Alex Mousouris/Staff

After laughing and chatting in close-knit circles, it’s finally time for a group of Nigerian state legislators in the living room of UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy to hear the day’s lecture — a lecture that aims to bring them one step closer to implementing better public policies in their state.

The group of 40 legislators from the Delta State House of Assembly in Nigeria arrived in Berkeley on July 29 to take part in a newly designed two-week executive leadership program focusing on governance and policy development in areas such as housing, higher education and sustainable energy. They will be returning for the next two summers to participate in additional two-week training programs.

The Honorable Victor Ochei, speaker of Nigeria’s Delta State Legislature, said that when the House Assembly was originally looking at educational programs abroad, they were choosing between various prestigious schools, including UC Berkeley.

“We thought Harvard was the best, actually, but Goldman was the top-rated school,” Ochei said. “Here in Berkeley, it’s different because the style is more open and more practical. For every time there’s a lecture, there is a field trip. ”

Staff members at the Goldman school said they view the program as an exciting opportunity not only to teach theoretical public policy frameworks but also to see how those theories are put into practice by active world leaders. The school also partners with the Jiangsu province in China, Kochi University of Technology in Japan and the Civil Service Bureau of the Hong Kong special administrative region to create similar programs.

“We want to implement international policy and understand how other countries are thinking in order to be able to work with them,” said Sudha Shetty, assistant dean for global alliances at the school.

Different issues are addressed each day during the two-week program, providing a comprehensive education in each area of public policy the leaders wish to reform.

Wednesday’s itinerary included a discussion with Henry Brady, dean of the public policy school, concerning the dynamics of higher education and what it does for society. The discussion was followed by a group field trip to Sacramento to see California legislators in action.

On another day, legislators worked on developing innovative ways to engage Nigerian youth in issues like job access and education, which, according to the Honorable Barr Princess Pat Ajudua, has posed a significant challenge.

“The youth are restless — restless from unemployment and lack of education,” Ajudua said. “When youth get out of school and find themselves without a job, they turn to all kinds of criminal things to get money to leave their parents and get married and lead a good life.”

Because of the program, Ajudua believes that the Assembly has already learned strategies to confront the issue, such as instating more facilities provided for youth to go to school, financial grounds for students to get an education they otherwise could not afford and initiating new training programs for teachers.

Despite the seriousness of the political problems the program aimed to tackle, the atmosphere in the lecture hall was both academically rigorous and social. Assembly members shared many laughs and side conversations between PowerPoint slides on global governance.

“So far, the program’s been fantastic,” Ochei said.

Contact Andrew Dickey and Nico Correia at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

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The two victims, a male and a female, were sitting on the steps at around 12:41 a.m. when two individuals wearing dark clothing and bandanas over their faces approached them. According to a UCPD crime alert released Tuesday, one perpetrator displayed a firearm and took the victims’ backpacks along with one wallet.

The suspects fled toward Warring Street. Neither student was harmed during the encounter.

UCPD and BPD responded to a call and were unable to locate the two suspects. According to the crime alert, the perpetrators are described as:

Perpetrator No. 1:  A black male, approximately 25 years of age, approximately 5-foot-6 in height, thin build, wearing dark clothing and a dark bandana and armed with a firearm.

Perpetrator No. 2:  A black male, approximately 25 years of age, approximately 5-foot-6 in height, thin build, wearing dark clothing and a dark bandana.

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Simone Anne Lang/File

In the wake of record-high freshman admissions numbers to UC Berkeley this year, the Units 1, 2, and 3 residence halls may see some student floor lounges turned into quads and some doubles turned into triples.

This year, 5,979 freshmen submitted a Statement of Intent to Register at UC Berkeley — an increase of 614, or 11.4 percent, over last year’s numbers, according to data released by the UC Office of the President. These numbers put next year’s freshman class on track to be the largest the campus has ever had.

While UC Berkeley has seen its fair share of housing reconfigurations to fit an increasing student population, the coming influx could be one of the biggest, said Marty Takimoto, director of marketing and communications for Residential and Student Service Programs.

“Over the past two to three years, we have averaged between 100 percent and 97 percent occupancy for all university housing,” Takimoto said. “For the upcoming fall, we’ll definitely start at more than 100 percent occupancy.”

In past years, floor lounges were used for temporary student housing to accommodate additional students at the beginning of the school year or while individual residence halls were closed for renovations.

