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"content": "\u003cp>Berkeley landlords aim to get a measure on the November ballot that would de-fang the city’s rent board and dedicate more money for rent relief — an initiative that could potentially set the stage for dueling ballot measures between landlord and tenant groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the latest effort by Bay Area property owners to fight tenant protections at the ballot box. In Concord, a referendum drive is underway to undo the city’s recently adopted rent control plan. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11977071/larkspur-voters-to-decide-future-of-rent-control-in-their-city\">similar referendum\u003c/a> in Larkspur narrowly failed earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Krista Gulbransen, executive director, Berkeley Property Owners Association\"]‘I think the voters are ready for a citizens’ initiative like this one. I do believe very strongly that a lot of citizens of Berkeley are pretty fed up with some of the overregulation of the government on small businesses and small property owners.’[/pullquote]Property owners in Berkeley began gathering signatures on Thursday in hopes of putting their own initiative on the ballot that would make sweeping changes to the city’s rent board, modify grounds for evictions, and exempt more properties from the city’s rent stabilization and eviction ordinance. The plan also calls for a rent relief fund for certain tenants who can’t pay, among other changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the voters are ready for a citizens’ initiative like this one,” said Krista Gulbransen, executive director of the Berkeley Property Owners Association, which is behind the effort. “I do believe very strongly that a lot of citizens of Berkeley are pretty fed up with some of the overregulation of the government on small businesses and small property owners.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effort follows one from renters’ advocates, who have been collecting signatures since early March for their own measure that would strengthen the city’s tenant protections. In a statement, rent board chair Leah Simon-Weisberg blasted the property owners’ proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am confident that Berkeley voters will see through the corporate landlords’ strategy of chaos,” Simon-Weisberg said. “Time and again, corporate money flows into Berkeley elections, only to be defeated by community organizing and the grassroots.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The property owners’ initiative would exempt more owner-occupied properties from the city’s rent stabilization and eviction ordinance, raise the rent cap slightly to 7.1%, and allow landlords to negotiate with tenants for even higher increases in exchange for more services or amenities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Leah Simon-Weisberg, chair, Berkeley Rent Board\"]‘I am confident that Berkeley voters will see through the corporate landlords’ strategy of chaos. Time and again, corporate money flows into Berkeley elections, only to be defeated by community organizing and the grassroots.’[/pullquote]But perhaps the most substantial of its proposed changes are to the city’s rent board. It would strip the rent board of certain powers, including eliminating its ability to reduce rents in the case of tenant relocation or repairs, determine whether property owners comply with health and safety laws, and intervene as an interested party in lawsuits. It would also eliminate commissioners’ salaries and require the board to be audited every three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Should the proposal be challenged in court, the city must defend the initiative and protect its proponents from damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the rent relief fund proposed in the initiative, Gulbransen said property owners are still reeling from rents lost during the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This rent relief fund is critical,” she said. “I have property owners who are still struggling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposed program would rely on an existing tax on large landlords that voters approved in 2016, called Measure U1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11977071,news_11970062,news_11975969\"]Gulbransen has \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2017/03/31/opinion-berkeley-done-bait-switch-using-housing-funds-buy-new-council-chambers\">criticized city leaders\u003c/a> for misusing money from the measure. The Berkeley Property Owners Association sponsored a competing initiative at the time, Measure DD, that would have implemented a more modest tax increase. Voters rejected that measure \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2016/10/12/real-estate-interests-spend-big-in-berkeley-to-defeat-spike-in-rental-tax\">despite landlords spending over $780,000\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The association’s initiative would ensure that a portion of the 2016 tax is dedicated to rent relief, raising an estimated $1.2 million annually and creating a new committee to oversee the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley’s current rent relief fund, the \u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/affordable-housing-berkeley/housing-retention-program\">Housing Retention Program\u003c/a>, is administered by the Eviction Defense Center. Anne Tamiko Omura, Executive Director of the center, called the program one of the best in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has put millions of dollars into landlord pockets and kept hundreds of low-income tenants housed,” she wrote in an email to KQED. “My gut reaction is, ‘If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley Rent Board Vice Chair Soli Alpert said he wants to see more money dedicated to the city’s existing rent relief fund, but he’s critical of the association’s proposal, dismissing it as “a distraction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Anne Tamiko Omura, executive director, Eviction Defense Center\"]‘My gut reaction is, ‘If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”[/pullquote]“I don’t think the landlords should be in charge of what happens with the landlord tax,” he said. “Pardon me if I don’t think that landlords have the best interests of tenants in mind when they’re talking about the use of these funds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simon-Weisberg and Alpert are the proponents behind another ballot measure, developed and approved by the rent board. It would strengthen existing renter protections by removing an exception for two-unit rentals that were grandfathered into the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Ordinance, subjecting them to both rent control and just-cause protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposed Berkeley Tenant Protection and Right to Organize Act would also establish the right to form tenant associations. With support from 50% plus one occupied units in a complex, tenants could form a union and demand their landlord negotiate over grievances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco became the first city in the country to pass such \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news/new-legislation-tenant-organizing-and-tenant-associations#:~:text=The%20Right%2DTo%2DOrganize%20legislation,surveys)%20to%20ascertain%20interest%20in\">right-to-organize legislation\u003c/a> in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Soli Alpert, vice chair, Berkeley Rent Board\"]‘I don’t think the landlords should be in charge of what happens with the landlord tax. Pardon me if I don’t think that landlords have the best interests of tenants in mind when they’re talking about the use of these funds.’[/pullquote]The initiative by the Berkeley Property Owners Association would establish a higher threshold for creating a tenants’ union, requiring two-thirds of occupied rental units to sign on. Owners would have to confer with associations in good faith, but unlike the tenant advocates’ proposal, the rent board wouldn’t have the authority to define the terms of a “good faith” negotiation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The property owners’ proposal also seeks a less restrictive form of eviction protection than what the tenant advocates are seeking. Under the tenants’ plan, renters couldn’t be evicted if they owe less than the equivalent of one month’s fair market rent — an amount determined by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the property owners’ proposal, evictions would be prohibited if the tenant owes less than one month of the rent outlined in their lease agreement unless they haven’t paid for more than 90 days, among a few other modifications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gulbransen said the association added these changes in response to the tenants’ proposed ballot initiative in the hopes that it would entice more voters to support their competing proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Berkeley landlords aim to get a measure on the November ballot that would de-fang the city’s rent board and dedicate more money for rent relief — an initiative that could potentially set the stage for dueling ballot measures between landlord and tenant groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the latest effort by Bay Area property owners to fight tenant protections at the ballot box. In Concord, a referendum drive is underway to undo the city’s recently adopted rent control plan. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11977071/larkspur-voters-to-decide-future-of-rent-control-in-their-city\">similar referendum\u003c/a> in Larkspur narrowly failed earlier this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I think the voters are ready for a citizens’ initiative like this one. I do believe very strongly that a lot of citizens of Berkeley are pretty fed up with some of the overregulation of the government on small businesses and small property owners.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Property owners in Berkeley began gathering signatures on Thursday in hopes of putting their own initiative on the ballot that would make sweeping changes to the city’s rent board, modify grounds for evictions, and exempt more properties from the city’s rent stabilization and eviction ordinance. The plan also calls for a rent relief fund for certain tenants who can’t pay, among other changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the voters are ready for a citizens’ initiative like this one,” said Krista Gulbransen, executive director of the Berkeley Property Owners Association, which is behind the effort. “I do believe very strongly that a lot of citizens of Berkeley are pretty fed up with some of the overregulation of the government on small businesses and small property owners.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effort follows one from renters’ advocates, who have been collecting signatures since early March for their own measure that would strengthen the city’s tenant protections. In a statement, rent board chair Leah Simon-Weisberg blasted the property owners’ proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am confident that Berkeley voters will see through the corporate landlords’ strategy of chaos,” Simon-Weisberg said. “Time and again, corporate money flows into Berkeley elections, only to be defeated by community organizing and the grassroots.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The property owners’ initiative would exempt more owner-occupied properties from the city’s rent stabilization and eviction ordinance, raise the rent cap slightly to 7.1%, and allow landlords to negotiate with tenants for even higher increases in exchange for more services or amenities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I am confident that Berkeley voters will see through the corporate landlords’ strategy of chaos. Time and again, corporate money flows into Berkeley elections, only to be defeated by community organizing and the grassroots.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But perhaps the most substantial of its proposed changes are to the city’s rent board. It would strip the rent board of certain powers, including eliminating its ability to reduce rents in the case of tenant relocation or repairs, determine whether property owners comply with health and safety laws, and intervene as an interested party in lawsuits. It would also eliminate commissioners’ salaries and require the board to be audited every three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Should the proposal be challenged in court, the city must defend the initiative and protect its proponents from damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the rent relief fund proposed in the initiative, Gulbransen said property owners are still reeling from rents lost during the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This rent relief fund is critical,” she said. “I have property owners who are still struggling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposed program would rely on an existing tax on large landlords that voters approved in 2016, called Measure U1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Gulbransen has \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2017/03/31/opinion-berkeley-done-bait-switch-using-housing-funds-buy-new-council-chambers\">criticized city leaders\u003c/a> for misusing money from the measure. The Berkeley Property Owners Association sponsored a competing initiative at the time, Measure DD, that would have implemented a more modest tax increase. Voters rejected that measure \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2016/10/12/real-estate-interests-spend-big-in-berkeley-to-defeat-spike-in-rental-tax\">despite landlords spending over $780,000\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The association’s initiative would ensure that a portion of the 2016 tax is dedicated to rent relief, raising an estimated $1.2 million annually and creating a new committee to oversee the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley’s current rent relief fund, the \u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/affordable-housing-berkeley/housing-retention-program\">Housing Retention Program\u003c/a>, is administered by the Eviction Defense Center. Anne Tamiko Omura, Executive Director of the center, called the program one of the best in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has put millions of dollars into landlord pockets and kept hundreds of low-income tenants housed,” she wrote in an email to KQED. “My gut reaction is, ‘If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley Rent Board Vice Chair Soli Alpert said he wants to see more money dedicated to the city’s existing rent relief fund, but he’s critical of the association’s proposal, dismissing it as “a distraction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I don’t think the landlords should be in charge of what happens with the landlord tax,” he said. “Pardon me if I don’t think that landlords have the best interests of tenants in mind when they’re talking about the use of these funds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simon-Weisberg and Alpert are the proponents behind another ballot measure, developed and approved by the rent board. It would strengthen existing renter protections by removing an exception for two-unit rentals that were grandfathered into the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Ordinance, subjecting them to both rent control and just-cause protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposed Berkeley Tenant Protection and Right to Organize Act would also establish the right to form tenant associations. With support from 50% plus one occupied units in a complex, tenants could form a union and demand their landlord negotiate over grievances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco became the first city in the country to pass such \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news/new-legislation-tenant-organizing-and-tenant-associations#:~:text=The%20Right%2DTo%2DOrganize%20legislation,surveys)%20to%20ascertain%20interest%20in\">right-to-organize legislation\u003c/a> in 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I don’t think the landlords should be in charge of what happens with the landlord tax. Pardon me if I don’t think that landlords have the best interests of tenants in mind when they’re talking about the use of these funds.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The initiative by the Berkeley Property Owners Association would establish a higher threshold for creating a tenants’ union, requiring two-thirds of occupied rental units to sign on. Owners would have to confer with associations in good faith, but unlike the tenant advocates’ proposal, the rent board wouldn’t have the authority to define the terms of a “good faith” negotiation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The property owners’ proposal also seeks a less restrictive form of eviction protection than what the tenant advocates are seeking. Under the tenants’ plan, renters couldn’t be evicted if they owe less than the equivalent of one month’s fair market rent — an amount determined by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the property owners’ proposal, evictions would be prohibited if the tenant owes less than one month of the rent outlined in their lease agreement unless they haven’t paid for more than 90 days, among a few other modifications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gulbransen said the association added these changes in response to the tenants’ proposed ballot initiative in the hopes that it would entice more voters to support their competing proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Ohlone People Rejoice After City of Berkeley Votes to Return Sacred Land",
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"content": "\u003cp>Ohlone people and their allies rejoiced Wednesday over the return of sacred native land dating back thousands of years, saying the move righted a historic wrong and restored the people who were first on the land now called Berkeley to their rightful place in history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 2.2-acre parking lot is the only undeveloped portion of the shellmound in West Berkeley, where ancestors of today’s Ohlone people established the first human settlement on the shores of the San Francisco Bay 5,700 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín\"]‘[I]t’s been a long effort … long, long legal battles, many meetings. People prayed, people protested. But all along, it’s been an incredible community effort. And I’m very grateful that we were able to do this today.’[/pullquote]Berkeley’s City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt an ordinance giving the title of the land to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, a San Francisco Bay Area collective led by women that works to return land to Indigenous people. The collective raised most of the money needed to reach an agreement with developers who own the land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The site will be home to education, prayer and preservation, and will outlast every one of us today to continue telling the story of the Ohlone people,” said Mayor Jesse Arreguín at a celebratory press conference on Fourth Street in Berkeley Wednesday. He said their history is “marked not by adversity, but more importantly, by their unwavering resilience as a community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arreguín added that he thought it was “pretty absurd” that they had to buy the site to give it back to Indigenous people “when this was theirs all along, and we stole it from them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[I]t’s been a long effort … long, long legal battles, many meetings. People prayed, people protested. But all along, it’s been an incredible community effort. And I’m very grateful that we were able to do this today,” Arreguín said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheyenne Zepeda from the\u003cb> \u003c/b>Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation said that they’ve been praying and fighting for this recognition for over 25 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see a huge parking lot that’s been paved over, we’re looking towards the train tracks, there’s also the freeway that’s here off of university, and we don’t see the beautiful ground that it was before, but we will … we will again,” Zepeda said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Cheyenne Zepeda, Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation\"]‘[W]e don’t see the beautiful ground that it was before, but we will … we will again.’[/pullquote]The crowd cheered as speakers talked of a movement to restore other lands to Indigenous people. The site — a three-block area Berkeley designated as a landmark in 2000 — will be home to native medicines and foods, an oasis for pollinators and wildlife, and a place for youth to learn about their heritage, including ancient dances and ceremonies, said Melissa Nelson, chair of the board of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thousands of years ago, this site was a thriving … urban center for Native Americans, for California Indians with their beautiful shellmounds dotted all around the bay,” Nelson said. “We want to be a place for global Indigenous leadership to come and gather in solidarity. We want to educate, we want to restore, and we want to heal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before Spanish colonizers arrived in the region, the area held a village and a massive shell mound with a height of 20 feet and the length and width of a football field that was a ceremonial and burial site. Built over years with mussel, clam and oyster shells, human remains, and artifacts, the mound also served as a lookout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Spanish removed the Ohlone from their villages and forced them into labor at local missions. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Anglo settlers took over the land and razed the shell mound to line roadbeds in Berkeley with shells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11959169,news_11969401,news_11970846\"]The agreement with Berkeley-based Ruegg & Ellsworth LLC, which owns the parking lot, comes after a six-year legal fight that started in 2018 when the developer sued the city after officials denied its application to build a 260-unit apartment building with 50% affordable housing and 27,500 feet of retail and parking space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The settlement was reached after Ruegg & Ellsworth agreed to accept $27 million to settle all outstanding claims and to turn the property over to Berkeley. The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust contributed $25.5 million and Berkeley paid $1.5 million, officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trust plans to build a commemorative park with a new shell mound and a cultural center to house some of the pottery, jewelry, baskets and other artifacts found over the years and that are in the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Corrina Gould, co-founder of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and tribal chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Ohlone, attended Tuesday’s City Council meeting via video conference and wiped away tears after the council voted to return the land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mound that once stood there was “a place where we first said goodbye to someone,” she said. “To have this place saved forever, I am beyond words.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Sara Hossaini contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The crowd cheered as speakers talked of a movement to restore other lands to Indigenous people. The site — a three-block area Berkeley designated as a landmark in 2000 — will be home to native medicines and foods, an oasis for pollinators and wildlife, and a place for youth to learn about their heritage, including ancient dances and ceremonies, said Melissa Nelson, chair of the board of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thousands of years ago, this site was a thriving … urban center for Native Americans, for California Indians with their beautiful shellmounds dotted all around the bay,” Nelson said. “We want to be a place for global Indigenous leadership to come and gather in solidarity. We want to educate, we want to restore, and we want to heal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before Spanish colonizers arrived in the region, the area held a village and a massive shell mound with a height of 20 feet and the length and width of a football field that was a ceremonial and burial site. Built over years with mussel, clam and oyster shells, human remains, and artifacts, the mound also served as a lookout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Spanish removed the Ohlone from their villages and forced them into labor at local missions. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Anglo settlers took over the land and razed the shell mound to line roadbeds in Berkeley with shells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The agreement with Berkeley-based Ruegg & Ellsworth LLC, which owns the parking lot, comes after a six-year legal fight that started in 2018 when the developer sued the city after officials denied its application to build a 260-unit apartment building with 50% affordable housing and 27,500 feet of retail and parking space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The settlement was reached after Ruegg & Ellsworth agreed to accept $27 million to settle all outstanding claims and to turn the property over to Berkeley. The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust contributed $25.5 million and Berkeley paid $1.5 million, officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trust plans to build a commemorative park with a new shell mound and a cultural center to house some of the pottery, jewelry, baskets and other artifacts found over the years and that are in the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Corrina Gould, co-founder of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and tribal chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Ohlone, attended Tuesday’s City Council meeting via video conference and wiped away tears after the council voted to return the land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mound that once stood there was “a place where we first said goodbye to someone,” she said. “To have this place saved forever, I am beyond words.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Sara Hossaini contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Second Berkeley City Council Resignation This Month Highlights Discord Among Members",
"headTitle": "Second Berkeley City Council Resignation This Month Highlights Discord Among Members | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Governing in Berkeley suddenly got more complicated with the unexpected resignation of Councilmember Kate Harrison in the middle of Tuesday night’s council meeting. Her departure follows the resignation of Councilmember Rigel Robinson earlier this month — who \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/01/09/rigel-robins-berkeley-resignation-city-council-peoples-park\">cited harassment and threats that made his position untenable\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while Robinson also ended his run for mayor when he resigned from the council, Harrison — who said she was stepping down because she feels the way the city conducts its business is “broken” — is instead forging ahead with her bid to lead the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t planned,” Harrison told KQED of her dramatic departure on Tuesday night. She explained that the prepared statement she read before exiting the chamber — reciting a litany of criticisms — basically summed up “a frustration of mine that’s been building.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That frustration, she added, reached a breaking point when the city consistently failed to follow its own processes in recent months and when council meetings became dysfunctional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two surprise departures come after months of particularly contentious council meetings, in which protesters have decried the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11971577/berkeleys-peoples-park-cleared-by-police-7-arrested\">recent police takeover of People’s Park\u003c/a> and demanded that the city adopt a Gaza cease-fire resolution. \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/BerkeleyScanner/status/1752522763674562607\">According to the Berkeley Scanner\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/01/31/berkeley-kate-harrison-council-mayor\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>, Tuesday night’s meeting was tumultuous even before Harrison’s resignation — marked by vocal calls from the public for a Gaza cease-fire resolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Video shows the meeting coming to a halt after Harrison’s announcement, with people in the audience yelling at both the council members and each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The acute cause of Harrison’s brusque departure, she said, was a debate about the use of surveillance cameras in the city. “I was really concerned that we hadn’t done our due diligence,” she said, arguing that even though the city has not yet determined the effectiveness of its one existing camera as a crime prevention tactic, some council members and city staff wanted to expand to 18 more locations without following protocol. She said Councilmember Terry Taplin “kept shouting over me” during the surveillance camera debate and did not stop when asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Women of my age are always intimidated by men, and I’m tired of it,” said Harrison, who has represented downtown and Central Berkeley since 2017. “I really don’t see how we can function in that environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a tweet, Taplin accused Harrison of swearing at him as she left the room — and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TaplinTerry/status/1752713116499288461\">asked\u003c/a> that his endorsement of her for mayor be removed from her website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/annavarmstrongg/status/1752578358192619682\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with the surveillance camera issue, Harrison told KQED about other instances in which she felt things had become dysfunctional on the council. That included the blowback she received after raising concerns about UC Berkeley installing double-high shipping containers around People’s Park earlier this month without acquiring a city permit. And, in a much less high-profile example, she also said the city didn’t follow its own rules about not contracting with companies that work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It became clear that we don’t follow our own processes,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That latter instance, in which the city was required to issue — but did not — a waiver to its policy against doing business with ICE, is “one small example that speaks volumes,” said Berkeley resident Elana Auerbach, who lives in Harrison’s district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Auerbach, who was at Tuesday night’s meeting and has been going to City Council meetings regularly since 2020, said, “It’s gone from bad to worse. It’s so dysfunctional.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can only imagine the frustration of being a part of that body,” in which there is frequently “bad behavior” and people yelling at each other, said Auerbach, who echoed many of Harrison’s concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been grateful to have [Kate] as a council member,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Auerbach said she’s optimistic that with two new council members now slated for later this year and a new mayor in the fall, it could be the shake-up and new blood the city needs. If people vote, she said, “for how things can be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harrison wrote in her prepared letter, and reiterated to KQED, that she feels the council has descended into a competition between members instead of a place for collaboration. “No alternative point of view is acceptable,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/berkeleyside/status/1752567140933341551\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She confirmed that she is still continuing her mayoral campaign “at this time” because she believes that City Hall is out of touch with regular people and thinks the mayor can play an important role in setting agendas and creating a culture of collaboration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That pits her against Councilmember Sophie Hahn, among the five candidates so far running this year to replace current Mayor Jesse Arreguín — who is making a bid for state Senate. \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SophieHahnBerk/status/1752578705816515057\">In a post on X (formerly Twitter)\u003c/a> after Tuesday’s meeting, Hahn made an apparent effort to try to differentiate herself from her rival, proclaiming: “My message to Berkeley today, loud and proud: I LOVE Berkeley and I LOVE serving this community!