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<rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"> <channel> <title> <![CDATA[ The Berkeley Scanner ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Authoritative, independent crime + safety news ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com</link> <image> <url>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/favicon.png</url> <title>The Berkeley Scanner</title> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com</link> </image> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 -0800</lastBuildDate> <atom:link href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/rss/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <ttl>15</ttl> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Ursula Jones Dickson becomes Alameda County's new DA ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ "The DA's job is to make sure, as the top law enforcement officer in the county, that we are tending to the public safety of the community," she said. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/20/courts/ursula-jones-dickson-appointed-new-alameda-county-district-attorney/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67b680175958150001c04eea</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Courts ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:13:41 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/BI6A1792.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/BI6A1792.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>During her first full day on the job, Alameda County's new district attorney, <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/ursula-jones-dickson/" rel="noreferrer">Ursula Jones Dickson</a>, wasted no time in taking action to get "back to business."</p><p>That included having <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/09/17/courts/eric-lewis-misconduct-oakland-police-alameda-county-da-pamela-price/" rel="noreferrer">Eric Lewis</a>, chief inspector under <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/pamela-price-recall-election/" rel="noreferrer">recalled DA Pamela Price</a>, walked out of the building, office sources told The Scanner. His replacement has yet to be named.</p><p>The DA's office did not respond Wednesday to a late-day inquiry about Lewis' current employment status.</p><p>But an internal investigation at his prior job found that he committed misconduct when he was deputy chief at Oakland PD and then <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/09/17/courts/eric-lewis-misconduct-oakland-police-alameda-county-da-pamela-price/" rel="noreferrer">retired before he could be fired</a>.</p><p></p>  <div style="min-height: 58px;max-width: 440px;margin: 0 auto;width: 100%"><script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/signup-form@~0.2/umd/signup-form.min.js" data-label-1="Form-article-yellow" data-button-color="#FFB70B" data-button-text-color="#000000" data-site="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com" async></script></div>  <p>Also on Wednesday, Jones Dickson swiftly rescinded some of Price's most sweeping reforms — <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/03/02/courts/alameda-county-district-attorney-pamela-price-leaked-memo/" rel="noreferrer">directives that limited the discretion of charging DAs</a>, including the type of enhancements they could add without cumbersome layers of supervisor approval.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/alameda-county-directives-rescinded-ursula-jones-dickson.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1040" height="947" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/alameda-county-directives-rescinded-ursula-jones-dickson.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/alameda-county-directives-rescinded-ursula-jones-dickson.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/alameda-county-directives-rescinded-ursula-jones-dickson.jpg 1040w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">DA Ursula Jones Dickson's first directive rolled back major Price reforms. </span><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/support/#become-a-scanner-insider-by-sharing-tips" rel="noreferrer"><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Scanner Insider</em></i></a></figcaption></figure><p>The order to rescind the directives also covered Price's approach to juvenile cases, including a <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/21/courts/angel-jazy-murder-case-juvenile-court-families-decry-decision/#da-wont-transfer-minors-to-adult-court-%E2%80%94-in-most-cases" rel="noreferrer">ban on moving them to adult court</a> in all but the most extreme situations.</p><p>During Price's tenure as DA, that included leaving defendants facing serious criminal charges in juvenile court — even if they had been <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/06/05/jazy-and-angel-sotelo-garcia/sergio-morales-jacquez-murder-conviction/" rel="noreferrer">nearly 18</a> at the time of the alleged crimes, had serious criminal histories and were, in at least one case, <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/jazy-and-angel-sotelo-garcia/" rel="noreferrer">facing multiple murder charges</a> against innocent victims.</p><p>Jones Dickson explained her decision to rescind the Price directives to members of the media during a press conference Tuesday.</p><p>"I want to come in and make sure that the charging lawyers have the ability to charge cases the way they see fit," she said. "The charging directives will be removed immediately tomorrow morning — so that people can get back to charging cases the way they need to."</p><p>Jones Dickson said she wanted to remove the requirement that "each DA had to go to their supervisor, and their supervisor to another supervisor, to get the OK" to add certain charging enhancements.</p><p>"If a case is pending, you have so many hours to charge that case," she said. "They shouldn't have to go through three levels of supervisors to determine whether or not an enhancement should be charged."</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/03/02/courts/alameda-county-district-attorney-pamela-price-leaked-memo/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Leaked memo: DA Pamela Price to shorten prison sentences, lean into probation</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">The new guidelines go into effect Monday and will be retroactive, applying to cases sentenced within the past 120 days.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-428.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/DAPrice_Headshot.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>Sentencing enhancements and allegations are essentially add-ons to the main criminal charges that increase the penalties in the case of conviction.</p><p>They often come into play when guns are used, if victims are particularly old or young, if there is gang involvement or if someone commits a new offense while out on bail.</p><p>They can help a judge and jury distinguish, for example, between a robbery involving violence or a gun and those that don't; crimes where a victim was particularly vulnerable; or if a defendant is also facing other criminal charges.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_4155.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_4155.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_4155.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_4155.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of the media in attendance for Jones Dickson's first press conference. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilie Raguso/TBS</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>Jones Dickson said she also plans to survey all the prosecutors in the office, including the many hired by Price, to find out about their needs and goals.</p><p>"We have a lot of lawyers who have not done DA work before," she said.</p><p>That includes many prosecutors who do not know how to do a jury trial or a preliminary hearing, she said.</p><p>"The goal is to put together a job questionnaire … so that we know where people are strong and where they need assistance," Jones Dickson said.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_4151-a.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_4151-a.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_4151-a.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_4151-a.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Jones Dickson moments before stepping up to the podium Tuesday for her first official press conference. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilie Raguso/TBS</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>Her topmost concern about the office was its "cohesiveness," she said, adding that the DA position itself belonged to no particular individual.</p><p>"This is not Tom Orloff's office. It's not Nancy O'Malley's office. It's not Pam Price's office," she said, referencing the last three Alameda County DAs. "It's the Alameda County DA's office. And I just happen to be leading it now."</p><p>Another priority will be to ensure that victims and their families get the services they deserve, she said.</p><p>"It's our job to make sure they are heard. And, as much as possible, they get the things that they need out of this process," she said.</p><p>Jones Dickson said she also wants to rebuild trust and relationships — with not only the court, the broader community and the public defender's office, but also with the press.