Daily Planet Staff 

The lights are dim now in the dining room of the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, but the once-elegant space is poised to regain some of the glory of its younger days. 

Right now the downtown dowager hotel with its sparely furnished lobby and empty restaurant space looking out on Allston Way seems a little tired. 

Opened in 1910, the hotel is a city landmark and many of its architectural details have not been lost and await restoration. The Hotel Shattuck’s new general manager, Michael Moore, who supervised the recent remodeling of the Hotel Durant as manager there, intends to seek National Landmark status for the hotel. 

Pointing to the arches that face each other across the dining room, he remarked on “the sense of grandness” that could be restored to the room, which has an adjacent ballroom. 

He walked back into the lobby and noted the lowered ceiling and the pillars that are covered with nondescript wood framing and mirrors. 

“For me the ceilings can’t be high enough,” he said. 

Moore thinks there’s hidden treasure underneath the bland coverings – the originals were black marble. 

The 175-room hotel was designed by Benjamin G. McDougall and has been described as a Spanish Renaissance-style building. It covers most of a full city block, bounded by Shattuck Avenue, Allston Way, Harold Way and Kittredge Street. The Kittredge street side was built as an annex in 1914. 

In the immediate future, Moore said he would pursue only cosmetic changes, because if the hotel receives landmark status, remodeling would be subject to government guidelines. The first things he envisions are a “light and bright” dining room, to be achieved with paint and repairs, and the reopening of a food and beverage service, possibly by September. 

That opening would not be with highfalutin fanfare, but a “humble or more modest breakfast and lunch service.” 

The goal for the first year is to bring people back to the hotel, said Moore, who says he was lured away from the Hotel Durant because of the challenge and “an offer I couldn’t refuse.” 

Hotels are in his blood. His uncle Bill Moore owns the Villa Hotel in San Mateo and the Shattuck’s new manager grew up in the business. Later as a drummer in rock and roll bands and then as a lecturer, he stayed in countless hotels around the United States. 

Moore said the Shattuck has been in decline since the mid-1980s, although it underwent a $2 million renovation in 1987. 

“It has been barely maintained for a long time,” he said. “The plumbing is ancient, and that has to be addressed, and there’s no sprinkler system. We’re putting one in.” 

The Hotel Shattuck Plaza got its reprieve when it was purchased in September 1999 by the Anaheim-based Royalty Hotels chain for $8.5 million. Although the company’s president, Satish Patel, was killed in an auto accident in December, the company continues his plans for the hotel improvements. 

In the transition before the sale was completed, a number of employees left the hotel because its future was uncertain, Moore said. Currently the Shattuck is operating with a skeleton crew of about 20 people. 

The previous owners left 30 additional furnished rooms, after holding a liquidation sale for the rest. Moore said Royalty already has spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” on new furniture and carpeting and curtains for 100 of the 175 rooms. 

The remaining rooms await repair and possible re-configuration. 

Wednesday, April 12

---

 

Three piano solos 

Noon 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Ivan Ilic will perform Copland’s Piano variations; Yi-Fang Tsai will perform Chopin’s Etude No 7, op. 25 and Debussy’s Prélude, Book I, No XII; and Brian Christian will perform Prokofiev’s Sonata No 7 in B-flat major, op. 83. 

 

Harris Seminar 

Noon 

119 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Jeannette Money from UC Davis will speak on “Xenophobia and Xenophilia: Immigrant Voters as counterweights to the Extreme Right.” 

 

Art in the Garden 

2-4:30 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive 

Karen LeGault, a local artist and teacher whose work has been exhibited internationally, is leading this eight-week class in drawing and painting from nature. Both experienced artists and beginners are welcome. Call ahead for more information or to enroll. 

510-643-2755 

 

“The End of the City? ‘The report of my death was an exaggeration’” 

4:10 p.m. 

International House Auditorium, Piedmont and Bancroft 

Planning Professor Emeritus Sir Peter Hall will deliver this lecture, part of the Charles M. and Martha Hitchcock Lectures. 

510-643-7413; www.grad.berkeley.edu/lectures 

 

“The Spare Part and the Machine” 

7 p.m. 

160 Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Friedman Visiting Professor Charles Correa will be the featured lecturer. 

 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

7 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

This storytime program is designed for families with children up to 3 years old. The free, participatory program features a half hour of multicultural songs, rhymes, lap jogs and stories to give very young children a lively introduction to the magic of books. Parents also will enjoy the new stories, rediscover old favorites and learn new songs and games to share. 

510-644-6870 

 

“Kiss Me, Kate” 

7:30 p.m. 

Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St. 

The middle-school “innocents” present this not-so-innocent play complete with its incorrect sexual politics. The Cole Porter score for this 1950 “Taming of the Shrew” takeoff is “scandalous,” cynical - wonderful. The musical is performed by seventh- through ninth-graders from Berkeley public schools. Admission is a donation. 

510-848-1797; pwp.value.net/bwicinas 

 

Poetry Flash 

7:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

Julie Bruck and Patti Trimble will be the featured poets, with jazz by Bill Horvitz. 

510-845-7852; 510-525-5476 

 

---

Thursday, April 13

---

 

“Should E-Commerce Be Taxed?” Luncheon and Speakers 

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 

Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto, 1919 Fourth St. 

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce has assembled a panel of speakers, both for and against taxation of e-commerce: Professor Hal R. Varian, Dean of the School of Information Management and Systems, UC Berkeley; Michael Nelson, CEO of SacWeb, Inc., Sacramento; and Bill Petrocelli, Vice President of Book Passage, a Corte Madera bookstore. Cost is $25 per person. 

510-549-7000; chamber@dnai.com 

 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

 

Income tax help 

2-4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Call ahead for an appointment. 

510-644-6107 

 

“Smart Investments: Ideas to Actions” 

3 p.m. 

Goldman School of Public Policy living room, 2607 Hearst Ave. 

California State Treasurer Phil Angelides will be the featured speaker. As California faces unprecedented growth in the years ahead, it cannot achieve sustained economic success if the environment is degraded and if there are pockets of poverty throughout the state. The state treasurer’s office is supporting a strategic and fiscally prudent approach to investment which calls for: investments that support livable communities, sustainable development and sound environmental practices; and investment in struggling communities to reverse a dangerous trend towards “two Californias” - one in poverty and the other enjoying an economic boom. 

510-642-1303; cecille@socrates.berkeley.edu 

 

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

Mental Health Clinic, 2640 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way 

The commission’s agenda includes a discussion of the final health access report, crisis in East Bay hospital care and the midwife crisis. 

 

---

Friday, April 14

---

 

“Good Communications: Needed More as we Grow Older” 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Edna Shipley-Conner, a counselor for the hearing-impaired, will speak during this week’s meeting of the City Commons Club. Social hour begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon is served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Speaker starts promptly at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is $11 or $12.25; admission to the speech is $1, free for students. 

510-848-3533 

 

“Kiss Me, Kate” 

7:30 p.m. 

Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St. 

The middle-school “innocents” present this not-so-innocent play complete with its incorrect sexual politics. The Cole Porter score for this 1950 “Taming of the Shrew” takeoff is “scandalous,” cynical - wonderful. The musical is performed by seventh- through ninth-graders from Berkeley public schools. Admission is a donation. 

510-848-1797; pwp.value.net/bwicinas 

 

Poetry readings 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books, 398 Colusa Ave., Kensington 

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Patti Sirens, reading from “Antarctica” and Abby Bogomolny who will read from “People Who Do Not Exist” and “New to North America: Writing by U.S. Immigrants.” This event is free. 

510-559-9184; www.boadeciasbooks.com 

 

Mozart’s Requiem 

8 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

The University Chorus, under the direction of Marika Kuzma, will perform this Mozart classic.

THEATER 

ACTORS ENSEMBLE OF BERKELEY 

“Rough Crossing” by Tom Stoppard, April 7 through May 6. The writers of a Broadway musical are simultaneously trying to finish and rehearse a play while crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner. 

$10. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; May 4, 8 p.m. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 528-5620. 

AURORA THEATRE 

“The Homecoming” by Harold Pinter, April 6 through May 7. A dark comedy about a philosophy professor who brings his wife home to meet his all-male family. 

$25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Let My Enemy Live Long!” by Tanya Shaffer, April 19 through May 12. The story of an ill-advised boat ride up West Africa's Niger River to Timbuktu. 

$19 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; April 19, 8 p.m.; NO PERFORMANCES APRIL 25 AND APRIL 26. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

Subterranean Shakespeare 

“Measure for Measure,” by William Shakespeare. Run has been extended through April 30. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays, at 8 p.m. each night, and Sundays at 7 p.m. $10 general; $6 students. La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSIC VENUES 

ASHKENAZ 

Brenda Boykin and Her Band, April 12, 9 p.m. $8. 

Grateful Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave, April 14, 10 p.m. $4. 

Sensa Samba, April 15, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Lavay Smith and The Red Hot Skillet Lickers, April 15, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Most Chill Slackmob, Psychokinetics, April 16, 8 p.m. $7. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

“Third World” with UC Buu, DJ Add, Jah Bonz, Big Willie, April 12. $5. 

Ripe, April 13. $4. 

Felonious, Blue and Tan, April 14. $5. 

Broun Fellinis, Rici Ric and Thread, April 15. $5. 

An Evening with Government Grown, April 16. $4. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek, April 12. 

The Holy Modal Rounders, April 14. $15.50. 

Cats and Jammers, April 15. $15.50. 

Rev. Billie C. Wirtz. $15.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER 

Helen Chaya, April 13, 8 p.m. A CD release party. $8 to $10. 

Viento, April 14, 8:30 p.m. Part of The Silver Star Series. $14. 

Dulce Mambo, April 15, 9:30 p.m. The show is preceded by a Salsa Dance Class from 8:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Class and show, $13; dance only, $10. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Stratford Mercenaries, April 16. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Dona Luz 30 Minutos featuring Beth Custer, Will Bernard 4tet, April 13. $6. 

Mumble and Peg, Ramona The Pest, Bass Line Dada, April 14. $6. 

Giant Sand, Grandaddy, Brokeback, April 15. Featuring Doug McCombs of Tortoise. $10. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

“2x2: Architectural Collaborations,” Jan. 22 through April 16. This exhibit elaborates on the theme of the “Equal Partners” exhibit looking at the innovative projects and the collaborative style of a newer generation of architects. 

“Roma/Pacifica: The Phoebe Hearst International Architecture Competition and the Berkeley Campus, 1896-1930,” through April 23. An exhibition showing how the campus developed from the original lavish design of Franco-Roman buildings by French architect Emile Bernard to the modified version with Italianate granite and stucco buildings and tile roofing by New York architect John Galen Howard to the vision of California Arts and Crafts architect Bernard Maybeck and his student Julia Morgan.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“This is Your Heart!” ongoing. An in teractive exhibit on heart health. 

“Good Nutrition,” ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an exercycle for calculating how calories are burned. 

“Draw Your Own Insides,” ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. (510) 549-1564 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERNICE LAYNE BROWN GALLERY 

“Bridging the Bay: Bridging the Campus,” through April 30. The exhibit has been created from the libraries of the eight University of California campuses. The exhibit includes books, documents, architectural drawings, blueprints, artifacts, maps and photographs that record the building of the San Francisco Bay area’s bridges. It also includes documents detailing Bay area bridge projects that were seriously considered but never built. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Doe Memorial Library, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 643-9999. 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm  

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.” Accompanying the exhibition is “Exploring Chagall and His Use of the Elements of Art,” a child-friendly Interactive Educational Room with five work-stations and a central activities space. 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“Recycled Art,” April 1 through April 30. A group exhibit featuring jewelry, sculpture and functional art all from refuse. 

Free. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA ART INSTITUTE 

“High Touch/High Tech: Crossing The Divide,” through May 6. An exhibit of juried and invited artists. 

Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Irish Stones and More,” April 1 through April 27. An exhibit of quilts by Denise Snell. 

“Down from the Attic,” April 1 through April 27. An exhibit of dolls by Gretchen Jennings. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

“minimalPOP,” April 15 through May 14. A group exhibit of a variety of media. 

Artists Reception, April 15, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new theatrical production, gallery exhibit or museum exhibit. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

Daily Planet Correspondent 

Berkeley High’s boys lacrosse team entered the fourth quarter of Tuesday afternoon’s game against Acalanes with a close 3-2 lead. Unfortunately, the Bears clawed their way from behind – getting a 6-3 triumph over the Yellowjackets at BHS football field. 

“What do you want?” Acalanes’ coach Mark Reardon shouted to his boys in a pep talk before the fourth quarter. “That is what you must answer in the next 15 minutes.” 

Bears attacker Magnus Duborg responded to that challenge by rocketing in three goals – one of them with less than 30 seconds on the clock. Matt Bissell chimed in with one more to end the quarter. 

“We are a lot better than these guys, and we wanted to show them,” Duborg boasted. “It just took us a few quarters to warm up.” 

Some of Berkeley’s problems can be attributed to a lot of foul calls by the referees, which resulted in a pulled defender every quarter. This obstacle sapped the endurance of the defenders on the field, who were forced to fill in the gaps for the missing teammates. 

“The defense had zero energy (in the fourth quarter),” BHS defender Chris Mays explained. “I just ran out of strength. I feel like those fouls were unfair.” 

BHS offense wasn’t able to pick it up in the end either, rarely moving onto the Bears’ territory. The ’Jacket attackers were unable to cope with the Bears’ new fourth-quarter defensive strategy. In the beginning of the match, Acalanes focused on a zone defense, but in the fourth shifted to a man-to-man coverage. 

“We kind of collapsed out there,” attacker Nick Schooler said after the game. “Our stick or cutter (plays) didn’t work.” 

The loss marked another notch onto the Yellowjackets’ five-game losing streak, this time to a team they beat last month. BHS coach Chris Sparhawk was disappointed with the loss because Berkeley seems to suffer from the same problems every game – a lack of mental recall from the playbook. In his mind, this is due to a plethora of young players on the team. 

“Our guys just stand out there like trees on the offense,” Sparhawk commented. “They just don’t seem to mentally get it.” 

The game did hold some high moments for Berkeley, in the first and second quarters, when it was able to keep the Bears at bay. Schooler managed to ratchet in a goal during each of these quarters, and was followed up by Ashley Day with a score in the second. The first half ended with Berkeley up, 3-1. 

“It always happens this way,” BHS attacker Joe Rabinowitz explained. “We’re psyched before and during the first part of the game, but halfway through, things go downhill.” 

The third quarter saw the game begin to turnaround for the Bears. Acalanes’ Brian Etheridge managed to up his team’s score by two points, knocking one of his goals in with just nine seconds left in the quarter. 

“We slacked off after getting a good lead,” defender Eli Block said.  

Coach Sparhawk doesn’t feel his boys became cocky, but just need a lot more work during practice. Unfortunately, he’s less than sure the boys will be able to improve to the necessary level of success by the season’s end. 

“I just don’t think I’m going to be able to do it right now,” Sparhawk conceded.

Daily Planet Staff 

OAKLAND – Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy and his son Vijay Kumar Lakireddy are likely to face expanded charges, U.S. Attorney John Kennedy said in federal court Tuesday. 

Reddy is charged with conspiring with his son to bring foreign workers to the United States under false pretenses. He is further charged with exploiting the workers for their labor and using women, including minors, for sexual purposes. 

In a motion that was to be heard before U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong, attorneys for the indicted men asked the U.S. Attorney’s Office to be more specific in their allegations. 

Kennedy told the judge, however, that he was preparing a superceding indictment and that there was more to the case than had been previously brought out in court documents. 

“The continuing investigation in this matter will result in expanded charges,” Kennedy said, explaining that it would take two to three months to complete the investigation. The investigation has already yielded 9,000 pages of documentation and audio tapes, Kennedy told the court. 

The attorneys for the prosecution and defense will return to court at 9 a.m. June 13 to report on the status of the case. 

In a separate ruling, the judge denied the defense’s request to hold disciplinary hearings regarding statements made to the court by Berkeley City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque. The defense contends Albuquerque “grossly misrepresented the facts” in her role representing the city of Berkeley as a friend of the court. 

The allegation had to do with the Nov. 24, 1999, death by carbon monoxide poisoning of Chanti Jyotsna Devi Prattipati. The Indian national is alleged to have been 17 years old at the time of her death, which Berkeley police ruled as accidental. 

Prattipati is one of the women alleged to have been brought to this country by Reddy and Lakireddy for sexual exploitation by Reddy. She had been living with her younger sister and an older roommate in an apartment at 2020 Bancroft Way at the time of her death. The apartment is owned by Reddy. 

Based on preliminary information given her by a police investigator, a man who was Reddy, or who resembled Reddy, was at the scene on Nov. 24, trying to take the unconscious Prattipati away in a Reddy Realty van. Albuquerque told the court that there was only one 911 call made at the time, not from Reddy or his associates, but from a passer-by. 

Later, police found that, in fact, two calls had been made to police, one of which came from a man in the apartment where Prattipati was living. 

First the judge chided defense attorneys for including the criticism of Albuquerque in a motion that requested handwriting samples. 

“The statements were not reckless,” Armstrong said. “At most, they were negligent.” 

The judge went on to note that the facts as presented were based on statements made by the lead police investigator, which, she said, are not always reliable in the early stages of an investigation. 

“The court denies the defendants’ request,” Armstrong concluded. 

In response to the request for handwriting samples, defense attorneys said the samples have been turned over to the prosecution. 

Also, in recent written motions, the defense and prosecution both asked the court – and the court agreed – to preserve tissue samples from the 10-day-old fetus found when the coroner examined Prattipati. 

The Berkeley High boys volleyball team finished off the first round of East Bay Athletic League regular season play on Tuesday evening, taking care of California High in a three-game sweep at Donahue Gym.  

Despite a strong block by the Grizzlies’ sizable front line, the ’Jackets were able to pick up the slack with a strong outside game, and collected their third league win in their last four attempts, 16-14, 15-5, 15-13. 

“We looked at it as an opportunity to come out and continue the way we’ve been playing,” BHS coach Justin Caraway said after the game. “Across the board, they were a pretty tall team. (We) stayed fairly focused (today).” 

Mason Chin anchored the Yellowjackets’ defensive effort, posting 17 digs to go along with 11 kills and three blocks. Defensive specialist Oliver Monday also stepped up against the Grizzlies, finishing with 12 digs. 

“Mason Chin just had an outstanding game for us,” Caraway said. “We’ve been working on hitting everywhere across the court. He ran some very impressive patterns today.”

Daily Planet Staff 

Without debate Tuesday night, a unanimous City Council took the first steps toward putting a measure on the November ballot that would protect the city’s most vulnerable citizens against landlord move-in evictions. 

The proposed ballot measure would prohibit landlords from moving into apartments rented for 10 years or more by seniors and the disabled, and apartments rented for five years or more by those with catastrophic illnesses. People with low-income Section 8 vouchers would also get protection under the proposed law. 

Property owners were conspicuously absent when public comment was made, but renters, mostly advocates for senior citizens, were evident, carrying signs with the message: “No unjust owner move-in evictions.” 

“Many Berkeley seniors live alone in small rented units, carefully budgeting Social Security checks,” senior citizen advocate Helen Wheeler told the council. 

“Right now, we can at least protect disabled persons and low-income seniors from the abuse and trauma of owner move-in evictions by passage of a ballot measure.” 

Grace Christie, 78, facing an owner move-in eviction, told the council that she “fell in love with Berkeley over 50 years ago.” She asked the body to pass the resolution that would “work to keep (the city) that way.” 

Although property owners may have decided not to come to the council to debate the issue at this early stage, they may fight it when it comes to the council in July or when it is on the November ballot. 

Berkeley Property Owner Association President Robert Cabrera told the Daily Planet recently that he believes that the best way to assure housing for all is by building more housing and not by passing new laws. 

He also said that he thought the measure could hurt seniors because property owners might become more hesitant to rent to them. 

The Rent Board, Housing Advisory Commission, Commission on Aging and the Commission on Disability will all give their input into the ballot proposal, which will be written by city staff and brought back to the council by July in order to be considered for placement on the ballot for November. 

The vote was 8-0, with Mayor Shirley Dean absent for an international mayors conference in Jerusalem. 

The Yellowjackets walked onto Tilden Park Golf Course with brand new uniforms on Tuesday afternoon, and left with a brand new feeling – the feeling of triumph. 

BHS finally picked up the league win that had been avoiding it all season, squeaking out a 220-221 victory over Granada High. Though the total score marked a 12-stroke jump from their last league match, the ’Jackets were thrilled with the win. 

“They were really whooping it up (after the match),” BHS coach Matt Bremer said. “They had no idea what was going on (on the final holes)... It was a big one.” 

