After Berkeley firefighters rescued her from her burning home Monday night, a Berkeley woman took out a cigarette lighter and tried to set herself ablaze. -more-
While the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is raking in thousands of dollars to battle for candidates and oppose ballot measures, there’s no record on file anywhere to show who’s giving or getting the money—and there probably won’t be until right before or after the Nov. 7 election. -more-
During the past legislative session, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislative leaders (primarily Sen. Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez) reached an agreement to put four bond measures on the ballot to fund various projects in California. -more-
A law intended to increase construction of affordable housing units was invoked at Tuesday’s Berkeley City Council meeting by attorney Rena Rickles, in an attempt to push the council to approve a controversial mixed-use housing and commercial development at San Pablo Avenue and Harrison Street. -more-
In this internet-dependent age, when less than a month before a runoff election an incumbent officeholder’s website [www.roland4auditor.com/] has no photo, no qualifications, no campaign platform, no endorsement information, no contact number, and reads only “Site under construction—check back for more information”—well, then, you know that incumbent is in some political trouble. -more-
What started off as a discussion differentiating creeks and culverts at the Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday went on to become a heated debate about the ambiguities and inaccuracies of the proposed amendments to the Creeks Ordinance. -more-
After years of grappling, construction on the long-awaited multi-use playing field at Derby Street and Martin Luther King finally started on Oct. 1. -more-
Last Friday, Ivery McKnight-Johnson left behind her legacy as Berkeley High School’s (BHS) Student Activities Director to go work as a middle school counselor in the Central Valley. -more-
A hearing on a four-year-old police union suit against the city is slated for Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. in Alameda County Superior Court Dept. 31. -more-
This is part one of a two-part series -more-
Berkeley will challenge a four-year-old police union suit against the city, said City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. -more-
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-
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-
THE DAILY PLANET ENDORSES: -more-
Saturday morning at the Farmers’ Market the Green Party’s Pam Webster handed me a flyer with a picture on it of the house where I’d lived as an undergraduate. I’d forgotten just what a fine house it was. There was the big bay window of the high-ceilinged front room where we had many fine parties. The glassed-in front porch was a perfect place to store our bikes. My housemates and I had three bedrooms on the first floor, which housed three to six of us depending on whose boyfriends were in (unauthorized) residence. Upstairs in the garrett lived mysterious seldom-seen older men (at least 30 years old) by reputation jazz musicians who played for beatniks in North Beach. On the far right could be glimpsed some foliage which might have been the enormous and prolific fig tree in the large back yard. I was surprised and pleased to learn that the house’s comfortable design was attributed to a woman architect (Ida M. Legal), and that it had been built in 1889. We paid big bucks in 1959 to live in this marvelous residence: $90 a month, split three ways. The only problem: next to the picture was the ominous legend in big black type: DEMOLISHED 1963. -more-
My name is George Beier and I am running for City Council for Berkeley’s District 7, the district that includes Telegraph Avenue. I am grateful to the Planet for this opportunity to tell you about myself, why I am running and what I hope to do for this city. -more-
Diversity, creativity, and a commitment to promoting new ideas are what make Berkeley such a wonderful place to live and work. For the past ten years on the City Council I’ve been a progressive leader on a wide range of issues. I’ve had to walk a thin line between maintaining my sense of where Berkeley should be going while pragmatically getting things done in the here and now. Here are the areas I’ve focused on: -more-
The name of my campaign committee is Dona Spring for City Council. Residing in Berkeley for the past 34 years, I graduated from UC Berkeley with honors with a B.A. in Anthropology and Psychology. -more-
My name is Raudel Wilson and I am running for City Council in District 4. I am proud to say I have been married to my wife, Grace, for the past nine years and I am the proud father of two young boys. My oldest son “Little” Raudel started Kindergarten this month at Washington Elementary School. My youngest son, Albert, is 2-years-old. He spends his day with my wife enjoying Habitot Children’s Museum and a wealth of local parks. My family and I live in the neighborhood just west of the Downtown. Each morning I have the privilege of walking my son to school on my way to work. -more-
