News

Berkeley’s treesitters and Memorial Stadium neighbors who had sued to block construction of a gym at the site of the adjacent oak grove were dealt a resounding setback Tuesday. -more-

The Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center of San Francisco filed charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Tuesday (today), alleging that the McDonald’s in downtown Berkeley unlawfully discriminated against one of its employees and her two co-workers because of their developmental disabilities. -more-

Today (Tuesday) Jesse Arreguin became the fifth candidate to replace recently deceased Councilmember Dona Spring in District 4. Arreguin chairs the elected Rent Stabilization Board, chairs the Housing Advisory Commission and is a member of the Zoning Adjustments Board. -more-

A man who fell multiple stories from a window in a Berkeley apartment building on Saturday is recovering from his injuries. Police responded to a report of a man down in the 2400 block of Channing Way just before 4 a.m. when witnesses reported seeing and hearing the fall. The police found no sign of foul play and consider the fall an accident. -more-

Fearing adverse health effects related to toxic debris from dismantling the Bevatron and the associated Building 51 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and trucking the materials over several years through the streets of Berkeley, Councilmember Max Anderson is sponsoring a resolution for Tuesday’s City Council meeting—originally coauthored by recently deceased Councilmember Dona Spring—asking for a full environmental report on the impact of the demolition. -more-

The Berkeley Board of Education approved a resolution Friday to work with the City of Berkeley to relocate the warm water pool from the landmarked Old Gym to an appropriate location without naming West Campus as a preferred site. -more-

Campus police arrested six protesters Sunday after they -more-

Planning commissioners will tackle the controversial project of changing West Berkeley’s zoning ordinances when they meet Wednesday night. -more-

Berkeley police have issued a warrant for Gabriel Alejo, 18, of Berkeley, as the suspect in Sunday night’s Russell Street shooting. -more-

Six protesters of the removal of a grove of oak trees on the University of California, Berkeley campus were arrested today after they planted an oak seedling on the lawn of the university's chancellor, a UC Berkeley police spokesman said. -more-

Three new candidates signed up for local seats today (Monday). -more-

The Berkeley City Council on Tuesday could approve a two-year $200,000 per-year contract to improve shoppers’ experiences on Telegraph and Shattuck avenues by hiring “hosts” to assist out-of-towners and to direct people with inappropriate behaviors into services or—if they refuse help or if services are not available—to jail. -more-

The city clerk listed three new candidates filing for office Friday: -more-

After months of deliberating neighborhood concerns about Safeway’s proposed expansion plans on College Avenue, the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC) announced its decision to oppose the project last week. -more-

Berkeley planning commissioners zipped through a chapter and a half of the Downtown Area Plan on Thursday, including the potentially controversial section on historic buildings and design. -more-

A judge on Friday denied a bid for a preliminary injunction to Oakland attorney-plaintiff Marleen Sacks, who says the city of Oakland should return $60 million to its taxpayers because it has failed to live up to its promise to hire more police officers under the Measure Y mandates. -more-

Although Judge Barbara Miller has not yet issued her final decisions in the lawsuits challenging UC Berkeley's gymnasium project, the Berkeley City Council has scheduled special legal sessions for 5 p.m. Friday and Tuesday, at which they could decide whether or not to join other plaintiffs in any appeal. The meetings are closed, but public comment will be allowed. -more-

Candidates are beginning to line up to fill the District 4 seat left vacant by the death Sunday of Councilmember Dona Spring: Former School Board President Terry Doran, videographer LA Wood and Commissioner Asa Dodsworth have taken out preliminary papers. -more-

The first statewide report on high school dropout and graduation rates tracking individual students revealed a high dropout rate for African Americans and Latinos compared to other ethnic groups, state educators said. -more-

Berkeley Councilmember Dona Spring, protector of the environment, fighter for housing rights and champion for human and animal life, died Sunday evening, July 13, at Alta Bates/Summit Hospital, after being diagnosed with pneumonia. She was 55. -more-

