Shortly before 9 AM a rapid volley of shots rang out on Sacramento Street near Russell. Eyewitnesses report seeing two shooters appear from behind an alley, brandishing guns. A crowd scattered as the shooting took place. Witnesses described the shooters as young black males, possibly teenagers, wearing black hoodies. Police now confirm that one victim--identified by a neighbor as Gary Ferguson--has died. Late this afternoon the word on the street was that the second victim, identified only as "Larry", had also died in the hospital, but Berkeley police have not confirmed this rumor. -more-

The second filing by the Yes on Measure R campaign of California Form 460, Monetary Contributions Received, reveals that between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16, 2010, the campaign received $21,950, bringing the total contributed so far to $54,400. -more-

A man suspected of taking pictures of women in a University of California at Berkeley locker room was arrested this afternoon. -more-

As a trial balloon to increase student use of people's Park, the ASUC threw what they called a "PALOOZA" before the Arizona State vs. Cal. football game Saturday morning, but it came off as more of a bomb-a-looza. -more-

It promised to be a perfect weekend getaway, the Emeryville Senior Center overnight trip to Clear Lake this past Saturday and Sunday. Having heard so much about Clear Lake, I happily signed up for the trip and was probably the first one to board the Center's mini van, "Go Van Go." However, looking over the itinerary prepared by our host/drivers, Joe and Joanne Melancon, I must confess my heart sank when I discovered that we would be stopping at four casinos! If I had only read the announcement of the trip more thoroughly, I might have surmised that this was a tour for gamblers. "Robinson's Rancheria Casino" was surely a tip-off; did I think this was an ice cream parlor? -more-

“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” asks the Joni Mitchell song. In my neighborhood we did the song in reverse and unpaved a parking lot to recreate a bit of paradise in the form of Halcyon Commons. I hope my neighbors will heed the song’s message as they cast their ballots. -more-

This is a detailed analysis by a life member of the Sierra Club of the Open Letter to Victoria Peirotes by Kent Lewandowski, Chair, Northern Alameda County Group Sierra Club, S.F. Bay Chapter. (This “letter” is taken almost verbatim from an e-mail by Helen Burke to Club members dated October 13 which will also be referred to.) -more-

Measure R is a Trojan Horse that will bring many, many more enormous skyscrapers to downtown Berkeley. It is the nature of development to always push the boundaries. Every building allowed is far more valuable when it's much larger. -more-

View from a Downtown Apartment, Sierra Club Responds to Critics -more-

Below voters can find a list with links of everything that's previously appeared in our "Election Section", in reverse chronological order. -more-

As current School Board President, what distinguishes me from the other candidates is that I have proven leadership in what it takes to advance student achievement in these difficult economic times. During my tenure and leadership, through careful fiscal oversight and fostering of creative partnerships with the City and other public as well as non-profit agencies (and with the continued support of our community school taxes), the School District has maintained a balanced budget every year for the past four years, while retaining small class sizes; art and music programs; and student support services. -more-

Perhaps no one worked harder than I did to elect Atkinson and Wile in 2006. But their actions since then eroded the trust I once had. They joined with Bob Lieber to vote as a Bloc of 3 more than 90%+ percent of the time. -more-

Next week, voters in Berkeley will weigh in on two medical cannabis related measures, S and T. Measure T allows for an additional dispensary, 6 licensed cultivation sites, 200 square feet of grow space per patient in a residential area, and calls for the re-constitution of the Medical Cannabis Commission. As the Chairwoman of the Commission, I think it is helpful to understand the process by which Measure T came about. Two years ago, shortly after the formation of the Commission, it became obvious that there are far more stakeholders in this field than the dispensaries, who were the only stakeholders represented on the Commission under Measure JJ. An open discussion of cultivation standards and practices (cultivating in an appropriate area and providing safe medicine to patients, etc.) was hindered by the lack of recognition of those who are growing the medicine. Additionally, we discovered the large number of residential cultivation sites in Berkeley, some providing medicine to the resident only, and some providing medicine to several patients via a collective garden. The realization that the current policies really only addressed activities in and by dispensaries was the impetus for the Commission to begin work on legislation to recognize and regulate cultivation, ensure that the medical cannabis patient population was getting their needs met, and providing guidelines for those who wish to cultivate in their residence. -more-

it’s sign-stealing time here in Berkeley

they're tearing up signs night and day

they’ll yank up your yard sign in seconds

it’s best to have nothing to say
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The BUSD could certainly use some tax money to rehabilitate facilities, but the Measure I bond initiative is yet another foray of the City of Berkeley and BUSD into excessive bond debt and overspending for every bolt,bag of cement and piece of lumber spent. It is amazingly poorly designed request for a huge sum of money with little definition of the projects. -more-

This vehicle tax never dies and can transform in amount and purpose without voter approval. -more-

I’d like to share with Berkeley Daily Planet readers information regarding George Perezvelez’s candidacy for the City of Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board (including why I encourage them to support George). -more-

