News

Effort to Save Historic Japanese Florist Can’t Prevent Demolition

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday December 14, 2007
A key piece of pre-World War II Japanese history will be lost amid rubble and concrete next week to make way for the development of condos and retail in West Berkeley. -more-

Judge Issues Key Ruling In UC Stadium Lawsuit

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 14, 2007
Superior Court Judge Barbara J. Miller handed UC Berkeley a legal setback Monday evening, denying its claimed exemption from state law governing buildings on earthquake faults. -more-

Judge Overturns Council Decision On Gaia Building ‘Cultural Bonus’

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 14, 2007
Berkeley City Councilmem-bers acted illegally a year ago when they handed developer Patrick Kennedy a victory in the ongoing battle over the cultural uses of the Gaia Building. -more-

Ross to Leave Downtown Berkeley, Joining Departure of Shoe Pavilion and The Spot

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 14, 2007
If you’re going to “dress for less,” you’ll need to spend your money in Emeryville or El Cerrito. The downtown Berkeley Ross for Less store will be shutting its doors in mid-January, according to Ross spokesperson Katie Loughnot. -more-

City Council Votes to Curb Alcohol Outlet Problems

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 14, 2007
In an effort to stop liquor stores, bars and restaurants from selling alcohol to minors—and to make sure these establishments meet specific standards set by the city—the City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday to give the city new tools to regulate businesses that sell alcohol. -more-

City to Allow Auto Sales in West Berkeley, Exempts Transfer Station

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 14, 2007
In a couple of years, the automobile shopper may not have to slog through Berkeley streets to find a new car. There’s likely to be a Volvo/Nissan dealer just a hop off the freeway—and perhaps a Honda dealer will follow. -more-

Council Looks at Abusive Acts at Tot Lot

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday December 14, 2007
The Berkeley City Council is getting involved in the case of a Berkeley man who has been screaming at children playing in the Becky Temko Tot Lot on Roosevelt Street for the past six months. -more-

Council Considers Removing Kavanagh from Rent Board

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 14, 2007
In a special closed session Monday, the Berkeley City Council will consider removing Rent Board Member Chris Kavanagh from office. -more-

Waterside Workshop This Sunday at Aquatic Park

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday December 14, 2007
Leftover furniture scraps will be hand-crafted into dolls, trains and trucks at the annual Waterside Workshop’s Holiday Sustainability Event this Sunday. -more-

Sea Scout Meeting Called for Monday to Discuss Activities

Friday December 14, 2007
Current and former members of Berkeley’s Sea Scout Ship Farallon and their parents will meet Monday night to discuss resumption of group activities. -more-

Woman Severely Injured Crossing Solano Avenue Wednesday

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 14, 2007
A city employee, crossing Solano Avenue at Fresno Avenue Wednesday afternoon was struck and seriously injured by an automobile going east, according to Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, Berkeley Police Department spokesperson. -more-

Poll Explores Racial Tensions Among Minority Groups

By Christine Senteno, New America Media
Friday December 14, 2007
The first-of-its-kind poll on race relations between blacks, Latinos and Asians, released yesterday in Washington, D.C., revealed that while ugly stereotypes still hold strong between groups, a majority of those in each group said they should put aside their differences to work toward building better communities. -more-

Sutter Nurses Begin Second Walkout in Two Months

By Bay City News
Friday December 14, 2007
For the second time in two months, some 5,000 nurses are gathered today outside 13 Sutter Health hospitals in the Bay Area, including Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley and Oakland, to advocate issues they say haven’t been adequately addressed since the October strike. -more-

OUSD Agrees to $7.5 Million Education Complex

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday December 14, 2007
With little fanfare and no dissent, the Oakland Unified School District agreed this week to move forward with the building of a $75.5 million, four-school education complex on 6.5 acres of the district’s East Lake properties. -more-

First Person: He Likes Hot Chocolate

By Tracie de Angelis
Friday December 14, 2007
“He likes hot chocolate,” she said. Feeling cold myself, I approached the local barista and asked her for a large cup of coffee for the seemingly homeless man sitting outside on the cold bench. I say “seemingly” without knowing, but based on the tattered clothes, the unpleasant odor and the worn shoes. “God bless you,” he shyly replied when I offered him the hot drink. It was almost as if he preferred to remain anonymous. -more-

The closed Auto California, at 1806 San Pablo Ave, the former site of a Japanese Florist, is scheduled to be demolished next week.
The closed Auto California, at 1806 San Pablo Ave, the former site of a Japanese Florist, is scheduled to be demolished next week.

