Beast Blog

Great New Bakery

Sweet Adeline: 3350 Adeline Street, Berkeley

Sweet Adeline is a new (a mere 3 months old) bakery near the intersection of Adeline, Stanford & MLK. It's good!

i stopped in this AM for the first time & was pleased. they serve organic coffee, have raw sugar as an option, and the pastry? excellent!

those that know me well know that i'm a pastry snob (i moved to the bay area to be a pastry chef, and apprenticed at the Mark Hopkins in SF). so i can be very critical about basked goods. but sweet adeline delivers.

they offer savory pastries, sweet pastries, and breads. all was fresh and made with top quailty ingredients. a worker (possibly an owner) answered questions from the person ahead of me about what apples she uses in the turnovers. "right now, granny smith. in the fall we use graventstien, grown in sepastopol." good answer!

i'll be going back!

Celebrate the Ashby Arts District - June 12

This came in the inbox:

Sunday, June 12th 1-6pm

7 venues in the South Berkeley/North Oakland Area will be opening up to the public with live performances and food to celebrate the rapidly developing Ashby Arts District (AAD).

What is the Ashby Arts District?  It is a partnership between seven non-profit organizations and performance venues in the South Berkeley/North Oakland/Lorin District area including La Peña Cultural Center, Epic Arts, The Shotgun Players at The Ashby Stage, The Black Repertory Group, Nomad Café, Northern California Land Trust and the Triptych Gallery.  

We are working together to increase awareness of the arts in our neighborhood and to unify the communities we serve.  Thriving arts organizations will bring more people to our area for shopping and dining.  Come out and support your local non profits.

Drop by any one of the above on Sunday, June 12th to join in the festivities.  

SF's >Mexican Party Bus will be cruising around the district from venue to venue all day.

So hop on the bus and come party with us!

Posted by peterme at 11:52 PM | Comments (21)

Sweet Adeline... (bah-bah-bah!)

(to the tune of "Sweet Caroline")

Sweet Adeline is a new bakery on Adeline, just south of Alcatraz.

It's baked goods are delightful.

It's been written up in the Chronicle, and Chowhound loves it, too.

Me, I like it not just for the sweet treats, but because it provides one of the few comfortable neighborhood hangouts in that part of South Berkeley.

Ashby Arts District

There is a fabulous movement afoot in South Berkeley!

It's called The Ashby Arts District, and its a cooperative effort spearheaded by Epic Arts (which serves as its fulcrum). The partnership includes La Peña Cultural Center, The Shotgun Players, Epic Arts Studios, The Black Repertory Group, Nomad Café, Northern California Land Trust and the Triptych Gallery. This district is unique in that it has been organized by artists and arts organizations from the grassroots up, and is now supported by the local business community, neighborhood associations, and was officially recognized by the Berkeley Mayor's office in the summer of 2003.

The recent emergence of this affiliation of arts venues in the South Berkeley/North Oakland neighborhoods surrounding Ashby BART station has finally given a name to an area long known for its proliferation of artists, writers, musicians, dancers, actors and other performers, as well as residents who appreciate community-based arts.

Through collaborative events and programs, the District’s members are working to bridge gaps between neighboring organizations, increase public awareness of the arts, and unify the communities they serve. Undertakings include:

* Publishing a monthly arts calendar that reflects events and performances throughout the Ashby Arts District

* Compiling and sharing a database of nearly one thousand local artists, musicians and other performers in order to allow broad saturation of favorite acts within the district

* Working with city officials to move new arts organizations into the area.

* Planning our first annual street festival for the summer of 2005, during which a section of the Arts District will be shut down to celebrate the 30th anniversary of La Peña and the Northern California Land Trust.

* Partnering with local businesses, organizations, and community groups to expand the reach of and base of support for the arts as an integrated part of community

* Continuing to develop public art projects such as the 2003 Ashby/MLK mural project that involve local residents as designers and architects of thier own creative environment.

The main goal is the continued development of the Ashby Arts District and the creation of a better world through art, one thriving community at a time.

the saga for a decent breakfast, part 251

One of the few things I don't like about the Bay Area is the lack of cheap, hearty breakfasts. Bacon & eggs manage to be under $5 everywhere else in the country! And frankly, for the typical $7-$8 Bay Area breakfast doesn't give you much more than a $5 breakfast elsewhere.

