Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently owned local news site. We report on the extraordinary diversity of people, issues, events, food and environment in our city on the Bay.
Richmond City Council Approves Increase in City's Minimum Wage
Berkeley Community Survey Shows Tepid Support For Ballot Measures
Berkeley Proposal Reopens Debate Over Downtown Development
News Pix: Airbnb Protests, Late-Night Muni and Albany Bulb Cleanup
Income Inequality in Berkeley: Do Students Skew the Numbers?
Berkeley High Struggles With Illegal Student Enrollment
Berkeley Mayor Proposes East Bay Regional Minimum Wage
West Berkeley Fire Destroys Artisan Businesses
Berkeley School Board Set to Slash Funding for Cooking and Gardening Program
Berkeley Residents Approve of Soda Tax on November Ballot
Berkeley Neighborhood Thwarts Starbucks' Plan for New Outlet
Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Files For Bankruptcy, Hopes to Remain Open
window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"news_82906": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_82906",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "82906",
"found": true
},
"parent": 82902,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2012/12/money-piggy-bank-flickr-kenteegarden.jpg",
"width": 300,
"height": 204
}
},
"publishDate": 1355423084,
"modified": 1355423084,
"caption": "Flicker/Kenteegarden",
"description": null,
"title": "money piggy bank flickr kenteegarden",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_135326": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_135326",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "135326",
"found": true
},
"parent": 135324,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Big-Soda-council.jpg",
"width": 720,
"height": 421
}
},
"publishDate": 1399483791,
"modified": 1399483791,
"caption": "Proponents of a soda tax were out in force in neon green at Berkeley City Council in March. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)",
"description": null,
"title": "Big-Soda-council",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_135200": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_135200",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "135200",
"found": true
},
"parent": 135198,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/downtown.jpg",
"width": 720,
"height": 478
}
},
"publishDate": 1399394478,
"modified": 1399394478,
"caption": "Four years after voters adopted a new vision for downtown Berkeley, they may be asked to refine it. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)",
"description": null,
"title": "downtown",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_134900": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_134900",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "134900",
"found": true
},
"parent": 134897,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/late-muni.png",
"width": 1280,
"height": 899
}
},
"publishDate": 1399053038,
"modified": 1399053038,
"caption": null,
"description": null,
"title": "late muni",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_134474": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_134474",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "134474",
"found": true
},
"parent": 134473,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/income-inequality.png",
"width": 720,
"height": 303
}
},
"publishDate": 1398713381,
"modified": 1398713381,
"caption": "Bloomberg recently ranked U.S. cities for income inequality. Berkeley ranked tenth. (Berkeleyside)",
"description": null,
"title": "income inequality",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_134419": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_134419",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "134419",
"found": true
},
"parent": 133587,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment1-640x4261.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 426
}
},
"publishDate": 1398478953,
"modified": 1398478953,
"caption": "Parents desperate to get their kids into some schools, including Berkeley High School, cheat their way in.(Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)",
"description": "Parents desperate to get their kids into some schools, including Berkeley High School, cheat their way in.(Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)",
"title": "enrollment1-640x426",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_132540": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_132540",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "132540",
"found": true
},
"parent": 132536,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/firesmoke.jpg",
"width": 720,
"height": 479
}
},
"publishDate": 1397496274,
"modified": 1397496274,
"caption": "The smoke column on Saturday night as seen from Delaware Street. (Raph Levien/Berkeleyside)",
"description": null,
"title": "firesmoke",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_130320": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_130320",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "130320",
"found": true
},
"parent": 130319,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/CG-photo.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 480
}
},
"publishDate": 1395770686,
"modified": 1395770686,
"caption": "Supporters of the BUSD cooking and gardening program speak out at the March 12 BUSD Board meeting. Photo: Mary Flaherty/Berkeleyside",
"description": null,
"title": "CG-photo",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_129641": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_129641",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "129641",
"found": true
},
"parent": 129640,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/Big-Soda-council.jpg",
"width": 720,
"height": 421
}
},
"publishDate": 1395083688,
"modified": 1395083688,
"caption": "Proponents of a soda tax were out in force when Berkeley City Council first considered the measure last month. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)",
"description": null,
"title": "Big-Soda-council",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_129244": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_129244",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "129244",
"found": true
},
"parent": 129242,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/119561830_10fde0d178_b.jpg",
"width": 1024,
"height": 683
}
},
"publishDate": 1394742929,
"modified": 1394742929,
"caption": "Starbucks, which had hoped to open a new coffee shop in South Berkeley, has, after a long process, had its application denied. (tompagenet/Flickr)",
"description": null,
"title": "119561830_10fde0d178_b",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_129274": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_129274",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "129274",
"found": true
},
"parent": 129265,
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/6208466304_7c86d9a1e0_b.jpg",
"width": 1024,
"height": 819
}
},
"publishDate": 1394747479,
"modified": 1394747479,
"caption": "Pacific Steel made castings like these, manufactured at the west Berkeley plant. (RenegadeImage/Flickr)",
"description": null,
"title": "Steel Castings, West Berkeley",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"katrinaschwartz": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "234",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "234",
"found": true
},
"name": "Katrina Schwartz",
"firstName": "Katrina",
"lastName": "Schwartz",
"slug": "katrinaschwartz",
"email": "kschwartz@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "Producer",
"bio": "Katrina Schwartz is a journalist based in San Francisco. She's worked at KPCC public radio in LA and has reported on air and online for KQED since 2010. She covered how teaching and learning is changing for MindShift between 2012 and 2020. She is the co-host of the MindShift podcast and now produces KQED's Bay Curious podcast.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edb4ee79070447a018538c9aae6eeecf28786515b8a0c30e43b6b7dce5aa44c8?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "kschwart",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "mindshift",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Katrina Schwartz | KQED",
"description": "Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edb4ee79070447a018538c9aae6eeecf28786515b8a0c30e43b6b7dce5aa44c8?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edb4ee79070447a018538c9aae6eeecf28786515b8a0c30e43b6b7dce5aa44c8?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/katrinaschwartz"
},
"kqed": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "236",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "236",
"found": true
},
"name": "KQED News Staff",
"firstName": "KQED News Staff",
"lastName": null,
"slug": "kqed",
"email": "faq@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": null,
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ef0e801a68c4c54afa9180db14084167?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "KQED News Staff | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ef0e801a68c4c54afa9180db14084167?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ef0e801a68c4c54afa9180db14084167?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/kqed"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"news_affiliate_berkeleyside-2": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_5078",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "5078",
"score": 16.655186
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Berkeleyside",
"description": "Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently owned local news site. We report on the extraordinary diversity of people, issues, events, food and environment in our city on the Bay.",
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently owned local news site. We report on the extraordinary diversity of people, issues, events, food and environment in our city on the Bay.",
"title": "Berkeleyside Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5099,
"slug": "berkeleyside-2",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Berkeleyside",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "news",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 11
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/company-paragraph",
"content": "Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently owned local news site. We report on the extraordinary diversity of people, issues, events, food and environment in our city on the Bay."
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/news?affiliate=berkeleyside-2",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 11
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"news_135183": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_135183",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "135183",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1399501843000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1399501843,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Richmond City Council Approves Increase in City's Minimum Wage ",
"title": "Richmond City Council Approves Increase in City's Minimum Wage ",
"headTitle": "Priced Out | News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Dan Brekke and Wendi Jonassen\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82906\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2012/12/13/nonprofits-wade-into-political-giving/money-piggy-bank-flickr-kenteegarden/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-82906\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-82906 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/12/money-piggy-bank-flickr-kenteegarden.jpg\" alt=\"Flicker/Kenteegarden\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flicker/Kenteegarden\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, Wednesday, May 7:\u003c/strong> The Richmond City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve an ordinance that will lift the minimum wage for most workers to $12.30 an hour by 2017. The ordinance would not cover workers under age 18, those who receive tips or those who work in businesses with 10 or fewer employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current California minimum wage, $8 an hour, is scheduled to rise by a dollar an hour on July 1 under a law passed last year. The Richmond minimum would rise to $9.60 next Jan. 1, $11.52 on Jan. 1, 2016, and $12.30 starting Jan. 1, 2017. Beginning in 2018, Richmond’s minimum wage would incease annually, based on the Consumer Price Index.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_25713188/richmond-takes-step-toward-higher-minimum-wage\" target=\"_blank\">As Robert Rogers of the Contra Costa Times reports\u003c/a>, the council approved the proposal despite opposition from some local businesses. For example:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Nathan Trivers, who owns the Up & Under Pub in Point Richmond, said the ordinance imperils his business and if forced to pay higher wages to some of his 35 employees, he will either have to lay off workers or face closure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't know what sword I will have to fall on,\" Trivers said.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Richmond's move came the same evening that the Berkeley City Council backed away from a proposed ordinance to raise the minimum wage on June 30 to $10.74 an hour— a level that would match San Francisco's current minimum wage — then adjust the wage for inflation in subsequent years. A second proposal, withdrawn during last night's meeting, would have raised the minimum to $10 later this year, and then continued with adjustments that would reportedly bring it to $15.25 by 2020. Instead, the council passed a measure to raise the minimum to $10.75 by July 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judith Scherr of the Contra Costa Times says that proponents of the more aggressive increase, including members of the city's Labor Commission, criticized the revised proposal:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\"They caved in to the business community,\" Labor Commission Chairman Sam Frankel said as he left the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's a real slap on the face of the Labor Commission that worked on this an entire year,\" he told the council earlier. That proposal would have raised the minimum wage to $10.74 in June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But business owners, while acknowledging the need for higher worker pay than the state minimum of $8 per hour ($9 per hour in July), said their businesses could fail with increases mandated in earlier iterations of the ordinance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This town is made up of independent businesses,\" said Dandy Harris, owner of two Telegraph Avenue enterprises, addressing the council. \"We bring a lot to the community. I want to be here six years from now. I'm not so afraid of $10.75 an hour, but $15.25 an hour scares the crap out of me.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many restaurateurs who addressed the council pointed to costs they could not control, such as escalating food costs and rent. Several asked the council to lobby Sacramento for commercial rent control.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The ordinance, which will be up for a second reading on May 20, also calls for further study of the issues. Mayor Tom Bates has proposed that Berkeley get together with other East Bay cities to craft a regional minimum wage to ensure that no city suffers a competitive disadvantage from adopting a higher minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original post: \u003c/strong> Richmond and Berkeley are the latest Bay Area cities hoping to increase the minimum wage, adding momentum to an issue being debated through California and around the country. Both cities will be considering ordinances at City Council meetings Tuesday night, while San Francisco and Oakland are also floating ballot measures that will raise the minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Berkeley\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates is \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/04/23/berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-regional-minimum-wage/\">pushing for a collaborative effort\u003c/a> to establish an East Bay regional minimum wage plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It is really important for us all to be on the same level playing field,\" Bates told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without a uniform regional wage increase, Berkeley Councilman Laurie Capitelli said he worries that small businesses may relocate to cities with lower wage standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you have radically different proposals adopted, it is going to be confusing and might led to a real distortion of the marketplace,\" Capitelli said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two approaches to raising Berkeley's minimum wage, currently $8, will be discussed at Tuesday's City Council meeting. Both would eventually tie the city's minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One, drafted by the city's Commission on Labor, would raise the minimum wage to an estimated $12.25 an hour by June 30, 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A second proposal, made by Capitelli, would issue wage increases at a slightly slower rate, hitting $12.25 in January 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richmond\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond's ordinance would set a minimum wage of $9 an hour effective July 1, in compliance with state law. The wage would rise to $9.60 next Jan. 1, $11.52 on Jan. 1, 2016, and $12.30 starting Jan. 1, 2017. Beginning in 2018, Richmond’s minimum wage would incease annually, based on the Consumer Price Index.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Jovanka Beckles initially campaigned to place the minimum wage increase on the November ballot. But shortly after the debate began, the City Council decided to take it off the ballot and make it a local ordinance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Why do we have to wait for public election? Why can't the council just adopt it?” Beckles told KQED. “We don't want people to have to wait to have a wage that is sustainable to live on.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday night, the City Council will discuss a city manager's report that includes a survey of local businesses and their response to the wage proposal. The minimum wage in Richmond is currently $8.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Statewide Plans\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/09/12/californias-minimum-wage/\">Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation\u003c/a> in September 2013 that increases the state minimum wage to $9 per hour starting July 1, and then up to $10 by 2016. A new bill under consideration could increase wages further, to $13 per hour by 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Everybody agrees the minimum wage needs to be raised,” Bates said. “It is just a question of how much and how fast.\"\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "135183 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=135183",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/05/07/debate-over-minimum-wage-spreads-in-east-bay/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1047,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 33
},
"modified": 1399506948,
"excerpt": "Berkeley also acts,, with City Council voting for more gradual hike and further study of the issue.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Berkeley also acts,, with City Council voting for more gradual hike and further study of the issue.",
"title": "Richmond City Council Approves Increase in City's Minimum Wage | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Richmond City Council Approves Increase in City's Minimum Wage ",
"datePublished": "2014-05-07T15:30:43-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-05-07T16:55:48-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "debate-over-minimum-wage-spreads-in-east-bay",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "2014/05/06/east-bay-minimum+wage-conversation-spreads/",
"path": "/news/135183/debate-over-minimum-wage-spreads-in-east-bay",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Dan Brekke and Wendi Jonassen\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_82906\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2012/12/13/nonprofits-wade-into-political-giving/money-piggy-bank-flickr-kenteegarden/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-82906\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-82906 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/12/money-piggy-bank-flickr-kenteegarden.jpg\" alt=\"Flicker/Kenteegarden\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flicker/Kenteegarden\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, Wednesday, May 7:\u003c/strong> The Richmond City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve an ordinance that will lift the minimum wage for most workers to $12.30 an hour by 2017. The ordinance would not cover workers under age 18, those who receive tips or those who work in businesses with 10 or fewer employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current California minimum wage, $8 an hour, is scheduled to rise by a dollar an hour on July 1 under a law passed last year. The Richmond minimum would rise to $9.60 next Jan. 1, $11.52 on Jan. 1, 2016, and $12.30 starting Jan. 1, 2017. Beginning in 2018, Richmond’s minimum wage would incease annually, based on the Consumer Price Index.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_25713188/richmond-takes-step-toward-higher-minimum-wage\" target=\"_blank\">As Robert Rogers of the Contra Costa Times reports\u003c/a>, the council approved the proposal despite opposition from some local businesses. For example:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Nathan Trivers, who owns the Up & Under Pub in Point Richmond, said the ordinance imperils his business and if forced to pay higher wages to some of his 35 employees, he will either have to lay off workers or face closure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't know what sword I will have to fall on,\" Trivers said.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Richmond's move came the same evening that the Berkeley City Council backed away from a proposed ordinance to raise the minimum wage on June 30 to $10.74 an hour— a level that would match San Francisco's current minimum wage — then adjust the wage for inflation in subsequent years. A second proposal, withdrawn during last night's meeting, would have raised the minimum to $10 later this year, and then continued with adjustments that would reportedly bring it to $15.25 by 2020. Instead, the council passed a measure to raise the minimum to $10.75 by July 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judith Scherr of the Contra Costa Times says that proponents of the more aggressive increase, including members of the city's Labor Commission, criticized the revised proposal:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\"They caved in to the business community,\" Labor Commission Chairman Sam Frankel said as he left the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's a real slap on the face of the Labor Commission that worked on this an entire year,\" he told the council earlier. That proposal would have raised the minimum wage to $10.74 in June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But business owners, while acknowledging the need for higher worker pay than the state minimum of $8 per hour ($9 per hour in July), said their businesses could fail with increases mandated in earlier iterations of the ordinance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This town is made up of independent businesses,\" said Dandy Harris, owner of two Telegraph Avenue enterprises, addressing the council. \"We bring a lot to the community. I want to be here six years from now. I'm not so afraid of $10.75 an hour, but $15.25 an hour scares the crap out of me.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many restaurateurs who addressed the council pointed to costs they could not control, such as escalating food costs and rent. Several asked the council to lobby Sacramento for commercial rent control.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The ordinance, which will be up for a second reading on May 20, also calls for further study of the issues. Mayor Tom Bates has proposed that Berkeley get together with other East Bay cities to craft a regional minimum wage to ensure that no city suffers a competitive disadvantage from adopting a higher minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original post: \u003c/strong> Richmond and Berkeley are the latest Bay Area cities hoping to increase the minimum wage, adding momentum to an issue being debated through California and around the country. Both cities will be considering ordinances at City Council meetings Tuesday night, while San Francisco and Oakland are also floating ballot measures that will raise the minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Berkeley\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates is \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/04/23/berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-regional-minimum-wage/\">pushing for a collaborative effort\u003c/a> to establish an East Bay regional minimum wage plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It is really important for us all to be on the same level playing field,\" Bates told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without a uniform regional wage increase, Berkeley Councilman Laurie Capitelli said he worries that small businesses may relocate to cities with lower wage standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you have radically different proposals adopted, it is going to be confusing and might led to a real distortion of the marketplace,\" Capitelli said in an interview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two approaches to raising Berkeley's minimum wage, currently $8, will be discussed at Tuesday's City Council meeting. Both would eventually tie the city's minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One, drafted by the city's Commission on Labor, would raise the minimum wage to an estimated $12.25 an hour by June 30, 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A second proposal, made by Capitelli, would issue wage increases at a slightly slower rate, hitting $12.25 in January 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richmond\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond's ordinance would set a minimum wage of $9 an hour effective July 1, in compliance with state law. The wage would rise to $9.60 next Jan. 1, $11.52 on Jan. 1, 2016, and $12.30 starting Jan. 1, 2017. Beginning in 2018, Richmond’s minimum wage would incease annually, based on the Consumer Price Index.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Jovanka Beckles initially campaigned to place the minimum wage increase on the November ballot. But shortly after the debate began, the City Council decided to take it off the ballot and make it a local ordinance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Why do we have to wait for public election? Why can't the council just adopt it?” Beckles told KQED. “We don't want people to have to wait to have a wage that is sustainable to live on.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday night, the City Council will discuss a city manager's report that includes a survey of local businesses and their response to the wage proposal. The minimum wage in Richmond is currently $8.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Statewide Plans\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/09/12/californias-minimum-wage/\">Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation\u003c/a> in September 2013 that increases the state minimum wage to $9 per hour starting July 1, and then up to $10 by 2016. A new bill under consideration could increase wages further, to $13 per hour by 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Everybody agrees the minimum wage needs to be raised,” Bates said. “It is just a question of how much and how fast.\"\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/135183/debate-over-minimum-wage-spreads-in-east-bay",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"series": [
"news_18549"
],
"tags": [
"news_129",
"news_19904",
"news_2141",
"news_18",
"news_579"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078",
"news_1983"
],
"featImg": "news_82906",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_135324": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_135324",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "135324",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1399491248000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1399491248,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Berkeley Community Survey Shows Tepid Support For Ballot Measures",
"title": "Berkeley Community Survey Shows Tepid Support For Ballot Measures",
"headTitle": "California Election Watch 2014 | News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/05/06/community-survey-shows-difficulties-for-ballot-measures/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_135326\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Big-Soda-council.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-135326\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Big-Soda-council-640x374.jpg\" alt=\"Proponents of a soda tax were out in force in neon green at Berkeley City Council in March. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proponents of a soda tax were out in force in neon green at the Berkeley City Council in March. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A second-round survey of likely voters in Berkeley reveals the difficulty some likely ballot measures will face for passage in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council commissioned the survey to test the waters for potential ballot measures. The first c\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/14/berkeley-likes-taxing-soda-but-support-for-parks-pools-lags/\" target=\"_blank\">ouncil-directed survey done in early March\u003c/a> showed good support for a potential tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Other measures, including a parks parcel tax, commercial vacancy tax and a pools bond, received tepid support. The latest survey, conducted in the second week of April, showed diminished support for the sugar tax, some hope for supporters of the commercial vacancy tax and a continuing struggle for parks funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beverage industry has already begun campaigning against the potential Berkeley sugar-sweetened beverage tax, with promoted tweets on Twitter and a concerted effort to enlist merchants in opposition to the tax. In the March survey of 500 likely voters in Berkeley, 66 percent said they would support a 1-cent-per-ounce tax going to the general fund. Such a tax would require only a simple majority — 50 percent plus one vote — to pass in November. The April survey, however, showed only 53 percent support on the same question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"af0227467f9e8bfef08a77164dc89792\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Results improved when the survey asked about a special tax, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass. A straightforward question on a dedicated tax with revenues devoted to a variety of health education programs received 67 percent support. When more information is provided about both the general tax and the special tax, support grows — to a potential yes vote of 68 percent for the general tax and a potential yes vote of 70 percent for the special tax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on the history of ballot measures in Berkeley, campaigners believe support generally declines as anti-measure information is spread. On that basis, the sugar-sweetened beverage tax — whether posed as a general or special tax — could face a rough battle for passage, according to the survey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A tax of $1 per square foot for ground floors of commercial properties vacant for two years received an unprompted 48 percent support in the survey. When respondents were provided further details — outlining the economic incentive to fill vacant shopfronts — support increased to a potential yes vote of 67 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Park funding measures, according to the survey, will struggle to get two-thirds voter support. A 16 percent increase in the existing parks parcel tax — an average household increase of $43 per year — received only 54 percent support in the survey. A question on issuing $15 million in bonds with a $1 million special tax received only 51 percent support. Supporters of parks measures could find some consolation in the improvement in the tallies when further information was provided: The parcel tax increase rose to 70 percent potential yes, while the bond measure rose to 68 percent potential yes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey results were presented and analyzed at \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/05_May/City_Council__05-06-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Tuesday night’s Berkeley City Council meeting\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "135324 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=135324",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/05/07/berkeley-community-survey-shows-tepid-support-for-ballot-measures/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 527,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 12
},
"modified": 1400023537,
"excerpt": "Backing for new 'soda tax' appears to decline, and parks levy could have trouble winning supermajority.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Backing for new 'soda tax' appears to decline, and parks levy could have trouble winning supermajority.",
"title": "Berkeley Community Survey Shows Tepid Support For Ballot Measures | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Berkeley Community Survey Shows Tepid Support For Ballot Measures",
