The Saga of Berkeley's People's Park Never Ends Tuesday, February 08, 2022
Berkeley's People's Park has long become a symbol of something. You can have your choice as to what that is. But read on: Lawsuit accuses UC Berkeley, city of cutting ‘secret’ deal to advance student housing plan Community groups allege agreement was approved in closed sessions and never properly disclosed By KATIE LAUER | Mercury News, 2-6-22
In its effort to build more student housing over the next 15 years, UC Berkeley agreed to cut a secret deal to pay the city more for police, fire and other services in exchange for its blessing to proceed with development plans, according to an amended lawsuit. Neither the university nor the city of Berkeley properly disclosed the deal after hashing it out behind closed doors, according to a coalition of neighborhood groups — Make UC a Good Neighbor, People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group and People’s Park Council. The suit was filed July 2021 in Alameda County Superior Court against Mayor Jesse Arreguín and the Berkeley City Council, and on Jan. 20 it was amended to also accuse the university of approving the “secret” settlement in private sessions. Celebrated as a “historic” win-win by school and city leaders, the settlement more than doubled what the university otherwise would have owed for the city services, to $4.1 million. In all, the city expects to receive up to $82.6 million over the next 16 years from UC Berkeley, accounting for an annual 3% increase. For its part, the city promised to drop lawsuits alleging the university’s proposed 2021 Long Range Development Plan could cause environmental harm. Part of the university’s plan includes a contentious proposal to spend $312 million to build a 12-story and a six-story building on a portion of historic People’s Park, located just east of Telegraph Avenue a few blocks from campus. The university wants to house 1,100 students there as well as 125 unhoused people. Its previous plans for student housing there have been rebuffed since the late 1960s by students and activists who contend the 136
UCLA Faculty Association Blog: First Quarter 2022