So my quest for good breakfasts has led me far & wide. Here is my current fave:

1. Montclair Egg Shop
(6126 Medau Pl, Oakland)
510.339.9554

This place is GREAT! while it can be a schlep to get up to Montclair (for us flatlanders), I find it's well worth it. Quirky decor (old timey nickel amusements), friendly servers, reasonable prices, and good food.

The potato pancakes have lots of scallions, the eggs blackstone (weekends only) is awesome, the coffee is nice and strong!

I also like:
Bette's Diner (4th Street, Berkeley)

Homemade Cafe (San Pablo & Dwight, Berkeley)

Broombush Cafe (San Pablo, Berkeley)

Meal Ticket (San Pablo & Gilman, Berkeley)

Berkeley Poetry Slam

Never been to a slam?
Slam is a strange hybrid of literary arts, theatrical performance, and competitive sport that is a force to be reckoned with all over the globe. It's a compelling night out, a cheap date, and a thinking person's form of entertainment.

The Berkeley Poetry Slam happens EVERY wednesday at The Starry Plough in Berkeley (3101 Shattuck Ave).

Admission is $7 or $5 with student ID.

Top 3 winning slammers of the night take home cash prizes, and audience giveaways are also common!

good eats!

recently, i moved to the northwest oakland/emeryville/south berkeley corridor, and with that move began a search for a "good breakfast".

just what makes a "good breakfast"? well, as someone who is transplanted here from back east, i don't wanna pay "california prices" for a decent breakfast. but why is it that every decent place is more than $20 for a couple to eat the cheapest meal of the day? sheesh!

i just discovered to spots that serve very different food, but are great for b-fast:

Broom Bush Cafe
(510) 665-8315 
2725 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA

is a southern style diner/greasy spoon where you can get get great egg dishes. i personally got the satisfying corned beef hash/egg combo, and my dining companion got her standard egg/bacon combo. with (big mugs! unlimited refills!) coffee, tax & tip, we paid about $17!

further up the san pablo corridor is Meal Ticket. the brightly painted exterior always caught my eye when i shopped at Tokyo Fish Market. so we checked it out. we're glad we did.

Meal Ticket
(510) 526 6325
1235 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA

i got the breakfast special: a whole deboned trout, grilled & served with homemade salsa, two eggs (they don't poach, much to my chagrin), and homefries (and they are good homefries- crispy & seasoned!). my friend got the eggs & baguette with bacon (a heartier version of the breakfast sandwich, served open faced). with coffee, tax & tip again, only $17!!!

we are pleased! we'll be returning to both.

Latest Berkeley/Oakland Border Shooting

"BERKELEY/Shooting Victim was hit numerous times" - Chronicle

And here's an email I received through a neighborhood mailing list:

From: Don Link
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 19:18:31 -0700
Subject: [OPD] Shooting on Adeline 8/16/04

Re the last 2 postings about the trouble on Adeline, there was a shooting at around 2 pm today, a very serious one at very close range, 3 or 4 of the shots probably at point-blank range. It occurred at Harmon and Adeline (half of that block is Harmon, the Berkeley half, the other half 65th St. in Oakland. The shooting occurred on the Northeast corner of this intersection.

I was driving to the Post Office on Adeline and approached the corner just as the shooting started. Three or four shots with no shooter in sight, then 2-3 more as he turned in the middle of the crosswalk across Harmon and fired again. He then ran south on Adeline and either had a bicycle waiting, or took one, and rode off towards Alcatraz. He crossed Alcatraz onto a small street/parking area next to the commercial area on Alcatraz and continued toward 63rd St. and 62nd St. I attempted to follow him, but traffic and the signals made effective pursuit impossible.

Berkeley PD and OPD were combing the neighborhoods of Beat 11 for the perpetrator. He is an African American male 18-22, 5'7'' or 5'8'', with a muscular build and a weight of probably 150-170 lbs. He is clean-shaven and was wearing a black or midnight blue knit cap and white clothing otherwise. His weapon was a semi-automatic gun-metal blue or black handgun with a very deep pop when the shots were fired. I don't think it was a 9 mm, but something larger, maybe a .45 caliber.

I am sorry if the young man died. There was a pool of blood just seconds after the shooting and it took the Berkeley ambulance 4-5 minutes to arrive at the site and begin triage.

I spoke to the young man's brother who appears to be middle eastern, perhaps Yemeni. One or two other relatives were there as well. Perhaps they own a business in the immediate area. They saw the perpetrator more clearly than I.

I made it a point to drive the beat looking for the perpetrator or perhaps an abandoned bicycle. I went to the hot spots to see if anyone looked familiar, but saw no one who fit the description.

