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Despite Cal football’s overwhelming defeat of SMU Saturday, several Cal fans—Janice Thomas among them—aren’t all that thrilled about the upcoming season. 

Thomas’ main concern isn’t about the team’s ability to win; instead, she and other members of the Panoramic Hill Neighborhood Association are worried about something else the upcoming season may hold in store for the community surrounding Cal’s Memorial Stadium: bright lights, and lots of them. 

A dedicated Cal football fan, Thomas is president of the neighborhood group, and has been working alongside her fellow residents to build a relationship between the community and the stadium. 

“I want Cal to be a part of the community, but it’s hard sometimes,” explains Thomas. 

Right now Thomas and the association are battling Cal over the proposed installation of lights at the stadium that Thomas says would produce high levels of light pollution. As of now, the stadium lacks any sort of permanent night lighting system and only brings lights in for afternoon and evening games. 

The issue first came up in June 1999 after the university announced it was going to install permanent television broadcast-quality lights that would allow Cal games to be aired on network television. Thomas and the Panoramic Hill Association then pressured the university to stop the installation, holding several meetings with the UC Administration and at one point filing a lawsuit. 

The university never made any definitive move but neighbors began organizing again as soon as the university announced its plans to seismically retrofit the stadium, which lies directly on top of the Hayward fault. According to the university, the installation of permanent lights could be part of the renovation. 

According to Athletic Department spokesperson Bob Rose, the university wants to install TV quality lights because several network stations air games in the afternoon and evening—which means right now Cal isn’t getting the coverage it could. 

“It produces tremendous exposure for the university and the athletes,” said Rose about television coverage. “Economically it’s also a boon.” 

For the games that do air on TV in the afternoon and evening, Cal brings in a rented lighting system. 

According to Rose, “there are not concrete plans to install permanent lights,” included in the renovation plans, “but it will definitely be discussed.” While there is no formal timeline for the renovation, the school has already started fundraising. 

Thomas is still uncomfortable because the university hasn’t given a definitive answer one way or another concerning the lights. 

“They are not saying whether they are going to install lights now, but what about in two years? People want to know before they donate money to retrofit the stadium. The issue needs to be put to rest,” said Thomas. 

Jeanne Allen and Marc Grant, who are also part of the Panoramic Hill Association, say that installing lights would make it almost impossible to live in the neighborhood. 

“You could read a newspaper [at night] in the house it’s so bright,” said Allen. 

Thomas said the lights would also affect other parts of Berkeley if they were installed. “Think about driving past Pack-Bell park. Then think about having something like that at the base of the Berkeley Hills,” said Thomas. “When the lights are on, people are going to see them throughout Berkeley.” 

Unlike other large sporting stadiums that are set away from the city, the Cal stadium sits right in the middle of town. 

Rose argues that new lighting systems now exist that keep much more of the light focused into the stadium, but Thomas, and her neighbors who live right next to the stadium argue the neighborhood would still be affected. 

“What we’re talking about is night lighting with lights that simulate daylight versus no lighting. This is going to affect the whole community,” said Thomas. 

The other concern for both sides is attendance. Game attendance has been down and network exposure would help. 

Thomas points out however, that even though the stadium is built to hold 70,000 people, the neighborhood isn’t. 

“The stadium is not on a freeway, its backed into a hill,” explains Thomas. “The only way to get out is on two-way streets through the neighborhood.” 

Cal buses in fans and many people take BART, but parking and traffic continually cause problems for neighborhood residents. 

Thomas compares her experience negotiating with the university to a David and Goliath scenario. Surrounded by UC Berkeley, the Panoramic Hill community has no choice but to work with the university. 

While both sides work out their differences, however, they have stayed cordial and for Saturday’s game the stadium officials reserved a special section for the Panoramic Hill neighborhood.  

“We’re trying to be good sports,” said Thomas. “We support Cal athletics, we love the team, but we hate extreme light.”