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Far-reaching state housing law gets nowhere in Berkeley

As CalWatchdog reported July 2, the city of Cupertino’s decision to stop fighting a massive mall makeover project enabled by a far-reaching 2017 state law meant to promote more housing construction could someday be seen as a milestone in state

Study: Blame cities, not CEQA for housing shortage

Avery Bissett March 1, 2018

The oft-maligned California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) may not be to blame for the Golden State’s housing shortage and steep development costs, according to recent UC Berkeley/Columbia working paper. Passed in 1970, CEQA requires state and local agencies to assess

Berkeley declares itself a sanctuary city for marijuana users

Drew Gregory Lynch February 15, 2018

In its latest effort to counter the Trump agenda in Washington, Berkeley, California has declared itself a sanctuary city for cannabis use. Under the newly passed resolution, no city department, agency or employee “shall use any city funds

Californians consider moving due to rising housing costs, poll finds

Drew Gregory Lynch September 21, 2017

A majority of voters in California have considered moving due to rising housing costs, according to new findings from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, with 1 in 4 saying that if they moved it would be out of the state

With unprecedented security measures, Ben Shapiro delivers Berkeley speech

Drew Gregory Lynch September 15, 2017

Amid fears of widespread political violence, Ben Shapiro’s speech at UC Berkeley on Thursday night was a mostly peaceful affair, with the conservative commentator delivering remarks where he criticized identity politics and an anti-free speech climate on college campuses around

UC Berkeley deficit crisis threatens its long-term stability

James Poulos February 19, 2016

Dramatically reopening what had seemed to be a settled matter, the University of California at Berkeley revealed plans for a sweeping spending reassessment due to vast deficits. Berkeley chancellor Nicholas Dirks said “the university had a ‘substantial and growing’ deficit that could threaten its

Berkeley imposes soda tax

John Seiler November 7, 2014

Berkeley has done all Californians a favor by voting for a demonstration of how taxes drive away business. Its citizens just passed Measure D, a soda tax amounting to 12 cents on a can of Coke or other sugary beverage. The

Minimum wage activists set sights on L.A.

James Poulos July 22, 2014

The concerted push for higher minimum wages in California has spread from the East Bay to Los Angeles. On the heels of a recently approved $15 minimum wage in Seattle, advocates for dramatically increased hourly wages sensed an opportunity to select

Berkeley: Poor have right to free pot

John Seiler July 13, 2014

This sounds like a Cheech and Chong routine. The People’s Republic of Berkeley has mandated that medical-marijuana dispensaries must give free pot to poor people. As marijuana is legalized in more places, that likely will spread across the country. In

Are school parcel taxes social status symbols?

CalWatchdog Staff May 7, 2013

May 7, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi Question: Are working-class communities smarter than wealthier school districts by not putting increased school parcel taxes on local election ballots? This is not the conclusion suggested in a new study released May 2013 by EdSource,