The Berkeley Student Cooperative (BSC) is hosting a second City Council Candidates Forum—this time for Berkeley’s 8th district race— at Andres Castro Arms, 2310 Prospect St., on October 27 at 7:00 p.m. The event is open to the public. -more-

Visual Blight on Berkeley's Solano Avenue
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In less than a week, several young black men have been arrested for major crimes and/or slain on the streets of Berkeley. While this is a regular occurrence in nearby Oakland and Richmond, Berkeley has apparently caught the virus of a rapidly deteriorating socio-economic order. Last week four young men we are familiar with were arrested for armed robbery. Since they had the bright idea to rob white people, their crimes will probably be enhanced, maybe even considered a hate crime. They were students of teachers at Berkeley Continuation High School or B-Tech and known by their teachers as very nice young men. The teachers even wrote positive comments about them in the San Francisco Chronicle after reading comments from whites describing them as black beasts who should be put under the jail. -more-

Friday October 15, 2010, a few people received notice (just 3 days after receiving a notice that the Board of Trustees regular meeting of October 13^th was cancelled) that BOLT would hold a special meeting Monday October 18, 2010 with the only Action Item: “A. Contract: BIBLIOTECA, Inc., Self-Check…” This is a contract to replace the five year old $2.5 million* Checkpoint Radio Frequency I.D. (RFID) system with a new RFID self-check system for $447,000 and growing. -more-

Artist Rosalie Ann Cassell, a longtime resident of Berkeley and teacher at Berkeley City College for 25 years, died on September 27 at age 63 after a brave battle with cancer, her partner John McCord at her side. -more-

Check out these cartoons, and then send your email vote for the best one to election@berkeleydailyplanet.com Voting will be open through election day, November 2, and the winner will be announced on November 3. Click here to print all 5 cartoons on one page. Then you can give them out to others or post in a public place to attract new voters. [Note: we made a mistake with the link when we first posted this, so your email might have bounced. Please try again if you voted early.] -more-

Okay, folks, it’s crunch time. Those of you who are sure of what you’re doing might already have voted, along with a lot of others who just like to get it out of the way. But for anyone who’s still agonizing about how to vote, Hurry Up, Please—It’s Time.

To help you out, here’s what we think. -more-

Ladies and Gentlemen, sharpen your pencils. The second report on who's paying for Yes on Measure R has been filed. No, it's not the Sierra Club. Here's a couple of easy ones: PG&E is in for $5,000, Patrick Kennedy for $1,000. Who can identify the rest? The first completed game card wins a free subscription to the Berkeley Daily Planet. -more-

In an Oct. 1, statement, the U.S. government acknowledged that between 1946 and 1948, U.S. Public Health Service physicians deliberately infected at least 696 Guatemalans with syphilis and gonorrhea without their knowledge or consent to study the effect of venereal disease. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius formally apologized for the "abhorrent" and "clearly unethical" medical experiments. And on October 2, President Barack Obama apologized to his Guatemalan counterpart and vowed that all human medical studies conducted today will be held to exacting U.S. and international legal and ethical standards. -more-

“Troops were poised to retake the most nefarious area of all, the horn of Panjwai, an area 19 miles long and 6 miles wide where the Taliban had built up a redoubt of command posts, courts and mined areas over the last four years. Afghan and American troops mounted an airborne assault into the region last weekend.”—New York Times, 10.21.10 -more-

We’re accustomed to seeing crows on the Derby Street athletic field, just hanging around waiting for the crowball game to start. In the last few months they’ve been joined by variable numbers of Canada geese. My assumption has been that the geese are part of the local resident population, maybe the ones that frequent Golden Gate Fields and the neighborhood of the Gill Tract. -more-

Every day, 10,000 US women are assaulted by their husband or boyfriend. Most often they do not leave and the violence continues; psychologists call it battered women’s syndrome. On November 2^nd, we’re likely to see the political counterpart, where American voters – despite a history of egregious Republican abuse – decide to give the Grand Old Party one more chance. -more-

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We will always have our Sather Gate Jewelers, on Telegraph if only in the celebrated late sixties film, "The Graduate." -more-

There's no mistaking the Bergman touch. One only needs to see a few frames of The Magician and his style is instantly recognizable. -more-

—Those Dazzling Divas are at it again! Pamela Connelly, Kathleen Moss and Eliza O'Malley,with Hadley McCarroll on piano, this time at that great old standby, Le Bateau Ivre, at featuring, for Halloween, the witches' number, from Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, as well as arias, duets and trios from "Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, Bizet, Delibres—& more!" No cover. Wednesday October 27th 7-9pm, dinner seating from 5. 2629 Telegraph Ave
(near Andronico’s) -more-

Since we treat actors like living gods, it is no surprise that we to want to be voyeurs on the backstage world of the stars. But -more-

Central Works' Penelope's Odyssey;Actors Ensemble, The Winter's Tale; Berkeley Rep/Tricycle Theatre (UK),The Great Game: Afghanistan. -more-