The budget deal between Gov. Jerry Brown and state Democrats exemplifies the danger of political paralysis. Sacramento is tied down by petty partisanship that prevented Brown from pursuing tax extensions which could have shaped the budget differently. The result is tragic for all Californians: the University of California now faces Read More…
Potholes are a blemish for the city of Berkeley. According to a recent report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Berkeley scored a 60 out of 100 on the pavement condition index — indicating that its road system is on the precipice of rapid deterioration. We understand that the city faces Read More…
Because the University of California is in a dire financial situation, it must further consider raising nonresident fees for summer sessions. Currently, nonresident students pay the same fee as California residents — $343 per unit — but in the face of monumental cuts to its funding, the university cannot afford Read More…
Public employee unions face criticism across the nation — fairly and unfairly — for their impacts on state and city budgets. That is why last Tuesday’s announcement of a deficit-reducing pension deal between Berkeley city officials and the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 — which represents the city’s maintenance Read More…
Issuing the first veto of a state budget in California’s history, Gov. Jerry Brown’s rejection of the proposed state budget Thursday underscores the continuing threat that cuts pose to public education. The spending plan included $150 million in additional cuts to the University of California and the California State University Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court case Stanford v. Roche, which centered on Stanford University’s attempt to assert control over an HIV-detection kit invented by School of Medicine professor Mark Holodniy, appeared to come down to semantics. Fortunately, the ruling on June 6 is not fatal to the Bayh-Dole Act, which allows Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal last Monday that challenged California Assembly Bill 540, which allows undocumented students to pay resident tuition at in-state colleges. The decision is a welcome conclusion after years of legal challenges, beginning when the original lawsuit was filed in December 2005. Undocumented Read More…
The Berkeley City Council voted March 1 to increase parking fees for the downtown area from $1.50 to $1.75 an hour to help finance the service improvements that will take place under the Downtown Berkeley Property-Based Improvement District (PBID). Though the fee increase comes during an economically difficult time, the Read More…
The ASUC is a democratically elected body that is responsible first and foremost to the students who form its electorate at UC Berkeley. When significant changes are made to the ASUC, students should be able to expect that they will be informed. Unfortunately, the majority of the student body may Read More…
It is never good practice for a city to drop the ball on expanding voter-approved lines of revenue — especially when that city faces an estimated $12.2 million deficit for the 2012 fiscal year. Unfortunately, the city of Berkeley is doing just this, losing out on a huge potential source Read More…
