Take Over the Willard Park Blog!

Hi Folks,

You might have noticed that the Willard Park Blog posts dried up over the last couple of months. Christine and I moved to Cincinnati to be close to our families.

Willard is a great neighborhood and I would love to have someone else take over this site. Let me know if you are interested and I'll set you up with an account. I host the site with a free service so you won't be taking on any hosting costs but you might need to re-register willardpark.com in a few years.

Thanks again to all the people sent me information and comments.

-- Mark Celsor

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BRT as the Catalyst for Change on Telegraph Ave

Telegraph Avenue needs a major change, and BRT is the catalyst. I live near Andronico’s on Telegraph in Berkeley, where the road transitions from more dense, older storefronts, some with housing above, to more of a combination of older buildings built to address pedestrians and newer suburban style buildings with vast parking lots. As much as I might like to have a sushi restaurant down the block, I don’t want it to be located in an old IHOP building with an oversized roof and a huge surface parking lot. And, as much as I like having a grocery store nearby, you should be able to walk from the sidewalk into the store without having to walk through driving lanes or parking spaces.

Parking is a huge problem here. Not lack of parking, but existence of surface parking. Surface parking detracts from the aesthetic quality of the streetscape, disrupts pedestrian circulation, and is a terribly inefficient use of land in an urban area. One of the things I love about Berkeley is that it is both a bustling urban center and a landscape of beautiful undeveloped hills, grasslands, and forests. Just like we don’t want to destroy wild areas on the edge of the Bay Area region by building a sea of houses, we don’t want to destroy our urban areas by continuing to let them decay by preserving what is there, just for the sake of it currently existing that way. For some reason, many Berkeley residents do not want change, especially not major change. But, look up and down Telegraph and you will see it needs a major change.

Increasing the density of jobs and housing along Telegraph, coupled with implementing BRT, will provide a much needed catalyst for change. It is difficult to imagine, as it is still a relatively new concept. The concept is that BRT is more like a light rail system. Stops would be closer together than BART, but farther apart than traditional bus stops. BART does serve the areas served by BRT, however BART is designed to bring suburban commuters into San Francisco, not to serve shorter trips of urban residents in the East Bay. There are a host of mobility benefits for both Berkeley residents and residents farther south in the corridor, however, the biggest benefit I see as a Berkeley resident is the revitalization of Telegraph Avenue, as a fun, cool place to go in 2025.

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Caroline Winnett on NBC for Save Berkeley Iceland

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The Berkeley-Oakland Neighborhood Name Game

Steven Finacom has recently written an entertaining article for the Daily Planet called The Berkeley-Oakland Neighborhood Name Game. It talks about the creative neighborhood designations and sub-designations used in real estate flyers. I particularly liked "Outer Elmwood" and his idea for "WeBo" (West Berkeley Bowl Neighborhood).

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The Daily Clog's New Student Events Calendar

The Daily Clog (a blog from the staff of the Daily Californian) has started a new calendar of student events. You can subscribe to it with Google calender or other calendar programs.

You can also check out the official UC Berkeley event calendar (which I coincidentally was the lead programmer on) at events.berkeley.edu.

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Teen Chess Club at Claremont Branch Library - Mondays 3:30-5:00pm

From Will Marston, Teen Services Librarian, Berkeley Public Library:

Claremont Branch Teen Chess Club

Checkmate! Relax after school by crushing your friends in a friendly game of chess! Beginning Monday, October 15st, from 3:30-5:00pm, Teen Services will be presenting a weekly Chess Club at Claremont Branch Library. Chess sets will be provided. Teens interested in being a chess tutor should contact Will Marston at 510-981-6133.

For questions regarding this program, call 510-981-6280. This program is sponsored by Teen Services. For accessibility information, call (510) 981-6107 or TTY (510) 548-1240 or go to http://berkeleypubliclibrary.org

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Willard Park Work Day Oct. 27

From Gregory S. Murphy Willard Neighborhood Association:

Please join the Willard Neighborhood Association's Public Works Committee at 9:00 am on Saturday, Oct. 27 as we hold our fall work day at Willard Park. Over 40 student volunteers from the Berkeley Project will be joining us to do graffiti abatement, clubhouse renovations, landscape renovations, painting and clean up projects, and other projects to spruce up the park.