I write regarding Robert Cheasty’s Sept. 26 commentary, which is so riddled with untrue statements and outright falsehoods that I feel compelled to respond. -more-
The Daily Planet recently published a commentary from Mary Hurlbert, an employee of the Berkeley Unified School District’s downtown staff, supporting the school district’s proposed parcel tax on the November ballot. However, what’s wrong with the new measure A are its very troubling consequences for our children’s’ future, namely no guarantees that the money will be spent to benefit children’s education, while giving administrators a free hand to spend the money for “all costs,” including hefty salary increases for administrators. -more-
At a recent campaign appearance, mayoral candidate Zelda Bronstein said that the people of Berkeley should oppose “government by fiat” and instead encourage more “community-based decision-making.” That’s a great idea—and all who agree with it will vote against Measure J, the anti-democratic landmark preservation initiative. -more-
Like many who read the just-mailed North East Berkeley Association newsletter, I had to check twice to see if this was really a mailing from the old and respected neighborhood organization, or just a Republican hit piece. -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-
The coup in Thailand was treated by most of the U.S. media with profound confusion over what was at stake, coupled with a certain admiration at its bloodless efficiency. Photos of soldiers being handed roses and children posing in front of tanks were all the rage on front pages and the six o’clock news. But if the Sept. 19 putsch turns out to be the coup de grace for Thailand’s young democracy, a major culprit in the whole sordid business will be the International Monetary Fund (IMF). -more-
The recently-released Assessment and Recovery Plan Fourth Progress Report on the Oakland Unified School District by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assessment Team (FCMAT) takes us into Alice-In-Wonderland/Bizarro world territory, friends. Concluding that the office of the State Superintendent’s office has messed up the Oakland schools for three years and counting without Oakland’s input, our friends at FCMAT continue to assert that this proves Oakland is not ready to run Oakland’s schools. The logic of that assertion escapes me, but it’s all perfectly legal and all built into SB39, the Don Perata-authored legislation that authorized the Oakland school takeover in 2003. -more-
In Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, the only architect worth his salt is the individualist who tosses all historic precedents onto the trash heap. Published in 1943, the novel was a battle cry for the revolution of modernism, which was expected to take hold from then to eternity. -more-
Pete Veilleux wrote something to the California native-plant mavens’ mailing list the other day: “It’s October! Time for squirrel stomach pie—my memere’s specialty. She called it poor man’s toot cake.” -more-
The anniversary of the Loma Prieta is upon us once again and still so little has been done to prepare for our earthquake. That’s right. Loma Prieta wasn’t ours. It was in the mountains of Watsonville nearly 100 miles to the south. -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-
Last year Schultze Gets the Blues, a German film, played in Berkeley theaters for just a week and to generally small audiences. After one matinee screening, a group of women walked out casting sideways glances at each other and rolling their eyes. “What did you think?” one asked another. “I don’t knowwwww…..” was the response. -more-
Candace Johnson can belt out a Mozart opera aria with the soul of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. A chancellor’s postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley’s music department, Johnson dazzled an audience at her debut vocal recital on campus in September. -more-
In Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, the only architect worth his salt is the individualist who tosses all historic precedents onto the trash heap. Published in 1943, the novel was a battle cry for the revolution of modernism, which was expected to take hold from then to eternity. -more-
Pete Veilleux wrote something to the California native-plant mavens’ mailing list the other day: “It’s October! Time for squirrel stomach pie—my memere’s specialty. She called it poor man’s toot cake.” -more-
The anniversary of the Loma Prieta is upon us once again and still so little has been done to prepare for our earthquake. That’s right. Loma Prieta wasn’t ours. It was in the mountains of Watsonville nearly 100 miles to the south. -more-
Temescal might just be the Pluto of North Oakland neighborhoods. -more-
Here, time stands still. There is only music, and the movement of children through space. -more-
Back at the dawn of Berkeley’s food revolution, before the first bit of artisan bread was dipped in extra-virgin olive oil, L. John Harris, a former Cheese Board collective member and waiter at Chez Panisse, published The Book of Garlic. -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-
