New apple moth spray date?

The California Department of Food and Agriculture recently updated its plan to eradicate the light brown apple moth, that pesky leafrolling critter that has ag types atwitter. It now says that aerial spraying is “anticipated” to start in the Bay Area (including Alameda) in October, instead of August, as originally planned, though department spokesman Steve Lyle says no specific decision has been reached yet. The plan says spraying down in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties could begin as soon as August 17, pending appeals of court decisions in those counties requiring an environmental impact report first and separately, toxicity and efficacy tests being performed on still-secret formulations of the pheromone spray. Spray foes are cautiously celebrating, though they say they’ll keep up their pressure on the state to halt the spray. They say this is the second time the state, which has faced huge amounts of public pressure on this issue, has postponed spraying the Bay Area. Stay tuned.

School cuts update

Well folks, it looks like the school district has generated some new numbers detailing the local impacts of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s revised budget plan, and the sum is almost exactly the same as before. For starters, the district would essentially lose about $3.2 million in anticipated per-student funding (the funding would be about the same as last year, but wouldn’t include increases to cover rising costs), plus another $445,000 in state facilities revenue, according to this rundown on school board Trustee Mike McMahon’s fabulous website (it’s item #9). Toss in cuts to adult and career technical ed, class size reduction for kindergarten through grade three and other programs, and I’d say the number is probably pretty close to the $4 million in cuts the district has already planned to make over the next two years, though under Schwarzenegger’s plan, the district could use half of its reserve (which is $2.5 million this year) and shift other funds around to help cover the cuts. Look for a much more comprehensive picture at the school board’s meeting tonight, which will be held at Henry Haight Elementary School, 2025 Santa Clara Avenue (because the City Council is using its chambers to hold a special meeting to discuss its own fiscal doom and gloom; for the hat trick, the Planning Board is also meeting tonight, over at Mastick Senior Center). Incidentally, in an effort to be more transparent, school district staff will also present an overview of their budgeting process and a breakdown of how the money is spent, with a PowerPoint presentation available here. They’ll also offer a third interim report detailing the district’s projected finances for the next few years – something a district only does if it’s not sure it will be able to pay all its bills over the next few years – and that rather ugly-looking picture is here.

In other news, it looks like some Alameda businesses are concerned about the dent Measure H could make in their pocketbooks, according to an article in the Journal today (though teacher/blogger/H supporter Rob Siltanen says the article gives an incorrect impression on one point: Nonprofits would not have to pay the tax, he says). Per Alan Lopez’s article, the city’s chamber of commerce and business associations for the West End and Park Street are refusing to take a stand on the measure, which goes up for a vote one week from today.

In memoriam

This is a weekend when we picnic. A weekend where we take our first little trips of the summer. Or peruse the local sales. For most of us, this weekend represents the first peek at the lazy days of summer, of barbecues, of days at the beach, vacation. But for some, it is a time to remember loved ones who sacrifice so the rest of us can burn a day at the grill, drink in hand. But today is a day that we can reflect about the brave folks who are putting themselves on the line for us, maybe offer up a little prayer for them. Today we can think about the friends and neighbors here in Alameda who are among the 4,000 soldiers we have lost.

Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron Boyles, 24, was just weeks away from returning home for the birth of his son when his Humvee was hit by an explosion in Iraq’s Anbar province on Sept. 24, 2004. He had been slated to come home earlier but called his wife, Prabha, just two days before he died, saying he was being kept on to complete a “special mission.”

Army Sgt. 1st Class Merideth Howard, 52, died Sept. 8, 2006 when her Humvee was hit by a suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan. The reservist, who was assigned to the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion in Fort Bragg, N.C., left behind a husband, Hugh Hvolboll.

A list of Memorial Day events, including a ceremony on the USS Hornet at 1 p.m. today, is here.

Your weekend: Out with the old ...