"datePublished": "2014-05-07T12:34:08-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-05-13T16:25:37-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "berkeley-community-survey-shows-tepid-support-for-ballot-measures",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/news/135324/berkeley-community-survey-shows-tepid-support-for-ballot-measures",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/05/06/community-survey-shows-difficulties-for-ballot-measures/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_135326\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Big-Soda-council.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-135326\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Big-Soda-council-640x374.jpg\" alt=\"Proponents of a soda tax were out in force in neon green at Berkeley City Council in March. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proponents of a soda tax were out in force in neon green at the Berkeley City Council in March. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A second-round survey of likely voters in Berkeley reveals the difficulty some likely ballot measures will face for passage in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council commissioned the survey to test the waters for potential ballot measures. The first c\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/14/berkeley-likes-taxing-soda-but-support-for-parks-pools-lags/\" target=\"_blank\">ouncil-directed survey done in early March\u003c/a> showed good support for a potential tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Other measures, including a parks parcel tax, commercial vacancy tax and a pools bond, received tepid support. The latest survey, conducted in the second week of April, showed diminished support for the sugar tax, some hope for supporters of the commercial vacancy tax and a continuing struggle for parks funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The beverage industry has already begun campaigning against the potential Berkeley sugar-sweetened beverage tax, with promoted tweets on Twitter and a concerted effort to enlist merchants in opposition to the tax. In the March survey of 500 likely voters in Berkeley, 66 percent said they would support a 1-cent-per-ounce tax going to the general fund. Such a tax would require only a simple majority — 50 percent plus one vote — to pass in November. The April survey, however, showed only 53 percent support on the same question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Results improved when the survey asked about a special tax, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass. A straightforward question on a dedicated tax with revenues devoted to a variety of health education programs received 67 percent support. When more information is provided about both the general tax and the special tax, support grows — to a potential yes vote of 68 percent for the general tax and a potential yes vote of 70 percent for the special tax.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on the history of ballot measures in Berkeley, campaigners believe support generally declines as anti-measure information is spread. On that basis, the sugar-sweetened beverage tax — whether posed as a general or special tax — could face a rough battle for passage, according to the survey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A tax of $1 per square foot for ground floors of commercial properties vacant for two years received an unprompted 48 percent support in the survey. When respondents were provided further details — outlining the economic incentive to fill vacant shopfronts — support increased to a potential yes vote of 67 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Park funding measures, according to the survey, will struggle to get two-thirds voter support. A 16 percent increase in the existing parks parcel tax — an average household increase of $43 per year — received only 54 percent support in the survey. A question on issuing $15 million in bonds with a $1 million special tax received only 51 percent support. Supporters of parks measures could find some consolation in the improvement in the tallies when further information was provided: The parcel tax increase rose to 70 percent potential yes, while the bond measure rose to 68 percent potential yes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey results were presented and analyzed at \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/05_May/City_Council__05-06-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Tuesday night’s Berkeley City Council meeting\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/135324/berkeley-community-survey-shows-tepid-support-for-ballot-measures",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"series": [
"news_6304"
],
"categories": [
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_129",
"news_423"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_135326",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_135198": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_135198",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "135198",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1399396234000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1399396234,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Berkeley Proposal Reopens Debate Over Downtown Development",
"title": "Berkeley Proposal Reopens Debate Over Downtown Development",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Frances Dinkelspiel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/05/05/initiative-aims-to-tighten-green-parts-of-downtown-plan/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_135200\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/downtown.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-135200\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/downtown-640x424.jpg\" alt=\"Four years after voters adopted a new vision for downtown Berkeley, they may be asked to refine it. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four years after voters adopted a new vision for downtown Berkeley, they may be asked to refine it. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>City Councilman Jesse Arreguín, some members of the environmental community, the labor community and preservationists are circulating \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Title-and-Summary-of-Downtown-Zoning-Provisions-4-22-14.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a ballot initiative\u003c/a> that would drastically overhaul elements of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/?s=Downtown+Plan&x=0&y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeley Downtown Area Plan\u003c/a> endorsed by voters in 2010 and codified by the City Council in 2012.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\"If you want to go higher and make an incredible amount of profit by going higher, you should give more.\" - Jesse Arreguín\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The initiative would restore the “green” in the “Green Vision” part of the plan, according to Arreguín.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would essentially mandate that all buildings in the downtown core taller than 60 feet high follow the more stringent “Green Pathways” provision of the Downtown Area Plan, rather than making that an optional track for developers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initiative would require all buildings over 75 feet high to be \u003ca href=\"http://www.usgbc.org/leed\" target=\"_blank\">LEED Platinum\u003c/a> (they now have to be LEED Gold) and to have 30 percent of the units be affordable (up from 20 percent). It would remove the possibility of paying into an housing fund as an alternative to building the affordable housing, would require there be apartments big enough for families, and require there be parking for electric vehicles and the disabled. Buildings over 60 feet would have proportionally similar requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you want to go higher and make an incredible amount of profit by going higher, you should give more,” said Arreguín.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initiative would also require developers to pay construction workers prevailing wages, make sure that half the workers reside in Berkeley or in East Bay Green Corridor cities (up from 30 percent), and use 16 percent apprentice labor, if possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moreover, in a move that Arreguín termed as “historic,” once the buildings are constructed, all maintenance, security officers and hotel employees must get a prevailing wage as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tall buildings would also have to have restrooms available to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would also remove the expedited review of potentially historic structures by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_135204\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Post-office-protest-by-Daniel-Parks.jpeg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-135204\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Post-office-protest-by-Daniel-Parks-300x300.jpeg\" alt=\"An initiative now circulating would apply an “historic overlay” in the Civic Center that might impact the future of the downtown Berkeley Post Office. (Daniel Parks/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An initiative now circulating would apply a “historic overlay” in the Civic Center that might impact the future of the downtown Berkeley Post Office. (Daniel Parks/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The initiative would also create a historic overlay over the Civic Center area. That would make it impossible, for example, for a private developer to take over Berkeley’s Main Post Office and convert it to a private commercial use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The backers of the initiative started collecting signatures on May 2. If they want to be guaranteed a place on this November's ballot, they must turn in 2,638 signatures by Thursday. The groups involved with collecting signatures include Save Our Post Office, which is trying to stop the U.S. Postal Service from selling the Main Post Office on Allston Way, and the Council of Neighborhood Associations, which unsuccessfully sued Berkeley over the environmental impact of the Downtown Area Plan, among other groups, said Arreguín.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arreguín said he decided to push for the ballot initiative because he is frustrated with Berkeley’s inaction on demanding well-articulated community benefits from developers. One intention of the Downtown Area Plan (which was endorsed by voters as Measure R in 2010) was to give developers the opportunity to build taller structures in exchange for “substantial environmental and community benefits.” If developers chose to go through the expedited “Green Pathways” review process, they would have to provide “extraordinary public benefits that could not otherwise be obtained,” according to Measure R. No developer has yet pursued this option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While developers are offering some benefits, in Arreguín’s opinion they are not substantial enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the development community disagree with Arreguín’s point of view. They say the initiative, if adopted by voters, could slow down or even stop what they see as the revitalization of the downtown core. Measure R allowed for the construction of three 180-foot buildings, about 15 stories tall, within one block of the downtown BART station and the construction of two 120-foot buildings, about 10 stories high, elsewhere downtown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, developers have plans to build three high-rise structures, one aimed at apartments for urban professionals, one aimed at families and empty-nesters, and one \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/12/19/16-story-hotel-proposed-for-center-and-shattuck-in-berkeley/\" target=\"_blank\">hotel\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a series of poison pills,” said architect Jim Novosel, who is designing a 120-foot building on Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way for the Nasser family. He is also a member of the Planning Commission and ran for the council against Arreguín in 2010.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_135206\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/mock-up.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-135206\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/mock-up-300x300.png\" alt=\"A 16-story hotel has been proposed on Center Street at Shattuck Avenue. Image: JRDV Urban International\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 16-story hotel has been proposed on Center Street at Shattuck Avenue. Image: JRDV Urban International\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Minority politics is trying to control majority politics. It sends out a message to people who want to come into Berkeley that … it’s going to be friggin hard. You are going to have to work much harder.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initiative “will set into stone” the community benefits, said Matthew Taecker, a former Berkeley city planner who is now helping Jim Didion and Center Street Partners LLC get entitlements for a 16-story hotel at the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Center Street. Right now, the shape and scope of each project determines what the community benefits look like, he said. That flexibility is critical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just the prospect of the initiative throws a chill on things,” said Taecker. “It will test the commitment of developers who haven’t yet received their entitlement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steven Donaldson, a member of the Zoning Adjustments Board, said that the community benefits process is working. For example, the developer of The Residences at Berkeley Plaza, a 180-foot, 17-story tower with 298 residences slated for Harold Way, originally planned to eliminate the Shattuck Cinemas. The ZAB board thought that was a bad idea and got the \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/06/26/developers-put-theaters-back-into-berkeley-high-rise-plans/\" target=\"_blank\">developer to agree to retain them\u003c/a>, said Donaldson. That shows the current development process and review are working, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arreguín said he anticipates a lot of developer pushback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s great we have people wanting to invest in our community and build housing, but obviously they want to maximize their investment, their profits,” he said. “So of course they are going to say things aren’t feasible because they are trying to increase the amount of their rate of return.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Read how the \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Downtown-Community-Benefits-TEXT-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">initiative would revise Berkeley’s municipal code\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\nRead a \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Title-and-Summary-of-Downtown-Zoning-Provisions-4-22-14.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">summary of provisions of the initiative\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "135198 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=135198",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/05/06/proposed-berkeley-initiative-reopens-debate-over-downtown-development/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1175,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 27
},
"modified": 1399413425,
"excerpt": "Measure includes new housing, labor and 'green' rules, would block development of historic post office. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Measure includes new housing, labor and 'green' rules, would block development of historic post office. ",
"title": "Berkeley Proposal Reopens Debate Over Downtown Development | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Berkeley Proposal Reopens Debate Over Downtown Development",
"datePublished": "2014-05-06T10:10:34-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-05-06T14:57:05-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "proposed-berkeley-initiative-reopens-debate-over-downtown-development",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "proposed-berkeley-initiative-downtown-development-plan/",
"path": "/news/135198/proposed-berkeley-initiative-reopens-debate-over-downtown-development",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Frances Dinkelspiel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/05/05/initiative-aims-to-tighten-green-parts-of-downtown-plan/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_135200\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/downtown.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-135200\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/downtown-640x424.jpg\" alt=\"Four years after voters adopted a new vision for downtown Berkeley, they may be asked to refine it. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four years after voters adopted a new vision for downtown Berkeley, they may be asked to refine it. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>City Councilman Jesse Arreguín, some members of the environmental community, the labor community and preservationists are circulating \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Title-and-Summary-of-Downtown-Zoning-Provisions-4-22-14.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a ballot initiative\u003c/a> that would drastically overhaul elements of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/?s=Downtown+Plan&x=0&y=0\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeley Downtown Area Plan\u003c/a> endorsed by voters in 2010 and codified by the City Council in 2012.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\"If you want to go higher and make an incredible amount of profit by going higher, you should give more.\" - Jesse Arreguín\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The initiative would restore the “green” in the “Green Vision” part of the plan, according to Arreguín.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would essentially mandate that all buildings in the downtown core taller than 60 feet high follow the more stringent “Green Pathways” provision of the Downtown Area Plan, rather than making that an optional track for developers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initiative would require all buildings over 75 feet high to be \u003ca href=\"http://www.usgbc.org/leed\" target=\"_blank\">LEED Platinum\u003c/a> (they now have to be LEED Gold) and to have 30 percent of the units be affordable (up from 20 percent). It would remove the possibility of paying into an housing fund as an alternative to building the affordable housing, would require there be apartments big enough for families, and require there be parking for electric vehicles and the disabled. Buildings over 60 feet would have proportionally similar requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you want to go higher and make an incredible amount of profit by going higher, you should give more,” said Arreguín.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initiative would also require developers to pay construction workers prevailing wages, make sure that half the workers reside in Berkeley or in East Bay Green Corridor cities (up from 30 percent), and use 16 percent apprentice labor, if possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moreover, in a move that Arreguín termed as “historic,” once the buildings are constructed, all maintenance, security officers and hotel employees must get a prevailing wage as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tall buildings would also have to have restrooms available to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would also remove the expedited review of potentially historic structures by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_135204\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Post-office-protest-by-Daniel-Parks.jpeg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-135204\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Post-office-protest-by-Daniel-Parks-300x300.jpeg\" alt=\"An initiative now circulating would apply an “historic overlay” in the Civic Center that might impact the future of the downtown Berkeley Post Office. (Daniel Parks/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An initiative now circulating would apply a “historic overlay” in the Civic Center that might impact the future of the downtown Berkeley Post Office. (Daniel Parks/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The initiative would also create a historic overlay over the Civic Center area. That would make it impossible, for example, for a private developer to take over Berkeley’s Main Post Office and convert it to a private commercial use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The backers of the initiative started collecting signatures on May 2. If they want to be guaranteed a place on this November's ballot, they must turn in 2,638 signatures by Thursday. The groups involved with collecting signatures include Save Our Post Office, which is trying to stop the U.S. Postal Service from selling the Main Post Office on Allston Way, and the Council of Neighborhood Associations, which unsuccessfully sued Berkeley over the environmental impact of the Downtown Area Plan, among other groups, said Arreguín.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arreguín said he decided to push for the ballot initiative because he is frustrated with Berkeley’s inaction on demanding well-articulated community benefits from developers. One intention of the Downtown Area Plan (which was endorsed by voters as Measure R in 2010) was to give developers the opportunity to build taller structures in exchange for “substantial environmental and community benefits.” If developers chose to go through the expedited “Green Pathways” review process, they would have to provide “extraordinary public benefits that could not otherwise be obtained,” according to Measure R. No developer has yet pursued this option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While developers are offering some benefits, in Arreguín’s opinion they are not substantial enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the development community disagree with Arreguín’s point of view. They say the initiative, if adopted by voters, could slow down or even stop what they see as the revitalization of the downtown core. Measure R allowed for the construction of three 180-foot buildings, about 15 stories tall, within one block of the downtown BART station and the construction of two 120-foot buildings, about 10 stories high, elsewhere downtown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, developers have plans to build three high-rise structures, one aimed at apartments for urban professionals, one aimed at families and empty-nesters, and one \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/12/19/16-story-hotel-proposed-for-center-and-shattuck-in-berkeley/\" target=\"_blank\">hotel\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a series of poison pills,” said architect Jim Novosel, who is designing a 120-foot building on Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way for the Nasser family. He is also a member of the Planning Commission and ran for the council against Arreguín in 2010.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_135206\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/mock-up.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-135206\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/mock-up-300x300.png\" alt=\"A 16-story hotel has been proposed on Center Street at Shattuck Avenue. Image: JRDV Urban International\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 16-story hotel has been proposed on Center Street at Shattuck Avenue. Image: JRDV Urban International\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Minority politics is trying to control majority politics. It sends out a message to people who want to come into Berkeley that … it’s going to be friggin hard. You are going to have to work much harder.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initiative “will set into stone” the community benefits, said Matthew Taecker, a former Berkeley city planner who is now helping Jim Didion and Center Street Partners LLC get entitlements for a 16-story hotel at the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Center Street. Right now, the shape and scope of each project determines what the community benefits look like, he said. That flexibility is critical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just the prospect of the initiative throws a chill on things,” said Taecker. “It will test the commitment of developers who haven’t yet received their entitlement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steven Donaldson, a member of the Zoning Adjustments Board, said that the community benefits process is working. For example, the developer of The Residences at Berkeley Plaza, a 180-foot, 17-story tower with 298 residences slated for Harold Way, originally planned to eliminate the Shattuck Cinemas. The ZAB board thought that was a bad idea and got the \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/06/26/developers-put-theaters-back-into-berkeley-high-rise-plans/\" target=\"_blank\">developer to agree to retain them\u003c/a>, said Donaldson. That shows the current development process and review are working, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arreguín said he anticipates a lot of developer pushback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s great we have people wanting to invest in our community and build housing, but obviously they want to maximize their investment, their profits,” he said. “So of course they are going to say things aren’t feasible because they are trying to increase the amount of their rate of return.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Read how the \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Downtown-Community-Benefits-TEXT-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">initiative would revise Berkeley’s municipal code\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\nRead a \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Title-and-Summary-of-Downtown-Zoning-Provisions-4-22-14.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">summary of provisions of the initiative\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/135198/proposed-berkeley-initiative-reopens-debate-over-downtown-development",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"categories": [
"news_6266",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_3921",
"news_129",
"news_6243"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_135200",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_134897": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_134897",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "134897",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1399058926000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1399058926,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "News Pix: Airbnb Protests, Late-Night Muni and Albany Bulb Cleanup",
"title": "News Pix: Airbnb Protests, Late-Night Muni and Albany Bulb Cleanup",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Airbnb.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134899\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Airbnb-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"Airbnb\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nAirbnb opponents and backers held a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/4/30/airbnb-supporters-rally-at-city-hall/\" target=\"_blank\">pair of rallies at San Francisco’s City Hall\u003c/a> on Tuesday, April 29, as city officials consider regulating short-term rentals and the increasingly popular practice of home-sharing. Airbnb, currently valued at about $10 billion, has operated in a legal gray area until now. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/late-muni.png\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134900\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/late-muni-640x449.png\" alt=\"late muni\" width=\"640\" height=\"449\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nBay Area residents know that getting home late at night on public transportation can be a challenge. Now Supervisor Scott Weiner is trying to do something about it. He has introduced a resolution that calls for the formation of a working group made up of business owners, nightlife advocates, unions, workers and transit agencies. The goal: A “Late-Night Integrated Transportation Plan.” (\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/marq4porsche/\" target=\"_blank\">Marquis Houghton\u003c/a>/Flickr)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Albany-bulb-cleanup.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134901\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Albany-bulb-cleanup-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"Albany bulb cleanup\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nWorkers from the city of Albany and Tucker Construction \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/04/25/albany-continues-clearing-out-homeless-encampment-at-bulb/\" target=\"_blank\">continue removing debris from the Albany Bulb\u003c/a>, as some of the last remaining residents move out of the East Bay homeless encampment. Albany agreed to pay $3,000 apiece to 28 Bulb residents in exchange for vacating the 30-acre peninsula so it can be transformed into Sylvia McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. The deal required residents to leave by Friday, April 25, in order to be eligible for the money. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Sterling.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134902\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Sterling-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson And NBA Players Press Conference\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nSacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, along with several retired players, responds to the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/nba-imposes-lifetime-ban-on-clippers-owner-donald-sterling\" target=\"_blank\">NBA's decision to ban\u003c/a> Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling over racist comments he made. In addition to banning Sterling from the NBA for life, they fined him $2.5 million. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Adler.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134903\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Adler-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"Adler\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nOn Sunday, April 27, \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/28/berkeleys-peoples-park-marks-its-45th-anniversary/\" target=\"_blank\">People’s Park celebrated its 45th anniversary\u003c/a> with live music and food. People’s Park is deeply rooted in Berkeley’s history, having been created by community members in the 1960s. It was the scene of a major confrontation between student protesters and police in May 1969. Former Berkeley Barb photographer Harold Adler, who shot the People's Park riots, brought prints of his photographs to the anniversary event. Today, the park is a daytime sanctuary for Berkeley’s homeless population. Confrontations and crimes are a regular occurrence and there is a constituency, including many local merchants on Telegraph Avenue, that would like to see the area change. (Ted Friedman/\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "134897 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=134897",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/05/02/news-pix-airbnb-protests-late-night-muni-and-albany-bulb-cleanup/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 382,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 7
},
"modified": 1399067071,
"excerpt": "News from around the Bay Area in photos.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "News from around the Bay Area in photos.",
"title": "News Pix: Airbnb Protests, Late-Night Muni and Albany Bulb Cleanup | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "News Pix: Airbnb Protests, Late-Night Muni and Albany Bulb Cleanup",
"datePublished": "2014-05-02T12:28:46-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-05-02T14:44:31-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "news-pix-airbnb-protests-late-night-muni-and-albany-bulb-cleanup",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "newspix-AirBnB-Muni-Albany-Bulb-NBA-Sterling-Berkeley/",
"path": "/news/134897/news-pix-airbnb-protests-late-night-muni-and-albany-bulb-cleanup",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Airbnb.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134899\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Airbnb-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"Airbnb\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nAirbnb opponents and backers held a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/4/30/airbnb-supporters-rally-at-city-hall/\" target=\"_blank\">pair of rallies at San Francisco’s City Hall\u003c/a> on Tuesday, April 29, as city officials consider regulating short-term rentals and the increasingly popular practice of home-sharing. Airbnb, currently valued at about $10 billion, has operated in a legal gray area until now. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/late-muni.png\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134900\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/late-muni-640x449.png\" alt=\"late muni\" width=\"640\" height=\"449\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nBay Area residents know that getting home late at night on public transportation can be a challenge. Now Supervisor Scott Weiner is trying to do something about it. He has introduced a resolution that calls for the formation of a working group made up of business owners, nightlife advocates, unions, workers and transit agencies. The goal: A “Late-Night Integrated Transportation Plan.” (\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/marq4porsche/\" target=\"_blank\">Marquis Houghton\u003c/a>/Flickr)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Albany-bulb-cleanup.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134901\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Albany-bulb-cleanup-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"Albany bulb cleanup\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nWorkers from the city of Albany and Tucker Construction \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/04/25/albany-continues-clearing-out-homeless-encampment-at-bulb/\" target=\"_blank\">continue removing debris from the Albany Bulb\u003c/a>, as some of the last remaining residents move out of the East Bay homeless encampment. Albany agreed to pay $3,000 apiece to 28 Bulb residents in exchange for vacating the 30-acre peninsula so it can be transformed into Sylvia McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. The deal required residents to leave by Friday, April 25, in order to be eligible for the money. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Sterling.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134902\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Sterling-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson And NBA Players Press Conference\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nSacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, along with several retired players, responds to the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/nba-imposes-lifetime-ban-on-clippers-owner-donald-sterling\" target=\"_blank\">NBA's decision to ban\u003c/a> Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling over racist comments he made. In addition to banning Sterling from the NBA for life, they fined him $2.5 million. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Adler.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134903\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/05/Adler-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"Adler\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nOn Sunday, April 27, \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/28/berkeleys-peoples-park-marks-its-45th-anniversary/\" target=\"_blank\">People’s Park celebrated its 45th anniversary\u003c/a> with live music and food. People’s Park is deeply rooted in Berkeley’s history, having been created by community members in the 1960s. It was the scene of a major confrontation between student protesters and police in May 1969. Former Berkeley Barb photographer Harold Adler, who shot the People's Park riots, brought prints of his photographs to the anniversary event. Today, the park is a daytime sanctuary for Berkeley’s homeless population. Confrontations and crimes are a regular occurrence and there is a constituency, including many local merchants on Telegraph Avenue, that would like to see the area change. (Ted Friedman/\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/134897/news-pix-airbnb-protests-late-night-muni-and-albany-bulb-cleanup",