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, two special elections will now have to be held to fill both Robinson and Harrison’s seats on the council — both seats will remain vacant until then, per city rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials in the mayor’s office confirmed they have not yet received Harrison’s official letter of resignation — though they expect it to be filed this week — and so do not yet have an official final date for her term, which is necessary to set a date for the special election to fill her seat. It will likely be held in mid-May, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/berkeley-district-7-special-election-april-16-2024\">The contest for Robinson’s district has already been set for mid-April\u003c/a>. That district represents the UC Berkeley campus and the area just south of it, and three candidates have already filed to run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two surprise vacancies leave just seven members on the nine-member council for at least the next two months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I see happening in the immediate term is a need to build consensus,” Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani told KQED, “to continue to pass critical items on behalf of our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, any controversial or larger items on the council’s agenda will likely be delayed until after the special elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From my perspective, democracy can be messy,” Kesarwani added. “We don’t always get exactly what we want as individual council members, but I do believe that as a body, we do our best to address the critical issues facing our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Tara Siler contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Kate Harrison, a mayoral candidate, abruptly announced her resignation from the City Council in the middle of Tuesday night’s meeting, just weeks after Rigel Robinson vacated his council seat. Unlike Robinson, Harrison still intends to run for mayor.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Governing in Berkeley suddenly got more complicated with the unexpected resignation of Councilmember Kate Harrison in the middle of Tuesday night’s council meeting. Her departure follows the resignation of Councilmember Rigel Robinson earlier this month — who \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/01/09/rigel-robins-berkeley-resignation-city-council-peoples-park\">cited harassment and threats that made his position untenable\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But while Robinson also ended his run for mayor when he resigned from the council, Harrison — who said she was stepping down because she feels the way the city conducts its business is “broken” — is instead forging ahead with her bid to lead the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t planned,” Harrison told KQED of her dramatic departure on Tuesday night. She explained that the prepared statement she read before exiting the chamber — reciting a litany of criticisms — basically summed up “a frustration of mine that’s been building.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That frustration, she added, reached a breaking point when the city consistently failed to follow its own processes in recent months and when council meetings became dysfunctional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two surprise departures come after months of particularly contentious council meetings, in which protesters have decried the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11971577/berkeleys-peoples-park-cleared-by-police-7-arrested\">recent police takeover of People’s Park\u003c/a> and demanded that the city adopt a Gaza cease-fire resolution. \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/BerkeleyScanner/status/1752522763674562607\">According to the Berkeley Scanner\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/01/31/berkeley-kate-harrison-council-mayor\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>, Tuesday night’s meeting was tumultuous even before Harrison’s resignation — marked by vocal calls from the public for a Gaza cease-fire resolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Video shows the meeting coming to a halt after Harrison’s announcement, with people in the audience yelling at both the council members and each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The acute cause of Harrison’s brusque departure, she said, was a debate about the use of surveillance cameras in the city. “I was really concerned that we hadn’t done our due diligence,” she said, arguing that even though the city has not yet determined the effectiveness of its one existing camera as a crime prevention tactic, some council members and city staff wanted to expand to 18 more locations without following protocol. She said Councilmember Terry Taplin “kept shouting over me” during the surveillance camera debate and did not stop when asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Women of my age are always intimidated by men, and I’m tired of it,” said Harrison, who has represented downtown and Central Berkeley since 2017. “I really don’t see how we can function in that environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a tweet, Taplin accused Harrison of swearing at him as she left the room — and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TaplinTerry/status/1752713116499288461\">asked\u003c/a> that his endorsement of her for mayor be removed from her website.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Along with the surveillance camera issue, Harrison told KQED about other instances in which she felt things had become dysfunctional on the council. That included the blowback she received after raising concerns about UC Berkeley installing double-high shipping containers around People’s Park earlier this month without acquiring a city permit. And, in a much less high-profile example, she also said the city didn’t follow its own rules about not contracting with companies that work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It became clear that we don’t follow our own processes,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That latter instance, in which the city was required to issue — but did not — a waiver to its policy against doing business with ICE, is “one small example that speaks volumes,” said Berkeley resident Elana Auerbach, who lives in Harrison’s district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Auerbach, who was at Tuesday night’s meeting and has been going to City Council meetings regularly since 2020, said, “It’s gone from bad to worse. It’s so dysfunctional.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can only imagine the frustration of being a part of that body,” in which there is frequently “bad behavior” and people yelling at each other, said Auerbach, who echoed many of Harrison’s concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been grateful to have [Kate] as a council member,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Auerbach said she’s optimistic that with two new council members now slated for later this year and a new mayor in the fall, it could be the shake-up and new blood the city needs. If people vote, she said, “for how things can be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harrison wrote in her prepared letter, and reiterated to KQED, that she feels the council has descended into a competition between members instead of a place for collaboration. “No alternative point of view is acceptable,” she said.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>She confirmed that she is still continuing her mayoral campaign “at this time” because she believes that City Hall is out of touch with regular people and thinks the mayor can play an important role in setting agendas and creating a culture of collaboration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That pits her against Councilmember Sophie Hahn, among the five candidates so far running this year to replace current Mayor Jesse Arreguín — who is making a bid for state Senate. \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SophieHahnBerk/status/1752578705816515057\">In a post on X (formerly Twitter)\u003c/a> after Tuesday’s meeting, Hahn made an apparent effort to try to differentiate herself from her rival, proclaiming: “My message to Berkeley today, loud and proud: I LOVE Berkeley and I LOVE serving this community!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, two special elections will now have to be held to fill both Robinson and Harrison’s seats on the council — both seats will remain vacant until then, per city rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials in the mayor’s office confirmed they have not yet received Harrison’s official letter of resignation — though they expect it to be filed this week — and so do not yet have an official final date for her term, which is necessary to set a date for the special election to fill her seat. It will likely be held in mid-May, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/berkeley-district-7-special-election-april-16-2024\">The contest for Robinson’s district has already been set for mid-April\u003c/a>. That district represents the UC Berkeley campus and the area just south of it, and three candidates have already filed to run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two surprise vacancies leave just seven members on the nine-member council for at least the next two months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I see happening in the immediate term is a need to build consensus,” Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani told KQED, “to continue to pass critical items on behalf of our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, any controversial or larger items on the council’s agenda will likely be delayed until after the special elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From my perspective, democracy can be messy,” Kesarwani added. “We don’t always get exactly what we want as individual council members, but I do believe that as a body, we do our best to address the critical issues facing our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Tara Siler contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "7 Years After Lawsuit, Berkeley Schools Slow to Adopt Effective Reading Curriculum",
"headTitle": "7 Years After Lawsuit, Berkeley Schools Slow to Adopt Effective Reading Curriculum | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is a collaboration between EdSource and \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>, a nonprofit online newsroom covering the city of Berkeley. EdSource Reporter John Fensterwald contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How kids are taught to read in Berkeley is slowly starting to shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers are studying the science of reading. More students are learning phonics, sounding out words by letters and syllables. And the school district is screening every student to flag those who may have dyslexia, a learning disorder that causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But these changes didn’t come easily. They are the result of a federal \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2021/07/30/berkeley-unified-school-district-lawsuit-settlement-agreement-reading-dyslexia-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">class-action lawsuit\u003c/a>, \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2017/05/03/lawsuit-says-berkeley-unified-fails-support-students-dyslexia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filed in 2017\u003c/a>, by four families of Berkeley students with dyslexia who claimed the district failed to teach them how to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And though the suit settled in 2021, the district’s method of teaching reading, a balanced literacy curriculum developed by Columbia University Teachers College professor Lucy Calkins called Units of Study, remains in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather than teaching students to sound out letters, the curriculum relies on a method called three-cueing — where students use context clues like pictures to figure out words — that has now been discredited and banned in several states. Some Berkeley teachers still use cueing, while others have dropped the practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Angélica Pérez, reading specialist, Thousand Oaks Elementary\"]‘In my 26 years in education and 15 years in the classroom, I wasn’t so aware of the importance of phonemic awareness.’[/pullquote]Berkeley’s reckoning with how it teaches reading comes as California faces \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/flat-test-scores-leave-california-far-behind-pre-covid-levels-of-achievement/698895\">dismal reading scores\u003c/a> and amid a push for the state to do more to ensure children are taught to read using evidence-based approaches. Last year, over \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/flat-test-scores-leave-california-far-behind-pre-covid-levels-of-achievement/698895\">half of California students and 33% of Berkeley students could not read at grade level\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the wheels are just beginning to turn in a district long devoted to Calkins. Advocates hope that aligning with the science of reading will help close \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/08/30/achievement-gap-berkeley-unified-school-districthttps://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/08/30/achievement-gap-berkeley-unified-school-district\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one of the largest achievement gaps in the country\u003c/a> — last year, 26% of Black students in Berkeley schools met state standards in reading, compared with 83% of white students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Historically, Berkeley has been — and is — widely known for being a balanced literacy district,” Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel said during a November \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.careads.org/summit-recap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">panel discussion\u003c/a> referring to the Calkins teaching method.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973563\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973563\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman stands with her hands raised next to a white woman in a classroom.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enikia Ford Morthel, Berkeley schools superintendent, right. \u003ccite>(Kelly Sullivan / Berkeleyside)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“What we want to be known for is being a district that is disrupting the narrative, disrupting persistent trends and data and really responding to our students,” she said. “This is not just another initiative. This truly is an imperative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some students and parents aren’t yet convinced. Without a firm commitment to adopt a curriculum rooted in the science of reading, they are skeptical that they will see all the changes they believe are long overdue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At some point, you have to take responsibility,” said Rebecca Levenson, a parent of two children with dyslexia. Levenson wasn’t part of the lawsuit against the district, but she believes “it’s important for parents who see their children suffer to use their voice and power to make a difference for other families that are in that same situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11969087,news_11969236,mindshift_62794\" label=\"Related Stories\"]The Berkeley lawsuit was the second filed in California in 2017 over literacy instruction. In the other suit, the public-interest law firm Public Counsel charged on behalf of students in the lowest-performing schools that California had failed to meet their constitutional right to read. Under \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2020/lawsuit-settlement-results-in-50-million-for-reading-programs-in-california-schools/624049\">a $50 million settlement in 2020\u003c/a>, 75 schools received funding and assistance to improve reading instruction. They were encouraged, but not mandated, to select instruction based on the science of reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While a district review of its elementary school literacy curriculum found that Units of Study failed to teach foundational literacy skills like phonics and vocabulary, Ford Morthel has stopped short of calling on the district to drop Lucy Calkins. The district is now beginning the process of adopting a new curriculum for the fall of 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent school board meeting, George Ellis, the court-appointed monitor, hammered home the importance of changing the Calkins curriculum. Without a “sound, comprehensive” core curriculum, he said, “it doesn’t matter what interventions we’re really providing because we’re just filling up holes all over the place, and we’re never going to get caught up here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys and advocates hope the Berkeley lawsuit will spur other school districts to act faster to avoid legal action, accelerating the adoption of the science of reading in California and across the country. But Berkeley’s experience also demonstrates just how many barriers stand in the way of changing reading instruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Berkeley’s reading guru\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Lucy Calkins developed her approach in the 1990s, the balanced literacy teaching method was heralded as a new philosophy of education. Rather than teaching from rigid phonics textbooks, teachers introduced students to an entire library of independent books with the goal of teaching kids to love reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calkins was the “guru of reading for people in Berkeley,” said Maggie Riddle, a former teacher and principal at Berkeley’s Jefferson Elementary, now called Ruth Acty\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>Once Calkins’ approach came to Berkeley, phonics came to be seen as a rote, old-school way of teaching, “dumbing down” instruction. “Berkeley was anti-phonics. One hundred percent,” Riddle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley wasn’t alone in this. Balanced literacy once enjoyed nearly universal popularity. “It was being used in every single Bay Area district,” said Deborah Jacobson, a special education attorney who brought the suit, a federal class action, against the Berkeley district seven years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973568\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973568\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A white woman wearing a black dress sits and looks to the right.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1829\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-800x572.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-2048x1463.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-1920x1372.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Special education attorney Deborah Jacobson photographed at home. Jan. 17, 2024. Jacobson brought up the federal class action lawsuit against the Berkeley school district district in 2017. In 2017, parents sued Berkeley Schools for failing to teach literacy to their students. Six years later, the ‘science of reading’ is finally coming to BUSD amidst a national reckoning over reading instruction. \u003ccite>(Ximena Natera via Berkeleyside/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the approach has fallen under fire amid a national reckoning over reading instruction, with a consensus growing that balanced literacy goes against what we know about how the brain works \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPhH5qXWOi4&feature=youtu.be&themeRefresh=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">when learning to read\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This understanding anchors the \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2022/how-one-california-elementary-school-sees-success-after-overhauling-its-reading-program/668351\">science of reading\u003c/a>, an approach backed by decades of \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/nrp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">exhaustive scientific \u003c/a>research that suggests most children need systematic lessons in phonics, or how to sound out words, as well as other fundamentals, such as building knowledge and vocabulary, to learn to read. Teaching foundational reading skills especially benefits \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/english-learner-and-science-of-reading-advocates-sign-on-to-joint-statement/698233\">English learners\u003c/a>. Advocates say reading is a civil right and phonics helps bring social justice to \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/naacp-targets-a-new-civil-rights-issue-reading/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Black students.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half of states have passed laws requiring schools to \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.apmreports.org/story/2023/05/18/legislators-reading-laws-sold-a-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">align with research-based methods or favoring phonics\u003c/a>. In September, Columbia University cut ties with the\u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-college-to-dissolve-lucy-calkins-reading-and-writing-project/2023/09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Reading and Writing Project\u003c/a> that Calkins led for decades, citing the need to seek out new perspectives. Calkins herself has revised her curriculum to incorporate more explicit instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A decade ago, California adopted a framework for K–12 literacy that encouraged districts to use evidence-based reading instruction, now commonly called the science of reading. But it wasn’t required, and the state didn’t push districts to adopt it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past two years, the state has taken steps toward a literacy plan but continues to leave to districts what curriculum and textbooks to use under a policy of local control. A\u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/california-joins-40-states-in-mandating-dyslexia-screening/2023/07\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> new law passed in the summer will require that all children be screened for dyslexia\u003c/a> and other reading disorders beginning in 2025. And by July 1, California will \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB488\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">require\u003c/a> teacher preparation programs to \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/californias-plan-to-change-literacy-instruction-advances/692569\">provide literacy training\u003c/a> based on the science of reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, advocates say these changes don’t go far enough. The \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hA8IMb9K8RbB3Fk8dAPsTRXeRfMXG5rq/view\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California Early Literacy Coalition\u003c/a> plans to sponsor legislation that would create a comprehensive state literacy plan, mandating training in the science of reading for all teachers, not just new ones, and requiring the use of textbooks rooted in the approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>In Berkeley, lawsuit cast a light\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Berkeley Unified was sued in 2017, Riddle said she saw it as an opportunity. She had moved up through the ranks to become head of K–8 schools and led legal negotiations for the district for two years. “Nobody ever wants the district to be sued, but it cast a light on the needs of kids in reading, especially kids with dyslexia,” Riddle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone saw it that way. It took five years to reach a settlement agreement, and the district’s core curriculum was a sticking point in negotiations. “The resistance was serious, but the lawsuit was serious, too,” Riddle said. During negotiations, the district implemented Fast Track Phonics to get phonics instruction into classrooms, but advocates criticized the decision as putting a Band-Aid on a broken system, leaving the core Calkins curriculum intact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley signed the settlement agreement in 2021 but, due to the pandemic, didn’t start working on implementation until the following year, extending the three-year plan until 2025. Initially, Ellis, the court monitor, criticized the school district and its board for failing to embrace the settlement. And in February, Jacobson said the district had \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/02/16/berkeley-unified-school-district-literacy-settlement-breached-attorneys-say\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">breached the settlement agreement\u003c/a> by moving too slowly but decided not to file a notice in court after district leaders promised action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last year and a half, the district has started taking steps toward the science of reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elementary teachers did a book study of “Shifting the Balance,” an introduction to the science of reading practices. The district implemented a universal screening system to flag students who might have dyslexia and started training literacy coaches to implement phonics-based intervention programs like \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.ortonacademy.org/resources/what-is-the-orton-gillingham-approach/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Orton-Gillingham\u003c/a> and \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://heggerty.org/curriculum/?utm_term=heggerty&utm_campaign=(D)+Branded+-+Search+(CORE)&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=8080130874&hsa_cam=10845962543&hsa_grp=105585801103&hsa_ad=473028550698&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-315916039120&hsa_kw=heggerty&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=CjwKCAiA5L2tBhBTEiwAdSxJX1mS5ejeOZ2dsYKz1Ur4L2K6lvG8gxq1ORYqyfY9BeAHTYzcK-nDhRoCyCYQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heggerty\u003c/a>. The district also established a new department of curriculum and instruction, hired a districtwide literacy specialist, and began developing a multi-tiered system of support for struggling readers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district’s new focus has made a huge difference for some teachers, even those with decades of experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angélica Pérez, a reading specialist at Thousand Oaks Elementary, said though she has known about phonics for years and even taught it, only recently has she received the systematic training she needed to implement it well with struggling readers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In my 26 years in education and 15 years in the classroom, I wasn’t so aware of the importance of phonemic awareness,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The changes have won over some of the district’s critics, including Jacobson. “There is a new sense of urgency with the new administration and a new level of commitment,” Jacobson said. “Every year, the light bulb seems to go on more and more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973565\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973565\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing glasses adjusts papers at a desk while seated.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Angélica Perez’s reading at Thousand Oaks Elementary Schoolroom allows children to explore leisure reading. A longtime reading specialist, Perez uses phonics and phonemics curriculum to help struggling students. Sep 7, 2023. \u003ccite>(Ximena Natera via Berkeleyside/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They have also earned the praise of the teachers’ union president. “There is a systematic plan to make sure our teachers are getting what they need so they can do their jobs best,” said Matt Meyer, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cost to students of the lengthy legal fight\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For families whose children struggle with reading, Berkeley’s decadeslong commitment to balanced literacy came at a price. Many students with dyslexia have either missed out on learning or their parents have paid thousands of dollars in private tutoring to catch them up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After a certain point, the research shows that it becomes unrecoverable,” said Eliza Noh, a Berkeley parent who has a child with dyslexia. “The early years for teaching people how to read are critical.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levenson’s two children, Eva Levenson and Wen Dolphin, both have dyslexia and attended Berkeley schools 18 years apart. However, Eva received private reading intervention, while Wen did not. The family said their experience shows the difference phonics-based intervention can make.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973566\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973566\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"Two white women sit next to each other in a home with a dog resting on the woman's lap to the left.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rebecca Levenson and her youngest daughter Eva photographed at their West Berkeley home. Levenson’s 2 children, Eva and Wen, who is in his late 20s and lives in Colorado, have struggled with dyslexia throughout their academic careers. \u003ccite>(Ximena Natera via Berkeleyside/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dolphin dropped out of school at 15, while Eva, now a sophomore at Berkeley High, takes the same challenging classes as her peers. She began writing for The Jacket, Berkeley High’s student newspaper, and in October, penned \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://berkeleyhighjacket.com/2023/news/busd-maintains-use-of-the-lucy-calkins-reading-curriculum/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an article about the Calkins curriculum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know that my life trajectory could have been very different if I would have had the support that I needed in those really formative years,” Dolphin told a crowd at a Berkeley school board meeting last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Lindsay Nofelt’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia, she shelled out thousands of dollars on a phonics-based intensive reading intervention program. Her son’s reading ability improved quickly, but what took Nofelt longer to piece together was Berkeley’s role in her son’s story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even after listening to Emily Hanford’s podcast “\u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sold a Story\u003c/a>,” which thrust Calkins’ curriculum into the spotlight, she didn’t connect the literacy debate to Berkeley schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought, if Emily Hanford is writing about this and sounds like it’s not serving the needs of the students, then there’s no way that Berkeley Unified school system would use such a discredited curriculum,” Nofelt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973564\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973564\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A group of students sit outside on large amphitheater-style steps in front of an orange building.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lunchtime at Willard Middle School on Aug. 15, 2022. \u003ccite>(Ximena Natera via Berkeleyside/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But over time, Nofelt realized her son wasn’t the only one in Berkeley struggling with reading. As she learned more about the science of reading and the class-action lawsuit, she realized that the kind of reading instruction Hanford described in her podcast was happening in Berkeley. “When I found out they were one and the same, all of the pieces fell into place,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years ago, Nofelt formed \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.readingforberkeley.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reading for Berkeley\u003c/a> to educate parents about early literacy and give them resources to advocate for their children. It’s now a resource that Nofelt wishes she had when trying to help her son — digestible content designed to help families ask questions about their children’s literacy education and support their reading abilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, students with dyslexia and their parents are watching Berkeley closely, their hope resting on the district’s commitment to the science of reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent school board meeting in January, Eva Levenson told the Berkeley school board directors and superintendent that she is still waiting to see a plan that addresses the failure of the district’s core curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t understand what’s in the way of making a shift when, both in other states and locally, districts are able to help kids now. How is it possible we aren’t doing it in Berkeley right now?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Berkeley was sued 7 years ago to change how it teaches reading. Though districts nationwide have embraced a phonics-based curriculum, Berkeley has yet to make the switch.",
