City of Berkeley to Join UC in Litigation Over People's Park

UC has apparently found an ally in its legal fight to resume work on building student housing in People's Park: the City of Berkeley. From Berkeleyside:

The Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday night to support UC Berkeley’s state Supreme Court appeal of a lower court’s decision blocking development at People’s Park. The resolution authorizing the city attorney to send the letter was approved as part of the consent calendar at Tuesday’s meeting, with Councilmember Kate Harrison recording a no vote on the People’s Park item...

Mayor Jesse Arreguín and Southside Councilmember Rigel Robinson [asked] the City Council to support UC Berkeley’s appeal in the state Supreme Court to build student housing at People’s Park. Arreguín and Robinson submitted the urgency item for [the] City Council meeting..., saying further delays to UC construction will be detrimental to a local housing crisis.

A state appeals court sided with plaintiffs, Make UC a Good Neighbor and the People’s Park Historic Advocacy Group, in a lawsuit against UC Berkeley on Feb. 24. The lawsuit claims the university violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by not considering alternative sites for a 1,100 bed-student dorm and potential supportive housing at People’s Park, as well as noise impacts to the surrounding neighborhood...

Full story at https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/03/21/city-council-to-consider-supporting-uc-berkeley-appeal-against-peoples-park.

Note that even if UC wins its case, or if the legislature steps in and overrides the opposition, UC-Berkeley will still have to deal with protests such as occurred last summer:

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i67VCYsNkQ.