</p><p>"I feel like the DA's office has been very siloed over the last two years," she said.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/11/13/courts/price-recall-campaign-declares-victory-whats-next/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Price recall campaign declares victory. What comes next?</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">The Board of Supervisors plans to discuss next steps for appointing a replacement district attorney at its Dec. 10 meeting.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-434.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/BI6A5979-1-5.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><h3 id="before-recall-pamela-price-faced-increasingly-public-rebukes">Before recall, Pamela Price faced increasingly public rebukes</h3><p>Pamela Price was elected to the Alameda County DA job in November 2022 with 53% of the vote.</p><p>Just two years later, voters removed her from office <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/pamela-price-recall-election/" rel="noreferrer">via a recall campaign</a> that won the support of 63% of the electorate.</p><p>From the beginning, critics said <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/pamela-price/" rel="noreferrer">Pamela Price</a> mismanaged her transition as DA and the DA's office as a whole, was soft on crime and put the rights of defendants over victims.</p><p>Dozens of veteran prosecutors left rather than work for her, saying they could not carry out their ethical duties with her in charge.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/03/22/courts/alameda-county-district-attorney-pamela-price-prosecutors-resigns-ethical-reasons/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Alameda County DA’s office sees resignations over ethical qualms</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Charly Weissenbach said she’s not comfortable in the spotlight — but felt it was her duty to speak out.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-438.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/charly-weissenbach-1.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>Price pledged to overhaul a justice system she said was rife with inequities — as an outsider candidate and a progressive prosecutor.</p><p>But many saw her as too closely aligned with the defense, which upset the balance of power in the courtroom, and generally unfamiliar with the role of prosecutor.</p><p>Price's tenure also coincided with a crime wave in Oakland that made national headlines, with many people blaming her for not doing enough to address it.</p><p>"The DA's role has <a href="https://twitter.com/bett_yu/status/1680840079370240000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1680840079370240000%7Ctwgr%5E795ce32795dfa216b4ad00b699b026eb81e2c328%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhoodline.com%2F2023%2F07%2Foakland-da-pamela-price-s-bizarre-stand-the-da-s-role-has-really-no-impact-on-crime%2F&ref=berkeleyscanner.com">really no impact on crime</a>," Price insisted during an interview with Betty Yu of CBS News in 2023.</p><p>As time went on, Price faced increasingly public setbacks and rebukes, including <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/31/courts/new-lawsuit-alleges-anti-asian-discrimination-pamela-price/" rel="noreferrer">two lawsuits alleging anti-Asian bias</a>, one of them coming <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/04/courts/pamela-price-racial-discrimination-whistleblower-retaliation-claims/" rel="noreferrer">from a former spokeswoman</a>.</p><p>Her entire office was also recused from <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/08/02/courts/judges-uphold-pamela-price-recusal-butch-ford/" rel="noreferrer">two high-profile cases</a>, including a <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/03/23/courts/alameda-county-da-recused-fatal-police-shooting-case/" rel="noreferrer">fatal police shooting</a>, because of her conduct.</p><p>The state attorney general's office would go on to drop a case Price had filed <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/09/11/courts/butch-ford-case-dropped-pamela-price/" rel="noreferrer">against a political critic</a> and a judge later<a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/08/courts/judge-chides-das-office-drops-manslaughter-case-against-cops/" rel="noreferrer"> dropped charges against officers</a> in a fatal police shooting case due to "rushed and careless work" by prosecutors hired by Price.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/09/12/crime/oakland-crime-concerns-prompt-community-rally-church-forum/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Oakland crime concerns prompt community rally, church forum</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Officials spoke candidly Saturday about the need to address lawless behavior in the city.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-439.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_0617.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>Until the end, her staunchest defenders said Price was blamed for things beyond her control, that the media misrepresented her record, and that racism drove much of the criticism that swirled around her.</p><p>Price herself dismissed the criticism she encountered after taking office as Alameda County's first Black female DA as "fundamentally racist."</p><p>"From the moment I took office, the media created the impression that there was something wrong with my administration," she said in one public meeting. "That’s racism and I’m calling it for what it is."</p><p>Price also singled out The Berkeley Scanner for its coverage and <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/first-amendment/" rel="noreferrer">blocked the news outlet from a general press conference</a>, resulting in a massive public outcry and subsequent reversal by Price.</p><h3 id="ursula-jones-dickson-im-not-a-social-worker">Ursula Jones Dickson: "I'm not a social worker"</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_4164.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_4164.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_4164.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_4164.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ursula Jones Dickson: "The DA's job is to make sure, as the top law enforcement officer in the county, that we are tending to the public safety of the community." </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilie Raguso/TBS</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>On Tuesday, <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/ursula-jones-dickson/" rel="noreferrer">Ursula Jones Dickson</a> promised to do things differently.</p><p>She said she'd heard, loud and clear, the broad community concern about public safety in Oakland and Alameda County.</p><p>"Clearly that's an issue. That's how we got here," she said. "The DA's job is to make sure, as the top law enforcement officer in the county, that we are tending to the public safety of the community. And, in addition to that, keeping victims at the center of that process."</p><p>She said she would also be looking to engage actively with collaborative courts and diversion programs that have long existed in Alameda County.</p><p>"But that's not really the job of the DA," she said. "I'm not a social worker. I've said that many times before."</p><p>She continued: "It's our job to receive information from the police, evaluate that information to see if there's enough evidence to charge cases or if it's appropriate to charge those cases, and then move forward on those cases, keeping the victim at the center of that process. So that is the job of the DA. From my perspective."</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/29/courts/alameda-county-district-attorney-chosen-judge-ursula-jones-dickson/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Alameda County’s next DA will be Judge Ursula Jones Dickson</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">The vote to fill the vacant DA position following the decisive recall of Pamela Price in November came after hours of public comment.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-429.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/Ursula-Jones-Dickson-1-4.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>Last month, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors chose Jones Dickson — then a judge in Alameda County Superior Court — <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/29/courts/alameda-county-district-attorney-chosen-judge-ursula-jones-dickson/" rel="noreferrer">from among 15 DA applicants</a>, noting in part that her decision to step down from the bench, and forgo her judge's pension, were strong indicators of her commitment to the job.</p><p>County officials said they wanted a district attorney who could stabilize the office, not only now but in the years to come.</p><p>That will entail running for office in 2026, for the last two years of the current term, and then again in 2028, and at four-year intervals after that.</p><p>Jones Dickson said that is her plan.</p><p>"I'll run in 2026. I'll run in 2028 — and I'll run in four years after that, for sure," she said. "I'd like to stay around a little longer, but we'll see how it works out."</p><p>Another early order of business, she said Tuesday, would be to hire a forensic auditor to comb through office finances. The hiring process is already in the works, she said.