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"description": "Berkeley was sued 7 years ago to change how it teaches reading. Though districts nationwide have embraced a phonics-based curriculum, Berkeley has yet to make the switch.",
"title": "7 Years After Lawsuit, Berkeley Schools Slow to Adopt Effective Reading Curriculum | KQED",
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"headline": "7 Years After Lawsuit, Berkeley Schools Slow to Adopt Effective Reading Curriculum",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is a collaboration between EdSource and \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Berkeleyside\u003c/a>, a nonprofit online newsroom covering the city of Berkeley. EdSource Reporter John Fensterwald contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How kids are taught to read in Berkeley is slowly starting to shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers are studying the science of reading. More students are learning phonics, sounding out words by letters and syllables. And the school district is screening every student to flag those who may have dyslexia, a learning disorder that causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But these changes didn’t come easily. They are the result of a federal \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2021/07/30/berkeley-unified-school-district-lawsuit-settlement-agreement-reading-dyslexia-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">class-action lawsuit\u003c/a>, \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2017/05/03/lawsuit-says-berkeley-unified-fails-support-students-dyslexia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filed in 2017\u003c/a>, by four families of Berkeley students with dyslexia who claimed the district failed to teach them how to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And though the suit settled in 2021, the district’s method of teaching reading, a balanced literacy curriculum developed by Columbia University Teachers College professor Lucy Calkins called Units of Study, remains in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather than teaching students to sound out letters, the curriculum relies on a method called three-cueing — where students use context clues like pictures to figure out words — that has now been discredited and banned in several states. Some Berkeley teachers still use cueing, while others have dropped the practice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘In my 26 years in education and 15 years in the classroom, I wasn’t so aware of the importance of phonemic awareness.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Berkeley’s reckoning with how it teaches reading comes as California faces \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/flat-test-scores-leave-california-far-behind-pre-covid-levels-of-achievement/698895\">dismal reading scores\u003c/a> and amid a push for the state to do more to ensure children are taught to read using evidence-based approaches. Last year, over \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/flat-test-scores-leave-california-far-behind-pre-covid-levels-of-achievement/698895\">half of California students and 33% of Berkeley students could not read at grade level\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the wheels are just beginning to turn in a district long devoted to Calkins. Advocates hope that aligning with the science of reading will help close \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/08/30/achievement-gap-berkeley-unified-school-districthttps://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/08/30/achievement-gap-berkeley-unified-school-district\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one of the largest achievement gaps in the country\u003c/a> — last year, 26% of Black students in Berkeley schools met state standards in reading, compared with 83% of white students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Historically, Berkeley has been — and is — widely known for being a balanced literacy district,” Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel said during a November \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.careads.org/summit-recap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">panel discussion\u003c/a> referring to the Calkins teaching method.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973563\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973563\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman stands with her hands raised next to a white woman in a classroom.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/1st-Day-of-Middle-School-10-1-scaled-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enikia Ford Morthel, Berkeley schools superintendent, right. \u003ccite>(Kelly Sullivan / Berkeleyside)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“What we want to be known for is being a district that is disrupting the narrative, disrupting persistent trends and data and really responding to our students,” she said. “This is not just another initiative. This truly is an imperative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some students and parents aren’t yet convinced. Without a firm commitment to adopt a curriculum rooted in the science of reading, they are skeptical that they will see all the changes they believe are long overdue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At some point, you have to take responsibility,” said Rebecca Levenson, a parent of two children with dyslexia. Levenson wasn’t part of the lawsuit against the district, but she believes “it’s important for parents who see their children suffer to use their voice and power to make a difference for other families that are in that same situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Berkeley lawsuit was the second filed in California in 2017 over literacy instruction. In the other suit, the public-interest law firm Public Counsel charged on behalf of students in the lowest-performing schools that California had failed to meet their constitutional right to read. Under \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2020/lawsuit-settlement-results-in-50-million-for-reading-programs-in-california-schools/624049\">a $50 million settlement in 2020\u003c/a>, 75 schools received funding and assistance to improve reading instruction. They were encouraged, but not mandated, to select instruction based on the science of reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While a district review of its elementary school literacy curriculum found that Units of Study failed to teach foundational literacy skills like phonics and vocabulary, Ford Morthel has stopped short of calling on the district to drop Lucy Calkins. The district is now beginning the process of adopting a new curriculum for the fall of 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent school board meeting, George Ellis, the court-appointed monitor, hammered home the importance of changing the Calkins curriculum. Without a “sound, comprehensive” core curriculum, he said, “it doesn’t matter what interventions we’re really providing because we’re just filling up holes all over the place, and we’re never going to get caught up here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorneys and advocates hope the Berkeley lawsuit will spur other school districts to act faster to avoid legal action, accelerating the adoption of the science of reading in California and across the country. But Berkeley’s experience also demonstrates just how many barriers stand in the way of changing reading instruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Berkeley’s reading guru\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Lucy Calkins developed her approach in the 1990s, the balanced literacy teaching method was heralded as a new philosophy of education. Rather than teaching from rigid phonics textbooks, teachers introduced students to an entire library of independent books with the goal of teaching kids to love reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calkins was the “guru of reading for people in Berkeley,” said Maggie Riddle, a former teacher and principal at Berkeley’s Jefferson Elementary, now called Ruth Acty\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>Once Calkins’ approach came to Berkeley, phonics came to be seen as a rote, old-school way of teaching, “dumbing down” instruction. “Berkeley was anti-phonics. One hundred percent,” Riddle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley wasn’t alone in this. Balanced literacy once enjoyed nearly universal popularity. “It was being used in every single Bay Area district,” said Deborah Jacobson, a special education attorney who brought the suit, a federal class action, against the Berkeley district seven years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973568\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973568\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A white woman wearing a black dress sits and looks to the right.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1829\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-800x572.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-2048x1463.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_240117_DYSLEXIA_19-scaled-1-1920x1372.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Special education attorney Deborah Jacobson photographed at home. Jan. 17, 2024. Jacobson brought up the federal class action lawsuit against the Berkeley school district district in 2017. In 2017, parents sued Berkeley Schools for failing to teach literacy to their students. Six years later, the ‘science of reading’ is finally coming to BUSD amidst a national reckoning over reading instruction. \u003ccite>(Ximena Natera via Berkeleyside/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the approach has fallen under fire amid a national reckoning over reading instruction, with a consensus growing that balanced literacy goes against what we know about how the brain works \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPhH5qXWOi4&feature=youtu.be&themeRefresh=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">when learning to read\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This understanding anchors the \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2022/how-one-california-elementary-school-sees-success-after-overhauling-its-reading-program/668351\">science of reading\u003c/a>, an approach backed by decades of \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/nrp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">exhaustive scientific \u003c/a>research that suggests most children need systematic lessons in phonics, or how to sound out words, as well as other fundamentals, such as building knowledge and vocabulary, to learn to read. Teaching foundational reading skills especially benefits \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/english-learner-and-science-of-reading-advocates-sign-on-to-joint-statement/698233\">English learners\u003c/a>. Advocates say reading is a civil right and phonics helps bring social justice to \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/naacp-targets-a-new-civil-rights-issue-reading/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Black students.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half of states have passed laws requiring schools to \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.apmreports.org/story/2023/05/18/legislators-reading-laws-sold-a-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">align with research-based methods or favoring phonics\u003c/a>. In September, Columbia University cut ties with the\u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-college-to-dissolve-lucy-calkins-reading-and-writing-project/2023/09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Reading and Writing Project\u003c/a> that Calkins led for decades, citing the need to seek out new perspectives. Calkins herself has revised her curriculum to incorporate more explicit instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A decade ago, California adopted a framework for K–12 literacy that encouraged districts to use evidence-based reading instruction, now commonly called the science of reading. But it wasn’t required, and the state didn’t push districts to adopt it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past two years, the state has taken steps toward a literacy plan but continues to leave to districts what curriculum and textbooks to use under a policy of local control. A\u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/california-joins-40-states-in-mandating-dyslexia-screening/2023/07\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> new law passed in the summer will require that all children be screened for dyslexia\u003c/a> and other reading disorders beginning in 2025. And by July 1, California will \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB488\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">require\u003c/a> teacher preparation programs to \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2023/californias-plan-to-change-literacy-instruction-advances/692569\">provide literacy training\u003c/a> based on the science of reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, advocates say these changes don’t go far enough. The \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hA8IMb9K8RbB3Fk8dAPsTRXeRfMXG5rq/view\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California Early Literacy Coalition\u003c/a> plans to sponsor legislation that would create a comprehensive state literacy plan, mandating training in the science of reading for all teachers, not just new ones, and requiring the use of textbooks rooted in the approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>In Berkeley, lawsuit cast a light\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When Berkeley Unified was sued in 2017, Riddle said she saw it as an opportunity. She had moved up through the ranks to become head of K–8 schools and led legal negotiations for the district for two years. “Nobody ever wants the district to be sued, but it cast a light on the needs of kids in reading, especially kids with dyslexia,” Riddle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone saw it that way. It took five years to reach a settlement agreement, and the district’s core curriculum was a sticking point in negotiations. “The resistance was serious, but the lawsuit was serious, too,” Riddle said. During negotiations, the district implemented Fast Track Phonics to get phonics instruction into classrooms, but advocates criticized the decision as putting a Band-Aid on a broken system, leaving the core Calkins curriculum intact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley signed the settlement agreement in 2021 but, due to the pandemic, didn’t start working on implementation until the following year, extending the three-year plan until 2025. Initially, Ellis, the court monitor, criticized the school district and its board for failing to embrace the settlement. And in February, Jacobson said the district had \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/02/16/berkeley-unified-school-district-literacy-settlement-breached-attorneys-say\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">breached the settlement agreement\u003c/a> by moving too slowly but decided not to file a notice in court after district leaders promised action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last year and a half, the district has started taking steps toward the science of reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elementary teachers did a book study of “Shifting the Balance,” an introduction to the science of reading practices. The district implemented a universal screening system to flag students who might have dyslexia and started training literacy coaches to implement phonics-based intervention programs like \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.ortonacademy.org/resources/what-is-the-orton-gillingham-approach/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Orton-Gillingham\u003c/a> and \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://heggerty.org/curriculum/?utm_term=heggerty&utm_campaign=(D)+Branded+-+Search+(CORE)&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=8080130874&hsa_cam=10845962543&hsa_grp=105585801103&hsa_ad=473028550698&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-315916039120&hsa_kw=heggerty&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=CjwKCAiA5L2tBhBTEiwAdSxJX1mS5ejeOZ2dsYKz1Ur4L2K6lvG8gxq1ORYqyfY9BeAHTYzcK-nDhRoCyCYQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heggerty\u003c/a>. The district also established a new department of curriculum and instruction, hired a districtwide literacy specialist, and began developing a multi-tiered system of support for struggling readers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district’s new focus has made a huge difference for some teachers, even those with decades of experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angélica Pérez, a reading specialist at Thousand Oaks Elementary, said though she has known about phonics for years and even taught it, only recently has she received the systematic training she needed to implement it well with struggling readers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In my 26 years in education and 15 years in the classroom, I wasn’t so aware of the importance of phonemic awareness,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The changes have won over some of the district’s critics, including Jacobson. “There is a new sense of urgency with the new administration and a new level of commitment,” Jacobson said. “Every year, the light bulb seems to go on more and more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973565\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973565\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing glasses adjusts papers at a desk while seated.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_230906_DYSLEXIA_05-scaled-1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Angélica Perez’s reading at Thousand Oaks Elementary Schoolroom allows children to explore leisure reading. A longtime reading specialist, Perez uses phonics and phonemics curriculum to help struggling students. Sep 7, 2023. \u003ccite>(Ximena Natera via Berkeleyside/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They have also earned the praise of the teachers’ union president. “There is a systematic plan to make sure our teachers are getting what they need so they can do their jobs best,” said Matt Meyer, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cost to students of the lengthy legal fight\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For families whose children struggle with reading, Berkeley’s decadeslong commitment to balanced literacy came at a price. Many students with dyslexia have either missed out on learning or their parents have paid thousands of dollars in private tutoring to catch them up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After a certain point, the research shows that it becomes unrecoverable,” said Eliza Noh, a Berkeley parent who has a child with dyslexia. “The early years for teaching people how to read are critical.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levenson’s two children, Eva Levenson and Wen Dolphin, both have dyslexia and attended Berkeley schools 18 years apart. However, Eva received private reading intervention, while Wen did not. The family said their experience shows the difference phonics-based intervention can make.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973566\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973566\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"Two white women sit next to each other in a home with a dog resting on the woman's lap to the left.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/Natera_231126_DYSLEXIA_10-scaled-1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rebecca Levenson and her youngest daughter Eva photographed at their West Berkeley home. Levenson’s 2 children, Eva and Wen, who is in his late 20s and lives in Colorado, have struggled with dyslexia throughout their academic careers. \u003ccite>(Ximena Natera via Berkeleyside/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dolphin dropped out of school at 15, while Eva, now a sophomore at Berkeley High, takes the same challenging classes as her peers. She began writing for The Jacket, Berkeley High’s student newspaper, and in October, penned \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://berkeleyhighjacket.com/2023/news/busd-maintains-use-of-the-lucy-calkins-reading-curriculum/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an article about the Calkins curriculum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know that my life trajectory could have been very different if I would have had the support that I needed in those really formative years,” Dolphin told a crowd at a Berkeley school board meeting last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Lindsay Nofelt’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia, she shelled out thousands of dollars on a phonics-based intensive reading intervention program. Her son’s reading ability improved quickly, but what took Nofelt longer to piece together was Berkeley’s role in her son’s story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even after listening to Emily Hanford’s podcast “\u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sold a Story\u003c/a>,” which thrust Calkins’ curriculum into the spotlight, she didn’t connect the literacy debate to Berkeley schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought, if Emily Hanford is writing about this and sounds like it’s not serving the needs of the students, then there’s no way that Berkeley Unified school system would use such a discredited curriculum,” Nofelt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973564\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973564\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"A group of students sit outside on large amphitheater-style steps in front of an orange building.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/BUSD_Middle-School_-Willard-Aug-15-22-1-scaled-1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lunchtime at Willard Middle School on Aug. 15, 2022. \u003ccite>(Ximena Natera via Berkeleyside/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But over time, Nofelt realized her son wasn’t the only one in Berkeley struggling with reading. As she learned more about the science of reading and the class-action lawsuit, she realized that the kind of reading instruction Hanford described in her podcast was happening in Berkeley. “When I found out they were one and the same, all of the pieces fell into place,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two years ago, Nofelt formed \u003ca class=\"external\" href=\"https://www.readingforberkeley.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reading for Berkeley\u003c/a> to educate parents about early literacy and give them resources to advocate for their children. It’s now a resource that Nofelt wishes she had when trying to help her son — digestible content designed to help families ask questions about their children’s literacy education and support their reading abilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, students with dyslexia and their parents are watching Berkeley closely, their hope resting on the district’s commitment to the science of reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent school board meeting in January, Eva Levenson told the Berkeley school board directors and superintendent that she is still waiting to see a plan that addresses the failure of the district’s core curriculum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t understand what’s in the way of making a shift when, both in other states and locally, districts are able to help kids now. How is it possible we aren’t doing it in Berkeley right now?”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "UC Berkeley's Promised Supportive Housing in People's Park Still Doesn't Have a Developer",
"headTitle": "UC Berkeley’s Promised Supportive Housing in People’s Park Still Doesn’t Have a Developer | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>As part of its plans to redevelop People’s Park, UC Berkeley has long vowed to build about 100 units of housing for low-income and unhoused people alongside a thousand units for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The developer for the low-income housing, however, exited the project last spring, and the university has not selected a new one to take its place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Resources for Community Development (RCD) left the project just months after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941907/appeals-court-sends-uc-berkeley-back-to-the-drawing-board-on-peoples-park-development\">an appellate court\u003c/a> ruled UC Berkeley couldn’t move forward with construction until it evaluated other possible development sites and assessed potential noise impacts to students and other neighbors as part of its environmental review. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor, UC Berkeley\"]‘As soon as the legal issues are settled, we’ll work to find a developer.’[/pullquote]In a statement, RCD spokesperson Lauren Lyon said the company reallocated its “limited resources to other developments,” citing delays caused by the appellate court decision. She added that the ruling “sets a dangerous precedent for housing development, especially for the creation of new affordable housing which is so desperately needed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s clear that the legal issues have to be addressed, then the developers don’t have to worry about delays,” said Dan Mogulof, the assistant vice chancellor of the university. “As soon as the legal issues are settled, we’ll work to find a developer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appellate court decision stems from a 2021 lawsuit filed by neighbors and activists who were concerned the students and residents in the new housing developments would negatively impact the neighborhood. The university has appealed the case to the state supreme court and is still awaiting a hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision could be affected by legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. AB 1307, written specifically to help UC Berkeley in its quest to build at People’s Park, states that noise generated by a building’s future residents doesn’t qualify as a significant environmental impact and eliminates the need for public universities to consider alternative sites for certain projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley is steadfast in its plan to build the 1,100-unit student housing and 125-unit supportive housing project. The university plans to develop the student housing itself. As for the supportive housing, it plans to offer the land, worth millions of dollars, to a third-party developer at no cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The project is not just about student housing,” Mogulof said. “Supportive housing is an inseparable part of the project. We can find a developer to handle that part of the project.” [aside label='More on People’s Park' tag='peoples-park']UC Berkeley currently provides housing to only 22% of its more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the smallest percentage out of all schools in the UC system. In 2017, the university launched a Student Housing Initiative aiming to add 9,000 student beds. The project on People’s Park is part of that plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan to build housing at People’s Park has support from local city leaders. In December 2021, the City of Berkeley allocated $14 million for the project as part of a package of $67 million that included six other affordable housing developments across the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The proposed student housing is urgently needed to alleviate our housing crisis and the permanent supportive housing at People’s Park will be the most significant homeless services and affordable housing project in the history of the neighborhood,” said former councilmember and mayoral candidate Rigel Robinson, who represents the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Robinson resigned from his seat on the city council and quit the mayoral race after facing harassment, stalking and threats — often from those opposing his position on the park’s development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971863\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971863\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Several people hold signs outdoors.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People demonstrate outside of People’s Park as law enforcement prevent them from entering the premises in Berkeley on Jan. 4, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Generally, I have accepted this as simply being part of the job,” he said in an \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/01/09/opinion-why-i-am-stepping-down-from-the-berkeley-city-council\">op-ed published in Berkeleyside\u003c/a>. “But when these behaviors affect my loved ones, I have to draw the line. It’s time for me to prioritize my well-being and my family.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley offered housing, transportation and social services to unhoused residents of the park, according to Mogulof. Still, the decision to clear People’s Park before the court decided on the case seemed sinister to activists seeking to protect the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lisa Teague, an organizer with the People’s Park Committee said they felt the university was trying to “fake it until they make it” by removing encampments and makeshift tree houses and hoping the state’s supreme court rules in their favor. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Lisa Teague, organizer, People’s Park Committee\"]‘[The university’s] desire to build on People’s Park is stronger than their desire to actually put up student housing. Any other site would have [been built] with relatively little controversy.’