Editorials

Editorial: This Should Not Be Necessary

By Becky O'Malley
Friday December 14, 2007
We were talking recently to our new friend, the professor visiting from Spain. We asked what her husband’s job is. He’s a sociologist, she said. And does he teach at your university? Well, he does teach some classes at night, but his day job is working for the government of a small city, about the size of Berkeley, outside of Madrid. -more-

Reader Commentaries

Letters to the Editor

Friday December 14, 2007

Commentary: Buying Local Improves Our Community

By Deborah Badhia
Friday December 14, 2007
Did you know that by shifting just 10 percent of your purchases to locally owned businesses, you can start a cycle that creates more jobs in Berkeley, lightens the city’s environmental impact, expands your own shopping options, builds a stronger community, and helps keep our city a national innovator? -more-

Commentary: Zero Waste Commission Recommends Rubbish Sorting in Stockton

By Mary Lou Van Deventer
Friday December 14, 2007
In a special meeting on Wednesday Dec. 5, the Berkeley Zero Waste Commission approved a controversial bid from a Stockton company to sort all rubbish (dry discards) that now comes through the city’s transfer station at Second and Gilman streets. It would cover about 200 tons a day of the 340 or so now landfilled. After sorting, about half the rubbish would go to landfill, some would be recycled, and some would be burned. -more-

Correction

Friday December 14, 2007
Due to a copyediting error, a figure was misquoted in George Beier’s Dec. 11 commentary, “Option Recovery Services — Fighting the Good Fight.” The article should have stated that eighty percent of Options clients come from Berkeley. -more-

Columnists

Column: Undercurrents: There is a Tradition to American Torture

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday December 14, 2007
Nothing seems quite so odd as the contention made by advocates on both sides of the “waterboarding” issue that the use of torture is against American tradition. -more-

East Bay Then and Now: The Bentleys of Le Conte Avenue: 96 Years of Service and Art

By Daniella Thompson
Friday December 14, 2007
Among the original Northside residences that survived the Berkeley fire of 1923, the Bentley House at 2683 Le Conte Avenue is one of the least assuming. Built in 1900 by the prominent Berkeley contractor and amateur artist A.H. Broad, this modest Dutch Colonial Revival residence is the quintessential “simple home” advocated by Charles Keeler in his 1904 book of the same name. -more-

Garden Variety: The Gift That Keeps On Living

By Ron Sullivan
Friday December 14, 2007
Some of the best gifts I’ve ever received have been from people’s gardens. -more-

Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday December 14, 2007
I’m Bolted, I’m Ok? -more-

About the House: You Broker It, You Fix It: Why Buyers Should Buy ‘As Is’

By Matt Cantor
Friday December 14, 2007
You’re in the last throws of the deal and it’s time for the home inspection. The inspector finds that the water heater is defective and needs replacement now. You’re a little upset, since you’ve just offered more money to buy this house than your parents have in their retirement fund. You expected the house to be perfect for that kind of money and you’re not about to shell out another dime. -more-

Arts & Entertainment

Arts Calendar

Friday December 14, 2007
FRIDAY, DEC. 14 -more-

Thomas Saraceno’s Visionary Art at BAM

By Peter Selz, Special to the Planet
Friday December 14, 2007
Tomas Saraceno is a visionary artist who aspires to bridge the gap between art and science. Knowledgeable about principles of physics, chemistry and architecture, he has made use of high technology to design cities in the air. -more-

Brookside Rep’s Holiday Shorts at The Claremont This Sunday

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday December 14, 2007
Brookside Repertory’s Holiday Shorts IV, their annual anthology of short holiday-themed plays by Bay Area playwrights, directed by Robert Hamm in staged readings, will be performed this Sunday afternoon at the Ballroom of the Claremont Resort and Spa. -more-

‘Siddhartha, the Bright Path’ at the Marsh

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday December 14, 2007
Siddhartha, the Bright Path, The Marsh Youth Theater production about the life of Buddha, which serves as a kind of alternative holiday show on several levels, opening this Saturday and playing through Jan. 6 at The Marsh in San Francisco’s Mission District, is the result of a collaboration set into motion by Berkeley’s Emily Klion, the creative roots of which trace back years ago to Mills College. -more-

The Hangman’s Tree

By Richard Schwartz, Special to the Planet
Friday December 14, 2007
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a huge oak tree stood east of Shattuck Avenue near Strawberry Creek in old Berkeley. It was variously known as Gibbet Oak, Vigilante Oak, and Hanging Oak. -more-

Events Calendar

Berkeley This Week

Friday December 14, 2007