Curran Kennedy and Ivan Holmes spearheaded the Berkeley win, carding a 38 and 39, respectively. Adam Breckler, Ronald Quintero and Matt Wickett also finished in the Yellowjackets’ top five.

Daily Planet Staff 

Berkeley educators, parents and community leaders are joining forces in an attempt to persuade Gov. Gray Davis to propose increased school spending when he releases his revised budget next month. 

But those some people – who have formed a new organization called “Advocates for Public Schools” – admit their effort may not be successful if they’re unable to create a broad base of support throughout California. 

“This needs to be a statewide document,” said Mark Coplan, president of the Berkeley PTA Council. “It’s critical that it gets out everywhere, so it’s not just a Berkeley document. There are just so many people in Berkeley, and we’ve got to be bigger than that.” 

The “document” was introduced Tuesday night during a meeting of the Blue Ribbon Resources Advisory Committee, which is examining ways for the Berkeley Unified School District to find new sources of revenue and is exploring options for restructuring the district’s budget in an attempt to save $2 million. The figures the district is working with are based on the original state budget introduced by the governor earlier this year. He will deliver a revised budget proposal on May 10, and teachers, parents and community members from around the state are planning on rallying in Sacramento on May 8 to urge him to allocate more money for education, particularly with the state looking at an ever-growing budget surplus. 

“This of course is aimed not just at the May 8 action in Sacramento, but we see this as a long-term document,” said Russ Ellis, vice chancellor emeritus at UC Berkeley and one of the supporters listed in the petition. “It is completely useful for you to get two people or one organization to sign on.” 

So far, the endorsement list includes all five members of the BUSD School Board, representatives from the Berkeley Public Education Foundation and the Berkeley chapter of the League of Women Voters. 

Tuesday night, most of the Blue Ribbon Budget committee members endorsed the measure, and former UC Berkeley Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien has added his name to the list. 

The petition calls for the state to help provide “fair pay” for teachers, fund ongoing teacher training and parent involvement, finance academic support programs and allow districts greater flexibility in how they use certain portions of state-allocated funds. 

Organizers will begin distributing the petitions today, and committee member Marissa Saunders, whose child attends City of Franklin Microsociety Magnet School, encouraged her colleagues to use “traditional” means for getting out the word – not just email and other high-tech means, which leave lower-income families out of the loop. 

“I’m sure that there are parents out there who don’t know this is going on because they’re not as involved as we are,” she said. 

Barry Fike, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, issued his own word of caution after Tuesday’s meeting. He told the Daily Planet that he’s concerned the focus on drawing more money out of Sacramento could be a distraction for local ways to resolve the stalled contract negotiations between the teachers union and the district. 

“The concern I have is that this is not addressing the internal scandal here in Berkeley,” he said, referring to figures distributed by the union showing that even though the district’s base revenue limit continues to increase, the amount of money allocated for teachers’ salaries has not increase at the same rate.

Daily Planet Staff 

OAKLAND – Inside a federal courtroom Tuesday, the case of the United States vs. Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy and his son Vijay Lakireddy was in its pre-trial stages. 

But outside the courts a dozen mostly South Asian women held placards denouncing the exploitation of foreign workers and of women. They asked those going into the courts to focus their attention less on the men on trial, then on their alleged victims. 

The women, members of the newly formed Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, came together in response to the Reddy case but are expanding their message to “all the workers caught in the web of involuntary servitude,” said Shaily Matani, a coordinator for ASATA. 

Helping the victims is not an easy task. 

“They do not have power. There is nothing to protect them,” Matani said. 

Members of ASATA who are close to the Reddy case say that the two alleged Reddy victims, named in court documents, have received assurances from the Immigration and Naturalization Service that they will not be deported once the trial is over. 

The Daily Planet was unable to confirm this with the INS, which referred the call to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A spokesperson for that office declined to comment. 

Members of ASATA say they are concerned about other alleged victims that could be named in the future. 

“The INS said they are not interested in prosecuting victims, but (they said) ‘the law is the law,’” Matani said. 

Another of ASATA’s goals is to make it clear that the Reddy case is not about sex. 

“Sex implies, requires consent,” Matani said. 

When one person demands sex of another, is responsible for that person’s employment and holds that person’s passport, “that is sexual assault,” she said. 

Matani added that the group wants to underscore that even though they focus on the problem of exploitation in the South Asian immigrant community, the problem of rape and sexual exploitation is not any greater in that community than it is in the general population in the United States. 

ASATA can be reached at ASATA_organization@hotmail.com.

Police are investigating two armed robberies that occurred in Berkeley over the weekend. 

A Berkeley woman walking home from the Downtown Berkeley BART station was robbed at gunpoint at about 8 p.m. Saturday night in the 1300 block of Addison Street. 

The victim was unable to describe both suspects, said Berkeley Police Lt. Bob Maloney, but she said the man who got out of the white sedan near her and held up a gun was a Hispanic male in his 20s about 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds. He was wearing a light-colored top and dark pants. 

He took her leather shoulder bag containing a wallet, identification and checks but no cash. 

Around 4 a.m. Sunday, a man riding a bicycle near Haskell Street and San Pablo Avenue was robbed at gunpoint by two men. 

Maloney said the man, who lives in that area was approached by the suspects, who robbed the victim of cash and a wristwatch, 

The men drove away on Haskell Street in a yellow Jeep. 

The suspects were described as African-American males, one about 25 years old and 5 feet tall with a medium build, and the other about 40 years old, 5 feet 9 inches, 170 pounds. 

No suspects have been identified and Berkeley police are continuing to follow up on the incident.

Daily Planet Staff 

Society may seek to muffle the voices of young people, but teens who take a stand for the causes they feel passionately about frequently find that their involvement can have an impact. 

“We’re being labeled in all kinds of negative ways,” 24-year-old activist Brahm Amadi told a group of Berkeley High students Monday. “Taking action proves that we do care and we can make a difference.” 

Amadi was one of five activists who visited the campus to encourage young people to address the serious problems facing society. Each activist talked about his or her area of involvement, using their own stories as a means for motivating the BHS teens: 

• Amadi told the students about Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES), a Soquel-based group that provides training on environmental and human rights issues 

• Castlemont High School juniors Portia Smith and Monica Holloway, who are involved in Teens on Target, a program of Oakland-based Youth ALIVE! talked about roots of violence and violence prevention efforts 

• Vicki Larkowich, a senior at St. Ignatius Prep, talked about the efforts to shut down the controversial School of the Americas, where Latin American soldiers are trained to fight 

• Megan Dobchuk-Land of Ontario, Canada, spoke about Free the Children, an international organization that works on behalf of needy and exploited children, founded five years ago by a Canadian boy who was 12 years old at the time 

The common theme ran through each presentation: Even when facing daunting odds, young people can make their voices heard and can effect change. 

Dobchuk-Land recalled the story behind the formation of her organization. Craig Keilburger was just 12 when he heard about another 12-year-old boy, living in Pakistan. Iqbal Masih was killed for speaking out against the child labor industry, which had enslaved him since he was 4 years old. 

“One 12-year-old’s voice had so much of an effect on the carpet industry, of all things, that the people who ran that industry felt they had to get rid of him,” Dobchuk-Land said. 

Amadi told the students that it was time for young people to “shake that old tree” of society, to “get some new juice flowing” and bring down “fruit from those branches.” 

The tour, which continues through Friday, is visiting about 10 schools in the East Bay, in addition to two community forums. The first forum was held Monday night in Pleasanton, the second will be Friday evening in Orinda. The tour is sponsored by Free the Children, Youth Alive!, Youth for Environmental Sanity and the Jubilee 2000 Office of the Catholic Diocese of Oakland. 

This week’s campus visits and community forums will culminate in a Saturday event at St. Mary’s College High School here in Berkeley. From 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., young people will participate in a series of sessions designed to help them get involved in issues they choose to pursue, whether it be the environment, human rights issues, or another causes that stir their emotions. 

Saturday’s event is free, but participants are asked to bring a signed permission form from a parent or guardian, and either a lunch or $2 for pizza. For more information on obtaining a permission form or about the program, call Bev Hoffman at 510-267-8379 or David Beiser at 510-658-3341. 

 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

 

Income tax help 

2-4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Call ahead for an appointment. 

510-644-6107 

 

“Cities in Civilization: Culture, Innovation and Urban Order” 

4:10 p.m. 

International House Auditorium, Piedmont and Bancroft 

Planning Professor Emeritus Sir Peter Hall will deliver this lecture, part of the Charles M. and Martha Hitchcock Lectures. 

510-643-7413; www.grad.berkeley.edu/lectures 

 

City Council executive closed-session meeting 

5:30 p.m. 

1900 Addison St., Third Floor Conference Room 

 

City Council meeting 

7 p.m. 

Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

 

Blue Ribbon Budget committee 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Alternative High School auditorium, corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Derby Street 

 

BAHA Spring Lecture Series 

7:30 p.m. 

College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Ave., Oakland 

Wendy Hitchmough will speak on “The Arts & Crafts Home: A Quiet Revolution in Lifestyle.” This is the second of four spring lectures sponsored by the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Cost is $10 per person. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. 

510-841-2242; 510-652-0975 

 

---

Wednesday, April 12

---

 

Three piano solos 

Noon 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Ivan Ilic will perform Copland’s Piano variations; Yi-Fang Tsai will perform Chopin’s Etude No 7, op. 25 and Debussy’s Prélude, Book I, No XII; and Brian Christian will perform Prokofiev’s Sonata No 7 in B-flat major, op. 83. 

 

Harris Seminar 

Noon 

119 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Jeannette Money from UC Davis will speak on “Xenophobia and Xenophilia: Immigrant Voters as counterweights to the Extreme Right.” 

 

Art in the Garden 

2-4:30 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive 

Karen LeGault, a local artist and teacher whose work has been exhibited internationally, is leading this eight-week class in drawing and painting from nature. Both experienced artists and beginners are welcome. Call ahead for more information or to enroll. 

510-643-2755 

 

“The End of the City? ‘The report of my death was an exaggeration’” 

4:10 p.m. 

International House Auditorium, Piedmont and Bancroft 

Planning Professor Emeritus Sir Peter Hall will deliver this lecture, part of the Charles M. and Martha Hitchcock Lectures. 

510-643-7413; www.grad.berkeley.edu/lectures 

 

“The Spare Part and the Machine” 

7 p.m. 

160 Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Friedman Visiting Professor Charles Correa will be the featured lecturer. 

 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

7 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

This storytime program is designed for families with children up to 3 years old. The free, participatory program features a half hour of multicultural songs, rhymes, lap jogs and stories to give very young children a lively introduction to the magic of books. 

510-644-6870 

 

“Kiss Me, Kate” 

7:30 p.m. 

Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St. 

The middle-school “innocents” present this not-so-innocent play complete with its incorrect sexual politics. The Cole Porter score for this 1950 “Taming of the Shrew” takeoff is “scandalous,” cynical - wonderful. The musical is performed by seventh- through ninth-graders from Berkeley public schools. Admission is a donation. 

510-848-1797; pwp.value.net/bwicinas 

 

Poetry Flash 

7:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

Julie Bruck and Patti Trimble will be the featured poets, with jazz by Bill Horvitz. 

510-845-7852; 510-525-5476 

 

---

Thursday, April 13

---

 

“Should E-Commerce Be Taxed?” Luncheon and Speakers 

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 

Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto, 1919 Fourth St. 

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce has assembled a panel of speakers, both for and against taxation of e-commerce: Professor Hal R. Varian, Dean of the School of Information Management and Systems, UC Berkeley; Michael Nelson, CEO of SacWeb, Inc., Sacramento; and Bill Petrocelli, Vice President of Book Passage, a Corte Madera bookstore. Cost is $25 per person. 

510-549-7000; chamber@dnai.com 

 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

 

Income tax help 

2-4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Call ahead for an appointment. 

510-644-6107 

 

“Smart Investments: Ideas to Actions” 

3 p.m. 

Goldman School of Public Policy living room, 2607 Hearst Ave. 

California State Treasurer Phil Angelides will be the featured speaker. As California faces unprecedented growth in the years ahead, it cannot achieve sustained economic success if the environment is degraded and if there are pockets of poverty throughout the state. The state treasurer’s office is supporting a strategic and fiscally prudent approach to investment which calls for: investments that support livable communities, sustainable development and sound environmental practices; and investment in struggling communities to reverse a dangerous trend towards “two Californias” - one in poverty and the other enjoying an economic boom. 

510-642-1303; cecille@socrates.berkeley.edu 

 

Community Health Commission 

6:45 p.m. 

Mental Health Clinic, 2640 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way 

The commission’s agenda includes a discussion of the final health access report, crisis in East Bay hospital care and the midwife crisis.

Daily Planet Correspondent 

OAKLAND – Since 1993, Berkeley-based Emerald Rain Productions has produced 12 theatrical events, with an emphasis on original rock musicals that address the interests of audience members in their late teens and 20s. 

Friday at Open Arts Circle in Oakland, Emerald Rain premiered its latest show “Itgirl” – an ambitious, but only partially successful, right-of-passage story about a high school prom that turns into a science fiction adventure featuring holographic body transport, evil technology genius, corporate mind and body control, social apocalypse, and the uncertainty of human identity. 

Written and directed by Berkeleyan Dominic Mah, with music by Gaby Alter, Sam Dorman and Ian Jurcso, “Itgirl” is an ambitious show. A youth angst story, it asks the question, very relevant in the world of the play’s characters, “Do things get better after you leave high school?” 

In “Itgirl,” high school lesbian dates Veronica (Berkeley High School junior Meggy Hai) and Eileen (Rebecca Fureigh), and Veronica’s brother Paul (Ian Jurcso) are excited that pop singer Itgirl (Ilana Berman) will be singing at their prom. 

Celebrity television VJ Lucy (Tina Chilip) is there to cover the event with her odd full body secret cameras, which are designed by a corporation that employs mysterious computer guy Tap (Euclides Pereyra), who appears to be the benign boyfriend of teacher Lark (Berkeley High’s Ashley Kelly). 

When the punch at the prom is spiked, however, things turn weird. The play makes a sudden shift, and veers into the world of science fiction melodrama. 

There is much in this play that is very good. The ideas it covers about the uncertainty of human identity, or about how in the future there will be no future, are interesting themes to work with. 

But the script in the second half of “Itgirl” spends enormous amounts of time sorting out the twists and turns of the science fiction technology, and going through a lot of exposition to explain them to the audience. 

When this happens, the characters and their plight take a back seat to the technology, which is not as interesting as the dilemmas in the characters hearts. At times the play sounds like an operating manual. 

Less might have been more, preserving the basic technology story ideas, but not feeling obligated to nail down every detail. 

Featuring just six tunes, “Itgirl” feels more like a play that contains a few songs than a full-fledged musical. Highlights are the ensemble’s Act I closer “Afterworld,” a song about the realization that the world is a place of one’s own imagining; and the right of passage transformation song “Comedy is Tragedy + Time.” 

Emerald Rain won a 1999 Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Score for its earlier musical “Vapor Tales.” 

“Itgirl” runs Friday and Saturday, through April 15, at Open Arts Circle, 530 E. Eighth St. (at 6th Avenue, near Laney College), Oakland. It then plays Friday and Saturday, April 21 through May 6 at Renaissance Ballroom, 285 Ellis St., San Francisco. All shows are at 8 p.m. 

The tickets are affordable for youth audience members. Admission is $12 (general), $8 (students, seniors and Theater Bay Area members). For reservations or information, call 510-982-0433.

It’s been almost a month since the Berkeley High boys lacrosse team last played Acalanes, but you can bet that March 21’s road victory is still on the Yellowjackets’ minds. After all, the 5-3 win marked the last time Berkeley beat any league opponent. 

The ’Jackets look to snap a four-game league losing streak this afternoon, when they host Acalanes at the BHS football field. The 4 p.m. showdown matches up the two Bay Area teams which Berkeley High coach Chris Sparhawk thinks are most similar to each other. 

“(Acalanes) is probably the most analogous team to us in the league,” the coach said. “They play well as a team, like us, but they’re not individually strong.” 

Despite the Yellowjackets’ losing skid, Sparhawk had been encouraged by his squad’s recent play, especially its showing at April 1’s Golden Gate Tournament in Novato. According to the coach, Berkeley is beginning to shed its obvious signs of inexperience, and blossoming into a more cohesive unit. 

“I think the main thing is we need to play smart, like we did in the tournament last weekend,” Sparhawk said. “Each guy has to count on his teammates, rather than try to do too much.” 

Nearly all of Berkeley’s recent losses have been decided in the final quarter – a fact which Sparhawk says testifies to the team’s youth. While he considers Acalanes a similarly youthful squad, he stresses the potential danger of entering the match too confident, especially with an emotional team like BHS. 

“(The momentum) could go either way,” Sparhawk said about today’s game. “The truth of the matter is, we have a young team. Typically, young teams win games they shouldn’t win and lose games they shouldn’t lose.  

“This win could really bolster our confidence.” 

After today, Berkeley heads into the final three games of its 2000 league schedule, starting with San Francisco’s St. Ignatius on the road on Thursday. That game is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Daily Planet Staff 

Scofflaws in Berkeley? 

Yep. 

And the city auditor has ferreted out dozens of them – businesses that did not pay their annual business license taxes. 

In the last fiscal year, ending in June, 186 business owners or professionals did not pay their business license taxes, five businesses under-reported their earnings and three had delinquent taxes, according to a report on tonight’s City Council agenda.  

“Based on these results, it appears that 10 percent or more of Berkeley businesses sampled were operating without a license,” Auditor Anne-Marie Hogan wrote. 

These business owners owed $340,000 to the city’s coffers last year. After the businesses 

were identified, the city collected $216,500 of the money owed. 

The City Council will discuss the auditor’s report at its meeting tonight. 

All persons engaged in business in Berkeley are required to obtain a license and pay fees based on their earnings.  

Some people do not know they are supposed to have a license, but ignorance of the law is no excuse, Hogan said. 

“I do believe the city could do a better job of publicizing the (requirement for) business licenses,” she added. 

In her report, the auditor recommends that the finance department do a better job of collecting the taxes. The finance department responds that it has just hired additional personnel to do the job. 

Liens were attached to some 20 properties last year, amounting to $43,000 in uncollected taxes. The county remits these funds to the city twice a year and the finance department receives payments on these liens. However, the finance department does not have a system in place to track the liens against the county’s remittances. So some of this money owed to the city may have been paid, but the auditor’s office has no way of knowing it. 

The finance department has agreed to make this information available to the auditor. 

The auditor’s report also asks the finance department to update its business license brochure. 

Another recommendation is one which Hogan is asking the council to put before the voters in November. 

It seems that in 1990, the city added savings and loans to its professional services category. (Business license taxes vary according to category.) 

“When ‘Savings and Loans’ was added, the rest of the list of professional categories was deleted from the section and placed in the nonprofessional section in error,” the report says. 

This reduced the taxes of businesses in that sector, including doctors, veterinarians, lawyers, engineers, architects, bookkeepers from $3.60 per $1,000 in gross receipts to $1.80 per $1,000 in gross receipts. 

These groups were inadvertently moved from a professional to nonprofessional category. 

Because of Proposition 218, and in order to put the professionals back into the professional category, the correction must be approved by voters. Hogan says she had asked for this to go on the November 1998 ballot, but, she said, “it slipped through the cracks.” 

The council may vote tonight to ask the city attorney to prepare a ballot measure, correcting the error.

The Berkeley High girls track team got another taste of non-league competition over the weekend, competing against runners from all over the state at the 33rd Arcadia Invitational. 

As expected, the BHS sprinting contingent left with several first-place finishes, and strong showings in virtually every event. Katrina Keith and Aisha Margain set the tone for the ’Jackets, winning the 100m and 200m sprints, respectively. Keith and Margain also anchored Berkeley’s relay teams, helping the Yellowjackets to a first-place finish in the 4x100m, and a second-place showing in the 4x400m. 

T’carra Penick, also a part of both relay teams, made her individual mark by taking third in the 400m, while Simone Brooks contributed a fourth-place in the 100m hurdles.

For the fourth time since 1989, Berkeley Arts Magnet School has been selected as a California Distinguished School. 

The school was among 233 elementary school campuses that have been chosen for the award, State Superintendent of Schools Delaine Eastin announced Monday. 

“These schools are committed to a superior standard of education, making them leaders in the education community,” Eastin said in a news release. 

Berkeley Arts Magnet previously was named a Distinguished School in 1989, 1993 and 1997. Another Berkeley campus, Malcolm X Arts and Academics Magnet Elementary School, was selected as an honorable mention this year. 

The Berkeley Unified School District achieved a singular feat in the state this year: It was the only district to have two schools – Malcolm X and Berkeley Arts Magnet – honored with the Excellence in Arts Education award. 

“A panel identified 16 schools whose arts education programs serve as models of excellence for others,” Eastin noted.  

