Hopeful on homelessness

CITY AFFAIRS: It’s encouraging that community leaders are considering an ambitious proposal to fight homelessness, despite differences.

Given Mayor Tom Bates and the Berkeley business community’s complicated relationship with the city’s homeless population, Berkeley City Council’s decision to further consider building a new resource and housing center located in the Downtown area for the city’s homeless population is an encouraging development. Read More…

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Banking goodwill

Broke in Berkeley

“BART’s going on strike.” I got the news first from Twitter. “Well, we’re screwed,” my roommate said. His boyfriend piped up reassuringly. “We can make it work. We need to make a plan.” My tribe of roommates sat down last week to figure out a strategy. Our apartment is in Read More…

Five minutes of bliss

CITY AFFAIRS: A five-minute grace period for parking violations is a win-win for all. The Berkeley City Council should adopt the proposal.

Berkeley is known for many things — a world-renowned university, the golden hills to its east and the marina on the west. The city, however, has never been considered a parking-friendly place. But drivers could be cut some slack if the Berkeley City Council approves a resolution at its Tuesday Read More…

Proposed parking policy could mean more lenient ticketing

The city of Berkeley could change its parking policy so that people approaching their vehicles will not be fined if parking enforcement officers are in the process of writing the ticket. Councilmember Kriss Worthington said he suggested this proposal — which the Berkeley City Council will consider at its meeting Read More…