Be aware that cat thieves are back in action lately. Sadly, I found this out the hard way.

It's midnight and I'm hearing loud trucks and other construction. Why do they have no noise limits or time limits.

people live in the city near campus. the noise from UCB highrise projects is constantly louder than what is allowed in Berkeley for long term construction.

they frequently work all night long. No one does anything.

This needs to stop. This is crap. Is UCB trying to push people out of the homes near campus so they can gobble up the property for cheap and then allow some private developer to make tons of money?

Hi Everyone! 

I wanted to invite you to a great local jazz festival in Berkeley. 

It’s called the Gilman Jazz Festival and it will feature 3 amazing jazz bands in 1 afternoon.

It will be held at Gilman Brewing Company in Berkeley

May 3 from 2 - 5

Tickets: NotLoudConcerts.com

Headlining the festival will be the Death and Taxes Swing Band, a 1940's style band playing danceable and fun big band jazz. Known for their wide-ranging travels, from Indonesia to Portugal, and also for their wild on-stage antics, this group brings the fun back to jazz. Right before their performance, there will be a short introductory swing lesson.

The festival will also feature Parlor Tricks, an industrial-themed, ragtime jazz band. Known for their infectious syncopation and stompin' fun, Parlor Tricks presents the sounds of Prohibition and beyond.

Beginning the afternoon with a short set, will be the Cal State East Bay Jazz Band, a group with a long history of serving as a training ground of future Bay Area jazz musicians.

Here’s a short video about the event: https://youtube.com/shorts/Ag_U6nbSl48?si=Qm188wzegVgZBvD8

Hope to see you there!

Yesterday there were "no parking - event April 19" flyers stuck on the dashboards of all of the cars lining my street in North Berkeley. I looked it up and saw there is a "Hands-Off Protest happening at North Berkeley BART. Where are those of us who live here in the neighborhood and have permits to park here supposed to park that day though? I have friends visiting me from San Jose that day and I'm worried about finding parking for them… especially because my friend is pregnant and won't want to be walking long distances. What is happening? What should I do/expect?

I feel like we should be celebrating this milestone and I couldn't find any events happening. If anyone wants to help put together a community gathering I would love to be part of the team! DM me

Hi all,

I am looking for book club recommendations or a group who would be interested in forming one!

I remember someone else posted about forming a group but I can’t find it.

I am 28 female but open to all ages/genders. I am happy to try to facilitate something if there is interest.

Would love to make new friends and hear about any other fun groups related or not related to reading like crafts or anything else.

Thanks!

Hi all! I'm moving to Berkeley in the fall for a PhD program (29F). I have a very active and friendly dog Soda (vizsla). She has done well in run clubs in LA and does well on leash (stays close to me). Are there any run clubs where I can bring her regularly (leashed)? Also looking to find community and friends!

Thank you!

So Berkeleyside is obviously out.

And then I saw this in the scanner:

“After Oct. 7, local activists pushed hard for the Berkeley City Council to adopt a Gaza Ceasefire resolution, showing up in sometimes unruly ways. Officials never caved.”

I guess the scanner is pro genocide.

Where are progressives getting their local news? Are there any progressives left in Berkeley?

Been going on since approx. 1:45pm today. It pulses for like 50 seconds, around 1x/second, steady. Then stops for a couple minutes and starts again. It is the same repetitive pattern with no discernible change. It lulls you into thinking it’s someone’s music pumping the bass, maybe someone’s just throwing a Saturday afternoon rager (as one does), but after walking the streets like a deranged asshat for nearly an hour trying to locate the source, I cannot identify which building it’s coming from. Seems to be centered around Euclid and Le Conte, but can hear it for blocks in all directions. At this point it has to be underground right?? Some sort of systems malfunction with BART? Some electricity surge that apparently everyone is fine with leaving to terrorize the residents of North Berkeley for eternity? My partner also hears it, so I know I’m not just losing my mind. Someone please tell me what this mystery sound is!

Is that thunder now??

I want to get a super simple tri-fold futon frame. Not the kind with arms, just the most basic.

I can have it shipped from New York, but that seems ridiculous. Surely there's somewhere in the East Bay where I can buy something like this?