“The inclusion of this category reflects my strong support of arts education as essential and integral to the basic education of all students in California public schools.” 

The “special emphasis” award follows a pattern established by the federal Department of Education and its National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which has begun honoring schools that excel in specific areas of education, including arts education, “character education” and “service learning.” 

The Distinguished School program does not evaluate every school in California, but only those campuses that choose to apply for the award. This year’s arts emphasis award winners were chosen from applicants to the Distinguished School program. 

The awards will be presented in May at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

It’s finally starting to look like golf weather in Berkeley, and the course conditions aren’t the only things improving.  

After carding a season-best 208 in a league match last week, the Berkeley High boys golf team continued to compete on a higher plane on Monday, taking 12th place at the reasonably prestigious Ukiah Golf Classic. 

“Most of our guys knew the course from last year, knew it was open, and easy to let things go,” BHS co-coach Rodney Kopish said after the match. “We did really well – 12th out of 20 teams – and with a stroke here and there we could have gone up to eighth.” 

Berkeley High’s total score of 435 marked a tremendous improvement over last year, when the squad shot well over 500 on the same course. Ivan Holmes’ score of 74 was good enough to tie for the best score in the tourney, though Holmes would drop to second place after a two-hole playoff with the co-winner. Adam Breckler and Curran Kennedy carded the Yellowjackets’ next two best scores, finishing the 18 holes in 83 and 87 strokes, respectively. Walker Koppelman-Brown and Ronald Quintero rounded out the BHS scoring.  

Berkeley High gets perhaps its only chance of the season at a league win this afternoon, when it hosts East Bay Athletic League rival Granada at Tilden Park Golf Course. Though the Matadors took the first matchup of the year between the two schools, played at Livermore’s Las Positas Country Club, Kopish believes his squad’s improvement is sufficient to compete for a victory this time around. 

“(Granada) is our big shot at a league win,” the coach said about today’s match. “We had a great performance (in Ukiah), but we’ve got a lot of room for improvement.  

“I think we should go down to 205 (strokes). I think that’s reasonable.” 

Today’s match tees off at 3:30 p.m.

A man leaped to his death Monday morning from Evans Hall on the UC Berkeley campus in an apparent suicide. 

Capt. Bill Cooper of the UC Police Department said paramedics and police offices pronounced the man dead at the scene. Cooper said there was no sign of foul play but university police will investigate the death, which occurred around 9:30 a.m. The man apparently jumped from the ninth floor of the 10-story classroom and office building. 

The Alameda County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 31-year-old Duane Alan Mathews of Oakland, who was reportedly a UC Berkeley graduate. 

An autopsy is scheduled to be done today.

By Michelle Locke 

The Associated Press 

A Monday rally at UC Berkeley opened up a generation gap as graying veterans of the battle to create People’s Park were largely ignored by 20-something students eating and chatting in front of the main administration building. 

Speakers exhorted students to take a stand for posterity. 

“Vote to stand up to the corrupt corporate powers that have taken over this university. Vote to keep People’s Park a park,” said Berkeley City Councilmember Dona Spring. 

But some seemed unconvinced. 

“People’s Park – well, it represents something right now, I guess, but I think housing would make a lot more people happy,” said sophomore Steve Chinn. 

The counterculture field of dreams known as People’s Park is again the subject of debate as UC students vote this week on whether the land should be a preserve for housing or history. 

At issue is a nonbinding proposition on the student government slate that asks, “Do you think the People’s Park area should remain a park as opposed to having (the university) explore alternative uses for the space/land?” 

Although the vote is purely advisory, its symbolic value is being watched closely. 

Community activists are rallying to support the park, created on April 20, 1969, when hundreds of people showed up with shovels and sod, transforming the nearly 3-acre space from a muddy parking lot into a green space. 

“It’s one of the only places that is common land on some level and so there’s a lot of people that are involved in it,” says a woman who tends flowers in the park and goes by the name Terri Compost. 

But many students shun the university-owned space a block or two from campus; it has become a hangout for the homeless and drug-users in recent years. 

“I’m all for preserving People’s Park, but it also should be cleaned up a bit,” said sophomore Kevin De Liban, who was campaigning for a spot in student government from the comfort of a chair in the sunny expanse of Sproul Plaza Monday. 

De Liban said he doesn’t want to chase anyone out of the park, but students should be made to feel comfortable, too. “I don’t really feel safe going into People’s Park.” 

People’s Park began in 1967, when the university bought and bulldozed a line of apartment houses but delayed doing anything with the land. A month after activists turned the resulting rutted land into a park, the university struck back, putting up a line of chain link fences that set off a riot that left one man dead. 

In 1972, antiwar demonstrators tore down the fence and the idea of a park “for the people” was revived. 

The student government member who put the proposition on the ballot did not make a public appearance at the rally and did not return telephone calls Monday to The Associated Press. He has said he is mainly interested in giving students a place to state their opinions on People’s Park. 

“It’s only meant to give students a place in the decision-making process,” Sabet told the Daily Planet last week. 

“The initiative is not meant to be any sort of ‘anti’ or ‘pro’ People’s Park tool.” 

Over the years, the university has occasionally tried to assert its property rights to the land, only to retreat in the face of vigorous protest. 

UC Berkeley spokeswoman Marie Felde said officials have no plans to make any major changes at the park, but they’re watching the measure, as a way to “better understand student sentiment.” 

Votes are being cast today through Thursday as part of the regular student government elections. 

Park supporter Compost, who refused to give her real name, said students need to look back on battles fought before they were born. 

“It has a lot of history and it has a lot of sweat,” she said, “a lot of our work and our dreams.” 

Daily Planet staff contributed to this report. 

University police still are investigating the stabbing Saturday of a 48-year-old man, who was attacked at noon in People’s Park while waiting in a food line. 

“He had two or three cuts, but we certainly expect him to live,” said Capt. Bill Cooper of the UC Police Department. The man was taken to Alameda County Medical Center. 

The stabbing apparently occurred after an argument between the two men as they stood in line to receive food at the park. The incident occurred just about an hour before a concert organized by park supporters who are closing following this week’s UC student advisory vote on the park. 

Cooper said he did not know if the assailant and victim had “crossed paths before.” 

Detectives are trying to locate witnesses, and they are following promising leads to identify the assailant, he said.

Daily Planet Staff 

The chair of the Commission on Disability was trapped for more than 20 minutes inside the elevator in Old City Hall two weeks ago. The incident was the impetus behind a resolution on tonight’s council agenda, asking that the city make Council Chambers completely accessible to people with disabilities. 

“It was frustrating,” said Commission Chair Miyo Rodolfo-Sioson, who missed the item she had wanted to hear at the City Council meeting that was taking place on the second floor. 

Rodolfo-Sioson operates a motorized wheelchair independently and has limited use of her hands. 

She was able to call the elevator by depressing the call button with her wheelchair, but once inside the elevator, she was unable to access the button to move the elevator to the second floor. 

Stuck inside the elevator, Rodolfo-Sioson had to wait until someone else called the elevator from the second floor. 

The solution for her is an elevator equipped with a mechanism that can be accessed with the footplate on her wheelchair. 

“A lot of people are like me,” Rodolfo-Sioson said. “They don’t have use of their hands.” 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington reacted to the incident by writing a council resolution, asking the city to make Council Chambers completely accessible, including the elevator. 

“It is very important for all disabled citizens to have equal access to the City Council meetings,” he said. 

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

Daily Planet Staff 

By the end of this month, 40 homes and 15 community centers and schools in Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville and North Oakland will be repaired and renovated thanks to more than 2,000 volunteers participating in the Christmas in April program. 

“I give my thanks to Christmas in April. They’re lifesavers, because without them, we wouldn’t be able to do this,” said Betty Alcutt during a Saturday morning work session-turned-press conference at her mother’s house on Mathews Street. Volunteers will be installing a wheelchair lift outside Georgia and Lenzy Taylor’s home and will remodel a bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible. 

Organizers estimate that this year’s volunteers in the four communities will be doing more than $500,000 in repair work. Nationally, around 237,000 volunteers will provide an estimated $78 million in repairs this year in 720 communities. 

Since 1991, volunteers with the Albany-Berkeley-Emeryville branch of Christmas in April have rehabilitated 256 homes and 54 community facilities, including schools and community centers. Most of the homes belonged to low-income seniors or disabled residents. 

“There are lots of people who put lots of time and lots of energy into this, and it’s really worthwhile,” said Berkeley Police Chief Dash Butler, who serves on the board of the local group. 

Butler recalled that despite some kinks in the process the first time around, in 1991 – he joked that it was “Christmas in April and May” – he found the experience rewarding, and a team from the police department has volunteered every year since. 

On Saturday, with reporters and cameramen wandering around the Taylors’ property, volunteers from Community Impact participated in the first workday of the Christmas in April season. The primary workday will be April 29, but volunteers are working at several sites around the area on every Saturday this month. 

That means by this time in May, Georgia Taylor will be able to leave her home in her wheelchair, something that has been a Herculean task since a stroke in May 1999 left her confined to that wheelchair. Her husband, Lenzy, took part in Saturday’s press conference, offering a brief but heartfelt remark. 

“I thank all of you all, and I appreciate it very much,” he said. 

Executive Director Christa Hill noted that organizers are still accepting donations of materials for the workdays, including lumber, carpet, range hoods, a floor furnace, ovens, washers, dryers, refrigerators, linoleum and paint (a paint donation should consist of a 20-gallon minimum of one color, such as off-white, white and cream). Volunteers are also still needed, especially carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers, roofers and carpet installers. 

For more information on making a donation or becoming a volunteer, call 510-644-8979. 

Monday, April 10

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Branch Berkeley Public Library, 2121 Allston Way 

This storytime program is designed for families with children up to 3 years old. The free, participatory program features a half hour of multicultural songs, rhymes, lap jogs and stories. 

510-649-3943 

People’s Park rally 

Noon 

Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley campus 

Supporters of People’s Park will hold a rally about the history of the Park and why students should vote yes on Prop 1 in the upcoming ASUC elections. Scheduled speakers include Dan Siegel (ASUC President in 1970), Osha Neumann (civil rights attorney), Michael Delacour (co-founder of the park), and numerous students and members of student government. 

510-272-2421; yes4thepark@hotmail.com 

e-Campaigning: Ethics & the Internet 

Noon-4 p.m. 

Seaborg Room, The Faculty Club, UC Berkeley campus 

The purpose of this conference is to explore methods of improving management of campaigning in the digital age. In particular, the conference is designed to promote discussion within the community of political advisers, electronic fund-raisers, journalists and other commentators, and to consider ways of regulating electronic campaign fund-raising to ensure legitimacy and ethical management. Lunch at noon will be followed by a keynote presentation by California Secretary of State Bill Jones at 1 p.m., a panel discussion at 2 p.m. and Q&A session at 3 p.m. Panelists include John Gage, Sun Microsystems; Leslie Goodman, Political Strategies, Inc.; Wade Randlett, Red Gorilla; Kim Alexander, California Voter Foundation; Jack Kavanaugh, Rough & Tumble; Gene Rochlin, UC Berkeley Energy & Resources Group; and Peter Lyman, UC Berkeley School of Information Management Systems. This event is free and open to the public. 

510-642-5158; 510-649-3099 

Transportation Demand Management Study Working Group Meeting 

4-6 p.m. 

Unit 1 Recreation Room, 2650 Durant Ave. (at College) 

The City of Berkeley and University of California are jointly preparing a Transportation Demand Management Study. This study is designed to develop strategies for efficient, environmentally friendly, economically sound transportation for the Southside/Downtown areas of Berkeley for the next 20 years. The study will consider facilities and programs for automobiles (e.g., parking structures), bicycles (e.g., bicycle parking), pedestrians (e.g., sidewalk improvements), and transit (e.g., expanded transit subsidy programs). The purpose of the working group meeting is to discuss the community’s goals and priorities for transportation improvements in Berkeley’s core. 

The Affordable Housing Advocacy Project 

6 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

The Berkeley Housing Authority is sponsoring a series of meetings aimed at improving authority operations. 

Free Copwatch Class 

6 p.m. 

Copwatch office, 2022 Blake St. 

Learn about police accountability, your rights when dealing with the police and how to stop police brutality. Sponsored by Berkeley Copwatch. 

510-548-0425 

“Designing Sustainable Communities: Learning from Village Homes” 

6:30 p.m. 

Builders Booksource, 1817 Fourth St. 

Every Builders Booksource employee who graduated from UC Berkeley knows the importance of Michael and Judy Corbett’s time-tested design for sustainable Village Homes in Davis. Examine the success of this community and learn what important aspects of its design can be translated to your community design. This free event includes a slide presentation, talk and booksigning. 

510-845-6874; www.buildersbooksite.com 

“What about Economic Rights?” 

7:30-9:30 p.m. 

International House Auditorium, Piedmont and Bancroft 

This symposium will focus on wealth, poverty and the human rights legacy. Scheduled speakers include: Laurel Fletcher, associate director, International Human Rights Law Clinic at Boalt Law School; Anuradha Mittal, policy director, Food First Institute; Cheri Honkala; founder and director, Kensington Welfare Rights Union; and Charles Henry, former U.S. State Department official. The event is free of charge and open to the public. 

Tuesday, April 11

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia  

510-548-3333 

Income tax help 

2-4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Call ahead for an appointment. 

510-644-6107 

“Cities in Civilization: Culture, Innovation and Urban Order” 

4:10 p.m. 

International House Auditorium, Piedmont and Bancroft 

Planning Professor Emeritus Sir Peter Hall will deliver this lecture, part of the Charles M. and Martha Hitchcock Lectures. 

510-643-7413; www.grad.berkeley.edu/lectures 

City Council meeting 

7 p.m. 

Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Blue Ribbon Budget committee 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Alternative High School auditorium, corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Derby Street 

BAHA Spring Lecture Series 

7:30 p.m. 

College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Ave., Oakland 

Wendy Hitchmough will speak on “The Arts & Crafts Home: A Quiet Revolution in Lifestyle.” This is the second of four spring lectures sponsored by the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Cost is $10 per person. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. 

510-841-2242; 510-652-0975 

Wednesday, April 12

Three piano solos 

Noon 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Ivan Ilic will perform Copland’s Piano variations; Yi-Fang Tsai will perform Chopin’s Etude No 7, op. 25 and Debussy’s Prélude, Book I, No XII; and Brian Christian will perform Prokofiev’s Sonata No 7 in B-flat major, op. 83. 

Art in the Garden 

2-4:30 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive 

Karen LeGault, a local artist and teacher whose work has been exhibited internationally, is leading this eight-week class in drawing and painting from nature. Call ahead for more information or to enroll. 

510-643-2755 

“The End of the City? ‘The report of my death was an exaggeration’” 

4:10 p.m. 

International House Auditorium, Piedmont and Bancroft 

Planning Professor Emeritus Sir Peter Hall will deliver this lecture, part of the Charles M. and Martha Hitchcock Lectures. 

510-643-7413; www.grad.berkeley.edu/lectures 

“The Spare Part and the Machine” 

7 p.m. 

160 Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Friedman Visiting Professor Charles Correa will be the featured lecturer. 

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

7 p.m. 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

“Kiss Me, Kate” 

7:30 p.m. 

Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St. 

The musical is performed by seventh- through ninth-graders from Berkeley public schools. Admission is a donation. 

510-848-1797; pwp.value.net/bwicinas

Despite my desire to believe that I live in a community that is diverse in its culture and would not tolerate any form of racism, my desire and belief have been daunted with the constant reminder that it is still “us” against “them.” I have become over the last three years increasingly aware of the underlining and subtle racism that exists in the Berkeley community. Whether or not anyone will or can admit to it also frightens me. With the passage of Prop. 21 and the new State Mandated Retention Policy, it is obvious that the entire State of California down to the Berkeley Unified School District has an agenda that is NOT to benefit the children of color. 

As an African-American parent of a child in the school district, I am appalled at the obvious racism that exists. I have attended forum after forum, workshop after workshop, and meeting after meeting where everyone in attendance has insisted that they would like to be part of the process of eliminating the obvious exclusion the white community has caused over the years. With that in mind, those same “helpful” people are all a part of the exclusion process that exists. When a family comes to a school in the district, EVERYTHING is already in place by the white parents who have been a part of the community for eons. Is this fair? Is this inclusion? 

Committees have come together time and time again to discuss how to assist the African-American/Latino communities in helping their children become more successful in school and in life. The amusing thing is that these same committees do not invite or do outreach to the communities to receive their valuable input about their children. Just live slavery, segregation and all other forms of oppression, “We know what you need, never mind what you think you need.” It doesn’t change. And no matter how many times this total disregard is brought to everyone’s attention, it doesn’t change. Of course the committee leaders say that they contact people, but whom? For instance, how can you have a PTA Council meeting but not contact every PTA Council member, as well as the board members about the meeting? The most interesting thing is that the members that are of color and do not have e-mail are the ones that are left out of the loop. Another glowing example is the Literacy Project that the Berkeley Reads Committee has begun. A wonderful concept, but unfortunately, there are only two African Americans that sit on the committee and no Latino representation that I could see. 

It appears that the district receives numerous grants and funds to assist children and families of color, but no one of color is ever hired to distribute the funds, develop or implement programs. Of course the argument would be that the committee and district leaders have tried to do outreach to those communities, but whom have they contacted? How have they let the communities know that their help is needed? Through e-mail? 

Am I wrong for feeling insulted? Am I wrong for not wanting to tolerate it any longer? I wonder if anyone that is reading this is actually reading, hearing or understanding this. My only other question is, how can a community that does not want to admit to the problem be a part of the process? I only hope that the African-American/Latino communities wake up and then stand up for their children and families before it’s too late. 

Thanks for listening. 

A Berkeley resident, Marissa Saunders is a Berkeley parent advocate.

Daily Planet Correspondent 

Berkeley’s Aurora Theater opened a strong production Thursday of English playwright Harold Pinter’s bizarre and appalling, through oddly dated 1965 play “The Homecoming” – the story of a very shocking and dysfunctional family reunion. 

In “The Homecoming,” a comfortable working class family of four men living near London have their small, spiteful, bickering routines upset when a long-estranged brother Teddy (James Carpenter) shows up unexpectedly at the house after years of absence, bringing his wife Ruth (Rebecca Dines) whom the others didn’t know existed. 

The men go crazy over the fact that there is suddenly a woman in the house. They assault the serene, Sphinx-like Ruth with bawdy insults and propositions. Things advance down a taboo-breaking sexual road. 

Playwright Pinter’s people live in an ambiguous, contradictory and disjointed world. It’s not always clear who’s doing what to whom. 

Even individual personalities in “The Homecoming” are hard to pin down, since characters sometimes undergo unexpected reversals of behavior that make their motivations unclear. 

Using dialogue that is filled with vague but portentous innuendo, the tone of “The Homecoming” is a mix of comedy and drama. Sometimes the characters are funny. Sometimes they are threatening. 

One of the keys to understanding playwright Pinter, who is also an actor, is to appreciate the extent to which he is an actor’s playwright. 

When Pinter’s writing expresses non-sequiturs, or big jumps in tone, emotion or subject matter, he relies very much on the performance choices of actors to provide continuity. 

Similarly, when a Pinter character contradicts himself, it’s up to the actor to create something emotionally that allows the performance to make sense. 

At its best, this synergy between playwright and actor creates a wonderful and mysterious effect, and a unique kind of theatrical language. 

There is a lot of this wonderful Pinteresque theatrical language in the current Aurora production. Tom Ross’ wise direction keeps things moving, and there are some very good performances. 

James Carpenter is fascinating as the moist-eyed, long-suffering, fearful, returning prodigal Terry. This character inflates and deflates depending on how the primal battle is going that he’s fighting with his father, his brothers and his wife. 

Rebecca Dines is extraordinary as mystery wife Ruth. Cautious, alert, wary, aware, sexually unraveled, she is the hub around which much of the play’s activity moves.  

Jonathan Rhys Williams is good as the sometimes unctuous, sometimes brittle brother Lenny, a vicious psychotic misogynistic gangster. Chad Fisk is appropriately punchy as boxer son Joey. 

A wonderful foil to all the testosterone posturing, Chris Ayles plays mild, sweet-hearted chauffeur Sam, uncle to the three boys. 

Julian López-Morillas’s angry, violent patriarch Max, who refers to his sons as “bitches,” might have been a little more threatening and a little less blustering.  

As the taboo-breaking family sexual story heats up in “The Homecoming,” the play pulls its conflict and mystery increasingly from the repressed sexual energy of the puritan middle class world of 1965 when the play was written. 

But that puritan world doesn’t exist today the way it did 35 years ago. So the play’s sexual tension seems diluted. It has lost some of its punch. Pinter’s long final propositioning scene seems to go on too long. 