[/pullquote]“[The university’s] desire to build on People’s Park is stronger than their desire to actually put up student housing,” Teague said. “Any other site would have [been built] with relatively little controversy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now part of the National Register of Historic Places, People’s Park was the site of anti-war and environmental justice demonstrations in the 1960s and 1970s and has long been a place for homeless residents to camp and find services. Some Berkeley residents worry that history will be erased, despite the university’s promise to create permanent commemorations onsite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harvey Smith, the president of the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group, said the site is an international destination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Our group is] not privileged NIMBY neighbors, we’re people all over Berkeley and California that support People’s Park,” he said. “The issues that the park represents, whether it’s environmental, antiwar or free speech — so much of that is relevant right now to what we’re dealing with today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the university and those hoping to protect the park wait for the court’s decision, the large shipping containers surrounding the site will remain in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They will stay there until construction is finished,” said Mogulof, which could continue for the next several years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Despite throngs of protesters and activists who want to protect People’s Park, UC Berkeley is steadfast in its plan to build thousands of housing units for students and those exiting homelessness. One of those projects still needs a developer. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As part of its plans to redevelop People’s Park, UC Berkeley has long vowed to build about 100 units of housing for low-income and unhoused people alongside a thousand units for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The developer for the low-income housing, however, exited the project last spring, and the university has not selected a new one to take its place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Resources for Community Development (RCD) left the project just months after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941907/appeals-court-sends-uc-berkeley-back-to-the-drawing-board-on-peoples-park-development\">an appellate court\u003c/a> ruled UC Berkeley couldn’t move forward with construction until it evaluated other possible development sites and assessed potential noise impacts to students and other neighbors as part of its environmental review. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In a statement, RCD spokesperson Lauren Lyon said the company reallocated its “limited resources to other developments,” citing delays caused by the appellate court decision. She added that the ruling “sets a dangerous precedent for housing development, especially for the creation of new affordable housing which is so desperately needed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s clear that the legal issues have to be addressed, then the developers don’t have to worry about delays,” said Dan Mogulof, the assistant vice chancellor of the university. “As soon as the legal issues are settled, we’ll work to find a developer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appellate court decision stems from a 2021 lawsuit filed by neighbors and activists who were concerned the students and residents in the new housing developments would negatively impact the neighborhood. The university has appealed the case to the state supreme court and is still awaiting a hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision could be affected by legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. AB 1307, written specifically to help UC Berkeley in its quest to build at People’s Park, states that noise generated by a building’s future residents doesn’t qualify as a significant environmental impact and eliminates the need for public universities to consider alternative sites for certain projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley is steadfast in its plan to build the 1,100-unit student housing and 125-unit supportive housing project. The university plans to develop the student housing itself. As for the supportive housing, it plans to offer the land, worth millions of dollars, to a third-party developer at no cost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The project is not just about student housing,” Mogulof said. “Supportive housing is an inseparable part of the project. We can find a developer to handle that part of the project.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>UC Berkeley currently provides housing to only 22% of its more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the smallest percentage out of all schools in the UC system. In 2017, the university launched a Student Housing Initiative aiming to add 9,000 student beds. The project on People’s Park is part of that plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan to build housing at People’s Park has support from local city leaders. In December 2021, the City of Berkeley allocated $14 million for the project as part of a package of $67 million that included six other affordable housing developments across the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The proposed student housing is urgently needed to alleviate our housing crisis and the permanent supportive housing at People’s Park will be the most significant homeless services and affordable housing project in the history of the neighborhood,” said former councilmember and mayoral candidate Rigel Robinson, who represents the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Robinson resigned from his seat on the city council and quit the mayoral race after facing harassment, stalking and threats — often from those opposing his position on the park’s development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971863\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971863\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Several people hold signs outdoors.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240104-PEOPLES-PARK-MD-17-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People demonstrate outside of People’s Park as law enforcement prevent them from entering the premises in Berkeley on Jan. 4, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Generally, I have accepted this as simply being part of the job,” he said in an \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/01/09/opinion-why-i-am-stepping-down-from-the-berkeley-city-council\">op-ed published in Berkeleyside\u003c/a>. “But when these behaviors affect my loved ones, I have to draw the line. It’s time for me to prioritize my well-being and my family.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley offered housing, transportation and social services to unhoused residents of the park, according to Mogulof. Still, the decision to clear People’s Park before the court decided on the case seemed sinister to activists seeking to protect the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lisa Teague, an organizer with the People’s Park Committee said they felt the university was trying to “fake it until they make it” by removing encampments and makeshift tree houses and hoping the state’s supreme court rules in their favor. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“[The university’s] desire to build on People’s Park is stronger than their desire to actually put up student housing,” Teague said. “Any other site would have [been built] with relatively little controversy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now part of the National Register of Historic Places, People’s Park was the site of anti-war and environmental justice demonstrations in the 1960s and 1970s and has long been a place for homeless residents to camp and find services. Some Berkeley residents worry that history will be erased, despite the university’s promise to create permanent commemorations onsite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harvey Smith, the president of the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group, said the site is an international destination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Our group is] not privileged NIMBY neighbors, we’re people all over Berkeley and California that support People’s Park,” he said. “The issues that the park represents, whether it’s environmental, antiwar or free speech — so much of that is relevant right now to what we’re dealing with today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the university and those hoping to protect the park wait for the court’s decision, the large shipping containers surrounding the site will remain in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They will stay there until construction is finished,” said Mogulof, which could continue for the next several years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>When protesters gathered last week at People’s Park, facing law enforcement officials in riot gear, Lev Marcus’s voice was one of the loudest in the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a Berkeley kid, Marcus grew up with People’s Park as part of his cultural identity. “People’s Park is definitely a special place,” the 28-year-old said.\u003cbr>\n[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Nick Grosh, UC Berkeley student and chair of the student government’s Housing Commission\"] ‘I think that there is a future where there could be housing on People’s Park if it’s done right. But the way the university is going about it is, I think it’s the wrong way to do it.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly a dozen activists protesting a yearslong effort to build new student housing there were arrested last week as law enforcement cleared the site and crews walled it off with a barricade of shipping containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s only the latest flashpoint for a historic park that has been the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13917145/a-brief-history-battle-peoples-park-berkeley-protests\">site of controversy for over 50 years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The University of California \u003ca href=\"https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/peoplespark/home\">bought the lot\u003c/a> where the park now sits in the late ’60s, knocked down a few buildings, then ran out of money for development. The land became a dump, full of trash and abandoned cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11972289\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11972289 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"People's Park in Berkeley on July 28, 1972.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-800x521.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-1020x665.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-1536x1001.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-1920x1251.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People’s Park in Berkeley on July 28, 1972. \u003ccite>(Jim Edelen/Bay Area News Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1969, residents turned it into a park. They planted trees, made artwork and held anti-war protests. Marcus’s parents were among them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a place I heard about growing up. It was where my parents’ generation did a lot of their protesting,” he said.[aside postID=arts_13917145]When the University fought to reclaim the land, a confrontation between protestors and law enforcement broke out that came to be known as Bloody Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s deputies killed one man, another was blinded. Then-Gov. Ronald Reagan declared a state of emergency in Berkeley and sent in 2,000 National Guard troops, who stayed more than two weeks. A curfew was imposed and tear gas filled the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971937\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971937\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-514677964-800x538-1.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white photo of several people running on a street with smoke behind them.\" width=\"800\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-514677964-800x538-1.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-514677964-800x538-1-160x108.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">1969: Demonstrators running from tear gas deployed by police during a protest over People’s Park. \u003ccite>(Bettmann/Getty Images Contributor)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the decades since tensions over control of the park have continued. The park has recently been home to a community garden and kitchen. Unhoused people have long camped in the park, and it’s been a hub for homeless services. University officials say there’s been an \u003ca href=\"https://peoplesparkhousing.berkeley.edu/safety#:~:text=Criminal%20activity%20at%20the%20park,been%20charged%20with%20attempted%20murder.\">increase in criminal activity\u003c/a>. Still, it’s remained an important gathering place for Berkeleyites like Lev Marcus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a place where I’ve met a lot of really cool, interesting people that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise,” he said. It’s where he started playing chess during the pandemic, a hobby he keeps up. “The park has always been a place for outsiders,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1vWqNPrRyl/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People’s Park is now \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm\">on the National Register of Historic Places\u003c/a>. But California has a dire housing shortage, and students aren’t immune.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/food-and-housing-survey\">recent survey\u003c/a> from the California Student Aid Commission found over half of college students who applied for financial aid don’t have secure housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley’s response to the crisis calls for adding more than 9,000 new beds for students, said Kyle Gibson, director of communications for the university.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of that effort, the university has been trying to build a student housing complex on People’s Park \u003ca href=\"https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/peoplespark/history_aftermath\">since 2018\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking at taking more than just 1,100 students with this project alone out of the private Berkeley rental market,” Gibson said. “So that not only helps our students but helps free up over a thousand units of housing for the broader Berkeley community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There will also be permanent supportive housing for about \u003ca href=\"https://peoplesparkhousing.berkeley.edu/\">100 unhoused people\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley third-year Nick Grosh thinks a lot about his classmates’ housing needs as chair of the student government’s \u003ca href=\"https://housingcomm.berkeley.edu/about/\">Housing Commission\u003c/a>. But he has reservations about this project.[aside tag=\"berkeley, housing\" label=\"More Related Stories\"]“Just because I’m in support of student housing…it doesn’t mean that all student housing, no matter the context, is good,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grosh says he would have liked to see the university do more to include community input in the process. And he’s concerned that the new student housing might not wind up being affordable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that there is a future where there could be housing on People’s Park if it’s done right,” he said. “But the way the university is going about it is, I think it’s the wrong way to do it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The university’s Gibson counters that extensive community outreach informed the final shape of the housing project and said all school housing is below market rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They plan to keep two-thirds of the site as a public park. But objectors say it won’t be the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the university prepares the lot for development, it’s blocked from beginning construction by an ongoing lawsuit in the state Supreme Court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly a dozen activists protesting a yearslong effort to build new student housing there were arrested last week as law enforcement cleared the site and crews walled it off with a barricade of shipping containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s only the latest flashpoint for a historic park that has been the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13917145/a-brief-history-battle-peoples-park-berkeley-protests\">site of controversy for over 50 years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The University of California \u003ca href=\"https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/peoplespark/home\">bought the lot\u003c/a> where the park now sits in the late ’60s, knocked down a few buildings, then ran out of money for development. The land became a dump, full of trash and abandoned cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11972289\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11972289 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"People's Park in Berkeley on July 28, 1972.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-800x521.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-1020x665.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-1536x1001.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240110-PEOPLES-PARK-ARCHIVAL-01-KQED-1920x1251.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People’s Park in Berkeley on July 28, 1972. \u003ccite>(Jim Edelen/Bay Area News Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In 1969, residents turned it into a park. They planted trees, made artwork and held anti-war protests. Marcus’s parents were among them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a place I heard about growing up. It was where my parents’ generation did a lot of their protesting,” he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>When the University fought to reclaim the land, a confrontation between protestors and law enforcement broke out that came to be known as Bloody Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s deputies killed one man, another was blinded. Then-Gov. Ronald Reagan declared a state of emergency in Berkeley and sent in 2,000 National Guard troops, who stayed more than two weeks. A curfew was imposed and tear gas filled the streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971937\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971937\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-514677964-800x538-1.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white photo of several people running on a street with smoke behind them.\" width=\"800\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-514677964-800x538-1.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/GettyImages-514677964-800x538-1-160x108.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">1969: Demonstrators running from tear gas deployed by police during a protest over People’s Park. \u003ccite>(Bettmann/Getty Images Contributor)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the decades since tensions over control of the park have continued. The park has recently been home to a community garden and kitchen. Unhoused people have long camped in the park, and it’s been a hub for homeless services. University officials say there’s been an \u003ca href=\"https://peoplesparkhousing.berkeley.edu/safety#:~:text=Criminal%20activity%20at%20the%20park,been%20charged%20with%20attempted%20murder.\">increase in criminal activity\u003c/a>. Still, it’s remained an important gathering place for Berkeleyites like Lev Marcus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a place where I’ve met a lot of really cool, interesting people that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise,” he said. It’s where he started playing chess during the pandemic, a hobby he keeps up. “The park has always been a place for outsiders,” he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>People’s Park is now \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm\">on the National Register of Historic Places\u003c/a>. But California has a dire housing shortage, and students aren’t immune.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/food-and-housing-survey\">recent survey\u003c/a> from the California Student Aid Commission found over half of college students who applied for financial aid don’t have secure housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley’s response to the crisis calls for adding more than 9,000 new beds for students, said Kyle Gibson, director of communications for the university.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of that effort, the university has been trying to build a student housing complex on People’s Park \u003ca href=\"https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/peoplespark/history_aftermath\">since 2018\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re looking at taking more than just 1,100 students with this project alone out of the private Berkeley rental market,” Gibson said. “So that not only helps our students but helps free up over a thousand units of housing for the broader Berkeley community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There will also be permanent supportive housing for about \u003ca href=\"https://peoplesparkhousing.berkeley.edu/\">100 unhoused people\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UC Berkeley third-year Nick Grosh thinks a lot about his classmates’ housing needs as chair of the student government’s \u003ca href=\"https://housingcomm.berkeley.edu/about/\">Housing Commission\u003c/a>. But he has reservations about this project.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Just because I’m in support of student housing…it doesn’t mean that all student housing, no matter the context, is good,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grosh says he would have liked to see the university do more to include community input in the process. And he’s concerned that the new student housing might not wind up being affordable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that there is a future where there could be housing on People’s Park if it’s done right,” he said. “But the way the university is going about it is, I think it’s the wrong way to do it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The university’s Gibson counters that extensive community outreach informed the final shape of the housing project and said all school housing is below market rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They plan to keep two-thirds of the site as a public park. But objectors say it won’t be the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the university prepares the lot for development, it’s blocked from beginning construction by an ongoing lawsuit in the state Supreme Court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Berkeley’s plan to remove two unhoused people living in tents on Eighth Street can move forward, after the city agreed to place them in shelter that is accessible to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LeWanda Parnell, 69, and Mike Douglas, 62, filed suit against the city earlier this month, after the city posted notices that it planned to remove the people living at Eighth and Harrison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judge Edward Chen ruled Thursday that Parnell could not be removed from her spot until grab bars were installed in the bathroom in the motel room where the city offered her shelter. In the complaint filed Dec. 11, Parnell stated she has a physical disability and experiences frequent falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen also gave Douglas until Dec. 25 to move, after ruling that the city’s offer of a motel room was adequately accessible. Chen instructed the city attorney to ensure that a list of rules was provided to Douglas within 24 hours. Previously, Douglas had been kicked out of a city-run shelter for breaking rules he said he was unaware of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thursday’s decision came after a hearing earlier in the week, where Chen ordered both sides to attempt to resolve the issue out of court and then reconvene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the heart of both plaintiffs’ arguments was the nature of accessibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11941975,news_11958939,news_11960819]“This program is not accessible if somebody’s mental health disorder results in them, you know, not being able to abide by the rules and then get kicked out immediately,” said EmilyRose Johns, an attorney who appeared on behalf of Parnell and Douglas at the hearing. “An unaccessible room is not an available shelter room, unless and until it is accessible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the judge’s ruling, both Parnell and Douglas weren’t sure if they would accept the rooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re basically telling us we’re doing the best we can, and if we fall into the cracks it’s OK,” Douglas said. At issue for Douglas was also a deep distrust of the city. He said he was hesitant to take the room because he was worried about being kicked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Parnell, not being able to cook her own food and not being able to have her grandkids or other visitors were possible deal-breakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“God willing — I never plan — I’m gonna take one day at a time,” Parnell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Parnell and Douglas are also part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/parnell-et-al-v-city-of-berkeley.pdf\">a related class action lawsuit (PDF)\u003c/a> that was filed against Berkeley in September, blocking the city’s planned removal of 42 people in a larger encampment at Eighth and Harrison streets and along surrounding streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That case broadly addresses the city’s practices of how it conducts sweeps of homeless encampments, with a focus on the needs of unhoused people with mental and physical disabilities. The suit seeks to challenge how and when residents are given notice of a planned camp closure, the dumping or destruction of peoples’ belongings, the accessibility of available shelter and the presence of mental health liaisons during these actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That case and an update on the status of the room offered to Parnell will be addressed at a hearing set for Jan. 11.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Berkeley’s plan to remove two unhoused people living in tents on Eighth Street can move forward, after the city agreed to place them in shelter that is accessible to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LeWanda Parnell, 69, and Mike Douglas, 62, filed suit against the city earlier this month, after the city posted notices that it planned to remove the people living at Eighth and Harrison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judge Edward Chen ruled Thursday that Parnell could not be removed from her spot until grab bars were installed in the bathroom in the motel room where the city offered her shelter. In the complaint filed Dec. 11, Parnell stated she has a physical disability and experiences frequent falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen also gave Douglas until Dec. 25 to move, after ruling that the city’s offer of a motel room was adequately accessible. Chen instructed the city attorney to ensure that a list of rules was provided to Douglas within 24 hours. Previously, Douglas had been kicked out of a city-run shelter for breaking rules he said he was unaware of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thursday’s decision came after a hearing earlier in the week, where Chen ordered both sides to attempt to resolve the issue out of court and then reconvene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the heart of both plaintiffs’ arguments was the nature of accessibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“This program is not accessible if somebody’s mental health disorder results in them, you know, not being able to abide by the rules and then get kicked out immediately,” said EmilyRose Johns, an attorney who appeared on behalf of Parnell and Douglas at the hearing. “An unaccessible room is not an available shelter room, unless and until it is accessible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the judge’s ruling, both Parnell and Douglas weren’t sure if they would accept the rooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re basically telling us we’re doing the best we can, and if we fall into the cracks it’s OK,” Douglas said. At issue for Douglas was also a deep distrust of the city. He said he was hesitant to take the room because he was worried about being kicked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Parnell, not being able to cook her own food and not being able to have her grandkids or other visitors were possible deal-breakers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“God willing — I never plan — I’m gonna take one day at a time,” Parnell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Parnell and Douglas are also part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/parnell-et-al-v-city-of-berkeley.pdf\">a related class action lawsuit (PDF)\u003c/a> that was filed against Berkeley in September, blocking the city’s planned removal of 42 people in a larger encampment at Eighth and Harrison streets and along surrounding streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That case broadly addresses the city’s practices of how it conducts sweeps of homeless encampments, with a focus on the needs of unhoused people with mental and physical disabilities. The suit seeks to challenge how and when residents are given notice of a planned camp closure, the dumping or destruction of peoples’ belongings, the accessibility of available shelter and the presence of mental health liaisons during these actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That case and an update on the status of the room offered to Parnell will be addressed at a hearing set for Jan. 11.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "connecting-climbers-with-the-native-history-of-indian-and-mortar-rocks",