"authors": [
"234"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"categories": [
"news_13",
"news_10",
"news_248",
"news_1397"
],
"tags": [
"news_129",
"news_3094",
"news_59",
"news_854",
"news_38"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_134900",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_134473": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_134473",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "134473",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1398717838000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1398717838,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Income Inequality in Berkeley: Do Students Skew the Numbers? ",
"title": "Income Inequality in Berkeley: Do Students Skew the Numbers? ",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/28/berkeley-ranks-10th-for-income-inequality-among-u-s-cities/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_134474\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/income-inequality.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-134474\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/income-inequality-640x269.png\" alt=\"Bloomberg recently ranked U.S. cities for income inequality. Berkeley ranked tenth. (Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"269\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bloomberg recently ranked U.S. cities for income inequality. Berkeley ranked 10th. (Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>News and financial information giant \u003ca href=\"http://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/most-income-inequality-us-cities\" target=\"_blank\">Bloomberg ranks Berkeley the city with the 10th-highest income inequality\u003c/a> in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley’s rank is based on Bloomberg’s computation of the \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient\" target=\"_blank\">Gini coefficients\u003c/a> for 300 cities with more than 100,000 people in the United States. A Gini coefficient of 0 would represent perfect equality (everyone with the same income), while a coefficient of 1 would show perfect inequality (one person with all the income). Bloomberg calculates an average Gini score in U.S. cities of 0.4757. Berkeley’s score is 0.5438. Atlanta has the nation's highest level of income inequality, according to Bloomberg, with a score of 0.5882.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as \u003ca href=\"http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/inequality-in-college-towns/\" target=\"_blank\">data journalism website FiveThirtyEight points out\u003c/a>, Berkeley’s high ranking for inequality — together with other college towns like Cambridge, Mass. (12th), Eugene, Ore. (22nd), and Boulder, Colo. (24th) — “is because, according to the government’s definitions, most students have very little income, even if they come from rich families. Take out all those 'low-income' students and college towns are actually slightly more equal than average.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Berkeley and Cambridge, however, are affected less by the student distortion than many other college towns, according to FiveThirtyEight′s analysis. Both cities have significant socioeconomic diversity as well as student populations with little income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Snarky website Gawker headlined \u003ca href=\"http://gawker.com/college-towns-are-pits-of-income-inequality-1566746588\" target=\"_blank\">its reading of the Bloomberg data\u003c/a> last week: “College towns are pits of income inequality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Bloomberg data, the lowest 20 percent of Berkeley households account for only 1.42 percent of the city’s total household income. The top 20 percent accounts for 55.42 percent of the total household income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley and Cambridge also have very high median household incomes compared with the other cities in the Bloomberg table. Berkeley’s median is $65,887, second in Bloomberg’s top 25 only to Cambridge, with $76,264. \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/12/03/how-brainy-is-berkeley/\" target=\"_blank\">According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey\u003c/a>, 38 percent of Berkeley’s population has graduate or professional degrees. In Cambridge, 44 percent have graduate or professional degrees. There is a high correlation between incomes and education levels nationally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Bloomberg’s calculations, taken from U.S. Census data, 19.4 percent of Berkeley’s population is in poverty (an individual making less than $11,490). That compares to percentages in the high 20s and 30s for the other top 10 cities in the table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "134473 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=134473",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/04/28/income-inequality-in-berkeley-do-students-skew-the-numbers/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 473,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 12
},
"modified": 1398720257,
"excerpt": "Bloomberg News ranks Berkeley 10th among U.S. cities, with almost 20 percent of population in poverty.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Bloomberg News ranks Berkeley 10th among U.S. cities, with almost 20 percent of population in poverty.",
"title": "Income Inequality in Berkeley: Do Students Skew the Numbers? | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Income Inequality in Berkeley: Do Students Skew the Numbers? ",
"datePublished": "2014-04-28T13:43:58-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-04-28T14:24:17-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "income-inequality-in-berkeley-do-students-skew-the-numbers",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "bloomberg-says-berkeley-has-high-level-of-income-inequality/",
"path": "/news/134473/income-inequality-in-berkeley-do-students-skew-the-numbers",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/28/berkeley-ranks-10th-for-income-inequality-among-u-s-cities/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_134474\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/income-inequality.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-134474\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/income-inequality-640x269.png\" alt=\"Bloomberg recently ranked U.S. cities for income inequality. Berkeley ranked tenth. (Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"269\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bloomberg recently ranked U.S. cities for income inequality. Berkeley ranked 10th. (Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>News and financial information giant \u003ca href=\"http://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/most-income-inequality-us-cities\" target=\"_blank\">Bloomberg ranks Berkeley the city with the 10th-highest income inequality\u003c/a> in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley’s rank is based on Bloomberg’s computation of the \u003ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient\" target=\"_blank\">Gini coefficients\u003c/a> for 300 cities with more than 100,000 people in the United States. A Gini coefficient of 0 would represent perfect equality (everyone with the same income), while a coefficient of 1 would show perfect inequality (one person with all the income). Bloomberg calculates an average Gini score in U.S. cities of 0.4757. Berkeley’s score is 0.5438. Atlanta has the nation's highest level of income inequality, according to Bloomberg, with a score of 0.5882.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as \u003ca href=\"http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/inequality-in-college-towns/\" target=\"_blank\">data journalism website FiveThirtyEight points out\u003c/a>, Berkeley’s high ranking for inequality — together with other college towns like Cambridge, Mass. (12th), Eugene, Ore. (22nd), and Boulder, Colo. (24th) — “is because, according to the government’s definitions, most students have very little income, even if they come from rich families. Take out all those 'low-income' students and college towns are actually slightly more equal than average.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Berkeley and Cambridge, however, are affected less by the student distortion than many other college towns, according to FiveThirtyEight′s analysis. Both cities have significant socioeconomic diversity as well as student populations with little income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Snarky website Gawker headlined \u003ca href=\"http://gawker.com/college-towns-are-pits-of-income-inequality-1566746588\" target=\"_blank\">its reading of the Bloomberg data\u003c/a> last week: “College towns are pits of income inequality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Bloomberg data, the lowest 20 percent of Berkeley households account for only 1.42 percent of the city’s total household income. The top 20 percent accounts for 55.42 percent of the total household income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley and Cambridge also have very high median household incomes compared with the other cities in the Bloomberg table. Berkeley’s median is $65,887, second in Bloomberg’s top 25 only to Cambridge, with $76,264. \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/12/03/how-brainy-is-berkeley/\" target=\"_blank\">According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey\u003c/a>, 38 percent of Berkeley’s population has graduate or professional degrees. In Cambridge, 44 percent have graduate or professional degrees. There is a high correlation between incomes and education levels nationally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Bloomberg’s calculations, taken from U.S. Census data, 19.4 percent of Berkeley’s population is in poverty (an individual making less than $11,490). That compares to percentages in the high 20s and 30s for the other top 10 cities in the table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/134473/income-inequality-in-berkeley-do-students-skew-the-numbers",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"tags": [
"news_129",
"news_5096",
"news_854"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_134474",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_133587": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_133587",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "133587",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1398607229000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1398607229,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Berkeley High Struggles With Illegal Student Enrollment ",
"title": "Berkeley High Struggles With Illegal Student Enrollment ",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Mary Flaherty\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/08/illegal-enrollment-is-boon-and-burden-to-berkeley-schools/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133606\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment1.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133606\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment1-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"Parents desperate to get their kids into some schools, including Berkeley High School, cheat their way in.(Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Parents desperate to get their kids into some schools, including Berkeley High School, cheat their way in.(Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When Sarah James went to the first meeting for her daughter’s freshman crew team at Berkeley High School, she wanted to form a carpool for the 6 a.m. practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But James (not her real name) lived in Oakland and had enrolled her daughter using a false address. James did not think she would find any other crew members living near her Rockridge bungalow, but she needn’t have worried. That fall, there were four other girls on the team who lived in Oakland, James said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The official freshman crew roster, however, showed that everyone had a Berkeley address.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was nearly 10 years ago, but people haven’t stopped enrolling their kids illegally in Berkeley schools. Everyone seems to know a case: people using relatives’ addresses, friends’ addresses or even rental property owned by the family who lives out of town. One recent gossip item on a local internet site: a man with a boat at the Berkeley marina, using that address to enroll his child, who lives in another city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133609\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment2.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133609\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Berkeley Unified School District says illegal enrollment is common in many districts across the state. (Kaia Diringer/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Berkeley Unified School District says illegal enrollment is common in many districts across the state. (Kaia Diringer/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Illegal enrollment is a problem common to strong school districts around the state, especially those that border districts with underperforming schools. Parents desperate to get their kids into schools with high test scores, clean campuses, and dedicated teachers, will cheat their way in, often rationalizing their actions by saying it really isn’t a burden to anyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This comes up with a lot of districts,” said Neil Smith, an assistant superintendent for the Berkeley Unified School District. “I don’t want Berkeley to think they’re the only ones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nobody knows exactly how many students are illegally enrolled in Berkeley schools, but many agree that they can be a burden to the system. Nine years ago, in the only known comprehensive report made on the subject, a UC Berkeley graduate student \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attending-to-the-Bottomline-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">estimated illegal enrollment was around 10 percent\u003c/a>. A current district administrator says that number has declined, while an outside critic believes it has gone up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of students enrolled in Berkeley schools is at a high: 9,581. On some campuses, there is not enough room to teach all those children, forcing the district to use portable classrooms. This has been a \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/06/27/portable-classroom-plan-at-berkeley-schools-put-on-hold/\" target=\"_blank\">particularly volatile issue at Washington Elementary School\u003c/a> this year. Berkeley High School just finished construction on a \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/19/berkeley-high-expands-with-opening-of-new-building/\" target=\"_blank\">$46 million building\u003c/a> that replaced some portables, and added a new gym and locker room. Overcrowding can make it difficult to get into popular classes. There are wait-lists for after-school care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It wouldn’t bother me too much if the schools weren’t so crowded, with elementary enrollment expected to continue to grow over a few more years,” Lauren Rebusi wrote on \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152278392007456&set=a.441014592455.227050.264579842455&type=1&stream_ref=10\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside’s Facebook page\u003c/a>. “Where are all those kids going to go?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133610\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollmentbus.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-133610\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollmentbus.jpg\" alt=\"The number of grade-schoolers who don’t use the school bus service is cited as evidence of fraudulent enrollment. (Photo: BUSD)\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The number of grade-schoolers who don’t use the school bus service is cited as evidence of fraudulent enrollment. (Photo: BUSD)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About a dozen Berkeleyside regulars comment frequently — and angrily — on illegal enrollment. Are others are angry? The \u003ca href=\"http://berkeley.accountableschools.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeley Accountable Schools Project\u003c/a>, an online, anonymous watchdog group, has 75 people who have signed up for email updates, and 55 who have signed a petition to the school board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many parents say they have mixed feelings about the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The critics’ concerns come down to money: Berkeley residents pay extra taxes to supplement schools, so it seems unfair to let nonresidents take advantage of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But research reveals that the question is more nuanced and difficult than appears at first glance. While illegally enrolled school children may place extra burdens on the district, they also bring in more state funds than they consume in local taxes, according to one analyst. In short, they may make money for the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Debate over the situation may soon intensify, as BUSD will be asking Berkeley residents to renew a school tax in two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will not vote for more school taxes unless and until real, consistent address verification is instituted,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152278392007456&set=a.441014592455.227050.264579842455&type=1&stream_ref=10\" target=\"_blank\">wrote Fran Haselsteiner on Berkeleyside’s Facebook page\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An indication of the sensitivity of this issue is that very few people were willing to talk to Berkeleyside on the record about illegal enrollment. This includes parents, teachers, and community members. They all asked to be anonymous — including the person who runs a website dedicated to BUSD’s enrollment issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When contacted about the issue of illegal enrollment, Superintendent Donald Evans declined to talk to Berkeleyside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133611\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment3.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133611\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment3-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"There are strong opinions about illegal enrollment in the community, which starts as early as kindergarten, but many parents and officials won’t talk about the issue publicly. (Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">There are strong opinions about illegal enrollment in the community, which starts as early as kindergarten, but many parents and officials won’t talk about the issue publicly. (Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Funding: A Combination of State and Tax Money\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California schools receive the bulk of their funding from the state, based on the number of students who attend each day. That number is called the average daily attendance, or ADA. While students are supposed to live in the district, or have a transfer permit, the illegally enrolled students also bring in ADA funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley schools are projected to receive about $7,550 per student for this school year, with a projected ADA of 8,965 students according to Javetta Cleveland, deputy superintendent of business services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, Berkeley residents pay a parcel tax, called BSEP (Berkeley Schools Excellence Program), to supplement the schools’ budgets. \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyschools.net/departments/bsep/\" target=\"_blank\">Two-thirds of the BSEP money goes to reducing class sizes\u003c/a>, with the rest making libraries, music and other programs possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents pay nearly 28 cents per square foot on their homes (so a 1,000-square-foot home would be taxed $279), while businesses pay just over 42 cents per square foot. This tax brought in $24.6 million for 2013-14. If that were calculated on a per student basis, it would equal $2,568 each, said BSEP director Natasha Beery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133614\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment4.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133614\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment4-300x300.png\" alt=\"One 9-year-old study found that illegally enrolled students were a net financial benefit to the district. (Mark Coplan/BUSD\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One 9-year-old study found that illegally enrolled students were a net financial benefit to the district. (Mark Coplan/BUSD\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nearly 10 years ago, a UC Berkeley graduate student looked at this equation of \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attending-to-the-Bottomline-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ADA state funding versus BSEP\u003c/a>and concluded that illegally enrolled students were a net financial benefit. Even though these students “diffused” the BSEP tax, they also brought in between $1 million and $1.5 million per year in ADA funds, the graduate student, Rinat Fried, calculated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Larger enrollment means more discretionary revenue for the district, which appears to compensate for BSEP diffusion,” Fried wrote in her 2005 report called \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attending-to-the-Bottomline-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">\"Attending to the Bottom Line: Boosting District Revenue and Enhancing Educational Mission Through Interdistrict Enrollment & Attendance Policy\u003c/a>.\" The report was part of her graduate work at the Goldman School of Public Policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To arrive at this conclusion, Fried first had to calculate how many “unofficial transfers,” as she put it, were attending Berkeley schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How Big is the Problem?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 2005 report, Fried wrote that, until then, the district “never attempted to estimate the number of inter-district students attending unofficially.” At the time, there were a total of roughly 9,000 students in the district, down from a peak of about 9,500 in 2000. Enrollment has now surpassed that level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fried wrote that the district attendance manager, Francisco Martinez, estimated at that time that “between 7 percent and 12 percent of currently [2005] enrolled students in the district attend unofficially.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fried went on to try to verify that estimate, using four methods, and concluded that about 8 percent to 12 percent of students — 720 to 1,075 kids — were illegally enrolled at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She checked 2000 census records for the number of children living in Berkeley (factoring in private school enrollment), which yielded a 7.8 percent unofficial enrollment rate. She also crosschecked addresses for phone numbers with out-of-Berkeley exchanges, and came up with an 8 percent to 14 percent rate. Her look at feeder schools among Berkeley High freshman suggested that 10 percent were illegally enrolled. And, finally, she surveyed teachers in one Berkeley elementary school, asking them to mark names of students who lived elsewhere. Double checking for transfer permits, the results suggested that 16 percent of that school’s students were illegally enrolled. Combining these four methods, she came up with the 8-to-12 percent figures [\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attending-to-the-Bottomline-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">p. 19 of the report\u003c/a>].\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment5.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133615\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment5-640x480.jpg\" alt=\"Estimates of the number of illegally enrolled students in the district, including at Berkeley High, are hard to pin down. (Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Estimates of the number of illegally enrolled students in the district, including at Berkeley High, are hard to pin down. (Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fried, who now works for the Oakland School District, declined to comment on her report for this news story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District administrators initially hesitated to provide Berkeleyside with a current estimate of the number of illegally enrolled students. But, just recently, Martinez, the admissions director, said that he thinks the percent of students attending illegally from out of district is “much lower than it was before (at the time of Fried’s report),” although he declined to actually make an estimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nine years since Fried’s report appeared, BUSD has taken a number of steps to research and cut down on illegal enrollment, said Martinez. That includes hiring an investigator to make home visits to verify people’s addresses and updating the status of homeless families. “We are doing a much more thorough job now,” Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, the BASP website author, who insists on anonymity, says he has analyzed recent census data using Fried’s methods, and believes illegal enrollments have gone up: “The number of fraudulently enrolled students in 2009, 2010, 2011-2012 ranges from one to three times what Fried measured in her study,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lack of Data Leads to Rampant Speculation\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So have illegal enrollments gone up or gone down? The lack of publicly shared data makes for a lot of speculation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In online forums, and in off-the-record calls to Berkeleyside reporters, residents point to their evidence of enrollment fraud: the number of kids coming into Berkeley on BART every morning, the number of grade-schoolers who don’t use school bus service, the number of families who don’t list addresses in school directories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Observers point to demographics as well; because the percentage of African-American students in Berkeley schools is higher than the percentage of African-American residents reported in the 2010 census for the city, many of those kids must be from other cities, critics argue. Those claims bring out accusations of racism, and the conversation gets ugly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133616\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment6.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133616\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment6-300x300.png\" alt=\"BUSD says there is not a particular demographic group enrolling fraudulently, rather it covers the whole spectrum. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BUSD says there is not a particular demographic group enrolling fraudulently, rather it covers the whole spectrum. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The problem for parents isn’t just about tax money. Some complain that the out-of-district students, who are presumed to come from low-income families, are creating more discipline problems. Others complain about the “rich Oakland Hills” families that send their kids to Berkeley for a free ride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s not a particular group (enrolling fraudulently),” Martinez said. “It covers the whole spectrum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, amidst all the speculation, one factor that casual observers need to consider is that more than 1,000 students without permanent Berkeley addresses attend Berkeley schools legally. In addition, a large number of children in joint custody live in two households, and so may appear to be out-of-towners. In other words, the number of “unofficial transfers” may be lower than it appears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Legal Out-of-Towners Makes the Issue Complicated\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[This enrollment issue] is much more complicated than people would like to think it is,” said School Board President Josh Daniels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133617\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/joshdaniels.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133617\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/joshdaniels-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Josh Daniels: He himself sometimes traveled to Berkeley schools from outside the city. (Photo: Josh Daniels)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Josh Daniels: He himself sometimes traveled to Berkeley schools from outside the city. (Photo: Josh Daniels)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Daniels pointed to his own case, growing up in Berkeley. When he was 6, his parents divorced and his dad moved to Walnut Creek. Daniels split his time between the two homes, so sometimes he was coming to school from Walnut Creek. The district doesn’t have numbers for how many kids live in more than one household, since only their Berkeley address is required.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cathy Campbell, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, agreed that residency can be complicated when students have fluctuating home situations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are in and out of Berkeley, living with a grandmother for a while, an aunt for while. There’s a flow of families in and out of Berkeley — that’s part of what makes it complex,” Campbell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there are the transfer students — meaning they live in another city and have requested to transfer from their local school district to Berkeley. Martinez said there are 599 transfers this year, out of roughly 9,500 students — about 6 percent of the student population. That’s about 46 students per grade. According to Asst. BUSD Superintendent Smith, transfer numbers have gone way down since the era of Superintendent Jack McLaughlin, who believed in boosting revenue by filling empty classroom space with transfers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, 48 transfer students were newly admitted. Of those, 30 are the children of employees. (The union contract gives employees the right to enroll their children in Berkeley schools, regardless of where they live.) Half were admitted to kindergarten, the rest to other grades. About one-third of transfer permit requests were granted; two-thirds were turned down for lack of space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Albany appears to have far more transfer students than Berkeley: 12 percent of its 3,850 students last year, compared to Berkeley’s 6 percent of the student body this year. Still, in recent years, said an administrator, Albany has been accepting only employees’ children as transfers.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another 5 percent of students in Berkeley schools are listed as homeless — that’s 478 kids at present, according to Susan Craig, director of student services. The majority of homeless families in the district are doubled up in homes with friends or relatives, according to Craig, with a smaller number living in motels, shelters, transitional housing, vehicles and churches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they lack a fixed night-time residence, they are, by federal definition, homeless,” Craig said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter where they land temporarily — Berkeley or elsewhere — they have the right, under the federal \u003ca href=\"https://www2.ed.gov/programs/homeless/guidance.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act\u003c/a>, to stay at the school they were already in, if they choose to do so. The goal is to provide one source of stability in the children’s lives, while their families move around. (See p. 13 of the \u003ca href=\"https://www2.ed.gov/programs/homeless/guidance.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">act\u003c/a>.) If families resettle permanently in another community, they are expected to enroll their kids there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the recent past, the district did not check in with homeless families to find out if they were still homeless, Craig said. Clearly, this represented an opportunity to stay in Berkeley schools for the formerly homeless. It’s even possible families that were never homeless registered as such in kindergarten in order to get into the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, in fact, the current school year started with 600 students listed as homeless. In the fall of 2013, for the first time, district officials asked the families to verify their status; 122 came forward with the information that they are not homeless now. Those 122 students are allowed to finish out the school year, but, if they no longer live in Berkeley, they will have to request — and be granted — a transfer in order to return next year. Another status check is currently underway, Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In summary, that’s 1,077 students — 11 percent of the student population of about 9,500 — who don’t have a permanent home in Berkeley, but attend school here legally. That makes for a lot of kids not on the school bus or perhaps taking BART to school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, no one — neither district administrators, nor school board members — is denying that others are here illegally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Proof of Residency: Three Proofs Required\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics say the district should do more to catch people cheating their way into school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What the school district does now is require \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyschools.net/departments/berkeley-school-admissions/required-enrollment-documentation/\" target=\"_blank\">three proofs of residency\u003c/a> from families entering the district. One must be a utility bill (PG&E, water, garbage, phone, cable, Internet). The other two can include a driver’s license, bank statement or paycheck stub.