Nonetheless, this story of pathological gender imbalance in the family psyche is a classic of English theater, and the current Aurora production is a great opportunity to experience the play. 

“The Homecoming,” presented by Aurora Theater, plays Wednesday through Sunday, through May 7, at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. For tickets and information, call 510-843-4822.

It was the numbers that initially convinced high school All-American triple jumper Jerriod Mack to choose Cal – namely, the 80 percent graduation rate on the Bears’ men’s track team and the school’s 10-mile proximity from his hometown of Richmond.  

With a maturity that defies his sophomore status, Mack set lofty academic and athletic goals for himself after high school. And with the newly rededicated Edwards Stadium complex in place, the former St. Mary’s High School standout is, literally, on the right track.  

“Nine out of 10 (high school athletes) go on to college and become a nobody again,” said Mack, who took sixth in last year’s Pac-10 triple jump competition as a freshman. “(Cal is) a great academic institution. If you don’t have the academics, you can’t run.” 

While Mack may acknowledge the odds against becoming a “somebody” at the ultra-competitive collegiate level, he isn’t intimidated by them. And judging by his first-place performance on what he considered to be “an off-day” at Saturday’s Brutus Hamilton Invitational, he isn’t intimidated by his opponents, either. Mack’s longest jump of 49-2 was more than two feet short of his personal record, but still a foot longer than his closest competition at the meet. Whether or not “home field advantage” was a factor, the sophomore admits his excitement at finally having a home track. 

“It’s home,” Mack said. “(The renovation) brought all our spirits up, because now we don’t have to coordinate with Berkeley High (for track time). It’s great having my family here (at meets) – it gave me a lot of confidence today.” 

Thanks to the hype surrounding the St. Mary’s track team in his junior and senior years of high school, Mack’s jump to the collegiate level was as smooth as his jumps on the track. The future Cal business major took second in the state in the triple jump in his senior year at St. Mary’s, leading the much-improved Panthers to one of their best overall seasons ever, and all of a sudden found himself a hot commodity for collegiate track programs. 

“We started off at the bottom of the barrel (at St. Mary’s) and worked our way to the top,” Mack said. “At the end of my junior year, we got big – started having reporters come to school. It kind of opened my eyes to what’s really out there.” 

Having set a new personal record of 51-5 earlier this season, Mack appears well on his way to achieving his immediate goal of putting up a qualifying mark for the olympic trials. Coming from the academics-first environment of St. Mary’s High, however, he is not afraid to put his athletic goals on the back burner in favor of success in the classroom, should such an ultimatum ever present itself. 

“Academics came first at St. Mary’s, and it’s the same thing here,” he said. 

“The No. 1 goal is to get my diploma.” 

Daily Planet Staff 

Grace Christie and Jill Hutchby have made their home in a south Berkeley apartment building for 30 years. First they shared a large studio, then they moved into a more spacious two-bedroom unit with a spectacular view of the bay. 

“This has been home for us,” said Hutchby, 65. She and Christy, 78, have been told to move by their building’s new owner, who said he wants to move into their apartment. 

Although a 30-day notice was tended more than a month ago, property owner Anatole Olczak may be having second thoughts, said Berkeley attorney Michael Sims, who represents the landlord. 

“He cares. He’s not mean and heartless,” Sims said. Olczak was not aware that Hutchby and Christie were seniors when he 

presented them with the eviction notice, Sims said. “Maybe it can be postponed.” 

Christie is a former teacher in the Berkeley and Oakland schools, and a former receptionist at UC Berkeley. Hutchby is a retired secretary and former small-business owner. 

They say they live on limited incomes. Until recently, both worked a few hours each day delivering the Daily Planet. 

They had a dream of visiting England, Hutchby’s homeland, which she had not visited in 20 years. They had purchased cheap tickets to London for a March trip. 

But all plans changed Feb. 21. Hutchby remembers the door buzzer sounding. The resident manager was there. He said he’d come to introduce Christie and Hutchby to the new building owner. Olczak immediately told the pair he wanted to move into their apartment with his two children. 

“Then he handed us an eviction notice,” Hutchby said. “We were absolutely stunned.” 

Hutchby and Christie rent their two-bedroom apartment for $680 and pay a $30 fee for the use of the garage. A similar apartment directly below them, leased a year ago, rents for $1,400, plus $85 for the garage, Hutchby said. 

Under the state vacancy decontrol law, when apartments are vacated voluntarily, the apartment owner can set the rent as high as the market will bear. 

Hutchby points out that their old studio was available at the time she was given the 30-day notice, but that the landlord did not offer it to them. 

“We don’t want to be unreasonable, if the man has a family,” Hutchby said. 

Hutchby and Christie are being assisted by attorney Laura Lane from the East Bay Community Law Center. 

“We have reason to believe that the landlord may not be intending to move in,” Lane said, explaining that the center has looked at the owner’s affluent lifestyle and does not believe he would actually live with two children in a two-bedroom apartment across from People’s Park. 

She said she’s waiting for Olczak to file the formal eviction notice. If he does, she will take the case to court and represent Hutchby and Christie. 

“A jury will have to decide if he is intending to move in,” she said. 

Sims said that there is no question that it has been his client’s intention to live in the apartment with his daughters, 15 and 10. The teen-ager, in particular, would love to live near Telegraph Avenue, he said. 

The studio that had been available is currently rented, Sims said. “It did not occur to the owner that they would be interested,” he said. 

Defending the character of his client, Sims pointed to a former resident manager of the building who is an elderly woman. “He could have raised her rent, but did not,” Sims said. 

Sims said his client believes something may be able to be worked out. 

“We will be meeting with them,” he said.

Self-dealing. Hypocrisy. Elitist cronyism. Union busting. Subterfuge. What comes to mind ... multinational corporations, greedy capitalists, the “old boy network,” secret cabals? Where can such inequity be found ... Lagos, Nigeria; Washington, D.C.; Antwerp, Belgium; Berkeley City Manager’s Office? Certainly. 

While the ears of many of us are still ringing from our city’s administration, in late December, telling unionized workers that there was no money to pay them the wages they sought, a new assault of clanging cash registers and jackpot prize alarms may force others to get either a hearing, or, at least, reality check. 

After courageously holding the workers’ net wage increases to 3 percent per year, the City Manager was gifted with a 9 percent increase for one year plus other perks. Apparently flush with victory, he shamelessly accepted these spoils of empire and acquiesced as his cohorts among the ruling elite sat in line for increases ranging from 23 percent to 6 percent. The justification for their pay increase is the same argument the rulers rejected from the unionized workers. 

Compare those special public servants to the electricians and communications techs who, when seeking to renew their long-expired contract, openly fretted about taking funds that otherwise might go to needed social services like the warm water pool and homeless people programs. 

While recent boom times have enheartened many job seekers, none have fared as well this past decade as the itinerant administrators. Like snake oil salesmen, they ply their dubious wares to a market clamoring for relief from all manner of perceived ailment. Seldom does the plight of the fooled or disappointed consumer affect the itinerant’s progress in appropriating more of the wealth. 

This exemplifies a condition, some would say a sick one, which pervades our society: to a significant degree, the people whom are least able to bear a burden are the most likely to shoulder it. Responding to such dissonance is a longtime Berkeley tradition, but, perhaps, the people who held the tradition are deaf, or tired. It may be that silence is the only appropriate response to the realization that a subtle parasite has invaded our sensibility. Are we to announce to the world that we too have succumbed to the same infestation we’ve castigated others for? Maybe it’s better to slink away and pretend that the fact does not exist. Visualize public servicing. 

Pat McCullough is union steward for the city’s IBEW Local 1245.

Daily Planet Staff 

Lacking a complete team, the Berkeley High girls rugby squad combined with a contingent from Piedmont High on Sunday to take on talented Elsie Allen of Sacramento. Though the far less experienced Yellowjackets lost the game at Berkeley’s Fielding Park, the 25-15 final score marked the closest game of the season vs. their league rivals, and sent the BHS girls home with reason for encouragement.  

“(Today) was the first game we’ve really gotten together and done a good job,” said Sophia Chytry, who scored two of Berkeley’s three tries despite competing with a foot injury. “I think today showed how much we’ve improved. People are getting down what they need to do, like passing instead of just running through.” 

With the regular Berkeley High coaches competing in a collegiate tournament, Piedmont coach Jen Crawford took over the helm of the combined squad, and was impressed by what she saw. According to the coach, whose team is considering merging with BHS permanently, the Yellowjackets have made strides in both the physical and fundamental aspects of the sport over the course of 2000. 

“I saw things start clicking for them,” Crawford said after the game. “Some really good running, tackling. It takes a long time, but for their first year, they’re doing fabulous.” 

“It was a total change from the first time we played Elsie Allen,” added Joanna Hoch, who round out the Berkeley High scoring with a try of her own. “It was actually almost an equal match. We really held our own.” 

According to the Berkeley High girls, the best thing about the strong weekend showing is the message they sent to Elsie Allen – that with a little more improvement and experience, they can compete with much more established programs. 

“They definitely got a taste of what we’ll give them in the years to come,” Chytry prophecized. 

Berkeley High hopes to get back to the playing field this Thursday, on the road against Roseville, though the game has not yet been officially scheduled, due to possible conflicts caused by Roseville’s spring break.

Daily Planet Staff 

Progressives on the City Council point to the pending eviction of seniors Grace Christie and Jill Hutchby as a perfect example of why the city needs to pass new laws protecting tenants. 

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Councilmembers Kriss Worthington, Dona Spring, Linda Maio and Margaret Breland will introduce a resolution to place a measure on the November ballot that will guard against the eviction of seniors, disabled and ill people. 

But Robert Cabrera, president of the Berkeley Property Owners Association, says new laws are not the way to protect tenants. 

“The idea is to increase the housing supply and preserve the existing stock,” Cabrera said. 

Before considering such a ballot measure, the city ought to look at the very population it hopes to protect – the elderly, ill and disabled. 

Such a law could make landlords more reticent to rent to people in these categories. 

“These are the hard questions that Berkeley does not want to face,” he said. 

Cabrera added that he understands the plight of elderly tenants firsthand. An aunt, who owned 30 percent of a building in which she lived, left the country to care for an ailing relative in Argentina. When she returned, the rent board would not allow her to reclaim her apartment since she did not own more than 50 percent of the building and did not have owner move-in privileges. 

“She was living on $750 per month,” he said. 

Cabrera accuses the city government of looking at only one side of the coin. 

Attached to the resolution on Tuesday’s agenda, are San Francisco’s Measure G, which was approved by voters in November, and an initiative being circulated by Berkeley’s Green Party. If the council approves the resolution, the City Attorney will work with rent board attorneys to write an ordinance. Then the council will approve a final draft in July. 

The ballot measure could include: 

• Requiring a property owner who moves into an apartment in a building he owns to live there for at least 36 months. 

• Requiring a landlord to offer a tenant being evicted the right to rent any other unit owned by the landlord that becomes vacant. 

• Prohibiting a property owner from moving into a unit where the tenant is 60 years old and has lived there 10 years, where the tenant is disabled and has lived there 10 years or where the tenant has a catastrophic illness and has lived there five years. 

• The specific unit occupied by the property owner, after an owner move-in eviction, would be the only unit which future landlords could occupy. 

Daily Planet Staff 

The Cleavers had the insufferable Eddie Haskell, and Jerry Seinfeld had the nefarious Newman, but the Berkeley High girls lacrosse team may have the most obnoxious neighbor of all. 

Perhaps the Bay Area’s most established girls program, San Francisco’s St. Ignatius High has owned Berkeley the past three years, dealing the Yellowjackets six straight defeats in that span. The Wildcats had already swept BHS in both regular season league games of 2000 heading into last weekend’s Western States Tournament, so it was only fitting that the two schools would meet up once again in the weekend tourney hosted by Stanford.  

Berkeley and SI each won their first four games at the event to earn a trip to the championship game, where the Wildcats would ultimately triumph, 10-3. With the 4-1 weekend record, BHS took home second place honors.  

“SI was the first team (at the tournament) to challenge us,” said BHS attacker Jamie Lee, who scored two of the squad’s three goals against the cross-bay nemesis. “We were really pumped up (going in) because we’d been having such a good weekend.” 

The Yellowjackets managed to post the championship game’s first goal, and found themselves down by only two scores at halftime, but a second-half SI surge would render the advantage insurmountable. According to Lee, the team was taken out of the game emotionally, rather than physically, due in large part to the specter of the losing streak vs. the Wildcats. 

“I think some players got a little intimidated that it was SI,” she said. “We definitely thought we could still take them at halftime, but the tide just turned.” 

The ’Jackets registered victories over Santa Barbara’s Cate High, and Washington’s Holy Names and Bainbridge Island, on Saturday before taking care of Menlo School in Sunday’s semifinal. Despite the setback in the championship game, the squad left Palo Alto loaded with confidence for the remainder of the league season. 

“It was exciting to see the offense come up in the Bishop O’Dowd game (last Wednesday), and it was the same thing on Saturday,” said goalkeeper Joanna Hoch, who shared time in net with Kristen Braasch during the weekend. “They’re really being aggressive.” 

Berkeley High hopes to ride the weekend’s momentum to another league win this Wednesday, when it hosts Monte Vista in a 4 p.m. showdown at the BHS football field. 

Celina Yong, a junior at UC Berkeley, is the recipient of a prestigious Truman Scholarship. The award is based on leadership potential, intellectual ability and the likelihood of “making a difference.” 

Yong, who is from Rohnert Park, is one of 61 Truman Scholars. She was selected from among 599 candidates nominated by 311 colleges and universities across the country. Each scholarship provides $30,000: $3,000 for the student’s senior year and $27,000 for two or three years of graduate study. 

A molecular environmental biology major, Yong plans to pursue medical and Master’s of Public Health degrees. She hopes to work as a physician and, eventually, in global public health care policy. 

While at UC Berkeley, Yong has maintained a 3.971 grade point average while involved in several leadership and public service activities. In 1998, she founded Promise America, a program that trains student volunteers to visit elementary schools, encouraging disadvantaged youth to set and achieve their goals. Yong is now national director of the program, which she has expanded to 22 states. 

Yong is also an accomplished ballet dancer and poet. 

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the 33rd U.S. president. There have been 2,003 Truman Scholars elected since the first awards were made in 1977.

Two longtime professors at UC Berkeley recently died, university officials announced. 

William Alfred Shack, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and dean emeritus of the graduate division, died March 31 after a battle with cancer. He was 76. 

A prominent scholar of African cultures, Shack was known internationally for his pioneering fieldwork on the Gurage people of Ethiopia and for a series of books on African society. 

Shack also was one of the first American anthropologists to undertake ethnographic studies focused on the problems of urban America. In the last years of his life, he returned to that interest, completing a manuscript just before his death on the role of African-American soldiers in the development of the jazz scene in Paris between 1918 and 1939. That work is now in press. 

“He was a scholar and a gentleman, one of the leading anthropologists of Africa and a man dedicated to public service,” Paul Rabinow, chair of UC Berkeley’s Department of Anthropology, said in a statement. 

Shack’s public service achievements extended beyond the campus. As dean of the Graduate Division, he established a student exchange program with several French universities that won him a high honor, the Chevalier L’Ordre National Du Merite, from France in 1987. Earlier in his career, Shack established a department of sociology and anthropology at Haile Sellassie 1 University in Ethiopia. 

Also, as chair for 10 years of the International African Institute based in London, Shack played an important role in promoting the study of Africa. 

In 1991, UC Berkeley conferred its highest honor, the Berkeley Citation, on Shack, in recognition of his multiple contributions. In addition to his top-ranking position as graduate dean, Shack chaired the anthropology department and was faculty assistant to the vice chancellor on affirmative action. Shack retired that year after 21 years on the faculty. 

Born in Chicago, Shack served in the South Pacific during World War II and later completed a bachelor’s degree at the Art Institute of Chicago, followed by a master’s degree in anthropology at the University of Chicago. 

Following pre-doctoral work in Ethiopia, where he became interested in the never-before-studied Gurage culture, Shack entered the London School of Economics, where he completed a Ph.D. in 1961. He held academic positions at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois before coming to UC Berkeley as professor in 1970. 

Shack is survived by his wife, Dorothy Nash Shack of Berkeley; a son, Hailu Araya Shack of San Francisco; a nephew and a niece. 

A memorial service was held last week. Memorial contributions may be sent to the William A. Shack Memorial Fund at the UC Berkeley Foundation, 2440 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, 94720. 

Earle Gorton Linsley, dean of the University of California, Berkeley, College of Agricultural Sciences from 1960 to 1973, died March 8 at a nursing home in Sonoma. He was 89. 

Among many contributions to the campus, Linsley played an important role in transforming UC Berkeley’s former agricultural college into the current College of Natural Resources, Henry J. Vaux Sr., former dean of UC Berkeley’s School of Forestry, said in a statement. 

“Dean Linsley led the college in the years leading up to the creation of the College of Natural Resources,” Vaux said. “He was very much concerned about the future of the College of Agricultural Sciences, and it was his leadership that enabled the college to retain its strength and to adapt.” 

At that time, “there were several departments in our college that could not be matched anywhere in the world,” said Professor Emeritus Woodrow Middlekauff, an associate dean under Linsley for 10 years. “( Linsley) fought to keep the academic strengths of these departments here on the Berkeley campus, where they originated.” 

Born in Oakland, Linsley was one of the world’s leading authorities on the classification and biology of wild bees and wood-boring beetles. He also made contributions in related fields including forest entomology, the pollination of agricultural seed crops, and the study of insects affecting stored food products. 

Linsley earned his Ph.D. in systematic entomology at UC Berkeley in 1938. He began his teaching career as an instructor at UC Berkeley the following year, and advanced to professor of entomology in 1953. He chaired the entomology and parasitology department from 1951 to 1959, and then became dean of the college. 

He published more than 400 scientific articles and books. His many honors included the Fellows Medal of the California Academy of Sciences, the Centennial Medal of the State Agricultural Experiment Station and the Berkeley Citation, a high honor on campus. 

After his retirement from UC Berkeley in 1974, Linsley focused on his other interests, including photography, sports, and a substantial stamp collection featuring birds, insects, flowers and other biological themes. 

Linsley is survived by two children, James Linsley of Santa Rosa and Joan Linsley MacFarlane of Auburn.

Daily Planet Staff 

UC Berkeley formally announced plans Friday to build new housing for nearly 900 students and construct a parking facility for at least 1,000 cars through the “Underhill Area Projects.” 

The proposals, outlined in a draft Environmental Impact Report, set the stage for perhaps the final round of battles over the Southside’s controversial Underhill site, bordered by College Avenue, Channing Way, Bowditch Street and Haste Street. 

Major elements of the proposed projects include three new multi-story residence halls; two apartment-style student housing complexes; central offices for housing and dining operations; demolition of two dining halls deemed seismically unsafe and construction of a new central dining facility; a three-story parking garage; and a sports and recreation field on the parking structure’s rooftop. “Amongst our many challenges as an institution, seismic safety and student housing are two big issues,” Ed Denton, vice chancellor for capital projects, said during a Friday morning press conference. “This addresses both needs.” 

But many aspects of the various projects are sure to draw criticism from Southside activists and preservationists, and some students are likely to argue that the university isn’t proposing enough new housing. 

“Whether you agree or disagree with the number of parking spaces being proposed, it appears that the university is snubbing its nose at the neighborhood and students,” said City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, whose district includes the heart of the Southside neighborhood. “A year ago, there were more than 100 neighbors and more than 100 students who came out to the university’s meetings, and virtually all of them said less parking, more housing on the Underhill site. But I don’t see major modifications in this draft.” 

In 1993, the university demolished the parking garage that sat in the Underhill block after engineers determined it was seismically unsafe. Four years later, UC released its first proposal for development at the site through its Auxiliary Facilities Replacement Project. That report evolved into a master plan for the Underhill area, and has culminated in the environmental impact study for the various projects being proposed. 

Underhill lot 

The university wants to build two structures in the Underhill block: the parking garage and the combined dining facility/housing and dining offices building. 

The peak of the garage would be level with College Avenue on the east. A sports field would be on top of the structure. 

The dining/housing complex, located along the Bowditch side of the block, would vary in height from 38 feet tall to 82 feet tall. 

Right now, the Underhill lot is a 325-space surface parking lot. With attendant parking spaces, it can hold up to 425 vehicles. 

One of the controversial elements for preservationists is the fate of the historic Fox Cottage, located in this block. A few months back, the university announced plans to demolish the Channing Way structure unless a buyer came forward. UC would sell the building for just $1, as long as the buyer paid for the transport. The draft EIR doesn’t completely close the door on relocating Fox Cottage, but the primary recommendation is to demolish the structure. The university says the estimated $750,000 cost for relocation is “infeasible and inconsistent with the project objectives.” Officials also assert that all options for keeping the Cottage on the Underhill site were “untenable.” 