</p><p>The resulting findings will largely determine whether layoffs will take place, Jones Dickson said.</p><p>"I don't know if we'll be able to, for example, keep every single DA that we've hired, because I don't know that we have funding to do so," she said.</p><p>In another clear break with Price — who drew criticism early on for moving her HQ to an East Oakland office tower with limited security — Jones Dickson said she will work out of the main Oakland courthouse by Lake Merritt, in line with past precedent from a long line of DAs before her.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/11/10/courts/alameda-county-district-attorneys-office-felon-brought-loaded-gun/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Felon brought loaded gun to Alameda County DA’s office</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Some DA’s office employees were “extremely rattled” this week, one source said, raising multiple concerns about the incident Tuesday.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-430.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/oakport.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><h3 id="ursula-jones-dickson-the-right-person-for-the-right-job-at-the-right-time">Ursula Jones Dickson: "The right person for the right job at the right time"</h3><p>Shortly after Tuesday's press conference, Jones Dickson walked across the street to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting so she could be appointed and sworn in.</p><p>(The Scanner attended the <a href="https://x.com/AlamedaCountyDA/status/1891984854142587165?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">DA's press conference</a> but reviewed a recording of the board meeting after the fact.)</p><p>To kick off the meeting, Board President David Haubert announced the plan to appoint Jones Dickson — and was immediately cut off by nearly 20 seconds of hearty applause.</p><p>Haubert joked with attendees that "rowdiness" would not be tolerated, then moved on to comments from his colleagues.</p><p>"I think we selected the right person for the right job at the right time," said Supervisor Lena Tam. "It was obviously a very rigorous process and I know the community was very engaged."</p><p>Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas described the community expectations for the new DA as "a tall order."</p><p>"That includes … making sure that the office restores trust and confidence with the community, administering justice in a fair and equitable way, and also continuing the long history of criminal justice reforms that this office has put forward," she said.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/29/courts/alameda-county-da-decision-highlights-from-the-meeting/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Alameda County DA decision: Highlights from the meeting</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Scroll down for live tweets from Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-431.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/GiamRvEaYAEN7JR-1.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>During their remarks, supervisors repeatedly described Jones Dickson's appointment as "historic."</p><p>When it was his turn to speak, Haubert observed that former Alameda County DAs <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Orloff?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Tom Orloff</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_O%27Malley?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Nancy O'Malley</a> were in the audience.</p><p>They were joined by <a href="https://www.justice.gov/dag/bio/deputy-attorney-general-d-lowell-jensen?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Lowell Jensen</a>, now in his 90s, who served as the district attorney of Alameda County from 1969 to 1980 before becoming deputy attorney general of the United States.</p><p>"I see … people serving in the district attorney's office, the <a href="https://alcopa.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Prosecutors' Association</a>. I see former district attorneys. I see our own staff. I see department heads. I see law enforcement, our sheriff, undersheriff. I see our county assessor and so many others here from the community. Our press," Haubert said, adding: "This is indeed is historic."</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/GkHEgCQaAAIHj0y.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/GkHEgCQaAAIHj0y.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/GkHEgCQaAAIHj0y.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/GkHEgCQaAAIHj0y.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Board chambers for the swearing-in of Alameda County DA Jones Dickson. </span><a href="https://x.com/AlamedaCountyDA/status/1892009379819376785?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer"><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ALCODA</em></i></a></figcaption></figure><p>After the supervisors voted unanimously to appoint Jones Dickson — Nate Miley had an excused absence due to travel but called in during public comment to mark the "auspicious" occasion — Judge Charles Smiley administered the oath of office to her.</p><p>(Smiley was elevated just this week from the Alameda County bench to the <a href="https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/commission-confirms-appointments-courts-appeal-9?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">First District Court of Appeal</a>.)</p><blockquote class="kg-blockquote-alt">"I tell you what: I'm gonna fix it. I'll make that promise to you. I'm gonna fix it."</blockquote><p>After taking the oath, Jones Dickson's acceptance speech was brief and direct.</p><p>"My heart is full," she said, choking up as she thanked her mentors, former colleagues and family members — including her 90-year-old father and his nearly 80-year-old girlfriend — for being there to support her.</p><p>She also thanked <a href="https://sfdistrictattorney.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">SF DA Brooke Jenkins</a> for being present, and said she had been watching Jenkins "like a hawk, because I'm so proud of you — and I'm old so I get to say that. I'm very proud of what you've done for San Francisco," she said, adding, "and trust me, I'm a partner."</p><p>"I've had a lot of blessings. And this is one of the greatest ones," she said. "The work that I did in the courts with families is probably some of the most important work I've ever done. And it took a lot to leave that."</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/29/courts/alameda-county-new-da-says-she-will-do-things-differently/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">New Alameda County DA says she’ll ‘do things a little different’</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Ursula Jones Dickson said she’ll take a close look at staffing and timely charging, while also ensuring collaborative courts remain an option.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-433.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/Ursula-Jones-Dickson-IMG_0329-4.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>"Now I'm going to do work on behalf of everybody," she continued. "So I'm just very blessed and lucky to come back to the office that built me."</p><p>Speaking to the press earlier, Jones Dickson had pledged to "get back to business."</p><p>"That just means, for me, that we keep the main thing the main thing," she explained. "This is a district attorney's office, so we'll do the work of a district attorney."</p><p>"Things are out of whack," she told the board in closing Tuesday afternoon. "But I tell you what: I'm gonna fix it. I'll make that promise to you. I'm gonna fix it."</p><h3 id="read-next">Read next</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/09/17/courts/eric-lewis-misconduct-oakland-police-alameda-county-da-pamela-price/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Another top deputy of DA Price committed misconduct at last job, investigation found</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">A former high-ranking OPD command staffer told The Scanner that Price did not ask about Eric Lewis at OPD, where he spent his career.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-432.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/eric-lewis-pamela-price-BI6A7636-3-1.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/12/courts/pamela-price-accused-extortion-attempt-mario-juarez/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">DA Pamela Price accused of $25,000 extortion attempt</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Ernie Castillo says his client was hit with a felony after refusing to make a hefty campaign donation to DA Pamela Price in January.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-435.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/pamela-price-BI6A7551-1-2.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/02/08/courts/pamela-price-alameda-county-district-attorney-first-month/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Pamela Price’s first month as Alameda County’s new DA</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">The past few weeks have seen terminations, transfers and many of the most senior prosecutors put on leave.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-436.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/DA_Pamela_Price-1.