We are in need of interested volunteers to supervise work crews, and to organize the coffee & doughnuts, and lunch (one of the most important jobs!)

You can contact me by e-mail or call me at 415-652-0225 if you are willing to supervise, or just interested in signing up as a "worker bee".

Gregory S. Murphy
Willard Neighborhood Association

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Telegraph's Center for Independent Living Celebrates 35 Years

The Center for Independent Living at 2539 Telegraph Avenue is the world’s first organization run by and for people with disabilities. Their mission has been to help disabled people live full and indepedent lives. This Thursday, October 11, 2007 they will celebrate their 35th anniversary with a gala at The Rotunda Building in Oakland. Learn more about the event at www.cilberkeley.org.

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Video: Pizza Police

Sometimes you just have to stop and ponder pieces of street graffiti. EmmettG takes a look a new one on Bancroft.

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Telegraph Cafe Secures Bid for Late-Night Hours

After some neighborhood controversy, Muse Arthouse and Mint Cafe has obtained permits for late night hours. Here's some information from the Daily Californian:

Despite concerns raised by some community groups about possible rowdy behavior at the business, the city’s Zoning Adjustments Board approved the cafe’s request last night in a 6-1 vote.

Muse Arthouse and Mint Cafe owner Ali Eslami was pleased to hear that his business would be allowed to open. The cafe will not serve hard alcohol and will be subject to a six-month period of compliance review after it opens this winter.

“We’re going to have an arthouse,” Eslami said after the board made its decision. “Telegraph is going to have a spirit that has been missing for a long time. It’s going to be the beginning for a lot of new artists here.”

Read the full story.

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Kriss Worthington May Run for State Assembly

Our local council person Kriss Worthington is throwing his hat in the ring for State Assembly. Here's some in from the Daily Planet:

Worthington is announcing his run for state legislature. The announcement will be at 5:30 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave.

The caveat for a Worthington run is that, if a ballot measure tweaking term limits passes in February allowing members of the state legislature to remain in their seats for 12 years, incumbent Loni Hancock will run again for her safe assembly seat. In that case, Worthington—and likely most other challengers—will bow out.

If the ballot measure fails, State Sen. Don Perata will be term-limited out of office. If so, Hancock has said she will run for his office (probably against former Supervisor Wilma Chan). That will leave Hancock’s assembly seat wide open.

Read the full story.

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Tree-sitters Ordered to Come Down

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Berkeley's tree-sitters must climb down from their roosts or face five days in jail and a $1,000 fine apiece, an Alameda County judge ruled Monday.

Superior Court Judge Richard Keller granted UC Berkeley a preliminary injunction against the protesters, who have been perched in an oak grove near Memorial Stadium since December hoping to stop the university's plan to build a sports facility there.

Read the full story.

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Elmwood Hardware May Not Reopen after Remodel

From the Contra Costa Times:

Elmwood Hardware, a Berkeley neighborhood icon since 1923, will close Oct. 1 for extensive remodeling, and owner Tad Laird said the chances are only 50-50 that it will ever reopen.

"The store isn't losing money," he said. "But the property absolutely needs to have about $4,000 to $5,000 in upgrades, and I'm not sure I can afford that."

Laird said the building, which was declared a city landmark last year, needs to be seismically retrofitted and brought up to standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"Plus, we have no running water, our heat comes from a ceiling heater with an asbestos flue, and the electrical wiring is so old, every computer in the store is on a battery backup. So you hear a click every time we turn on the paint shaker."

Read the full article: Uncertain future: Berkeley store will be remodeled, may stay closed

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Huge Increase in Armed Robberies South of Campus

There have been 11 reported robberies in the area south of UC Berkeley campus since Saturday, including a bold armed robbery on the patio of Cafe Strada at Bancroft and College where a gunman escaped with at least six laptops. 7 suspects have been arrested. All of them were minors with an average age around 15.