New housing 

UC is proposing new student housing on four different sites, with a total of 870 new “beds” provided. 

At Units 1 and 2, after the dining structures are demolished, infill dorm buildings would be constructed. The Unit 1 addition would provide 360 additional beds, and the Unit 2 addition would have 180 additional beds. The Unit 2 project also would include room for “academic support.” 

The Channing/Bowditch Apartments, located in the northwest corner of that intersection, would provide 210 beds in apartment-style units. The project would not displace the historic Shorb House. 

The first building that the university wants to undertake is the College/Durant Apartments at the southeast corner of that intersection. It would provide 120 beds in apartment-style units. 

The College/Durant project would cost an estimated $12 million, and all of the housing projects would total around $83 million. 

The first public hearing on the draft Environmental Impact Report will be held at 7 p.m. April 24 in UC Berkeley’s Unit 1 Residence Hall at 2650 Durant Ave. Officials say the EIR is scheduled to go to the UC Board of Regents in September.

Saturday, April 8

Creek cleanup 

9 a.m.-noon 

John Muir Elementary School, 2955 Claremont Ave. 

The school is holding its second clean-up day of the year, and parents, neighbors, community members and creek enthusiasts are invited to participate. 

510-654-8511 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

The market has expanded its Saturday hours by one hour in the afternoon. 

510-548-3333 

“Growing Healthy Roses” 

10 a.m. 

UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive 

Dr. Robert Raabe, emeritus professor of plant pathology at UC Berkeley, will talk about common pests and diseases that afflict roses, which can make people think the flowers are difficult to grow. Cost is $10 for garden members, $15 for nonmembers. Call ahead to enroll. 

510-643-2755 

Saturday Morning Children’s Programs 

10:30 a.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 

Colibri will perform songs from Latin America. Tickets are $4 general, $3 for children. 

510-849-2568 

“The Forgotten Roots” 

Noon-10 p.m. 

155 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

The Zaytuna Institute is sponsoring this conference to examine the historical past of various ethnic groups in the Americas. Zaytuna is a nonprofit, non-political institute committed to the dissemination of traditional Islam. The event is co-sponsored by several UC Berkeley academic divisions, including the African American Studies Department, Near Eastern Studies Department, and the Graduate minority students project. 

510-744-3692; www.zaytuna.org 

Track and field dedication 

12:30 p.m. 

Edwards Stadium, UC Berkeley campus 

University officials will dedicate Goldman Field as part of the renovation of the historic complex. 

Concert in the Park 

1-5 p.m. 

People’s Park 

Scheduled musicians will include: People’s Park Jazz Allstars, the Librarians, Rebecca Riots, sun asiatic from AME, Mantra, DJ eli b, Carol Denney, DJ 725, and possible guest performances from numerous other musicians. Scheduled speakers include Wavy Gravy, Osha Neumann, Michael Rossman, Michael Delacour, and many students and community members. 

510-272-2421 

“T. rex: Mover and Shaker. How Can We Tell How T. rex Stood and Moved?” 

1:30 p.m. 

Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive, above UC Berkeley campus 

Learn how some of the largest creatures to roam the earth managed to maneuver their massive bodies. John Hutchinson, a University of California graduate student, will use hands-on activities and video to explore how anatomy and locomotion evolved in dinosaurs. Presented in conjunction with the current exhibition “Dinosaurs 2000.” Included with admission to the museum. 

510-642-5132; www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

“Nature and Knots” 

3 p.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Learn the structures, functions and natural history of knots. For age 9 and older. 

510-525-2233 

People’s Park Film Festival 

7-9 p.m. 

B-TV, Cable Channel 25 

This is the second of two parts of a film festival highlighting the history of People’s Park. The promoters are involved in the pro-park campaign in next week’s UC Berkeley student referendum. 

“When We Were Warriors” 

7:30 p.m. 

International House, Piedmont and Bancroft 

Director Lane Nishiwaka will be in attendance for the screening of his film about the liberation of Jewish prisoners at Dachau by a Japanese-American U.S. artillery unit in World War II. 

510-642-3386 

“Kiss Me, Kate” 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Arts Magnet School, 1645 Milvia St. 

The middle-school “innocents” present this not-so-innocent play complete with its incorrect sexual politics. The Cole Porter score for this 1950 “Taming of the Shrew” takeoff is “scandalous,” cynical - wonderful. The musical is performed by seventh- through ninth-graders from Berkeley public schools. Admission is a donation. 

510-848-1797; pwp.value.net/bwicinas 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant 

Nicholas McGegan conducts a performance of Bach’s “St. John Passion.” Guest soloists: Dana Hanchard, soprano; Andreas Scholl, countertenor; Benjamin Butterfield and Marc Molomot, tenors; father-son duo Gary Relyea and John Relyea, bass-baritone; the Philharmonia Chorale. Tickets $30 to $45. 

415-392-4400; 

www.philharmonia.org 

“Scintillating Samplings of Java” 

8 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Ben Brinner and Santosa will direct this performance showcasing the variety of ensembles, genres and styles currently played in Central Java. It includes a mix of traditional & newer compositions. 

Sunday, April 9

“Early A.M. Birdwalk” 

8 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Find the spring arrivals on the trails. Beginners welcome. There are binoculars to loan for those who do not have any. For age 10 and older. 

510-525-2233 

Composting Workshop 

1-4 p.m. 

People’s Park 

Learn more about the magic and mystery of composting with Master Composter Kim Caler. This is a hands on workshop. We will both learn about composting and maintain the park’s current piles. 

510-658-9178 

“Protist April” 

2 p.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Use the plankton net to see what is in the pond and examine them with microscopes. 

510-525-2233 

Prometheus Symphony Orchestra 

3 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, 1145 Gilman St. 

Eric Hansen conducts, with guest artists Aaron Brown and Peter Schroeder, violin. This will be a program of works by Bach and Mahler. The concert is free. 

510-527-1519 

Organ concert 

6 p.m. 

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way 

Organist George Emblom will program of works by Bach, Part, Alain, Hampton, and Barber. Donation. 

510-845-0888 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

7 p.m. 

First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant 

Nicholas McGegan conducts a performance of Bach’s “St. John Passion.” Guest soloists: Dana Hanchard, soprano; Andreas Scholl, countertenor; Benjamin Butterfield and Marc Molomot, tenors; father-son duo Gary Relyea and John Relyea, bass-baritone; the Philharmonia Chorale. Tickets $30 to $45. 

415-392-4400; www.philharmonia.org 

Hoover Quintet 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 

The Hoover Quintet presents a program of works by Nielsen, Butler, Fine and Poulenc. Tickets are $5 to $10. 

510-845-6811 

Labor films 

7:30 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave 

“Lifting The Veil” examines the International Monetary Fund and structural adjustment programs in India. Also, screening for the first time in Berkeley will be “Labor Battles The WTO,” a documentary video on the role of workers and the unions that went to Seattle to protest the WTO. Admission is a donation of $7 to $10. This is a benefit event for LaborFest 2000. 

415-642-8066; laborfest@hotmail.com 

Poetry Flash 

7:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

Michelle T. Clinton and Terry Wolverton will be the featured poets. 

510-845-7852; 510-525-5476 

Monday, April 10

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Branch Berkeley Public Library, 2121 Allston Way 

This storytime program is designed for families with children up to 3 years old. The free, participatory program features a half hour of multicultural songs, rhymes, lap jogs and stories to give very young children a lively introduction to the magic of books. 

510-649-3943 

People’s Park rally 

Noon 

Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley campus 

Supporters of People’s Park will hold a rally about the history of the Park and why students should vote yes on Prop 1 in the upcoming ASUC elections. Scheduled speakers include Dan Siegel (ASUC President in 1970), Osha Neumann (civil rights attorney), Michael Delacour (co-founder of the park). 

510-272-2421; 

yes4thepark@hotmail.com 

e-Campaigning: Ethics & the Internet 

Noon-4 p.m. 

Seaborg Room, The Faculty Club, UC Berkeley campus 

The purpose of this conference is to explore methods of improving management of campaigning in the digital age. In particular, the conference is designed to promote discussion within the community of political advisers, electronic fund-raisers, journalists and other commentators, and to consider ways of regulating electronic campaign fund-raising to ensure legitimacy and ethical management. California Secretary of State Bill Jones will deliver the keynote address at 1 p.m.; a panel discussion is at 2 p.m.; and Q&A session is at 3 p.m. This event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and American University Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies. 

510-642-5158; 510-649-3099

Daily Planet Correspondent 

It’s a simple rule: If you see a brick building in the Bay Area, it’s probably really old. And, not surprisingly, the same goes for organizations housed within those brick buildings. 

This is certainly the case for Hobart Hall, the red brick Julia Morgan fortress on Dwight Way and Bowditch Street that has housed the American Baptist Seminary of the West for the better part of 80 years – with a brief interruption. 

More or less a gutted exoskeleton since the onset of its extensive renovations in January of 1999, the landmark may yet be reborn by October of this year. 

“It used to be so dark up here,” recalls ABSW President Keith Russell, standing in the hollowed-out work-in-progress that used to be his office. While once somewhat dimly lit, the combined effect of the removal of several walls, large windows (with no panes yet installed) and a lovely Spring afternoon conspire to shower Hobart Hall’s third floor with light. 

“I used to sit my desk facing right at the Campanile,” continues Russell, pointing straight down Bowditch at the 100-yard-high tower in the distance. “This is going to be a lovely space, I think.” 

It certainly was before the extensive retrofitting/renovation/technological upgrade. Constructed between 1919 and 1921, Hobart Hall was the first institutional project Morgan designed in the “Tudor Revival” style she would utilize so often thereafter. The Hall’s attractive exterior has long complemented the internationally renowned Maybeck masterpiece First Church of Christ, Scientist across the street, and the ornate interior (now safely packed away awaiting re-installation) featured two stories of oak paneling that Morgan reportedly paid for out of her own pocket. 

While Hobart Hall has served as something of a symbol of the seminary (and, as Russell attests, without its ample office space he and the rest of the ABSW’s professors and administrators are crowded into a former dormitory across the way), the ABSW had been around long before Morgan designed the brick beauty. 

Disagreements over slavery during the Civil War era led to a schism in the Baptist population. Those objecting to the practice split off from the more well-known Southern Baptists and became what are now known as American Baptists. 

American Baptists missionaries founded the ancestor organizations of today’s ABSW back in the 1870s. The seminary reached Berkeley by 1904. 

“We’ve been here a long time, doing our thing,” says Russell. “We’ve been training pastors for churches on the West Coast for 128 years.” 

The ABSW is of the nine schools that joined forces in 1962 to form the Graduate Theological Union. (You may have noticed a preponderance of seminaries on North Berkeley’s “Holy Hill.” Across town, the ABSW is somewhat isolated.) All told, over 1,300 students attend the schools of the Theological Union, taking advantage of a situation Russell says one would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. 

“It’s the only thing of its kind in America,” claims the ABSW president, who also serves his school’s 100-odd students as a professor of pastoral theology. “You have so many denominations cooperating: Catholics and Protestants, and you also have Jewish and Buddhist centers.” 

Yet the ABSW’s partnership in the atypical Graduate Theological Union isn’t its only unique aspect. In order to better reflect the wide variance of races and cultures within American Baptist communities, the seminary actively pursues a “Multiracial and Multicultural” environment. What’s more, the ABSW was the first theological seminary in the nation to admit women on equal terms with men. 

“This school in particular has a major focus on being multiethnic and multicultural, and that makes us very unique,” says LeAnn Flesher, a professor of the Old Testament. “One of our goals is that students leave this place with the ability to apply what they learn here in a variety of contexts. They could move from a mixed congregation to a black congregation to an Asian congregation quite comfortably.” 

And the first seminary to admit women on full terms is still very much committed to the cause. 

“We are a big supporter of women in the ministry,” says Flesher. “Upwards of 50 percent of the student body is female, and it’s been that way since I got here (six years ago). We even work aggressively to help place (women) ... which is still a difficult thing, for women to get placements even in the most mainline denomination.” 

In addition to being diverse and sexually proportionate, most of the ABSW’s students are also a little older. With two-thirds of the student body coming from off campus and a good chunk of them holding down jobs during the day, the ABSW offers a number of its classes at night. 

“We serve adult needs; second-career people as well as young people right out of school training for the ministry,” says Russell. “Students who are very young and very old sit in the same classrooms.” 

The 128-year-old seminary is in the midst of an effort to overhaul its curriculum, moving toward training leaders “for the church of the 21st century.” 

“In the past, theological education has been very theoretical, with a lot of time on books, theoretical ideas and concepts,” says Flesher. “It’s not been very heavy in practical applications, helping students build the bridge from school to the church. The new curriculum, along with being multiethnic in focus, is also heavy into building up that practical application. 

“It’s a lot of work,” sums up Flesher, “but it’s fun. We’re having a good time with it.”

THEATER 

ACTORS ENSEMBLE OF BERKELEY 

“Rough Crossing” by Tom Stoppard, April 7 through May 6. The writers of a Broadway musical are simultaneously trying to finish and rehearse a play while crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner. 

$10. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; May 4, 8 p.m. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 528-5620. 

AURORA THEATRE 

“The Homecoming” by Harold Pinter, April 6 through May 7. A dark comedy about a philosophy professor who brings his wife home to meet his all-male family. 

$25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“3 Sisters” by Anton Chekhov, through April 9. A play about three provincial sisters yearning to move to Moscow and the toy-soldier men who adore them. $15 general; $10 students and seniors. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m.; March 27, 8 p.m. Speakeasy Theatre, 2016 Seventh St., Berkeley. (510) 655-0813. 

Subterranean Shakespeare 

“Measure for Measure,” by William Shakespeare. Run has been extended through April 30. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays, at 8 p.m. each night, and Sundays at 7 p.m. $10 general; $6 students. La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSIC VENUES 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Ellis Paul, Stephan Smith, April 8. $15.50. 

Vance Gilbert, David Olney, April 9. $13.50 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

ASHKENAZ 

Zydeco Flames, April 8, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Rachel Garland, April 9, 7 p.m. $8 general; $6 students. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

An Evening with Groove Junkies, April 8. $5. 

Crazy from the Heat, April 9. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER 

Tribu, April 8, 8 p.m. $12. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

30 Sec. Fury, Spishak, Shoot The Dog, April 8. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

The Vagabond Lovers, Noe Venable, April 8. $6. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERNICE LAYNE BROWN GALLERY 

“Bridging the Bay: Bridging the Campus,” through April 30. The exhibit has been created from the libraries of the eight University of California campuses. The exhibit includes books, documents, architectural drawings, blueprints, artifacts, maps and photographs that record the building of the San Francisco Bay area’s bridges. Free. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Doe Memorial Library, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 643-9999. 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Food in California Indian Culture,” the first comprehensive overview of Native California foods-this exhibit illustrates the artistry of Native cooking in harmony with the natural world. 

“Native American Portraits: Photographs by William Heick,” this retrospective exhibition includes photographs between 1951 and 1984 from four regions of western North America: Northwest Coast (Kwakiutl), Southwest (Navajo), California (Kashaya Pomo, Hupa), and Plains (Blackfoot, Sioux). 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.” Accompanying the exhibition is “Exploring Chagall and His Use of the Elements of Art,” a child-friendly Interactive Educational Room with five work-stations and a central activities space. 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“The Women’s Show,” March 3 through April 8. A group exhibit of works by six Bay area artists. 

Free. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Irish Stones and More,” April 1 through April 27. An exhibit of quilts by Denise Snell. 

“Down from the Attic,” April 1 through April 27. An exhibit of dolls by Gretchen Jennings. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779.  

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

Dennis Begg, March 11 through April 9. An exhibit of new sculpture and installation. 

Lothar Osterburg, March 11 through April 9. An exhibit of new photography. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). 

Calendar items should be submitted at least a week before the opening of a new gallery exhibit, museum exhibit or theatrical performance. 

Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

It wasn’t exactly a pitcher’s duel at the St. Mary’s diamond on Friday afternoon, but even the most snobbish of baseball purists would have had to agree that it was good baseball.  

With 13 of the game’s 21 runs scored in the first two innings, Albany and St. Mary’s made it clear early that it would be no day for lowering ERAs. Albany starter Adam Phillips struggled with the powerful Panther lineup from the opening at-bat, and found himself in a seven run hole in the second inning, before being pulled for a reliever. Though the Cougar bats caught fire in the fifth, producing five runs, the late rally wasn’t enough to prevent a 12-9 Panther victory. 

“They made it a game,” St. Mary’s coach Andy Shimabukuro said about the Cougars’ near-comeback. “I was happy. We kinda figured we’d have to score runs, since the pitching hasn’t been up to par.” 

The Panthers got their damage done early, getting a grand slam from starting pitcher Anthony Miyawaki and a three-run homer from Joe Starkey in the first two innings. Albany got in on the batting practice with a two-run jack in the second, but still trailed, 10-3, by the end of the inning. Miyawaki pitched five solid innings to earn the win, before shortstop Jeremiah Fielder came in to close the Cougars out and pick up the save. Miyawaki and Starkey’s eight combined RBIs accounted for most of the St. Mary’s scoring, though a 2-for-3, 3 RBI outing by catcher Ryan Bahado-Singh would turn out to be the difference. 

With the victory, St. Mary’s improved its overall record to 7-5, and its Alameda-Contra Costa Athletic League mark to a perfect 3-0. Shimabukuro expects the squad to find its first real league challenge next Wednesday, when it visits major league prospect Dontrelle Willis and the Encinal Jets. Willis, who suffered his first loss of the season to fall to 5-1 on Wednesday, is expected to get the starting nod vs. St. Mary’s. 

“I’m sure we’ll see Mr. Willis,” the Panther coach said. “We’re going to have to score some runs to beat them.”

Daily Planet Staff 

Boutiques are cute, but where does a person go when she needs a bar of soap? 

Close to midnight Tuesday, the council debated the question of allowing new chain stores in Berkeley. 

A resolution by Councilmembers Linda Maio and Dona Spring won the day: city staff and the Planning Commission will explore creating a policy to limit the number of “formula” businesses coming into the city, those businesses where the name, the merchandise and the look are all the same. If this policy is adopted, a chain applying for a business license would undergo a review specific to formula businesses. 

The resolution also asked staff to explore creating a “buy Berkeley” program, to encourage people to shop at local small businesses. 

The vote was fractured, with Mayor Shirley Dean and Councilmembers Maio, Spring, Margaret Breland, and Kriss Worthington voting for the resolution, Councilmember Betty Olds voting in opposition, and Councilmembers Maudelle Shirek, Diane Woolley and Polly Armstrong abstaining. 

There was no consensus among councilmembers on which businesses would qualify for the “buy Berkeley” certification. While Maio argued that non-chain businesses get involved in community activities and good works, the mayor said she believes it is the chain stores, such as Starbucks, that get involved. 

Maio attacked the “big boxes,” saying “they tend to drive out locally owned business.” 

But Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachel Rupert wrote the council with a diametrically opposing view: “If the council is really interested in creating a unique niche for small business, you are going to have to understand how important business like Kinko’s, Sees candies, Walgreen’s, Ross and Barnes and Nobel are to the economic vitality of Berkeley.” 

Rupert explained that these businesses are often anchor tenants that attract people to a shopping district. 

Armstrong said allowing chain stores provides a choice for shoppers. 

“I don’t want to turn Berkeley into a place that is a boutique (only),” she said. “Some of those chain stores provide people with lower cost goods.” 

Shirek had another concern. She wanted to be sure that rules were made so that chains would not be excluded in the more affluent areas, yet allowed in lower-income parts of town. 

“I hope we are not spot zoning,” Shirek said. 

Cal junior forward Sean Lampley added another piece of hardware to his trophy case on Thursday, taking home the 2000 Cal basketball team’s Most Valuable Player award at the Bears’ annual awards banquet. 

Lampley, who began to show his dominance at the end of 1999 by winning the NIT tournament MVP award, averaged 16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as the Bears’ only starting upperclassman in 1999-2000. In this year’s NIT tournament, the junior averaged a team-high 20 points over three games. 

“He’s giving us a total game,” Cal head coach Ben Braun said during this year’s NIT. “At the same time, what doesn’t show up is his leadership. He’s been there to provide that for our younger guys.” 

Sophomore forward Ryan Forehan-Kelly, who performed his way to extended minutes in 1999-2000, left with Best Defensive Player accolades.

About 1,800 customers lost electricity and phone service early Friday morning when an underground transformer exploded. 

The incident occurred around 12:50 a.m. in the 2000 block of University Avenue. According to PG&E spokesperson Maureen Bogues, the problem was caused by a bad cable that was connected to the transformer. 

Witnesses at the scene reported seeing flames briefly come from the transformer, located under the sidewalk on the north side of the street. 