RSSP currently anticipates about 50 more students than the current total occupancy, but according to Takimoto, that number will change moving in the fall, as some students receive late admissions offers — resulting in late housing applications — and some defer their enrollment during the summer. This makes it difficult for RSSP to accurately assess how many beds it will need.

Despite an increasing student population, campus housing guarantees have always been met for entering freshmen, transfer and extension students, Takimoto said.

“While we have additional students to house for the 2013-14 year, the numbers have not become unmanageable, and we anticipate being able to house them all comfortably and safely,” he said.

The growing student population may have also led to a spike in housing applications for private residence halls. Josh Ferrari, community manager at The Berk, one such residence, describes Berkeley as a late market, with potential tenants rushing to find housing around the end of July and early August. This year, however, the rush to grab spots began between May and June.

“There’s definitely an increase of people getting their housing secured early,” Ferrari said. He described both private dorms his company manages, The Berk and Wesley House, as being near capacity.

Students who applied for housing on time have been receiving their permanent housing contracts, while those who applied late will most likely be placed into overflow housing. According to Takimoto, RSSP is working to fill existing triples first in order to make lounge quads a last resort.

Ilaf Esuf, an incoming freshman who plans to live in either Unit 1, 2 or 3, said she would be disappointed if there were any last-minute changes but that her housing situation is secondary to the overall UC Berkeley experience.

“I care more about going to Cal than I do about my living arrangements,” she said in a Facebook message.

Contact Andrew Dickey at adickey@dailycal.org.

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Alicia Trost/Courtesy

This week, BART is showcasing a scale wooden replica of a preliminary design for new train cars that it plans to begin rolling out in 2017.

Passengers at Oakland’s MacArthur station are able to look inside at “the fleet of the future” and give design feedback. The public display, open from 2 to 7 p.m. until Friday, also includes a prototype of new digital displays that will alert passengers of approaching stops and train delays.

BART has been planning to redesign its 41-year-old trains since 2009, when it first requested remodeling proposals from several train car suppliers. BART currently uses the same train model it used when it first started in 1972.

“The fact of the matter is that we have the oldest railcars in the country right now,” said Jim Allison, deputy chief communications officer for BART. “It’s becoming harder to keep them running and harder to find the parts to fix them when necessary.”

Among the new changes are an additional door per car — from two to three — about 10 percent more standing room, interior bike racks, additional handrails and remodeled seats made of vinyl.

BART also hopes that the new cars will help it keep up with increasing passenger traffic, which is expected to increase from about 400,000 a day to about 500,000 a day in 2018. Traffic is expected to continue increasing partially due to planned service expansions in Silicon Valley.

But funding for the new cars is still tentative. Allison said that BART has an ultimate goal of buying 1,000 new train cars, replacing the 669 now in use and adding more, but funding has only been secured for 410 cars.

Some funds may come from fare increases that will take effect in January, but a settlement with BART labor unions over employee wages, currently being negotiated, could reduce funds for the new trains.

Reactions to the new design, developed by Bombardier Transportation, have been mostly positive.

“The engineering must reflect what the people want and how they’ll use it,” said Bob Lockhart, a retired BART employee who stopped by the exhibit. Lockhart said he noticed improved levels of brightness, space and general passenger accommodation.

Several BART employees were also stationed on-site to receive feedback from visitors.

“I think it’s great they’re letting us see all of this,” said Bethany Dean, a frequent BART passenger from Oakland who was also at the exhibit. “We can tell them our honest opinions about the changes, and it seems like they’re taking it all into consideration.”

This week, BART is showcasing a scale wooden replica of a preliminary design for new train cars that it plans to begin rolling out in 2017.

Passengers at Oakland’s MacArthur station are able to look inside at “the fleet of the future” and give design feedback. The public display, open from 2 to 7 p.m. until Friday, also includes a prototype of new digital displays that will alert passengers of approaching stops and train delays.

BART has been planning to redesign its 41-year-old trains since 2009, when it first requested remodeling proposals from several train car suppliers. BART currently uses the same train model it used when it first started in 1972.

“The fact of the matter is that we have the oldest railcars in the country right now,” said Jim Allison, deputy chief communications officer for BART. “It’s becoming harder to keep them running and harder to find the parts to fix them when necessary.”

Among the new changes are an additional door per car — from two to three — about 10 percent more standing room, interior bike racks, additional handrails and remodeled seats made of vinyl.