Read more from the Daily Californian.

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The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is This Weekend - September 13-16, 2007

The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention starts this Thursday, September 13, 2007 and runs through Sunday with concerts and events throughout town. Visit www.berkeleyoldtimemusic.org for more information.

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The Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Amoeba, Saturday October 27, 2007 1pm

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band are one of the biggest forces working to traditional New Orleans jazz music alive around the world. They will be doing an in store performance at Amoeba on Telegraph on Saturday October 27, 2007 at 1pm. For more information visit Amoeba's event information page.

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Video: The Promise of Berkeley

With the school year back in full swing, I thought I'd share this strange, cool animation that was made to accompany Joan Didion's story of a freshman's experiences at UC Berkeley.

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Three Special Events this Week with Mayor Bates

Here's some information from the Mayor's office on three events where the public can chat with the mayor:

Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Brew Pubs on Thursday, September 13th at 5pm
Please join Mayor Bates and many Bay Area brewpub owners to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the California law legalizing brewpubs. The law – which Bates authored while in the Assembly – was replicated around the country, creating the national brewpub industry and introducing millions of people to good beer. The event will include a ceremonial “bill signing” by the owners of Bay Area Brewpubs and a special beer brewed just for the occasion by Triple Rock Brewery. (Triple Rock was the 3rd brewpub opened after the law was signed.) No long speeches, just a few toasts and a great celebration.

Thursday, Sept. 13th from 5pm – 6:30pm
Triple Rock Brewing Company
1920 Shattuck Avenue (at Hearst)
Berkeley

** Note: It is unfortunate that this anniversary falls on Rosh Hashanah. Our apologies to those of you who can’t make it.

‘Lunch with Tom’ on Tuesday, Sept. 18th at Noon
Please join Mayor Bates for a lunch and a discussion about local issues. As always, Tom will give an update on recent events and then open it up for questions and discussion. We will be trying out Eclipse Café, a new restaurant in Downtown Berkeley. Lunch is a $10 flat rate for sandwiches, salad, and drinks.

Tuesday, September 18th at Noon
Eclipse Café
2175 Allston Way (at Oxford)
Downtown Berkeley
Lunch is $10 at the door.

Please RSVP to mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us or call (510) 981-7100.

Investing in Climate Protection:
Berkeley Business Responds to Climate Change

Sept. 14th at Noon

Last November, Berkeley residents voted to take decisive action on global warming by approving Measure G, which targets a community wide 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Business leaders have a key role to play to help make this target a reality. Join us to share ideas about how businesses can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while saving money and join our climate protection movement.

Friday, September 14th

Lunch starts at Noon and is $20
Workshop starts at 12:30 pm and is free
Gaia Building Art Space
2116 Allston Way

For more information and to RSVP, contact Jennifer Cogley at jcogley@ci.berkeley.ca.us or 510-981-5438.

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Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested at Willard Park (I think)

I was sitting on the couch around 11:30 Saturday night and I head the screeching of police cars and motorcycles around Willard Park. It looked like they had someone in custody over by the tot lot, so I tuned into the web stream of the Berkeley police scanner to find out that they were going after someone for a "211" (armed robbery) on Benvenue. The police scanner is pretty hard to understand so I might have it wrong. Post comments if you know more about what happened. I hope nobody got hurt.

