The Berkeley Federation of Teachers union has announced what amounts to a work slow-down in response to Berkeley Unified School District’s latest contract proposal. -more-

All four colleges of the Peralta Community College District are in danger of losing their accreditation if deficiencies are not corrected within two years, according to a warning by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). -more-

Berkeley has $3.5 million more than it had anticipated, but $7.5 million less than it needs to get its recurring expenses in line with its recurring revenues, city officials reported at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. -more-

Oakland diocese officials, under tough questioning from a crowd numbering over 250 at Berkeley’s St. Joseph The Worker Church, this week clarified earlier statements that allegations of sexual misconduct against Pastor George Crespin were “credible.” -more-

A group of six African-American women who are Emeryville city employees have accused city management of discriminating against them based on their race. -more-

Plans for a new Berkeley Bowl at Ninth Street and Heinz Avenue hit a stumbling block at the last Planning Commission meeting and have forced the developer to submit a revised project application. -more-

BARRD, the RPA—and a capacity crowd in council chambers—want DTSC, UCB doesn’t, CSV wasn’t saying and the Richmond City Council’s working it out. -more-

The Oaks Theater hadn’t even officially changed hands Thursday when the projectionists’ union announced a labor action at the 1875 Solano Ave. movie house. -more-

Berkeley Unified School District Directors approved this week a revamping of Berkeley High’s Academic Choice program, as well as the high school’s fourth small school. -more-

Zoning Adjustments Board members gave their final approval to building plans that will transform a landmarked automotive showroom into a Buddhist studies center. -more-

SULLIVAN’S RANT -more-

Click here to view the latest work by Justin DeFreitas -more-

Buddhist references to Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown tend to get stale from overuse. Still, you just can’t help saying that it’s karma when the man who sat on his hands and did nothing while the Oakland public schools were being seized by the state is now in danger of having his upcoming state attorney general candidacy put in some difficulty by a threatened federal court takeover of the Oakland Police Department. -more-

Police Seek Serial Predator -more-

Dale Smith’s column in the Feb. 11 Daily Planet grossly misrepresents Ecole Bilingue’s position on the proposed Berkeley Bowl expansion by implying that EB is trying to “derail” the project. -more-

We need to create a new Voter’s Internet Party. With every passing day it is becoming painfully more obvious to all but the most fanatically partisan of us that the vast majority of the senators and representatives from both of the two major political parties are irrevocably corrupted by the unseemly influence of major corporations and the wealthy ruling elites. Therefore, we, the vast majority, who want clean honest open government, need to form a new political party that will serve our interests, and not those of the ruling wealthy corporate elites. Therefore, may I suggest that we create a new Voter’s Internet Party to honor the ideal of a traditional count-all-the-votes democracy. -more-

I can’t suffer in silence anymore! I know there are worse problems in this world—the stupid war, tsunami disaster, starvation, AIDS, etc. etc., but right now I MUST say something about the stupid, even dangerous new buses AC Transit has unleashed on our streets. -more-

When I think of my great-grandfather, Walter Gordon, two memories come to mind. One of them was when I was in the fourth grade attending Malcolm X Elementary School in Berkeley. Our class had planned a Grandparents Night and invited all of our grandparents to attend a potluck dinner and celebration. Before the event I had proudly told my teacher that my great-grandfather was the first black police officer in Berkeley. -more-

The 11th Other Minds Festival will present programs of new and unusual music, Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 24-26, at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center—including a centennial tribute to 20th-century political composer Marc Blitzstein (best-known for his pro-labor 1937 musical, staged by Orson Welles, The Cradle Will Rock), and a 60th birthday salute to composer, long-time music director of KPFA-fm and co-founder of Other Minds—Charles Amirkhanian. -more-

Upon the death of Arthur Miller the American media began a steady repetition of the theme that has always been utilized to define and eviscerate the significance of Miller’s work: As the San Francisco Chronicle typically intoned in prose designed both to eulogize and pacify the power of Miller’s work, he “exposed the flaws in the fabric of the American dream.” A great many writers have condemned the American dream and it is not completely false to hold that Miller also exposed its pathology. But it is, nevertheless, extremely misleading. -more-

FRIDAY, FEB. 18 -more-

Unless you’re a graduating fifth grader, it’s hard to find a compelling reason to leave Oxford Elementary School. -more-

FRIDAY, FEB. 18 -more-

We’ve gotten a lot of mail in the past few weeks about the Berkeley Public Library’s plans for introduction of radio frequency identification devices (RFID) in a time frame close to proposed staff reductions. Library managers contend that there’s not a causal link; Library Director Jackie Griffin sent the Planet a copy of a letter to someone who raised the issue in which she said “the reduction in hours is a financial reality given our budget deficit as is the reduction in staff. Reducing the staff is not caused by RFID nor was the decision made to purchase RFID taken with reducing staff as a goal.” On the other hand, the initial technology buy for RFID is at least half a million dollars, probably more, and the money has to come from somewhere. Proponents suggest that implementing this kind of mechanized system, which enables readers to check out their own books, will save money by reducing workers’ compensation costs, but they haven’t supplied data which backs up this hypothesis. It’s not surprising that there are still some skeptics out there. -more-