Category Archives: UC Berkeley
Cal plows again, after weekend occupation
For the third time in less than a week, Cal staff have plowed up crops planted in Albany by a group of activists who have been working to turn a UC-owned vacant lot slated for development into a community farm.
The activists, called Occupy the Farm, have been visiting the San Pablo Avenue site regularly since May 11. They’ve planted crops and camped several times, and many of its members say the land should be protected in perpetuity and used for farming. The University of California, which owns the land, has been working with the city of Albany for about five years to develop a project for the property, at Monroe Street, which is set to include a Sprouts Farmers Market and a senior housing complex. … Continue reading »
Police release suspect info from Grizzly Peak homicide
Police have released a description of the man believed to be responsible for a shooting early Sunday morning that left a Fremont student dead outside a car on Grizzly Peak Boulevard.
This week, the University of California Police Department identified 21-year-old Alverto Santana-Silva of Fremont as the victim. Police believe Santana-Silva was shot after he tried to break up an argument or disturbance between two groups of strangers. … Continue reading »
Occupy the Farm: ‘We’ll keep coming back’
Despite four arrests Monday and the destruction by UC Berkeley of seedlings they had planted in rows over the weekend, Occupy the Farm activists returned to a plot of land in Albany that’s slated for development and began their work again Monday night.
“We’re not leaving this land,” said an Occupy the Farm spokeswoman, Lesley Haddock. “We’re going to continue to contest this space. We’re not going away.” … Continue reading »
4 arrests, as Cal ends brief Albany occupation
Update, May 18, 6:20 p.m. Activists say no charges were ultimately filed against the people who were arrested Monday.
Update, 3 p.m. A group of Albany residents has announced its plans to hold a counter-protest at 5:30 p.m. Monday in opposition to Occupy the Farm activities in Albany. The group plans to meet at the City Hall corner at Buchanan Street, “then walk or ride down to Monroe and show the news media that ALBANY SAYS NO TO OCCUPY.”
Update, 1:42 p.m. A UC Berkeley spokeswoman said four people were arrested Monday as the university resumed control of land in Albany’s University Village that had been taken over by activists who said they want to turn the land into an urban farm. Claire Holmes, a UC Berkeley associate vice chancellor who handles communications and public affairs, said one person was arrested early in the morning; two were arrested while interfering with the plow; and the fourth was reported to be interfering with police activities. Holmes identified the four as Erik Eisenberg, Ian Saxton, David Grefrath and Brooke Marino. All four were listed as in-custody at the Berkeley Jail by the Alameda County sheriff’s department, and scheduled for arraignment Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland. … Continue reading »
Police investigate homicide on Grizzly Peak Boulevard
Update, 6:10 p.m. Lt. Alex Yao of the University of California Police Department said Grizzly Peak Boulevard has been re-opened to traffic. The victim has been identified as an adult male who was not affiliated with UC Berkeley. The Alameda County coroner’s office said information about the victim’s identity would need to come from police. Further details were not available Sunday night.
Original post, 2:53 p.m. Police are investigating the death of one person who was reportedly shot early Sunday morning on Grizzly Peak Boulevard between Centennial Drive and South Park Drive.
Earlier Sunday, the road was closed to through traffic as police continued their investigation and, as of about 2:40 p.m. it remained closed, police said. … Continue reading »
Urban farmers plan ‘short-form’ Gill Tract occupation
Following a recent announcement by urban farming activists about plans to “occupy” an empty lot in Albany that’s slated for development, UC Berkeley officials have issued a statement urging local residents to prepare for “potential traffic obstructions” should “illegal activities proceed” this coming weekend.
“The university will not allow a permanent encampment on our property,” said George Breslauer, UC’s executive vice chancellor and provost, and John Wilton, UC’s vice chancellor of administration and finance, in the prepared statement. (Scroll down to see the full statement.)
The activists, who call themselves ‘Occupy the Farm,’ put out a call Wednesday to ask supporters to speak out against the planned development at a city meeting in Albany that night, and to come out at noon on Saturday to “launch an action that manifests the highest and best use of the Gill Tract farmland!” … Continue reading »
Cal Day: When UC Berkeley opens its doors to the world
Every year, UC Berkeley throws its campus open to all-comers to showcase what the university has to offer. On Saturday April 20, an estimated 45,000 current and prospective students and their families attended Cal Day 2013, the school’s official open house.
