Features
City College Event Examines ‘Crisis of The Commons’
The “Crisis of the California Commons” is the subject of a conference being held this weekend at Berkeley City College.
The theme statement says that “the bountiful commons Californians once enjoyed as a gift of nature and fruit of public efforts” is threatened today: “Our resources are degraded, our services privatized, and our public spaces increasingly pre-empted.”
The opening reception is Friday at 7 p.m., with panel discussions Saturday and Sunday ending at noon on Sunday.
Among the speakers are U.C. Berkeley faculty members Grey Brechin, Iain Boal, Ignacio Chapela and Dick Walker, and Berkeley authors John Curl and Ruth Rosen.
On Saturday at 8 p.m. Country Joe McDonald will present “The Musical Commons: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie” at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way in Berkeley.
(This conference has no relationship to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates’ “Public Commons for Everyone” initiative, his proposed attempt to regulate street behavior.)