I will be very interested to learn about motive and particularly whether there is any connection to the North/South Oakland/Berkeley war that went on earlier this summer and last summer with disastrous consequences.

It surprises me how upsetting and disconcerting incidences like this are after all of them that I have read about and heard about. The finality of the actions, the brazenness of the perpetrator, the aftermath and the disruptions it causes for hundreds of people unconnected to the victim and connected alike. A train wreck and a disaster for everyone involved.

I sincerely hope that the case is solved and solved quickly. The number of shots and the close-range quality of the incident make it more of an execution than a shooting. I don't believe that the victim was armed.

Don Link, Shattuck NCPC Beat 11

great indie & queer show!

The East Bay takes a back seat most time to San Francisco when it comes to queer events & culture. That all changes on Friday, June 4th! Three indie bands, all queer as heck, take over the Starry Plough!

Bitesize, The Ex-Boyfriends, RoboSapien
Friday June 4th, 9:30 PM
Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck Ave @ Prince)
$7, 21 and over

Bitesize:: "In addition to 100% gleeful abandon, Bitesize engages the listener with a unique perspective and agitated twist on subject matter like sex toys, gender bending and role switching back to Shakespeare's time." -AOL Digital City
"A quirky (band) that brings to mind PIXIES, PEE, and even ATOM & HIS PACKAGE. Great vocal play between (alternating) vocals. Twenty infectious ditties that overflow with enthusiasm and spirit on a pop level." -Maximum Rock N Roll
"When you're singing about transsexual understudies, flaming ice cream trucks, and kissing old guys, you can pretty much expect to be saddled with the modifier "quirky." It is certain that Bitesize knows this. They've certainly heard it before. But underneath all the eccentricities of their second full-length CD, Sophomore Slump, Bitesize demonstrates why their eclectic brand of noise pop transcends its own wackiness. Simply put: hooks are hooks, and Sophomore Slump is loaded with them." -West Coast Performer
"With clever lyrics and hooked-barbed songcraft, the trio's fare is packed with a juicy filling of squealy clanking distortion, perky co-ed vocals, and manical melodies as catchy as any jump-rope rhyme. Imagine the Pixies forced into servitude by They Might Be Giants and you'll begin to get the idea." -East Bay Express

RoboSapien: is a band that includes self-proclaimed spazzes who are former members of the Infinite X's and Boy Wonder. Just back from their international tour with multi-media artist and spoken word spitfire Sini Anderson, RoboSapien will inspire you to shake your booty!

The Ex-Boyfriends: this frenetic, upbeat pop band is made up of members of Charmless & ex members of Crown of 45's! guitar driven sing-alongs that are sure to please!

Shotgun Players Find A Home

Bright River -- Extended!

Float down The Bright River

A bit back we posted an announcement of The Bright River, a performance taking place at the Transparent Theater, on Ashby and MLK. Last night, a few of us went to see it, and were quite pleased.

For starters, you've just got to dig the Transparent Theater -- I'm disappointed that the first show I saw there is the last show they're putting on! (I hope they find an agreeable buyer.) It's a funky casual place, encourages you to bring food and drink into the house, friendly staff, etc. It's also well-appointed for it's small (180 seats) size.

The show was fun. Something of a post-death journey, hip-hop flava mixed in with some traditional Jewish storytelling, healthy portions of current events (the Iraq war looms large), and a tight musical ensemble. The discovery of the show, as it were, is Andrew Chaikin's freakish beatboxing -- you'll be surprised at what comes out of his mouth.

The show continues tonight, and then next weekend, so there's plenty of opportunity to see it. The advanced ticket price is very reasonable ($12), and it's a worthwhile event to support local theater.

A Neighborhood Grows in Berkeley

What's Up With the Transparent Theater

Hi neighbors. After nine wonderful productions in the past three years, Transparent Theater is closing. We have enjoyed your presence at the plays, your emails and your comments, and we want to thank you for all of your support. Transparent's managing director, Coley, and I are pursuing projects outside of theater and with the additional factor of a baby coming in the summer(!), we have decided that the time is right for us to close the theater. In the short term, as you heard from Tanya at Epic Arts (1923 Ashby), the theater will be hosting a production of THE BRIGHT RIVER by Tim Barsky running through March 20. We encourage you to come check it out -- we look forward to the opening this Thursday. In terms of our longer term plans, we are already talking to potential buyers of the theater, and it is our hope that it continues as a performance space. If you know anyone or any group that may be interested in a fully-permitted, beautiful performance space in this great neighborhood and next to BART, please let us know. Best wishes and thanks again for all of your support for the years of Transparent Theater. Tom Clyde

Transparent Theater Up for Sale

Sigh. It's a potentially sad moment in the South Berkeley arts scene, as the Transparent Theater puts itself up for sale.