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What the district doesn’t ask for is a mortgage document or a rental lease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Accountable Schools Project \u003ca href=\"http://berkeley.accountableschools.com/index.php/how-to-combat-fraudulent-enrollment/\" target=\"_blank\">recommends that the district require a deed \u003c/a>or rental lease, and that renters provide a copy of the landlord’s rental license. The idea is that proof of ownership or rental would make enrollment fraud more difficult to pull off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133618\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment7.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133618\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment7-640x461.png\" alt=\"First day of school at John Muir Elementary: BUSD now requires three proofs of residency from families entering the district. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\" width=\"640\" height=\"461\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">First day of school at John Muir Elementary: BUSD now requires three proofs of residency from families entering the district. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Martinez, who has been admissions manager for 14 years, says that leases can be faked, making them almost worthless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s easy to find a lease online,” Martinez said. Furthermore, bona fide mortgages can be used falsely, if they are for property in Berkeley that the parents rent out, while they live elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea is that utility bills are not as easy to fake. However, one parent who spoke to Berkeleyside last fall demonstrated a way around that. An Oakland mom, she used her parents’ Berkeley address to enroll her son at Berkeley High this past year. She took over their bills, set up a bank account at that address, and changed her driver’s license.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knowing that her parents had paid tax in Berkeley since the 1980s and never sent anyone to public school helped ease her conscience, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hardest part about this is asking ‘David’ to lie,” said the mother. She had looked at Oakland Tech for her son, she said, but Berkeley High seemed better organized and less chaotic. They couldn’t afford private school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if leases and utility bills can be faked, what can and does the district do?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enrollment Enforcement: Home Visits Require Respect\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez said that when something on an enrollment form seems off — a telephone exchange from outside Berkeley for example — his office checks it. In some cases, a BUSD employee makes a home visit to verify the child lives at the address. Sometimes, Martinez said, when parents are told there could be a home visit, they come forward and admit to using a false address.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">In 2013-2014 the district conducted 358 home visits, approved 290 of them and denied 66.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Martinez said visits generally occur early in the morning before school or in the evening. The child must be home and is often asked to show the inspector around the house, including where they sleep and where they keep their belongings. It’s an awkward job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to be respectful and ask for permission,” Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District staff members (mainly one employee), conducted 358 home visits for the 2013-2014 school year (mostly in the summer before school began). This year, 290 of those cases were approved for enrollment, while 66 were denied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This past summer we really ramped up the home visit process. There were more denials to families,” Craig said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of those home visits, 27 of them were to families with caregiver affidavits. Those are cases where the child lives full-time with another adult, often a grandparent, in Berkeley, while the parents live elsewhere. Every caregiver affidavit situation gets a home visit, Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district first hired an investigator in 2005, but the position was empty for a while a few years later. It has since been filled. This year, the district hired another part-time person to help with address verifications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, every student’s address gets re-checked when they submit their paperwork to enter middle school, Martinez said. Re-verifications don’t happen again for entering high school, but Martinez said it’s being considered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a related issue, the district also takes a look at its legal transfer students every year, Martinez said. Each principal is given a list of transfer students, who must have a good record of attendance, no serious discipline problems, and a satisfactory academic performance to continue at the school. If students don’t meet all of those requirements, their transfer permit is not renewed. Students are advised of these conditions when they get their transfer permit, and if they’re not doing well, they receive a warning letter in January. This past summer, the district denied permits to 108 students for these reasons, and kept another 553 students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Berkeley’s Neighbors Are Doing\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics say Berkeley Unified should follow the example of neighboring districts, and do more to verify residency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Piedmont, one of the most highly regarded school districts in Northern California, has developed a complex set of rules to make sure its students live in Piedmont.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\"We don’t see out-of-district kids as a drawback. In fact, I want to teach as many kids as possible.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Piedmont requires that both parents, if married, live in town. This is to prevent a family from renting a place in Piedmont to gain access to the school system, while maintaining a primary residence elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If divorced parents have joint custody, the student must live 50 percent of the time with the parent in Piedmont (at least during the school year). The district reserves the right to see custody papers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a student had one parent that lived in Berkeley and stayed once in a while with their parent who lived in Piedmont, then that child would be considered a resident of Berkeley for the purposes of school enrollment,” said Constance Hubbard, the superintendent of the Piedmont Unified School District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for paperwork, in addition to three proofs of residency — similar to Berkeley’s list of accepted documents — Piedmont also requires a grant deed, a property tax statement, or a rental lease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To discourage people from assuming the bills of a Piedmont homeowner (like ‘David’’s mother), the school district reserves the right to prosecute anyone who allows their address to be used to register a student falsely, although, Hubbard said that she does not think anyone has ever been prosecuted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Piedmont also has an on-call, hourly investigator who makes home visits, often early in the morning. The most home visits the investigator has made in a year is five, according to Constance Hubbard, the school superintendent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2011, the Albany Unified School District made a concerted effort to identify fraudulently enrolled students. First the district offered amnesty; if families came forward, those students could finish the school year, and apply for a transfer to stay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the amnesty, any student caught would be kicked out of school right away. By October 2011, the district had discovered 35 students enrolled illegally and were scrutinizing another 200.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2011, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ausdk12.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=92418&type=d&pREC_ID=173228\" target=\"_blank\">Albany has required all families to verify their residency every year\u003c/a>, according to Marsha Brown, director of student services, and, like in Piedmont, a mortgage or lease document is required.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Does it act as a deterrent?” Brown said about the annual re-verification. “I believe so. Is it foolproof? No.” Just recently, she said, the district found three families using the same rental address – so clearly attempts at fraud continue. Brown said she thought about 95 percent of Albany parents support the annual re-verification process. Albany residents, like Berkeley, pay a parcel tax to benefit the schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Beverly Hills Unified School District in Southern California also requires families to re-verify their addresses. Officials randomly select one-third of the student body to check every year, according to a BHUSD spokesman. Prior to this re-verification, in 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported an \u003ca href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/17/local/la-me-bevhills17-2010jan17\" target=\"_blank\">example of enrollment fraud in Beverly Hills\u003c/a> that could have come out of a Hollywood script: “One memorable incident involved the parent who went to a Beverly Hills home and placed a mailbox with her name on it in the front yard. The actual owner alerted school officials, who removed the box and expelled the student…”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Illegal Enrollment Not Always Best for the Student\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another problem with students attending illegally, Fried stated in her 2005 report, is that it can put the students at a disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In talking to grade-school teachers, who often knew where students lived, Fried found that the unofficially enrolled students had more tardies — often due to commutes and traffic — and so missed more time in school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one case, the teacher said of a struggling learner from Concord who missed reading class many days, “We believe [he] would be better off at a [Concord] school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another concern was lack of contact with the families trying to lie low. Sometimes teachers found the phone numbers listed for those families were not correct.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133619\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment8.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133619\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment8-640x424.png\" alt=\"Students at King Middle School: Illegal enrollment is not always the best choice for kids. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at King Middle School: Illegal enrollment is not always the best choice for kids. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, according to one Berkeley High School teacher, that problem has diminished over the past decade, with email, cell phones and PowerSchool, the online student record system accessible to families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a lot easier to reach parents now. I can assume there’s a cell phone and I am getting a parent directly,” the teacher said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The teacher, along with many BUSD officials and school board members, seems to have an unstated belief that Berkeley is a more tolerant, inclusive community that sees the benefit of an educated citizenry. As such, Berkeley has a responsibility to all students — even those who live outside the district. What would happen to those students kicked out? Would the older students transfer to their hometown schools, or would some drop out? What would happen to struggling students if they attended a school with fewer resources?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have an opportunity to educate more students in a more stable environment, at a better school, why would we limit that?” said the teacher. “We don’t see out of district kids as a drawback. In fact, I want to teach as many kids as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Report Recommended ‘Regularizing’ Unofficial Transfers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Rinat Fried’s 2005 report she recommended that Berkeley “regularize” its unofficial transfers because of the financial gain, and try to get them enrolled legally. To do this, she said, the district would have to require “stricter proof of residency rules.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This recommendation has a flaw though, said board member Josh Daniels. To transfer legally, the students need to get a release from their hometown district — which another district might decline to do as it would rather keep ADA funding than give it away to Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Accountable Schools Project website recommends that, in addition to tightening documentation requirements, the district should establish an anonymous tip-line to report illegal enrollments, follow up on those, and offer an amnesty program to lower enforcement costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Does the District Plan to Do?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the hiring in recent years of home inspectors, the increased number of home visits last summer, and the follow-up last fall on homeless families, the district contends it is taking steps towards reducing unofficial transfers. The district also is working harder to scrutinize incoming enrollments, Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to prevent the problem rather than having to deal with it later,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it has not taken any of the larger measures called for by critics. With enrollment for kindergarten in the fall already underway, no changes have been made to documentation requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And an annual re-verification of all students, like Albany does, would require more staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One anonymous teacher claimed that the teachers union doesn’t support cracking down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From my many years as a teacher in Berkeley …. The teachers’ union is very aware of the problem, but their response is they don’t care about enforcing the rules because more students (from wherever) means more jobs for Berkeley teachers (and consequently more dues-paying members),” wrote the commentator who identified himself or herself as “rhuberry.” “I was on the BFT [teachers union] executive board for a few years so I know of what I speak. Complaints would come in from teachers who felt overwhelmed by too many difficult students, many from out of district, and wanted some support from the union. Union wouldn’t take a stand on enforcing enrollment procedures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asst. Superintendent Smith called the issue “important — it’s on our radar — people are aware of it.” But pressed on priorities, Smith said: “Of course, it’s not our number one priority. We have to educate the kids that are here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added: “This year, the transition to Common Core is a major undertaking. And now there’s a new local control funding formula and accountability plan. It’s a major change in how district receives and spends state funding.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, the district has its hands full.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School Board President Josh Daniels also stressed that the district has a lot of other issues on its plate. And he declined to speak for the whole board, because the board hasn’t discussed the issue, as a group, in quite a while. (“Although I know individually we’ve been thinking about it,” Daniels said.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking only for himself, Daniels said that he understands that parents want to see the issue as simple when their kids are crowded into classrooms and put on wait-lists. “But the problem is not easily definable. And the solution is even more difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That said, Daniels indicated that the district and the community will probably be discussing illegal enrollment over the next two years. “We’re going to engage in a pretty robust process in terms of developing next BSEP measure,” he said. “If it appears more attention [to illegal enrollment] is necessary, we can address it through that process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Frances Dinkelspiel contributed to the reporting of this article.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "133587 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=133587",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/04/27/berkeley-high-struggles-with-illegal-student-enrollment/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 5199,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 122
},
"modified": 1398536251,
"excerpt": "Berkeley struggles to deal with students sneaking into the district using false addresses.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Berkeley struggles to deal with students sneaking into the district using false addresses.",
"title": "Berkeley High Struggles With Illegal Student Enrollment | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Berkeley High Struggles With Illegal Student Enrollment ",
"datePublished": "2014-04-27T07:00:29-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-04-26T11:17:31-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "berkeley-high-struggles-with-illegal-student-enrollment",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "2014/04/23/berkeley-high-struggles-with-illegal-enrollment-by-students-not-living-in-the-distric/",
"path": "/news/133587/berkeley-high-struggles-with-illegal-student-enrollment",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Mary Flaherty\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/08/illegal-enrollment-is-boon-and-burden-to-berkeley-schools/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133606\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment1.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133606\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment1-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"Parents desperate to get their kids into some schools, including Berkeley High School, cheat their way in.(Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Parents desperate to get their kids into some schools, including Berkeley High School, cheat their way in.(Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When Sarah James went to the first meeting for her daughter’s freshman crew team at Berkeley High School, she wanted to form a carpool for the 6 a.m. practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But James (not her real name) lived in Oakland and had enrolled her daughter using a false address. James did not think she would find any other crew members living near her Rockridge bungalow, but she needn’t have worried. That fall, there were four other girls on the team who lived in Oakland, James said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The official freshman crew roster, however, showed that everyone had a Berkeley address.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was nearly 10 years ago, but people haven’t stopped enrolling their kids illegally in Berkeley schools. Everyone seems to know a case: people using relatives’ addresses, friends’ addresses or even rental property owned by the family who lives out of town. One recent gossip item on a local internet site: a man with a boat at the Berkeley marina, using that address to enroll his child, who lives in another city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133609\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment2.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133609\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Berkeley Unified School District says illegal enrollment is common in many districts across the state. (Kaia Diringer/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Berkeley Unified School District says illegal enrollment is common in many districts across the state. (Kaia Diringer/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Illegal enrollment is a problem common to strong school districts around the state, especially those that border districts with underperforming schools. Parents desperate to get their kids into schools with high test scores, clean campuses, and dedicated teachers, will cheat their way in, often rationalizing their actions by saying it really isn’t a burden to anyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This comes up with a lot of districts,” said Neil Smith, an assistant superintendent for the Berkeley Unified School District. “I don’t want Berkeley to think they’re the only ones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nobody knows exactly how many students are illegally enrolled in Berkeley schools, but many agree that they can be a burden to the system. Nine years ago, in the only known comprehensive report made on the subject, a UC Berkeley graduate student \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attending-to-the-Bottomline-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">estimated illegal enrollment was around 10 percent\u003c/a>. A current district administrator says that number has declined, while an outside critic believes it has gone up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of students enrolled in Berkeley schools is at a high: 9,581. On some campuses, there is not enough room to teach all those children, forcing the district to use portable classrooms. This has been a \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/06/27/portable-classroom-plan-at-berkeley-schools-put-on-hold/\" target=\"_blank\">particularly volatile issue at Washington Elementary School\u003c/a> this year. Berkeley High School just finished construction on a \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/19/berkeley-high-expands-with-opening-of-new-building/\" target=\"_blank\">$46 million building\u003c/a> that replaced some portables, and added a new gym and locker room. Overcrowding can make it difficult to get into popular classes. There are wait-lists for after-school care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It wouldn’t bother me too much if the schools weren’t so crowded, with elementary enrollment expected to continue to grow over a few more years,” Lauren Rebusi wrote on \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152278392007456&set=a.441014592455.227050.264579842455&type=1&stream_ref=10\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside’s Facebook page\u003c/a>. “Where are all those kids going to go?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133610\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollmentbus.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-133610\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollmentbus.jpg\" alt=\"The number of grade-schoolers who don’t use the school bus service is cited as evidence of fraudulent enrollment. (Photo: BUSD)\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The number of grade-schoolers who don’t use the school bus service is cited as evidence of fraudulent enrollment. (Photo: BUSD)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About a dozen Berkeleyside regulars comment frequently — and angrily — on illegal enrollment. Are others are angry? The \u003ca href=\"http://berkeley.accountableschools.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeley Accountable Schools Project\u003c/a>, an online, anonymous watchdog group, has 75 people who have signed up for email updates, and 55 who have signed a petition to the school board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many parents say they have mixed feelings about the problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The critics’ concerns come down to money: Berkeley residents pay extra taxes to supplement schools, so it seems unfair to let nonresidents take advantage of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But research reveals that the question is more nuanced and difficult than appears at first glance. While illegally enrolled school children may place extra burdens on the district, they also bring in more state funds than they consume in local taxes, according to one analyst. In short, they may make money for the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Debate over the situation may soon intensify, as BUSD will be asking Berkeley residents to renew a school tax in two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will not vote for more school taxes unless and until real, consistent address verification is instituted,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152278392007456&set=a.441014592455.227050.264579842455&type=1&stream_ref=10\" target=\"_blank\">wrote Fran Haselsteiner on Berkeleyside’s Facebook page\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An indication of the sensitivity of this issue is that very few people were willing to talk to Berkeleyside on the record about illegal enrollment. This includes parents, teachers, and community members. They all asked to be anonymous — including the person who runs a website dedicated to BUSD’s enrollment issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When contacted about the issue of illegal enrollment, Superintendent Donald Evans declined to talk to Berkeleyside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133611\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment3.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133611\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment3-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"There are strong opinions about illegal enrollment in the community, which starts as early as kindergarten, but many parents and officials won’t talk about the issue publicly. (Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">There are strong opinions about illegal enrollment in the community, which starts as early as kindergarten, but many parents and officials won’t talk about the issue publicly. (Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Funding: A Combination of State and Tax Money\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California schools receive the bulk of their funding from the state, based on the number of students who attend each day. That number is called the average daily attendance, or ADA. While students are supposed to live in the district, or have a transfer permit, the illegally enrolled students also bring in ADA funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley schools are projected to receive about $7,550 per student for this school year, with a projected ADA of 8,965 students according to Javetta Cleveland, deputy superintendent of business services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, Berkeley residents pay a parcel tax, called BSEP (Berkeley Schools Excellence Program), to supplement the schools’ budgets. \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyschools.net/departments/bsep/\" target=\"_blank\">Two-thirds of the BSEP money goes to reducing class sizes\u003c/a>, with the rest making libraries, music and other programs possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents pay nearly 28 cents per square foot on their homes (so a 1,000-square-foot home would be taxed $279), while businesses pay just over 42 cents per square foot. This tax brought in $24.6 million for 2013-14. If that were calculated on a per student basis, it would equal $2,568 each, said BSEP director Natasha Beery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133614\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment4.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133614\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment4-300x300.png\" alt=\"One 9-year-old study found that illegally enrolled students were a net financial benefit to the district. (Mark Coplan/BUSD\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One 9-year-old study found that illegally enrolled students were a net financial benefit to the district. (Mark Coplan/BUSD\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nearly 10 years ago, a UC Berkeley graduate student looked at this equation of \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attending-to-the-Bottomline-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ADA state funding versus BSEP\u003c/a>and concluded that illegally enrolled students were a net financial benefit. Even though these students “diffused” the BSEP tax, they also brought in between $1 million and $1.5 million per year in ADA funds, the graduate student, Rinat Fried, calculated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Larger enrollment means more discretionary revenue for the district, which appears to compensate for BSEP diffusion,” Fried wrote in her 2005 report called \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attending-to-the-Bottomline-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">\"Attending to the Bottom Line: Boosting District Revenue and Enhancing Educational Mission Through Interdistrict Enrollment & Attendance Policy\u003c/a>.\" The report was part of her graduate work at the Goldman School of Public Policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To arrive at this conclusion, Fried first had to calculate how many “unofficial transfers,” as she put it, were attending Berkeley schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How Big is the Problem?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 2005 report, Fried wrote that, until then, the district “never attempted to estimate the number of inter-district students attending unofficially.” At the time, there were a total of roughly 9,000 students in the district, down from a peak of about 9,500 in 2000. Enrollment has now surpassed that level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fried wrote that the district attendance manager, Francisco Martinez, estimated at that time that “between 7 percent and 12 percent of currently [2005] enrolled students in the district attend unofficially.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fried went on to try to verify that estimate, using four methods, and concluded that about 8 percent to 12 percent of students — 720 to 1,075 kids — were illegally enrolled at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She checked 2000 census records for the number of children living in Berkeley (factoring in private school enrollment), which yielded a 7.8 percent unofficial enrollment rate. She also crosschecked addresses for phone numbers with out-of-Berkeley exchanges, and came up with an 8 percent to 14 percent rate. Her look at feeder schools among Berkeley High freshman suggested that 10 percent were illegally enrolled. And, finally, she surveyed teachers in one Berkeley elementary school, asking them to mark names of students who lived elsewhere. Double checking for transfer permits, the results suggested that 16 percent of that school’s students were illegally enrolled. Combining these four methods, she came up with the 8-to-12 percent figures [\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attending-to-the-Bottomline-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">p. 19 of the report\u003c/a>].\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment5.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133615\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment5-640x480.jpg\" alt=\"Estimates of the number of illegally enrolled students in the district, including at Berkeley High, are hard to pin down. (Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Estimates of the number of illegally enrolled students in the district, including at Berkeley High, are hard to pin down. (Frances Dinkelspiel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fried, who now works for the Oakland School District, declined to comment on her report for this news story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District administrators initially hesitated to provide Berkeleyside with a current estimate of the number of illegally enrolled students. But, just recently, Martinez, the admissions director, said that he thinks the percent of students attending illegally from out of district is “much lower than it was before (at the time of Fried’s report),” although he declined to actually make an estimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nine years since Fried’s report appeared, BUSD has taken a number of steps to research and cut down on illegal enrollment, said Martinez. That includes hiring an investigator to make home visits to verify people’s addresses and updating the status of homeless families. “We are doing a much more thorough job now,” Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, the BASP website author, who insists on anonymity, says he has analyzed recent census data using Fried’s methods, and believes illegal enrollments have gone up: “The number of fraudulently enrolled students in 2009, 2010, 2011-2012 ranges from one to three times what Fried measured in her study,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lack of Data Leads to Rampant Speculation\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So have illegal enrollments gone up or gone down? The lack of publicly shared data makes for a lot of speculation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In online forums, and in off-the-record calls to Berkeleyside reporters, residents point to their evidence of enrollment fraud: the number of kids coming into Berkeley on BART every morning, the number of grade-schoolers who don’t use school bus service, the number of families who don’t list addresses in school directories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Observers point to demographics as well; because the percentage of African-American students in Berkeley schools is higher than the percentage of African-American residents reported in the 2010 census for the city, many of those kids must be from other cities, critics argue. Those claims bring out accusations of racism, and the conversation gets ugly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133616\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment6.