Restaurant owners voiced concerns that if the quota were relaxed, other restaurants would enter an already competitive environment, which would hurt their businesses. Multiple restaurant owners, including those of Gypsy’s Trattoria Italiana and Pappy’s Grill and Sports Bar, spoke at the meeting in opposition to removing the system.

“I strongly disagree with the proposal,” said Jahanshah Jowharchi, owner of Gypsy’s. “Our restaurant has suffered tremendously in the last two years … Many of us are going out of business due to overpopulation of restaurants.”

Currently, the city has quotas limiting the number of businesses, such as restaurants, barber shops and gift shops, that operate in the Telegraph commercial area. The proposal, if approved, would relax the restaurant quota system for the next three years.

Alex Popov, manager of Pappy’s, initiated a petition against removing the quota system. He also created the Telegraph Restaurant Association last week to voice the sentiments of local restaurant owners.

Thai Basil, CREAM and La Burrita are among 34 local restaurants that have signed the petition in favor of keeping the quotas.

“When I explained to (business owners) the issue, especially to those who are mom and pops, they said, ‘How are we going to survive if this passes?’” Popov said. “(Even) talking to nonfood businesses — they are concerned.”

Yet other business owners, such as Craig Becker of Caffe Mediterraneum — who is also president of the Telegraph Business Improvement District — think the quotas have done more harm than good.

“I think the government has a big role in making any commercial district successful, but I just don’t think that the quotas are the right way to go about it,” Becker said.

Due to time constraints, the council did not debate the restaurant quota matter and decided not to approve it at this time.

“If they would have taken a vote last night, we would have prevailed,” Popov said. “The fact that we didn’t get everything done in one meeting is not that big of a deal, but as long as we’re continuing to have Telegraph in the spotlight … It might take a long time, but as long as we’re looking at ways to improve the business district.”

The City Council voted, in one motion, to adopt of a number of the other items pertaining to Telegraph, such as looking into the financial impact of converting Bancroft Way and Durant Avenue into two-way streets and of creating parklets.

Gladys Rosario covers academics and administration. Contact her at grosario@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @gladysrosario93.

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Currently, the city has quotas in place limiting the number of each type of business — such as restaurants, barbershops and gift shops — that can operate in the Telegraph Avenue commercial area.

Thirty-four local restaurants, including Gypsy’s Trattoria Italiana, C.R.E.A.M. and La Burrita, have signed a petition opposed to relaxing these quotas for three years.

Alex Popov, manager of Pappy’s Grill and Sports Bar, created the petition and the Telegraph Restaurant Association to organize the thoughts and concerns of local restaurant owners.

“We’re concerned with the general appeal of (Telegraph Avenue),” Popov said. “We don’t want (visitors) to think of Telegraph Avenue as just a place to go when they’re hungry.”

The current city quotas specify that 19 carry-out and 30 quick-service restaurants may operate in the area, yet the petition counted 72 carry-out and quick-service restaurants in operation.

Some restaurant owners said there are too many restaurants operating in the Telegraph area and that they desire more retail diversity. According to Popov, 17 of the 18 stores on Center Street in Berkeley are restaurants.

City Council members will discuss the quota issue in a meeting Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Gladys Rosario covers academics and administration. Contact her at grosario@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @gladysrosario93.

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If the plan is approved, the city manager will draw up a list of costs for traffic analysis, traffic control methods and construction for the conversion of the two streets.

Benefits of the conversion would include a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists, less traffic due to reduced vehicle speeds and more convenient access to the campus due to the relocation of bus traffic to Bancroft, proponents say.

We’re trying to follow best practices,” said Berkeley Design Advocates President Anthony Bruzzone. “Current best practices suggest that two-way streets are better for traffic and better for business.”

The proposal is one of many improvements to Telegraph Avenue’s current design suggested by Berkeley Design Advocates, a volunteer group of architects and urban planners. Other proposed improvements include extended sidewalks, improved street lighting and more interaction between retail and entertainment spaces.

The campus currently supports the proposal because it has the potential to improve safety, said Christine Shaff, communications director for UC Berkeley’s Facilities Services.

City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, however, has introduced a separate list of his own goals.

His proposal, called the Telegraph ACTION Plan, includes improvements like outdoor merchandise tables for retail stores, increased visibility of parking and a monthly music festival, all of which, he estimates, would cost $50,500.

While the financial impact of the project has yet to be calculated, Worthington has said his 12-item plan may cost less than the two-way street proposal.

“The focus on two-way streets and sending all that money at the expense of not doing these things is very problematic,” Worthington said. “I would say that these are more important and more time-sensitive than which way the cars are going.”

The Telegraph Business Improvement District also opposes the conversion of the two streets, said Executive Director Roland Peterson, and would rather see other improvements, like creating parklets — small parking spot-sized spaces for recreation and beautification —  which will also be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting.

