FeedCity: Berkeleyside

Berkeleyside
30 Sep 17:03 • Local sponsor

Gardening goods — from the practical to the whimsical — at these two Berkeley shops

Hida Tool and The Gardener offer everything from weeding knives to a decorative dandelion seed head in a clear cube.

Berkeleyside
30 Sep 13:03 • Joanne Furio

An unconventional history of the University of California

Pulitzer winner Miriam Pawel’s new book traces the university’s history through the stories of five alumni whose lives it transformed, its tangled relationship with the state’s prosperity and its commitment to upward mobility.

Berkeleyside
29 Sep 22:06 • Momo Chang

New Lao and Thai restaurant arrives in Albany, and a Chinese comfort food spot debuts in Berkeley

A running list of restaurants that have recently opened in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and beyond.

Berkeleyside
29 Sep 19:21 • Zac Farber

You asked, we added: Our list of famous Berkeley people now has more names

Beverly Cleary, Ron Dellums, Raymond Burr, Ruth Riechl and many other famous Berkeley people have been added at our readers’ suggestion.

Berkeleyside
29 Sep 17:03 • Nathan Dalton

Two new Berkeley arts spaces open their first exhibits this week

Starfish Arts, launched by a tattoo artist and therapist in the Gilman District, includes a queer-friendly gallery, an upcycled clothing boutique and a makers’ space. Underpainting Collective opened a studio on Shattuck in January.

Berkeleyside
29 Sep 13:06 • Daniel Ekonde

A map of the construction boom on UC Berkeley’s campus

From dorms with 1,000-plus beds to a $560 million academic building focused on “AI-driven discovery,” 15 major Cal projects are recently completed or in the development pipeline.

Berkeleyside
29 Sep 00:06 • Kleigh Carroll

LifeLong doctors, nurses and therapists strike across the East Bay

Health workers want higher wages and better working conditions while management says they’re limited by federal financial uncertainties.

Berkeleyside
28 Sep 23:36 • Nico Savidge

Berkeley wants a vibrant San Pablo Avenue. Will more housing deliver it?

A view across San Pablo Avenue, where a new six-story apartment building stands opposite an older line of brick storefronts

The City Council will consider on Tuesday raising height limits and taking other steps to spur housing development on West Berkeley’s main thoroughfare.

Berkeleyside
28 Sep 14:33 • Jose Fermoso

AC Transit buses have become more unreliable this year, say riders and transit board

Canceled and delayed trips have become routine. A board member told the agency to “get a handle on this ASAP.”

Berkeleyside
28 Sep 13:09 • Berkeleyside Staff

EBMUD Director Andy Katz: Climate change brings biggest challenges

Katz is running unopposed for a sixth term representing Berkeley on the East Bay Municipal Utilities District Board.

Berkeleyside
25 Sep 21:06 • Reichi Lee, Megan Werner, Allison Bond, Steve Tate, Emma Soichet, Scott Hofmeister and Bren Darrow

Opinion: Berkeley schools need to rein in classroom AI use and keep games and harmful content off students’ screens

Getting rid of YouTube on school-issued laptops in elementary and middle schools is a start. What Berkeley Unified needs now is a comprehensive plan.

Berkeleyside
25 Sep 21:06 • Alex N. Gecan

Berkeley fired its last police watchdog. Here’s the pick to succeed him

Mary C. Opler has worked as a prosecutor, public defender and, briefly, an SFPD officer. She currently works in civilian police oversight in Seattle.

Berkeleyside
25 Sep 13:33 • Janelle Hessig

For 36 years Berkeley’s Central Works made theater on its own terms

A man and a woman stand next to each other in a medieval looking building with a sign above them reading Central Works Theater

The company, which has exited the stage for the last time, only ever put on new plays. The people behind those 81 world premieres talk about how they did it and the company’s legacy.

Berkeleyside
25 Sep 12:30 • Berkeleyside Staff

Berkeley Auditor Jenny Wong: Wants to improve city’s revenue collection

Wong, running unopposed for reelection, has audits planned on Berkeley's rent board, health department and business license tax.

Berkeleyside
25 Sep 00:48 • Berkeleyside Staff

The Wire: Cal sells football stadium naming rights to AI company Databricks

Also: The university says "miscommunication" is to blame for a nine-month delay in honoring a legal settlement with an Israeli dance scholar denied a teaching position during the Gaza protests.