But all is not a downer. Epic Arts, another South Berkeley organization, is putting on a show at the theater: "The Bright River: A Mass-Transit Tour of the Afterlife."

From an email I received describing it:

This is truly one of the most talented groups of performers I have seen.  They fuse Jewish folklore, beat box, classical music, Klezmer and hiphop.  The story takes us on a mass transit tour of what can only be seen as modern day Dante’s Inferno.   It’s touching, enlightening, comedic and grooovy.  Please come out and support the Theater, Epic Arts and the performers.

Walk the Dog

At our neighborhood park there has been the understanding that, if the park isn't busy and your dog is under control, you can let your pup play off-leash and no-one will complain. At certain times of the day, as many as eight or nine dogs can be found romping happily in the grass.

This afternoon, a conscientious Berkeley Animal Care Officer pulled over to give me a warning about having my dog off leash in the park. I can't really be angry about it - the signs are quite clear and he caught us in the act. It just makes me wonder what he would have done had he driven by at one of those times when many more of us were there. Would we all run away with our dogs and leave the slowest to get a citation?

And must we always pile Spot into the car to get to one of the legal off-leash spots?

I think it's time for South Berkeley's dog owners to get organized and work to create an 'official' off-leash area in our neigborhood.

Celebrate Black History

From my inbox:

The Young Adult Project will be hosting its annual Black History Celebration on Thursday February 26, 2004 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm at the Martin Luther King Youth Services Center, 1730 Oregon St.

You are all invited to attend this event. the Youth in the program will be performing poetry, dance, karate demonstrations and displaying their art work.

There will be a light refreshment. We hope that you can attend and I look forward to seeing you there..

Bicyclist Is Shot in Berkeley...

reads the headline of a depressing Oakland Tribune article. 62nd and MLK. This is *right* on the Berkeley/Oakland border. When I head south from Berkeley, I usually take Shattuck or Telegraph (there's not much on MLK), and it seems like those are safer routes.

Sigh.

Get Pretzeled for Free!

I just got this in my inbox:

FREE YOGA CLASSES, ALL WEEKEND LONG
 
Yoga Mandala in Berkeley is one year old this month!  To celebrate, they're offering a special schedule of free yoga classes this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13 & 14.  I will be teaching a Kundalini Yoga class tomorrow, Dec. 13 from 12-1:30pm.  If you've ever wanted to try Kundalini Yoga -- or any of the classes offered at Yoga Mandala -- stop by this weekend to try a free class.  The full anniversary schedule is available at the studio's website:
 
www.yogamandalastudio.com.
 
ONGOING CLASSES in Kundalini Yoga
Wednesdays & Fridays, 4:30-6pm
Yoga Mandala
2807 Telegraph Ave (2 stoplights north of Ashby)
Berkeley, CA

Balloons at Berkeley Bowl

From Worker's United:
------------
Sunday, October 26, 2-6pm

Here's the idea: In their last-ditch effort to break the workers' solidarity, the management of the Berkeley Bowl has told the workers that they cannot even talk about the union. Through intimidation and threats, they have attempted to create an environment in which "union" is a four-letter word.

Now the plan: Hundreds of helium balloons, with handwritten messages written on them with markers, given out to all the customers who enter the store. If you were able to make it to the Bowl last Sunday and were able to see all the balloons inside the store, then you know how the environment was shifted to a very pro-union one. With your help, the next two Sundays will be even better than last Sunday.

How you can help: It takes many hands to blow up the balloons, tie string to them, write messages on them, and distribute them to customers. We also have buttons and flyers and other information to get out to the shoppers. It would be great if you could help support the workers with your donation of time these next two Sundays. If you can not be there for the entire four hours, that is fine. Last Sunday there were a lot of people who came to the store to shop and spent about an hour helping with balloons before going inside. Anything you can do to help the workers is very appreciated. Please help spread the word about the struggle the workers are facing at the Berkeley Bowl, and we hope to see you there on Sunday!
--------------

Berkeley Bowl Union Action, Sunday 10/12

Maybe it's just me, but the Berkeley Bowl management's unwillingness to accept their worker's desire to unionize is a little mystifying. Anyway, I just received the following email (and cannot in any way vouch for the accuracy of the claims made in it)