“We’re very intrigued, but we need to flesh out more about parklets,” Peterson said. “We’re very much interested in possible redesigns of the street in ways that make it better for pedestrians and traffic.”

For those who walk or drive down Bancroft and Durant daily, the change would have mixed results.

“As a driver, two-way streets do have their conveniences,” said senior Amanda Garcia, who has been driving in Berkeley for several months. “As a student, though, one-way streets are kind of convenient. It’s easier to cross. I can see this being a positive change, though.”

Megan Messerly covers city government. Contact her at mmesserly@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @meganmesserly.

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1. You know it’s not actually this sunny all the time and have learned to layer appropriately according to the city’s bipolar weather.

2. You’re used to the constant construction and don’t even bat an eye at the sight of cranes and dirt by the Campanile.

3. You’ve figured out shortcuts around Sproul to avoid fliering.

4. You’ve already gone through ASUC elections and know whether or not you want to vote/campaign/avoid people telling you to vote or campaign.

5. You realize that attendance for lectures that are webcast is more of a suggestion than a requirement.

6. You already know how to take BART.

7. You know to avoid Crossroads whenever possible.

8. You’ve survived Tele-BEARS so many times already that swearing at it during your registration appointment has become routine.

9. You already know doing the reading for each class all the time is impossible — unless you get no sleep and have no friends.

10. You already read the Daily Clog.

If you ever have doubts about whether you should have come here or feel sick of the place, just remember all the knowledge you’ve soaked up while living in a place like Berkeley. It’s stuff you’ll never forget. Just look at all the alumni parents coming back to show their kiddies around the school! They’re still Golden Bears at heart.

Image source: dp.hotography under Creative Commons 

Contact Erum Khan at ekhan@dailycal.org or follow her on Twitter @erumjkhan.

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The East Bay Bike Party is an organized group of volunteers and leaders who follow pre-planned routes every month to advocate stopping at red lights and focus on the enjoyment of biking together rather than a mutual hatred of cars. For the most part it looked to us like Berkeley residents having fun on a Friday night. If you’ve ever dreamed about being a bike groupie, get involved in the movement — they meet the second Friday of every month.

contact Meagan Kane at mkane@dailycal.org

Correction(s):
A previous version of this post incorrectly identified the cycling group as Critical Mass Movement. In fact, it was the East Bay Bike Party.

The post We Spy: bicycles invading Berkeley appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Such a vision may become a reality in the not-so-distant future now that Berkeley City Council has given the green light to create a 24/7 commercial district in the Telegraph area south of the UC Berkeley campus. The council’s decision is a step in the right direction, but Telegraph has a long way to go before it is ready to support an all-night economy — turning the area into a 24/7 district is not going to happen overnight.

Local businesses need to see a clear demand to stay open all night if any of them are going to extend their hours permanently. This is evident when looking at Caffe Mediterraneum, which received a permit in 2011 to stay open 24/7 but has yet to do so, apparently due to lack of sufficient customer interest. Even with the council’s approval, Telegraph merchants probably won’t fully extend their hours until other changes transform the environment there.

Before many students can buy into the idea of an all-night avenue, city officials need to finally improve Telegraph’s street lighting. The dim glow cast over the area at night makes students feel unsafe — increased visibility would go a long way toward creating an environment in which students feel comfortable in the middle of the night. Officials seem to recognize this, as efforts to revamp Telegraph lighting have been in the works for a while. But it’s time for students to see results.

To that end, once storefronts actually begin to open their doors 24/7, local police will need to strengthen their presence throughout the night. Together with better lighting, this would hopefully address any student concerns about safety in the late hours.

Still, businesses will not see the demand they need to take advantage of the 24/7 district until the Telegraph area has a higher residential density. It is therefore even more important now for city officials to ensure the speedy development of the vacant lots at the intersection of Haste Street and Telegraph. New buildings on the two empty lots would literally bring more people to Telegraph, who would be some of the most likely patrons of 24-hour businesses.

The new city policy is a welcome improvement. But it is not the only answer. Together with other changes like better lighting, proactive safety measures and reconstruction of empty spaces, the 24/7 policy could very well restore the avenue to its former stature.

The post Toward a better Telegraph appeared first on The Daily Californian.

There are, of course, restrictions — establishments selling off-sale alcohol (selling alcohol to be consumed at a second site) can only stay open until midnight, regardless of location, while on-sale alcohol (selling alcohol to be consumed on-site, i.e. restaurants and bars) can occur until 2 a.m.

I know you’re thinking it, so say it with me: hell yes. More drunchies. Or munchies, depending on the day of the week.

How sad is it that our first thoughts turn to late-night eating options? Actually, it’s not sad. Embrace those extra carbohydrates. If you weren’t thinking “more food!,” you are either not a normal college student or you spend an inordinate amount of time at Walgreens.