BART also hopes that the new cars will help it keep up with increasing passenger traffic, which is expected to increase from about 400,000 a day to about 500,000 a day in 2018. Traffic is expected to continue increasing partially due to planned service expansions in Silicon Valley.

But funding for the new cars is still tentative. Allison said that BART has an ultimate goal of buying 1,000 new train cars, replacing the 669 now in use and adding more, but funding has only been secured for 410 cars.

Some funds may come from fare increases that will take effect in January, but a settlement with BART labor unions over employee wages, currently being negotiated, could reduce funds for the new trains.

Reactions to the new design, developed by Bombardier Transportation, have been mostly positive.

“The engineering must reflect what the people want and how they’ll use it,” said Bob Lockhart, a retired BART employee who stopped by the exhibit. Lockhart said he noticed improved levels of brightness, space and general passenger accommodation.

Several BART employees were also stationed on-site to receive feedback from visitors.

“I think it’s great they’re letting us see all of this,” said Bethany Dean, a frequent BART passenger from Oakland who was also at the exhibit. “We can tell them our honest opinions about the changes, and it seems like they’re taking it all into consideration.”

The design phase will ultimately conclude in 2015 after another public display is held for Bombardier’s final model. If everything stays on track, all BART trains will be replaced with the new models by 2023.

Contact Andrew Dickey at adickey@dailycal.org.

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Kore Chan/File

Last Tuesday, Berkeley City Council became the first city council in the nation to adopt an official policy to divest funds from 200 fossil fuel-producing companies, joining a nationwide movement to try to help curb global climate change.

Inspired by UC Berkeley student groups and the environmental organization 350.org, the city of Berkeley has committed to divest all city funds from direct ownership of publicly traded corporations defined by the city as “fossil fuel companies,” including BP, Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. The policy prohibits the city from making any future investments in the listed companies and aims to complete the divestment process within the next five years.

“While fossil fuel companies provide an attractive return on investment, the city of Berkeley will suffer greater economic and financial losses from the impact of unchecked climate change,” reads the new investment policy, which was originally recommended to the City Council by Councilmember Kriss Worthington.

The 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies were chosen by Berkeley City Council due to their perceived control over the majority of the world’s oil, coal and gas reserves. According to 350.org, nearly 80 percent of these reserves must go unburned in order to maintain global warming below two degrees Celsius, a target that the United States agreed to meet at the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009.

Worthington noted that nine other cities have also made commitments to divest, but Berkeley was the first to formally adopt an official policy solidifying its divestment.

“The momentum of getting cities on board is the significance,” Worthington said. “There have been hundreds of universities involved in this movement, and I thought, ‘If the universities can do this, why can’t we?’”

The policy follows on the heels of the ASUC Senate — which passed SB 10, a similar bill, in February — divesting funds and prohibiting future investments from the same 200 fossil fuel companies. These 200 companies were originally decided on by 350.org, whose 2012 Go Fossil Free Campaign helped spark a national movement in fossil fuel divestment.

“The Berkeley City Council’s vote to divest from the fossil fuel industry is really exciting,” said ASUC Executive Vice President Nolan Pack, who co-authored the ASUC bill. “There are divestment campaigns at universities and in cities across the U.S., and the Berkeley City Council’s decision to go fossil-free adds momentum to the movement.”

Ophir Bruck, a UC Berkeley student and fossil free fellow of 350.org, suggests that reinvestment in cleaner energy sources may also be an effective strategy to help achieve this goal.

“It is the logical move to reinvest divested funds in areas of the economy that are productive in climate-change adaptation and mitigation,” Bruck said.

Contact Andrew Dickey at adickey@dailycal.org.

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Andrew Kuo/Senior Staff

According to findings released last Monday from an annual independent survey, many “soft-story” buildings in Berkeley continue to not meet seismic safety standards designated by city ordinance.

The results were gathered by a group of concerned locals and students led by Igor Tregub, a commissioner on the Berkeley Rent Board. For the past three years, independently of the city, Tregub and his team have been investigating more than 200 buildings in Berkeley that are classified as soft-story buildings — wooden-frame structures with five or more units featuring unequal levels of earthquake resistance on certain floors.

Many of these soft-story buildings house students while also providing spaces for ground-floor businesses and parking garages. Unless retrofitted, soft-story buildings are usually more vulnerable to earthquakes and prone to collapse.