__________________________________

The Berkeley Bowl workers will be voting on October
30th on whether to unionize or not. Management will
be intensifying their anti-union campaign over the
next couple of weeks. They have already broken
numerous laws: including firing 2 pro-union workers,
spying on workers, threatening to close the store, and
interrogating workers about their stance on the union.
There have also been various attempts to bribe
workers to make them vote against the union, including
changing benefits packages and giving raises. Most
recently Berkeley Bowl has hired a human
resources/business partner with skills in union
avoidance and has told workers that they aren't to
talk to co-workers or customers about the union while
they are on the clock.

Action...

When: This Sunday October 12th from 2pm-6pm
Where: In front of Berkeley Bowl, 2020 Oregon St
Why: Worker's need your support and encouragement

We will be in front of the store from 2pm-6pm with
ballons and flyers to pass out information to
customers and allow them to share their support quite
visibly with Berkeley Bowl workers. Even if you can
only make it for a small amount of time, please stop
by and show your support for the workers in the midst
of their struggle.

For more info feel free to email us at
BerkeleyBowlUnion@yahoo.com
and stay posted to San Farncisco Indymedia for updates
http://www.indybay.org

Solidarity Forever - Berkeley Bowl workers

__________________________________

If I were in town, I'd agitate for the union. As anyone who shops at the bowl knows, with the crap those workers have to deal with, they deserve collective bargaining rights.

The Berkeley Slam!

EVERY Wednesday: The Berkeley Slam!
8:30 pm, $7/$5 with student ID, (poet sign up @ 7:30)

Starry Plough- 3101 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

If you think you hate poetry, you haven't been to a slam!
Performance poetry is hybrid art form, half literary writing and half mixture of theatre, stand-up comedy, and dramatic monologue. is a poetry competition (gasp!) that brings out some of the finest performance poets in the nation today.

Every week, we host internationally renown performance poets, an improvisational house band or DJ, and more! The Berkeley Slam is arguably the West Coast's best attended & beloved : we host 100-300 audience members every week at The Starry Plough! Find out why!

Watch as the finest performance poets and spoken word artists compete for cash, audience love, and a slot on Team Berkeley 2004- the top 4 poets of the season get a free trip to St. Louis for the annual national competition.

Top winners of each weekly Slam accrue points and cash for their efforts. All poets are judged by 5 (random, lottery-picked) members of the audience! Anyone can sign up for a chance to read! (Poet sign ups are at 7:30, and slots fill up fast. Don't be late!)

The Berkeley Slam was voted Best of the East Bay!

"moving verse"- New York Times 3/3/03

features calendar:
October 15: Corbett Dean (AZ), The 's 5th birthday! Come celebrate!
October 22: TBA
October 29: Three Guys from Albany
November 5: The Berkeley presents... Chicken Grease!
A hip-hop hosted by Nazelah Jamison (ex-Spearhead), Karen Ladson, & DJ Tek Neek. featuring: Nercity Blues
November 12: Blair from Detroit
November 19: Team Monterey 2003
November 26: TBA
December 3: The Berkeley presents... Chicken Grease!
A hip-hop hosted by Nazelah Jamison (ex-Spearhead), Karen Ladson, & DJ Tek Neek. featuring: TBA
December 10: Sini Anderson (founder, Sister Spit)
December 17: TBA
December 24: an open mic (no ) hosted by Charles Ellik
December 31: no Berkeley !

City Carshare Comes to Ashby BART!

I just received this from City Carshare's East Bay Director:

Wednesday, October 8, 2003 is the date. City CarShare will open its newest East Bay location [Ashby BART] on the afternoon of October 8th with a brand new Honda Civic hybrid. There will be a press event later in the month to celebrate the opening, but in the meantime I could use your help to promote the pod.

Next Monday, September 29, 2003, I will be handing out flyers and general City CityShare information at the Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. Please drop by between 6-8pm to pick up a handful of flyers to distribute to your block, at neighborhood hotspots, etc. How will you be able to find me, you might ask? Just look for a man wearing a plaid golfing cap and a pink carnation, surrounded by stacks of promo materials, and feverishly working on his Mac ibook. (this is all true, except for the pink carnation part)

If you cannot make it next Monday, just let me know how to get flyers to you, and they will magically appear on your doorstep.

Many thanks for all of your interest and help. Hope to hear from and/or see you soon!

