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10, $5 students. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Charlie King and Karen Brandow In Concert, politically affirming harmonies, at 7 p.m. at Redwood Gardens Community Center, 2951 Derby St. at Claremont Blvd. Suggested donation $5-$20.  

Naked Barbies, Frankie’s Dream at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com  

True Blue, traditional bluegrass, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Wil Blades Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10-15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Songwriter’s Showcase with Forest Sun, Alexis Harte and Adrian West at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donations of $8-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Fourtet Jazz Quartet at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Mystic performs hip hop at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $12-$15. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Odd Shaped Case at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Donation $7-$15. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Nika Rejto, Brazilian jazz, at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Vitamin X, Holier Than Thou, Deadfall, Our Turn, League of Struggle at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 18 

CHILDREN  

Family Explorations: Clay Day from noon to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, Oak and 10th Sts. Admission is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Theater Workshop: Circus Skills for children of all ages from 1 to 3 p.m. at Berkeley Rep School of Theater, 2071 Addison St. Free, bring a children’s book to donate to the John Muir School library. 647-2972. 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Julie Mehretu: Matrix 211 opens with an artist’s talk at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 1:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“A Brivele der Maman” about a Jewish mother’s efforts to keep her family together. Made in Poland in 1938 in Yiddish, with English subtitles. At 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Suggested donation $2. 848-0237. www.brjcc.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Jenny Browne and Bruce Snider at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Annie Koh will discuss the new anthology “How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office (And by the Way, Some People of Color Are Just as Stupid and Need to Go Too)” at 3 p.m. at Eastwind Books, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Organ Recital with Brian Swager at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Brombaugh Organ at St. John’s. 845-6830. 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performs Scarlatti’s “Vespers of St. Cecilia” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant. Tickets are $29-$60. 415-392-4400. www.philharmonia.org 

The Country Joe Band, featuring former members of Country Joe & the Fish, at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $20. Benefit for Options Recovery Services. 848-0237. 

Berkeley High School Jazz Gala, at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $25-$75. 527-8245. www.berkeleyhighjazz.org 

California Friends of Lousiana French Music Dance and music lessons from 2 to 4 p.m., music jam and dancing from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5-$8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

ACME Observatory’s Contemporary Music Series with Jacob Lindsey, Scott Looney & Gino Robair at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Odd Shaped Case at the 1923 Teahouse at 8 p.m. Donation of $7-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

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

Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra at 4:30 and 7 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Opressed Logic, Resistoleros 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. 

MONDAY, APRIL 19 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Today I Vote for My Joey,” with filmmaker Aviva Kempner in person. A tragicomedy about immigrants and Jewish grandparents voting in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. At 7 p.m. at The Oakland Box, 1928 Telegraph Ave. Cost is $5-$15, sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds. 

THEATER 

“Jane Austen in Berkeley” Andrea Mock’s one-woman play at 8 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $7. 841-9441. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Aurora Stories will highlight Playwright’s Stories with James Carpenter, Lynne Soffer, and Jenny Lord at 7:30 p.m. at Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St. Free, but $20 donation suggested. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Simon Winchester describes “Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Poet Bob Randolph will be featured at the Fellowship Café, at 7:30 p.m. at Fellowship Hall, Cedar and Bonita Sts. A donation of $5-10 is requested. The series is sponsored by the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists. 540-0898. 

Eddie Yuen will discuss “Confronting Capitalism: Dispatches from a Global Movement’ at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC 

West Coast Songwriters open mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $5 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 

CHILDREN 

Jeanne DuPrau, author of “City of Ember” will speak to middle and high school students at 5 p.m. at Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6223. 

THEATER 

First Stage Children’s Theater, “Confessions of a Cat Burglar” at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $4 at the door.  

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Amy Stewart introduces us to the remarkable achievements of earthworms in “The Earth Moved” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave, near Dwight Way. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Robert Sullivan introduces “Rats: Observation on the History and Habitat for the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Dan Millman discusses “Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Jane Huber introduces us to “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Francisco” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Travel Shop & Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Amazigh (Berber) Spring Commemoration with Moh Alileche and Guests at 8:30 p.m.at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazz- 

school at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

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

Mimi Fox, solo guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Dayna Stephens House Jam at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $5. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.com 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 

FILM 

47th SF International Film Festival at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Café Poetry hosted by Paradise at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Berkeley Poetry Slam Semi Finals for the National Slam Team at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082. www.starryplough.com 

