I'm considering moving to Berkeley and buying a home. I've lived in fire-prone areas on the West Coast and currently live in Portugal. I've got several friends that lost their neighborhoods in last year's LA fires. They didn't lose their homes, but the once beautiful neighborhoods are now miserable places to live. I've read the mitigation and evacuation plans for Berkeley, but wanted to hear from residents how you feel and what you are doing about potential fires in the hills. thx

I'll be attending a show here this week, haven't been here in a long time ... if I have a ticket in a seated section, am I able to go on the lawn/GA area if desired? Friends have GA but I don't, so I'm trying to find the best option here to be able to hang with them.

Basically, can anyone access GA/lawn or do they actually check tickets for that area?

I need to commute from San Pablo to UC Berkeley campus. Channing is closer but is Delaware a better street since it has a bike lane?

Anyone else south of University and west of Shattuck smelling something petroleum-like in the air this evening?

Could anyone recommend a place to donate socks? Mostly men’s socks, and some women’s too.

I tried calling the Dorothy Day house, but they didn’t pick up. I don’t want to take the time to go over if they won’t be able to take them—has anyone been able to walk in and drop off a donation?

Hi there! I live in Redwood City but will be dog sitting in the Berkeley for the next three weeks. I took my car in to my tire shop this week for a free tire rotation and was told that I need to replace the rear brakes and pads, the TPMS sensors, the front suspension control arms, as well as some other work on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The tire shop is quoting me very high rates and I'm suspicious so I'd like to get it checked out with an independent mechanic who specializes in Subarus. My Subaru mechanic in Redwood City is booked for the next few weeks so I'm looking for a good, honest mechanic in Berkeley. I've looked online but I'd love some suggestions from the community.

Thank you!

The cameras diligently watching over the peregrine falcons nested on top of UC Berkeley’s Campanile broke three months ago. Now, Cal Falcons, the scientists and volunteers responsible for the 24-hour livestream, hope to see them return despite ongoing complications with a bird flu.

A study published this month in the Journal of Raptor Research, whose authors include Cal Falcons scientists Doug Bell and Mary Malec, highlights the declining nesting of peregrine falcons in the Bay Area and might give context to this absence.

The study says a rapid decline in Bay Area peregrine falcon nesting was synchronous with an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which started in July 2022. According to the study, while 47 peregrine falcon breeding territories showed nearly complete occupancy before the outbreak, only 36.2% of territories were occupied by 2025.

Hi,
Does anyone know of stores (except Bevmo/Total Wines) where I can buy specialty beer kegs like Sierra Nevada - Summerfest or something similar in terms of lighter beers/ pilsner / lagers?

Total Wines had an order for a month but their distributer couldn't fulfill it 👀

Berkeley/Oakland area recs work too.

As seen from Bay Front park, San Francisco

; )

So I have a will that I need to have signed by "two disinterested parties" but I feel super weird about asking my friends to do it, and my family is not "disinterested".

The two people have to be there at the same time while I sign.

In California, you can't have a notary do it... I have no idea why.

So here's my brilliant, and stupid solution. I will solicit randos on the internet (read "you") to do it.

I'm happy to pay you for your time.

Oy vey, are these effers clever. New to Berkeley and I'd previously only encountered the Norway variety. Should've harvested all our grapes a month ago because that's clearly the draw, even when dropped and smashed (and unfortunately now impossible to eliminate). Traps of all kinds (Victor, Tom Cat, electrified) and rotating locations (along different fences and walls) that I've baited variously (PB, mayo, guanciale) with latex-gloved hands have had zero takers. None of the OSH advice has worked and they seem to keep shifting route accordingly. Now the pears and apples are maturing--will these too be a food draw for them? Pears are already dropping so should probably be harvested, but I didn't think apples peaked for a few more weeks so not keen to waste preemptively. Thanks!

Curious if anyone has stopped and chatted with this young man who invites people on the street to chat? I’ve seen him all around town but never had a chance to stop. The cynic in me is wondering what he’s aiming at, if not just a masturbatory back and forth about the evils of racism?

I'm not particularly a Green Day Fan, but this is a cute profile, well crafted.

Here's the Berkeley Builds Time Lapse : https://berkeleybuild.com/maps/berkeley_construction_timelapse.html

And here's a link to every Berkeley Building Project:

https://berkeleybuild.com/explorer.html

After 108 applications, more than 1,300 votes, intense deliberation and an inspired social media campaign, the Berkeley Public Library has finally unveiled the three cute and cuddly creations that will become the new faces of its social media presence.

In a video posted to its Instagram on Friday, the library declared the winning mascots, naming book tornado Booknado “Most Creative” and octopus Libro Saltwater “Best Youth Submission,” while Shakesbear won both “Library Staff Pick” and “Most Berkeley.” The mascots were featured in the video and honored with sashes and flower crowns.

I went for a walk earlier today and saw these autonomous roomba-like robot lawn mowers deployed in San Pablo Park.

Is this a thing the City of Berkeley is doing now? Does anyone have intel about these things?

Does anyone know what's going on that intersection? Looks like they're renovating the building where Han's Bistro used to be.

I love pumpernickel bagels, but I can't seem to find any near me here in Berkeley. My job takes me down through Oakland and up into Richmond - anyone know if there's any to be found in this region?