Shine On You Crazy South Berkeley

Today at the corner of MLK and Ashby, South Berkeleyans celebrated the completion of the "South Berkeley Shines!" mural on the side of Grove Liquor. It's a lovely addition to the neighborhood, depicting a variety of local sights -- the Thai Temple, the Black Repertory Theater, BART and the flea market, the Tool Lending Library, etc.

I took some photos.

Colorful, ain't it?

A neighbor contributes his vision

Indiana made his impression

Children are our future!

Keep Your Martinis Away!

The neighborhood playground:

I find it odd that the martini glass (with olive!) is the universal symbol for alcohol. Particularly because the folks at whom this sign is directed are likely drinking something that has it's own identifiable silhouette.

August 2/3 - The Ashby Arts District

South Berkeley is taking some steps forward in becoming a vital arts community. On August 2 and 3rd, the incipient Ashby Arts District will feature a special benefit performance.

There will be music and puppetry from Rosin Coven, Russian music performances, and presentations by neighborhood artists. The Ashby Arts District sees it'self as the funkier, "off-Broadway" cousin to Berkeley's more upscale Downtown Arts District.

Come celebrate!

Preparing for National Night Out

I was forwarded the following email. It was sent by a neighborhood-active southwest Berkeley woman to a reporter at the Berkeley Daily Planet:

Hi Angela,
I wanted to let you know about what we hope will be a big event for National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5th in Southwest Berkeley. You can get some info on NNO from the Berk PD website. With many of the recent shootings, violence, drug arrests, etc. in the neighborhoods of SW Berkeley we recognized California Street as a common denominator for a lot of the crimes and problems. Some of us got together to discuss this and called our group "California Corridor". Our desire is to have healthy neighborhoods to benefit all. We include members of the Alcatraz Neighbors Assn, the Lorin District Neighborhood Assn, Lorin Safe, 63rd and 62nd St neighbors. Our plan is to have events for NNO at three locations, 62nd and 63rd St at California St, on Alcatraz at California St, and a staging area on California St from Woolsey to Fairview. We hope to have food, music, socializing and strolling among the locations.

We communicated with members of ROC (Russell, Oregon and California). They are having a potluck in Grove Park 1730 Oregon at 6:30. At 7pm they will have a stroll, encouraging members to bring flashlights, singing voices, signs and walk to California St joining us at Woolsey. Our hope is that at Woolsey and California we will have news media to give us some coverage for the neighborhood participation. Can you help us? We have appreciated your excellent coverage of the "border wars" so much.

Upcoming South Berkeley Civic Meetings

Thursday, July 17, 7:00pm
Town Hall meeting about Community Policing
South Senior Center
2939 Ellis Street (at Ashby)
Questions and comments will be taken in written form.

Thursday, July 24th, 7:30pm
Russell, Oregon, and California Streets Meeting
MLK Jr. Community Center
1730 Oregon Street
Agenda:

Bring City CarShare to Ashby BART

City CarShare is appealing to BART for car pod spaces at Ashby BART. They need the community to make it clear to BART how important this is. Daryl Norcutt, City CarShare's East Bay representative, sent along the following letter which you could email or snail mail to BART Director Lynette Sweet. It probably would be good to make it specific to your circumstances.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 1, 2003

Lynette Sweet
BART Board of Directors
800 Madison Street, LMA-5
Oakland, CA 94607
kduron@bart.gov

Dear Director Sweet,

Thank you for your ongoing work on the BART Board of Directors and for your advocacy of transit issues in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

I am writing to ask for your support in bringing City CarShare to the Ashby BART station. As a frequent rider on the BART system and resident of South Berkeley, I would benefit tremendously from having access to a car-share vehicle that is nearby transit and easy to get to.

City CarShare is a local, non-profit organization that brought the concept of car-sharing to the Bay Area as a vehicle-ownership alternative. In addition to the current ‘pod’ locations at Rockridge and Glen Park BART stations, City CarShare has also put cars in neighborhood parking areas within walking distance of many other BART stations, like Lake Merritt and the Mission District in San Francisco.

Please consider locating a City CarShare pod at Ashby BART. The neighborhood would definitely use the cars, and it would also allow BART riders to more easily access the program throughout the Bay Area.

Thank you for your continued support of this important transportation program.

