Around Berkeley: Tiny art show, herb walk, K-pop party
Other events include an author talk on the South Bayโs industrial salt ponds, a class on growing fruit trees and a botanical drawing night.
โICE-free zonesโ among ideas Alameda County is considering to defend against Trump immigration crackdown
Following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, county officials are gearing up to ban ICE agents from certain areas.
parks of berkeley
City
Over 2,000 East Bay residents bought e-bikes with vouchers in the last 6 months
A $10 million fund from Ava Community Energy and Alameda County was used to reimburse e-bike buyers. Meanwhile, a new study shows laws havenโt kept up with e-bike collision risks.
Environmental groups organize to protest Chevron, military action in Venezuelaย
Protests this weekend at Chevron’s Richmond refinery and a Berkeley gas station were spurred by the Trump Administrationโs capture of the Venezuelan president and the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Man who crashed scooter on UC Berkeley campus last month has died
Authorities identified the crash victim as Kenneth Wade, a 59-year-old Berkeley man. He died more than a month after the Dec. 1 crash.
Berkeleyโs Cazadero camp heavily damaged by winter storms
โIโve never seen anything like this,โ said the director of the city-owned music camp north of Guerneville. The camp is seeking donations and help clearing toppled redwoods and debris.
Crime & safety
Vegetation now banned near 1,400 Berkeley Hills homes. Hereโs what to know
The new wildfire safety rules, banning nearly everything combustible within 5 feet of buildings, or “Zone Zero,” are in effect as of Jan. 1.
schools
Amid federal threats, University of California gets โcriticalโ support in Newsomโs proposed budget
UC would get $350.6 million in new funding, keeping with Newsomโs 2022 pledge to give annual budget increases for five years.
Housing & Development
Empty empires: A few Berkeley landlords are sitting on several vacant buildings
One Berkeley family may own as many as five vacant properties. Their bill under the cityโs new vacancy tax will be more than triple what they paid in property taxes last year.
Hungry for more?
Get Nosh stories delivered to you with our free newsletter
ARTS
Around Berkeley: Tamales karaoke; bike part swap meet; new youth poet laureate
Also: Tours of the exhibition โObject Oriented: Abstraction and Designโ at BAMPFA and music on Fourth Street.
Business
Urban Ore workers ratify first union contract months after ending strike
The salvage storeโs contract includes bumped up hourly and holiday pay, offset by a reduction in revenue sharing. Workers also get more time off and job protection.
Community
Berkeley library foundation honors Cityside as champion of local journalism and all things literary
The Berkeley Public Library Foundation praised Berkeleysideโs publisher for its โoutstanding contribution to our literary and civic landscape,โ giving Cityside an award named for Fred and Pat Cody, founders of Codyโs Books.ย ย
Nature
Can yards in the Berkeley Hills be both fire-safe and beautiful?
As hills residents are told to clear vegetation around their homes to prevent wildfires, they are helping develop a new landscape design paradigm for the era of climate change.
Berkeley Wire: Apartment fire at Redwood Gardens; Arreguรญn to chair Senate Housing Committee
Also: More UC Berkeley students are saving money by graduating in three years.
Share your photos with us on Flickr and we may feature them on Berkeleyside.
Opinion
Opinion: Berkeley should rethink rule requiring 26-foot clearance for fire trucks on city streets
Selective enforcement of an optional state fire code rule has harmed street fairs and farmers markets. If applied uniformly, many streets would lose half their parking. A policy better tailored to Berkeley’s narrow roads is needed.
Opinion: Flock can’t be trusted not to share Berkeley’s surveillance camera data with Trump and ICE
Contracting with Flock is incredibly risky for the safety and security of Berkeleyโs residents and completely goes against its commitments as a sanctuary city.
Opinion: Proposed parking fees at the Berkeley Marina won’t reduce deficit
People will go to nearby free lots, and enforcement will be expensive. The city should instead raise fees on big boats to shore up the Marina Fund.
Opinion: Berkeley should save the historic UA Theater
A developer plans to demolish almost the entire 93-year-old United Artists theater. Do we, as a community, want to let this happen?
How we work
7 ways Berkeleyside can help you
We can help you tell your story, remember your loved one or spread the word about your events. And there are a few ways you can help us, too.
Want to contribute for Berkeleyside as a freelancer?
We want to make it easy to understand our process. Here’s what we’re looking for, and how we’ll support you.
Berkeleysideโs approach to public safety reporting
Our goal is to keep the Berkeley community informed of incidents that may impact their safety while focusing on explanatory and accountability reporting.
Berkeleyside is retiring comments on stories. Hereโs why.
A disproportionate amount of our editorsโ time is spent serving a small group of readers. We now offer other ways for readers to engage with our newsroom.