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Oaks, Hotel Durant, Walking Tours, Bay Area Outreach Ministries, Verizon, Pagodas, and Unicycle Basketball

Hi folks,
I've been pretty lax on my Willard Park Blog posts recently, so I'm going to try to ease back into things with a quick link dump:

• UCB/Oaks Debate on Radio - KQED's Forum
• Hotel Durant Sold - Daily Californian
• Historical Society Walking Tours - Berkeley Daily Planet
• Outreach Ministries vs. Merchants - San Francisco Chronicle
• Verizon Sues Berkeley - Berkeley Daily Planet
• Pagodas? on Telegraph? - Berkeley Daily Planet
• Video: Unicycle Basketball in Berkeley - Celsor.com
  

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Berkeley Parks Centennial events

Georgia NS Seamans sent me this information about upcoming Berkeley Parks Centennial events from John Steere, Berkeley Partners for Parks:

Centennial of Berkeley’s Parks: Celebrating the Diversity of Our Community’s Open Spaces

A Calendar of Events: August 25 – November 17, 2007

Berkeley is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its parks. Our City’s open space system was born in 1907 with the establishment of San Pablo Park, and has diversified over the ensuing decades into a rich fabric of parks and mini-parks (56 in all!), plazas, paths and greenways, community gardens, creeks, public pools, and fields, even a labyrinth. Our open space features are sprinkled all around our city and are theatres for recreation, reflection, food, music, art, nature, and yes – theatre. They evoke the unique sense of place and community that characterizes Berkeley. Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP), the organizational umbrella for their grassroots support (www.bpfp.org), is hosting a celebration of 100 years of our open space system through a variety of events that showcase the range of our public outdoor places and experiences we can have in them. The parks centennial season is from August 25 to November 17, encompassing a rich trove of activities for all ages and interests. Take part – celebrate our open spaces!

September 8, Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon

Rocks, Parks and Residential Neighborhoods of North Berkeley

Co-sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society and Led by local historian, and author Susan Cerny.

Visit Indian Rock Park, Mortar Park, and Grotto Park in Northbrae and John Hinkel Park, all treasures of Berkeley's public open space. They contain native oaks, winding footpaths, and large stone outcroppings. Surrounding the parks are early 20th century residential neighborhoods with picturesque homes. Contact: Reserve a space by calling (510) 848-0181, between 1 pm and 4 pm on Thursday or Friday before the tour; or go to http://www.cityofberkeley.info/histsoc/#EVENTS

September 16, Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

Musical Block Party at Peralta Community Garden – hosted by the Friends of Westbrae Commons:

(Meet at 1400 Peralta Avenue, by the corner of Hopkins)

Celebration of 3 Community Gardens. Peralta Community Garden, Karl Linn, and Northside plus Ohlone Greenway and Berkeley Eco House. Afternoon will include a workshop on traffic management at Peralta/Hopkins intersection, plus food and music. Contact: Neil Collier 510-524-2671 or nacollier@pacbell.net

September 23, Sunday, 12 to 3 p.m.

East Bay Labyrinth Project –Walk the future labyrinth at the Marina

(East Lawn just south of University Avenue past the Marina Blvd.)

The East Bay Labyrinth Project will hold a facilitated walk at the future site of Berkeley Community Peace Labyrinth on the East Lawn of Berkeley Marina anytime from 12 noon to 3pm. Location is adjacent to University Avenue-Berkeley Marina bus stop, just south of Marina Blvd. Plenty of parking. Free to the public. Come walk the labyrinth in the sparkling beauty of a waterside location and to learn about plans for the permanent installation. Stop by on your way to the BPFP event at Aquatic Park from 3-5, just across the bicycle/pedestrian bridge from the labyrinth site. Contact: Nina Ham at nina@eastbaylabyrinthproject.org or visit us at www.eastbaylabyrinthproject.org

September 23, Sunday, 3 to 5 p.m.

Berkeley Partners for Parks Fundraiser in Aquatic Park

(At the EGRET Center/clubhouse, on Bolivar Drive just north of Ashby)

BPFP invites you to an afternoon of food, drink, music and camaraderie by the lagoon. Support the next 100 years of parks, community gardens, creeks and open space in Berkeley. Suggested donation: $30. Bring family and friends! RSVP to info@pbfp.org or call 510-540-7223.

September 30, Sunday, 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Halcyon Commons - Community Potluck with Live Music

(Halcyon Court at Prince St.)