Sincerely,

[Your name here]

Cc: Tom Margro
Harley Goldstrom

Police Response To Shootings in Berkeley

This email just entered my mailbox:

From: "Hambleton, Douglas" Subject: RE: ROC meeting concerns [ROC Stands for "Russell, Oregon, and California Street Neighborhood Organization - ed] Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 14:44:41 -0700

Ms. Menard:

Shootings:

The BPD response to the recent shootings in South Berkeley is an excellent example of what we are trying to achieve with Community Involved Policing. We recognized the problem very quickly and then devoted extensive resources toward reducing the threat in the neighborhoods and solving the cases.

This included the combined efforts of several units in the department including the patrol teams, detectives, community services and the entire special enforcement unit. Several lieutenants have been working together on this problem and six officers have been deployed on overtime each day. We have also been giving information to the Oakland PD regarding the crimes and spending some of our time in Oakland tracking down the involved parties.

The result of this proactive police work has been many arrests, many probation/parole searches and search warrants, the recovery of guns, including automatic weapons. While the violence has stopped, we continue to devote a great many of our resources to this problem.

In addition to this hard police work, Officer Rittenhouse coordinated community outreach by notifying groups on his e-mail list and making
personal contact at local community facilities such as the YMCA, the Young Adult Project and Head Start. We also got the word out to the community through press releases and newspaper coverage.

4th of July:

The department will have over 50 additional officers on duty Friday night for the 4th of July. There will be close to 75 officers working all
together. Many of these officers have been ordered in to work on the holiday and their normal day off. One of the daytime teams will be held over for several hours past the normal end of their shift and the nightshift will come in several hours early to increase coverage. Most of these officers will be devoted to the marina and the fireworks display, which is one of the largest events in the City each year.

Patrol will be handled by the normal complement of officers. Our experience has been that most calls for service on the 4th of July are related to the concerns you have raised. Since other types of calls for service are usually lower on this holiday, officers are able to give more attention to the disturbance calls. Every other community is faced with similar issues on the 4th and like the others, we will do the best we can to keep the peace.

Unlicensed vehicles:

Officers address this problem by citing drivers and towing their cars when the law permits. Officers often tow cars for registration violations after they have been reported as abandoned. Parking Enforcement Representatives issue thousands of registration violation citations each year. If you are aware of specific cars that are in violation, please report them to dispatch at 981-5900 and an officer will be sent to handle the violation.

Loud Car Stereos:

Officers enforce these vehicle code violation when cars are driven on the streets. When the cars are parked the vehicle code does not apply. We can use section 415 of the penal code after giving a warning, but we must have a citizen who is willing to pursue the matter by making a citizen's arrest and following through with prosecution. Officers trend to focus their attention on the issues that generate calls for service. By reporting these disturbances, particularly parked cars with loud music, you and other ROC members can assist us in addressing the nuisance.

I have sent a message to officers requesting additional enforcement of vehicle noise violations.

Douglas N. Hambleton
Patrol Captain
Berkeley Police Department
2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 981-5800
dhambleton@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Music tonight at the Tea House

There is Celtic music tonight at the 1923 Tea House at 1923 Ashby Avenue starting at 8.30.

This is from Kris:

Please join me and my Australian friend David Hyams for an evening of celtic and celtic inspried music. We are performing at the 1923 Tea House at 1923 Ashby Avenue (directly across from Berkeley BART) on Friday May 30. Doors at 8, show at 8:30. $10 donation at the door helps us to pay the house fee for using the space and supports the work of the Epic Arts Foundation. Jam session afterwards. Bring a friend (or two or three!!!!), bring an instrument.

WHO ARE WE??
David Hyams is a producer, composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist from Fremantle in Western Australia. He plays acoustic and electric guitars, bass, mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica, and dobro in various musical styles. This concert will feature his beautiful finger-style guitar playing.

David has a long history in the Australian Music scene where he has fronted several bands including Rhode Island Red and the Appliances. His recent recording "MILES TO GO" has been pleasing celtic music fans with it¹s fresh approach to this traditional style of acoustic music.

Joining him on flute, vocals, and percussion will be local musician Kristan Willits. She has led sessions in the bay area for the past several years and heads a musical fusion project known as Mashuq. She is known for her emotive and inventive renditions of traditional celtic songs, and for lovely original tunes. She has recently returned from a tour to Australia where she performed with pianist Jo Cresswell.

Berkeley's Budget Woes

From an email I just received from my Russell, Oregon, and California Streets Organization president:

The COB will hold four budget review meetings. The budget deficit is expected to reach $10 million. City staff will provide information about the current budget crisis and take public comment. In our neighborhood the meeting is May 15, South Berkeley Senior Center 7:00-9:00, 2939 Ellis Street. Should this date present a conflict for you, check the calendar for the other dates www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/communitycalendar. [Ed note: I couldn't find any other dates yet listed.]