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/09/24/courts/alameda-das-office-fatal-error-mario-gonzalez/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">‘Fatal error’ by DA’s office may see manslaughter case dropped against cops</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Judge Scott Patton asked pointed questions of the prosecution and said he would issue his ruling on the Mario Gonzalez case by Oct. 11.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-437.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/BI6A7928-3.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Berkeley High student robbed at gunpoint during dice game ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Three unidentified males took the student's backpack, which contained a laptop and $5,000 in cash, Berkeley police said. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/19/crime/berkeley-high-student-robbed-gunpoint/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67b600745958150001c04ce6</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Crime ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 19 Feb 2025 08:43:10 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-8.31.49-AM.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-8.31.49-AM.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>A Berkeley High student was robbed at gunpoint last week during a dice game with other high school students, authorities report.</p><p>The robbery happened Thursday at about 2:20 p.m. behind the Berkeley Main Post Office at 2000 Allston Way, which is right across Milvia Street from <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-high-school/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley High</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-police-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley police</a> said three unidentified males walked toward the student as one of them displayed a handgun in his waistband.</p><p>The trio took the student's backpack, which contained a laptop and $5,000 in cash, police said.</p><p></p>  <div style="min-height: 58px;max-width: 440px;margin: 0 auto;width: 100%"><script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/signup-form@~0.2/umd/signup-form.min.js" data-label-1="Form-article-yellow" data-button-color="#FFB70B" data-button-text-color="#000000" data-site="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com" async></script></div>  <p>Police are reviewing area surveillance footage and the city's <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/flock-cameras/" rel="noreferrer">Flock camera system</a> as they investigate what happened, authorities said Tuesday.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-8.38.24-AM.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-8.38.24-AM.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-8.38.24-AM.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-19-at-8.38.24-AM.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Robberies in Berkeley this year through Feb. 16, the most recent date available. </span><a href="https://bpd-transparency-initiative-berkeleypd.hub.arcgis.com/pages/crimes?ref=berkeleyscanner.com#cknad003o" rel="noreferrer"><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">BPD Transparency Hub</em></i></a></figcaption></figure><p>There have been at least 21 robberies in Berkeley this year, compared to 31 over the same period last year. That's a 32% drop.</p><p>But <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/robberies/" rel="noreferrer">robbery reports</a> in Berkeley appear to be ticking up: There were 10 robberies in January, according to preliminary BPD data, and have already been 11 in February, as of Feb. 16., with nearly half the month still to go.</p><p>Historically, Berkeley averaged about one robbery a day, although those numbers fell during the pandemic.</p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Authorities to announce 'recent results' in Berkeley cold case ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Maria Jane Weidhofer was raped and strangled while jogging on the Nimitz trail in 1990, police said previously. She was just 32. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/18/crime/berkeley-cold-case-update-maria-jane-weidhofer/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67b4f1c55958150001c02a04</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Crime ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 13:52:29 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Maria_Jane_Weidhofer_yearbook_photo.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Maria_Jane_Weidhofer_yearbook_photo.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>Authorities plan to share a break in a 34-year-old cold case involving Maria Jane Weidhofer, a Berkeley woman whose body was found in Tilden park in 1990.</p><p>Representatives from the <a href="https://joinregionalparkspd.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">East Bay Regional Park District Police Department</a>, FBI and Contra Costa County DA's office say they will announce "recent results" from the case in a press conference Wednesday morning.</p><p>The Scanner plans to attend the event.</p><p>Weidhofer "was a <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/berkeley-10-000-reward-put-up-in-15-year-old-2609883.php?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">free-spirited artist and baker</a> who loved life and worked hard to stay healthy by jogging every day in the East Bay hills," the San Francisco Chronicle reported in 2005, the same year police and relatives put up a $10,000 reward "in hopes of sparking new interest in the investigation."</p><p></p>  <div style="min-height: 58px;max-width: 440px;margin: 0 auto;width: 100%"><script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/signup-form@~0.2/umd/signup-form.min.js" data-label-1="Form-article-yellow" data-button-color="#FFB70B" data-button-text-color="#000000" data-site="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com" async></script></div>  <p>Authorities said Weidhofer was raped and strangled while jogging on the <a href="https://www.redwoodhikes.com/EastBay/Nimitz.html?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Nimitz trail</a> on Nov. 15, 1990, according to media reports from 2005. Her body was found "<a href="https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2005/09/08/womans-1990-slaying-gets-new-attention/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">on a trail in a redwood grove</a>," the Oakland Tribune reported that year.</p><p>She was 32 years old.</p><p>"It's been a long frustrating case," park district Police Chief Tim Anderson said in 2005. "We would really like to get some help from the public."</p><p>Anderson described how he had "<a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/berkeley-10-000-reward-put-up-in-15-year-old-2609883.php?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">distributed flyers to trail users</a> in hopes of finding witnesses" as a rookie cop in 1990, the Chronicle reported.</p><p>"The young woman had <a href="https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2005/09/08/womans-1990-slaying-gets-new-attention/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">moved from Southern California to Berkeley</a> to be closer to like-minded people and to pursue her art," according to the East Bay Times. "Weidhofer, a vegetarian, lived in a macrobiotic collective with three housemates and worked evenings at a natural foods business in Oakland. Quiet and shy, she kept her personal life private."</p><p>East Bay parks police took the lead on the case, which repeatedly made headlines over the years, including in 2017 when authorities <a href="https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.kron4.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2017/09/coldcasesnapshot09-14-17_32862961_ver1.0.png?strip%3D1&tbnid=z-QDvEA0OPS1mM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https://www.kron4.com/news/new-sketches-in-tilden-park-cold-case-murder/&docid=hq5J1DruheJxdM&w=1139&h=728&itg=1&source=sh/x/im/m1/1&kgs=231973fd6aaadeee" rel="noreferrer">shared images</a> depicting the <a href="https://independentnews.com/app/pdf/09-21-17.pdf?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">alleged attacker</a>.</p><p>Those images — which turned out to be 3D renderings that were altered in Photoshop to reflect witness descriptions — later generated <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/parabon-nanolabs-dna-face-models-police-facial-recognition/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">criticism from civil liberties experts</a>, Wired magazine reported last year.</p><p>Weidhofer's mother, Jane Weidhofer, commented on the case in 2005 during at least one press conference.</p><p>"For family members it is not a cold case because we have had to live with the loss of a daughter and a sister every day of our lives,” she told reporters. "We are denied her friendship, her companionship and the chance to see her develop and share our lives with her."</p><p>The Scanner's attempts to find a working phone number for Jane Weidhofer, who would now be 97, were unsuccessful Tueseday afternoon.</p><p>Stay tuned for ongoing coverage.</p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Looking Glass Photo fans rally to save shop after 'violent break-in' ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ "Even in this dark moment, we have felt the light of our community," the shop wrote. Supporters have already donated more than $50,000. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/18/crime/looking-glass-photo-burglary-gofundme/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67b4aeb05958150001c02849</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Crime ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 12:00:40 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_1739809474915229_r.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_1739809474915229_r.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>Burglars used a vehicle to ram their way into Looking Glass Photo in <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/west-berkeley/" rel="noreferrer">West Berkeley</a> early Sunday morning, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.</p><p>The longtime Berkeley business had <a href="https://www.lookingglassphoto.com/blogs/follow-our-move-on-this-blog/move-update-2-getting-personal-why-we-decided-to-m/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">recently moved</a> from Ashby Avenue to a new location at 2239 Fifth St. (near Bancroft Way).</p><p>During the "violent break-in," the burglary crew rammed the shop's front entrance "multiple times, shattering windows, destroying doors, and leaving extensive damage in its wake," Looking Glass said on its GoFundMe page. "Along with the destruction, a significant amount of merchandise was stolen."</p><p></p>  <div style="min-height: 58px;max-width: 440px;margin: 0 auto;width: 100%"><script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/signup-form@~0.2/umd/signup-form.min.js" data-label-1="Form-article-yellow" data-button-color="#FFB70B" data-button-text-color="#000000" data-site="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com" async></script></div>  <p>As of publication time, the beloved business, which has had several owners since <a href="https://onabags.com/blogs/the-ona-journal/small-business-profile-looking-glass-photo-berkeley?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">opening in 1971</a>, had just met its goal of raising $50,000, <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-looking-glass-photo-after-breakin?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">garnering nearly 600 donations</a> since the fundraiser went live Monday morning.</p><p>And the support went well beyond the financial, the business wrote. </p><p>"Even in this dark moment, we have felt the light of our community. Friends — both longtime and new — have shown up to offer support, encouragement, and help," owner <a href="https://www.watchacowski.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Jen Waicukauski</a> wrote. "Thanks to them, we’ve already cleaned up the shattered glass and debris. Our landlord immediately stepped in to frame a temporary wall where our entrance once stood. But this is just the beginning. There is still so much to assess, repair, and rebuild while we do our best to keep Looking Glass going." </p><p>(For those who still want to offer financial support, the GoFundMe page remains <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-looking-glass-photo-after-breakin?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">open for donations</a>.)</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_173980947593787_r.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="1600" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/88090333_173980947593787_r.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/88090333_173980947593787_r.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_173980947593787_r.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Looking Glass Photo after Sunday's burglary.</span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Looking Glass Photo</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>According to emergency dispatches reviewed by The Scanner, the shop called police to report the break-in at about 5:45 a.m. Sunday after getting notified by its alarm system.</p><p>Waicukauski told police she saw "an unknown number of people inside the store smashing things through the front" just after 5:40 a.m., according to the dispatches.</p><p>Officers arrived within minutes and found the shop's smashed-in entryway along with signs that a driver in a white vehicle had rammed it to get inside.</p><p>Police said over the radio that the metal building frame was entirely "destroyed" and called for a Public Works crew to board up the broken glass.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_173980947562548_r.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/88090333_173980947562548_r.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/88090333_173980947562548_r.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_173980947562548_r.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Looking Glass Photo after Sunday's burglary.</span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Looking Glass Photo</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>On its GoFundMe page, the shop said insurance would cover some of the losses, but "it won’t be enough to rebuild our storefront or cover the full cost of what’s been taken. This puts the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-looking-glass-photo-after-breakin?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">future of Looking Glass in jeopardy</a>."</p><p>Expected repairs included restoring the storefront and entrance; replacing broken fixtures, displays and equipment; installing a roll-up security door for added protection; upgrading security measures to prevent future incidents; and "operational costs to keep our team employed as we recover."</p><p>"On top of these expenses, we’re navigating another difficult period of disrupted business, just as we were regaining stability after our move to this new space," the business wrote, describing the repair needs and security upgrade costs as "<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-looking-glass-photo-after-breakin?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">overwhelming</a>."</p><p>Looking Glass also stressed on GoFundMe that <a href="https://www.lookingglassphoto.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">the shop remains open for business</a>: "We still have products to sell, and our workshops, classes, and private lessons are moving forward as planned."</p><figure class="kg-card kg-gallery-card kg-width-wide kg-card-hascaption"><div class="kg-gallery-container"><div class="kg-gallery-row"><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_173980947565307_r.jpg" width="1200" height="900" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/88090333_173980947565307_r.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/88090333_173980947565307_r.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_173980947565307_r.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_1739809571619207_r-1.jpg" width="1200" height="900" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/88090333_1739809571619207_r-1.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/88090333_1739809571619207_r-1.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/88090333_1739809571619207_r-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div></div></div><figcaption><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Looking Glass Photo after Sunday's burglary.</span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Looking Glass Photo</em></i></p></figcaption></figure><p>The store said it had opened a side entrance for customers until the main storefront could be fixed.</p><p>"Looking Glass has always been about more than just selling cameras. It’s about fostering creativity, building connections, and keeping the spirit of photography alive in our community," the shop wrote. "If Looking Glass has ever helped you in your photographic journey, we ask for your help now—so we can continue to be here for years to come." </p><p>The Scanner called <a href="https://www.lookingglassphoto.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Looking Glass Photo</a> on Tuesday morning but was unable to reach Waicukauski before publication. </p><p>A staffer said the business had been overwhelmed and moved by the strong community support it had already received.</p><p>This story will be updated if additional details become available.</p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Homeless camp poses 'clear and present danger' to BHS: Op-ed ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ "Unhoused people deserve to be treated with dignity and care, and children deserve to be safe," the authors say: Both are true. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/18/community/op-ed-homeless-camp-berkeley-high/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67b4af5e5958150001c02852</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Community ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Guest Essay ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:51:02 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_7607.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_7607.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p><em>Editor's Note: The Scanner will periodically publish guest essays from community members on issues of concern. Today's piece was submitted by Rebecca Levenson and Diana Gordon, co-chairs of the Gender Equity and Sexual Harassment Advisory Committee for BUSD.