“We’re seeing more instances of compliance now than we did in the past two years, but only 10 of 20 buildings we inspected followed regulations, which is very troubling,” Tregub said. The results from the Seismic Compliance survey also revealed that none of the tenants living in the 20 buildings surveyed knew of their home’s inherent instability.

While some soft-story building owners have retrofitted their property, many others need financial assistance to do so, and some landlords are unaware of the need for earthquake retrofitting in their own buildings.

“Very few students actually know about the seismic dangers in Berkeley,” said Denim Ohmit, a former local affairs intern in the ASUC External Affairs Vice President’s office who helped rally participants and survey buildings. “A lot of the tenants we were notifying were unknowing students.”

Students and concerned citizens gathered for a Seismic Day of Action on March 20 to conduct inspections of soft-story buildings and determine whether building owners had cooperated with the Berkeley Soft Story Ordinance of 2005. Phase I of the ordinance requires owners of certain seismically unstable buildings to inform their tenants of inherent risks and to place informative signs within five feet of all major entrances.

But according to both Tregub’s seismic compliance report and the Berkeley Property Owners Association, the responsibility to effectively enforce the Soft Story Ordinance ultimately falls on the city of Berkeley.

“Since the ordinance was passed, the city has always had the legal standing to enforce these laws, but they’ve decided to prioritize and budget themselves towards other interests,” said Asa Dodsworth, a commissioner for the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board.

Sid Lakireddy, president of the BPOA, attributes a lack of awareness of both tenants and landlords to poor communication between the city of Berkeley and building owners.

“There’s definitely a lack of personalized outreach to landlords,” Lakireddy said, noting that significant language and age barriers exist between tenants, city officials and many owners of the soft-story buildings in question. “But the ordinance is completely fair — it’s how we’re eventually going to raise awareness and get people to seismically retrofit these properties.”

Phase II of the Soft Story Ordinance will attempt to acquire funding from the city to seismically retrofit soft-story buildings, but according to Tregub’s report, progress toward this phase has been at a standstill for the past seven years.

“The city has the necessary equipment and expertise to do this, but due to the lack of priority and budgeting, seismic retrofitting has been long delayed,” Tregub said.

Contact Andrew Dickey at adickey@dailycal.org.

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This month, researchers at the Donald Vial Center for Employment in the Green Economy — part of UC Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment — will begin consulting the California Public Utilities Commission about developing new training programs for employees in the utilities industry as part of a statewide initiative to reduce carbon emissions and increase environmental sustainability.

Working under a $500,000 contract granted by CPUC and valid through 2014, campus consultants will help utility companies such as PG&E to develop a strategic plan for improved workforce education and training. The initiative follows the Vial Center’s 2011 California Workforce Education and Training Needs Assessment, which aimed to help utility companies understand how to better train employees for eco-friendly practices.

“We went through a deliberate and methodical process and selected UC Berkeley based on the strength of the proposal put forward and factors like green goals and diversity inclusion,” said PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian. “This is a whole new trend in workforce training, and the partnership with UC Berkeley will support those new trends.”

According to the Vial Center’s 2011 report, poor installation of energy-efficient equipment has hurt statewide energy-efficiency goals. The report found that California currently has more than 1,000 education programs to train workers who install energy-saving equipment but concludes that a lack of widespread standards leads to confusion and lack of coordination in the workforce. With the new project, workers will be retrained to provide more clean energy installations, and facilities personnel will learn how to improve maintenance and operations of buildings.

“Whether they’re electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, pipefitters, carpenters or laborers, ensuring workers have up-to-date skills is critical to achieving the state’s energy-efficiency goals,” said Vial Center policy analyst Jessica Halpern-Finnerty in an announcement released by the university.

UC Berkeley researchers will partner with various nonprofit organizations, community colleges and technical schools to integrate efficiency training into existing curricula. Those involved in the project hope the accessibility of the training programs will offer new job opportunities to members of the community who need it most.

“We hope to help accomplish two things: to develop clear pathways leading to better job placement outcomes — especially for members of disadvantaged communities — while also working to meet California’s energy-efficiency goals,” says Cynthia Guzman of Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors, a community development and public policy consulting firm working with the Vial Center.

Other organizations working to help overhaul the utilities workforce with the Vial Center include the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the Career Ladders Project for California Community Colleges.

Contact Andrew Dickey at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

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