See you at the next ROC meeting May 21 7:00.
agenda: brainstrom ideas for community center programs, disaster prepareness planning. oher items for the agenda should be sent asap for inclusion on the flyer.

Report Your Local Liquor Store

I'm on the mailing list of my local neighborhood organization (The Russell, Oregon, and California Streets Neighborhood Organization). I recently received this email from the president:

Paul can you send an e-mail out to your group telling them that on April 26
citizens are being asked to work with Alcohol Beverage Control to visit the
99 liquor outlets in Berkeley and do an investigation regarding the
advertisement on windows. The law requires that only 1/3 of the window can
be covered. The persons who volunteer will receive a 30 minute training on
what to do.
From this information ABC will send to store owners a letter if they are in
violation. They will then be given a certain amount of time to clear up
the violation. If they have not complied the ABC investigators will go out
to the stores and issues a citation as they also investigate the store in
general.
The Lorin Safe group have already signed up and will be participating. We
hope we can get some folks from your area. Can you put the word out?
Thanks

Taj Johns,
Assistant to the City Manager
981-2491

One of the things I've learned in my ever-so-brief exposure to neighborhood politics and concerns is that liquor stores seem to be the banes of neighborhood happiness, acting as little more than magnets for loitering and drug dealing.

The discombobulation caused by liquor stores is quite surprising, because, well, hey, every once in a while I need a candy bar, and they're the best place to get them. Hell, since I was 5 or so, I did spot grocery shopping at our neighborhood liquor store (picking up milk, say).

Anyway, I won't be able to volunteer in this endeavor as I'll be out of town. But if I were around, I'd definitely consider it, just to see what such a thing is a like.

Also, note the mention of the "Lorin Safe Group." As I found out reading the history of Berkeley, Lorin was its own city before the 1900s, nestled between Berkeley and Oakland, before it became a part of Berkeley. It turns out that the name lives in in the neighborhood, through things like Lorin Station Apartments, and the Lorin District Neighborhood Association.

Me, I think "Lorin" sounds like something out of a Tolkien novel.

Meet Mayor Bates!

The Russell, Oregon, & California Neighborhood Organization is hosting a meeting with Mayor Tom Bates.

Wednesday, March 26. 7:00-9:00pm
MLK Community Center, 1730 Oregon Street

All South Berkeley residents should attend!

Smokehouse? Chokehouse

The Beast is rife with a variety of delightful cuisines, comparing favorably, often superiorly, to "The City." One laggard area, however, is hamburgers. Sadly, Beasties think Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers are just that, when, in fact, they're decent meat slathered in gimmick-y toppings. I mean, Joe, from Joe's Cable Car Diner, would kick Barney's ass in a ground-off.

Still, I held out hope -- we've got better barbecue, so we must have some good burgers, right?

I went to Citysearch for pointers, and tonight decided to try The Smokehouse. The readers there raved, and I'd gone past that spot innumerable times, beginning during my undergraduate years, and again recently when I moved back to the Beast.

The Smokehouse is most notable for being a free-standing walk-up burger joint. Many folks get their grub to go, though you can sit at a picnic table and eat on the spot.

I should have sensed trouble when the answer to my question, "What kind of cheese do you use?" was met with the singular reply, "American." Still, I soldiered ahead, ordering a hamburger "deluxe" (meaning lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo), with a side of fries and a chocolate malt.

My burger was ready after not long, and I took it to a bench to enjoy. Upon peeling back the paper, I was horrified. The patty was a wastrel-thin slab of grey meet, cooked to ensure that any flavor or juice had been removed. The burger sat atop a chunk of flavorless iceberg lettuce, relish, and mustard. (Anyone who knows burgers know that a good burger needs no mustard and relish -- those are dressings to bring flavor to a bland patty.)

The first bite supported my trepidation. The taste was comparable to McDonald's Big 'n Tasty, and nearly three times the price. The fries, though well cooked, had that odd chemical-ly flavor of a potato frozen too long. The chocolate malt was good, though too thick to drink through a straw.

In all, a disappointing experience. I'm quite surprised that the otherwise food-picky people of Berkeley seem to have been taken in by the venue's antiquity ("Since 1951"). I fear Berkeley is just not a burger town. And more's the shame.