Berkeleyside

Founded in late 2009 by a trio of journalists, Berkeleyside serves as the local news platform for Berkeley, California, and the surrounding East Bay area. It is an independently operated site dedicated to providing news and updates about the community.

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No plants, no wood fences: Berkeley bans anything flammable within 5 feet of many hills homes

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Alex Gecan

Homeowners in two Berkeley Hills neighborhoods have just over eight months to clear 5-foot fire-protection buffers around their homes and sheds — or risk hundreds of dollars in fines every day. The City Council agreed to a new set of fire safety rules in an unanimous vote Tuesday. The Berkeley Fire Department had proposed a slew of changes to city ordinances, specifically the sections that relate to fire code.
Around Berkeley: Berkeley High's sustainable fashion show, sailing talk, meet Berkeleyside's new editor

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Andrew Gilbert |Iris Kwok

Never miss local events! Sign up for Berkeleyside’s arts and culture newsletter, The Scene. And check out our roundup of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley. ⛵Captain Damon Guthrie hosts an interactive talk, “The Wonders of Sailing on the San Francisco Bay” covering charts, navigation, knots, the animals of the bay, sailing theory, semi-diurnal tides, harrowing accounts of a near shipwreck and more. Saturday, April 19, 2 p.m. Berkeley Library West Branch.
UC Berkeley student sues Trump administration over revoked visa

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Iris Kwok

A master’s student at UC Berkeley is one of four Chinese international students challenging the Trump administration’s sudden termination of her visa and legal status in the U.S. The student, Zhuoer Chen, was expected to graduate with a master’s degree in architecture in May, according to the legal complaint, which argues the U.S. Department of Homeland Security violated students’ constitutional rights when it abruptly canceled students’ visas without giving them a direct explanation or...
Berkeley police text scandal final report vote could bring 'closure.' Will it change anything?

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Alex Gecan

What could be the final chapter in a years-old texting scandal in a Berkeley Police Department unit could be written by the City Council on Tuesday. Berkeley’s civilian police oversight body, the Police Accountability Board, made a slew of policy recommendations to BPD and other requests of the council after investigating racist and anti-homeless text messages between members of the department’s bike team.
Got questions about the BUSD budget and layoffs? Tune in Thursday to a virtual town hall

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Vanessa Arredondo

The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) will host a virtual town hall on Thursday to explain its budget process, review state funding, and provide updates about potential layoff and reassignment notices given to hundreds of staff in early March. Some employees recently had their notices rescinded as officials continue to make progress on balancing a more than $7 million budget deficit.
Downtown Berkeley fire torches East Bay Media Center

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Alex Gecan

A structure fire caved in the roof of the East Bay Media Center in downtown Berkeley and forced evacuations in nearby apartment buildings early Monday morning. Callers reported the fire, on the 1900 block of Addison Street, around 3:15 a.m., Berkeley Fire spokesperson Dafina Dailey said in an emailed statement. Police and firefighters found the media center “fully engulfed in flames,” with “a heavy amount of fire blowing out of the front and roof of the building” when they arrived, Dailey said.
Strict new rules banning vegetation and wooden decks within 5 feet of homes in parts of the Berkeley Hills could be approved this week

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Alex Gecan |Nico Savidge

The Berkeley City Council could adopt a slate of new wildfire safety measures on Tuesday, including strict regulations that prohibit flammable materials within 5 feet of homes in some hillside neighborhoods.
Berkeley's wet season is winding down. Did we get enough rain?

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Nico Savidge

The wet half of the year in the Bay Area included a drenching fall atmospheric river, a lengthy dry spell during what’s normally the peak of the rainy season and a string of soaking storms as winter gave way to spring. So, with summer approaching and no sign of significant rain in the forecast, how are the reservoirs Berkeley depends on holding up? “Our water supply is in solid shape,” said East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) spokesperson Tracie Morales.
Berkeley police shot a man in a standoff at University and McGee

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Alex Gecan

A 33-year-old man is in critical condition after a Berkeley police officer shot him Sunday morning. Police say he was threatening officers with a gun. Police and paramedics first went to the 1700 block of University Avenue, near McGee Avenue, after 911 callers reported a woman screaming for help inside an apartment there, Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Jessica Perry said in an email. The man came out of the apartment holding a gun and “made threats to shoot officers,” Perry wrote.
Michael Burawoy’s friends remember a brilliant scholar and committed supporter of protest

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Jose Fermoso

At its core, Michael Burawoy believed the science of sociology was, even when encased in the stodgy halls of academia, a study of possible solutions to improve the world. As such, it was natural for theories from the profession to be used to advocate for social change. Not all of his colleagues believed sociologists should be personally on the picket lines or protesting. But Burawoy was different because that’s exactly what he was doing toward the end of his life.