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133616\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment6-300x300.png\" alt=\"BUSD says there is not a particular demographic group enrolling fraudulently, rather it covers the whole spectrum. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BUSD says there is not a particular demographic group enrolling fraudulently, rather it covers the whole spectrum. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The problem for parents isn’t just about tax money. Some complain that the out-of-district students, who are presumed to come from low-income families, are creating more discipline problems. Others complain about the “rich Oakland Hills” families that send their kids to Berkeley for a free ride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s not a particular group (enrolling fraudulently),” Martinez said. “It covers the whole spectrum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, amidst all the speculation, one factor that casual observers need to consider is that more than 1,000 students without permanent Berkeley addresses attend Berkeley schools legally. In addition, a large number of children in joint custody live in two households, and so may appear to be out-of-towners. In other words, the number of “unofficial transfers” may be lower than it appears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Legal Out-of-Towners Makes the Issue Complicated\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[This enrollment issue] is much more complicated than people would like to think it is,” said School Board President Josh Daniels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133617\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/joshdaniels.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133617\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/joshdaniels-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Josh Daniels: He himself sometimes traveled to Berkeley schools from outside the city. (Photo: Josh Daniels)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Josh Daniels: He himself sometimes traveled to Berkeley schools from outside the city. (Photo: Josh Daniels)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Daniels pointed to his own case, growing up in Berkeley. When he was 6, his parents divorced and his dad moved to Walnut Creek. Daniels split his time between the two homes, so sometimes he was coming to school from Walnut Creek. The district doesn’t have numbers for how many kids live in more than one household, since only their Berkeley address is required.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cathy Campbell, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, agreed that residency can be complicated when students have fluctuating home situations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are in and out of Berkeley, living with a grandmother for a while, an aunt for while. There’s a flow of families in and out of Berkeley — that’s part of what makes it complex,” Campbell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there are the transfer students — meaning they live in another city and have requested to transfer from their local school district to Berkeley. Martinez said there are 599 transfers this year, out of roughly 9,500 students — about 6 percent of the student population. That’s about 46 students per grade. According to Asst. BUSD Superintendent Smith, transfer numbers have gone way down since the era of Superintendent Jack McLaughlin, who believed in boosting revenue by filling empty classroom space with transfers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, 48 transfer students were newly admitted. Of those, 30 are the children of employees. (The union contract gives employees the right to enroll their children in Berkeley schools, regardless of where they live.) Half were admitted to kindergarten, the rest to other grades. About one-third of transfer permit requests were granted; two-thirds were turned down for lack of space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Albany appears to have far more transfer students than Berkeley: 12 percent of its 3,850 students last year, compared to Berkeley’s 6 percent of the student body this year. Still, in recent years, said an administrator, Albany has been accepting only employees’ children as transfers.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another 5 percent of students in Berkeley schools are listed as homeless — that’s 478 kids at present, according to Susan Craig, director of student services. The majority of homeless families in the district are doubled up in homes with friends or relatives, according to Craig, with a smaller number living in motels, shelters, transitional housing, vehicles and churches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they lack a fixed night-time residence, they are, by federal definition, homeless,” Craig said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter where they land temporarily — Berkeley or elsewhere — they have the right, under the federal \u003ca href=\"https://www2.ed.gov/programs/homeless/guidance.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act\u003c/a>, to stay at the school they were already in, if they choose to do so. The goal is to provide one source of stability in the children’s lives, while their families move around. (See p. 13 of the \u003ca href=\"https://www2.ed.gov/programs/homeless/guidance.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">act\u003c/a>.) If families resettle permanently in another community, they are expected to enroll their kids there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the recent past, the district did not check in with homeless families to find out if they were still homeless, Craig said. Clearly, this represented an opportunity to stay in Berkeley schools for the formerly homeless. It’s even possible families that were never homeless registered as such in kindergarten in order to get into the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, in fact, the current school year started with 600 students listed as homeless. In the fall of 2013, for the first time, district officials asked the families to verify their status; 122 came forward with the information that they are not homeless now. Those 122 students are allowed to finish out the school year, but, if they no longer live in Berkeley, they will have to request — and be granted — a transfer in order to return next year. Another status check is currently underway, Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In summary, that’s 1,077 students — 11 percent of the student population of about 9,500 — who don’t have a permanent home in Berkeley, but attend school here legally. That makes for a lot of kids not on the school bus or perhaps taking BART to school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, no one — neither district administrators, nor school board members — is denying that others are here illegally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Proof of Residency: Three Proofs Required\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics say the district should do more to catch people cheating their way into school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What the school district does now is require \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyschools.net/departments/berkeley-school-admissions/required-enrollment-documentation/\" target=\"_blank\">three proofs of residency\u003c/a> from families entering the district. One must be a utility bill (PG&E, water, garbage, phone, cable, Internet). The other two can include a driver’s license, bank statement or paycheck stub.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What the district doesn’t ask for is a mortgage document or a rental lease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Accountable Schools Project \u003ca href=\"http://berkeley.accountableschools.com/index.php/how-to-combat-fraudulent-enrollment/\" target=\"_blank\">recommends that the district require a deed \u003c/a>or rental lease, and that renters provide a copy of the landlord’s rental license. The idea is that proof of ownership or rental would make enrollment fraud more difficult to pull off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133618\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment7.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133618\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment7-640x461.png\" alt=\"First day of school at John Muir Elementary: BUSD now requires three proofs of residency from families entering the district. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\" width=\"640\" height=\"461\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">First day of school at John Muir Elementary: BUSD now requires three proofs of residency from families entering the district. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Martinez, who has been admissions manager for 14 years, says that leases can be faked, making them almost worthless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s easy to find a lease online,” Martinez said. Furthermore, bona fide mortgages can be used falsely, if they are for property in Berkeley that the parents rent out, while they live elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea is that utility bills are not as easy to fake. However, one parent who spoke to Berkeleyside last fall demonstrated a way around that. An Oakland mom, she used her parents’ Berkeley address to enroll her son at Berkeley High this past year. She took over their bills, set up a bank account at that address, and changed her driver’s license.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knowing that her parents had paid tax in Berkeley since the 1980s and never sent anyone to public school helped ease her conscience, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The hardest part about this is asking ‘David’ to lie,” said the mother. She had looked at Oakland Tech for her son, she said, but Berkeley High seemed better organized and less chaotic. They couldn’t afford private school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if leases and utility bills can be faked, what can and does the district do?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enrollment Enforcement: Home Visits Require Respect\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Martinez said that when something on an enrollment form seems off — a telephone exchange from outside Berkeley for example — his office checks it. In some cases, a BUSD employee makes a home visit to verify the child lives at the address. Sometimes, Martinez said, when parents are told there could be a home visit, they come forward and admit to using a false address.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">In 2013-2014 the district conducted 358 home visits, approved 290 of them and denied 66.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Martinez said visits generally occur early in the morning before school or in the evening. The child must be home and is often asked to show the inspector around the house, including where they sleep and where they keep their belongings. It’s an awkward job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to be respectful and ask for permission,” Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District staff members (mainly one employee), conducted 358 home visits for the 2013-2014 school year (mostly in the summer before school began). This year, 290 of those cases were approved for enrollment, while 66 were denied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This past summer we really ramped up the home visit process. There were more denials to families,” Craig said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of those home visits, 27 of them were to families with caregiver affidavits. Those are cases where the child lives full-time with another adult, often a grandparent, in Berkeley, while the parents live elsewhere. Every caregiver affidavit situation gets a home visit, Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district first hired an investigator in 2005, but the position was empty for a while a few years later. It has since been filled. This year, the district hired another part-time person to help with address verifications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, every student’s address gets re-checked when they submit their paperwork to enter middle school, Martinez said. Re-verifications don’t happen again for entering high school, but Martinez said it’s being considered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a related issue, the district also takes a look at its legal transfer students every year, Martinez said. Each principal is given a list of transfer students, who must have a good record of attendance, no serious discipline problems, and a satisfactory academic performance to continue at the school. If students don’t meet all of those requirements, their transfer permit is not renewed. Students are advised of these conditions when they get their transfer permit, and if they’re not doing well, they receive a warning letter in January. This past summer, the district denied permits to 108 students for these reasons, and kept another 553 students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Berkeley’s Neighbors Are Doing\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics say Berkeley Unified should follow the example of neighboring districts, and do more to verify residency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Piedmont, one of the most highly regarded school districts in Northern California, has developed a complex set of rules to make sure its students live in Piedmont.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\"We don’t see out-of-district kids as a drawback. In fact, I want to teach as many kids as possible.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Piedmont requires that both parents, if married, live in town. This is to prevent a family from renting a place in Piedmont to gain access to the school system, while maintaining a primary residence elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If divorced parents have joint custody, the student must live 50 percent of the time with the parent in Piedmont (at least during the school year). The district reserves the right to see custody papers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a student had one parent that lived in Berkeley and stayed once in a while with their parent who lived in Piedmont, then that child would be considered a resident of Berkeley for the purposes of school enrollment,” said Constance Hubbard, the superintendent of the Piedmont Unified School District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for paperwork, in addition to three proofs of residency — similar to Berkeley’s list of accepted documents — Piedmont also requires a grant deed, a property tax statement, or a rental lease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To discourage people from assuming the bills of a Piedmont homeowner (like ‘David’’s mother), the school district reserves the right to prosecute anyone who allows their address to be used to register a student falsely, although, Hubbard said that she does not think anyone has ever been prosecuted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Piedmont also has an on-call, hourly investigator who makes home visits, often early in the morning. The most home visits the investigator has made in a year is five, according to Constance Hubbard, the school superintendent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2011, the Albany Unified School District made a concerted effort to identify fraudulently enrolled students. First the district offered amnesty; if families came forward, those students could finish the school year, and apply for a transfer to stay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the amnesty, any student caught would be kicked out of school right away. By October 2011, the district had discovered 35 students enrolled illegally and were scrutinizing another 200.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2011, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ausdk12.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=92418&type=d&pREC_ID=173228\" target=\"_blank\">Albany has required all families to verify their residency every year\u003c/a>, according to Marsha Brown, director of student services, and, like in Piedmont, a mortgage or lease document is required.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Does it act as a deterrent?” Brown said about the annual re-verification. “I believe so. Is it foolproof? No.” Just recently, she said, the district found three families using the same rental address – so clearly attempts at fraud continue. Brown said she thought about 95 percent of Albany parents support the annual re-verification process. Albany residents, like Berkeley, pay a parcel tax to benefit the schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Beverly Hills Unified School District in Southern California also requires families to re-verify their addresses. Officials randomly select one-third of the student body to check every year, according to a BHUSD spokesman. Prior to this re-verification, in 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported an \u003ca href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/17/local/la-me-bevhills17-2010jan17\" target=\"_blank\">example of enrollment fraud in Beverly Hills\u003c/a> that could have come out of a Hollywood script: “One memorable incident involved the parent who went to a Beverly Hills home and placed a mailbox with her name on it in the front yard. The actual owner alerted school officials, who removed the box and expelled the student…”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Illegal Enrollment Not Always Best for the Student\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another problem with students attending illegally, Fried stated in her 2005 report, is that it can put the students at a disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In talking to grade-school teachers, who often knew where students lived, Fried found that the unofficially enrolled students had more tardies — often due to commutes and traffic — and so missed more time in school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one case, the teacher said of a struggling learner from Concord who missed reading class many days, “We believe [he] would be better off at a [Concord] school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another concern was lack of contact with the families trying to lie low. Sometimes teachers found the phone numbers listed for those families were not correct.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133619\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment8.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133619\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/enrollment8-640x424.png\" alt=\"Students at King Middle School: Illegal enrollment is not always the best choice for kids. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at King Middle School: Illegal enrollment is not always the best choice for kids. (Mark Coplan/BUSD)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>However, according to one Berkeley High School teacher, that problem has diminished over the past decade, with email, cell phones and PowerSchool, the online student record system accessible to families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a lot easier to reach parents now. I can assume there’s a cell phone and I am getting a parent directly,” the teacher said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The teacher, along with many BUSD officials and school board members, seems to have an unstated belief that Berkeley is a more tolerant, inclusive community that sees the benefit of an educated citizenry. As such, Berkeley has a responsibility to all students — even those who live outside the district. What would happen to those students kicked out? Would the older students transfer to their hometown schools, or would some drop out? What would happen to struggling students if they attended a school with fewer resources?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have an opportunity to educate more students in a more stable environment, at a better school, why would we limit that?” said the teacher. “We don’t see out of district kids as a drawback. In fact, I want to teach as many kids as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Report Recommended ‘Regularizing’ Unofficial Transfers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Rinat Fried’s 2005 report she recommended that Berkeley “regularize” its unofficial transfers because of the financial gain, and try to get them enrolled legally. To do this, she said, the district would have to require “stricter proof of residency rules.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This recommendation has a flaw though, said board member Josh Daniels. To transfer legally, the students need to get a release from their hometown district — which another district might decline to do as it would rather keep ADA funding than give it away to Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Accountable Schools Project website recommends that, in addition to tightening documentation requirements, the district should establish an anonymous tip-line to report illegal enrollments, follow up on those, and offer an amnesty program to lower enforcement costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What Does the District Plan to Do?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the hiring in recent years of home inspectors, the increased number of home visits last summer, and the follow-up last fall on homeless families, the district contends it is taking steps towards reducing unofficial transfers. The district also is working harder to scrutinize incoming enrollments, Martinez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to prevent the problem rather than having to deal with it later,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it has not taken any of the larger measures called for by critics. With enrollment for kindergarten in the fall already underway, no changes have been made to documentation requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And an annual re-verification of all students, like Albany does, would require more staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One anonymous teacher claimed that the teachers union doesn’t support cracking down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From my many years as a teacher in Berkeley …. The teachers’ union is very aware of the problem, but their response is they don’t care about enforcing the rules because more students (from wherever) means more jobs for Berkeley teachers (and consequently more dues-paying members),” wrote the commentator who identified himself or herself as “rhuberry.” “I was on the BFT [teachers union] executive board for a few years so I know of what I speak. Complaints would come in from teachers who felt overwhelmed by too many difficult students, many from out of district, and wanted some support from the union. Union wouldn’t take a stand on enforcing enrollment procedures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asst. Superintendent Smith called the issue “important — it’s on our radar — people are aware of it.” But pressed on priorities, Smith said: “Of course, it’s not our number one priority. We have to educate the kids that are here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added: “This year, the transition to Common Core is a major undertaking. And now there’s a new local control funding formula and accountability plan. It’s a major change in how district receives and spends state funding.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, the district has its hands full.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School Board President Josh Daniels also stressed that the district has a lot of other issues on its plate. And he declined to speak for the whole board, because the board hasn’t discussed the issue, as a group, in quite a while. (“Although I know individually we’ve been thinking about it,” Daniels said.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking only for himself, Daniels said that he understands that parents want to see the issue as simple when their kids are crowded into classrooms and put on wait-lists. “But the problem is not easily definable. And the solution is even more difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That said, Daniels indicated that the district and the community will probably be discussing illegal enrollment over the next two years. “We’re going to engage in a pretty robust process in terms of developing next BSEP measure,” he said. “If it appears more attention [to illegal enrollment] is necessary, we can address it through that process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Frances Dinkelspiel contributed to the reporting of this article.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/133587/berkeley-high-struggles-with-illegal-student-enrollment",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_8"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_134419",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_133574": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_133574",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "133574",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1398364189000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1398364189,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Berkeley Mayor Proposes East Bay Regional Minimum Wage",
"title": "Berkeley Mayor Proposes East Bay Regional Minimum Wage",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/22/berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-minimum-wage/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133578\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/restaurant.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133578\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/restaurant-640x421.png\" alt=\"The speed of adoption of an increased minimum wage has faced pushback from some restaurateurs in Berkeley. (Postcard PR/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"421\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The speed of adoption of an increased minimum wage has faced pushback from some restaurateurs in Berkeley. (Postcard PR/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates today proposed that a number of East Bay cities, including Berkeley, join together to enact a regional minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates’ proposal comes little more than a week before the Berkeley City Council holds a special meeting on a citywide minimum wage on May 1. Richmond has already had the first reading of a minimum wage ordinance, and a minimum wage initiative for the November ballot is being circulated in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\"I don't want to put our businesses at a disadvantage with regard to neighboring communities.\"\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“There were two major principles in putting this together,” Bates said. “I don’t want to put our businesses at a disadvantage with regard to neighboring communities. It makes sense for everyone to have the same wage. The second thing is that Oakland is the largest city and the city that determines the fate of what the rest of us have to go along with. People tell me that (the Oakland measure) is going to qualify and it’s going to pass. The rest of us ought to tee off that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the Oakland measure, the minimum wage would rise to $12.25 in May next year, from the state minimum of $9, a 36 percent increase. That rate would then be adjusted annually to keep up with the local consumer price index.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates’ proposed regional minimum wage would provide a more gradual path to Oakland’s goals. He proposes an 11.6 percent increase this November to $10.04, followed by another 11.6 percent increase in April, 2015 to $11.20, followed by an 11.9 percent increase in April, 2016 to reach $12.25. Following that, the rate would be adjusted annually with the CPI (consumer price index).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133580\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/bates.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133580\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/bates-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"Bates: “Berkeley needs to be with Oakland.” (Emilie Raguso/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bates: “Berkeley needs to be with Oakland.” (Emilie Raguso/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The proposal from the Berkeley Commission on Labor, which forms the basis for the City Council’s meeting next week, calls for a $10.74 minimum wage this year for businesses with fewer than 50 employees and nonprofits (as well as a medical benefit requirement), and an annual CPI adjustment. From 2016, $0.55 is added to the CPI adjustment, until the rate reaches the Berkeley Living Wage, which is currently $13.34 per hour, according to the commission. For “corporate franchises” or businesses with over 50 employees, the commission recommends a minimum wage increase to the Berkeley Living Wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some restaurant owners in Berkeley have been vocal in opposing the labor commission plan, arguing that it raises the rate too rapidly for their businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The restaurant people will think the regional plan goes too fast, and the people that are supporting the labor commission will think it’s a sell out,” Bates said. “So maybe it’s the perfect position.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates sent the proposal to all elected councilmembers in Oakland, Richmond, Emeryville, Albany and El Cerrito. He said he had discussed the proposal with three Oakland City Council members and one in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reception from all of them is that they liked the idea of a regional minimum wage,” Bates said. “They all agree that’s the ideal. The question is how do we achieve that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Berkeley needs to be with Oakland,” Bates said. “I believe this $12.25 is going to happen. We’ve just done it in a smarter way. I think it’s a fair proposal, but if no one else joins us, at least we’ll be connected with Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates said there are other examples of East Bay cities working together. He pointed to the East Bay Public Safety Corridor, the East Bay Green Corridor, the East Bay Arts Corridor and a regional sports complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The logical thing is to work together with our neighbors,” he said. “All of those are things I started. So why not a regional minimum wage?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "133574 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=133574",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/04/24/berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-regional-minimum-wage/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 743,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 17
},
"modified": 1399488716,
"excerpt": "In the proposal, East Bay cities would join together to gradually increase minimum wage to $12.25.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "In the proposal, East Bay cities would join together to gradually increase minimum wage to $12.25.",
"title": "Berkeley Mayor Proposes East Bay Regional Minimum Wage | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Berkeley Mayor Proposes East Bay Regional Minimum Wage",
"datePublished": "2014-04-24T11:29:49-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-05-07T11:51:56-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-regional-minimum-wage",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "2014/04/23/berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-regional-minimum-wage/",
"path": "/news/133574/berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-regional-minimum-wage",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/22/berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-minimum-wage/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133578\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/restaurant.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-133578\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/restaurant-640x421.png\" alt=\"The speed of adoption of an increased minimum wage has faced pushback from some restaurateurs in Berkeley. (Postcard PR/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"421\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The speed of adoption of an increased minimum wage has faced pushback from some restaurateurs in Berkeley. (Postcard PR/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates today proposed that a number of East Bay cities, including Berkeley, join together to enact a regional minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates’ proposal comes little more than a week before the Berkeley City Council holds a special meeting on a citywide minimum wage on May 1. Richmond has already had the first reading of a minimum wage ordinance, and a minimum wage initiative for the November ballot is being circulated in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\"I don't want to put our businesses at a disadvantage with regard to neighboring communities.\"\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“There were two major principles in putting this together,” Bates said. “I don’t want to put our businesses at a disadvantage with regard to neighboring communities. It makes sense for everyone to have the same wage. The second thing is that Oakland is the largest city and the city that determines the fate of what the rest of us have to go along with. People tell me that (the Oakland measure) is going to qualify and it’s going to pass. The rest of us ought to tee off that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the Oakland measure, the minimum wage would rise to $12.25 in May next year, from the state minimum of $9, a 36 percent increase. That rate would then be adjusted annually to keep up with the local consumer price index.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates’ proposed regional minimum wage would provide a more gradual path to Oakland’s goals. He proposes an 11.6 percent increase this November to $10.04, followed by another 11.6 percent increase in April, 2015 to $11.20, followed by an 11.9 percent increase in April, 2016 to reach $12.25. Following that, the rate would be adjusted annually with the CPI (consumer price index).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_133580\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/bates.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-133580\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/bates-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"Bates: “Berkeley needs to be with Oakland.” (Emilie Raguso/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bates: “Berkeley needs to be with Oakland.” (Emilie Raguso/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The proposal from the Berkeley Commission on Labor, which forms the basis for the City Council’s meeting next week, calls for a $10.74 minimum wage this year for businesses with fewer than 50 employees and nonprofits (as well as a medical benefit requirement), and an annual CPI adjustment. From 2016, $0.55 is added to the CPI adjustment, until the rate reaches the Berkeley Living Wage, which is currently $13.34 per hour, according to the commission. For “corporate franchises” or businesses with over 50 employees, the commission recommends a minimum wage increase to the Berkeley Living Wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some restaurant owners in Berkeley have been vocal in opposing the labor commission plan, arguing that it raises the rate too rapidly for their businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The restaurant people will think the regional plan goes too fast, and the people that are supporting the labor commission will think it’s a sell out,” Bates said. “So maybe it’s the perfect position.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates sent the proposal to all elected councilmembers in Oakland, Richmond, Emeryville, Albany and El Cerrito. He said he had discussed the proposal with three Oakland City Council members and one in Richmond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reception from all of them is that they liked the idea of a regional minimum wage,” Bates said. “They all agree that’s the ideal. The question is how do we achieve that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Berkeley needs to be with Oakland,” Bates said. “I believe this $12.25 is going to happen. We’ve just done it in a smarter way. I think it’s a fair proposal, but if no one else joins us, at least we’ll be connected with Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates said there are other examples of East Bay cities working together. He pointed to the East Bay Public Safety Corridor, the East Bay Green Corridor, the East Bay Arts Corridor and a regional sports complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The logical thing is to work together with our neighbors,” he said. “All of those are things I started. So why not a regional minimum wage?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/133574/berkeley-mayor-proposes-east-bay-regional-minimum-wage",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"categories": [
