New plans for some of Berkeley’s more notable landmarks were presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Thursday, with two receiving qualified but unofficial endorsements. -more-

The proverbial playing field on which the Berkeley mayoral and City Council races are being played—at least as far as campaign cash is concerned—is far from level, according to the most recent financial filing statements released Oct. 5. -more-

Berkeley City Council candidate and UC Berkeley student Jason Overman believes in affordable housing and wants to restore funding for the city’s police and fire departments if he gets elected this year. He also spends a lot of time making friends on Facebook.com. -more-

Ten minutes before opening time at the Milo Foundation’s Solano Avenue pet adoption store on Wednesday morning, volunteers are busy taking care of Petey, the 1-year-old yorkshire terrier diagnosed with canine flu. -more-

Today’s (Tuesday) Berkeley City Council meeting will meet in closed session for a continued discussion of the lawsuits that caused the city attorney to suspend all Police Review Commission hearings on complaints against Berkeley police officers. -more-

Discovery of radium in the soil at Richmond’s Booker T. Anderson Park and the results of other radiation testing along the city’s southeastern shoreline will lead off a Thursday night meeting at the Richmond Civic Center. -more-

UC Berkeley’s choice of an architect for a new downtown museum and film center complex won only big thumbs up from those who commented on it at last week’s meeting of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC). -more-

What looks like a light agenda for Wednesday night’s Planning Commission meeting—only two action items are listed—may prove anything but. -more-

As anticipated, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill last week that would have given increased notification to California high school students and parents of their right to block their contact information from going to military recruiters. -more-

Punched for cell -more-

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters office acted quickly this week to try to convince the public that voting in next month’s elections will be secure, inviting reporters on Monday to tour the county’s downtown vote-counting facilities and releasing an independent contractor’s “vulnerability assessment” of the county’s new voting system. -more-

Berkeley residents have taxed themselves to buy good schools for the kids of the community. We have talented teachers, good physical facilities, and a population that is world famous for its love of peace and ideas. So why are many classes overcrowded? Why are there cutbacks in academic curriculum, continuous incidents of violence and why do a third the students fail to gain a minimal education? I believe that with the many accomplishments of Berkeley’s schools there are also a string of failures and that these are understandable results of policies that have created a sub-culture of failure. We need policies that turn that around to promote new accomplishments. -more-

School boards are always dealing with maintenance issues—essential to maintaining and expanding the status quo; teaching to retain the present structures, as though those, if done right, could serve us all, evidence to the contrary ... extensive evidence to the contrary. -more-

I am a candidate for the School Board because as a parent of two sons in Berkeley schools, I see the promise of what the BUSD can be—a model urban district that uses our vast community resources to provide our children with the opportunity and support to bring out their personal best and prepare them for the challenges of our 21st century world—academically strong and ready to thrive. And, as a long time volunteer in the school district and as a senior manager in local government, I have the proven leadership, skills and experience necessary to bring about this vision. -more-

I am running as an incumbent for a third term on the Board of Education. My husband and I raised our two children in Berkeley, and they are graduates of Berkeley public schools. I have also provided clinical social work services to Bay Area families for over 35 years. These experiences have given me a good appreciation for the real needs of children and families as well as a deep understanding of the change process and what is needed to promote healthy growth and development—in individuals and organizations. I seek re-election because I believe my continued leadership is needed to insure that we maintain the progress we have made and push forward on critically needed improvements in teaching and learning. -more-

Thank you Berkeley Daily Planet for this opportunity! My Name is Nancy Riddle and I am running for re-election to the Berkeley School Board. -more-

REALITIES AND ILLUSIONS -more-

The people of Berkeley will be pleased to learn that the work of the Creeks Task Force (CTF) is drawing to a conclusion. After two years of twice-monthly meetings, public hearings, presentations, and the give-and-take of Berkeley-style debate, city staff are following the guidance of the CTF to put the finishing touches on a new Creeks Ordinance. The Public Works and Planning commissions will soon provide their comments on the proposed ordinance—the Planning Commission will hold a hearing on Oct. 11—and the ordinance will be presented to the City Council in November for possible action. -more-

If Berkeley’s Measure A, the parcel tax, goes down, it is likely that so will property values. “It’s clear that if school quality is reduced, housing values decrease. It’s a direct correlation. One of the reasons the city of Berkeley has such high values relative to Oakland is because of the perceived quality and reputation of the schools,” observes Teresa Clarke, senior project manager for Affordable Housing Associates. “It’s very interesting to note that in the late ’70s, before any of the parcel tax measures were passed, Berkeley schools had a terrible reputation.” -more-

I tend to take house finches for granted, as I suspect most birders do. But there’s more to these ubiquitous little birds than meets the eye. -more-