Unfortunately, just because the city has granted permission for a 24-hour district doesn’t necessarily mean that businesses will follow suit. I called around to a couple of Telegraph hotspots and I received the following: a “no one wants to stay open 24/7” from Blondie’s, a “no” from Chipotle and a “that’s not something we’ve discussed yet” from C.R.E.A.M.

Goddamn it. So I have to stick to La Burrita for my Mexican food fix? What’s the point of all this if I can’t get Chipotle at 2 in the morning?!

I called up Councilmember Kriss Worthington, whose district encompasses Telegraph Avenue, in dismay. He confirmed my worst suspicions — no business has actually stepped forward saying it will participate.

What is this gonna do, then? Worthington acknowledges that “it’s gonna take a while before we see practical effects. It will contribute to changing the ambience (of the street), potentially in the long term … If we don’t address parking, signage, lighting, economic issues or safety, this policy will have very little impact at all.”

Hence, Worthington has put forth a Telegraph action plan for short-term improvements, attempting to address the aforementioned issues.

One public commenter at this past Tuesday’s meeting feared that a 24/7 Telegraph would equate to a “24/7 public restroom.” Um, I’m pretty sure that’s the way it already is.

Councilmember Linda Maio, however, brings up a real concern: What about sexual assault incidents in connection to alcohol consumption? She’s not against late hours, but her reason for voting “no” on the policy has to do with the doubling of reported rapes in Berkeley over the last year.

“The general pattern (of rape) is acquaintance rape, the confluence of that with alcohol,” Maio said. “This policy ends retail of liquor at 12, but it allows businesses to appeal the zoning department for later hours. I personally don’t want to open that door.”

I asked Worthington what his opinion was of Maio’s thoughts against the policy. “We’ve seen nearly a doubling in rape without this policy change,” said Worthington. With this policy, “there won’t be an increase in alcohol in late hours. Because of state law, even if a business is open 24 hours, they can’t sell alcohol the entire time.”

Both Worthington and Maio agree that the best way to address the increase in sexual assaults around the city is through education.

While I completely understand the problems we face with sexual assault, I don’t believe there’s much of a direct connection between allowing businesses to stay open 24 hours and a potential increase in rape incidents.

Having the city and university work jointly to improve public safety, education, prevention and enforcement will go a lot further than simply preventing shops from staying open or selling alcohol later.

Craig Becker, owner of Cafe Mediterranean and president of the Telegraph Business Improvement District Board, believes that Maio’s concerns are a misunderstanding of what a 24-hour district is attempting to do.

“The problem of rape has more to do with off-sale liquor. I don’t think this originates in restaurants and bars,” Becker said. “I think (this policy) actually has the potential to improve the safety of the nighttime environment. It’s a strategy that’s been used by other cities to decrease alcohol problems. Now, places can serve alcohol until 2 a.m. but stay open until 3 or 4 a.m. … people can sober up and eat before drifting out.”

Oh, people will certainly eat, all right. If the marijuana doesn’t do the trick, the midterms will. Now it’s up to the city to hold up its end on bettering public safety measures.

And to lobby Chipotle to extend hours. Who’s with me?

Contact Lynn Yu at lyu@dailycal.org or follow her on Twitter: @lynnqyu.

The post Southside story appeared first on The Daily Californian.

At its meeting Tuesday night, City Council voted to extend hours of operation for businesses between Bancroft and Dwight ways to create Berkeley’s first 24-hour commercial zone.

“Students and people — particularly in their 20s or 30s — have schedules that aren’t rigidly 9-to-5, so we thought it’d be something very popular,” said Roland Peterson, executive director of the Telegraph Business Improvement District. “For Telegraph, this makes all the sense in the world.”

Currently, businesses that do not serve alcohol can stay open until midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays — two hours later than those that do serve alcohol. Businesses that want later hours must apply for an Administrative Use Permit or Use Permit, which is often a lengthy process.

Under the new ordinance, businesses will no longer have to apply for individual permits to extend their closing hours.

Craig Becker, owner of Caffe Mediterraneum, received a permit in June 2011 to stay open for 24 hours. However, since then, the cafe has maintained its regular closing hours at midnight.

“If we had enough traffic, if we were able to build up a nighttime economy, that makes it worthwhile … we might consider extending our hours,” he said. “We hope that in the future, there’ll be more business.”

This idea has long been in the works and has been discussed widely over the last few years. In May 2010, City Council considered extending hours to 3 a.m. until the Telegraph Business Improvement District suggested a “24/7 zone” instead.

“It’ll encourage students to socialize together at different hours of the night and promote safety on Telegraph,” said ASUC External Affairs Vice President Shahryar Abbasi. “Telegraph needs to be revitalized and provide more options for students.”