Come celebrate 15th Anniversary of Halcyon Neighborhood Association, as well as the life in and around the newest park in the City’s park system (dedicated in 1996) – and the only one designed and built and maintained by the neighborhood around it. Bring food and drink to share with others. Lively musical offerings by “Rodeo Victory” – an acoustic folk band and the Zazous, a funky latin reggae group. Come share in the good vibes and vittles. Contact John Steere for more information: 510-849-1969; jsteere@igc.org

OCTOBER

October 13, Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon

School House Creek Commons-Fall Clean Up and Sowing of Wild Flower Seeds

(At Virginia and Curtis Streets-Eastern end of the Berkeley Adult School)

We will be having our fall clean-up and sowing of native wildflower seeds. If the weather has cooled enough, we also hope to be planting a slope of a hill with plugs of native grasses. These are all big projects, so come one, come all and enjoy one of the city’s newest open spaces and explore the native plants and orchard. There’s a play area for kids, and coffee and snacks will be served.

Contact: Jamie Day at 510-559-8368 or day7715@sbcglobal.net

NOVEMBER

November 3, Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon

Lower Codornices Creek: From Rails to Restoration

Co-sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society and Led by Susan Schwartz with Drew Goetting & Richard Register. Explore lower Codornices Creek and its varied history, from early rails and industry through World War II worker housing and shipyard railway to recent nature restoration. 2.5-mile walk is level, but two blocks of trail are not suitable for strollers or wheelchairs. Contact: Reserve a space by calling (510) 848-0181, between 1 pm and 4 pm on Thursday or Friday before the tour; or go to http://www.cityofberkeley.info/histsoc/#EVENTS

November 17, Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon

Berkeley’s Downtown Parks: Real, Envisioned, and Vanished.

Co-sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society and led by Steve Finacom & Linda Perry. Downtown Berkeley is a commercial, transportation, and civic hub, with a hidden history of open space. Learn of Civic Center Park and the vanished park in Shattuck Square, and fountains that once ran down the center of Shattuck Avenue. In celebration of the Centennial of Berkeley’s public park system, we’ll visit all these sites, as well as sites of proposed open spaces that never were. Contact: Reserve a space by calling (510) 848-0181, between 1 pm and 4 pm on Thursday or Friday before the tour; or go to http://www.cityofberkeley.info/histsoc/#EVENTS

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Willard Neighborhood Association Ice Cream Social - Tuesday August 7, 2007

Willard Neighborhood Association Ice Cream Social
Tuesday August 7, 2007 7-9pm
Redwood Corner of Willard Park (Derby and Hillegass)

Here's some event information from from WNA president Vincent Casalaina:

Please join the Willard Neighborhood Association for our First Annual Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, August 7, from 7 to 9 pm. Meet your neighbors at the redwood corner of Willard Park (Derby and Hillegass) for free ice cream and toppings, and entertainment. You'll also have the opportunity to meet police and firefighters and learn how you can help prevent crime in the neighborhood. We will be giving away free whistles to the first 100 attendees! For more information, contact Janet Byron at 510-848-4008 or janetbyron@comcast.net. (Volunteers are welcome; please contact Janet.)

This event is part of National Night Out, an annual event designed to strengthen neighborhoods through police-community partnerships. For more information, go to: http://www.nationalnightout.org

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Memorial Bench for Meleia Willis-Starbuck

From The Daily Californian:

A memorial bench for Meleia Willis-Starbuck was built at the corner of Dwight Way and College Avenue, near where the 19-year-old was killed on July 17, 2005.

For some background read the posts on: The Violence Must End - A Memorial to Meleia Willis-Starbuck.

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Time Lapse Video from the Lawrence Hall of Science

Everyday the folks at the Lawrence Hall of Science post a two minute time lapse video of a full day's weather over Berkeley. Here's the one from July 18, 2007. You can watch the cycle of night, the fog burning off, clouds zipping by and then rolling back in for night.



It's kind of relaxing. If you want to watch them everyday visit the Lawrence Hall of Science YouTube page.

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Telegraph Riots 1991

A few days ago I came across a video that someone posted to YouTube of a drive down Telegraph showing all of the boarded up buildings after the riots in 1991.