"title": "Connecting Climbers with the Native History of Indian and Mortar Rocks",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nestled in the Berkeley Hills, Indian and Mortar rocks are popular hangout spots known in part for epic views of the Bay. For climbers like Berkeleyside reporter Ally Markovich, they’re known for their outsized role in the development of bouldering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for the native Ohlone, the boulders are a symbol of a destroyed cultural landscape, and an urgent call to protect native history.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC6238199084\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Links:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Part I: \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/12/06/indian-rock-mortar-rock-berkeley-ohlone-indigenous-history\">The stories Indian and Mortar rocks can tell us\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Part II: \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/12/07/rock-climbing-indian-rock-mortar-rock\">How Berkeley’s famous boulders took rock climbing to new heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and welcome to the Bay. Local News to Keep You Rooted. Growing up, Ally Markovich loved to climb things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I was always scrambling on trees and rocks. And yeah, one of my first dream jobs is to be a tree climber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>For Ally, now a reporter with Berkeleyside climbing was a gateway to the outdoors. So about five years ago, she got into climbing as a sport. She loved the way that her body felt moving in all these new ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I love this sense of achievement. When I succeeded at a climb that I couldn’t even start a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s a huge part of my life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Some of Ally’s favorite spots to climb are Indian and mortar rocks, these famous boulders tucked into an upscale residential neighborhood in Berkeley. Dozens of people visit the rocks every day for the breathtaking views of the Bay Area from the top. And lots of climbers like Ali go there to grab the same holds that legends of the sport once did. These rocks are sacred not just for climbers, but for native communities who have made the Bay Area home for thousands of years. Even though that cultural significance is rarely recognized by those who visit. For native people, the invisible history of the rocks is representative of a destroyed cultural landscape worth protecting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Indigenous people have for a long time been excluded from telling the story of Berkeley and of Indian and water rocks. And yet through that there’s their incredible resistance and survival, and they’re still here and fighting for their rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we’ll talk with Ally Markovich about her two part series for Berkeley Side on the native history of Indian and water rocks and the role that climbers like her can play in helping to remember it. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So I’ve been to Indian Rock to hang out with my friends before, as many people do. But for those who maybe aren’t familiar, can you describe these rocks and where they are?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Indian and mortar rocks are a handful of boulders nestled into a prestigious neighborhood near the base of the Berkeley Hills. They’re not too much taller than the houses nearby, but from the top of Indian rock, you have this super beautiful view of the bay. It feels like you can see everything. The Golden Gate Bridge, the cranes in West Oakland Mountain. It’s that view that draws so many people to the rocks. It’s just one of those iconic Berkeley places. Like if you live in the East Bay, chances are you visited Indian Rock to watch the sunset. Maybe you shared Cheeseboard pizza like me with your friends at the top. And it’s also an extremely popular motoring destination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What is the allure of these rocks in the climbing community specifically?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>It’s like a rare spot where there’s like really good solid rock climbing, even though it’s in a small space, right in a city. And it’s not that hard to get to A lot of climbing. Legends have climbed here, starting in about in the 1930s. People will definitely recognize Alex Honnold. People like Dave and Brad and Dick Leonard, who end up leading the Sierra Club in the thirties. A lot of techniques around safety that actually engendered a lot of the ambitious, roped climbing in Yosemite sort of started at Indian Rock, and then later the sport of climbing in general began to transition to something much more powerful and dynamic, and the dynamism became defining elements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>And one of the places that that happened was in the shift of climbers from Indian Rock across the street to murder rock. And I think it remains a really important goalpost for climbers. But there’s also the like, spirit of the place or something like a little something a little bit more magical, like guidebooks call the rocks, the heart and soul of Bay Area climbing, or also heard the granddaddy of Bay area climbing. And I think that combination captures it. And it’s the kind of place that a lot of climbers devote their lives to. So I think there’s something about them that inspire this. Kind of devotional level of commitment to the rocks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m curious what role they’ve played in your climbing journey over the years. I mean, are they places you you frequent as a as a climber?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I climb there a lot during the pandemic when climbing gyms closed. And so it became during that time an important place of respect for me and a place that I could connect with my friends, connect with nature. And Indian Rock was one of those places where I could find those special, momentary, fleeting connections with people I didn’t know, which I really loved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It sounds like it’s been a big part of your life as a climber, especially in the last couple of years and as someone living in Berkeley. How then did you start reporting on this longer storied history of these rocks beyond the climbing world?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>In some ways I started with an obvious question, which was Why is this place called Indian Rock? I wanted to know what a lot of people thought of the rock climbers. I wondered whether a lot of people thought that coming on these rocks was problematic. I also wanted to know about the space in general. Like, why? Why the rocks became parks? Who made them? Yeah. But those are some of the questions that I started off with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And also, like, what what exactly, I guess, is the the significance of these rocks to Native folks? What did you learn about the role that these rocks have played in the lives of the native communities in the Bay Area?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>So I learned that the rocks are a link between the past and the present for a many people who have made the Bay Area home for thousands of years, or, as I’d say, since time immemorial or the beginning of the world. And it remains a place of cultural significance to a lot of people. Today, I got to be immersed in an entire world view. One aspect of that is many. Aloni like many indigenous people, see things in the natural world like rocks as living beings with a life of their own, a personality of their own. They see them as ancestors or relatives. That’s something that I already really. Felt in some ways being an Indian rock. That’s what drew me to this story, this feeling that there was like more here than just a rock. But learning about the indigenous perspective on that was really powerful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Can you tell me who you met to sort of help you learn about this native history? And what are some of the things that they told you about their connections to these rocks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Two of the women I met were Monica Arellano and Gloria Arellano Gomez. Monicas the vice chair of the Maloney Tribe, and Gloria is her sister and a former council member of the tribe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Monica Arellano: \u003c/strong>They were used to processed plant meat and fish. Are people gathered? And why are there so many of the mortars? And in one location? Because it was like a social gathering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>They brought their three children to the rocks who immediately just disappeared into the park, running around, exploring, doing kid things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Monica Arellano: \u003c/strong>They don’t even realize how special this site is. Right. Yeah. The spiritual elements, I guess you could say to an otro significant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>There is a powerful moment in the story when Monica sees herself and her family reflected there and how a lonely ancestors might have also spent time in that same place. Families talking, preparing food while their children scamper around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Monica Arellano: \u003c/strong>It’s like, Wow, you know, our ancestors walked through here. They use this as a processing location. They visited, you know, just like our children are running around right now. You know, our ancestors, the little children riding around. So to have that, you know, that kind of reflection, it just like, I don’t know, it makes me emotional, you know? And I appreciate that. It’s still here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So many people visit these rocks every day in Berkeley. And this native history doesn’t always necessarily feel present. So why don’t you think more people know about it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Indigenous people have for a long time been excluded from telling the story of Berkeley and of Indian and mortar rocks. I think the names are actually really emblematic of the attempts to erase the indigenous people from the stories. If you think about a name like Indian Rock, it couldn’t be more inaccurate or anonymous. California was densely populated with diverse groups of indigenous people with different traditions and stories and cultures, and then settlers slapped on Indian Rock, eclipsing all of those rich histories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Corrina Gould: \u003c/strong>How do we figure out how to take care of these special places?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I also met Corrina Gould at the Rocks. Corrina leads the Confederated Villages of Legion and this Great Land Trust. She says Berkeley grew up without us here for the most part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Corrina Gould: \u003c/strong>How do we know how to ask permission as guests on this land?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I think you’re right. Visitors really rarely engage with native history at the parks, beyond on site parks, if they even pay attention to that. But I think what’s missing from that story is the living culture of the Yellowknife people. They’re current. They’re very much alive. Not in the past. I think people don’t recognize the ongoing development of the culture that exists today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What does it meant that the native significance has not been recognized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Historically when climbers are practicing the techniques that they were developing in the thirties and forties. That was in some ways a time when more of a damage happened to the rock. So, for example, hammering in nails called pitons into the rocks repeatedly would scar out a crack and widen it. So that’s an example of the kind of damage that is, I wouldn’t say widespread at the rocks, but is there for sure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>So I think one of the products of people’s ignorance is that if they’re engaging with the waters at all, non-Indigenous people are often doing so without understanding their significance to Indigenous people and the rich history that preceded them. So when I started reporting this story, someone or many people maybe had been grinding in the mortars. Some native people consider that to be desecration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Corrina Gould: \u003c/strong>If this was a church for a synagogue, something like that, that happened, maybe use that as though it was a hate crime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Corrina had heard that the mortars had been damaged. And when we got there, she made a beeline for the mortars around the back of modern Rock Park. And and when she saw the damage, she called it a huge wound. This is the first 10 minutes of us meeting each other, and it introduced me to her view of Indian and mortar rocks as a sacred place. I think it’s notable that at the top of Indian rock, that beautiful view we all enjoy is a view of what Karina called the Western gate, where the Golden Gate Bridge now is. As Corrina said, the WHO channel only saw that as the end of their world. And in the religion, she said, spirits leave the world through the western gate. So it’s really notable that that’s a place that gives access to that view, and maybe in part because of that is a spiritual place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, I’m wondering, Ally, how would people like Corrina and Monica like to see the native significance of these rocks honored? Like, what would that look like exactly for them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Monica Arellano said that she would love to see the park renamed by the city in the ten year old only language as opposed to having it be called the murder rock. She also talked about wanting to add more prominent signage. She does like it’s hard for people to realize and have appreciation for the cultural significance of the place. For Corrina, she would prefer a place that references the area’s significance as a sacred place. And one thing that she talked about was what it might be like to hold private ceremonies at Indian Rock. You know, for there to be a time where she and other native people could gather when the park was closed to the general public and, you know, renew the relationship with that area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Oh, I want to move on to kind of come back to you as a reporter, but also as a climber and someone who has an appreciation and a reverence for these rocks. I mean, you did all this reporting for over a year. Is it fair to say your reporting has changed your relationship with these rocks and to climbing as well?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>It has. I think climbers are really good at seeing a lot of aspects of the rock that are invisible to other people, like they’re good at making out a route out of just what someone else looks like, a sheer wall face. You know, they’re really good at knowing just the right way to tell whether a hold is going to crumble out from under them and they shouldn’t touch it or whether it’s strong. But what I think that we are not as good at as climbers is listening to the other stories that the rocks are telling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Something that I love about Corrina Gould said was The Rocks will tell us these stories if we listen to them. And I think it’s made me try to be more attuned to the other stories of not only Indian and water rocks, but of the other places that I’m climbing. On a broader scale. It’s not just Indian rock. It’s in too many indigenous people. It’s an entire sacred landscape, right, that’s been developed into these bustling cities that so many of us love and that we call home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>And so I think like how we engage with the significance of a place like Indian and mortar rock in some ways begs the question of, like, how do we engage with our cities, given the fact that these are really significant landscapes as a whole to native people that have been in many ways taken over?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Ally, I really appreciate you for sharing your story with us and your reporting as well. Thank you so much for for joining us on the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Yeah, thank you for having me. I really enjoyed the conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Ally Markovich, a reporter for Berkeleyside. By the way, if you want to read Ally’s two part series for Berkeley side on Indian and Mortar rocks, I’ll leave you link to the stories in our show news. This conversation with Ally was cut down and edited by producer Maria Esquinca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’re getting help this week from Adhiti Bandlamudi, who scored this episode and added all the tape. Additional production support from me. If you like this episode, send it to one other person. Word of mouth is one of the best ways that you can help us grow our show. The Bay is a production of member supported people powered KQED. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Connecting Climbers with the Native History of Indian and Mortar Rocks | KQED",
"description": "View the full episode transcript. Nestled in the Berkeley Hills, Indian and Mortar rocks are popular hangout spots known in part for epic views of the Bay. For climbers like Berkeleyside reporter Ally Markovich, they’re known for their outsized role in the development of bouldering. But for the native Ohlone, the boulders are a symbol",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nestled in the Berkeley Hills, Indian and Mortar rocks are popular hangout spots known in part for epic views of the Bay. For climbers like Berkeleyside reporter Ally Markovich, they’re known for their outsized role in the development of bouldering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for the native Ohlone, the boulders are a symbol of a destroyed cultural landscape, and an urgent call to protect native history.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC6238199084\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Links:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Part I: \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/12/06/indian-rock-mortar-rock-berkeley-ohlone-indigenous-history\">The stories Indian and Mortar rocks can tell us\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Part II: \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/12/07/rock-climbing-indian-rock-mortar-rock\">How Berkeley’s famous boulders took rock climbing to new heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and welcome to the Bay. Local News to Keep You Rooted. Growing up, Ally Markovich loved to climb things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I was always scrambling on trees and rocks. And yeah, one of my first dream jobs is to be a tree climber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>For Ally, now a reporter with Berkeleyside climbing was a gateway to the outdoors. So about five years ago, she got into climbing as a sport. She loved the way that her body felt moving in all these new ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I love this sense of achievement. When I succeeded at a climb that I couldn’t even start a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s a huge part of my life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Some of Ally’s favorite spots to climb are Indian and mortar rocks, these famous boulders tucked into an upscale residential neighborhood in Berkeley. Dozens of people visit the rocks every day for the breathtaking views of the Bay Area from the top. And lots of climbers like Ali go there to grab the same holds that legends of the sport once did. These rocks are sacred not just for climbers, but for native communities who have made the Bay Area home for thousands of years. Even though that cultural significance is rarely recognized by those who visit. For native people, the invisible history of the rocks is representative of a destroyed cultural landscape worth protecting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Indigenous people have for a long time been excluded from telling the story of Berkeley and of Indian and water rocks. And yet through that there’s their incredible resistance and survival, and they’re still here and fighting for their rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we’ll talk with Ally Markovich about her two part series for Berkeley Side on the native history of Indian and water rocks and the role that climbers like her can play in helping to remember it. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So I’ve been to Indian Rock to hang out with my friends before, as many people do. But for those who maybe aren’t familiar, can you describe these rocks and where they are?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Indian and mortar rocks are a handful of boulders nestled into a prestigious neighborhood near the base of the Berkeley Hills. They’re not too much taller than the houses nearby, but from the top of Indian rock, you have this super beautiful view of the bay. It feels like you can see everything. The Golden Gate Bridge, the cranes in West Oakland Mountain. It’s that view that draws so many people to the rocks. It’s just one of those iconic Berkeley places. Like if you live in the East Bay, chances are you visited Indian Rock to watch the sunset. Maybe you shared Cheeseboard pizza like me with your friends at the top. And it’s also an extremely popular motoring destination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What is the allure of these rocks in the climbing community specifically?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>It’s like a rare spot where there’s like really good solid rock climbing, even though it’s in a small space, right in a city. And it’s not that hard to get to A lot of climbing. Legends have climbed here, starting in about in the 1930s. People will definitely recognize Alex Honnold. People like Dave and Brad and Dick Leonard, who end up leading the Sierra Club in the thirties. A lot of techniques around safety that actually engendered a lot of the ambitious, roped climbing in Yosemite sort of started at Indian Rock, and then later the sport of climbing in general began to transition to something much more powerful and dynamic, and the dynamism became defining elements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>And one of the places that that happened was in the shift of climbers from Indian Rock across the street to murder rock. And I think it remains a really important goalpost for climbers. But there’s also the like, spirit of the place or something like a little something a little bit more magical, like guidebooks call the rocks, the heart and soul of Bay Area climbing, or also heard the granddaddy of Bay area climbing. And I think that combination captures it. And it’s the kind of place that a lot of climbers devote their lives to. So I think there’s something about them that inspire this. Kind of devotional level of commitment to the rocks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m curious what role they’ve played in your climbing journey over the years. I mean, are they places you you frequent as a as a climber?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I climb there a lot during the pandemic when climbing gyms closed. And so it became during that time an important place of respect for me and a place that I could connect with my friends, connect with nature. And Indian Rock was one of those places where I could find those special, momentary, fleeting connections with people I didn’t know, which I really loved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It sounds like it’s been a big part of your life as a climber, especially in the last couple of years and as someone living in Berkeley. How then did you start reporting on this longer storied history of these rocks beyond the climbing world?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>In some ways I started with an obvious question, which was Why is this place called Indian Rock? I wanted to know what a lot of people thought of the rock climbers. I wondered whether a lot of people thought that coming on these rocks was problematic. I also wanted to know about the space in general. Like, why? Why the rocks became parks? Who made them? Yeah. But those are some of the questions that I started off with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And also, like, what what exactly, I guess, is the the significance of these rocks to Native folks? What did you learn about the role that these rocks have played in the lives of the native communities in the Bay Area?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>So I learned that the rocks are a link between the past and the present for a many people who have made the Bay Area home for thousands of years, or, as I’d say, since time immemorial or the beginning of the world. And it remains a place of cultural significance to a lot of people. Today, I got to be immersed in an entire world view. One aspect of that is many. Aloni like many indigenous people, see things in the natural world like rocks as living beings with a life of their own, a personality of their own. They see them as ancestors or relatives. That’s something that I already really. Felt in some ways being an Indian rock. That’s what drew me to this story, this feeling that there was like more here than just a rock. But learning about the indigenous perspective on that was really powerful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Can you tell me who you met to sort of help you learn about this native history? And what are some of the things that they told you about their connections to these rocks?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Two of the women I met were Monica Arellano and Gloria Arellano Gomez. Monicas the vice chair of the Maloney Tribe, and Gloria is her sister and a former council member of the tribe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Monica Arellano: \u003c/strong>They were used to processed plant meat and fish. Are people gathered? And why are there so many of the mortars? And in one location? Because it was like a social gathering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>They brought their three children to the rocks who immediately just disappeared into the park, running around, exploring, doing kid things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Monica Arellano: \u003c/strong>They don’t even realize how special this site is. Right. Yeah. The spiritual elements, I guess you could say to an otro significant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>There is a powerful moment in the story when Monica sees herself and her family reflected there and how a lonely ancestors might have also spent time in that same place. Families talking, preparing food while their children scamper around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Monica Arellano: \u003c/strong>It’s like, Wow, you know, our ancestors walked through here. They use this as a processing location. They visited, you know, just like our children are running around right now. You know, our ancestors, the little children riding around. So to have that, you know, that kind of reflection, it just like, I don’t know, it makes me emotional, you know? And I appreciate that. It’s still here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So many people visit these rocks every day in Berkeley. And this native history doesn’t always necessarily feel present. So why don’t you think more people know about it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Indigenous people have for a long time been excluded from telling the story of Berkeley and of Indian and mortar rocks. I think the names are actually really emblematic of the attempts to erase the indigenous people from the stories. If you think about a name like Indian Rock, it couldn’t be more inaccurate or anonymous. California was densely populated with diverse groups of indigenous people with different traditions and stories and cultures, and then settlers slapped on Indian Rock, eclipsing all of those rich histories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Corrina Gould: \u003c/strong>How do we figure out how to take care of these special places?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I also met Corrina Gould at the Rocks. Corrina leads the Confederated Villages of Legion and this Great Land Trust. She says Berkeley grew up without us here for the most part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Corrina Gould: \u003c/strong>How do we know how to ask permission as guests on this land?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>I think you’re right. Visitors really rarely engage with native history at the parks, beyond on site parks, if they even pay attention to that. But I think what’s missing from that story is the living culture of the Yellowknife people. They’re current. They’re very much alive. Not in the past. I think people don’t recognize the ongoing development of the culture that exists today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What does it meant that the native significance has not been recognized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Historically when climbers are practicing the techniques that they were developing in the thirties and forties. That was in some ways a time when more of a damage happened to the rock. So, for example, hammering in nails called pitons into the rocks repeatedly would scar out a crack and widen it. So that’s an example of the kind of damage that is, I wouldn’t say widespread at the rocks, but is there for sure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>So I think one of the products of people’s ignorance is that if they’re engaging with the waters at all, non-Indigenous people are often doing so without understanding their significance to Indigenous people and the rich history that preceded them. So when I started reporting this story, someone or many people maybe had been grinding in the mortars. Some native people consider that to be desecration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Corrina Gould: \u003c/strong>If this was a church for a synagogue, something like that, that happened, maybe use that as though it was a hate crime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Corrina had heard that the mortars had been damaged. And when we got there, she made a beeline for the mortars around the back of modern Rock Park. And and when she saw the damage, she called it a huge wound. This is the first 10 minutes of us meeting each other, and it introduced me to her view of Indian and mortar rocks as a sacred place. I think it’s notable that at the top of Indian rock, that beautiful view we all enjoy is a view of what Karina called the Western gate, where the Golden Gate Bridge now is. As Corrina said, the WHO channel only saw that as the end of their world. And in the religion, she said, spirits leave the world through the western gate. So it’s really notable that that’s a place that gives access to that view, and maybe in part because of that is a spiritual place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, I’m wondering, Ally, how would people like Corrina and Monica like to see the native significance of these rocks honored? Like, what would that look like exactly for them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Monica Arellano said that she would love to see the park renamed by the city in the ten year old only language as opposed to having it be called the murder rock. She also talked about wanting to add more prominent signage. She does like it’s hard for people to realize and have appreciation for the cultural significance of the place. For Corrina, she would prefer a place that references the area’s significance as a sacred place. And one thing that she talked about was what it might be like to hold private ceremonies at Indian Rock. You know, for there to be a time where she and other native people could gather when the park was closed to the general public and, you know, renew the relationship with that area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Oh, I want to move on to kind of come back to you as a reporter, but also as a climber and someone who has an appreciation and a reverence for these rocks. I mean, you did all this reporting for over a year. Is it fair to say your reporting has changed your relationship with these rocks and to climbing as well?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>It has. I think climbers are really good at seeing a lot of aspects of the rock that are invisible to other people, like they’re good at making out a route out of just what someone else looks like, a sheer wall face. You know, they’re really good at knowing just the right way to tell whether a hold is going to crumble out from under them and they shouldn’t touch it or whether it’s strong. But what I think that we are not as good at as climbers is listening to the other stories that the rocks are telling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Something that I love about Corrina Gould said was The Rocks will tell us these stories if we listen to them. And I think it’s made me try to be more attuned to the other stories of not only Indian and water rocks, but of the other places that I’m climbing. On a broader scale. It’s not just Indian rock. It’s in too many indigenous people. It’s an entire sacred landscape, right, that’s been developed into these bustling cities that so many of us love and that we call home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>And so I think like how we engage with the significance of a place like Indian and mortar rock in some ways begs the question of, like, how do we engage with our cities, given the fact that these are really significant landscapes as a whole to native people that have been in many ways taken over?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Ally, I really appreciate you for sharing your story with us and your reporting as well. Thank you so much for for joining us on the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ally Markovich: \u003c/strong>Yeah, thank you for having me. I really enjoyed the conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Ally Markovich, a reporter for Berkeleyside. By the way, if you want to read Ally’s two part series for Berkeley side on Indian and Mortar rocks, I’ll leave you link to the stories in our show news. This conversation with Ally was cut down and edited by producer Maria Esquinca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>We’re getting help this week from Adhiti Bandlamudi, who scored this episode and added all the tape. Additional production support from me. If you like this episode, send it to one other person. Word of mouth is one of the best ways that you can help us grow our show. The Bay is a production of member supported people powered KQED. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>Everyone knows you can save money on books by checking them out at the library instead of buying them. But did you know libraries can help you save on other things, too?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some locations, you can borrow tools (saving a purchase at the hardware store), take free language classes and even get free tickets to local museums and attractions. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Joan Johnson, library director, Milwaukee Public Library\"]‘Libraries are one of the most important parts of the social infrastructure. The possibilities for how you explore are endless.’[/pullquote]The resources that your library has to offer will depend on its size and funding, which comes in part from taxpayer dollars and donor funds. These perks are part of the public library’s mission to serve the \u003ca href=\"https://newamericans.ala.org/white-paper/part-2/assess-community-needs/\">needs of the local community\u003c/a>, says \u003ca href=\"https://milwaukeenns.org/2020/12/28/5-things-to-know-about-joan-johnson-milwaukees-new-library-director/\">Joan Johnson\u003c/a>, library director at Milwaukee Public Library.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Libraries are one of the most important parts of the social infrastructure. The possibilities for how you explore are endless.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To take advantage of these money-saving benefits, sign up for a library card, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@mychal3ts\">Mychal Threets\u003c/a>, the supervising librarian at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in Fairfield. Then, check out the library website or simply walk into your local library and talk to a librarian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are seven surprising ways the library can help you save money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. Before you buy something, see if you can borrow it from the library\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Libraries offer all kinds of items on loan. “\u003ca href=\"https://solanolibrary.com/catalog/special-collections/#1611252737404-0cfc29f9-537b\">Video games\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/central/musicloan\">musical instruments\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.grpl.org/boardgame/\">board games\u003c/a>. Some libraries have \u003ca href=\"https://nolalibrary.org/location-specific-services/cake-pans/\">bakeware collections\u003c/a> where you can get baking pans,” says Threets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Akhila Bhat, branch manager at Harris County Public Library in Katy, Texas, says her library system has a \u003ca href=\"https://hcpl.net/blogs/post/seed-libraries-and-gardening-resources/\">seed library\u003c/a>. “Patrons can pick up seeds to start a garden and drop off seeds for others to take home and plant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, libraries like the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island \u003ca href=\"https://www.provlib.org/using-the-library/tools/\">have tools you can check out\u003c/a>. That includes a cordless drill, safety goggles and a laser level.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2. Reserve free tickets to local museums and attractions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In some places, you can get free or discounted tickets to local attractions in your city or town. The Nashville Public Library, for example, \u003ca href=\"https://library.nashville.org/services/community-passports\">offers free passes\u003c/a> to the Cheekwood Estate and Gardens (saving patrons $29 in admission fees), the Country Music Hall of Fame (saving about $28) and the National Museum of African American Music (saving about $27). And \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30806\">library card holders in California\u003c/a> can gain free entry to over 200 state parks, \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23887\">saving patrons $20 in entry fees\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>3. Print out your documents at a discount\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You can use the computers to print documents like plane tickets, concert tickets or shipping labels. There’s usually a small fee, but it’s often cheaper than printing at an office supply store or a shipping center, says Threets. For example, it costs \u003ca href=\"https://www.bklynlibrary.org/use-the-library/print#anchor5\">10 cents\u003c/a> to print a page in black and white at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.office.fedex.com/default/copies.html?CMP=KNC-8000047-68-9-950-1110000-US-US-EN-123650:123823:2201363&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzoVnNp_CfN8GU5F28Wv_0hYbdk6hepsPQdKcTy3eIWHXPEp6p5rd5caAvVGEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds\">23 cents\u003c/a> at FedEx. [aside postID=news_11910495 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/04/RS55017_GettyImages-1387412608-qut.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>4. Get free help with homework and standardized tests\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Your library card may grant you access to free \u003ca href=\"https://www.brainfuse.com/highed/helpNow.asp?a_id=394E70AB&ss=&r=\">online help from expert tutors\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.gwinnettpl.org/news/access-tutor-com/\">Tutor.com\u003c/a>, which offers live one-on-one homework help for students in K-12 and higher education. It’s a sweet deal, considering that hourly rates for a private tutor \u003ca href=\"https://tutors.com/costs/#:~:text=a%20tutor%20cost%3F-,%2425%20%2D%20%2480%20%2Fhr,%24150%20to%20%24200%20per%20month.\">can range from $25-$80 an hour\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re preparing for college, check out whether your local branch has resources for standardized tests like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.broward.org/Library/Pages/SATACTProgram.aspx\">SAT or ACT\u003c/a>. Broward County Library in Florida, for example, has a free 10-hour test prep workshop for high school students \u003ca href=\"https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2019-10-25/what-to-know-about-sat-prep-classes\">that can cost hundreds of dollars elsewhere\u003c/a>. Aspiring graduate students can find \u003ca href=\"https://www.norfolkpubliclibrary.org/learning-research/test-prep\">resources\u003c/a> for exams such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT and MAT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Librarians can help with school projects, too. If you need to research something, they can identify relevant books or order them from other branches for you. Bhat says a lot of kids come in looking for help with biographies.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. Take free fitness, hobby and language classes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Some libraries often offer fun, free programming you’d pay money for elsewhere. \u003ca href=\"https://www.queenslibrary.org/programs-activities/health-wellness/fitness-classes\">Queens Public Library\u003c/a> in New York offers workout classes ranging from yoga to tai chi to Zumba, saving patrons potentially hundreds of dollars in monthly class fees at a fitness studio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Libraries can also help you find a new hobby. You can join a \u003ca href=\"https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/new/knitting-clubs\">knitting club\u003c/a>, learn \u003ca href=\"https://eriecounty-pa.libguides.com/c.php?g=1083575&p=7898482\">photography\u003c/a>, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/madison-public-librarys-naturalist-in-residence-program-encourages-madisonians-to-explore-nature\">take a class with a naturalist\u003c/a>. Some locations will even let patrons borrow the necessary gear. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2019/05/30/backpacks-full-of-bird-watching-supplies-available-for-checkout-at-some-county-libraries/\">Libraries in Florida\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://libwww.freelibrary.org/blog/post/4850\">Philadelphia\u003c/a>, for example, have “birding backpacks” that come equipped with items for \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/05/21/999050796/a-field-guide-for-fledgling-birders\">birdwatching\u003c/a>, like binoculars and field guides to help identify local birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many libraries grant patrons access to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpl.org/learning-tools/language-learning/\">online language learning resources\u003c/a> such as \u003ca href=\"https://warrenpl.org/language-learning/\">Mango Languages\u003c/a>, a service with courses for over 70 languages.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>6. Attend free concerts and performances\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Save money on live music by checking out what your local branch offers. The New York Public Library’s performance art space, for example, has \u003ca href=\"https://www.nypl.org/events/calendar?keyword=&target%5B%5D=ad&target%5B%5D=ya&target%5B%5D=cr&city%5B%5D=bx&city%5B%5D=man&city%5B%5D=si&location=&type=4324&topic=4277&audience=&series=\">upcoming concerts\u003c/a> featuring a choir and a quartet. And people can \u003ca href=\"https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/events?r=thismonth\">watch a classical guitarist or a harpist perform\u003c/a> at different libraries in Los Angeles County. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Mychal Threets, supervising librarian, Fairfield Civic Center Library\"]‘Video games, musical instruments, board games. Some libraries have bakeware collections where you can get baking pans.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>7. Access free social services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In addition to recreation and entertainment, many libraries in the U.S. offer programs to support the community. People who need help finding a job can take \u003ca href=\"https://www.dclibrary.org/using-the-library/computer-classes\">computer literacy courses\u003c/a> and get assistance with \u003ca href=\"https://www.lcplin.org/job-application-help\">applications\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/browse/interest-guides/business-and-work/job-help-resources\">interview prep\u003c/a>. Immigrants can take \u003ca href=\"https://rutherfordlibrary.org/esl/\">English as a Second Language (ESL) classes\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.faylib.org/event/8809406\">classes\u003c/a> to prepare them for their U.S. citizenship exam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Libraries also provide resources for practical matters. Around \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/02/22/1158816222/how-to-prepare-for-tax-season\">tax time\u003c/a>, check if there are \u003ca href=\"https://hcpl.net/tax-services/\">volunteer tax experts\u003c/a> available to give you advice and \u003ca href=\"https://kcls.org/tax-help/\">help you file for free\u003c/a>. At Threet’s library, patrons can \u003ca href=\"https://solanolibrary.com/services/lawyers-at-your-library/\">book time with a lawyer\u003c/a> if they need legal advice. “We have volunteer lawyers who will meet with people for 15 to 20 minutes at a time on a monthly basis,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson says library resources like these aim to level the playing field. “The hope is that people use our services to educate and inform themselves, and gain wisdom about any topic under the sun.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The resources that your library has to offer will depend on its size and funding, which comes in part from taxpayer dollars and donor funds. These perks are part of the public library’s mission to serve the \u003ca href=\"https://newamericans.ala.org/white-paper/part-2/assess-community-needs/\">needs of the local community\u003c/a>, says \u003ca href=\"https://milwaukeenns.org/2020/12/28/5-things-to-know-about-joan-johnson-milwaukees-new-library-director/\">Joan Johnson\u003c/a>, library director at Milwaukee Public Library.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Libraries are one of the most important parts of the social infrastructure. The possibilities for how you explore are endless.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To take advantage of these money-saving benefits, sign up for a library card, says \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@mychal3ts\">Mychal Threets\u003c/a>, the supervising librarian at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in Fairfield. Then, check out the library website or simply walk into your local library and talk to a librarian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are seven surprising ways the library can help you save money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. Before you buy something, see if you can borrow it from the library\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Libraries offer all kinds of items on loan. “\u003ca href=\"https://solanolibrary.com/catalog/special-collections/#1611252737404-0cfc29f9-537b\">Video games\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/central/musicloan\">musical instruments\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.grpl.org/boardgame/\">board games\u003c/a>. Some libraries have \u003ca href=\"https://nolalibrary.org/location-specific-services/cake-pans/\">bakeware collections\u003c/a> where you can get baking pans,” says Threets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Akhila Bhat, branch manager at Harris County Public Library in Katy, Texas, says her library system has a \u003ca href=\"https://hcpl.net/blogs/post/seed-libraries-and-gardening-resources/\">seed library\u003c/a>. “Patrons can pick up seeds to start a garden and drop off seeds for others to take home and plant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, libraries like the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island \u003ca href=\"https://www.provlib.org/using-the-library/tools/\">have tools you can check out\u003c/a>. That includes a cordless drill, safety goggles and a laser level.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2. Reserve free tickets to local museums and attractions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In some places, you can get free or discounted tickets to local attractions in your city or town. The Nashville Public Library, for example, \u003ca href=\"https://library.nashville.org/services/community-passports\">offers free passes\u003c/a> to the Cheekwood Estate and Gardens (saving patrons $29 in admission fees), the Country Music Hall of Fame (saving about $28) and the National Museum of African American Music (saving about $27). And \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30806\">library card holders in California\u003c/a> can gain free entry to over 200 state parks, \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23887\">saving patrons $20 in entry fees\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>3. Print out your documents at a discount\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You can use the computers to print documents like plane tickets, concert tickets or shipping labels. There’s usually a small fee, but it’s often cheaper than printing at an office supply store or a shipping center, says Threets. For example, it costs \u003ca href=\"https://www.bklynlibrary.org/use-the-library/print#anchor5\">10 cents\u003c/a> to print a page in black and white at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.office.fedex.com/default/copies.html?CMP=KNC-8000047-68-9-950-1110000-US-US-EN-123650:123823:2201363&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzoVnNp_CfN8GU5F28Wv_0hYbdk6hepsPQdKcTy3eIWHXPEp6p5rd5caAvVGEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds\">23 cents\u003c/a> at FedEx. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>4. Get free help with homework and standardized tests\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Your library card may grant you access to free \u003ca href=\"https://www.brainfuse.com/highed/helpNow.asp?a_id=394E70AB&ss=&r=\">online help from expert tutors\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.gwinnettpl.org/news/access-tutor-com/\">Tutor.com\u003c/a>, which offers live one-on-one homework help for students in K-12 and higher education. It’s a sweet deal, considering that hourly rates for a private tutor \u003ca href=\"https://tutors.com/costs/#:~:text=a%20tutor%20cost%3F-,%2425%20%2D%20%2480%20%2Fhr,%24150%20to%20%24200%20per%20month.\">can range from $25-$80 an hour\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re preparing for college, check out whether your local branch has resources for standardized tests like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.broward.org/Library/Pages/SATACTProgram.aspx\">SAT or ACT\u003c/a>. Broward County Library in Florida, for example, has a free 10-hour test prep workshop for high school students \u003ca href=\"https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2019-10-25/what-to-know-about-sat-prep-classes\">that can cost hundreds of dollars elsewhere\u003c/a>. Aspiring graduate students can find \u003ca href=\"https://www.norfolkpubliclibrary.org/learning-research/test-prep\">resources\u003c/a> for exams such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT and MAT.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Librarians can help with school projects, too. If you need to research something, they can identify relevant books or order them from other branches for you. Bhat says a lot of kids come in looking for help with biographies.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. Take free fitness, hobby and language classes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Some libraries often offer fun, free programming you’d pay money for elsewhere. \u003ca href=\"https://www.queenslibrary.org/programs-activities/health-wellness/fitness-classes\">Queens Public Library\u003c/a> in New York offers workout classes ranging from yoga to tai chi to Zumba, saving patrons potentially hundreds of dollars in monthly class fees at a fitness studio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Libraries can also help you find a new hobby. You can join a \u003ca href=\"https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/new/knitting-clubs\">knitting club\u003c/a>, learn \u003ca href=\"https://eriecounty-pa.libguides.com/c.php?g=1083575&p=7898482\">photography\u003c/a>, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/madison-public-librarys-naturalist-in-residence-program-encourages-madisonians-to-explore-nature\">take a class with a naturalist\u003c/a>. Some locations will even let patrons borrow the necessary gear. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2019/05/30/backpacks-full-of-bird-watching-supplies-available-for-checkout-at-some-county-libraries/\">Libraries in Florida\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://libwww.freelibrary.org/blog/post/4850\">Philadelphia\u003c/a>, for example, have “birding backpacks” that come equipped with items for \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/05/21/999050796/a-field-guide-for-fledgling-birders\">birdwatching\u003c/a>, like binoculars and field guides to help identify local birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many libraries grant patrons access to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpl.org/learning-tools/language-learning/\">online language learning resources\u003c/a> such as \u003ca href=\"https://warrenpl.org/language-learning/\">Mango Languages\u003c/a>, a service with courses for over 70 languages.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>6. Attend free concerts and performances\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Save money on live music by checking out what your local branch offers. The New York Public Library’s performance art space, for example, has \u003ca href=\"https://www.nypl.org/events/calendar?keyword=&target%5B%5D=ad&target%5B%5D=ya&target%5B%5D=cr&city%5B%5D=bx&city%5B%5D=man&city%5B%5D=si&location=&type=4324&topic=4277&audience=&series=\">upcoming concerts\u003c/a> featuring a choir and a quartet. And people can \u003ca href=\"https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/events?r=thismonth\">watch a classical guitarist or a harpist perform\u003c/a> at different libraries in Los Angeles County. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>7. Access free social services\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In addition to recreation and entertainment, many libraries in the U.S. offer programs to support the community. People who need help finding a job can take \u003ca href=\"https://www.dclibrary.org/using-the-library/computer-classes\">computer literacy courses\u003c/a> and get assistance with \u003ca href=\"https://www.lcplin.org/job-application-help\">applications\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/browse/interest-guides/business-and-work/job-help-resources\">interview prep\u003c/a>. Immigrants can take \u003ca href=\"https://rutherfordlibrary.org/esl/\">English as a Second Language (ESL) classes\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.faylib.org/event/8809406\">classes\u003c/a> to prepare them for their U.S. citizenship exam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Libraries also provide resources for practical matters. Around \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/02/22/1158816222/how-to-prepare-for-tax-season\">tax time\u003c/a>, check if there are \u003ca href=\"https://hcpl.net/tax-services/\">volunteer tax experts\u003c/a> available to give you advice and \u003ca href=\"https://kcls.org/tax-help/\">help you file for free\u003c/a>. At Threet’s library, patrons can \u003ca href=\"https://solanolibrary.com/services/lawyers-at-your-library/\">book time with a lawyer\u003c/a> if they need legal advice. “We have volunteer lawyers who will meet with people for 15 to 20 minutes at a time on a monthly basis,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson says library resources like these aim to level the playing field. “The hope is that people use our services to educate and inform themselves, and gain wisdom about any topic under the sun.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Newsom Signs Bill Paving Way to Build New Student Housing at People's Park in Berkeley",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was first published Aug. 30 and updated Friday, Sept. 8 at 3:45 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill this week aimed at clearing the way for construction of a controversial UC Berkeley \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/health-california-berkeley-university-of-c0b263490acde542c3a67a656a56d02e\">student housing project in Berkeley’s historic People’s Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billVotesClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1307\">AB 1307\u003c/a>, which takes effect immediately, amends California’s sweeping Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by no longer requiring housing developers to first study potential noise levels generated by future tenants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California will not allow NIMBYism to take hold, blocking critically needed housing for years and even decades,” Newsom said in a statement about the new law, which both houses of the state Legislature unanimously approved last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), whose district includes Berkeley, also eliminates the need for universities to prepare an environmental impact report that considers alternative housing sites for residential or mixed-use housing projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law makes it clear that “people are not pollution,” Wicks said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/W6X3EI70U5g\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wicks authored the legislation after an appeals court in February blocked the university from breaking ground on the project, ruling that it had failed to study potential noise issues and consider alternative sites. The state Supreme Court in May agreed to hear the case and will make the final ruling on whether the university can resume construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The controversial $312 million project would create sorely needed housing for some 1,100 UC Berkeley students. A separate facility would also house roughly 125 of the unhoused people that currently live on the 2.8-acre site south of campus that is owned by the university.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom filed an amicus brief in April urging the state Supreme Court to allow UC Berkeley to continue with the housing project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A UC Berkeley spokesperson said the university will ask the Supreme Court to consider the new law in its ruling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The campus will resume construction of the People’s Park project when the lawsuit is resolved and hopes that the new law will substantially hasten the resolution of the lawsuit,” UC spokesperson Dan Mogulof said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín called the passage of the bill a big win.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a victory for affordable housing and that means it’s a victory in our ongoing efforts to tackle homelessness,” he said in a press release on Aug. 28. “These laws were designed to protect the environment, but they’re most often used to stop dense, infill projects which add affordable housing while reducing sprawl and pollution. These are the types of projects which, at scale, help fight the housing crisis which has been a leading cause of homelessness.”[aside label=\"more people's park coverage\" tag=\"peoples-park\"]But opponents of the project say the bill effectively rewards UC Berkeley for its failure to comply with longstanding state environmental regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People’s Park is a National Register of Historic Places site and deserves individual and special attention, and therefore this should be required in an analysis of alternative sites, which would not in any conceivable way obstruct California’s housing needs — needs that we acknowledge to be real,” leaders of the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group and the Make UC A Good Neighbor, the two main opposition groups that have been embroiled in ongoing litigation with the university over the project, wrote in a letter to the state Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the letter, the two groups argue that the university has identified other locations for student housing that would provide more units than what is currently proposed for the park. They also emphasize that, despite their opposition to the project, they support the development of more housing for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no need for this legislation since there is a path forward for UCB to build the much-needed student and supportive housing on a site other than People’s Park, thus preserving a nationally recognized historical resource and a valuable public open space,” the groups stated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The university has tried for decades to build housing at the park, but those efforts have been met with fierce resistance from opponents. The latest failed attempt to break ground, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11921415/protesters-block-construction-at-berkeleys-peoples-park-after-standoff-with-police\">last August\u003c/a>, spurred major protests, including several violent clashes with law enforcement and the wholesale destruction of major construction equipment that had been brought onto the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While CEQA was a groundbreaking law developed to protect the environment at the time of its passage in 1970, in recent decades the process has been used to block projects for non-environmental reasons,” the city said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from Bay City News, The Associated Press and KQED’s Marnette Federis.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was first published Aug. 30 and updated Friday, Sept. 8 at 3:45 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill this week aimed at clearing the way for construction of a controversial UC Berkeley \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/health-california-berkeley-university-of-c0b263490acde542c3a67a656a56d02e\">student housing project in Berkeley’s historic People’s Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billVotesClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1307\">AB 1307\u003c/a>, which takes effect immediately, amends California’s sweeping Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by no longer requiring housing developers to first study potential noise levels generated by future tenants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California will not allow NIMBYism to take hold, blocking critically needed housing for years and even decades,” Newsom said in a statement about the new law, which both houses of the state Legislature unanimously approved last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), whose district includes Berkeley, also eliminates the need for universities to prepare an environmental impact report that considers alternative housing sites for residential or mixed-use housing projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law makes it clear that “people are not pollution,” Wicks said in a statement.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/W6X3EI70U5g'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/W6X3EI70U5g'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wicks authored the legislation after an appeals court in February blocked the university from breaking ground on the project, ruling that it had failed to study potential noise issues and consider alternative sites. The state Supreme Court in May agreed to hear the case and will make the final ruling on whether the university can resume construction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The controversial $312 million project would create sorely needed housing for some 1,100 UC Berkeley students. A separate facility would also house roughly 125 of the unhoused people that currently live on the 2.8-acre site south of campus that is owned by the university.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom filed an amicus brief in April urging the state Supreme Court to allow UC Berkeley to continue with the housing project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A UC Berkeley spokesperson said the university will ask the Supreme Court to consider the new law in its ruling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The campus will resume construction of the People’s Park project when the lawsuit is resolved and hopes that the new law will substantially hasten the resolution of the lawsuit,” UC spokesperson Dan Mogulof said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín called the passage of the bill a big win.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a victory for affordable housing and that means it’s a victory in our ongoing efforts to tackle homelessness,” he said in a press release on Aug. 28. “These laws were designed to protect the environment, but they’re most often used to stop dense, infill projects which add affordable housing while reducing sprawl and pollution. These are the types of projects which, at scale, help fight the housing crisis which has been a leading cause of homelessness.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But opponents of the project say the bill effectively rewards UC Berkeley for its failure to comply with longstanding state environmental regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People’s Park is a National Register of Historic Places site and deserves individual and special attention, and therefore this should be required in an analysis of alternative sites, which would not in any conceivable way obstruct California’s housing needs — needs that we acknowledge to be real,” leaders of the People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group and the Make UC A Good Neighbor, the two main opposition groups that have been embroiled in ongoing litigation with the university over the project, wrote in a letter to the state Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the letter, the two groups argue that the university has identified other locations for student housing that would provide more units than what is currently proposed for the park. They also emphasize that, despite their opposition to the project, they support the development of more housing for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no need for this legislation since there is a path forward for UCB to build the much-needed student and supportive housing on a site other than People’s Park, thus preserving a nationally recognized historical resource and a valuable public open space,” the groups stated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The university has tried for decades to build housing at the park, but those efforts have been met with fierce resistance from opponents. The latest failed attempt to break ground, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11921415/protesters-block-construction-at-berkeleys-peoples-park-after-standoff-with-police\">last August\u003c/a>, spurred major protests, including several violent clashes with law enforcement and the wholesale destruction of major construction equipment that had been brought onto the site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While CEQA was a groundbreaking law developed to protect the environment at the time of its passage in 1970, in recent decades the process has been used to block projects for non-environmental reasons,” the city said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from Bay City News, The Associated Press and KQED’s Marnette Federis.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "a-no-booze-zone-around-uc-berkeley-its-real-and-why-the-claremont-hotel-was-dry-for-decades",
