Daily Archives: January 19, 2011
The Berkeley Wire: 01.19.11
Berkeley Crossings complex bought for $15 million [Oakland Tribune]
Berkeley High’s Tim Moellering dies after long battle with cancer [BHS PTSA]
Operational Excellence efforts ramping up at university [Daily Cal]
Do nanoscale boats use nanoscale ropes? [LBL]
Photo of Saul’s Deli pastry counter by CT Young/Berkeleyside Flickr pool
The University of California Police Department reports that there was an armed robbery last night at the vista point at signpost 15 on Grizzly Peak. The victims, a man and a woman, were sitting in their parked car when four men exited a large pickup truck and approached their car. One suspect stood in back of the car to prevent it from leaving while another suspect approached the passenger side and pointed an automatic handgun at the victim. The other two suspects, wearing black ski masks, were standing next to the driver’s side window.
The suspect with the gun spoke in both Spanish and English and demanded the victims’ property. The victims complied and the four suspects were last seen fleeing the scene in their pickup truck, northbound on Grizzly Peak. A police search of the area was unable to locate the suspects or their truck. The victims were not injured during the incident.
The suspects were described as four Hispanic males, in their late teens or early 20s. If you have information about the crime, contact the UCPD on (510) 642-0472.
Your neighbors: “You’re perfect” and Benjamin Smythe
Kim Aronson is an online community builder who has lived in Berkeley for the past decade. He makes short films on the side. You’ll find his third video for Berkeleyside, about Benjamin Smythe, above.
Watch Aronson’s first Berkeleyside film, about Sunday softball organizer Raymond Weschler, and his second about poster maker Doug Minkler.
Berkeley’s City Council scheduled a vote on a fund for sex reassignment surgery for its meeting on February 15. The proposal, which would provide $20,000 per year, had attracted national attention.
A report from City Manager Phil Kamlarz noted that establishing the fund would be less expensive than paying extra premiums to add the benefit to the city’s health insurance policies.
At the meeting last night, Berkeleyan Kathryn Steuerman urged council members to ignore critics who said filling potholes was more important. “Gird your loins against such false dichotomies,” she said. “Go forward with all possible haste.”
The 21 commenters on Berkeleyside’s story yesterday had a diverse range of views. Potholes did not come up, but many suggested other priorities for the city. Other commenters argued for more perspective and compassion, and several pointed out the intolerance towards transgendered people in some of the comments.
Where in Berkeley?
Know where this is? Take a guess and let us know in the comments.
Update, 17.27: Bikedodger was the winner this week — he guessed correctly that this is the little shore park at the Gilman sports fields and Golden Gate Fields. Congratulations Bikedodger!
Photo: Tracey Taylor.
Council faces tough decisions on unfunded liabilities
The Berkeley City Council special session on the $310 million — or higher — unfunded liability on promised employee benefits revealed the difficult choices faced by the city.
A presentation by budget manager Teresa Berkeley-Simmons made the root of the problem clear. The California Public Employee Retirement System (Calpers) assumed annual investment returns of 7.75%. The crash of the Great Recession in 2008 meant that returns in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009 were negative 24%, producing an annual loss against assumptions of 31.75%. For Berkeley’s city employees, that has produced investment losses of $200 million.
“We can’t grow our way out of this,” Berkeley-Simmons said.
“Even if Calpers gets 7.75% forever now, they have lost $200 million on which we’ll never get 7.75%,” explained City Auditor Ann-Marie Hogan.
City Manager Phil Kamlarz said the money to close the gap has to come from either increased contributions or a reduction in cash available for city services, or some combination of the two. Long term, the gap can be closed by reduced benefits for new employees, but that does little in the short and medium term.
“Rather than cut services, people are asking employees to contribute more,” said Mayor Tom Bates. “That’s the path we have to go down. People will need to start contributing more. It’s unfortunate, but they’re lucky to have a job.” … Continue reading »