Bogues said power and phone service were restored to all but 35 customers by 2:30 a.m. The remaining customers had utilities restored by 10 a.m.

Daily Planet Staff 

The Bishop O’Dowd Dragons came out breathing fire in Friday’s girls lacrosse showdown with visiting Berkeley High, but a second-half surge on both offense and defense kept the Yellowjackets from getting burned.  

Despite coming off a convincing victory over Menlo School on Wednesday, the ’Jackets entered Friday’s game tentatively, yielding two early goals in an echo of the March 15 matchup between the two schools, which BHS ultimately won. By halftime, the Yellowjackets found themselves trailing, 5-3, and would require a stifling second-half defense to come out on top, 10-8. 

“I think our team is definitely a second-half team,” said BHS attacker Dani Gaines, who led all scorers with four goals. “We see that we’re down, and come back from behind. We were too confident in the beginning.” 

“When we play teams we expect to beat, if we start losing, we play really well,” added sophomore goalie Joanna Hoch. “It was an awesome second half for the offense. We were getting draws, and taking it all the way.” 

Jamie Lee and Naomi Coffman got in on the offensive action, each netting second-half goals for the ’Jackets, while Hoch’s stingy effort between the pipes secured the win for Berkeley. With the victory, BHS extended its league winning streak to two games and improved its league mark to 7-3. 

“Joanna played a great game, she always does. She’s a really strong goalie, especially for her first year,” Gaines said about her teammate. “We definitely got back on defense a lot quicker (in the second half), started double-teaming a little better.” 

The Yellowjackets head to Stanford this weekend to take part in the annual Western States Tournament, an event featuring high school and collegiate lacrosse teams from all over the West Coast. The two-day tournament will feature some teams from within Berkeley’s league, like Acalanes and St. Ignatius. 

“We’re definitely prepared,” Hoch said. “We showed a lot of aggression (today), and we need to play that way in all the games.”

Daily Planet Correspondent 

People’s Park, as it sits today, is a free hotel and food and clothing distribution point for homeless people, outdoor basketball site and gathering place for free concerts, and a place for reminiscences of the student protest that saved the park during Berkeley’s radical years. 

The park arguably represents unused space to administrators and planners at UC Berkeley, who are already trying to grapple with rising enrollment, and congestion of housing, academic and bureaucratic space is undoubtedly bound to become more and more an issue. The university’s chancellor, Robert Berdahl, for instance, said last year that maybe building dorms on the site would be a good idea. His comments were quickly classified by university officials as representative only of the chancellor’s opinion and not an indication of construction to come, but the fact remains that the park is not, from a university eye, being put to good use. 

It is People’s Park’s status as a symbol of student unity and protest in the 1960s and ’70s that saved the park from becoming the site of a new dorm or other university building – the school does, after all, own the land. 

A controversial initiative slated to appear on next week’s ASUC election ballots addresses the future of the park by asking students what they would like to see happen to the space. The initiative’s sponsor, ASUC Senator Kevin Sabet, points out the initiative is non-binding for the university, which owns the park and can technically do whatever it wants with the space. Sabet says he sponsored the initiative simply to give students a voice in the eventual debate that is sure to take place over the park. Since the ASUC election can in some years attract as much as 20 percent of the student population to vote, Sabet says it presents the perfect opportunity to poll students attitudes. 

“It’s only meant to give students a place in the decision-making process,” Sabet says. “The initiative is not meant to be any sort of ‘anti’ or ‘pro’ People’s Park tool.” 

But the initiative has sparked a furious pro-park campaign by community activists and students afraid that their peers might demonstrate their apathy toward the park with a “no” vote on the initiative. In other words, what is meant as a poll of student opinion, some fear, could turn into a green light for university officials to change the park. 

One major problem park proponents have with the initiative is its concentration on students, most of whom were not born when People’s Park was created and thus do not have the same attachment to it that many permanent community members do. 

“I don’t think that the students alone should have decision making power regarding People’s Park,” says UC Berkeley student and ASUC Senate candidate Chuck McNally. “The park is part of the community and it is mostly community members that use it.” 

McNally says less official polling methods could determine student opinion without relying on uninformed decisions. He points to the prospect of a public forum or an informal poll of students. 

While McNally sees flaws in the existence of the initiative, both he and Boalt Hall Law School student Jon Tanghe have been active in hastily throwing together a People’s Park information campaign they hope will influence the way students vote. 

The campaign shifts into high gear this Saturday when Berkeley notables like fold singer Wavy Gravy and the “father of people’s park” ’60s radical Michael Delacour – he prefers to be referred to as a park co-founder – appear at a rally from 1 to 5 p.m. at People’s Park. There is also a pro-park rally planned for Monday afternoon on Sproul Plaza. 

Sabet, while maintaining his impartiality, says that despite the park’s history, there are aspects of it that mar the community, like its dirty, unkempt appearance and the illegal activity reported there each year by UC and Berkeley city police. He says the campaign to support the park ignores these problems. 

“Berkeley is the No. 1 school in the country for drug-related arrests,” he says, pointing to People’s Park as an example of Berkeley’s drug problem. “This is not about small-time marijuana use either. There are high amounts of trafficking in that area. It’s essentially a supermarket for drugs.” 

McNally and Tanghe counter that any construction on People’s Park would not solve Berkeley’s drug problem, but would only move it to different places. 

Friday, April 7

Adult literacy training 

10 a.m.-noon 

West Branch Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

The Berkeley Reads program is looking for volunteers to help with adult literacy efforts. This is an orientation workshop that must be attended before going through the tutor training workshops, which will be held April 8, 10 and 15. 

510-644-8595 

“Is Islam a Threat?” 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Laurence O. Michalak, vice chair of the Center for Mid-Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley, will speak during this week’s meeting of the City Commons Club. Social hour begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon is served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Speaker starts promptly at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is $11 or $12.25; admission to the speech is $1, free for students. 

510-848-3533 

Healthy Kids Day 

6-9 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way 

This free event is part of the nationwide celebration at the YMCA and is a way to educate children and families about fun, healthy and safe activities that they can do together. Activities will include: fingerprinting by the Berkeley Police Department; family swim; face painting; obstacle course; arts and crafts; family aerobics; first aid information with Fast Response; parenting and informational booths. The event is open to the community. 

510-848-9622. 

Saturday, April 8

Creek cleanup 

9 a.m.-noon 

John Muir Elementary School, 2955 Claremont Ave. 

The school is holding its second clean-up day of the year, and parents, neighbors, community members and creek enthusiasts are invited to participate. 

510-654-8511 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

The market has expanded its Saturday hours by one hour in the afternoon. 

510-548-3333 

“Growing Healthy Roses” 

10 a.m. 

UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive 

Dr. Robert Raabe, emeritus professor of plant pathology at UC Berkeley, will talk about common pests and diseases that afflict roses, which can make people think the flowers are difficult to grow. Cost is $10 for garden members, $15 for nonmembers. Call ahead to enroll. 

510-643-2755 

Saturday Morning Children’s Programs 

10:30 a.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 

Colibri will perform songs from Latin America. Tickets are $4 general, $3 for children. 

510-849-2568 

Concert in the Park 

1-5 p.m. 

People’s Park 

Scheduled musicians will include: People’s Park Jazz Allstars, the Librarians, Rebecca Riots, sun asiatic from AME, Mantra, DJ eli b, Carol Denney, DJ 725, and possible guest performances from numerous other musicians. Scheduled speakers include Wavy Gravy, Osha Neumann, Michael Rossman, Michael Delacour, and many students and community members. 

510-272-2421 

“Nature and Knots” 

3 p.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Learn the structures, functions and natural history of knots. For age 9 and older. 

510-525-2233 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant 

Nicholas McGegan conducts a performance of Bach’s “St. John Passion.” Guest soloists: Dana Hanchard, soprano; Andreas Scholl, countertenor; Benjamin Butterfield and Marc Molomot, tenors; father-son duo Gary Relyea and John Relyea, bass-baritone; the Philharmonia Chorale. Tickets $30 to $45. 

415-392-4400; www.philharmonia.org 

“Scintillating Samplings of Java” 

8 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Ben Brinner and Santosa will direct this performance showcasing the variety of ensembles, genres and styles currently played in Central Java. It includes a mix of traditional & newer compositions. 

Sunday, April 9

“Early A.M. Birdwalk” 

8 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Find the spring arrivals on the trails. Beginners welcome. There are binoculars to loan for those who do not have any. For age 10 and older. 

510-525-2233 

Composting Workshop 

1-4 p.m. 

People’s Park 

Learn more about the magic and mystery of composting with Master Composter Kim Caler. This is a hands on workshop. We will both learn about composting and maintain the park’s current piles. 

510-658-9178 

“Protist April” 

2 p.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Use the plankton net to see what is in the pond and examine them with microscopes. 

510-525-2233 

Prometheus Symphony Orchestra 

3 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, 1145 Gilman St. 

Eric Hansen conducts, with guest artists Aaron Brown and Peter Schroeder, violin. This will be a program of works by Bach and Mahler. The concert is free. 

510-527-1519 

Organ concert 

6 p.m. 

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way 

Organist George Emblom will program of works by Bach, Part, Alain, Hampton, and Barber. Donation. 

510-845-0888 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

7 p.m. 

First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant 

Nicholas McGegan conducts a performance of Bach’s “St. John Passion.” Guest soloists: Dana Hanchard, soprano; Andreas Scholl, countertenor; Benjamin Butterfield and Marc Molomot, tenors; father-son duo Gary Relyea and John Relyea, bass-baritone; the Philharmonia Chorale. Tickets $30 to $45. 

415-392-4400; www.philharmonia.org 

Hoover Quintet 

7:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 

The Hoover Quintet presents a program of works by Nielsen, Butler, Fine and Poulenc. Tickets are $5 to $10. 

510-845-6811 

Labor films 

7:30 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave 

“Lifting The Veil” examines the International Monetary Fund and structural adjustment programs in India. Also, screening for the first time in Berkeley will be “Labor Battles The WTO,” a documentary video on the role of workers and the unions that went to Seattle to protest the WTO. Admission is a donation of $7 to $10. This is a benefit event for LaborFest 2000. 

415-642-8066; laborfest@hotmail.com 

Poetry Flash 

7:30 p.m. 

Cody’s Books, 2454 Telegraph Ave. 

Michelle T. Clinton and Terry Wolverton will be the featured poets. 

510-845-7852; 510-525-5476 

Monday, April 10

Baby Bounce and Toddler Tales 

10:30 a.m. 

Central Branch Berkeley Public Library, 2121 Allston Way 

This storytime program is designed for families with children up to 3 years old. The free, participatory program features a half hour of multicultural songs, rhymes, lap jogs and stories to give very young children a lively introduction to the magic of books. 

510-649-3943 

People’s Park rally 

Noon 

Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley campus 

Supporters of People’s Park will hold a rally about the history of the Park and why students should vote yes on Prop 1 in the upcoming ASUC elections. Scheduled speakers include Dan Siegel (ASUC President in 1970), Osha Neumann (civil rights attorney), Michael Delacour (co-founder of the park). 

510-272-2421; yes4thepark@hotmail.com 

e-Campaigning: Ethics & the Internet 

Noon-4 p.m. 

Seaborg Room, The Faculty Club, UC Berkeley campus 

The purpose of this conference is to explore methods of improving management of campaigning in the digital age. Lunch at noon will be followed by a keynote presentation by California Secretary of State Bill Jones at 1 p.m., a panel discussion at 2 p.m. and Q&A session at 3 p.m. 

510-642-5158; 510-649-3099

THEATER 

ACTORS ENSEMBLE OF BERKELEY 

“Rough Crossing” by Tom Stoppard, April 7 through May 6. The writers of a Broadway musical are simultaneously trying to finish and rehearse a play while crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner. 

$10. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; May 4, 8 p.m. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 528-5620. 

AURORA THEATRE 

“The Homecoming” by Harold Pinter, April 6 through May 7. A dark comedy about a philosophy professor who brings his wife home to meet his all-male family. 

$25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“The Alchemist” by Ben Johnson, through April 7. A scathingly satiric look at the “science” of alchemy and other scams. 

$38 to $48.50. Tuesday through Friday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Feb. 26, March 4, March 11 and March 25, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. 

(510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“3 Sisters” by Anton Chekhov, through April 9. A play about three provincial sisters yearning to move to Moscow and the toy-soldier men who adore them. $15 general; $10 students and seniors. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m.; March 27, 8 p.m. Speakeasy Theatre, 2016 Seventh St., Berkeley. (510) 655-0813. 

Subterranean Shakespeare 

“Measure for Measure,” by William Shakespeare. Run has been extended through April 30. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays, at 8 p.m. each night, and Sundays at 7 p.m. $10 general; $6 students. La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSIC VENUES 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

John Renbourn, April 7. $16.50. 

Ellis Paul, Stephan Smith, April 8. $15.50. 

Vance Gilbert, David Olney, April 9. $13.50 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

ASHKENAZ 

Sister I-Live, April 7, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Zydeco Flames, April 8, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Rachel Garland, April 9, 7 p.m. $8 general; $6 students. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Cool Water Canyon, Big Wu, April 7. $6. 

An Evening with Groove Junkies, April 8. $5. 

Crazy from the Heat, April 9. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER 

Kimiko Joy, Paris King, Salakida, April 7, 8 p.m. $7. 

Tribu, April 8, 8 p.m. $12. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Fall Silent, Good Clean Fun, Life's Halt, What Happens Next, Redrum, April 7. 

30 Sec. Fury, Spishak, Shoot The Dog, April 8. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Paul Cebar and The Milwaukeeans, The Floodplain Gang, April 7. $6. 

The Vagabond Lovers, Noe Venable, April 8. $6. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

“2x2: Architectural Collaborations,” Jan. 22 through April 16. This exhibit elaborates on the theme of the “Equal Partners” exhibit looking at the innovative projects and the collaborative style of a newer generation of architects. 

“Roma/Pacifica: The Phoebe Hearst International Architecture Competition and the Berkeley Campus, 1896-1930,” through April 23. An exhibition showing how the campus developed from the original lavish design of Franco-Roman buildings by French architect Emile Bernard to the modified version with Italianate granite and stucco buildings and tile roofing by New York architect John Galen Howard to the vision of California Arts and Crafts architect Bernard Maybeck and his student Julia Morgan.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERNICE LAYNE BROWN GALLERY 

“Bridging the Bay: Bridging the Campus,” through April 30. The exhibit has been created from the libraries of the eight University of California campuses. The exhibit includes books, documents, architectural drawings, blueprints, artifacts, maps and photographs that record the building of the San Francisco Bay area’s bridges. It also includes documents detailing Bay area bridge projects that were seriously considered but never built. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Doe Memorial Library, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 643-9999. 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“A Taste of Culture: Approaches to the Study of Cuisine,” objects and photographs from diverse places and times display the role of food in human cultures. 

“Food in California Indian Culture,” the first comprehensive overview of Native California foods-this exhibit illustrates the artistry of Native cooking in harmony with the natural world. 

“Native American Portraits: Photographs by William Heick,” this retrospective exhibition includes photographs between 1951 and 1984 from four regions of western North America: Northwest Coast (Kwakiutl), Southwest (Navajo), California (Kashaya Pomo, Hupa), and Plains (Blackfoot, Sioux). 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.” Accompanying the exhibition is “Exploring Chagall and His Use of the Elements of Art,” a child-friendly Interactive Educational Room with five work-stations and a central activities space. 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“The Women’s Show,” March 3 through April 8. A group exhibit of works by six Bay area artists. 

Free. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Irish Stones and More,” April 1 through April 27. An exhibit of quilts by Denise Snell. 

“Down from the Attic,” April 1 through April 27. An exhibit of dolls by Gretchen Jennings. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779.  

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

Dennis Begg, March 11 through April 9. An exhibit of new sculpture and installation. 

Lothar Osterburg, March 11 through April 9. An exhibit of new photography. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new theatrical performance, museum exhibit or gallery exhibit. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

With the nationally recognized Arcadia track meet scheduled for this weekend, Berkeley High head coach Darrell Hampton considered Thursday’s league meet with Granada as more of a pre-race warmup lap than a competitive event.  

When all was said and done, the final scores would reflect Berkeley’s apathy, as the Matadors went home with victories on both the boys and girls sides. Though Granada’s 112-26 pounding of the Berkeley boys was expected, the Matadors’ 71-67 win over the vaunted BHS girls was surprising, even in light of Berkeley’s relaxed approach to the meet. 

“It would have been nice to win the 4x400 (the deciding girls event), but it was a combination of things (that caused the loss),” Hampton said. “We’re trying to rest up for Arcadia this weekend. The goal has always been to make a national mark. In the bigger picture, you have to look (past) these dual meets.” 

Berkeley High hurdler Daveed Diggs’ time of 14:29 in the 110m hurdles highlighted the boys’ effort, as the senior finished almost two full seconds ahead of his closest competition. Justin Cary registered the Yellowjackets’ only other individual boys win with a first place in the 400m, and the BHS 1600m relay team picked up the only team victory, running a 3:42.2. 

The girls’ competition yielded first-place Berkeley High finishes in eight of 15 events, with the ’Jackets sweeping the top three positions in both the 200m and 400m races. Aisha Margain went home with the 200m title, while T’carra Penick won the grueling 400m. BHS hurdler Simone Brooks also turned in a convincing first, winning the 100m hurdles by four seconds over Granada’s Jessica Yersak. Though Berkeley High was outnumbered in the field events, high jumper Laura Winnacker and long jumper Penick managed to win their respective events to help disperse the field points. 

“We won the (girls) 4x100, and Laura going five feet (in the high jump) is great,” Hampton said. “It was business as usual for the girls.  

“We’re not running against the teams around here, we’re running against the country.” 

Following this weekend’s tournament action, the Berkeley boys and girls squads get back to league competition next Thursday on the road against Foothill. 

Daily Planet Staff 

Most bosses provide parking for their employees and the university should do so, too. 

This sentiment, expressed at Thursday’s noon-time Staff Assembly meeting, was greeted with applause by many of the 100 or so car commuters who came to a meeting on the state of campus parking, hosted by Nadesan Permaul, director of parking and transportation at UC Berkeley. 

Permaul laid out the most recent parking statistics: The campus has 7,500 parking slots, having lost 1,110 over the last decade. Over the next five years, with increased building and retrofitting work on campus, there will be a loss of 500 additional spaces. 

Each day, there is a demand of some 10,000 to 11,000 spaces. Lots are generally full between 2 and 3 p.m. 

“Most parking permits are clearly ‘hunting licenses’ rather than guarantees of availability of reasonably convenient parking,” says a February 1999 parking study written by Wilber Smith Associates. 

The university is hiking parking fees by a little more than 50 percent, to about $100 per month for faculty. The increased rates, fiercely opposed by people at Thursday’s meeting, will help build additional parking. Two-hundred new spaces have been written into plans at the Oxford Tract, at Hearst Avenue and Oxford Street. The Wilber Smith study talks about putting as many as 350 spaces at the site. 

At Underhill, the controversial city block at Channing Way and College Avenue, the study says there could be 550 to 660 spaces built. 

Adequate parking “is essential to carry out the academic mission of the university,” said Richard Abrams, chair of a faculty committee on transportation and parking. Abrams explained that difficult parking conditions create a situation where faculty may teach class in the morning, go home to work afterward, and skip meetings or lectures later in the day, because it is so difficult to park. 

Permaul explained that the increase in fees is necessary because his department is not subsidized by the university. He suggested that if those in attendance wanted more parking at lower rates, they would have to become more vocal. 

“It is important for you to put your needs out,” he said. 

While most of those who spoke at the meeting commute by car to the campus, UC employee Jason Meggs, one of the founders of the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition and an avid advocate for bikes, offered a different perspective. 

“I’m possibly the only person here who doesn’t drive,” he said. 

Meggs blasted the university for calling a meeting of commuters. “Flyers were put on cars,” he said, noting that in a recent campus survey, 78 percent of the students said that if they could live near campus, they would give up their cars. 

Oakland resident and UC employee Anya Grant responded that many of those present had responsibilities such as picking up children after school. Thus, the need for a car. 

She added that the university needs incentives, including parking, to attract faculty to Berkeley. 

“The faculty have lots of choices. They don’t come here to live reduced lifestyles,” she said. 

On a related note, there is a meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday of the Transportation Demand Study Working Group, at Unit 1 Recreation Room, 2650 Durant Ave. This study is designed to develop strategies for efficient, environmentally friendly, economically sound transportation for the Southside/Downtown areas of Berkeley for the next 20 years. 

Daily Planet Staff 

The day you’re scheduled to play the league leader is no day for a key player to be missing. But even with blocking specialist Jacob Kardon out of the lineup on a college visitation trip, the Yellowjackets knew it shouldn’t have been as easy as it was for Foothill to pull out a sweep at Donahue Gym. 

