Ex-mayor, two others join Berkeley tree-sitters
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, January 22, 2007
Three grande dames of Berkeley politics -- with a combined age of 248 -- climbed a ladder and sat in a coast live oak next to Memorial Stadium today, joining six other tree-sitters trying to save the grove from a proposed UC development.
"I'm scared to death because I'm afraid of heights," said Shirley Dean, 71, former mayor of Berkeley, as she hoisted herself onto a wooden platform about 15 feet off the ground. "But I'm proud to be here. We're going to save these trees."
Former Berkeley City Councilwoman Betty Olds, 86, was the first to climb the tree.
"We're not going to give up," she told the crowd of about 50. "This little grove of trees is an oasis. If we can't save this, we might as well throw in the towel."
Sylvia McLaughlin, 91, founder of Save the Bay, also climbed the tree.
The women, dressed in blue jeans, fanny packs and sweaters, stayed in the tree for about half an hour, then gingerly stepped down the ladder, to a round of applause from the crowd.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/22/BAGOBNN0U67.DTL:yourock:
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