"news_1758",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_19904",
"news_2141",
"news_18",
"news_579"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_132536": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_132536",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "132536",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1397503212000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1397503212,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "West Berkeley Fire Destroys Artisan Businesses",
"title": "West Berkeley Fire Destroys Artisan Businesses",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Frances Dinkelspiel\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/13/west-berkeley-fire-causes-5-million-in-damage-destroys-20-artisan-businesses/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>Berkeleyside\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_132538\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/1800damage.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-132538\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/1800damage-640x462.png\" alt=\"The aftermath of a five-alarm fire in West Berkeley. (Pete Rosos/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"462\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The aftermath of a five-alarm fire in West Berkeley. (Pete Rosos/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/12/breaking-huge-fire-on-eastshore-highway/\">huge fire that ripped through a building on Second Street\u003c/a> in West Berkeley on Saturday night not only affected well-known businesses like Import Tile and The Wooden Duck, but destroyed the livelihood of \u003ca href=\"http://www.joshuatreefurniture.com/Artisans--Collective.html\">more than 20 artisans.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A destroyed business condominium at 1802 Second St. was home to a \u003ca href=\"http://www.joshuatreefurniture.com/Artisans--Collective.html\">collective\u003c/a> of small artisans and craft builders who shared a woodworking shop, a metal fabrication shop, computer-controlled machinery and large work areas, according to Joshua Goldberg, who put together the space in 2005. He is also the owner of \u003ca href=\"http://www.joshuatreefurniture.com/default.html\">Joshua Tree Furniture\u003c/a>, which was completely destroyed by the five-alarm fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am sort of overwhelmed with grief right now,” Goldberg said Sunday morning. “It’s 20 people’s livelihoods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_132539\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/spraying.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-132539\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/spraying-640x424.png\" alt=\"Firefighters continued to dose the building with water on Sunday morning, April 13. (Pete Rosos/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters continued to dose the building with water on Sunday morning, April 13. (Pete Rosos/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Goldberg was at his custom furniture shop with another member of the collective right before 8 p.m. Saturday when they noticed black smoke pouring into the work area. “We didn’t know if it was coming from our space. We were running frantically though our space to see if it was coming from there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Goldberg ran outside and saw that the smoke was coming out of the vents of the workshop of The Wooden Duck, another business in the complex. He called 911 and then ran inside to tell his co-worker to leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Fire Department responded at 7:54 p.m., according to Fire Chief Gil Dong. More than 70 firefighters from Berkeley, Alameda County and other cities battled the blaze, which was so large that it caused a backup on Interstate 80 as rubberneckers slowed to stare at the flames. Berkeley Fire had at least two ladder trucks operating to direct water down on the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Firefighters were able to keep the flames from leaping from the burning building to the building holding the showroom of the The Wooden Duck. A fire wall was breached, but the showroom is essentially intact, said Dong. There is some water damage to the store, though, said Deputy Chief Avery Webb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_132540\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/firesmoke.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-132540\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/firesmoke-640x425.jpg\" alt=\"The smoke column on Saturday night as seen from Delaware Street. (Raph Levien/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The smoke column on Saturday night as seen from Delaware Street. (Raph Levien/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The fire was contained by 1 a.m., but crews remained on the scene throughout the night to water down hot spots. Firefighters are still there Sunday. There were no reported injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Firefighting efforts were hampered when a high-voltage power line fell on a battalion chief’s car, said Dong. The fire department had to call in PG&E to turn power off to the block. Firefighters were able to pour water on the blaze during this time, but could not approach certain parts of the structure, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The affected businesses were all part of a 40,000-square-foot building subdivided into three addresses: 1800, 1802 and 1810 Second Street, said Dong. The property at 1823 Eastshore Highway was also affected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spaces had been converted into business condominiums, according to Bill De Clarion, who purchased two of the condominiums for about $2 million around eight years ago. The Wooden Duck owns the other. They were all destroyed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire investigators were on the scene Sunday to try to determine how the blaze started, said Dong. A Berkeley building inspector was also there because there is concern about the structural integrity of the building’s walls. The fire was sufficiently large that the Berkeley Fire Department requested that other agencies lend inspectors. One inspector from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms was on the scene Sunday, too, said Webb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>De Clarion is also the owner of \u003ca href=\"http://www.importtile.com/\">Import Tile \u003c/a> at 611 Hearst Ave. De Clarion said his company will be open for business Monday. The flames did not affect his showroom, but they did burn up about $1 million in inventory that was stored in the condos, he said\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In total, De Clarion said the fire probably destroyed around $5 million of structures and inventory. Chief Dong said the damage was “in the several millions of dollars.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the fire raged Saturday night, a number of members of the artisan collective stood on Second Street and conferred with a chaplain from the Fire Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were all there watching our lives go up,” said Goldberg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said his business was insured, but he is not sure of the other businesses in the collective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The members of the collective include numerous woodworking and furniture makers including Gus Cancro’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.blockawood.com/\">Blocka Wood\u003c/a>, Corey Nesbitt’s metal shop \u003ca href=\"http://thehearthforge.com/\">The Hearth Forge\u003c/a>, Brian Lincke’s boat repair and restoration business, Jonathan Perkins’ custom furniture business, and Alec Gordon’s woodworking company \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/overgrownwoodworks\">Overgrown Woodworks\u003c/a>. Other companies include \u003ca title=\"Tech nerd, nature lover, quits job, reinvents the headlamp\" href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2012/06/12/tech-nerd-nature-lover-quits-job-reinvents-the-headlamp/\">Bosavi\u003c/a>, which makes innovative outdoor lighting products, and \u003ca href=\"http://naomidesigners.com/web/\">Naomi Design Advocates.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thriving Lifestyles is also located in the complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>De Clarion and his wife, Evelyn Larson, had nothing but praise Sunday for Berkeley fire and police officials. They said they were also heartened by the outpouring of support from customers of Import Tile, members of St. Mark’s Church and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s amazing, it’s wonderful,” said De Clarion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Import Tile will be open. We will be handling business as usual,” said Larson. “We want our customers to know we aren’t gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The owner of The Wooden Duck posted a status report in the comments on Berkeleyside’s story on the fire Saturday night. Eric Gellerman said that the showroom was spared, but Wooden Duck’s rear warehouse was engulfed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "132536 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=132536",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/04/14/west-berkeley-fire-destroys-artisan-businesses/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1021,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 27
},
"modified": 1398475528,
"excerpt": "Huge five-alarm Saturday night blaze wiped out the livelihoods of more than 20 people.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Huge five-alarm Saturday night blaze wiped out the livelihoods of more than 20 people.",
"title": "West Berkeley Fire Destroys Artisan Businesses | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "West Berkeley Fire Destroys Artisan Businesses",
"datePublished": "2014-04-14T12:20:12-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-04-25T18:25:28-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "west-berkeley-fire-destroys-artisan-businesses",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "2014/04/14/west-berkeley/",
"path": "/news/132536/west-berkeley-fire-destroys-artisan-businesses",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Frances Dinkelspiel\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/13/west-berkeley-fire-causes-5-million-in-damage-destroys-20-artisan-businesses/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>Berkeleyside\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_132538\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/1800damage.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-132538\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/1800damage-640x462.png\" alt=\"The aftermath of a five-alarm fire in West Berkeley. (Pete Rosos/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"462\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The aftermath of a five-alarm fire in West Berkeley. (Pete Rosos/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/04/12/breaking-huge-fire-on-eastshore-highway/\">huge fire that ripped through a building on Second Street\u003c/a> in West Berkeley on Saturday night not only affected well-known businesses like Import Tile and The Wooden Duck, but destroyed the livelihood of \u003ca href=\"http://www.joshuatreefurniture.com/Artisans--Collective.html\">more than 20 artisans.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A destroyed business condominium at 1802 Second St. was home to a \u003ca href=\"http://www.joshuatreefurniture.com/Artisans--Collective.html\">collective\u003c/a> of small artisans and craft builders who shared a woodworking shop, a metal fabrication shop, computer-controlled machinery and large work areas, according to Joshua Goldberg, who put together the space in 2005. He is also the owner of \u003ca href=\"http://www.joshuatreefurniture.com/default.html\">Joshua Tree Furniture\u003c/a>, which was completely destroyed by the five-alarm fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am sort of overwhelmed with grief right now,” Goldberg said Sunday morning. “It’s 20 people’s livelihoods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_132539\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/spraying.png\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-132539\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/spraying-640x424.png\" alt=\"Firefighters continued to dose the building with water on Sunday morning, April 13. (Pete Rosos/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Firefighters continued to dose the building with water on Sunday morning, April 13. (Pete Rosos/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Goldberg was at his custom furniture shop with another member of the collective right before 8 p.m. Saturday when they noticed black smoke pouring into the work area. “We didn’t know if it was coming from our space. We were running frantically though our space to see if it was coming from there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Goldberg ran outside and saw that the smoke was coming out of the vents of the workshop of The Wooden Duck, another business in the complex. He called 911 and then ran inside to tell his co-worker to leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Berkeley Fire Department responded at 7:54 p.m., according to Fire Chief Gil Dong. More than 70 firefighters from Berkeley, Alameda County and other cities battled the blaze, which was so large that it caused a backup on Interstate 80 as rubberneckers slowed to stare at the flames. Berkeley Fire had at least two ladder trucks operating to direct water down on the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Firefighters were able to keep the flames from leaping from the burning building to the building holding the showroom of the The Wooden Duck. A fire wall was breached, but the showroom is essentially intact, said Dong. There is some water damage to the store, though, said Deputy Chief Avery Webb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_132540\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/firesmoke.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-132540\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/firesmoke-640x425.jpg\" alt=\"The smoke column on Saturday night as seen from Delaware Street. (Raph Levien/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The smoke column on Saturday night as seen from Delaware Street. (Raph Levien/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The fire was contained by 1 a.m., but crews remained on the scene throughout the night to water down hot spots. Firefighters are still there Sunday. There were no reported injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Firefighting efforts were hampered when a high-voltage power line fell on a battalion chief’s car, said Dong. The fire department had to call in PG&E to turn power off to the block. Firefighters were able to pour water on the blaze during this time, but could not approach certain parts of the structure, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The affected businesses were all part of a 40,000-square-foot building subdivided into three addresses: 1800, 1802 and 1810 Second Street, said Dong. The property at 1823 Eastshore Highway was also affected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spaces had been converted into business condominiums, according to Bill De Clarion, who purchased two of the condominiums for about $2 million around eight years ago. The Wooden Duck owns the other. They were all destroyed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire investigators were on the scene Sunday to try to determine how the blaze started, said Dong. A Berkeley building inspector was also there because there is concern about the structural integrity of the building’s walls. The fire was sufficiently large that the Berkeley Fire Department requested that other agencies lend inspectors. One inspector from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms was on the scene Sunday, too, said Webb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>De Clarion is also the owner of \u003ca href=\"http://www.importtile.com/\">Import Tile \u003c/a> at 611 Hearst Ave. De Clarion said his company will be open for business Monday. The flames did not affect his showroom, but they did burn up about $1 million in inventory that was stored in the condos, he said\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In total, De Clarion said the fire probably destroyed around $5 million of structures and inventory. Chief Dong said the damage was “in the several millions of dollars.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the fire raged Saturday night, a number of members of the artisan collective stood on Second Street and conferred with a chaplain from the Fire Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were all there watching our lives go up,” said Goldberg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said his business was insured, but he is not sure of the other businesses in the collective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The members of the collective include numerous woodworking and furniture makers including Gus Cancro’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.blockawood.com/\">Blocka Wood\u003c/a>, Corey Nesbitt’s metal shop \u003ca href=\"http://thehearthforge.com/\">The Hearth Forge\u003c/a>, Brian Lincke’s boat repair and restoration business, Jonathan Perkins’ custom furniture business, and Alec Gordon’s woodworking company \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/overgrownwoodworks\">Overgrown Woodworks\u003c/a>. Other companies include \u003ca title=\"Tech nerd, nature lover, quits job, reinvents the headlamp\" href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2012/06/12/tech-nerd-nature-lover-quits-job-reinvents-the-headlamp/\">Bosavi\u003c/a>, which makes innovative outdoor lighting products, and \u003ca href=\"http://naomidesigners.com/web/\">Naomi Design Advocates.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thriving Lifestyles is also located in the complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>De Clarion and his wife, Evelyn Larson, had nothing but praise Sunday for Berkeley fire and police officials. They said they were also heartened by the outpouring of support from customers of Import Tile, members of St. Mark’s Church and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s amazing, it’s wonderful,” said De Clarion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Import Tile will be open. We will be handling business as usual,” said Larson. “We want our customers to know we aren’t gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The owner of The Wooden Duck posted a status report in the comments on Berkeleyside’s story on the fire Saturday night. Eric Gellerman said that the showroom was spared, but Wooden Duck’s rear warehouse was engulfed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/132536/west-berkeley-fire-destroys-artisan-businesses",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"tags": [
"news_212",
"news_787"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_132540",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_130319": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_130319",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "130319",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1395770895000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1395770895,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Berkeley School Board Set to Slash Funding for Cooking and Gardening Program",
"title": "Berkeley School Board Set to Slash Funding for Cooking and Gardening Program",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_130320\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/CG-photo.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-130320\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/CG-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Supporters of the BUSD cooking and gardening program speak out at the March 12 BUSD Board meeting. Photo: Mary Flaherty/Berkeleyside\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters of the BUSD cooking and gardening program speak out at the March 12 BUSD Board meeting. Photo: Mary Flaherty/Berkeleyside\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Flaherty, \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the past few months the Berkeley school district has been struggling along with funding for its beloved cooking and gardening program. After some back-and-forth on proposals this winter, the board is now expected to vote March 26 to approve \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/01/29/cooking-may-be-cut-in-berkeley-schools-edible-program/\" target=\"_blank\">very reduced funding for gardening classes only in the 2014-15 school year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supporters – teachers, students and parents – pleaded with the school board at its March 12 meeting not to make further cuts to the cooking and gardening classes, which lost an annual $1.9 million in federal funding last fall. The program is already operating on less than half its former budget this year – about $850,000 — with bridge funds. Next year’s budget would be under $500,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This has been a very difficult process for all of us,” Superintendent Donald Evans said. “This is a nationally recognized program. But that was when we had $2 million. We can no longer retain that type of program.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cuts affect cooking and gardening classes at every school in the district, except King Middle School, where the garden is operated under separate funding by the non-profit Edible Schoolyard Project, founded by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During their long discussion, the board members appeared to agree that the current BUSD program needs to eliminate its cooking classes for now and offer limited gardening classes. The latest proposal called for gardening classes for pre-kindergarten through grade 7 (eliminating grades 8-12). However, board members said they’d also like to fund the garden at Berkeley Technical Academy (which is shared by the Independent Study students), and that will be added to the proposal the board is expected to pass Wednesday, March 26.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even at a reduced cost of $485,000 for the coming year, with only $178,000 requested in new funding, the board members were very concerned about whether the budget could accommodate the outlay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m struggling with this,” board member Karen Hemphill said. “We’re having a lot of things come to the board, piecemeal, that are all a priority, that all have their supporters. Nobody here doesn’t love this program.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board will be committing to funding only one year right now. Board members recognized that a longer term financial commitment is probably better for attracting major donors. However, with changes in school funding this coming year (the new \u003ca href=\"http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/\" target=\"_blank\">Local Control Funding Formula\u003c/a> from the state), the district is still sorting out priorities for any new monies it gets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board members discussed allowing individual PTAs to raise funds supporting cooking classes in their own schools. Hemphill was initially opposed, saying it would create inequalities between the schools. But by the end of the discussion, the board members seemed to agree that if a principal signed off, they were fine with PTA-funded cooking classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another possibility for the future is involvement from the Edible Schoolyard Project which has offered to help run BUSD’s middle school cooking and gardening program once a blueprint for sustainability is in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board president Josh Daniels said he is hoping that \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/14/berkeley-likes-taxing-soda-but-support-for-parks-pools-lags/\" target=\"_blank\">a proposed city tax on sugar-sweetened beverages\u003c/a> (not just soda) for November’s election, will help fund the cooking and gardening program. The tax — which the City Council has not yet decided to put on the ballot — would bring in an estimated $1.5 million a year, say supporters. That’s less than the $2 million cost of the full cooking and gardening program, and it’s unlikely all the proceeds from the tax would go to the program. A further hurdle is that any funding for the cooking and gardening program would have to be re-approved annually by the city council, if, as expected, the tax is a general tax (which would only require a 50% vote to pass). A special tax, which would segregate the funds for specific uses, requires a two-thirds vote to pass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starting March 26 the board moves its meeting location to 2020 Bonar St. Meetings will no longer take place at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://berkeleyside.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4851428a10883a05193b1dd6c&id=aad4b5ee64\" target=\"_blank\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside’s Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "130319 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=130319",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/25/berkeley-school-board-set-to-slash-budget-for-beloved-cooking-and-gardening-program/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 781,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 16
},
"modified": 1395778482,
"excerpt": "Faced with budget shortfalls, the Berkeley School District opts to cut cooking and gardening classes.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Faced with budget shortfalls, the Berkeley School District opts to cut cooking and gardening classes.",
"title": "Berkeley School Board Set to Slash Funding for Cooking and Gardening Program | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Berkeley School Board Set to Slash Funding for Cooking and Gardening Program",
"datePublished": "2014-03-25T11:08:15-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-03-25T13:14:42-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "berkeley-school-board-set-to-slash-budget-for-beloved-cooking-and-gardening-program",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "2014/03/25/berkeley-school-board-set-to-slash-budget-for-cooking-and-gardening/",
"path": "/news/130319/berkeley-school-board-set-to-slash-budget-for-beloved-cooking-and-gardening-program",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_130320\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/CG-photo.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-130320\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/CG-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Supporters of the BUSD cooking and gardening program speak out at the March 12 BUSD Board meeting. Photo: Mary Flaherty/Berkeleyside\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters of the BUSD cooking and gardening program speak out at the March 12 BUSD Board meeting. Photo: Mary Flaherty/Berkeleyside\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Flaherty, \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the past few months the Berkeley school district has been struggling along with funding for its beloved cooking and gardening program. After some back-and-forth on proposals this winter, the board is now expected to vote March 26 to approve \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/01/29/cooking-may-be-cut-in-berkeley-schools-edible-program/\" target=\"_blank\">very reduced funding for gardening classes only in the 2014-15 school year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supporters – teachers, students and parents – pleaded with the school board at its March 12 meeting not to make further cuts to the cooking and gardening classes, which lost an annual $1.9 million in federal funding last fall. The program is already operating on less than half its former budget this year – about $850,000 — with bridge funds. Next year’s budget would be under $500,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This has been a very difficult process for all of us,” Superintendent Donald Evans said. “This is a nationally recognized program. But that was when we had $2 million. We can no longer retain that type of program.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cuts affect cooking and gardening classes at every school in the district, except King Middle School, where the garden is operated under separate funding by the non-profit Edible Schoolyard Project, founded by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During their long discussion, the board members appeared to agree that the current BUSD program needs to eliminate its cooking classes for now and offer limited gardening classes. The latest proposal called for gardening classes for pre-kindergarten through grade 7 (eliminating grades 8-12). However, board members said they’d also like to fund the garden at Berkeley Technical Academy (which is shared by the Independent Study students), and that will be added to the proposal the board is expected to pass Wednesday, March 26.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even at a reduced cost of $485,000 for the coming year, with only $178,000 requested in new funding, the board members were very concerned about whether the budget could accommodate the outlay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m struggling with this,” board member Karen Hemphill said. “We’re having a lot of things come to the board, piecemeal, that are all a priority, that all have their supporters. Nobody here doesn’t love this program.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board will be committing to funding only one year right now. Board members recognized that a longer term financial commitment is probably better for attracting major donors. However, with changes in school funding this coming year (the new \u003ca href=\"http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/\" target=\"_blank\">Local Control Funding Formula\u003c/a> from the state), the district is still sorting out priorities for any new monies it gets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board members discussed allowing individual PTAs to raise funds supporting cooking classes in their own schools. Hemphill was initially opposed, saying it would create inequalities between the schools. But by the end of the discussion, the board members seemed to agree that if a principal signed off, they were fine with PTA-funded cooking classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another possibility for the future is involvement from the Edible Schoolyard Project which has offered to help run BUSD’s middle school cooking and gardening program once a blueprint for sustainability is in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board president Josh Daniels said he is hoping that \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/14/berkeley-likes-taxing-soda-but-support-for-parks-pools-lags/\" target=\"_blank\">a proposed city tax on sugar-sweetened beverages\u003c/a> (not just soda) for November’s election, will help fund the cooking and gardening program. The tax — which the City Council has not yet decided to put on the ballot — would bring in an estimated $1.5 million a year, say supporters. That’s less than the $2 million cost of the full cooking and gardening program, and it’s unlikely all the proceeds from the tax would go to the program. A further hurdle is that any funding for the cooking and gardening program would have to be re-approved annually by the city council, if, as expected, the tax is a general tax (which would only require a 50% vote to pass). A special tax, which would segregate the funds for specific uses, requires a two-thirds vote to pass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Starting March 26 the board moves its meeting location to 2020 Bonar St. Meetings will no longer take place at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://berkeleyside.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4851428a10883a05193b1dd6c&id=aad4b5ee64\" target=\"_blank\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside’s Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/130319/berkeley-school-board-set-to-slash-budget-for-beloved-cooking-and-gardening-program",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"categories": [
