Posted by
Cassie Myers on Thursday, November 19, 2009 04:17 pm
While you’re howling about the 32 percent fee increases, you might be relieved to know that some things are right in the world—the Berkeley City Council just voted to protect windsurfers while at the same time approving a ferry terminal.
The ferry will be another mode of transportation between here and San Francisco. Has potential, right? Think of it as a splashier alternative to BART.
OK, the skeptics sneer, a ferry’s all well and good, but what will windsurfers do? We’ve got you covered there, too: There’s a provision that insists that the ferry cannot “disrupt the flow of the windsurfers who frequent the area.”
Well that’s settled, then. A ferry and some rights for windsurfers. That’s all we really wanted.
Image source: cookipediachef under Creative Commons
Berkeley votes to protect windsurfing [NBC Bay Area]
City Council Approves Plan for Berkeley Waterfront Ferry Terminal [Daily Cal]
Posted by
Cassie Myers on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 08:41 pm
You waited patiently, loud denizens of Berkeley, and now the day is finally here. The City Council is set to vote tonight on an ordinance that could relax noise limits. If passed, this would “allow entertainment venues and festival organizers to exceed the noise regulations if they obtain a permit beforehand.”
The noise limit would be raised from 10 to 15 decibels. More sound permits would be given out each year, without limits.
Obvious question: could Berserkeley get any louder? Between garbage trucks, sirens, and the amusingly colorful street vendors, the more frighteningly verbose street vendors, read more »
A unanimous vote in the Berkeley City Council chambers yesterday has banned the procedure of cat declawing in all veterinary clinics within the city limits. Violators could face a $1,000 fine or six months in the slammer. It’s cat justice, baby.
Moral of the story? Kittens are people too, people. And your brand new upholstered couch just happens to be the best darn scratching post this side of the Mason-Dixon Line. Deal with it: this is kitteh territoreh.
Image Source: Artamnesia under Creative Commons
Berkeley bans cat declawing [Inside Bay Area]
City Council Approves Ban On Animal Declawing [Daily Cal]
Posted by
Cassie Myers on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 10:32 pm
A rainbow mural was taken down. In Berkeley. If there’s a clearer sign that the world is changing, we don’t know what it could be. We expect the four horsemen of the apocalypse to come riding in our direction any minute.
The sign was taken down because the store which put it up also displayed its name on part of the mural in a small space. Apparently the city ordinances do not allow this. Obviously, it’s really harshing the Berkeley mellow.
All right, then, what are we gonna do about it? “City read more »
Posted by
Alex Bigman on Thursday, October 01, 2009 08:58 am
We might as well have included a Yoo pun. Berkeley has apparently decided to go where no self-respecting American city has gone before: the United Nations. Yes, our city council decided it was high time we started complying with international human rights treaties and scrounged up some interns to draft a report on the quick. Oh, don’t act so surprised—hey, if you squint real hard, you can almost see secession! And wouldn’t that be rad …
Embarrassingly, there’s a chance Berkeley may not be in compliance with some treaties regarding civil liberties, racial discrimination, and torture—you know, what with our homelessness, school achievement (K-12, we take it …) and recurring man-of-the-hour, John Yoo. We eagerly anticipate the results.
Image Source: epioles under Creative Commons.
Berkeley first city to report to UN (CHRON)
Posted by
Alex Bigman on Thursday, September 24, 2009 11:14 am
Well, at least there’s this. In a triumph for brunchers Berkeley over, the Berkeley City Council decided last night to let Berkeley’s Thai Buddhist temple continue to serve its unbelievably controversial Sunday meals. After a year and a half of whining, it looks like community members are going to have to swallow their misgivings and deal with their loud, crowded, aromatic and delicious neighbor. Oh, and there will be a 44-foot tall tri-Buddha shrine now. The expansion plan also includes read more »
Posted by
Alex Bigman on Sunday, July 05, 2009 03:30 pm
Looks like the Berkeley City Council is about ready to officially give the finger to urban sprawl, opting instead for a taller, denser Downtown Berkeley. What does this mean for you (and your weekend,) you wonder? Mo’ housing, mo’ jobs, mo’ foot traffic and maybe some hotels aiming to scrape the East Bay sky higher than any Berkeley edifice has done befo’. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to us. Being Berkeley though, someone’s bound to find something to fuss about. Here’s the conflict: read more »
Posted by
Alex Bigman on Sunday, June 28, 2009 10:33 pm
For all our bitching, it seems that our fair city has kept its economic footing remarkably well throughout this whole recession thing. The Berkeley City Council passed a neat budget this week; no layoffs and about one percent growth. Whether a result of good governance or just another manifestation of our singular un-normalness, we could care less. We’ll take it, and we’re not about to toss out the recession card either, which has nicely excused our financial shortcomings thus far. For the curious, here’s the scoop and a theory or two on our unique little prosperity: read more »
Posted by
Alex Bigman on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 04:13 pm
Apparently, fatty duck liver is cause for city-wide identity crisis. The delectably gout-inducing dish known as foie gras has put Berkeley’s values of gourmet cuisine and animal rights at odds. In a typical Berkeley maneuver, the Berkeley City Council decided to simply remove the eclectic collision by sticking its self-righteous nose into local restaurants and plucking the divisive item from the menu.
Foie gras’ bad rep comes from the fact that it involves read more »
Posted by
Alex Bigman on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 02:06 pm
Berkeley has an image to maintain. We like our people skinny (no chubby tortured-artists, pudgy street-urchins please), our businesses indie, and our bathrooms … plentiful.
In support of this image, back in ‘99 the Berkeley City Council passed an ordinance barring carry-out and quick-service restaurants from upper University Avenue. However, while image maintenance takes precedence when times are good, priorities shift when the economy goes sour. Hence, the city council decided yesterday to lift the ban on quick-service joints. read more »
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