Edmundo Paz Soldan introduces his erotic political thriller, “The Matter of Desire” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Laura Schapiro describes “Something From the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Bannie Chow and Thomas Cleary will read from their new book of translations, “Autumn Willows: Poetry by Women of China’s Golden Age” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poetry for the People with Suji Kwock Kim at 3:15 p.m. in Unit 3 All Purpose Room, UC Campus. 642-2743. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players presents the Berkeley New Music Project, music by Berkeley graduate composers, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Free. http://music. 

berkeley.edu/concerts.html 

Rhythm Doctors at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Jules Broussard, Bing Nathan and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Whiskey Brothers performs old time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Catie Curtis, American troubadour, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Otto Huber Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Jim Ryan’s Forward Energy at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donations of $8-$15 suggested. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

Candela performs salsa music at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article by Shirley Barker is the first of what we hope will be an ongoing series of articles from local gardeners writing about their own gardens. We thought readers would like to see her in her garden. She’s originally from England “with a touch of Irish,” she says. She comes from a long line of gardeners and farmers, and says she learned about gardening at her mother’s knee.  

Some years ago I met a woman who grew superb flowers. Although she was in her nineties, she was still able to totter round her plants, clutching a jam jar full of a liquid with which she anointed them. I felt sure that this magic brew was responsible for the atmosphere of well-being exuded by her garden. 

So last year, when I decided to grow for the first time the long, thin, Japanese cucumber, setting out nursery plants, and they did not do so well, I thought about my skilled gardening friend. The weather was warm, the ground richly prepared, and yet the plants barely limped along. I remembered my friend’s magic brew and decided to give the cucumbers a shot of it: fish emulsion, diluted to the palest fawn. 

The effect was greater than I had anticipated. The plants leaped up and over their six-foot fence, and produced an embarrassment of foot-long, crisp and luscious fruits in what seemed no time at all. I pressed them on neighbors three at a time. I cooked, pickled and snacked on them. “A cucumber a day” became a mantra. They went on like this until October, when I reluctantly removed them to make room for fall peas, knowing that without more global warming they could not continue past the equinox. Did I mention how many plants contributed to this largesse? Two! 

If a garden lacks a sunny fence, cucumbers and tomatoes will companionably share space. If the tomatoes are grown in hoops, the metal will give their tendrils something to grip and the fruits of both can dangle off the ground. Cucumber plants arrive in nurseries in April, and they are also easy to grow from seed. They do best when the earth has warmed up. Because of their rapid growth, planting is possible through mid-July. Put one plant outside and next to each hoop leg. Water regularly at ground level. Neither plant likes damp leaves. When new growth appears, it’s time for the fish emulsion. 

Ease of growing and their considerable nutritional value, including surprising amounts of B vitamins and iron, make cucumbers an important component of the home vegetable garden. Our ancestors recognized this. Pre-historians have credible evidence that our relationship with the cucumber has gone on for eleven thousand years, probably pre-dating agriculture. Such an ancient pedigree is perhaps why cucumbers, once harvested, lead a varied life, from slices placed on tired eyelids to the ubiquitous soggy English sandwich. Indeed, there are few regions in the world that do not have a culinary use for them, such as Russia, the Middle East, India with its numerous raitas, and various deserts where cucumbers, or a close relative in the same family Cucurbitaceae, have value as a source of water. Most commonly they are prepared in a salty, acid or sour medium. Yet cucumbers are delicious when allowed to speak in their own voice (see recipe at left.) Its blandness can be a soothing interlude in or contrast to spicier fare. 

Cucumbers in Cream Sauce. 

Peel and poach chunks of cucumber in lightly salted water, just enough to cover. Meanwhile, make a sauce by combining cornstarch and milk in a large glass microwave-safe bowl. Cover, and microwave in thirty-second increments, stirring after each one, until the sauce is thick and creamy, which will take two or three minutes. When they are tender but not mushy, tip the cucumbers with their liquid into the sauce, stir well, and adjust seasoning. This makes a delicate accompaniment to a mild-flavored white fish. Buttery mashed potatoes complete this comfort-food offering, ideal for all ages, including the nonagenarian. µ

The ancient Greeks told stories about the history of the world as they knew it which are still a useful way to predict what will happen to humans in the modern world. Hercules, half man and half god, was one of the central figures in Greek mythology. Like Superman in the 20th century, he dedicated his career to stamping out evil wherever he found it. One of the labors, or heroic tasks, of Hercules was killing the legendary Hydra.  

Whoever is calling the shots in Israel today would be well advised to study the lesson of Hercules and the poisonous Hydra, depicted below.  

According to Bullfinch, “the Hydra had nine heads, of which the middle one was immortal. Hercules struck off its heads with his club, but in the place of the head knocked off, two new ones grew forth each time.” 