Dona Spring was the bravest person I’ve ever met. No, she wasn’t just brave, she was fierce, as fierce as a lioness defending her cubs. She loved justice as much as she despised injustice, and for Dona “Justice for All” included all species, not just all humans. -more-

Following the death Sunday of Councilmember Dona Spring, the warm pool’s most dedicated City Council advocate, pool supporters got some—but not all—of what they had wanted at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. -more-

With deceased Councilmember Dona Spring’s spot on the council dais overflowing with flowers and a poster with a photograph and inscription, “Speak truth to power,” the council carried on its regular business of the day, after accolades to Spring from councilmembers and the public. -more-

Berkeley Sea Scouts leader Eugene Evans was convicted of two counts of child molestation Monday and is expected to spend six years in prison under a plea deal with the Alameda County district attorney’s office. -more-

“Where will you spend eternity?” The preacher’s saving souls. His voice—amplified at no more than 65 decibels according to SOS Ministries—resonates through speakers, carrying the message of salvation through Jesus Christ along the Telegraph Avenue/Haste Street corridors. -more-

Despite what appeared to be a judge’s injunction not to strike, thousands of University of California hospital and service workers—including hundreds of UC Berkeley custodians, gardeners, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and more—walked the picket line, according to union officials. -more-

With the official opening of the filing period Monday, six new candidates have declared interest in running for Berkeley offices. -more-

Berkeley planning commissioners continued their march through the Downtown Area Plan last week with a side excursion through a controversial economic study. -more-

Berkeley planning commissioners finally approved a new wireless ordinance for the city last week, after making two minor tweaks to a revision of the 17th version prepared by city staff. -more-

UC Berkeley squares off with its foes in a Hayward courtroom this morning (Thursday) during a hearing on the university’s bid to start construction at the site of the ongoing tree-sit. -more-

Controversy over Monday’s arrest of an oak grove tree-sitter who came down after a death in the family sparked outraged among supporters of the 17-month-old Berkeley protest. -more-

It’s been a bad news month for American journalism, starting with layoffs of East Bay journalists. -more-

The Oakland City Council approved $14.45 million in new city loans and grants to the Fox Oakland restoration project Tuesday night. Councilmembers made no comment in voting for the new expenditures, but not before a small coalition of Oakland residents had plenty to say in opposition. -more-

Oakland City Council decided Tuesday night to put on the November ballot a police parcel tax compromise measure co-written by Mayor Ron Dellums and Councilmember Jane Brunner, but the final 6-2 council vote did not reflect how close the proposal was to stalling and dying on the council chambers floor. -more-

The Oakland City Council voted late Tuesday night to approve four finalist developers to bid on its 108-acre Oakland Army Base Gateway Development project. The four finalists—pared down from an original list of eight developers who bid on the job—will now be invited to submit requests for proposals within the next four to six months. -more-

Almost five months after the Berkeley City Council voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with Pacific Steel Casting to cut emissions and odor within a specific timeline, community activists met with Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmember Linda Maio at the City Hall last week for their first update on the process. -more-

In the face of impending water restrictions and drought rates, both the city and UC Berkeley are bracing for water reductions of up to 30 percent. -more-

A judge sentenced Christopher Hollis to 24 years in state prison on Friday, the toughest sentence possible, for fatally shooting his friend Meleia Willis-Starbuck after responding to her plea for help in a Berkeley street confrontation nearly three years ago. -more-

The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board approved a use permit modification for the Ed Roberts Campus Thursday to allow offices of several nonprofits to be located in a residential zone near the Ashby BART, but they limited the ruling to include only those organizations. -more-

The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board mandated that a private software company provide transit subsidies to its employees as a condition of approval of its use permit onThursday. -more-

She has been called a Berkeley icon and a force of nature or, as she was honored on her 70th birthday, simply Bolshevik Mary. -more-

In Lindsay Vurek’s film, Courage in Life and Politics: The Dona Spring Story, the 15-year Berkeley councilmember’s fierce advocacy for the environment, animals, the downtrodden and the disabled shines bright. -more-

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