BART Unions Vote to Strike
Two of BART’s three largest unions have voted to authorize a strike, but BART spokesman Linton Johnson said today that “it’s outrageous to even talk about a strike in these economic times.” -more-
Two of BART’s three largest unions have voted to authorize a strike, but BART spokesman Linton Johnson said today that “it’s outrageous to even talk about a strike in these economic times.” -more-
More than 200 seniors and disabled citizens rallied at the San Francisco Civic Center Tuesday to protest cuts to social, elder and disability services, which they said would force them from their homes and into institutions. -more-
The Berkeley Board of Education approved more budget reductions at a board meeting Wednesday in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May revision to the state budget. -more-
In a push to reduce drug and alcohol use by Berkeley’s public school students, the Berkeley Unified School District will collaborate with the City of Berkeley government to form a committee by September to address the issue. -more-
Housing, West Berkeley and signs will be on the minds and lips of planning commissioners when they meet for their final June meeting Wednesday night, June 24. -more-
One of two men accused of murder for the 2006 death of a man who succumbed to a gunshot wound shortly after stumbling to the door of a University of California at Berkeley sorority house has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, a prosecutor said today. -more-
The Berkeley Board of Education will seek input from Berkeley High School before crafting any kind of policy seeking to reform its School Governance Council. -more-
A Berkeley Board of Education policy subcommittee was scheduled to recommend realigning Berkeley High School’s Governance Council to make it more consistent with that of the district’s K-8 public schools at the board’s meeting, which took place yesterday, Wednesday, June 17, after the Planet went to print. A report on the meeting can be found at berkeleydailyplanet.com. -more-
Facing a $177.6 million funding gap for the upcoming fiscal year, Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi has proposed a $2.4 billion county budget that makes severe cuts across all levels of county services. -more-
At Wednesday’s Berkeley Board of Education meeting, about 20 Berkeley High School students protested what they called campus racism. -more-
The Zoning Adjustments Board approved a use permit for a new facility for the Berkeley Animal Shelter Thursday, June 11. -more-
The unique igloo-domed Bevatron building at UC Berkeley is coming down, the closing chapter in a political battle between city activists and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). -more-
As plazas go, Walter Hood’s design was a great one, Berkeley planning commissioners seemed to agree last week. -more-
The state Supreme Court Wednesday rejected a challenge to Berkeley Unified School District’s student assignment plan, upholding a March appellate court decision and paving the way for other school districts to replicate it. -more-
With changes in West Berkeley zoning rules on the Planning Commission’s slate, residents of the area say they want a seat at the stakeholders’ table. -more-
What began as a heated confrontation ended with qualified applause for the state’s top environmental cop during last week’s meeting of the citizen panel advising the state about the cleanup of toxic sites in South Richmond. -more-
The Berkeley City Council is expected to give final approval to its 2010 and 2011 biennial budget at its meeting on Tuesday, June 23, although “final” is a relative term in the current economic times. With continued certainty that a final state budget package will include reductions in state revenue coming to Berkeley—as well as uncertainty over how much and in what areas—the council is expected to come back after the summer break to make adjustments after the full economic situation is known. -more-
Members of the Port of Oakland’s Board of Commissioners put off the toughest decision on the controversial BART Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) project for another day, agreeing on Tuesday, June 16, to apply for federal funds for the project but adding a provision to study a rapid bus alternative. -more-
Alameda County public health officials announced the county’s second swine flu death Thursday. A middle-aged man who had been hospitalized for pre-existing health conditions died two days after the first death was reported. -more-
Calling the current budget crisis “the most difficult financial situation that we have ever encountered in our university careers,” University of California Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer said this week in a general letter addressed to the campus community that the university is facing severe program and personnel cutbacks for the 2009-10 academic year. -more-