Berkeleyside
24 Sep 23:12 • Alex N. Gecan

Woman dies after house fire in Southwest Berkeley

Fire officials said the blaze Friday evening on Browning Street was centered around a kitchen microwave. Another resident escaped the home unharmed.

Berkeleyside
24 Sep 19:57 • Alex N. Gecan

Homeless camp shrunken but still standing after week of sweeps at 8th & Harrison

Housed West Berkeley neighbors want the city to permanently remove tents. A court ruling protects RVs and a few disabled people.

Berkeleyside
24 Sep 19:24 • Tovin Lapan

Crepes A-Go-Go shuts down, Homemade Cafe reduces hours, and more closures

A running list of restaurants that have recently closed in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond and beyond.

Berkeleyside
24 Sep 12:51 • Karen Nguyen Vo and Andrew Gilbert

Around Berkeley: Free vaccines for pets, Viva Fall Fest, print workshop

Other events include a book talk on the 1970s West Oakland Black community, Painting Day on Fourth Street and an exhibition on efforts to restore endangered coho salmon.

Berkeleyside
24 Sep 00:09 • Karina Ioffee

Fraying cables caused big light fixtures to fall in 2 classrooms at Berkeley elementary school

Luckily, no children were in the rooms last week when the lights fell.

Berkeleyside
23 Sep 22:33 • Sejal Parekh

Doctors at LifeLong clinics could strike as soon as Monday around the East Bay

Pay remains the main outstanding issue as doctors describe unmanageable situations such as signing death certificates for patients they’ve never treated.

Berkeleyside
23 Sep 19:03 • Skylla Mumana

This Cal student stepped away from school to build his protein bar business

Posana is expanding its reach with some old fashioned sweat-equity and a lineup of internationally-inspired flavors

Berkeleyside
23 Sep 14:12 • Tony Hicks

Private ranch next to Tilden park eyed for purchase by land trust

The John Muir Land Trust is trying to raise $7 million to buy the 116-acre Johnson Ranch near the steam train, and open its panoramic views to the public.

Berkeleyside
22 Sep 19:03 • Karina Ioffee

State requires antisemitism training in Berkeley schools after complaints about pro-Palestinian posters, assemblies

California’s Education Department ruled BUSD needs to remedy the harm done to Jewish kids by student-led assemblies and posters hung in a classroom describing the war in Gaza as a genocide.

Berkeleyside
22 Sep 16:03 • Momo Chang

Downtown Top Dog debuts, plus Berkeley welcomes a new hoagie spot and a cafe founded by a Cal grad

A running list of restaurants that have recently opened in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and beyond.

Berkeleyside
22 Sep 14:12 • Nico Savidge

Berkeley’s new library leader pledges to listen to staff at delicate moment

A portrait photo of a woman standing in front of a shelf lined with books

Self-described “library kid” Rebecca Alcala-Veraflor, who grew up in the East Bay, says she worked to improve staff morale in San Francisco’s libraries and will do the same in Berkeley.

Berkeleyside
21 Sep 21:33 • By Family of Eric Pease-Sartenaer

Remembering Eric Pease-Sartenaer, founder of Phoenix Pastificio and Cheese Board sourdough pioneer

An early member of the Cheese Board Collective, he founded the pasta shop in 1995, and it later expanded into a cafe that became a community hub.

Berkeleyside
21 Sep 20:09 • Eli Wolfe, Natalie Orenstein, and Darwin BondGraham

Indicted Oakland businessman bundled money for Nikki Fortunato Bas’ 2024 supervisor campaign

Andy Duong and Fortunato Bas discussed fundraising and a land deal involving California Waste Solutions. Fortunato Bas is expected to testify in the corruption case against former Mayor Sheng Thao, Duong and others.

Berkeleyside
21 Sep 17:03 • Mark Humbert, Rashi Kesarwani, Terry Taplin and Paul Mathew

Opinion: Measure Z would tax Berkeley residents to create a public bank benefitting other cities

Proponents' campaign has been deceptive, and the measure would lock funds away for an uncertain future.

Berkeleyside
21 Sep 16:33 • Henry Levy

Opinion: Vote Yes on Measure Z and fund a public bank to advance Berkeley values

Funding a public bank could give Berkeley more financial independence and, over time, reduce banking costs and bring reinvestment to our community.