Election 2012: National and state races
Election 2012 Endorsements: State candidates
Nancy Skinner State Assembly District 15 UC Berkeley students regularly have the opportunity to connect with Nancy Skinner, who represents the city in the state Assembly. She’s very involved with her district, and frequently visits campus for discussions that let students voice their thoughts directly to their representative. But while Read More…
Measure undistricts city and only changes who draws district lines
Texas-style politics comes to Berkeley with city redistricting measure
The charter amendment Measure R doesn’t redistrict Berkeley at all. It undistricts it. A little history: District Elections were instituted in 1986 to end citywide elections for all council seats. It was a measure put forth by the conservative hills residents against the monopoly the much more progressive flatlands of Read More…
Homeowner Bill of Rights to protect renters, investigate fraud
Gov. Jerry Brown signed two bills into law last week intended to increase protections for renters in foreclosed properties and investigate financial fraud. Read More…
State Senate approves bill that would extend collective bargaining rights to research assistants
The California State Senate approved a bill last Thursday that, if signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, would grant collective bargaining rights to graduate student research assistants at the state’s public universities. The bill would extend an 1979 act that gave university employees the right to collectively bargain to apply to Read More…
College high schools to benefit from state Senate bill
A bill written by State Senator Loni Hancock, D-Oakland, that will give aid to California’s early and middle college high schools was signed into law Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown. Read More…
State Senate advances bills that would create free online textbook library
In an effort to address the surging costs of higher education for college students, the California State Senate passed two bills aimed at giving students free access to textbooks for popular lower division courses on Wednesday. Senate Bill 1052 would create the California Open Education Resources Council, which would oversee Read More…
Emails reveal potentially tense relationship between administration, legislators
Spokesperson relays apology from Birgeneau for remark that Skinner and Hancock 'only know how to do damage'
Recently obtained email exchanges between campus officials regarding the Nov. 9 Occupy Cal protest suggest that the UC Berkeley administration may have tense feelings about the role of two state legislators in encouraging past campus protests. In a Nov. 8 email, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer wrote to Read More…
Chancellor Robert Birgeneau derided state legislators in emails
In emails sent between administrators surrounding the Nov. 9 Occupy Cal protest, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau criticized Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and State Senator Loni Hancock, D-Oakland. Emails recently received by the Daily Cal from the UC Berkeley Public Records office include a Nov. 8 email from Birgeneau to Executive Vice Chancellor Read More…
UC Berkeley signs contract with new shuttle bus service
After more than ten years of contracting shuttle buses from AC Transit, UC Berkeley has parted ways with the transit entity in favor of new buses provided by a private company. During negotiations, the campus considered contracting out the bus drivers’ positions, but eventually agreed to keep the existing drivers Read More…