Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 75

(Daldanb Tribune i -is Managing edttorr Leanne McLaughlin FRIDAY January 11,2002 (510)208-6447 Fok (510) 208-6477 lmdoughlinangrMwspapare.com i V- MklMtri pww the team Is acting on the publics behalf. Coliseum authority entitled to ticket fees, arbitrator rules By Josh Richman STAFF WRTTER lawyer Jon Streeter said Thursday Its at least $1.5 million, plus about two years of Interest, plus legal fees and court -Yaroslav So-chynsks Issued his 27-page' ruling Tuesday. "The- Warriors' position Is not supported by the contract, the evidence, or the law," he wrote, adding the team "Ignores the feet that the facility fee here exists not as the result of any legislative, regulatwy or other official government action, but die Oakland Arena. The team has refused collect this' money and turn it over to the Coliseum Authority, claiming it was an Illegal admissions tax. question here Is when they (the Warriors) are going to start to take seriously their obligations to pay the amounts of money' that they owe.

and not foist the financial burdens of running this facility onto the taxpayers." "This Is not our money. It belongs to our fens, and we are trying to protect the best Interests of our paying customers, he said. "If we are going to; charge a facility fee to our then we want to make sure that this Is a legal tak. We still do not believe that It Is, but we will review the arbitrator's decision as well as our options." Golden' State Wairiors-owe several years worth of ticket lees to the Oakland-Alamcda County Coliseum Authority, an arbitrator has ruled. At Issue is a 5 percent facility fee thats supposed to be added to the price of every ticket under terms of the Warriors' lease of Streeter; called the decision "a complete, unequivocal victory" for the Coliseum Authority.

"The wily But Warriors Chief Operating Officer Robert Rowell Insisted The amount hasn't been set yet, but Coliseum Authority Please see Team, LOCAL-2 11 Teacher blasts unstructured free time By Alex Katz STAFF WRITER OAKLAND 1 A shortage of teachers at Calvin Simmons Middle School this year has left many students without permanent Instructors, regular lesson plans or discipline, according to an open letter to education feeders from a teacher at the school. -V each period of the. day, about 25 percent of tlx students are taught by substitutes or full-time teachers filling vacancies during periods normally plan or teaching materials, Oremland wrote In the 'letter' sent this week to the Oakland school board, Superintendent Dennis Chaconas, Gov. Gray Davis and others. Students are "often given un-: structured free time or are placated with a non-academic video.

Many classes have had more free time than learning this year," Oremland wrote. "For, students already behind In basic math and literacy skills, this Is fetal to their education." Oremland said substitutes find students hard to control, 'especially during physical education classes; Come to Calvin Simmons and you will see 60 percent of 200 students on the P.E. yard wandering aimlessly! stt-. ting down, doing hair, the yard fence, or getting Into The scene Is more reminiscent of a prison yard than a used for planning or parent con said ferences, said, sixth-grade teacher Sara Oremland, who has worked at the school on 35th Avenue for four years, 7--'Oremland and other Calvin Simmons teachers said the shortage of permanent teachers has left many students behind this year and has devastated teacher "Usually the absent teacher or vacant class has no lesson Please see School, LOCAL-2 Trtiiin fto photo' FAMILIAR FACES? In this Tribune file photo, legislative leaders in 1982 gathered to haul a law that made Martin Luther King birthday a state holiday. Seeded from (from left) are former Assemblyman Elihu Harris, Gov.

Jerry Brown (now Oakland's mayor) and the late Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson. Standing are (from left) Tay McArthur; former Technical High teacher, with his students Gwendolyn Lovely, Sonya Lyons, Karen Kennedy and Leroy Bradford, all of whom lob- bled for the state holiday. 1 A PIT puppy re- covers at the VGA Bay Area Hospital after being burned over 25 percent of its body CONNSLLEV -9 and Incumbent community leaders who helped make It happen In 1981 will Join the students and their teacher. feces may look older, and their roles will be different, but some are the same people, Just carrying new titles. Dog-lovers pitch in Because ofthelr unflag- glng efforts, In September 1981 then-Gov.