"news_1758",
"news_18540"
],
"tags": [
"news_129",
"news_3854",
"news_5620",
"news_152"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_130320",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_129640": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_129640",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "129640",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1395151251000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "berkeley-residents-approve-of-soda-tax-on-november-ballot",
"title": "Berkeley Residents Approve of Soda Tax on November Ballot",
"publishDate": 1395151251,
"format": "aside",
"headTitle": "Berkeley Residents Approve of Soda Tax on November Ballot | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 6944,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/14/berkeley-likes-taxing-soda-but-support-for-parks-pools-lags/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_129641\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/Big-Soda-council.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-129641\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/Big-Soda-council-640x374.jpg\" alt=\"Proponents of a soda tax were out in force when Berkeley City Council first considered the measure last month. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proponents of a soda tax were out in force when Berkeley City Council first considered the measure last month. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Berkeleyans seem eager to enact a new tax on sugar-sweetened drinks, but less likely to support other potential ballot measures being considered by the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A community survey of just over 500 voters taken last week showed healthy majorities for the so-called soda tax, whether it was for a new general tax or a special tax. In contrast, measures to increase the business license tax for landlords, establish a commercial vacancy tax, increase the parks parcel tax, and issue a pools bond failed to reach majorities or just crossed 50 percent support. City Council members said that support for measures often declines from levels indicated in community surveys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sugar tax hit the sweet spot,” said Councilman Laurie Capitelli, who is on the community committee pushing for the tax. “For me, it’s disappointing that the parks question in particular fared so poorly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Sixty-six percent of survey respondents approve of a tax with money directed toward the general fund.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Four of the questions on the survey focused on the sugar-sweetened drinks tax, which is expected to face a well-funded opposition from the beverages industry. When respondents were asked whether they would support a tax of 1 cent per ounce going to the general fund, 66 percent said yes. Asked about a special tax, with revenues dedicated to health and nutrition programs, 64 percent said yes. A general tax requires a simple majority vote, while a special tax requires two-thirds support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raising the tax to 2 cents per ounce reduced support to 55 percent for the general tax and 59 percent for the special tax. Reading respondents arguments for and against, before posing the question, produced very little change in the results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A similar ballot measure is likely in San Francisco this November. San Francisco supporters are planning to focus on a special tax, despite the two-thirds hurdle. The measures on both sides of the bay are likely to attract a particular barrage of opposition from the beverage industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Both of us having it on the ballot will work against us,” admitted Capitelli. He said the well-funded opponents will buy regional media.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, raising the parks parcel tax by 10 percent ($29 per year for an average 1,900 square foot house) attracted only 54 percent support. A parcel tax measure requires two-thirds support to pass. A proposal for a $25 million bond issue for pools and parks, including reopening Willard Pool, was supported by only 52 percent. For the measure to pass, it would need two-thirds majority in favor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Survey respondents were also asked some general questions about Berkeley. Sixty-three percent said “things in the city of Berkeley are going in the right direction.” Only 13 percent said “things are on the wrong track” (24 percent responded “don’t know”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked to rate the job Berkeley is doing providing city services, 14 percent responded excellent, 55 percent responded good. Slightly less than a quarter, 23 percent, said fair and 5 percent said poor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked about areas where Berkeley might need to invest, 31 percent said providing affordable housing was extremely important, and 31 percent rated improving children’s health as extremely important. Only 7 percent said renovating swimming pools or improving parks and playgrounds was extremely important.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forty-six percent of the respondents were men and 54 percent were women; 67 percent of respondents were white and 10 percent were black; 39 percent were over 60 and 20 percent were under 30. All respondents were required to be likely voters in the November 2014 election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside’s Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages has a good chance of making Berkeley's November ballot.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726009605,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 16,
"wordCount": 684
},
"headData": {
"title": "Berkeley Residents Approve of Soda Tax on November Ballot | KQED",
"description": "A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages has a good chance of making Berkeley's November ballot.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Berkeley Residents Approve of Soda Tax on November Ballot",
"datePublished": "2014-03-18T07:00:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-10T16:06:45-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"customPermalink": "2014/03/17/large-majority-of-berkeley-residents-surveyed-favor-sugar-tax/",
"path": "/news/129640/berkeley-residents-approve-of-soda-tax-on-november-ballot",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/14/berkeley-likes-taxing-soda-but-support-for-parks-pools-lags/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_129641\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/Big-Soda-council.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-129641\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/Big-Soda-council-640x374.jpg\" alt=\"Proponents of a soda tax were out in force when Berkeley City Council first considered the measure last month. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proponents of a soda tax were out in force when Berkeley City Council first considered the measure last month. (Lance Knobel/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Berkeleyans seem eager to enact a new tax on sugar-sweetened drinks, but less likely to support other potential ballot measures being considered by the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A community survey of just over 500 voters taken last week showed healthy majorities for the so-called soda tax, whether it was for a new general tax or a special tax. In contrast, measures to increase the business license tax for landlords, establish a commercial vacancy tax, increase the parks parcel tax, and issue a pools bond failed to reach majorities or just crossed 50 percent support. City Council members said that support for measures often declines from levels indicated in community surveys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sugar tax hit the sweet spot,” said Councilman Laurie Capitelli, who is on the community committee pushing for the tax. “For me, it’s disappointing that the parks question in particular fared so poorly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Sixty-six percent of survey respondents approve of a tax with money directed toward the general fund.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Four of the questions on the survey focused on the sugar-sweetened drinks tax, which is expected to face a well-funded opposition from the beverages industry. When respondents were asked whether they would support a tax of 1 cent per ounce going to the general fund, 66 percent said yes. Asked about a special tax, with revenues dedicated to health and nutrition programs, 64 percent said yes. A general tax requires a simple majority vote, while a special tax requires two-thirds support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raising the tax to 2 cents per ounce reduced support to 55 percent for the general tax and 59 percent for the special tax. Reading respondents arguments for and against, before posing the question, produced very little change in the results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A similar ballot measure is likely in San Francisco this November. San Francisco supporters are planning to focus on a special tax, despite the two-thirds hurdle. The measures on both sides of the bay are likely to attract a particular barrage of opposition from the beverage industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Both of us having it on the ballot will work against us,” admitted Capitelli. He said the well-funded opponents will buy regional media.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, raising the parks parcel tax by 10 percent ($29 per year for an average 1,900 square foot house) attracted only 54 percent support. A parcel tax measure requires two-thirds support to pass. A proposal for a $25 million bond issue for pools and parks, including reopening Willard Pool, was supported by only 52 percent. For the measure to pass, it would need two-thirds majority in favor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Survey respondents were also asked some general questions about Berkeley. Sixty-three percent said “things in the city of Berkeley are going in the right direction.” Only 13 percent said “things are on the wrong track” (24 percent responded “don’t know”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked to rate the job Berkeley is doing providing city services, 14 percent responded excellent, 55 percent responded good. Slightly less than a quarter, 23 percent, said fair and 5 percent said poor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked about areas where Berkeley might need to invest, 31 percent said providing affordable housing was extremely important, and 31 percent rated improving children’s health as extremely important. Only 7 percent said renovating swimming pools or improving parks and playgrounds was extremely important.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forty-six percent of the respondents were men and 54 percent were women; 67 percent of respondents were white and 10 percent were black; 39 percent were over 60 and 20 percent were under 30. All respondents were required to be likely voters in the November 2014 election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside’s Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/129640/berkeley-residents-approve-of-soda-tax-on-november-ballot",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"categories": [
"news_457"
],
"tags": [
"news_18543",
"news_19960",
"news_3448",
"news_423"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_129641",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_129242": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_129242",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "129242",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1394805654000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1394805654,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Berkeley Neighborhood Thwarts Starbucks' Plan for New Outlet",
"title": "Berkeley Neighborhood Thwarts Starbucks' Plan for New Outlet",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Tracey Taylor\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/12/neighbors-stop-a-new-starbucks-opening-in-berkeley/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_129247\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/3001-telegraph.jpg\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/3001-telegraph-640x424.jpg\" alt=\"Neighborhood residents successfully fought a bid by Starbucks to open a cafe in a new building at Ashby and Telegraph avenues. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-129247\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Neighborhood residents successfully fought a bid by Starbucks to open a cafe in a new building at Ashby and Telegraph avenues. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A vocal group of South Berkeley neighbors, working in concert with local merchants, has prevented a Starbucks from opening in South Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley’s City Council voted earlier this week to \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/03_Mar/City_Council__03-11-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">deny Starbucks an administrative use permit\u003c/a> for a 2,063 square-foot space at 3001 Telegraph Ave., at the south-east intersection with Ashby. Council members voted on Tuesday after hearing from dozens of local residents and business owners that such a high-customer-volume coffee shop would increase traffic congestion and exacerbate what they described as an already taxing parking situation. The denial came in spite of the fact that \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/03_Mar/City_Council__03-11-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">the original application from Starbucks was approved\u003c/a> by city staff a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starbucks' attempts to rebut parking and traffic concerns — with company-commissioned parking studies, its contention that most customers and employees would arrive at the store on foot, and promises to take steps to create parking in the area — were to no avail. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t the first time council members had considered the coffee shop’s application, and the process has been a long one for both Starbucks and its opponents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s Zoning Adjustments Board \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013-03-13_AUPost__3001-Telegraph.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">approved an administrative use permit for Starbucks\u003c/a> on March 13, 2013. An \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2013-06-27_ZAB_ATT5_3001-Telegraph_Appeal-Letter.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">appeal was lodged by local resident \u003c/a>Jim Smith and Andrew Johnson from the Bateman Neighborhood Association 16 days later. The crux of the opposition was the parking waiver given to Starbucks over the number of spaces it needed to provide. This was \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/07/02/berkeley-neighbors-bid-to-halt-starbucks-stumbles/\" target=\"_blank\">denied by ZAB\u003c/a> at its June 30 meeting. On Nov. 19, the Council referred \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/11/20/berkeley-city-councils-nov-19-meeting-the-highlights/\" target=\"_blank\">ZAB’s decision to a public meeting\u003c/a>. That happened last night, and ended with the vote to deny Starbucks a permit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re thrilled,” said Smith. “The detrimental issues are pretty obvious, but we didn’t know we would get the five votes.” Smith said he believed that from the beginning of the application process, the city had never quantified the impact the store would have on the neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calls to Starbucks’ attorney John Kevlin of Reuben, Junius & Rose, had not been returned at press time. It is not known whether the coffee chain intends to appeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Starbucks would have opened in the Telegraph Gardens project owned by Avi Nevo which \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2011/09/12/new-mixed-use-building-going-up-on-telegraph-at-ashby/\" target=\"_blank\">opened early last year\u003c/a>. Savvy Rest Mattresses moved into \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/10/22/shop-talk-the-ins-and-outs-of-berkeley-businesses-95/\" target=\"_blank\">one of the three vacant street-facing retail spaces\u003c/a> last October. Along with the proposed Starbucks location, there is an additional, smaller retail space still for lease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Starbucks: 'We Went Above and Beyond'\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starbucks met all its requirements on paper, and, as Andrew Zall, store development manager for Starbucks, put it to the council, had in fact gone “above and beyond” to try to and reassure locals that the store would not put excessive pressure on parking or increase traffic congestion. Zall said Starbucks was collaborating with AC Transit to move a bus stop currently on the south side of Telegraph across the street to the north side. Nevo would have contributed funding for the move which, according to John Kevlin, an attorney working for Starbucks, had been under discussion for some time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But opposition to the coffee shop moving in was strong and widespread. Opponents who spoke at last night’s meeting included representatives for the LeConte, Bateman, and Willard neighborhood associations, as well as the Berkeley Neighborhoods Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jacquelyn McCormick, president of the Claremont and Elmwood Neighborhood Association, said CENA was “standing in solidarity” with the other neighborhood associations, and urged the Council to stand in solidarity with neighbors too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peter Shelton, who lives near Telegraph Gardens, said today that his concerns go back to the original approval of the building. “Planning, then ZAB, then the Council allowed this building to go in with substantial concessions,” he wrote by email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Starbucks got a waiver of the parking requirements ‘over the counter’ with no notice to the neighbors and minimal inquiry by the clerk. So we have waiver on top of waiver on top of exception. It’s like the bureaucrats don’t look at the totality of their decisions, just the micro view of this one piece of paper in front of them now,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_129248\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/public-hearing.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-129248\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/public-hearing-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Neighbors and merchants — including Mokka owners Susan and Michael Iida, front row, right — turned out to a zoning board meeting on Nov. 19, 2013 to request a public hearing over the proposed Starbucks at Ashby and Telegraph avenues in Berkeley. (Emilie Raguso/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Neighbors and merchants — including Mokka owners Susan and Michael Iida, front row, right — turned out to a zoning board meeting on Nov. 19, 2013 to request a public hearing over the proposed Starbucks at Ashby and Telegraph avenues in Berkeley. (Emilie Raguso/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I am offended by the process that requires hundreds and hundreds of citizen-hours to take a matter to ZAB and then two council meetings to overturn a decision made in a few minutes by a clerk at the permit department. If we have a general plan and zoning ordinances, shouldn’t the city be required to enforce them?” said Shelton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local business owners, many of them from the multitude of medical and dental offices that are located in the area, on the doorstep of Alta Bates Hospital, spoke of the difficulties their patients, some of whom were be disabled or injured, already have to find parking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A representative of Direct Urgent Care at 3095 Telegraph Ave. said his office sees many people with broken bones. A reduction in the number of parking spaces would impact the business. “We have grave concerns about the impact [of Starbucks] on congestion and parking,” he said. He added that the parking study conducted by the the coffee chain was “fabricated” and “simply not accurate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Council was divided on the issue. A new Starbucks would bring tax revenues of $100,000 to the city, according to Zall, who also said in testimony that the coffee chain would create 25 new jobs. Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said he was concerned about who might lease the space if Starbucks’ application was denied, particularly given the parking issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laurie Capitelli: parking a serious issue\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilman Laurie Capitelli said he was conflicted on the issue, but felt that parking was ultimately the one serious issue to consider. He reminded people that the impact on local independent coffee shop Mokka, whose co-owners Michael and Susan Iida \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/07/02/berkeley-neighbors-bid-to-halt-starbucks-stumbles/\" target=\"_blank\">have campaigned against Starbucks on parking grounds\u003c/a>, should not be taken into consideration, as the council could not consider potential market competition as a factor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Councilwoman Susan Wengraf and Councilman Gordon Wozniak made a point of mentioning they personally preferred Peet’s coffee — which, of course, was founded in Berkeley — to Starbucks, and Mayor Bates said he had done some research and found that, “Starbucks was a better company than I had realized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually Wengraf moved the motion to approve the permit. It was seconded by Wozniak. But before a vote could be taken, and after three and a half hours had been devoted the the issue, Councilman Jesse Arreguin stepped in with a last-minute substitute motion to deny the permit, which was seconded by Worthington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arreguin argued that there was ample evidence that Starbucks, as a high-impact use, quick-service restaurant, would exacerbate local parking problems and create “detriment” to the neighborhood. “As one resident put it,” he said, “this is a good use but not a good location.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A vote was taken to deny the permit and it passed with six yes votes (Linda Maio, Jesse Arreguin, Max Anderson, Kriss Worthington, Laurie Capitelli and Mayor Bates) and three abstentions (Susan Wengraf, Gordon Wozniak, and Darryl Moore).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Read the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/03_Mar/City_Council__03-11-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">extensive documentation\u003c/a> related to the application, including parking surveys, and street maps created by the appellants, on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/03_Mar/City_Council__03-11-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Council agenda, item 15\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\" target=\"_blank\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "129242 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=129242",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/14/south-berkeley-neighbors-and-business-owners-halt-new-starbucks-opening/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1369,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 29
},
"modified": 1399488729,
"excerpt": "A group of South Berkeley neighbors and business owners campaigned to stop the coffee juggernaut. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A group of South Berkeley neighbors and business owners campaigned to stop the coffee juggernaut. ",
"title": "Berkeley Neighborhood Thwarts Starbucks' Plan for New Outlet | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Berkeley Neighborhood Thwarts Starbucks' Plan for New Outlet",
"datePublished": "2014-03-14T07:00:54-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-05-07T11:52:09-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "south-berkeley-neighbors-and-business-owners-halt-new-starbucks-opening",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "2014/03/13/south-berkeley-neighbors-and-business-owners-band-together-to-halt-new-starbucks-opening/",
"path": "/news/129242/south-berkeley-neighbors-and-business-owners-halt-new-starbucks-opening",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>By Tracey Taylor\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/12/neighbors-stop-a-new-starbucks-opening-in-berkeley/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_129247\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/3001-telegraph.jpg\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/3001-telegraph-640x424.jpg\" alt=\"Neighborhood residents successfully fought a bid by Starbucks to open a cafe in a new building at Ashby and Telegraph avenues. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-129247\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Neighborhood residents successfully fought a bid by Starbucks to open a cafe in a new building at Ashby and Telegraph avenues. (Tracey Taylor/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A vocal group of South Berkeley neighbors, working in concert with local merchants, has prevented a Starbucks from opening in South Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley’s City Council voted earlier this week to \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/03_Mar/City_Council__03-11-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">deny Starbucks an administrative use permit\u003c/a> for a 2,063 square-foot space at 3001 Telegraph Ave., at the south-east intersection with Ashby. Council members voted on Tuesday after hearing from dozens of local residents and business owners that such a high-customer-volume coffee shop would increase traffic congestion and exacerbate what they described as an already taxing parking situation. The denial came in spite of the fact that \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/03_Mar/City_Council__03-11-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">the original application from Starbucks was approved\u003c/a> by city staff a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starbucks' attempts to rebut parking and traffic concerns — with company-commissioned parking studies, its contention that most customers and employees would arrive at the store on foot, and promises to take steps to create parking in the area — were to no avail. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t the first time council members had considered the coffee shop’s application, and the process has been a long one for both Starbucks and its opponents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s Zoning Adjustments Board \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013-03-13_AUPost__3001-Telegraph.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">approved an administrative use permit for Starbucks\u003c/a> on March 13, 2013. An \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2013-06-27_ZAB_ATT5_3001-Telegraph_Appeal-Letter.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">appeal was lodged by local resident \u003c/a>Jim Smith and Andrew Johnson from the Bateman Neighborhood Association 16 days later. The crux of the opposition was the parking waiver given to Starbucks over the number of spaces it needed to provide. This was \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/07/02/berkeley-neighbors-bid-to-halt-starbucks-stumbles/\" target=\"_blank\">denied by ZAB\u003c/a> at its June 30 meeting. On Nov. 19, the Council referred \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/11/20/berkeley-city-councils-nov-19-meeting-the-highlights/\" target=\"_blank\">ZAB’s decision to a public meeting\u003c/a>. That happened last night, and ended with the vote to deny Starbucks a permit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re thrilled,” said Smith. “The detrimental issues are pretty obvious, but we didn’t know we would get the five votes.” Smith said he believed that from the beginning of the application process, the city had never quantified the impact the store would have on the neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calls to Starbucks’ attorney John Kevlin of Reuben, Junius & Rose, had not been returned at press time. It is not known whether the coffee chain intends to appeal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Starbucks would have opened in the Telegraph Gardens project owned by Avi Nevo which \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2011/09/12/new-mixed-use-building-going-up-on-telegraph-at-ashby/\" target=\"_blank\">opened early last year\u003c/a>. Savvy Rest Mattresses moved into \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/10/22/shop-talk-the-ins-and-outs-of-berkeley-businesses-95/\" target=\"_blank\">one of the three vacant street-facing retail spaces\u003c/a> last October. Along with the proposed Starbucks location, there is an additional, smaller retail space still for lease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Starbucks: 'We Went Above and Beyond'\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starbucks met all its requirements on paper, and, as Andrew Zall, store development manager for Starbucks, put it to the council, had in fact gone “above and beyond” to try to and reassure locals that the store would not put excessive pressure on parking or increase traffic congestion. Zall said Starbucks was collaborating with AC Transit to move a bus stop currently on the south side of Telegraph across the street to the north side. Nevo would have contributed funding for the move which, according to John Kevlin, an attorney working for Starbucks, had been under discussion for some time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But opposition to the coffee shop moving in was strong and widespread. Opponents who spoke at last night’s meeting included representatives for the LeConte, Bateman, and Willard neighborhood associations, as well as the Berkeley Neighborhoods Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jacquelyn McCormick, president of the Claremont and Elmwood Neighborhood Association, said CENA was “standing in solidarity” with the other neighborhood associations, and urged the Council to stand in solidarity with neighbors too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peter Shelton, who lives near Telegraph Gardens, said today that his concerns go back to the original approval of the building. “Planning, then ZAB, then the Council allowed this building to go in with substantial concessions,” he wrote by email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Starbucks got a waiver of the parking requirements ‘over the counter’ with no notice to the neighbors and minimal inquiry by the clerk. So we have waiver on top of waiver on top of exception. It’s like the bureaucrats don’t look at the totality of their decisions, just the micro view of this one piece of paper in front of them now,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_129248\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/public-hearing.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-129248\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/public-hearing-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Neighbors and merchants — including Mokka owners Susan and Michael Iida, front row, right — turned out to a zoning board meeting on Nov. 19, 2013 to request a public hearing over the proposed Starbucks at Ashby and Telegraph avenues in Berkeley. (Emilie Raguso/Berkeleyside)\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Neighbors and merchants — including Mokka owners Susan and Michael Iida, front row, right — turned out to a zoning board meeting on Nov. 19, 2013 to request a public hearing over the proposed Starbucks at Ashby and Telegraph avenues in Berkeley. (Emilie Raguso/Berkeleyside)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I am offended by the process that requires hundreds and hundreds of citizen-hours to take a matter to ZAB and then two council meetings to overturn a decision made in a few minutes by a clerk at the permit department. If we have a general plan and zoning ordinances, shouldn’t the city be required to enforce them?” said Shelton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local business owners, many of them from the multitude of medical and dental offices that are located in the area, on the doorstep of Alta Bates Hospital, spoke of the difficulties their patients, some of whom were be disabled or injured, already have to find parking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A representative of Direct Urgent Care at 3095 Telegraph Ave. said his office sees many people with broken bones. A reduction in the number of parking spaces would impact the business. “We have grave concerns about the impact [of Starbucks] on congestion and parking,” he said. He added that the parking study conducted by the the coffee chain was “fabricated” and “simply not accurate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Council was divided on the issue. A new Starbucks would bring tax revenues of $100,000 to the city, according to Zall, who also said in testimony that the coffee chain would create 25 new jobs. Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said he was concerned about who might lease the space if Starbucks’ application was denied, particularly given the parking issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laurie Capitelli: parking a serious issue\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilman Laurie Capitelli said he was conflicted on the issue, but felt that parking was ultimately the one serious issue to consider. He reminded people that the impact on local independent coffee shop Mokka, whose co-owners Michael and Susan Iida \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/07/02/berkeley-neighbors-bid-to-halt-starbucks-stumbles/\" target=\"_blank\">have campaigned against Starbucks on parking grounds\u003c/a>, should not be taken into consideration, as the council could not consider potential market competition as a factor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Councilwoman Susan Wengraf and Councilman Gordon Wozniak made a point of mentioning they personally preferred Peet’s coffee — which, of course, was founded in Berkeley — to Starbucks, and Mayor Bates said he had done some research and found that, “Starbucks was a better company than I had realized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually Wengraf moved the motion to approve the permit. It was seconded by Wozniak. But before a vote could be taken, and after three and a half hours had been devoted the the issue, Councilman Jesse Arreguin stepped in with a last-minute substitute motion to deny the permit, which was seconded by Worthington.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arreguin argued that there was ample evidence that Starbucks, as a high-impact use, quick-service restaurant, would exacerbate local parking problems and create “detriment” to the neighborhood. “As one resident put it,” he said, “this is a good use but not a good location.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A vote was taken to deny the permit and it passed with six yes votes (Linda Maio, Jesse Arreguin, Max Anderson, Kriss Worthington, Laurie Capitelli and Mayor Bates) and three abstentions (Susan Wengraf, Gordon Wozniak, and Darryl Moore).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Read the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/03_Mar/City_Council__03-11-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">extensive documentation\u003c/a> related to the application, including parking surveys, and street maps created by the appellants, on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Clerk/City_Council/2014/03_Mar/City_Council__03-11-2014_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Council agenda, item 15\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\" target=\"_blank\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/129242/south-berkeley-neighbors-and-business-owners-halt-new-starbucks-opening",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"categories": [