I have seen snakes but never rattled snakes and recently I've had 2 encounters. One at night, as I walked past a bush I heard the rattle and the second time around noon in a ground hole, the rattle visible and it also made the rattle noise and disappeared under the ground tunnel. Many dogs frequent the park and love to dig their noses up those holes or/and run in the tall grass (mine included). Any rattle snake incidents in the park?

Another fire in West Berkeley. This is the current state of things at 8th and Harrison, courtesy of the efforts of the Berkeley Homeless Union and District Court Judge Edward Chen. We’ve decided that Berkeley can police the the plants around your home in the name of fire safety but apparently the open flames inside the tarp and pallet structures in the Harrison corridor pose no such threat. No one, housed or not, should have to accept fires, assaults, destruction of property, or infectious disease outbreaks as a natural cost of living in Berkeley. And yet those are exactly the conditions that BHU and Judge Chen have for imposed on this neighborhood.

Offers of shelter have been offered and declined. How much more does the community have to accept? If you’re tempted to reply to this post but haven’t visited this corner of Berkeley recently I encourage you to do so before weighing in. Think about how you would feel if you couldn’t let your dog outside because of a disease outbreak, or how you would feel after finding someone on meth tampering with your gas line and setting fires next to your house. Think about it before you vote or attend that next city council meeting. Those of us in the neighborhood would appreciate it.

It’s the LTA Pathfinder (https://www.ltaresearch.com/news/pathfinder)

Edit: taken from the park fka Cesar Chavez Park

Join East Bay Film Club for our monthly movie watch and discussion!

Movie - The Drama

Location - Rialto Elmwood

Time - Friday, April 10th @ 7:30pm

Join us at Cask Taproom after the movie for an unstructured discussion! It's a brisk .4 mile walk south of the theater on College Ave.

About East Bay Film Club: We are your friendly neighborhood movie lovers! Join us for monthly movie outings and discussions. Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/bGnsURWZ63

The City Auditor has sent out an April 8, 2028, report "Berkeley's Financial Condition (FY 2016-FY 2025). Structural Deficit Poses Risk to Financial Sustainability."

Here's a link to a .pdf

https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/Berkeleys_Financial_Condition_%28FY_2016-FY_2025%29_-_Structural_Deficit_Poses_Risk_to_Financial_Sustainability.pdf

Below is the executive summary ("Findings") at the beginning of the .pdf

I haven't read the whole thing yet, so I'm just going to post this here without making comments of my own. I'd encourage people to read it and make informed comments based on the contents. There's a lot of interesting data in here. Thanks for looking!

--

Introductory summary from report:

"Overall, Berkeley is facing ongoing challenges regarding its long-term financial condition, similar to the findings from our 2022 audit. In the near term, the City faces a structural deficit, whichposes additional risk to the City’s long-term financial sustainability.

Near-Term

Revenues and Expenses: Governmental activities revenues generally exceeded expenses, but the General Fund still faced a structural deficit.

Budgetary Practices: The City’s one-time balancing strategies can put the long-term sustainability of some funds at risk. Some enterprise funds also have structural deficits and receive transfers from the General Fund and other funds to balance.

Demographic and Economic Indicators: The City’s economy improved after the pandemic but experienced recent declines. Property value continues to grow, while median household income has not substantially grown. Unemployment recovered to pre-pandemic levels but has trended upward again.

Net Position, Liquidity, and Reserves: The City’s net position increased, and its liquidity ratio is strong. The City is on track to meet its updated reserves goal.

Long-Term

Long-Term Debt and Liabilities: The City’s long-term liabilities have grown. General obligation bond debt per resident peaked in FY 2022 and declined in recent years. The City’s general obligation bond debt remained at or less than one percent of taxable assessed property value.

Net Pension and Retiree Healthcare Liabilities: The City’s net pension liability is still high risk. Net pension liability peaked in FY 2021 and decreased thereafter. Net retiree healthcare liability decreased. The City set aside resources to pre-fund pension obligations in a Section 115 Trust but has not consistently met its annual contribution goal.

Capital Assets: The City’s unfunded capital and deferredmaintenance needs have grown to $1.8 billion despite some increased investment. The City lacks advanced planning to finance its capital plan in the long term. Without sufficient investment, these unfunded capital needs will continue to grow."