At the moment, Israeli leaders are engaged in the seemingly futile task of cutting off the heads of Hamas. They can be sure that for every leader they assassinate, two will grow in his place. [Note to my faithful Zionist correspondents: we are not talking about morality here. We are talking about strategy and logic.] Now, it’s true that Hercules eventually defeated the Hydra, as Bullfinch recounts: “At length with the assistance of his faithful servant Iolaus, he burned away the heads of the Hydra, and buried the ninth or immortal one under a huge rock.”  

But what Sharon and his ilk should also keep in mind is Hercules’ ultimate fate. He dipped his arrows into the Hydra’s venom, which gave them magical powers to vanquish enemies. This, however, eventually resulted in the hero’s death. A venom-dipped arrow was used to kill one Nessus. As he was dying, Nessus persuaded Hercules’ wife to dip a shirt in his blood to use as a love potion. She gave it to Hercules to wear, and when he put it on it, it killed him.  

The Latin poet Ovid described the gruesome outcome in Metamorphoses: 

“Desperately he tried to tear the fatal shirt away; each tear tore his skin too, and, loathsome to relate, either it stuck, defeating his attempts to free it from his flesh, or else laid bare his lacerated muscles and huge bones. Why, as the poison burned, his very blood bubbled and hissed as when a white-hot blade is quenched in icy water. Never an end! The flames licked inwards, greedy for his guts; dark perspiration streamed from every pore; his scorching sinews crackled; the blind rot melted his marrow ... In wounded agony he roamed the heights of Oeta [and died escaping pain in the flames of his funeral pyre].”  

Israel, half secular state and half theocracy, with the help of its faithful servant the United States, might be able to destroy Hamas. Americans have traditionally admired Israel, and condemned Hamas’ suicide bomber tactics. But if Israeli leaders dip their arrows into the venom of those they despise, they could be creating the means for their own nation’s destruction. 

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Daily Planet. 

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It’s often hard, when it comes time to write editorials, to decide what readers are most interested in thinking about. Editorial departments in many newspapers seem to believe that their job is to tell readers what to think. In Berkeley, and particularly at the Berkeley Daily Planet, that’s definitely not our job. Our readers can make up their own minds, thank you. What we hope to do is to point out what’s going on, in case someone’s missing something, so that readers know when it’s their duty to form opinions on important topics of the day. 

This week, events which might lend themselves to editorial scrutiny have ranged from the ridiculous to the even more ridiculous. Like many Berkeleyans, we’ve made a conscientious effort to follow the proceedings of the 9/11 commission. (And thanks as usual to KPFA for making this possible.) The president’s press conference, only the third in the current reign, was impossible to miss, particularly since the KQED tape loop re-ran it many times. In our household, as in many Berkeley houses, national broadcast news is mostly radio, listened to while doing home tasks, since we often can’t bear to look at the faces of the national newsmakers. But this week, I found that I couldn’t even stomach the radio version, not even in the car where there’s not much else to entertain. So the bulk of my perception of what happened at the 9/11 commission and the press conference is second-hand reports from stronger souls.  

I’ve gotten the impression from friends and print reports that a lot of the Condoleezza Rice part of the program revolved around what was or was not part of the President’s Daily Briefing, which was abbreviated PDB in news-speak. [As I typed my coined word “news-speak,” the spellchecker tried to change it to “newspeak,” a slightly different word coined by George Orwell which seems to have come to mean almost the same thing.] What catches my attention about this account is not what was in the PDB at issue, but the tragic irony that the current president seems to be unable to process more than a short page of predigested copy at a time, and there’s no guarantee he’s able to read it without moving his lips.  

The American presidency is an office which used to be held by men who got the job by being able, at some level, to read, write and think for themselves. It has been occupied by the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, even Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, who for all their manifest faults were no slouches in the brain department. Now it’s become a kind of monarchy, where a show figure is occasionally put on display to read a message crafted by the powers behind the throne, much as Queen Elizabeth sometimes reads an address written by Britain’s parliamentary majority. George Bush II read the message from Halliburton on Iraq at his press conference last week. 

I turned off three successive re-broadcasts of the press conference, because I couldn’t bear even the three sentences I heard each time. I happened to call my sister while she was watching excerpts on the eleven o’clock news, and I asked her what she thought of it. “I’m deeply, deeply embarrassed,” she said. That comment will do for me, and I suspect for most readers of this paper. But it’s your duty, now, to form your own opinion about what’s going on in the nation, and even more important, to act on it as you see fit. The Daily Planet’s only here to let you know that you should be very, very worried. 

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Berkeley Daily Planet.