I was in high school in Cincinnati when all of this went down so I am just now trying to learn a little bit about what happened. Apparently UC Berkeley was planning to build sand volleyball courts at Peoples Park, protesters gathered, things got out of hand, and eventually the police took to the streets in force, creating the ghost town shown in the video.

Here's a photo essay on the events called The Occupation by Oakland photographer Hamish Reid.

If you have photos, stories, or links to more information about the 1991 riots post them as comments below.

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Responses to the East Bay Express Article on BRT

About a month ago I mentioned the East Bay Express Article about Neighborhood Reactions to BRT that quotes Vincent Casalaina from the WNA and a line from my BRT Neighborhood Opinion Summary, this week I came across a bunch of reader response letters to the article. Here's one from Charles Siegel asking:

Where were the supporters?
Your article about Bus Rapid Transit quotes Willard neighborhood activist Mark Celsor as saying: "You have progressive voices on one side excited about inexpensive housing and increased urban bustle, with established homeowners on the other side concerned that the same factors will have a negative impact on their property values and quality of life."

It is important to understand that these neighborhood activists do not represent all "established homeowners." Neighborhood groups tend to attract people who want to protect their neighborhoods' self-interest and who are not interested in broader regional or environmental issues.

I have owned a home for over twenty years, but I am not a member of a neighborhood group because I am not attracted by their narrow agenda. I am a member of the Sierra Club, which supports AC Transit's plan for Bus Rapid Transit, because I care about the global environment. I think there are many established homeowners in Berkeley who feel this way.

Environmentalists support Bus Rapid Transit because it will reduce automobile dependency and help counter global warming. In addition to the Sierra Club, Friends of BRT and the Transportation and Land Use Coalition actively support this proposal. Why did your article quote several opponents of the plan without quoting any of these supporters?
Charles Siegel, Berkeley

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SFGate: Street Date - Telegraph Avenue

Last Thursday Stephanie Wright Hession published this little article about Telegraph in SFGate's Bay Area travel section. It highlights Blondie's Pizza, street vendors, Blakes, Mars, Annapurna, Telegraph Flowers, and Amoeba. It's nice to see something positive about Telegraph in the paper.

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Willard is a "Walkers' Paradise"

Walk Score is great web site that got a lot of attention this week. It has a mapping tool that uses a variety of factors (proximity to schools, businesses, etc.) to rate how walkable locations are. The goal of the web site is to draw attention to the importance of walking and its health, environmental, social, and economic benefits.

The corner of Derby and Hillegass got a whopping 91 out of 100, making it a "Walkers' Paradise". I don't question that result at all, but (as Jen at Walking Berkeley points out) the data they are using can't always account for important factors. For example, the place I used to live in downtown Cincinnati got a score of 92, but obviously the system didn't consider that I would have gotten mugged 4 times if I tried to walk the 3 blocks that led to the abandoned grocery store. Regardless, it's very fun to play with (especially for web programming, urban planning geeks such as myself).

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Free M.I.A. Show at Amoeba - Saturday 28, 2007

M.I.A. Amoeba In-Store Performance
Saturday July 28, 2007 2:00pm
Amoeba Records, Berkeley
2455 Telegraph Ave.

M.I.A. is Sri Lankan/British rapper, singer, and visual artist who performs a post-modern mix on hip-hop, electronic, and world music. She'll be performing at Amoeba at 2:00pm on Saturday and later in the evening for a sold-out show at the Richshaw Stop in the city, promoting her new album "Kala". I imagine the Amoeba show will also be pretty packed, so show up early if you want to get in.

• M.I.A. Official Site
• M.I.A. MySpace Page
• Amoeba Event Page

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Video - Bay Area Hoopers at Willard Park

Sometimes you've got to just sit back, relax and enjoy a great hula hoop video. This one shows the Bay Area Hoopers doing their thing at Willard Park on September 18, 2005. It's entertaining, hypnotic and set to a great song by the Japanese, electronic musician Cornelius.

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