Daily Archives: January 11, 2010
The Berkeley Wire: 1.11.10
Photo by Epanastasi/Berkeleyside Flickr pool]
Arthur Rosenfeld turns off the (energy efficient) lights [LA Times]
Jana Bouc sketches Berkeley’s Public Library [Jana's Journal]
God agrees with you in Berkeley: a visit to our city [Philip Greenspun]
Daren Fields named interim director of city health department [Daily Planet]
Berkeley couple at center of same-sex marriage trial
A Berkeley couple is at the center of the federal trial to determine same-sex couples’ right to marry which kicked off today in San Francisco.
Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier (pictured above), the mothers of four sons, will be the public face of the debate, along with Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo from southern California.
Read more on SFGate
The trial was supposed to be recorded on YouTube, but this morning, as the New York Times’ Bay … Continue reading »
Next on the BHS agenda: Meeting superintendent
The controversy over the proposed elimination of 0 and 7th period science labs at Berkeley High has brought the school’s governance issues into the spotlight. Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Bill Huyett will attend a meeting with parents next Tuesday, January 19, to both explain his views and to solicit feedback.
Here’s the announcement from the PTSA:
The PTSA is hosting a parent meeting in the BHS library on Tuesday, January 19, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. … Continue reading »
Red light for Green Motors
Green Motors, an emblem of Berkeley’s environmental credentials, appears to have gone out of business (tip: Tak and Janet). The showroom on San Pablo is empty and phone calls to the number listed on its website return a message that the number has been disconnected.
When it launched in 2007, Green Motors attracted both media and political attention. It was the Bay Area’s first (and perhaps last) all-electric vehicle dealer. Mayor Tom Bates, as well as the … Continue reading »
Spotlight on Berkeley design outfit Emigre
I had hoped to review a new Berkeley-related exhibition about typography reviewed by Chloe Veltman in yesterday’s New York Times. Unfortunately, despite the story’s appearance, Gallery 16, the space holding the “Emigre” exhibition was not open yesterday.
So the next best thing is to alert Berkeleyside readers to “Emigre at Gallery 16” which focuses on the work of the Berkeley graphic design company Emigre during its 1980s-90s heydey.
Founded in 1984 by husband-and-wife team Rudy … Continue reading »
“Milk” the clear winner in Berkeley
Time sink warning: once you start delving into The New York Times’ graphic display of Netflix data, it’s hard to stop. There are data on 100 titles that were frequently rented from Netflix last year. The most rented of the 100 nationally was “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. In Berkeley, Benjamin figures in the top 10 in every zip code. But “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” is also highly rented nationally — only in 94720, the university … Continue reading »
Count me in: Census road show hits Berkeley
The decennial national census is important to ensure proper representation and disbursement of federal funds. Census data directly affects how $400 billion yearly in federal funding is apportioned. Participation in the census — which will take place in March this year — is mandatory.
I understand all that, but I’m not entirely sure why there’s a Census Road Tour that will stop in Berkeley today. The road tour bus will be at the Shattuck/Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza … Continue reading »
Big Screen Berkeley: The Imaginarium of Frank Capra
Capra-corn: ever since 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life morphed into an American pop culture staple, that’s the pejorative term often used to describe the work of director Frank Capra. Pacific Film Archive is doing its part to put the term out to pasture with their new series, Before “Capraesque” (the preferred label for admirers of the Sicilian-born director’s homey, sentimental style), which focuses on the silent and pre-Code features that preceded his later commercial successes.
The series begins at … Continue reading »
The horses are racing at Golden Gate Fields but the future is uncertain
The 2010 horse-racing season began in late December at Golden Gate Fields, with the next significant live race scheduled for Martin Luther King Day.
But horse-racing lovers really have their eyes posted on Feb. 25, the day Magna Entertainment Group plans to auction off Golden Gate Fields to reduce its debt and help it out of bankruptcy.
As the last remaining horse track in northern California, the 130-acre Golden Gate Fields, with its prime location on the edge … Continue reading »