The first-place Falcons took advantage of the depleted BHS front line on Thursday evening, winning the battle of ball control and leaving the Yellowjackets’ home gym with a 15-8, 15-10, 15-12 victory. 

“I don’t want to use (Jacob) as an excuse, but that was a pretty big hole for us,” Berkeley High head coach Justin Caraway said after the match. “(The substitutes) came in and did a pretty good job, but that’s a big block that’s suddenly missing. Foothill’s a good hitting team.” 

After taking their last two league matches into the full five games, the ’Jackets knew they had a chance to dethrone the Falcons, if they could force a final game. But the hitting errors and ineffective serving that let Granada back into Tuesday’s match were twice as costly against league-leading Foothill, and Berkeley found itself down two games by the time it settled into the pace of the match. 

“We didn’t come out intimidated – we’re never scared of good teams. We wanted to take them (into) five games,” said senior outside hitter D.Q. Li, who hoped his enthusiasm would be contagious entering Thursday’s match. “In the beginning, I was trying to scream and be vocal, but you gotta lead by action.” 

“We played our hardest, but we didn’t convert at crucial moments,” freshman Daniel Jarvis added. 

Freshman Robin Roach stepped up with a solid performance in Kardon’s absence, netting eight blocks on the evening to go with his six kills. Mason Chin paced the ’Jackets with 10 kills in the losing effort, while Li picked up nine kills and 14 digs. With the defeat, Berkeley’s East Bay Athletic League record dropped to 1-4.  

“Robin had a pretty good match for us. We didn’t get the ball to him enough in the second and third games,” Caraway said. “We could have had better production out of our outsides. We had too many hitting errors.” 

Berkeley stays at home for its next league meet, slated for next Tuesday evening at Donahue Gym. The 5 p.m. showdown pits the Yellowjackets against San Ramon’s California High. Four of Berkeley’s next five matches are scheduled at home, with the 2000 season wrapping up with a pair of road games on May 9 and 11.

Daily Planet Staff 

A small arson fire in the English Department’s bookroom forced the early dismissal of classes Thursday afternoon at Berkeley High School. 

The single-alarm fire didn’t cause much damage to the room, and water damage was limited to a few stacks of books. In fact, by the time Berkeley city firefighters arrived, the flames were out, thanks to the sprinkler system. 

Asst. Chief Lucky Thomas said the fire was reported around 1:10 p.m., and was under control about 15 minutes later. The initial investigation indicates that arson was the cause of the fire. There’s a non-operational heater behind the stack of books that burned, and there are no electrical wirings nearby that could have ignited the fire, Thomas said. A thorough investigation will be conducted with assistance from school district representatives and the Berkeley Police Department, he said. 

Principal Theresa Saunders said access to the room is limited to faculty and staff; students are not supposed to be in the room. 

The decision to end the school day early was made jointly by the principal and Superintendent Jack McLaughlin. Saunders pointed out that the entire C Building, where the fire occurred, had been evacuated and the fire department wanted it to remain vacated while the initial investigation was conducted. That would have forced teachers to hold class in Civic Center Park or near the football field. She said that wasn’t a feasible option under the circumstances, so all students were sent home near the end of sixth period, just past 1:30 p.m. 

Last spring, a series of small arson fires occurred on the Berkeley High campus. A number of them also happened in the C Building. 

Daily Planet Staff 

This morning – unless our broadcast brethren pulled a fast one on us – no TV cameras filmed the production of this newspaper. No morning news show will send anyone to our offices to do a live remote. 

This week, no reporters called up asking us what our agenda was, or what kind of newspaper we were trying to become, or if we thought we’d survive another six weeks. 

What a difference a year makes. 

Today marks the start of the Berkeley Daily Planet’s second year of publication, and our staff sees it as a reason to celebrate. 

You see, when we launched this newspaper on April 7, 1999, a lot of people in Berkeley doubted we’d succeed. For most of them, it was nothing personal. They simply understood that in a day and age when newspapers are losing circulation, becoming increasingly consolidated and finding themselves under new owners – you don’t have to look too far around the Bay to find examples – it’s rare for a new daily newspaper to succeed. Have we succeeded? In most respects, it’s not difficult to argue that we have. We ran 5,000 copies of the first issue a year ago. The issue you’re holding is one of 9,500 copies printed today. We started at eight pages a day. Now we regularly run 16 to 24 pages each issue. 

And by and large, our readers say we’re achieving our goal of presenting community news on a daily basis, and we’ve attempted to provide that news in a fair, balanced way. 

Earlier this week, I sent out a round of e-mails and made some phone calls to a variety of community leaders, asking for their feedback on our first year. I asked them to tell us about the good, the bad and the ugly. The overwhelming response was that we’ve filled a void left behind in 1984, when the last community-focused daily newspaper closed in Berkeley. 

Even people who don’t always see eye-to-eye on issues agreed on this one: 

“The Berkeley Daily Planet has been a welcomed source of information in our community. Thanks for your coverage on the schools of Berkeley. I like to think the community is better informed,” responded Pamela Doolan, a member of the Berkeley Unified School Board. 

“You burst on the Berkeley scene a year ago with energy, panache, and erudition. You are a great addition to our city and help tremendously to improve our public discourse and inform out citizens of the ‘doings’ around town. I am looking towards the day when you reach every household in Berkeley,” wrote Terry Doran, vice president of the school board. 

Are we gloating? Well, you could call it that. Or you could call it pride at how we’ve been received by the community. The way I see it, if we weren’t doing the job we should be doing, we wouldn’t be growing in size or circulation. 

Has this first year been perfect? Of course not. We’ve made our share of mistakes – like the time I referred to the California attorney general in a headline as “Lungren,” even though Bill Lockyer had already been in office for over a year. 

And we have room to grow. 

On Thursday, I called up a journalist whose name and observations have appeared in several other publications’ stories about us over the last year. I had never spoken with Peter Sussman before, either in person or over the phone. But I wanted to hear his feedback on how our first year has gone. I was seeking a critique, not criticism. 

Sussman, who worked for 29 years at the Chronicle and has been active in the Society of Professional Journalists, earned a certain dubious distinction around our office in March 1999, when he was quoted as saying, “It may well take Superman to put out a daily paper in Berkeley.” 

(For the record, Superman has never worked here, although we did employ Clark Kent for a while. But we had to let him go. He kept leaving the office, saying he had some kind of “emergency” to tend to, and he seemed to have this odd obsession with phone booths. Am I sick of the Clark Kent jokes? Guess.) 

Sussman offered a rather balanced critique of our performance, echoing other people’s theme – we’ve filled a void – but providing other observations, as well. 

“We have had absolutely no way of learning most of the things that are covered in your paper,” he said. “Certainly, it’s getting better as you go along.” 

But at times, it’s noticeable that many of our staff members aren’t longtime Berkeley residents, said Sussman, who has lived here since late 1963. For instance, our KPFA coverage last summer – which helped to solidify our role in the community – didn’t adequately reach into the old roots of the conflict, which extend well beyond the by-law changes made by the Pacifica board early in 1999, he said. 

And sometimes neighborhood issues aren’t covered much until the complaints and concerns are heard by an “official” body, whether it’s the City Council or a commission. 

He did offer praise for our coverage of freedom of information issues, which are a high priority for Sussman. He said it was noteworthy that when we’ve encountered problems getting information or documents from public officials and agencies, we’re told our readers. 

“It’s important for a newspaper to help readers see not only what they can learn, but also what they’re forbidden to learn,” he said. “It’s important to say, ‘Here’s what we could get, and here’s what they won’t tell us.’” 

So, our first year has come to a close. Our second is just beginning. As a staff, we have just one thing to say: Thanks. 

Oh, and keep reading, too. 

Rob Cunningham is editor of the Berkeley Daily Planet. 

He can be reached at rob@berkeleydailyplanet.com, and letters to the editor can be sent to opinion@berkeleydailyplanet.com.

The Zaytuna Institute is sponsoring a conference today and Saturday entitled “The Forgotten Roots,” which will examine the historical past of various ethnic groups in the Americas. 

Organizers say some of the foremost researchers of this subject are expected to participate in this conference at UC Berkeley to teach the public and interested faculty about this area. 

Zaytuna is a nonprofit, non-political institute committed to the dissemination of traditional Islam. The event is co-sponsored by several UC Berkeley academic divisions, including the African American Studies Department, Near Eastern Studies Department, and the Graduate minority students project. 

The event will be held in 155 Dwinelle Hall on the UC Berkeley campus, from 3 to 10 p.m. today and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. 

For more information call 510-744-3692, or visit the institute’s web site at www.zaytuna.org.

Daily Planet Staff 

Berkeley teachers, parents and community supporters flooded the meeting chamber in Old City Hall on Wednesday night to demand that the school district raise teachers’ salaries. 

“If we don’t have good, qualified, experienced teachers, then we don’t have a school district,” Berkeley Arts Magnet parent Kristin Prentice said during a rally before Wednesday night’s Berkeley Unified School Board meeting. “The school board needs to put teachers first.” 

In the last two weeks, the contract battle between the Berkeley Federation of Teachers and the Berkeley Unified School District has intensified. 

A week ago, the union announced that teachers would boycott nearly all events outside their “duty day” of six and half hours. That list of events includes all district-wide committee meetings, all school committee meetings and all conferences, as well as traditional campus events held as the school year draws to a close. 

“Every principal in Berkeley, every school board member, every district office person knows that in order for the schools to operate at the high level that they do, we have to work over 30,000 hours a month, without pay, to keep the standard of excellence you say you want,” Jan Goodman, a King Middle School teacher and former Jefferson Elementary principal, told the school board. “If we worked to the very hours in our contract, the schools would fall apart.” 

The “30,000 hours” figure Goodman cited came from a union survey conducted last month, when the BFT reported that Berkeley teachers spend that much time in an average month on such tasks as meetings and committees, curriculum preparation and staff collaboration - hours that could be considered unpaid overtime. 

In early March, the district and the union reached an impasse in contract negotiations, particularly over the issue of increasing teachers’ salaries through a multiyear agreement. Teachers have a contract that continues through 2001, but the deal allows such issues as compensation to be reopened each year. The current negotiations began more than a year ago. 

According to information provided by BFT, which came from state reports for the 1998-99 school year, only one Alameda County school district with more than 500 students has a lower salary range for new teachers. And every district in the county beats the BUSD for the most experienced teachers on the upper end of the salary range. 

“This is not a strike. This is not business as usual, either,” BFT President Barry Fike told the school board Wednesday night. “Some may call it a prelude to a strike. It is a last, best effort to bring about a result that avoids a strike.” 

Over the last 25 years, the union has held only two strikes: a one-day walkout in 1987, and a nearly six week strike in 1975. 

Today, the BFT’s executive board will meet to discuss further steps the union can take, without moving to a strike vote. Late Wednesday night, Fike declined to discuss those options in detail, but based on conversations with other teachers earlier in the evening, it could include cutting back on grading student homework and other curriculum-related tasks. 

After the BFT made its presentation and several teachers and parents spoke, some of the school board members offered their own comments – although the crowd had dwindled. The board’s comments mirrored their statements from the last number of months, including their support for teachers. 

“I feel confident that we will be able to reach a good settlement at the end of this process,” said Board President Joaquin Rivera. 

But before the board meeting began, Rivera sounded a little less optimistic when talking to a group of reporters. 

“A lot of the money we have is restricted money, and I think at this point they have failed to show where the money will come for the raise,” he said. “So if they think the money’s there, I’m open to hear from them where it is. 

“At this point, the board is really willing and anxious to be able to give the teachers a raise, so it’s not that the board is holding money back and that we don’t want to give it to the teachers. The board is working as hard as we can to try to come up with the money, so I don’t really think that this (demonstration) is going to expedite anything.” 

On Wednesday, both sides met again with a mediator from the state Public Employment Relations Board, but no major progress was made. The third mediation session is scheduled for next week. 

BFT also has filed an Unfair Labor Practices Charge with PERB over the district’s creation of a “Blue Ribbon Committee” to discuss budget restructuring. The union says the district shouldn’t have formed such a group before reaching a contract agreement with teachers. That committee meets again Tuesday. 

Thursday, April 6

“Thursday Birdwalk” 

7 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Look for nesting birds and review last year’s data collection results. For age 10 and older. 

510-525-2233 

Lunch Poems series 

12:10 p.m. 

Morrison Room, Doe Library, UC Berkeley campus 

National Book Award finalist Carl Phillips will read his poems, following an introduction by Robert Hass. This event is free, and is part of the Lunch Poems series on campus. 

510-642-0137 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Income tax help 

2-4 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Call ahead for an appointment. 

510-644-6107 

Asian Women in Theology 

6 p.m. reception; 7 p.m. panel discussion 

Pacific School of Religion Bade Museum, 1798 Scenic Ave. 

The panel will feature Nantawan Lewis, Metropolitan State University “Transforming the Canon of Theological Knowledge;” Seung Ai Yang, University of St. Thomas “Learning from the Tradition and History of Confucian Korea: A suggestion for Teaching and Learning in Theology;” Rita Nakashima Brock, Bunting Fellowship Program, “The Forgotten Asian Pacific Americans;” Jung Ha Kim, Georgia State University, “The First Shall be Last, and the Last, the First: The Reversed Reciprocity in Asian North America,” and Kwok Pui-Lan, Episcopal Divinity School “The Differences between Asian & Asian American Women Students.” 

510 849-0653 

Public Works Commission 

7 p.m. 

West Berkeley Senior Center, 1900 Sixth St. 

The commission will evaluate the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Task Force plan in the first half-hour and at 7:30, hold a public hearing on recommendations for the residential street-sweeping program. 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission 

7 p.m. 

Planning Department, Second Floor Conference Room, 2118 Milvia St. 

The commission agenda includes a discussion of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, alleged UC Berkeley stormwater violations and the council air-monitoring project. 

Residential Street Sweeping Meeting 

7:30-9:30 p.m. 

1900 Sixth St. 

The city is considering changes in its residential street-sweeping program. The public will have a chance to give input to the changes at the meetings. 

510-665-3440 

Friday, April 7

“Is Islam a Threat?” 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Laurence O. Michalak, vice chair of the Center for Mid-Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley, will speak during this week’s meeting of the City Commons Club. Social hour begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon is served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Speaker starts promptly at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is $11 or $12.25; admission to the speech is $1, free for students. 

510-848-3533 

Healthy Kids Day 

6-9 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way 

This free event is part of the nationwide celebration at the YMCA and is a way to educate children and families about fun, healthy and safe activities that they can do together. Activities will include: fingerprinting by the Berkeley Police Department; family swim; face painting; obstacle course; arts and crafts; family aerobics; first aid information with Fast Response; parenting and informational booths. The event is open to the community. 

510-848-9622. 

Saturday, April 8

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

The market has expanded its Saturday hours by one hour in the afternoon. 

510-548-3333 

Saturday Morning Children’s Programs 

10:30 a.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 

Colibri will perform songs from Latin America. Tickets are $4 general, $3 for children. 

510-849-2568 

Concert in the Park 

2-6 p.m. 

People’s Park 

Scheduled musicians will include: People’s Park Jazz Allstars, the Librarians, Rebecca Riots, sun asiatic from AME, Nameless and Faceless, Mantra, DJ eli b, Carol Denney, DJ 725, and possible guest performances from numerous other musicians. Scheduled speakers include Wavy Gravy, Osha Neumann, Michael Rossman, Michael Delacour, and many students and community members. 

510-272-2421 

“Nature and Knots” 

3 p.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Learn the structures, functions and natural history of knots. For age 9 and older. 

510-525-2233 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra 

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant 

Nicholas McGegan conducts a performance of Bach’s “St. John Passion.” Guest soloists: Dana Hanchard, soprano; Andreas Scholl, countertenor; Benjamin Butterfield and Marc Molomot, tenors; father-son duo Gary Relyea and John Relyea, bass-baritone; the Philharmonia Chorale. Tickets $30 to $45. 

415-392-4400; www.philharmonia.org 

“Scintillating Samplings of Java” 

8 p.m. 

Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Ben Brinner and Santosa will direct this performance showcasing the variety of ensembles, genres and styles currently played in Central Java. It includes a mix of traditional & newer compositions. 

Sunday, April 9

“Early A.M. Birdwalk” 

8 a.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Find the spring arrivals on the trails. Beginners welcome. There are binoculars to loan for those who do not have any. For age 10 and older. 

510-525-2233 

Composting Workshop 

1-4 p.m. 

People’s Park 

Learn more about the magic and mystery of composting with Master Composter Kim Caler. This is a hands on workshop. We will both learn about composting and maintain the park’s current piles. 

510-658-9178 

“Protist April” 

2 p.m. 

Tilden Regional Park, Canon Drive off Grizzly Peak Boulevard 

Use the plankton net to see what is in the pond and examine them with microscopes. 

510-525-2233 

Prometheus Symphony Orchestra 

3 p.m. 

St. Ambrose Church, 1145 Gilman St. 

Eric Hansen conducts, with guest artists Aaron Brown and Peter Schroeder, violin. This will be a program of works by Bach and Mahler. The concert is free. 

510-527-1519 

Organ concert 

6 p.m. 

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way 

Organist George Emblom will program of works by Bach, Part, Alain, Hampton, and Barber. Donation. 

510-845-0888

THEATER 

ACTORS ENSEMBLE OF BERKELEY 

“Rough Crossing” by Tom Stoppard, April 7 through May 6. The writers of a Broadway musical are simultaneously trying to finish and rehearse a play while crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner. 

$10. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; May 4, 8 p.m. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 528-5620. 

AURORA THEATRE 

“The Homecoming” by Harold Pinter, April 6 through May 7. A dark comedy about a philosophy professor who brings his wife home to meet his all-male family. 

$25 to $28. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“The Alchemist” by Ben Johnson, through April 7. A scathingly satiric look at the “science” of alchemy and other scams. 

$38 to $48.50. Tuesday through Friday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Feb. 26, March 4, March 11 and March 25, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. 

(510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“3 Sisters” by Anton Chekhov, through April 9. A play about three provincial sisters yearning to move to Moscow and the toy-soldier men who adore them. $15 general; $10 students and seniors. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m.; March 27, 8 p.m. Speakeasy Theatre, 2016 Seventh St., Berkeley. (510) 655-0813. 

Subterranean Shakespeare 

“Measure for Measure,” by William Shakespeare. Run has been extended through April 30. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays, at 8 p.m. each night, and Sundays at 7 p.m. $10 general; $6 students. La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 234-6046. 

MUSIC VENUES 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain, April 6. $16.50. 

John Renbourn, April 7. $16.50. 

Ellis Paul, Stephan Smith, April 8. $15.50. 

Vance Gilbert, David Olney, April 9. $13.50 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

ASHKENAZ 

Dan, Tom, and Mary, April 4, 9 p.m. $8. 

The Creole Belles, April 5, 9 p.m. $8. 

Wawawiwa, April 6, 9:30 p.m. $8. 

Sister I-Live, April 7, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Zydeco Flames, April 8, 9:30 p.m. $11. 

Rachel Garland, April 9, 7 p.m. $8 general; $6 students. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Cool Water Canyon, Big Wu, April 7. $6. 

An Evening with Groove Junkies, April 8. $5. 

Crazy from the Heat, April 9. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

LA PENA CULTURAL CENTER 

Kimiko Joy, Paris King, Salakida, April 7, 8 p.m. $7. 

Tribu, April 8, 8 p.m. $12. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Fall Silent, Good Clean Fun, Life's Halt, What Happens Next, Redrum, April 7. 

30 Sec. Fury, Spishak, Shoot The Dog, April 8. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Smoke Jumpers, Kirby Grips, Karate Dog, April 6. $5. 

Paul Cebar and The Milwaukeeans, The Floodplain Gang, April 7. $6. 

The Vagabond Lovers, Noe Venable, April 8. $6. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

“2x2: Architectural Collaborations,” Jan. 22 through April 16. This exhibit elaborates on the theme of the “Equal Partners” exhibit looking at the innovative projects and the collaborative style of a newer generation of architects. 

“Roma/Pacifica: The Phoebe Hearst International Architecture Competition and the Berkeley Campus, 1896-1930,” through April 23. An exhibition showing how the campus developed from the original lavish design of Franco-Roman buildings by French architect Emile Bernard to the modified version with Italianate granite and stucco buildings and tile roofing by New York architect John Galen Howard to the vision of California Arts and Crafts architect Bernard Maybeck and his student Julia Morgan.  

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“This is Your Heart!” ongoing. An in teractive exhibit on heart health. 

“Good Nutrition,” ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an exercycle for calculating how calories are burned. 

