Daily Archives: March 12, 2012
The Berkeley Wire: 03.12.12
Berkeley police chief draws fire for reporter incident [Chronicle]
Cheese Board Collective: one to try for California-style pizza [Parade]
Cal administrator hiked pay for employee she was seeing [Mercury News]
Berkeley police union “gravely concerned” with chief’s move [Oakland Tribune]
UC Berkeley leaders address Farrakhan visit [UCB]
Cal faculty call on chancellor to condemn charges against protesters [Daily Cal]
On the road with Victory & Associations: Part 1, Berkeley [EBX]
Photo: The promise passes behind an outcry, by TheRealMichaelMoore/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Oakland’s Angstadt to be Berkeley’s new planning director
Update, 8:00pm: At the public comment part of a closed session of the Berkeley City Council tonight, Mayor Tom Bates said that no-one had been hired as director of planning for Berkeley. He said the council would be interviewing Angstadt in the closed session and “our decision will be made after that”. Councilmember Kriss Worthington added that the vote on whom to hire would not take place tonight, the general public would see the candidate’s name, and the council would vote in public.
Original story: Eric Angstadt, currently deputy director of planning and zoning for the City of Oakland, is expected to be confirmed tonight as Berkeley’s new director of planning and development. The City Council will make the appointment in closed session tonight, and the official announcement is scheduled for tomorrow.
The directorship has been vacant for nearly a year, since Dan Marks retired last July 1. Wendy Cosin has been acting director in the interim.
“Eric is a very creative, visionary person who takes a very pragmatic approach to his vision,” said Joél Ramos, a member of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board and community planner at the Great Communities Collaborative for TransForm. “He’s very talented at working with people. We’re confident that if there’s a way to get something done on a project, Eric will find the way.”
Ramos cites three major projects in Oakland where he believes Angstadt’s contribution was crucial: the Upper Broadway corridor plan, the International Boulevard transit-oriented development, and the commercial corridor zoning update. … Continue reading »
Alvin Ailey’s artistic director: Expanding dancers’ prowess
The mighty ship that is the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater docked at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall this week for a residency that begins tomorrow, March 13, and runs through March 18. The company’s Artistic Director, Robert Battle, stands as the captain of an organization that has known only two previous leaders.
Battle has choreographed on the company Alvin Ailey founded in 1958 and drove to a pinnacle of international acclaim, before passing the reins to dancer Judith Jamison in 1989, but he has never performed as a member of AAADT.
All of which has meant that the passing of the baton in July 2011 was preceded by a long, intricately planned transition. Battle has been groomed for the role with the same care that is poured into each movement the dancers execute. … Continue reading »
Owl sets up home on Berkeley trail, dog owners on alert
Berkeleysider Andy Fremder took this fabulous photograph of an owl that has made its nest in the crotch of a Eucalyptus tree on the Claremont Canyon fire trail. The same spot was claimed a couple of years ago by a family of owls.
Park rangers are asking that dogs be kept on leash on the section of the trail close to the nest. One hiker even claims the bird is swooping down on smaller varieties of canines.
Berkeleyside publishes many … Continue reading »