"title": "A 'No Booze Zone' Around UC Berkeley? It's Real — and Why the Claremont Hotel Was Dry for Decades",
"publishDate": 1693476013,
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"headTitle": "A ‘No Booze Zone’ Around UC Berkeley? It’s Real — and Why the Claremont Hotel Was Dry for Decades | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003cem>Read a transcript of this episode.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you haven’t been to the bar at the Claremont Hotel… it is beautiful. Light floods in from windows that overlook the San Francisco Bay, and reflects off the textured metal ceiling. From the terrace, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and Angel Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for decades, even before Prohibition, the Claremont Hotel didn’t have a bar at all. Bay Curious listener Sam Hopkins lives nearby and wondered why. [baycuriousbug]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s always interesting to me that you’d have this really grand hotel and it’s beautiful in every way but it operated for a long time without a bar,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Were the owners involved with the temperance movement? Was there actually a speakeasy there? How did they finally get a bar after all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To answer all this, we’ll need to step all the way back to the late 1800s.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The temperance movement and the University of California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“The theory was, alcohol was the root of all evil,” explains Jef Findley, librarian at the Berkeley Public Library’s History Room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prohibition was still 50 years in the future, and there was plenty of drinking going on. Northern California was considered especially depraved, full of gold miners and ruffians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite this reputation, the first University of California campus was initially built in downtown Oakland. But members of the anti-alcohol temperance movement thought it was in “an unsavory part of Oakland because of bordellos and saloons,” says Findley. So in 1873, they moved it — to its present campus in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then Berkeley was much more rural.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was populated probably by more cows than people at the time,” says Findley. “It was considered an OK place to send a bunch of 20-year-old men without having the evil influences of alcohol.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To further protect the students, a state law was added — California penal code section 172, banning the sale of alcohol within two miles of UC Berkeley. In 1876 that distance was reduced to one mile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Claremont Hotel would soon be built just under a mile away.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A business idea\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The UC trustees weren’t the only ones eyeing the East Bay hills for development. A pair of investors calling themselves the Realty Syndicate was buying up tens of thousands of acres, which they would soon develop into some of the fanciest neighborhoods in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 1900, Francis Marion “Borax” Smith bought the property that the Claremont is on today. Smith earned his fortune, and his nickname, from borax, a mineral with household and industrial uses. He mined it in Death Valley and hauled it with a 20-mule team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Shortly after he acquired the property, however, in a game of checkers, he lost it,” says Findley. “But he lost it to Frank Havens, a business partner of his.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the property was within one mile of UC Berkeley — within the legal dry zone — Smith and Havens wouldn’t be able to sell alcohol at anything they built. But they had a much larger scheme in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smith had used his borax fortune to buy up all the streetcar lines in the Bay Area, and some ferries. He unified all of it into a single network called the Key System. So he and Havens were selling not just sunny properties with beautiful views, but also a way to commute to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They really appealed to the people who had a lot of money that lived in San Francisco when it was destroyed by the earthquake,” says Findley. “It’s like, this is a great place to relocate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To entice potential homebuyers over from San Francisco, Smith and Havens built a tourist attraction at the end of their new streetcar line: the biggest hotel on the West Coast, shaped like a castle. The Claremont Hotel.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A fairy tale hotel\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The hotel’s opening was timed to coincide with the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, a World’s Fair in San Francisco (the one the Palace of Fine Arts was built for). The original plan was for trains to pull right up into the lobby, but the station ended up being built in front of the hotel’s carriage entrance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Imagine arriving in your corset and your umbrella and your big steamer case,” says Michelle Heston, director of public relations for the Claremont Hotel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guests would enter under a stone archway and pass through the lobby, with its marble floors and velvet couches. If they liked, they could attend concerts and dances in the hotel’s grand ballroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is where the band would have performed,” says Heston, indicating a built-in stage with a shiny curtain. “And you’d have cocktail tables around the perimeter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no cocktails. The hotel still couldn’t sell alcohol. But that doesn’t mean people didn’t bring it in, speculates Heston. “What would you do?” she says. “I know what I’d do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wink wink.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Prohibition and the Big Band era\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1920, alcohol became completely illegal nationwide. But dancing was still okay! Big bands performed at the Claremont all through the ’20s and ’30s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the UC Berkeley students came to dance! The Claremont ran advertisements in the Daily Cal, the student paper, for the college special: dancing, punch, and assorted sandwiches. All for a dollar. The Daily Cal also had a column called Who’s Whooie, about what the cool kids were doing, and it was always talking about how so-and-so went out to the Claremont.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heston says there are no records of a speakeasy in the hotel, but “there were always private rooms in hotels, that locked from the inside, that guests could rent for the evenings, that were meant for events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11959658\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11959658\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white image in a book of people dancing.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">80-year-old Lesley Emmington, who grew up in the neighborhood, thumbs through a book of Claremont Hotel photos. She remembers visiting this room as a girl. \u003ccite>(Katherine Monahan/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A 1922 photograph in a booklet of Claremont Hotel history shows jolly young men and women in suits and dresses, dancing in the ballroom. It says, “Prohibition did not dampen the enthusiasm of partygoers, some of whom recall carrying their portable bars to a suite for between-dance refreshment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So on the surface, Berkeley kept it pretty lawful and wholesome — unlike San Francisco and Oakland, which had obvious, active speakeasies and a reputation for not caring at all about Prohibition. When Prohibition eventually ended in 1933, that one-mile dry zone around the university finally started to hydrate.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>At last … Cheers!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>First, beer was permitted within the dry zone. Then in 1937 the law changed again, to say that the one-mile distance could be measured by road, rather than as the crow flies. According to legend, a female Cal student was the first to measure the distance from the university to the hotel, showing that by road, it was indeed over a mile. And the hotel gave her free drinks for life. At least, that’s how the story goes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so finally, after more than two decades of serving punch and tea and the like, the Claremont Hotel was able to open a bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lesley Emmington grew up right near the hotel. She is just 80 years old, so she was too young to go to the Claremont Hotel’s bar when it first opened, shortly before WWII broke out. But her cousin Lorraine was a student at Cal at the time, and she used to love going there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During the war, you see the guys would come,” says Emmington. “They’d come from Treasure Island.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The naval base at Treasure Island was a last stop for young men heading out to Pacific battlegrounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11959626\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 555px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/Claremont-E-train.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11959626\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/Claremont-E-train.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white image of the end of a train, taken on the tracks. In the background a large white hotel sits on a hillside.\" width=\"555\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/Claremont-E-train.jpg 555w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/Claremont-E-train-160x159.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 555px) 100vw, 555px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An ‘E’ Line Train approaches the Claremont Hotel some time in the 1940s. \u003ccite>(Public Domain)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes the train would suddenly just be jammed with military guys,” says Emmington. “And they could come to the Claremont because it was right on the train … I mean, the whole Bay Area was just jammed with American young men who’d never been west, of course. And they were here and they were on limited time. It was crawling with the men.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And what did cousin Lorraine say about all that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emmington laughs. “Well, she loved it!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, a good time was had by all, both with and without alcohol. And Berkeley eventually became the wild swinging Berkeley of the hippie era, but it took its time. It didn’t even allow people to dance and drink in the same room until the 1960s!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The funny part is, that one-mile law, which dates all the way back to 1855 … is still on the books! It’s been amended to bits, and obviously there are bars next to campus now. But the law is still there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The historic Claremont Hotel in Oakland is nothing short of an absolute stunner, OK. It’s got a castle-like architecture that looks like nothing else in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The whole façade is brilliantly white … like even the windows and roof tiles are white! So it really pops against the Eucalyptus grove behind it. And it’s bursting with amenities — a pool, tennis courts, a spa … the works.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the one amenity it didn’t have for a very long time? A bar.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Sam Hopkins:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It’s always interesting to me that you’d have this really grand hotel and it’s beautiful in every way but it operated for a long time without a bar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is Sam Hopkins of Oakland. He lives near the Claremont Hotel and over the years has heard a lot of speculation about why the hotel didn’t serve alcohol long before Prohibition took hold. Were the owners a part of the temperance movement, promoting abstinence from alcohol? Was there actually a speakeasy there? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I’d heard there’s a legend or a myth about a Berkeley co-ed who was part of helping them get their liquor license. So that’s an interesting story too, though I don’t know if it’s true or not. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What took so long for the place to finally get a bar? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which just seems so crazy to think of a hotel without a bar, especially one of that stature.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today on Bay Curious we’re answering Sam’s question, which was the winner of our July voting round on BayCurious.org. Today’s the last day to vote in August’s round, by the way, so be sure to check those questions out… \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I’m Olivia Allen-Price. We’ll get to it after this quick break…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We’re answering Sam’s question about why the Claremont Hotel didn’t have a bar in its early years. Well, spoiler alert, they eventually did get a bar, and we sent reporter Katherine Monahan to check it out, try a drink and get the backstory…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Sound of bartender shaking a cocktail in a crowded bar]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The light is soaking in from the bay … reflecting off the textured metal ceiling. The floor is these … tiny black and white tiles radiating into hexagons. And…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Sound of a drink being poured]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">…my drink is ready.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene): \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What was the name of this again?\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Bartender: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rosa Mexicano.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene): \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It’s beautiful.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It looks like a unicorn’s crystal jacuzzi. It’s all pink and frothy. It goes perfectly with the fairy tale castle look of this hotel. And the terrace, where I’m about to carry my drink?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene): \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I can see the Bay Bridge. I can see the Golden Gate. I can see Mount Tam, Alcatraz, Treasure Island. That’s Angel Island. I mean this is spectacular.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the terrace bar hasn’t always been here. For decades, the Claremont Hotel didn’t have a bar at all. And to understand why, we’ll need to step all the way back to the late 1800s.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Old-timey music]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The theory was, alcohol was the root of all evil. So get rid of alcohol, and you’ll get rid of a lot of the evils. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jef Findley is the librarian at the Berkeley Public Library’s History Room. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The temperance movement was really taking on. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prohibition was still 50 years in the future, and there was plenty of drinking going on. Northern California was considered especially depraved, full of gold-miners and ruffians.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Saloon sound effects, someone get punched] \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But that was where the first University of California was built – in downtown Oakland!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The professors and the like found that it was in an unsavory part of Oakland because of bordellos and saloons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So in 1873, they moved it — to its present campus in Berkeley. Back then Berkeley was much more rural.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was populated probably by more cows than people at the time, it was considered as an okay place to send a bunch of 20-year-old men without having the evil influences of alcohol. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To further protect the students, a state law was added: California penal code section 172, banning the sale of alcohol within two miles of UC Berkeley.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But then, cooler heads prevailed in 1876. They reduced that to one mile. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Claremont Hotel would soon be built just under one mile away.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now the UC trustees weren’t the only ones eyeing the East Bay hills. A pair of investors calling themselves the Realty Syndicate was buying up tens of thousands of acres. Which they would soon develop into some of the fanciest neighborhoods in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By about 1900, Francis “Borax” Smith acquired the property that the Claremont is on.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith had earned his fortune — and his nickname — from borax, a mineral with household and industrial uses. He mined it in Death Valley and hauled it with a 20-mule team. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shortly after he acquired the property, however, in a game of checkers, he lost it. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene): \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Checkers?\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Checkers. But he lost it to Frank Havens, a business partner of his.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the property was within one mile of UC Berkeley — within the legal dry zone — Smith and Havens wouldn’t be able to sell alcohol on it. But they had a much larger scheme in mind.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The people that were doing all this were all about making money.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith had used his borax fortune to buy up all the streetcar lines in the Bay Area, and some ferries, and unify all of it into a single network called the Key System. So he and Havens were selling, not just sunny properties with beautiful views, but also a way to commute to work. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go ahead and guess how long it took to get from Berkeley to the city in 1906 via electric train and ferry? 35 minutes!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They really appealed to the people who had a lot of money that lived in San Francisco when it was destroyed by the earthquake. It’s like this is a great place to relocate. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To entice potential homebuyers over from the city, Smith and Havens built a tourist attraction at the end of their new streetcar line: the biggest hotel on the west coast, shaped like a castle. The Claremont Hotel.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The opening was timed to go with the World’s Fair in San Francisco, the one that the Palace of Fine Arts was built for. It was 1915.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So the train would have dropped us off right here.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Yeah, the train would have dropped off guests. And then you could walk up kind of this grand promenade under the stone masonry arch \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> With all these same kind of flowers on the side? \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Exactly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michelle Heston is director of public relations for the Claremont Hotel. She says the original plan was for the trains to pull up right up into the lobby. But the station ended up outside, in front of the carriage entrance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Imagine arriving right in your corset and your umbrella and your big steamer case \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I was wearing a corset? Did I have a horse?\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (laughing) You were probably from a wealthy family. So you probably arrived in a carriage. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Oh. of course.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heston shows me in through the stone archway, through the lobby, with its marble floors and velvet couches.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Gosh it’s pretty\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Isn’t it pretty?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: A\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd into the hotel’s ballroom. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It smells old – not in a bad way.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (giggles) No, it does.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It’s a long, wide room, with thick columns, and a carpet, and a big built-in stage with a shiny curtain.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So this is where the band would have performed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> And the dancers back here? \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Exactly. And you’d have cocktail tables around the perimeter, \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> But no cocktails!\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (laughing) Yes, exactly. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So it was not permitted for alcohol to be sold near the university. But prior to and after Prohibition, there was nothing against actually having alcohol or drinking it so far as I understand, right? \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That’s what I understand as well. So what would you do? (laughing)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I mean, come on. (both laughing)\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I know what I’d do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, just because the hotel couldn’t sell alcohol, doesn’t mean people didn’t bring it in. Then came Prohibition in 1920. Alcohol became completely illegal nationwide. But dancing was still okay.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[A Charleston tune plays]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Big bands performed at the Claremont all through the ’20s and ’30s.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Ambience of people in a large ballroom, accompanied by music] \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the UC Berkeley students, those vulnerable, innocent students, came to dance! The Claremont ran advertisements in the Daily Cal, the student paper, for the college special: dancing, punch, and assorted sandwiches, for a dollar! The Daily Cal also had a column called Who’s Whooie, about what the cool kids were doing, and it was always talking about how so-and-so went out to the Claremont.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heston says there are no records of a speakeasy in the hotel, but…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There were always private rooms in hotels, that locked from the inside, that guests could rent for the evenings, that were meant for events. So…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We check out a 1922 photograph in a booklet of Claremont Hotel history. It shows jolly young men and women in suits and dresses, dancing in the ballroom.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It says, “Prohibition did not dampen the enthusiasm of party goers, some of whom recall carrying their portable bars to a suite for between-dance refreshment.” \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There you go, see?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That’s what you’re talking about?\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That’s what I’m talking about. Yeah. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So it wasn’t even like they were sleeping in the suite necessarily.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Probably not.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So on the surface, Berkeley kept it pretty lawful and wholesome. Unlike San Francisco and Oakland, which had obvious, active speakeasies and a reputation for not caring at all. But when Prohibition ended in 1933, that one-mile dry zone around the university finally started to hydrate. First, beer was permitted.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then in 1937 the law changed again, to say that the one mile distance could be measured by road, rather than as the crow flies. According to legend…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It was a group of students that actually went and measured it out from the closest Cal campus building.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the hotel gave free drinks for life to the girl who showed that it was over a mile. At least, that’s how the story goes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And so finally, after more than two decades of serving punch and tea and the like, the Claremont Hotel got to open a bar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lesley Emmington grew up right near the hotel. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley Emmington:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I heard it always referred to, and my cousin Lorraine going, “Oh, it was so much fun.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emmington is just 80 years old — so she was too young to go to the bar when it first opened, shortly before WWII broke out. But her cousin Lorraine was a student at Cal at the time, and she used to love going there.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1940s swinging jazz music]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley Emmington:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> During the war, you see the guys would come. They’d come from Treasure Island. And you could come on the train. That would be a stop coming across the bridge. Sometimes the train would suddenly just be jammed with military guys. And then they could come to the Claremont, too, see? Because it was right on the train. It was built to be end of the line. So you could either go to the city, or you could come over to the Claremont.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Wow. So, people coming to the Claremont just partying coming from the military.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley Emmington:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Yeah, I mean, the whole Bay Area was just jammed with American young men who’d never been west, of course. And they were here and they were on limited time. It was crawling with the men. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> And what did cousin Lorraine say about all that? \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley Emmington:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Well, she loved it. (laughs)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, a good time was had by all, both with and without alcohol. And Berkeley eventually became the wild swinging Berkeley of the hippy era, but it took its time. It didn’t even allow people to dance and drink in the same room until the 1960s!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here’s the part that’s the funniest to me: that one mile law, which dates all the way back to 1855 … is still on the books! It’s just been amended to bits, and obviously there are bars next to campus now. But the law is still there! \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Ambience of a college bar, patrons can be heard and a reggae tune] \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So in honor of the old temperance movement and California penal code section 172, I am having one more drink, this time right across the street from UC Berkeley. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b> \u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheers!\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That was KQED’s Katherine Monahan.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you go, I have a favor to ask. Could you open your podcast player and make sure you’re “Subscribed” to the Bay Curious podcast? Only a small percentage of listeners to this show are actually subscribed, and those subscription numbers really help us out. They also help you to make sure not to miss a future episode. Win-win, right? Thanks for subscribing!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bay Curious is made by Amanda Font, Christopher Bveale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldana and Holly Kernan. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will be dark next week so our team can rest up over Labor Day. We’ll be back on September 14th with a fresh episode.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a fantastic week!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "A 'No Booze Zone' Around UC Berkeley? It's Real — and Why the Claremont Hotel Was Dry for Decades | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003cem>Read a transcript of this episode.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you haven’t been to the bar at the Claremont Hotel… it is beautiful. Light floods in from windows that overlook the San Francisco Bay, and reflects off the textured metal ceiling. From the terrace, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and Angel Island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for decades, even before Prohibition, the Claremont Hotel didn’t have a bar at all. Bay Curious listener Sam Hopkins lives nearby and wondered why. \u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Ask Bay Curious.\u003c/a>\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s always interesting to me that you’d have this really grand hotel and it’s beautiful in every way but it operated for a long time without a bar,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Were the owners involved with the temperance movement? Was there actually a speakeasy there? How did they finally get a bar after all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To answer all this, we’ll need to step all the way back to the late 1800s.