Jerry Brown signed a law enacting the state holiday. Next Friday at Technical High, Oakland will observe the 20th anniversary of Apollo Class '81 with are-unlon and rededlcatlon to King's dreams of equality and Justice. The event begins at 12:15 p.m; Elected officials former AKLAND WILL take a bow Friday. 18, In recognition of a group of persistent and dedicated stu-dents' from the class of 1981 at Technical High School. Like Martin Luther King Jr the students had a dream.

Twenty years ago, they wanted to make Kings birthday celebrated this year on Jan. 21 a state for pit bull puppy Brown, now Oakland's mayor; will will former Mayor Elihu Harris, holiday, V-'! So they lobbied tirelessly under the men toring of a teacher until the holiday was signed into law. Please see King, LOCAL-2 Theo in fair to good condition CORRESPONDENT UG Berkeley still a robust economic engine VGA staff hope to release him to the Oakland Police Depart-' ment's Animal Control Section In about five days. Animal Control Director Glenn Howell said Theodore wont be adopted Just yet. And It's not lor lack of oilers, nor be-, cause an owner came forward.

The holdup Is a legal process. surrounding Theodore's Injuries feat must be resolved before he-' can be placed in a permanent: home, Howell said. In fee mean-" time, fee dog wlll be well cared for In a foster environment, he added. doing By1 STAFF WRITE! Berkeley has 14,170 employees, making It the fifth largest employer In the Bay Area, trading only the City and County of San Francisco, the U.S. Postal Kaiser Permanente and United Airlines.

versity employees and companies business wife UC Berkeley. Of the total $493 million was spent In Berkeley and $662 million in other East Bay cities. "What struck me was that when we commissioned this study more than a year ago, the Bay Area was enjoying an economic boom," Berdahl said. we are feeling fee effects' of a re- BERKELEY A new economic analysis shows feat the University of California, Berkeley, continues to be a mighty economic engine that helps make the San Francisco Bay Area a national leader In fields as diverse as Information technology and energy bars. report, released Thursday by UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl, also shows that university In 1998-99 contributed 1 $1.4 billion to the Bay Area economy, That figure Included $842 million In salaries and goods and services and an additional 8568 million In spending by uni The study the first commissioned ter the university since 1989 Chows.

UC. Pfease see UC, LOCAL-2 Oakland police Investigators said they do not yet have a third youth In custody, but do have -fee name of a 13-year-old suspected of being present when Theodore i OAKLAND Concern for ah. abandoned 3-monfo-old puppy that two East Oakland boys have been charged with setting on kept telephone lines busy Thursday at fee animal hospital treating the pit bull terrier and fee city agency feat will eventually handle his adoption. Theodore's tall began to wag a' little and his condition Improved, though his bums Itching Thursday, said Dr. Singer of fee VGA Bay Area Animal as hes been named, was In lair togood condition Wednesday alter being admitted to the hospital Tuesday evening wife bums over 25 percent of his 19-pound In addition to ointments and pain killers for his burns, Theo is receiving, antibiotics for fee skin disease mange and Intrave-' nous fluids for mabourishmenL Linguist analyzes language war begun on 911 STAFF WRITER "We've become a much more Informal culture since LakofT said.

Infamy Is not a common, word these days. It wouldn't be as -readily under-: said fee days and months since Sept 1 1 have been a fascinating time for a linguist as rhetoric and language has become more heated. Three has literally been a war of One of fee biggest The 12- and 15-year-old boys being held at Alameda County. Juvenile Hall are scheduled to face a detention hearing before a Judge today on felony charges, oir maiming or torturing an animal and attempted arson. Howell said those interested In adopting Theodore can leave' their names and phone numbers at 535-5603.

It may have been our modem "day of Infamy," but feat term, so well-stated by President Franklin Roosevelt after fee Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, certainly won't be used. Professor Robin Tolmach LakofT told a Commonwealth Club audience this week. 1 America still doesn't know what to call fee Sept 11 ter rorist attacks as the ugly events are Mill too fresh In everyone's mind, University of California, Berkeley linguist believes. LakofT, whose latest book is the The Language War1! (University oT California Press, 2000), Please see Words, LOCAL-2 Realism; sets in Hid art of thotoss fo) Minorities hey to O) economic health Greenspan says better access needed to home, business loans Champion pizza maker will show some of his secrets Rory Laverty: After Sept 11, everything looks different --7.