</em></p><p>The Civic Center homeless encampment across from <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-high-school/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley High School</a> is a study in balancing the needs of our citizens, and calls for our leaders to prioritize — fast. </p><p>Unhoused people deserve to be treated with dignity and care, and children deserve to be safe when they go to school. </p><p>At the heart of this dilemma is the struggle to balance the needs of vulnerable individuals with the safety, security and educational environment of students.</p><p>Homeless encampments give rise to very bad behavior. While many innocent people live in encampments, we have witnessed actions in this encampment that pose a clear and present danger to students and faculty.</p><p>The list is long:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/30/crime/berkeley-high-report-student-touched-inappropriately/">Sexual battery of a student during the school day</a> (by a perpetrator who has a long history of public masturbation, most recently showing his penis to a security officer at Berkeley High School in January)</li><li>While Berkeley police arrested this person, the <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/06/arrests/berkeley-sexual-battery-suspect-freed-diversion-review-set/">judge only required him to stay 100 yards away from BHS</a></li><li>A BHS safety officer was bitten by a dog owned by an encampment resident, who set his tent on BHS grounds. When the officer tried to move the tent he was bitten, injured and unable to work for weeks.</li><li>Unhoused adults wandering through the BHS campus </li><li>Regular screaming of the N-word and other mental health outbursts are overwhelming</li><li>Rampant catcalling and harassment of students</li></ul><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/06/arrests/berkeley-sexual-battery-suspect-freed-diversion-review-set/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Berkeley sexual battery suspect released, may get diversion</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Berkeley PD’s Bike Patrol picked up Audrey Barlow last week just a day after a teenager said he slapped her buttocks on her way to school.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-421.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_7684-2.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>At our <a href="https://youtu.be/L9YJkq92fRI?feature=shared&ref=berkeleyscanner.com">recent school board meeting</a> (see minute 47), students asked the board to pressure the city to close the encampment. </p><p>As adults, we should be capable of holding two truths. </p><p>First, we care about the unhoused, and want them to receive the services they need and deserve. </p><p>Second, our elected officials are responsible for the safety of our children in a public school. </p><p>These two truths conflict with each other, and they will continue to be in conflict because we cannot control the behavior in a homeless encampment. </p><figure class="kg-card kg-gallery-card kg-width-wide kg-card-hascaption"><div class="kg-gallery-container"><div class="kg-gallery-row"><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_3374.jpg" width="1200" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_3374.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_3374.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_3374.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_3376.jpg" width="1200" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_3376.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_3376.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_3376.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div></div></div><figcaption><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The homeless encampment outside Berkeley High as of Tuesday, Feb. 18. </span><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/support/#become-a-scanner-insider-by-sharing-tips" rel="noreferrer"><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Scanner Insider</em></i></a></p></figcaption></figure><p>Tolerance is a Berkeley value, and part of our community’s culture. However, sometimes we get so consumed with doing the right thing we fail to see the harsh realities right in front of us. </p><p>We cannot tolerate encampments next to public schools. </p><blockquote class="kg-blockquote-alt">"As adults, we should be capable of holding two truths."</blockquote><p>So let's look for solutions. </p><p>Berkeley is currently in the process of moving the unhoused population at Sixth and Harrison streets. </p><p>The city has allocated resources to move this unsheltered population with a housing-first approach. </p><p>While that encampment is <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/09/11/courts/berkeley-businesses-file-lawsuit-harrison-homeless-camp/" rel="noreferrer">unsettling to businesses in the area</a>, it does not pose an omnipresent danger to children. </p><p>We implore city officials to reallocate resources to close the Civic Center Park encampment. </p><p>Nearly 4,000 students (Berkeley High School and Washington Elementary) are directly impacted by this enormous and growing security threat.</p><p>Berkeley has a moral and social imperative to care for our city’s children. Leaving this <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/homeless-encampments/" rel="noreferrer">homeless encampment</a> intact next to a school is a dangerous liability nightmare. Frankly, it is a dereliction of duty.</p><p>The city has weighed the needs and desires of our unhoused population against the needs of our children and to date, has chosen the unhoused population over our children. We implore them to choose kids first.</p><p>Sincerely yours, </p><p>Rebecca Levenson, MA<br>Diana Gordon, Psy.D.<br>Co-chairs, BUSD <a href="https://www.berkeleyschools.net/superintendents-gender-equity-and-sexual-harassment-advisory-committee-geshac/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Gender Equity and Sexual Harassment Advisory Committee</a></p><p><em>Editor's Note: The Scanner will periodically publish guest essays from community members on issues of concern. Submit your </em><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/tips/" rel="noreferrer"><em>guest essay ideas</em></a><em> to TBS.</em></p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Woman rappelled into North Face for burglary, police say ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ BPD says Brezjana Wilson and two accomplices stole merchandise valued at $20,000 — but left another $30,000 in goods and a safe behind. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/13/arrests/berkeley-police-say-burglar-rappelled-into-north-face/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67ae6b51f05e7e0001ebea9c</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Arrests ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:20:45 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-north-face-outlet.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-north-face-outlet.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>DNA helped <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-police-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley police</a> catch a woman who forced her way into North Face via a skylight then "rappelled down a nylon strap onto the floor" to commit burglary last year, according to court papers. </p><p>The woman, 29-year-old Brezjana Wilson, and two unidentified accomplices stole 10 iPhones and North Face merchandise valued at $20,000, Berkeley police wrote in charging papers.</p><p>In recent weeks, the Alameda County DA's office charged Wilson after the investigation turned up the DNA results, police wrote.</p><p></p>  <div style="min-height: 58px;max-width: 440px;margin: 0 auto;width: 100%"><script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/signup-form@~0.2/umd/signup-form.min.js" data-label-1="Form-article-yellow" data-button-color="#FFB70B" data-button-text-color="#000000" data-site="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com" async></script></div>  <p>The break-in took place Jan. 11, 2024, at the North Face Outlet at 1238 Fifth St. at about 2:20 a.m.</p><p>BPD said Wilson climbed down from the skylight onto a support beam before rappelling to the floor. </p><p>Then she "extensively prowled the store" with a flashlight in hand, police wrote, loading a cart with clothing and shoes and opening cash registers.</p><p>After spending more than an hour at North Face, the trio left a safe containing $7,500 behind along with another $30,000 in gear that had been loaded into bags and boxes, according to BPD.</p><p>During the subsequent investigation, police found surveillance footage that showed Wilson using a screwdriver to pry open the office door, BPD said.</p><p>When the DNA from the screwdriver was analyzed, it came back to Wilson, according to charging papers.</p><p>Wilson told BPD during an interview that she remembered the North Face burglary but never went inside, acting as a lookout and giving the burglars tools, police wrote.</p><p>She said she also alerted one of the burglars when BPD arrived, police wrote.</p><p>On Jan. 30, the DA's office charged Wilson with commercial burglary in relation to the Jan. 11, 2024, break-in at North Face. </p><p>According to charging papers, she has a 2023 conviction from Sonoma County for grand theft, which landed her on probation.</p><p>BPD also wrote that Wilson has "an extensive arrest history with convictions for grand theft and vehicle theft," and was on probation at the time of the North Face burglary and her subsequent arrest about a year later.