“Draw Your Own Insides,” ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERNICE LAYNE BROWN GALLERY 

“Bridging the Bay: Bridging the Campus,” through April 30. The exhibit has been created from the libraries of the eight University of California campuses. The exhibit includes books, documents, architectural drawings, blueprints, artifacts, maps and photographs that record the building of the San Francisco Bay area’s bridges. It also includes documents detailing Bay area bridge projects that were seriously considered but never built. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Doe Memorial Library, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 643-9999. 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. “A Taste of Culture: Approaches to the Study of Cuisine,” objects and photographs from diverse places and times display the role of food in human cultures. 

“Food in California Indian Culture,” the first comprehensive overview of Native California foods-this exhibit illustrates the artistry of Native cooking in harmony with the natural world. 

“Native American Portraits: Photographs by William Heick,” this retrospective exhibition includes photographs between 1951 and 1984 from four regions of western North America: Northwest Coast (Kwakiutl), Southwest (Navajo), California (Kashaya Pomo, Hupa), and Plains (Blackfoot, Sioux). 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.” Accompanying the exhibition is “Exploring Chagall and His Use of the Elements of Art,” a child-friendly Interactive Educational Room with five work-stations and a central activities space. 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“The Women’s Show,” March 3 through April 8. A group exhibit of works by six Bay area artists. 

“The Annual Staff Exhibit,” through March 31. An exhibit of works featuring ceramics, fiber, painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and digital mixed media. In the Interim Gallery. 

Free. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Irish Stones and More,” April 1 through April 27. An exhibit of quilts by Denise Snell. 

“Down from the Attic,” April 1 through April 27. An exhibit of dolls by Gretchen Jennings. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779.  

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

Dennis Begg, March 11 through April 9. An exhibit of new sculpture and installation. 

Lothar Osterburg, March 11 through April 9. An exhibit of new photography. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least four days in advance. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

Daily Planet Staff 

The Yellowjackets spotted the Menlo School girls lacrosse team two first-half goals before finally getting on the board on Wednesday, but in the end, Berkeley’s game-long consistency on offense proved too much for outmatched Menlo to handle. When the dust settled, the ’Jackets had improved their league record to 6-3, doubling up their hosts, 14-7. 

The victory completed the series sweep for Berkeley, which first defeated Menlo, 17-7, in the 2000 season opener at a neutral location in Davis. Though BHS head coach Lia Farley was concerned by the two early scores her squad relented, she left Menlo’s home field impressed with her offense’s overall effectiveness and balance. 

“We’ve been trying to work on ball movement, that’s one of our goals for the rest of the season,” Farley said. “We had the largest amount of people taking shots in this game. (Besides the usual scorers), three other players stepped up and contributed to the attack.” 

Dani Ganes had a brilliant performance on offense, netting a game-high five goals, as one of three BHS attackers to post at least three goals. Jamie Lee and Naomi Coffman took home the other two hat tricks, splitting the pipes three times apiece. Elizabeth Howe and Anna Russell rounded out the scoring, combining for three goals to spread the BHS scoring out among five players.  

“We had really good transition today. Much better passes and catches, especially in the second half,” said Lee, the team’s leading scorer to this point. “We expected to win the game, and at first we played kind of sloppy. (When they went ahead 2-0), it woke us up.” 

“I think we made some headway,” Farley added. “It’s hard to know, playing against a weaker opponent.” 

As in Saturday’s game, the ’Jackets went with two goalkeepers vs. Menlo, with sophomore Joanna Hoch playing the first half and junior Kristen Brasch tending net in the second. Despite the convincing victory, the squad feels there is plenty of room for improvement, on offense and defense. 

“We wanted to win (the Menlo) game to make ourselves feel better,” Lee said, “but I don’t think we played to our full potential today.” 

According to the Yellowjackets, Wednesday’s victory marked a big step in erasing the memory of Saturday’s loss to St. Ignatius High – a game that was thought to have demoralized the team. Farley admits she was not impressed with her squad’s effort against SI, and hopes it will approach this Friday’s showdown with Bishop O’Dowd with more enthusiasm. 

“There was some sting (after the SI loss). Unfortunately, we felt the intensity was lacking against St. Ignatius,” the coach said. “We try to use games against the easier teams as learning experiences, and with the harder teams, we do the same thing.” 

“Sometimes we play down to the level of our opponents,” agreed Lee. “We have to keep up our intensity the whole time (against Bishop O’Dowd). We expect to win.” 

Friday’s matchup kicks off at 4 p.m. at the Dragons’ home field. This weekend, the Berkeley girls head to the annual Western States Tournament, hosted by Stanford.

Daily Planet Staff 

Midwives deliver babies in most countries around the globe, but they are just beginning to gain a toehold in the United States. 

At Berkeley’s Alta Bates Medical Center, which boasts responsibility for the birth of more babies than at any other hospital in the East Bay, midwives have been available to low-risk mothers-to-be for a number of years. 

But the service is at risk, say the midwives who went to Tuesday’s City Council meeting to ask for support. 

The medical center wants midwives to start paying for their own malpractice insurance. The hospital has paid these fees – $68 per birth – in the past. “If we lose our malpractice insurance, we won’t be able to practice (at Alta Bates) any more,” said midwife Madeline Todel, noting that midwives can spend the time with the mothers that busy physicians are unable to do. The council unanimously approved a resolution calling on Sutter Health/Alta Bates Medical Center/Summit Medical Center to negotiate a contract with the midwives that includes malpractice insurance. 

Alta Bates spokesperson Carolyn Kemp said the medical center values the midwives, but is looking at ways to reduce expenses. 

“We’re conscious of every penny we spend at the hospital,” Kemp said. 

The hospital pays malpractice insurance only for people who are regular employees, she explained. Midwives, like most of the physicians, work on a contract basis. Physicians pay their own malpractice insurance and midwives are being asked to do the same. 

“Their patients love them,” Kemp added. “We respect them.” 

Berkeley’s Public Health Director, Dr. Poki Namkung, supports midwifery. When midwives are available, a woman can chose the kind of birth experience she desires, she said. 

“Some people see pregnancy as a medical condition,” Namkung said. “Others see it as a stage in life.” 

Those who look at their pregnancy on the medical model may prefer a doctor, others may prefer a midwife. 

The Community Health Commission brought the question to the council’s attention. In a background document, the commission cites a promise made by Lawrence Fox, who chairs the hospital board of directors. In a March 2 letter, he wrote: “none of the reproductive services Alta Bates Medical Center offers...will be altered.” 

The commission contends cutting off the midwives’ malpractice insurance payments is a result of the merger of Alta Bates and Summit. 

But Kemp says the cutoff was in the pipeline before the merger. 

“It has absolutely nothing to do with the merger,” she said.

Berkeley High boys golf coach Matt Bremer has been predicting a sub-215 score for his team for weeks, but the remarkable 205 the Berkeley High boys golf team shot at Tilden Park Golf Course on Wednesday surprised even the optimistic coach. 

“I really was surprised, I thought we were going to work from 215 to 213 to 209 or something like that,” Bremer said after the match. “It was awesome. Everything kind of meshed.” 

The score marked a 10-stroke improvement over the Yellowjackets’ previous team record, set earlier this season in a league match at Tilden Park. Berkeley had little trouble adhering to its pre-match resolution to keep everyone under 50 strokes, with the ’Jacket golfers averaging a 41. Ivan Holmes and Adam Breckler each broke the 40 mark, notching a 37 and 39, respectively, to set the tone for Berkeley. Curran Kennedy, Matt Wickett and Walker Koppelman-Brown rounded out the team’s scoring with a 40, 44 and 45. 

The 205 total was especially stunning, considering the squad shot a sky-high 245 just one day earlier against the same Monte Vista team at Roundhill Country Club. Though the ultra-deep Mustangs completed the series sweep of BHS by carding a 191 at Tilden on Wednesday, the Yellowjacket coaches were thrilled to have remained so competitive with one of the league’s strongest teams.  

“Monte Vista is a really classy team, they field a great lineup,” Bremer said. “Their No. 4 person shot their best score (36) – that speaks a lot about their depth.” 

The ’Jackets get perhaps their last opportunity to earn a league win next Tuesday, when they host Granada in a rematch of the March 16 contest won by the Matadors. A victory could vault Berkeley out of the East Bay Athletic League basement in time for the league tournament on May 1.  

“We’re peaking at the right time,” Bremer said. “We’ve got Granada coming up – a must-win game to get out of the cellar. I’m hoping our bubble doesn’t burst.”

Daily Planet Contributor 

Most members of the Cal Disabled Students’ Union agree that a disability is not something to feel sorry about. 

To promote this and other disability awareness issues, the student-run organization held its inaugural Disability Awareness Day Wednesday on Sproul Plaza of the UC Berkeley campus. 

“It’s something that affects the lives of millions of Americans,” said Program Coordinator Lisa Krain. “Everyone has a friend, co-worker or someone they know with a disability.” 

One featured event of the day was a “Disability Simulation Program,” which allowed non-disabled people to “adopt” disabilities such as blindness, tunnel vision, dyslexia and mobility impairments requiring use of a wheelchair. Among the participants were UC Chancellor Robert Berdahl and Vice Chancellor Barbara Davis, who rode in wheelchairs, and ASUC President Patrick Campbell, who wore a blindfold to simulate blindness. 

Those temporarily confined to wheelchairs were asked to complete an obstacle course, which included maneuvering through cones, boarding a bus on an elevator lift, and finding a classroom in Dwinelle Hall. 

“Having never been in a wheelchair before, it was much tougher than I thought it would be,” remarked second-year student Maria Morelli. “It was embarrassing asking people for help – I feel lucky I don’t have a disability.” 

However, Disabled Students’ Union president Andy Berk, who founded the organization in the fall of 1999, stressed that people with disabilities can perform most tasks without difficulty. 

“Being disabled is not like being in a living hell,” he said. “After a couple days, you adapt quite easily.” 

Another portion of the event, entitled “This Ability,” served to challenge existing stereotypes by emphasizing the special ways in which disabled people express themselves. To exhibit their uniqueness, athletes and artists in the disabled community presented performances in music, dance, poetry and sports. 

As well, several disability-oriented organizations with city, county and nationwide representation set up tables to distribute information on special education, accessible building architecture and technology, new developments in assistance, social services and advocacy. 

Organizations such as Guide Dogs for the Blind, Protection Advocacy Inc., and the Center for Independent Living came to help accomplish the multifaceted goals of Disability Awareness Day: to educate people about the experience of living with a disability; to appreciate achievements of the disabled; to encourage involvement; and to inform students with disabilities about the resources available to them. 

Speakers at the event included award-winning artist and poet Lee Williams, Gerald Baptiste of the Berkeley-based Center for Independent Living, human rights lawyer Dr. Theresia Degener, writer LeRoy Moore, and author Dr. Simi Linton, who wrote “Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity,” one of the first prominent books on disabilities. 

“It’s up to each and every one of us to ensure that the truth about disabilities is told,” Linton said in her speech. To foster this commitment, students, faculty members and community organizers have been working toward creating a Disabilities Studies at Cal (DiSC) department. 

Cal recently received the Presidential Chair in Undergraduate Education grant from the UC system to assist with the development of DiSC. The $90,000 grant, which the UC system gives every three years to spark new programs, was officially given to UC Associate Professors Susan Schweik and Fred Collignon. 

While a DiSC department is still a vision of the future, the Presidential Chair grant will allow six courses focusing on disability issues to be taught in the fall of 2000. 

“We should have a minor in a few years,” said Schweik. 

“But our big hope is for a department.” 

The Downtown Berkeley YMCA will open its doors to the public for a free event celebrating Healthy Kids Day. 

The event, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m., is part of the nationwide celebration at the YMCA and is a way to educate children and families about fun, healthy and safe activities that they can do together. 

This year the Downtown Berkeley YMCA, located at 2001 Allston Way, has put together an evening for the entire family. A few of the activities taking place include: fingerprinting by the Berkeley Police Department; family swim; face painting; obstacle course; arts and crafts; family aerobics; first aid information with Fast Response; parenting and informational booths. 

Special guest appearances will be made by Oski, the UC Berkeley mascot; Berkeley Farm “Chug” Mobile; Children’s Fairyland personalities; Raiderettes; Berkeley Fire Department; and “Lulu” the clown. 

In conjunction with Friday’s event, the Y held a poster contest for children. Students were asked, “What makes a Healthy Kid?” The winning posters will be on display through Friday at the Downtown Berkeley YMCA. 

Here are the winners: Madeleine Pelton, age 6, won Best in Craftsmanship and was awarded a free birthday party at the YMCA; Jamie Irvine, age 10, won Best in Communication and was awarded four A’s tickets and lunch with Mayor Shirley Dean; Jacob Isaacs, age 9, won Best of Color and was awarded a YMCA sweatshirt and ice cream certificates; and Marilyn Orozco, age 10, won Best in Creativity and was awarded a free week at YMCA Camp Gualala. 

Every student who participated in the poster contest received a free Healthy Kids Day water bottle and a certificate of appreciation. 

For more information or directions on Friday night’s event, call the Downtown Berkeley YMCA at 510-848-9622.

The man who coined the phrase “Don’t trust anyone over 30” turned 60 years old Tuesday. 

Jack Weinberg uttered the phrase – which became one of the most memorable expressions of the turbulent 1960s era – during the height of the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley. The Free Speech Movement was a struggle by students over the right to engage in political speech on campus, which helped to catalyze broader political activism on campuses around the country over student rights, civil rights and the Vietnam War. 

In a news release recently distributed by a Chicago public relations agency – owned by his wife, it should be noted – Weinberg says he made the statement primarily to get rid of a reporter who was bothering him. He doesn’t even regard the statement as the most important thing he’s ever said. 

“I was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter and he kept asking me who was ‘really’ behind the actions of students, implying that we were being directed behind the scenes by the Communists or some other sinister group,” Weinberg recalled. 

“I told him we had a saying in the movement that we don’t trust anybody over 30. It was a way of telling the guy to back off, that nobody was pulling our strings.” 

A columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle highlighted the quote and other newspapers across the country picked it up. 

“It went from journalist to journalist, then leaders in the movement started using it because they saw the extent it shook up the older generation,” Weinberg said. 

Weinberg, who currently lives in Chicago and works for the Environmental Health Fund on international toxic pollution issues, has remained an activist since his student days. 

He worked for Greenpeace, the international environmental organization, for the past 10 years. In January he left to join the Environmental Health Fund, a Boston-based organization that works with public interest groups to protect public health from injury caused by chemical pollution and other forms of environmental disruption. 

Weinberg works with organizations around the world – especially in developing countries – to build a global, activist network that challenges many of the policies and practices of the international chemical industry. 

Following his student days, Weinberg was a union activist for many years. In 1982, an organization of unionists, community members and environmentalist led by Weinberg successfully defeated a nuclear power plant proposed in Indiana on Lake Michigan.

Daily Planet Staff 

An estimated 30,000 visitors from the Bay Area and across California are expected to come to the UC Berkeley campus Saturday for Cal Day 2000, UC Berkeley’s free open house featuring tours, activities and lectures. 

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the campus will open the doors to its labs, lecture halls and museums, giving visitors an inside look at the nation’s top public university. Throughout the day there will be a variety of free musical and dance performances, sporting events and scientific demonstrations. 

Visitors will learn how UC Berkeley scientists could use their backyard to study earthquakes at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. They can also follow professor Roland Burgmann on a guided tour that traces the Hayward Fault through campus. 

For those interested in literature, UC Berkeley’s libraries will have plenty to offer. The only movie footage ever shot of Mark Twain will be on display along with many of the famous author’s manuscripts. During hourly tours, visitors will get a chance to look at these artifacts and talk to the editors of the university’s Mark Twain Project, the world’s foremost collection of the author’s work. 

Here are highlights of the day’s free events: 

• Tours: Student guides will lead campus walking tours every half hour. In addition, visitors can learn about the university while riding around the campus in motorized cable cars. There will also be a variety of specialized tours ranging from a guide to campus trees to a behind-the-scenes tour of the campus’s sewer system. 

• Sports: From 9:30 to 11 a.m. Cal’s football team will show off its newest recruits during a scrimmage in Memorial Stadium. And, at 2 p.m. watch the women’s intercollegiate lacrosse team as they take on UC Davis in Memorial Stadium. 

• Children’s events: Young people can experience the thrill of finding fossils at the Museum of Paleontology or listen to storytellers at the 9th annual Celebration of Children’s Literature in Tolman Hall. 

On Saturday, admission is free to all campus museums, including the Lawrence Hall of Science, the Botanical Garden and the Berkeley Art Museum. Parking in most campus lots is free as well. A detailed schedule of events is available on the Cal Day web site at www.berkeley.edu/calday. 

For more information, contact Visitor Services at 510-642-5215.

Daily Planet Staff 

Tonight, the City Council will meet to sift through as many of the 56 items piled onto its agenda as it can. It’s the last meeting before the council’s annual three-week spring break, so any decisions not made tonight will come ‘round again in May. 

One issue on the to-discuss list, guaranteed to generate lively conversation, is a proposed ballot measure aimed at protecting seniors, the disabled and ill people from owner move-in evictions. As the law currently stands, owners are permitted to move into one of their units and displace the current resident. San Francisco voters amended their rent control ordinance last year to include a provision similar to the one that is proposed. 

Another hot button issue is the landmarking of 801 Grayson St. While the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted March 6 to certify the 80-year-old structures as a city landmark, the Bayer Corporation has appealed the decision. It owns the property and wants to demolish the structures on it. Once the structures have landmark status, demolition of structures on the property has to go through the Landmarks Commission. 

The commission says the property, where Epsom salt was once refined, should be designated as a structure of merit. 

“Philadelphia Quartz is one in a row of early 20th century industrial plants along the southwest Berkeley waterfront...(that was) part of a period of intense industrial expansion in the Bay Area around World War I...” says a commission report. 

But the landmarks staff contends the structure lacks architectural merit and is similar to many existing late-19th and early 20th century industrial complexes and therefore does not merit the designation. 

Another controversial issue on the agenda is the city’s 170-foot communication tower, cemented into place next to the new Public Safety Building a few weeks ago. Neighbors of the tower say the city broke faith with them when they installed the giant tower without first advising them. Top city officials argue, however, that the tower was in the city’s plans and that it is critical for emergency operations. 

Councilmember Dona Spring is asking staff to report on alternatives to the tower. 

Also tonight, Spring will ask her colleagues to support building an annex to the Civic Center Building, where the old public safety site sits today. That building is slated for demolition. 

Spring wants the council to go to the voters in November to ask them to tax themselves for an $11 million project that will include replacing parking lost by construction of the new Public Safety Building and building a new user-friendly council chambers. The current chambers lacks comfortable accessibility for people who use wheelchairs and wheelchair accessible bathrooms; it also lacks good access for councilmembers who use wheelchairs; and it is too small for meetings on controversial topics. Spring wants to build a modern council chambers where the audience can better hear what’s going on. Part of the project could be paid for in savings from leases the city has for private office space, she said. 

The council will also consider banning smoking in tot lots, enforcing term limits for commissioners, purchasing a microphone and recording device for General Plan and Southside Plan meetings, adding Councilmember Betty Olds to the council subcommittee on the city manager’s evaluation, and more. 

The complete agenda is on the Internet at http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ and at city offices at 1900 Addison St. The council will meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m. on the third floor at 1900 Addison to discuss possible litigation by Metromedia Fiber Network, Inc., a telecommunication company that has applied for an encroachment permit to construct fiber optic lines under various streets in Berkeley. 

The regular council meeting is at 7 p.m. at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and will be broadcast on KPFB, 89.3-FM and B-TV, Channel 25.

University of California police have arrested two juveniles in connection with the burglary, and arson of three vehicles in university parking structures on the evening of Feb. 26. 

One of the cars was parked in the University Hall Parking Structure, and two were parked in the Ellsworth Parking Structure, located at Channing Way and Ellsworth Street. 

The juveniles, whose names are withheld because of their age, are Oakland residents, and are both 15 years old. Both suspects have admitted their involvement in the crime, according to UCPD Capt. Bill Cooper. 

The primary motive for the crimes apparently was theft, however, one of the juveniles admitted to setting the cars on fire because he “wanted to see them explode,” according to Cooper. 

Although two of the cars were destroyed by the fires, there was no explosion. The third car suffered moderate damage when the flammable material failed to fully ignite. 

The suspects also admitted responsibility for two additional auto burglaries in University Hall Parking structure on the same day. There was no attempt to burn the vehicles in those cases. 

Detectives identified the suspects by tracking property stolen from one of the vehicles. The juveniles were also stopped by UCPD patrol officers on an unrelated matter in the Ellsworth Parking Structure a week after the arsons. 

UC Police detectives Ken Moody and Chris Bowers conducted the investigation. 

Both suspects have been referred to the juvenile court for prosecution.