"news_1758"
],
"tags": [
"news_2559"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_129244",
"label": "news_6944"
},
"news_129265": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_129265",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "129265",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1394748351000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 6944
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1394748351,
"format": "aside",
"disqusTitle": "Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Files For Bankruptcy, Hopes to Remain Open",
"title": "Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Files For Bankruptcy, Hopes to Remain Open",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/13/west-berkeleys-pacific-steel-files-for-bankruptcy/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_129284\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/castings.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-129284\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/castings-640x480.jpg\" alt=\"Pacific Steel has made castings like these in Berkeley since 1934. (Peter Jon Shuler/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pacific Steel has made castings like these for trucks and construction equipment in Berkeley since 1934. (Peter Jon Shuler/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pacific Steel Castings, based in West Berkeley since 1934, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Pacific Steel, one of the largest independent steel casting companies in the U.S., has 410 employees in three separate plants at the 8-acre site off Gilman Street. There are no immediate layoffs or interruptions in payment of wages or pensions. (In a hearing Thursday, the bankruptcy court agreed that Pacific Steel could access funds from a Wells Fargo loan to make payroll, pay vendors and meet operational expenses.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company hopes the bankruptcy proceedings, filed Monday in federal court in Oakland, will enable it to restructure its liabilities and remain in operation, possibly under a different owner from the Genger family, which is in its fourth generation of ownership. Pacific Steel makes carbon, low-alloy and stainless-steel castings for U.S. and international customers, largely for heavy-duty trucks and construction equipment. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Pacific Steel is not going anywhere,” said chief operating officer Chuck Bridges in a statement. “The process we have chosen is to restructure the company while preserving jobs and exploring the best way to continue making high-quality castings for our customers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'One day a third of the workforce with hundreds of years of experience walked out the door. That’s hard to recover from.'\u003ccite>— Elisabeth Jewel,\u003cbr>\nPacific Steel\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>According to company spokeswoman Elisabeth Jewel, several companies have shown interest in acquiring Pacific Steel. She said the Genger family emerging from bankruptcy as owners or with a role in Pacific Steel was “definitely within the realm of possibility, but right now it’s very uncertain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bankruptcy was provoked by what Jewel described as a “series of difficult financial events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, Pacific Steel \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2011/12/19/200-undocumented-pacific-steel-workers-lose-their-jobs/\" target=\"_blank\">lost a third of its workforce in 2011\u003c/a> after a U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement audit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One day a third of the workforce with hundreds of years of experience walked out the door,” Jewel said. “That’s hard to recover from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers’ compensation insurance costs went up fourfold following a flood of claims from those departing workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Second, this January the company settled \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2011/12/27/pacific-steel-accused-of-labor-violations-in-lawsuit/\" target=\"_blank\">a lawsuit about the timing of worker lunch breaks\u003c/a> for around $5.4 million, which is owed to about 1,300 current and former employees. According to the bankruptcy filing, the company “was not in a financial position to immediately fund the settlement.” The lawsuit had not been supported by the union, GMP 136B, and was originally filed by a former employee, Jewel said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are great jobs, great wages, great benefits,” said Jewel. “The union has been notified every step of the way what’s going on. There have been no secrets with the union. We have a good relationship with the union.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re a major employer, and a union employer,” said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. “We’d really like to see them continue to work in Berkeley and continue to strive to be good neighbors and clean up the plant as much as possible. They have done that in the past, and we hope they can get out of these financial problems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jewel said that despite the extraordinary expenses from the legal settlement, the company was operating well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Business is good,” she said. “We’ve had steady orders. It’s a little ironic, but when you have the huge amounts of the settlement in particular, it makes it very difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A hearing in bankruptcy court should take place in the next month. Jewel said the company hopes the situation can be resolved this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\" target=\"_blank\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "129265 http://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=129265",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/13/berkeleys-pacific-steel-files-for-bankruptcy-hopes-to-remain-open/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 687,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 18
},
"modified": 1399488730,
"excerpt": "The West Berkeley firm, in operation for 80 years, hopes to avoid layoffs as it reorganizes debt. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The West Berkeley firm, in operation for 80 years, hopes to avoid layoffs as it reorganizes debt. ",
"title": "Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Files For Bankruptcy, Hopes to Remain Open | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Files For Bankruptcy, Hopes to Remain Open",
"datePublished": "2014-03-13T15:05:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2014-05-07T11:52:10-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "berkeleys-pacific-steel-files-for-bankruptcy-hopes-to-remain-open",
"status": "publish",
"customPermalink": "2014/03/13/west-berkeleys-pacific-steel-files-for-bankruptcy/",
"path": "/news/129265/berkeleys-pacific-steel-files-for-bankruptcy-hopes-to-remain-open",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lance Knobel\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/03/13/west-berkeleys-pacific-steel-files-for-bankruptcy/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_129284\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/castings.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-129284\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/03/castings-640x480.jpg\" alt=\"Pacific Steel has made castings like these in Berkeley since 1934. (Peter Jon Shuler/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pacific Steel has made castings like these for trucks and construction equipment in Berkeley since 1934. (Peter Jon Shuler/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pacific Steel Castings, based in West Berkeley since 1934, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Pacific Steel, one of the largest independent steel casting companies in the U.S., has 410 employees in three separate plants at the 8-acre site off Gilman Street. There are no immediate layoffs or interruptions in payment of wages or pensions. (In a hearing Thursday, the bankruptcy court agreed that Pacific Steel could access funds from a Wells Fargo loan to make payroll, pay vendors and meet operational expenses.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company hopes the bankruptcy proceedings, filed Monday in federal court in Oakland, will enable it to restructure its liabilities and remain in operation, possibly under a different owner from the Genger family, which is in its fourth generation of ownership. Pacific Steel makes carbon, low-alloy and stainless-steel castings for U.S. and international customers, largely for heavy-duty trucks and construction equipment. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Pacific Steel is not going anywhere,” said chief operating officer Chuck Bridges in a statement. “The process we have chosen is to restructure the company while preserving jobs and exploring the best way to continue making high-quality castings for our customers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'One day a third of the workforce with hundreds of years of experience walked out the door. That’s hard to recover from.'\u003ccite>— Elisabeth Jewel,\u003cbr>\nPacific Steel\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>According to company spokeswoman Elisabeth Jewel, several companies have shown interest in acquiring Pacific Steel. She said the Genger family emerging from bankruptcy as owners or with a role in Pacific Steel was “definitely within the realm of possibility, but right now it’s very uncertain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bankruptcy was provoked by what Jewel described as a “series of difficult financial events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, Pacific Steel \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2011/12/19/200-undocumented-pacific-steel-workers-lose-their-jobs/\" target=\"_blank\">lost a third of its workforce in 2011\u003c/a> after a U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement audit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One day a third of the workforce with hundreds of years of experience walked out the door,” Jewel said. “That’s hard to recover from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers’ compensation insurance costs went up fourfold following a flood of claims from those departing workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Second, this January the company settled \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/2011/12/27/pacific-steel-accused-of-labor-violations-in-lawsuit/\" target=\"_blank\">a lawsuit about the timing of worker lunch breaks\u003c/a> for around $5.4 million, which is owed to about 1,300 current and former employees. According to the bankruptcy filing, the company “was not in a financial position to immediately fund the settlement.” The lawsuit had not been supported by the union, GMP 136B, and was originally filed by a former employee, Jewel said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are great jobs, great wages, great benefits,” said Jewel. “The union has been notified every step of the way what’s going on. There have been no secrets with the union. We have a good relationship with the union.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re a major employer, and a union employer,” said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. “We’d really like to see them continue to work in Berkeley and continue to strive to be good neighbors and clean up the plant as much as possible. They have done that in the past, and we hope they can get out of these financial problems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jewel said that despite the extraordinary expenses from the legal settlement, the company was operating well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Business is good,” she said. “We’ve had steady orders. It’s a little ironic, but when you have the huge amounts of the settlement in particular, it makes it very difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A hearing in bankruptcy court should take place in the next month. Jewel said the company hopes the situation can be resolved this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED News Associate \u003ca href=\"http://www.berkeleyside.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a> is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. \u003ca href=\"http://eepurl.com/lh_3b\" target=\"_blank\">Click here\u003c/a> if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside's Daily Briefing email.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/129265/berkeleys-pacific-steel-files-for-bankruptcy-hopes-to-remain-open",
"authors": [
"236"
],
"programs": [
"news_6944"
],
"categories": [
"news_1758"
],
"tags": [
"news_2632",
"news_129",
"news_1104"
],
"affiliates": [
"news_5078"
],
"featImg": "news_129274",
"label": "news_6944"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026PresidentialReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/news?affiliate=berkeleyside-2": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 120,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 155,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"news_135183",
"news_135324",
"news_135198",
"news_134897",
"news_134473",
"news_133587",
"news_133574",
"news_132536",
"news_130319",
"news_129640",
"news_129242",
"news_129265"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news_affiliate_berkeleyside-2": {
"isLoading": true
},
"news_5078": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_5078",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "5078",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Berkeleyside",
"description": "Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently owned local news site. We report on the extraordinary diversity of people, issues, events, food and environment in our city on the Bay.",
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently owned local news site. We report on the extraordinary diversity of people, issues, events, food and environment in our city on the Bay.",
"title": "Berkeleyside Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5099,
"slug": "berkeleyside-2",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/affiliate/berkeleyside-2"
},
"news_6944": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6944",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6944",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/News-Fix-Logo-Web-Banners-04.png",
"name": "News Fix",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "program",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "The News Fix is a daily news podcast from KQED that breaks down the latest headlines and provides in-depth analysis of the stories that matter to the Bay Area.",
"title": "News Fix - Daily Dose of Bay Area News | KQED",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6968,
"slug": "news-fix",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/program/news-fix"
},
"news_18549": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18549",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18549",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Priced Out",
"description": "It seems that almost everyone in the Bay Area has a housing horror story to tell. Anecdotes abound of renters spending months looking for a new place, and the pound of flesh extracted when they do find one. Equally scary are the stories from aspiring, seemingly qualified homeowners who are turned away by banks. \r\n \r\nThroughout 2014, KQED brought out the facts and stories behind the Bay Area housing crisis as part of our series called ‘Priced Out.’ We told the stories of people struggling and surviving amidst the increasing cost of living. We examined the changing neighborhoods and cities in the Bay Area, looked at who is getting evicted and why, as well as the potential solutions that have emerged.",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "It seems that almost everyone in the Bay Area has a housing horror story to tell. Anecdotes abound of renters spending months looking for a new place, and the pound of flesh extracted when they do find one. Equally scary are the stories from aspiring, seemingly qualified homeowners who are turned away by banks. Throughout 2014, KQED brought out the facts and stories behind the Bay Area housing crisis as part of our series called ‘Priced Out.’ We told the stories of people struggling and surviving amidst the increasing cost of living. We examined the changing neighborhoods and cities in the Bay Area, looked at who is getting evicted and why, as well as the potential solutions that have emerged.",
"title": "Priced Out Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5066,
"slug": "priced-out",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/series/priced-out"
},
"news_129": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_129",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "129",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Berkeley",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Berkeley Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 133,
"slug": "berkeley",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/berkeley"
},
"news_19904": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19904",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19904",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Labor",
"slug": "labor",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Labor | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 19921,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/labor"
},
"news_2141": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2141",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2141",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "minimum wage",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "minimum wage Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2156,
"slug": "minimum-wage",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/minimum-wage"
},
"news_579": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_579",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "579",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Richmond",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Richmond Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2717,
"slug": "richmond",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/richmond"
},
"news_1983": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1983",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1983",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland Local",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland Local Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5255,
"slug": "oakland-local",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/affiliate/oakland-local"
},
"news_6304": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6304",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6304",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California Election Watch 2014",
"description": "\u003cstyle>\r\n.column-left{ float: left; width: 33%; }\r\n.column-right{ float: right; width: 33%; }\r\n.column-center{ display: inline-block; width: 33%; }\r\n.archive-title{display:none;}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 680px) {\r\n.column-left, .column-right, .column-center { float: none; width: auto; }\r\n}\r\n\u003c/style>\r\n\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10343791\" src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2014/10/14/cewseries.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500px\" />\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"column-left\">\r\n\u003ch3>Get The Latest\u003c/h3>\r\n\u003cul>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kqednews\" target=\"_blank\">Follow @KQEDNews\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003c/ul>\r\n\u003ch3>Propositions\u003c/h3>\r\n\u003cul>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/proposition-1/\" target=\"_blank\">Prop 1\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/proposition-2/\" target=\"_blank\">Prop 2\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/proposition-45/\" target=\"_blank\">Prop 45\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/proposition-46/\" target=\"_blank\">Prop 46\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/proposition-47/\" target=\"_blank\">Prop 47\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/proposition-48/\" target=\"_blank\">Prop 48\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003c/ul>\r\n\u003c/div>\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"column-center\">\r\n\u003ch3>Statewide Races\u003c/h3>\r\n\u003cul>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/governor/\" target=\"_blank\">Governor\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/lieutenant-governor/\" target=\"_blank\">Lieutenant Governor\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/attorney-general/\" target=\"_blank\">Attorney General\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/secretary-of-state\" target=\"_blank\">Secretary of State\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/controller\" target=\"_blank\">Controller\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/treasurer\" target=\"_blank\">Treasurer\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/insurance-commissioner\" target=\"_blank\">Insurance Commissioner\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/Superintendent-of-Public-Instruction\" target=\"_blank\">Superintendent of Public Instruction\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003c/ul>\r\n\u003c/div>\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"column-right\">\r\n\u003ch3>Local Measures & Races\u003c/h3>\r\n\u003cul>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/soda-tax\" target=\"_blank\">Soda Tax\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/17th-congressional-district\" target=\"_blank\">Congressional District 17\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/district-17\" target=\"_blank\">Assembly District 17\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-mayor\" target=\"_blank\">Oakland Mayoral\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose-mayor\" target=\"_blank\">San Jose Mayoral\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003c/ul>\r\n\u003ch3>Guides\u003c/h3>\r\n\u003cul>\r\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/10/03/california-watch-2014-election-guide\" target=\"_blank\">KQED Election Guide\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\r\n\u003cbr />\r\n\u003c/ul>\r\n\u003c/div>\r\n\u003ch2>Latest Coverage\u003c/h2>",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Get The Latest Follow @KQEDNews Propositions Prop 1 Prop 2 Prop 45 Prop 46 Prop 47 Prop 48 Statewide Races Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Controller Treasurer Insurance Commissioner Superintendent of Public Instruction Local Measures & Races Soda Tax Congressional District 17 Assembly District 17 Oakland Mayoral San Jose Mayoral Guides KQED Election Guide Latest Coverage",
"title": "California Election Watch 2014 Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6328,
"slug": "election-watch-2014",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/series/election-watch-2014"
},
"news_13": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_13",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "13",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 13,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/politics"
},
"news_423": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_423",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "423",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "taxes",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "taxes Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 432,
"slug": "taxes",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/taxes"
},
"news_6266": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6266",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6266",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6290,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/housing"
},
"news_8": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_8",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "8",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/news"
},
"news_3921": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3921",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3921",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "affordable housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "affordable housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3940,
"slug": "affordable-housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordable-housing"
},
"news_6243": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6243",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6243",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Jesse Arreguin",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Jesse Arreguin Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6267,
"slug": "jesse-arreguin",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/jesse-arreguin"
},
"news_10": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_10",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "10",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Sports",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Sports Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 10,
"slug": "sports",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/sports"
},
"news_248": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_248",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "248",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Technology",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Technology Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 256,
"slug": "technology",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/technology"
},
"news_1397": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1397",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1397",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Transportation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Transportation Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1409,
"slug": "transportation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/transportation"
},
"news_3094": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3094",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3094",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News Pix",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Pix Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3112,
"slug": "news-pix",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/news-pix"
},
"news_59": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_59",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "59",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "night life",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "night life Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 60,
"slug": "night-life",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/night-life"
},
"news_854": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_854",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "854",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Poverty Issues",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Poverty Issues Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 864,
"slug": "poverty-issues",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/poverty-issues"
},
"news_38": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_38",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "38",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 58,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/san-francisco"
},
"news_5096": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_5096",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "5096",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "income inequality",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "income inequality Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5117,
"slug": "income-inequality",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/income-inequality"
},
"news_18540": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18540",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18540",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2595,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/education"
},
"news_1758": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1758",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1758",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Economy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Full coverage of the economy",
"title": "Economy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2648,
"slug": "economy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/economy"
},
"news_212": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_212",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "212",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Fire",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Fire Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 220,
"slug": "fire",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/fire"
},
"news_787": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_787",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "787",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "fire",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "fire Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 797,
"slug": "fire-2",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/fire-2"
},
"news_3854": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3854",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3854",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "budget cuts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "budget cuts Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3873,
"slug": "budget-cuts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/budget-cuts"
},
"news_5620": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_5620",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "5620",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "gardening",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "gardening Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5644,
"slug": "gardening",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/gardening"
},
"news_152": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_152",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "152",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Government",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Government Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 159,
"slug": "government",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/government"
},
"news_457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_457",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "457",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16998,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/health"
},
"news_18543": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18543",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18543",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 466,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health"
},
"news_19960": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19960",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19960",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "public health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "public health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19977,
"slug": "public-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/public-health"
},
"news_3448": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3448",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3448",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "soda tax",
"description": "Berkeley will became the first city in America to impose a soda tax after the passage of Measure D. A similar measure was defeated in San Francisco. ",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Berkeley will became the first city in America to impose a soda tax after the passage of Measure D. A similar measure was defeated in San Francisco.",
"title": "soda tax Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3466,
"slug": "soda-tax",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/soda-tax"
},
"news_2559": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2559",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2559",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Starbucks",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Starbucks Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2574,
"slug": "starbucks",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/starbucks"
},
"news_2632": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2632",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2632",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "bankruptcy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "bankruptcy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2649,
"slug": "bankruptcy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/bankruptcy"
},
"news_1104": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1104",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1104",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Pacific Steel",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Pacific Steel Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1115,
"slug": "pacific-steel",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/pacific-steel"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
}
}