The event, which sees hundreds of Cal organizations set up around 300 booths, is an important recruitment time for the school. The spillover from the event reached all the way to Telegraph and Haste, according to a vendor there, and local hotels enjoyed good business. … Continue reading »
New Cal cherry tree grove honors Japanese grads
On Saturday, UC Berkeley held a dedication ceremony for a grove of 40 cherry blossom trees which have been planted to honor university alumni of Japanese ancestry.
The idea for the Cherry Tree Project was formed several years ago, at a California Japanese American Alumni Associated dinner following the Big Game, when George Matsumoto suggested planting a row of flowering Japanese cherry trees along Crescent Drive at the west entrance of the campus off Oxford Street.
A total of $350,000 was eventually raised to complete the project, which includes new landscaping, planting, long-term maintenance, and a stone-mounted bronze plaque. … Continue reading »
Before new Berkeley art museum can rise, a demolition
Major demolition is under way in downtown Berkeley on the site of the new location for the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.
The UC Berkeley-owned parking lot at 2150 Addison Street, on the corner of Oxford Street, is being torn down, and several large trees have been removed, to clear the ground for construction.
The UC Berkeley-owned museum is creating a new home, designed by New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, from a 1930s former printing plant owned by the university. The new BMA/PFA is slated to open in the summer of 2016, bringing more bold contemporary architecture into the heart of Berkeley. … Continue reading »
Berkeley’s Mayor Bates places a liquid Final Four bet
On Sunday, the Cal Bears women’s basketball team will be playing for more than a place in the NCAA championship game. Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates has wagered 10 bottles of Narsai David cabernet sauvignon against Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher’s 10 bottles of Kentucky bourbon that the Bears will prevail in their Final Four match against the Louisville Cardinal.
“All bets are on and I can already taste the bourbon now!” Bates confidently declared. … Continue reading »
New aquatics center raises parking, planning concerns
UC Berkeley officials held a public hearing Wednesday night on plans to build a new aquatics center at 2222 Bancroft Ave., east of Oxford, and were told the one-story building is a lost opportunity for improving the area and would be too disruptive to parking.
UC hopes to start construction on the $15 million project in August to alleviate the crowding that now takes place at Spieker Pool. Currently, all 120 of Cal’s swimmers, divers and water polo athletes, as well as recreational swimmers, must use that facility, putting a severe strain on its capacity. … Continue reading »
Police report 2 robberies with guns near UC campus
Robbers with guns struck twice near campus this week, and the University of California Police Department released information on both incidents. Twelve other incidents have been reported in recent days; click the map above for details.
On Monday, at about 7:40 p.m., a 19-year-old man was walking near Warring Street and Dwight Way when two males approached him. One of them, who had a gun, demanded the victim’s property. The victim complied and the suspects fled in a dark blue minivan. Police looked for the suspects but were unable to find them. … Continue reading »
I-House honors gay couple as equality fight unfolds in DC
This week, as the battle for marriage equality raged before the U.S. Supreme Court, UC Berkeley’s International House posted its own vote of support by highlighting a more than 50-year partnership between two men who met at I-House in 1951.
Vern Haddick and Paul Herman met as residents, and were together until Herman died last fall. Their relationship was featured on the the I-House Facebook page Tuesday as the “Couple of the Week.”
The feature is part of an effort launched earlier this year by I-House to highlight “some of our couples we knew about and garner more photos and stories from new couples. I also wanted to highlight friendships on this new page so it’s not just focused on couples. Creating life-long friendships is part of the I-House mission after all,” said Laurie Ferris, communications rep for I-House, who created the campaign.
Ferris said, before the campaign launched, the residence hall had already documented more than 1,000 couples with I-House connections. In January, Ferris created a page featuring heart-shaped graphics to layer over photos, and sent an email to alumni to let them know about the graphics. The email also served to put out the call for more love stories and photographs. … Continue reading »