However, Berkeley Police Department and the division of code enforcement have expressed concerns that extending hours could lead to “increased negative behavior.”

To address these concerns, the ordinance specifies that businesses that sell alcohol for off-site consumption will have to maintain closing hours at midnight, and many believe the noise level should not be an issue.

“This is new for Berkeley,” said Councilmember Gordon Wozniak. “It’s an experiment.”

Yet the vision for an energetic, late-night environment is just one factor in the city’s efforts to revitalize Telegraph Avenue and boost its economy — one that may take some time to live up to its full potential.

“It may take a few years for it to gain momentum and create a critical mass of businesses that are interested in (staying open 24/7),” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. “(But) I think it’s worth trying out and seeing if it works.”

Daphne Chen is the lead city government reporter. Contact her at daphnechen@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @dchen_dc.

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As an alumnus and an occasional Telegraph Avenue and park bum, I would like to commend Jay Scherf for his kind and sensible words (“Homelessness and Telegraph Avenue,” March 15) with regard to the ‘Ave, in response to a column from Ms. Yu, which I missed.  It does my heart good to know that some young folks still know how to think for themselves.

You know, being a bum offers a certain freedom. It is good to know that there is some place for you if you just want to bum around for a while. There’s food, served in the Park, companionship if you want it. Some among that crowd of disheveled people are ex-professors.  It’s a low-stress environment.

It’s like real third-world-style life going on here in the midst of America. It is there for us to see because it is the truth. There are no jobs for these men. I remember the Woody Guthrie song that goes, “I’m lookin’ for a job with honest pay.”  How have we, as a nation, let these young people down?  Sent them to a fool’s war and returned them to a wasteland of commercialism; all honest work sent overseas.  That’s right, honest work.  Where’s that entry-level honest work? Everybody is protecting his money, and the government is in the control of the Republicans. So let’s get tough on the poor. Right.

— Curtis Manning,
UC Berkeley alumnus

Efforts to eradicate hunger in America

I was excited when reading “Interface aims to link restaurants to shelters in need of food” (March 18) because hunger is indeed a serious issue in America. Komal Ahmad’s program will not only benefit the hungry but will also reduce food waste that often harms our beloved Earth. I agree that the Earth produces enough food for its 7 billion people. The problem is inequity in food distribution and big greedy food corporations that manipulate food prices, making low-income families unable to buy food. I hope and pray that Feeding Forward is successful in its honorable mission to end hunger.

— Khalida Jamilah,
UC Berkeley student

Contact the opinion desk at opinion@dailycal.org.

The post Letters: March 22 appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Lynn Yu’s column  (“Talking on Telegraph. Stop,” March 7)  came from a place of such privilege that it rendered the whole article ridiculous. The piece uses the same rhetoric as 19th century British imperial policy. To assume that Telegraph’s ‘potential’ is to gentrify it into some UC outdoor mall is to completely marginalize every non-student who uses the space.

Yu asks what we should to do with the homeless population, as if we mostly affluent students who count our stay here in semesters have more right to Telegraph than the folks who’ve lived and worked on the street for decades. For someone who claims to be sensitive to the homeless, she’s quick to dehumanize them, treating them as obstacles to be pushed out of sight and mind instead of people with rights. It’s a discourse that ultimately does nothing to address the structural problems that create homelessness and instead does everything to benefit the landlords and developers who make millions by ‘cleaning up’ places like Telegraph. As for student safety, Yu’s argument again reveals class prejudice. It seems we’re more likely to be assaulted in the Greek system than on the sidewalk.

There’s a Berkeley beyond UC Berkeley. Yu needs to check her privilege before she keeps doing developers’ marketing for them.

— Jay Scherf,
UC Berkeley student

In defense of Rand Paul’s filibuster

Connor Grubaugh’s criticism of Senator Rand Paul’s filibuster (“Filibuster is still foul,” March 11) fails to understand the fundamental function of the U.S. Senate. It is not meant to be another majoritarian legislature like the House of Representatives. If that were the case, why establish a second legislature at all? Rather, the Senate’s function, as seen in the recent filibuster, is to protect minority opinions from being drowned out by the tyranny of the majority.

Nevertheless, the filibuster doesn’t empower the minority opinion to domineer the whole legislative process. As we saw last Wednesday, Senator Paul’s stand eventually ended, and John Brennan was confirmed. Yet, the filibuster still functions as a critical platform for minority opinions to be heard. In the case of Senator Paul, he brought the issue of drone strikes to greater prominence in public discourse, and Brennan is now CIA director. This is a win-win situation. Would Connor prefer Brennan receive a free pass without a mention of the pressing issues facing his office?

— Casey Given,
UC Berkeley alumnus, former Daily Cal columnist

Contact the opinion desk at opinion@dailycal.org.

The post Letters: March 15 appeared first on The Daily Californian.