The newly restored Alameda Theatre opened for business on Thursday. And while the grand opening gala sold out, there are lots of other ways you can get a sneak peek. For starters, they’ll hold free screenings of classics “Casablanca,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Wizard of Oz,” at 11 a.m. Saturday. They’re also hosting a free community celebration from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, with kids’ activities and free T-shirts to the first 100 participants. And then there are the movies: This week they’ve got the new Indiana Jones flick, “Iron Man,” “Speed Racer,” “Young @ Heart” and “What Happens in Vegas.” And of course, there’s parking. Lots of parking. Wanna know more? Call 769-FILM (3456) or click here.

On a sad note, it looks like Central Cinema is closing, by June 30 at the latest. But the theater’s owner, Mark Haskett, is considering other options and locations. Stay tuned … they’re playing “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” this week.

If you’re looking for entertainment of the non-celluloid variety, the folks over at Rhythmix Cultural Works have an interesting looking show up this Sunday. “Slouching Towards Disneyland,” which stars writer and public radio-head Ian Shoales and Joshua Raoul Brody, promises a musical history of the world, from the Big Bang to blogging. The show starts at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 25 at Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Avenue. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. More information on the show is here; more on Rhythmix here.

Way to eat, Alameda!

The city released its latest quarterly sales tax data, and the news is … good! The city raked in an additional 1.1 percent in tax revenues for the quarter ending on March 31, driven in part by increased grocery sales and increased tabs from all our new, schmancy restaurants. New stores at Alameda Towne Center (or South Shore, in deference to any Alamedians who are reading this) are also continuing to drive tax dollars into the city’s coffers, as are the shops and food joints (and of course, Nob Hill Foods) at Bridgeside Center. Not surprisingly, auto sales continue to decline, as has construction. But our on-Island eating and shopping has more than made up for it. The extra $15,000 or so the city collected in sales taxes this past quarter should make an oh-so-tiny dent in the $4 million deficit they’ll be staring down for next year.

Autorino to join planning board

Last night, the City Council voted unanimously to place Arthur Autorino on the Planning Board. Autorino, 62, will fill the rest of Gina Mariani’s term, which extends through 2011. Autorino is a divisional vice president at Abbott Diabetes Care, a global company based in Alameda, and a past vice president and treasurer of the Seastrand Homeowners Association on Harbor Bay. He also leaves a spot on the city’s Economic Development Commission. Autorino has a long history of participation in civic affairs: He’s been on planning and zoning board in several different states, he said. “In most of the communities I’ve lived in, I’ve tried to participate,” Autorino, who moved to the Island in 2002, said during a brief interview after his swearing-in. His resume includes stints as chair of the planning board in Lenox, Mass., as a member of the DeKalb, Ill. planning board and of the Niskayuna, N.Y. zoning board, he said. “I’m really interested in the development of the community, the growth of the community, happening in a balanced way,” said Autorino, who added that he does not yet have a position on Measure A. “I’m pro-business, but also pro-community. I want to make sure the development that happens is appropriate for the community.” Autorino said he wants to see the city develop Alameda Point. “It’s a big opportunity for us,” he said. “The quicker we move forward, the better.”

Superdelegate Stark endorses Obama

The Island just noticed that our man in Congress, Pete Stark, has endorsed Barack Obama for president, saying that it’s time to unify the party and focus on defeating presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain in November. Stark also told Josh Richman at the Oakland Tribune that he’s “never been happy with Senator Clinton's explanation or statements on votes going into the war in Iraq” (though he also voiced discomfort with Obama’s plan for universal health care, a pet issue, and the whole idea of superdelegates while he was on it). Stark is one of several onetime Edwards backers who have pledged their support to Obama in recent days. Today’s primary votes in Oregon and Kentucky could give Obama the majority of pledged delegates, though the race between him and Sen. Hillary Clinton is so close he’ll need the support of every superdelegate he can get to help him eke out a win. According to the Associated Press, Clinton has the support of 34 superdelegates to Obama's 23, though a dozen more are undecided.