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The temperance movement and the University of California\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“The theory was, alcohol was the root of all evil,” explains Jef Findley, librarian at the Berkeley Public Library’s History Room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prohibition was still 50 years in the future, and there was plenty of drinking going on. Northern California was considered especially depraved, full of gold miners and ruffians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite this reputation, the first University of California campus was initially built in downtown Oakland. But members of the anti-alcohol temperance movement thought it was in “an unsavory part of Oakland because of bordellos and saloons,” says Findley. So in 1873, they moved it — to its present campus in Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then Berkeley was much more rural.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was populated probably by more cows than people at the time,” says Findley. “It was considered an OK place to send a bunch of 20-year-old men without having the evil influences of alcohol.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To further protect the students, a state law was added — California penal code section 172, banning the sale of alcohol within two miles of UC Berkeley. In 1876 that distance was reduced to one mile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Claremont Hotel would soon be built just under a mile away.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A business idea\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The UC trustees weren’t the only ones eyeing the East Bay hills for development. A pair of investors calling themselves the Realty Syndicate was buying up tens of thousands of acres, which they would soon develop into some of the fanciest neighborhoods in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 1900, Francis Marion “Borax” Smith bought the property that the Claremont is on today. Smith earned his fortune, and his nickname, from borax, a mineral with household and industrial uses. He mined it in Death Valley and hauled it with a 20-mule team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Shortly after he acquired the property, however, in a game of checkers, he lost it,” says Findley. “But he lost it to Frank Havens, a business partner of his.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the property was within one mile of UC Berkeley — within the legal dry zone — Smith and Havens wouldn’t be able to sell alcohol at anything they built. But they had a much larger scheme in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Smith had used his borax fortune to buy up all the streetcar lines in the Bay Area, and some ferries. He unified all of it into a single network called the Key System. So he and Havens were selling not just sunny properties with beautiful views, but also a way to commute to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They really appealed to the people who had a lot of money that lived in San Francisco when it was destroyed by the earthquake,” says Findley. “It’s like, this is a great place to relocate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To entice potential homebuyers over from San Francisco, Smith and Havens built a tourist attraction at the end of their new streetcar line: the biggest hotel on the West Coast, shaped like a castle. The Claremont Hotel.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A fairy tale hotel\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The hotel’s opening was timed to coincide with the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, a World’s Fair in San Francisco (the one the Palace of Fine Arts was built for). The original plan was for trains to pull right up into the lobby, but the station ended up being built in front of the hotel’s carriage entrance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Imagine arriving in your corset and your umbrella and your big steamer case,” says Michelle Heston, director of public relations for the Claremont Hotel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guests would enter under a stone archway and pass through the lobby, with its marble floors and velvet couches. If they liked, they could attend concerts and dances in the hotel’s grand ballroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is where the band would have performed,” says Heston, indicating a built-in stage with a shiny curtain. “And you’d have cocktail tables around the perimeter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no cocktails. The hotel still couldn’t sell alcohol. But that doesn’t mean people didn’t bring it in, speculates Heston. “What would you do?” she says. “I know what I’d do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wink wink.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Prohibition and the Big Band era\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 1920, alcohol became completely illegal nationwide. But dancing was still okay! Big bands performed at the Claremont all through the ’20s and ’30s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the UC Berkeley students came to dance! The Claremont ran advertisements in the Daily Cal, the student paper, for the college special: dancing, punch, and assorted sandwiches. All for a dollar. The Daily Cal also had a column called Who’s Whooie, about what the cool kids were doing, and it was always talking about how so-and-so went out to the Claremont.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heston says there are no records of a speakeasy in the hotel, but “there were always private rooms in hotels, that locked from the inside, that guests could rent for the evenings, that were meant for events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11959658\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11959658\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white image in a book of people dancing.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/IMG_1642-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">80-year-old Lesley Emmington, who grew up in the neighborhood, thumbs through a book of Claremont Hotel photos. She remembers visiting this room as a girl. \u003ccite>(Katherine Monahan/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A 1922 photograph in a booklet of Claremont Hotel history shows jolly young men and women in suits and dresses, dancing in the ballroom. It says, “Prohibition did not dampen the enthusiasm of partygoers, some of whom recall carrying their portable bars to a suite for between-dance refreshment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So on the surface, Berkeley kept it pretty lawful and wholesome — unlike San Francisco and Oakland, which had obvious, active speakeasies and a reputation for not caring at all about Prohibition. When Prohibition eventually ended in 1933, that one-mile dry zone around the university finally started to hydrate.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>At last … Cheers!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>First, beer was permitted within the dry zone. Then in 1937 the law changed again, to say that the one-mile distance could be measured by road, rather than as the crow flies. According to legend, a female Cal student was the first to measure the distance from the university to the hotel, showing that by road, it was indeed over a mile. And the hotel gave her free drinks for life. At least, that’s how the story goes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so finally, after more than two decades of serving punch and tea and the like, the Claremont Hotel was able to open a bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lesley Emmington grew up right near the hotel. She is just 80 years old, so she was too young to go to the Claremont Hotel’s bar when it first opened, shortly before WWII broke out. But her cousin Lorraine was a student at Cal at the time, and she used to love going there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During the war, you see the guys would come,” says Emmington. “They’d come from Treasure Island.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The naval base at Treasure Island was a last stop for young men heading out to Pacific battlegrounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11959626\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 555px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/Claremont-E-train.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11959626\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/Claremont-E-train.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white image of the end of a train, taken on the tracks. In the background a large white hotel sits on a hillside.\" width=\"555\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/Claremont-E-train.jpg 555w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/Claremont-E-train-160x159.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 555px) 100vw, 555px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An ‘E’ Line Train approaches the Claremont Hotel some time in the 1940s. \u003ccite>(Public Domain)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes the train would suddenly just be jammed with military guys,” says Emmington. “And they could come to the Claremont because it was right on the train … I mean, the whole Bay Area was just jammed with American young men who’d never been west, of course. And they were here and they were on limited time. It was crawling with the men.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And what did cousin Lorraine say about all that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emmington laughs. “Well, she loved it!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, a good time was had by all, both with and without alcohol. And Berkeley eventually became the wild swinging Berkeley of the hippie era, but it took its time. It didn’t even allow people to dance and drink in the same room until the 1960s!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The funny part is, that one-mile law, which dates all the way back to 1855 … is still on the books! It’s been amended to bits, and obviously there are bars next to campus now. But the law is still there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The historic Claremont Hotel in Oakland is nothing short of an absolute stunner, OK. It’s got a castle-like architecture that looks like nothing else in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The whole façade is brilliantly white … like even the windows and roof tiles are white! So it really pops against the Eucalyptus grove behind it. And it’s bursting with amenities — a pool, tennis courts, a spa … the works.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the one amenity it didn’t have for a very long time? A bar.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Sam Hopkins:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It’s always interesting to me that you’d have this really grand hotel and it’s beautiful in every way but it operated for a long time without a bar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is Sam Hopkins of Oakland. He lives near the Claremont Hotel and over the years has heard a lot of speculation about why the hotel didn’t serve alcohol long before Prohibition took hold. Were the owners a part of the temperance movement, promoting abstinence from alcohol? Was there actually a speakeasy there? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I’d heard there’s a legend or a myth about a Berkeley co-ed who was part of helping them get their liquor license. So that’s an interesting story too, though I don’t know if it’s true or not. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What took so long for the place to finally get a bar? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which just seems so crazy to think of a hotel without a bar, especially one of that stature.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today on Bay Curious we’re answering Sam’s question, which was the winner of our July voting round on BayCurious.org. Today’s the last day to vote in August’s round, by the way, so be sure to check those questions out… \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I’m Olivia Allen-Price. We’ll get to it after this quick break…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We’re answering Sam’s question about why the Claremont Hotel didn’t have a bar in its early years. Well, spoiler alert, they eventually did get a bar, and we sent reporter Katherine Monahan to check it out, try a drink and get the backstory…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Sound of bartender shaking a cocktail in a crowded bar]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The light is soaking in from the bay … reflecting off the textured metal ceiling. The floor is these … tiny black and white tiles radiating into hexagons. And…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Sound of a drink being poured]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">…my drink is ready.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene): \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What was the name of this again?\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Bartender: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rosa Mexicano.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene): \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It’s beautiful.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It looks like a unicorn’s crystal jacuzzi. It’s all pink and frothy. It goes perfectly with the fairy tale castle look of this hotel. And the terrace, where I’m about to carry my drink?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene): \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I can see the Bay Bridge. I can see the Golden Gate. I can see Mount Tam, Alcatraz, Treasure Island. That’s Angel Island. I mean this is spectacular.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the terrace bar hasn’t always been here. For decades, the Claremont Hotel didn’t have a bar at all. And to understand why, we’ll need to step all the way back to the late 1800s.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Old-timey music]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The theory was, alcohol was the root of all evil. So get rid of alcohol, and you’ll get rid of a lot of the evils. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jef Findley is the librarian at the Berkeley Public Library’s History Room. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The temperance movement was really taking on. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prohibition was still 50 years in the future, and there was plenty of drinking going on. Northern California was considered especially depraved, full of gold-miners and ruffians.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Saloon sound effects, someone get punched] \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But that was where the first University of California was built – in downtown Oakland!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The professors and the like found that it was in an unsavory part of Oakland because of bordellos and saloons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So in 1873, they moved it — to its present campus in Berkeley. Back then Berkeley was much more rural.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was populated probably by more cows than people at the time, it was considered as an okay place to send a bunch of 20-year-old men without having the evil influences of alcohol. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To further protect the students, a state law was added: California penal code section 172, banning the sale of alcohol within two miles of UC Berkeley.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But then, cooler heads prevailed in 1876. They reduced that to one mile. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Claremont Hotel would soon be built just under one mile away.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now the UC trustees weren’t the only ones eyeing the East Bay hills. A pair of investors calling themselves the Realty Syndicate was buying up tens of thousands of acres. Which they would soon develop into some of the fanciest neighborhoods in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By about 1900, Francis “Borax” Smith acquired the property that the Claremont is on.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith had earned his fortune — and his nickname — from borax, a mineral with household and industrial uses. He mined it in Death Valley and hauled it with a 20-mule team. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shortly after he acquired the property, however, in a game of checkers, he lost it. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene): \u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Checkers?\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Checkers. But he lost it to Frank Havens, a business partner of his.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the property was within one mile of UC Berkeley — within the legal dry zone — Smith and Havens wouldn’t be able to sell alcohol on it. But they had a much larger scheme in mind.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The people that were doing all this were all about making money.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith had used his borax fortune to buy up all the streetcar lines in the Bay Area, and some ferries, and unify all of it into a single network called the Key System. So he and Havens were selling, not just sunny properties with beautiful views, but also a way to commute to work. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go ahead and guess how long it took to get from Berkeley to the city in 1906 via electric train and ferry? 35 minutes!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jef Findley:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They really appealed to the people who had a lot of money that lived in San Francisco when it was destroyed by the earthquake. It’s like this is a great place to relocate. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To entice potential homebuyers over from the city, Smith and Havens built a tourist attraction at the end of their new streetcar line: the biggest hotel on the west coast, shaped like a castle. The Claremont Hotel.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The opening was timed to go with the World’s Fair in San Francisco, the one that the Palace of Fine Arts was built for. It was 1915.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So the train would have dropped us off right here.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Yeah, the train would have dropped off guests. And then you could walk up kind of this grand promenade under the stone masonry arch \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> With all these same kind of flowers on the side? \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Exactly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michelle Heston is director of public relations for the Claremont Hotel. She says the original plan was for the trains to pull up right up into the lobby. But the station ended up outside, in front of the carriage entrance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Imagine arriving right in your corset and your umbrella and your big steamer case \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I was wearing a corset? Did I have a horse?\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (laughing) You were probably from a wealthy family. So you probably arrived in a carriage. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Oh. of course.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heston shows me in through the stone archway, through the lobby, with its marble floors and velvet couches.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Gosh it’s pretty\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Isn’t it pretty?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: A\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd into the hotel’s ballroom. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It smells old – not in a bad way.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (giggles) No, it does.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It’s a long, wide room, with thick columns, and a carpet, and a big built-in stage with a shiny curtain.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So this is where the band would have performed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> And the dancers back here? \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Exactly. And you’d have cocktail tables around the perimeter, \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> But no cocktails!\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (laughing) Yes, exactly. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So it was not permitted for alcohol to be sold near the university. But prior to and after Prohibition, there was nothing against actually having alcohol or drinking it so far as I understand, right? \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That’s what I understand as well. So what would you do? (laughing)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I mean, come on. (both laughing)\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I know what I’d do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, just because the hotel couldn’t sell alcohol, doesn’t mean people didn’t bring it in. Then came Prohibition in 1920. Alcohol became completely illegal nationwide. But dancing was still okay.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[A Charleston tune plays]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Big bands performed at the Claremont all through the ’20s and ’30s.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Ambience of people in a large ballroom, accompanied by music] \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the UC Berkeley students, those vulnerable, innocent students, came to dance! The Claremont ran advertisements in the Daily Cal, the student paper, for the college special: dancing, punch, and assorted sandwiches, for a dollar! The Daily Cal also had a column called Who’s Whooie, about what the cool kids were doing, and it was always talking about how so-and-so went out to the Claremont.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heston says there are no records of a speakeasy in the hotel, but…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There were always private rooms in hotels, that locked from the inside, that guests could rent for the evenings, that were meant for events. So…\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We check out a 1922 photograph in a booklet of Claremont Hotel history. It shows jolly young men and women in suits and dresses, dancing in the ballroom.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It says, “Prohibition did not dampen the enthusiasm of party goers, some of whom recall carrying their portable bars to a suite for between-dance refreshment.” \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There you go, see?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That’s what you’re talking about?\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That’s what I’m talking about. Yeah. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So it wasn’t even like they were sleeping in the suite necessarily.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Michelle Heston:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Probably not.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So on the surface, Berkeley kept it pretty lawful and wholesome. Unlike San Francisco and Oakland, which had obvious, active speakeasies and a reputation for not caring at all. But when Prohibition ended in 1933, that one-mile dry zone around the university finally started to hydrate. First, beer was permitted.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then in 1937 the law changed again, to say that the one mile distance could be measured by road, rather than as the crow flies. 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At least, that’s how the story goes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And so finally, after more than two decades of serving punch and tea and the like, the Claremont Hotel got to open a bar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lesley Emmington grew up right near the hotel. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley Emmington:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> I heard it always referred to, and my cousin Lorraine going, “Oh, it was so much fun.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emmington is just 80 years old — so she was too young to go to the bar when it first opened, shortly before WWII broke out. But her cousin Lorraine was a student at Cal at the time, and she used to love going there.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1940s swinging jazz music]\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley Emmington:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> During the war, you see the guys would come. They’d come from Treasure Island. And you could come on the train. That would be a stop coming across the bridge. Sometimes the train would suddenly just be jammed with military guys. And then they could come to the Claremont, too, see? Because it was right on the train. It was built to be end of the line. So you could either go to the city, or you could come over to the Claremont.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Wow. So, people coming to the Claremont just partying coming from the military.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley Emmington:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Yeah, I mean, the whole Bay Area was just jammed with American young men who’d never been west, of course. And they were here and they were on limited time. It was crawling with the men. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> And what did cousin Lorraine say about all that? \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Lesley Emmington:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Well, she loved it. (laughs)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Katherine Monahan: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, a good time was had by all, both with and without alcohol. And Berkeley eventually became the wild swinging Berkeley of the hippy era, but it took its time. It didn’t even allow people to dance and drink in the same room until the 1960s!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here’s the part that’s the funniest to me: that one mile law, which dates all the way back to 1855 … is still on the books! It’s just been amended to bits, and obviously there are bars next to campus now. But the law is still there! \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[Ambience of a college bar, patrons can be heard and a reggae tune] \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So in honor of the old temperance movement and California penal code section 172, I am having one more drink, this time right across the street from UC Berkeley. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Katherine Monahan (on scene):\u003c/i>\u003c/b> \u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheers!\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen Price:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> That was KQED’s Katherine Monahan.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you go, I have a favor to ask. Could you open your podcast player and make sure you’re “Subscribed” to the Bay Curious podcast? Only a small percentage of listeners to this show are actually subscribed, and those subscription numbers really help us out. They also help you to make sure not to miss a future episode. Win-win, right? Thanks for subscribing!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bay Curious is made by Amanda Font, Christopher Bveale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldana and Holly Kernan. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will be dark next week so our team can rest up over Labor Day. We’ll be back on September 14th with a fresh episode.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a fantastic week!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>An earlier version of this story was originally published on May 6, 2022.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ve probably heard of Bobby Seale and The Black Panthers, and Mario Savio and The Free Speech Movement. But California and the Bay Area also were a hotbed of radical South Asian activism that began more than 100 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the 20th century, immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries in the region — along with their children — laid the groundwork for social movements that still resonate in California today. And while this Desi legacy has largely been overlooked, two community historians in Berkeley have spent the last decade bringing these stories to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnali Ghosh and Anirvan Chatterjee run the \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleysouthasian.org/\">Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour\u003c/a>. The three-hour tour visits sites where there are often no plaques or markers. But the pair make the history come alive through photographs and props. The two even act out historical quotes and scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They share tales of South Asians from California you probably know, like Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as those you may never have heard of, like freedom fighter Kartar Singh Sarabha. Below, we hit a handful of the stops on the in-depth tour and give you a taste of this little-known history. You also can listen to the full audio episode (above) for a deeper dive into the story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[View a \u003ca href=\"https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/d62a4059f59eab8dbc86920af1aa79e4/the-berkeley-south-asian-radical-history-walking-tour/draft.html\">full-screen version of the interactive here\u003c/a>.]\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/d62a4059f59eab8dbc86920af1aa79e4/the-berkeley-south-asian-radical-history-walking-tour/draft.html\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"1400\" height=\"800\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"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",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
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"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 />",
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"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.",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
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"meta": {
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"source": "WNYC"
},
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"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.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"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.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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},
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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},
"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": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"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": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"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)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"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": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"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/",
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"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",
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"meta": {
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"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/",
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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