</p><p>On Jan. 31, Judge Elena Condes released Wilson on her own recognizance, as requested by the public defender's office, over the the prosecutor's objection, according to court records.</p><p>She is scheduled to enter a plea Feb. 28.</p><h3 id="past-coverage-of-north-face-thefts-in-berkeley">Past coverage of North Face thefts in Berkeley</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/28/crime/berkeley-north-face-retail-theft-25000/" rel="noreferrer">Thieves steal $25,000 in gear from Berkeley North Face</a></li><li><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/03/17/arrests/berkeley-north-face-retail-theft-man-charged/" rel="noreferrer">Man charged with $10,000 retail theft from Berkeley North Face</a></li><li><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/04/02/arrests/berkeley-police-catch-prolific-north-face-retail-theft-suspect/" rel="noreferrer">Police catch 'prolific' North Face retail theft suspect</a></li><li><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/04/08/arrests/berkeley-north-face-outlet-woman-charged-grand-theft/" rel="noreferrer">Woman charged with stealing $10,000 in North Face jackets</a></li><li><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2023/02/13/arrests/berkeley-north-face-retail-theft/" rel="noreferrer">BPD: Man hit North Face Outlet twice in 1 day, took $5,500 in goods</a></li><li><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/05/10/arrests/berkeley-north-face-jacket-thefts-24k-man-charged/" rel="noreferrer">Man charged with Berkeley North Face thefts of $24,000</a></li><li><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/02/27/crime/berkeley-north-face-19000-theft/" rel="noreferrer">Group of 7 makes off with $19,000 in North Face goods</a></li></ul><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> 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Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Man charged in UC Berkeley sex crime case ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Police said Andrew McNear pulled a woman off her bike and threatened her while she was riding near University Village in Albany. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/13/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-sex-crime-kidnapping-attempt-man-charged/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67ae5d80f05e7e0001ebea02</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ UC Berkeley ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:05 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-13-at-3.33.00-PM.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-13-at-3.33.00-PM.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>A man police say attacked a woman riding her bike on <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/uc-berkeley-crime/" rel="noreferrer">UC Berkeley</a> property in January has been charged with a felony sex crime and attempted kidnapping, court papers show.</p><p>The woman, who was acquainted with the man, managed to escape by pepper-spraying him, UC Berkeley police said last month. </p><p>According to court papers, the woman was riding her bike Jan. 21 near University Village in Albany when a man later identified as <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/24/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-sex-crime-arrest-andrew-mcnear/" rel="noreferrer">Andrew McNear</a> shouted that he planned to follow her and rape her, and then pulled her off her bike toward the bushes.</p><div class="kg-card kg-product-card"> <div class="kg-product-card-container"> <img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Andrew-McNear.jpg" width="546" height="600" class="kg-product-card-image" loading="lazy"> <div class="kg-product-card-title-container"> <h4 class="kg-product-card-title"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Andrew McNear. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ACSO</em></i></h4> </div> <div class="kg-product-card-description"><p dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After pepper-spraying McNear, the woman reported the crime to police, advising them that she knew the suspect as "Andy," a "transient male who frequents the area." </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When they heard the description, officers from the </span><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-police-department/" rel="noreferrer"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Berkeley Police Department</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> told the </span><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/university-california-police-department/" rel="noreferrer"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">University of California Police Department</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> that it sounded like McNear, according to court papers.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The woman later picked McNear, 33, out of a line-up, police wrote.</span></p></div> </div> </div><p>UCPD got a warrant for McNear's arrest, and <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/24/uc-berkeley-crime/uc-berkeley-sex-crime-arrest-andrew-mcnear/" rel="noreferrer">BPD found him and detained him</a> in <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/northwest-berkeley/" rel="noreferrer">northwest Berkeley</a> in the days that followed.</p><p>After his arrest, McNear told UCPD he was "near the area" when the crime took place, and was "familiar with" the woman who reported it, "but otherwise denied any involvement," police wrote in charging papers.</p><p>On Jan. 27, the Alameda County DA's office charged McNear with assault with the intent to commit a sex crime along with attempted kidnapping, according to court papers.</p><p>He entered a not-guilty plea Jan. 28.</p><p>McNear has one prior conviction, for assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, in Contra Costa County in 2023, charging papers show.</p>  <p style="text-align:center;"><b>Read more about <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/uc-berkeley-crime/">crime near UC Berkeley</a>.</b></p>  <p>According to Alameda County court records, McNear had been <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gwydXXySs0NS3K5jMUy6801aOQkDVr6p/view?usp=sharing&ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">charged in December</a> with arson, domestic violence and false imprisonment, all felonies, as well as recklessly setting an inhabited structure on fire, which was listed as a misdeameanor.</p><p>In that case, BPD wrote that McNear "forcibly closed a window" on his girlfriend to stop her from leaving her RV, then punched her in the face at least twice and threw her on the ground near Fifth and Harrison streets. </p><p>McNear then "started a fire" inside the woman's RV, causing extensive damage, BPD wrote in charging papers from that case.</p><p>A Jan. 17 plea deal put him on a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gwydXXySs0NS3K5jMUy6801aOQkDVr6p/view?usp=sharing&ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">three-year probation</a> term.</p><p>As of this week, McNear was no longer in custody and the status of the UCPD case was not immediately available online.</p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> 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.nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Remembering Elise Lusk: 'Always striving to get better' ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ The Berkeley native was a vivacious and caring woman who brought others together. She was also a cancer survivor and a lifelong swimmer. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/10/traffic-safety/elise-lusk-berkeley-swimmer-obituary/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67a98e6134c0750001aaa38e</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Traffic safety ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Kate Darby Rauch ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 10 Feb 2025 05:00:19 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_0446.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_0446.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>On the last morning of her life, Elise Lusk did what she'd loved to do for decades — rigorous laps at Berkeley's King Pool followed by coffee at nearby Espresso Roma, with friends. Her fellow Berkeley Aquatic Masters swimmers, the competitive program for adults.</p><p>On this Sunday morning, Jan. 26, Lusk stopped at Monterey Market after coffee to pick up a few dinner supplies. </p><p>Her younger son and his girlfriend were coming to the family's Kensington home to cook; showing off skills from a recent culinary class. Something Burmese was planned.</p><p>A family dinner with her husband, Stephen Godfrey, and sons, Patrick, 26, and his partner, and eldest Liam, 29, and his wife, was a pretty perfect way to cap the day for Lusk, said her husband and several friends. Something she'd enjoyed many times.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_0682.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_0682.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_0682.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_0682.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Elise Lusk with husband Stephen Godfrey and sons Liam and Patrick. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>But moments after leaving Monterey Market, right across from Espresso Roma on Hopkins Street, a <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/26/traffic-safety/north-berkeley-car-crash-pedestrian-rushed-highland-hospital/" rel="noreferrer">driver struck Lusk</a> at California and Ada streets, leaving her groceries strewn in the street. It was just before 1 p.m. </p><p>The Berkeley Fire Department used a jack to free Lusk from underneath the car and then rushed her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.</p><p><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-police-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley police</a> are still investigating the fatal crash. The driver was an 87-year-old Oakland woman.</p><p>As Lusk's family and friends make their way through deep grief and shock, they remember the Berkeley native as a vivacious, curious and caring woman who brought others together.</p><p>Lusk, just 66, was also a cancer survivor who was finally stabilizing after years of treatment, getting stronger and cancer free.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/D6961937-31F2-4047-9F71-F2D68022801F-1.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/D6961937-31F2-4047-9F71-F2D68022801F-1.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/D6961937-31F2-4047-9F71-F2D68022801F-1.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/D6961937-31F2-4047-9F71-F2D68022801F-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Elise Lusk with sons Liam and Patrick, and husband Stephen Godfrey. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>"She was always checking up on people, sending them cards, keeping track of birthdays," Stephen Godfrey said of his wife.</p><p>"We'd be standing in line at Peet's, and she'd say, 'Oh, I think I taught that person swim lessons,'" he said, meaning from decades ago when Lusk was a young lifeguard and swim teacher for the city of Berkeley. "And she'd tap them on the arm."</p><p>She was always right, Godfrey said. He'd watch the enthusiastic reunions.</p><p>Lusk loved celebrations, family gatherings small or large, meeting up with her many friends, having people at their house, he said. </p><p>"She was our glue," Godfrey said. "We've lost our glue."</p><h3 id="lusk-loved-a-good-bakery-a-hot-latte-the-color-pink">Lusk loved a good bakery, a hot latte, the color pink</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/KathrynCohen_EliseLusk2.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/KathrynCohen_EliseLusk2.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/KathrynCohen_EliseLusk2.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/KathrynCohen_EliseLusk2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Elise Lusk and friend Kathryn Cohen on a ski trip. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>Born and raised in Berkeley, Lusk never strayed far from the region for long, people close to her said, except to travel, just one of her many passions. </p><p>Others included reading, theater, movies, skiing, hiking, shopping for clothes — and bakeries, especially the family-owned Virginia Bakery on Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley, which <a href="https://www.berkeleyside.org/2018/04/10/virginia-bakery-a-berkeley-institution-will-close-on-april-28?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">closed in 2018</a>.</p><p>"She was devastated" when it closed, said Meg Shean, a 25-year friend of Lusk's and fellow <a href="https://www.usms.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">masters swimmer</a>. "She came undone."</p><p>Lusk continued the hunt for the next best bakery, Shean said. She was picky about her pastries, as well as her lattes: She liked them hot. </p><p>Lusk liked wearing bright colors, said Monica Lam, another friend and fellow swimmer. </p><p>"I particularly loved the pink in her wardrobe, including a pair of pink sneakers she'd worn for years," Lam said.</p><p>Her mother was a librarian at Berkeley’s North Branch, and her father an engineer at Chevron.</p><h3 id="strong-advocate-for-the-pools-and-swimming-community">Strong advocate for the pools and swimming community</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_0757.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_0757.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_0757.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_0757.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Elise Lusk (center top) with fellow friends from the swimming community. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>After graduating from Berkeley High, Lusk went to <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">UC Davis</a> and then to graduate school at <a href="https://www.pacific.edu/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">University of the Pacific</a> to become a speech pathologist. </p><p>She was always into physical fitness, for the health of it, but also for the sheer satisfaction of a hard workout, friends said.</p><p>"She was someone who was always striving to get better, always taking lessons and working on technique," Shean said.</p><p>Lusk was among a still-close group that launched <a href="https://onewiththewater.org/berkeley-ca/masters-swimming-berkeley/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley's first masters swim program</a> around 1980, said Wayne Luk, another masters swimmer, who had known Lusk since she was in high school and they were both city lifeguards.</p><p>At the time, Berkeley had limited lap swimming, he said.</p><p>So the lifeguards, most of whom were also swim instructors, hatched a proposal led by Dean Fukawa, who took it to the city. Fukawa also stayed in touch with Lusk since those early Berkeley aquatics years.</p><p>It worked.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_5607.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_5607.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_5607.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_5607.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Elise Lusk (second from the right) with the old City Lifeguard Group that went on to form Berkeley Aquatic Masters in the early 1980s. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>The founding group still has reunions, still stays in close contact, Luk said.</p><p>"The fact that there were seven of us [swimmers] that were with her 15-20 minutes before the accident, it devastated us," Luk said of the morning Lusk died. "The old lifeguard group, they are all devastated as well."</p><p>Luk views Lusk's love of the pool as more than sport or fitness. It was also about service, he said. As a lifeguard and swim teacher.</p><p>"Elise really enjoyed teaching swimming," Luk said. "I think about it in terms of the impact she had on the world. There were many, many people who learned to be comfortable and enjoy the water because of her."</p><p>He added: "And there will be some, a few, whose lives were saved because of her. This is the impact of teaching people how to swim."</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/COB-staff-70s.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/COB-staff-70s.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/COB-staff-70s.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/COB-staff-70s.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Willard pool staff, circa 1974. Elise appears in the top row, second from left. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy of Dean Fukawa</em></i></figcaption></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_5984.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_5984.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_5984.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_5984.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wayne Luk (left) and Elise Lusk (right) enjoy a night out with Susan Sonoda and Jolen Flores, some of the lifeguards from decades past who kept in touch and met regularly. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></figcaption></figure><h3 id="elise-lusk-a-life-of-service">Elise Lusk: A life of service</h3><p>Service, giving to others, was also integral to Lusk's career as a speech therapist, friends and family said. </p><p>She worked at the city-run <a href="https://www.sf.gov/departments--department-public-health--laguna-honda-hospital-and-rehabilitation-center?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center</a> in San Francisco for almost her entire career, retiring in 2020.</p><p>Her specialty was traumatic brain injury patients, said Godfrey, a retired optometrist. "She felt like she was trying to make a difference in these people's lives."</p><p>Often, he said, her patients weren't likely to make a full recovery. </p><p>But Lusk found meaning in helping them with incremental improvements, small things that could make a huge difference for them. </p><p>"Like to swallow food or communicate with their loved ones," he said, even if this communication wasn't clear speech, but involved moving their hands or eyes.</p><p>Lusk saw herself as a kind of go-between between her patients and their social worlds, Godfrey said: "The glue." </p><p>Their sons went to Berkeley's <a href="https://themadeleine.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">School of the Madeleine</a> followed by <a href="https://www.saintmaryschs.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">St. Mary's College High School</a> in Albany and, though this was years ago, Lusk stayed close with these communities. </p><p>Lusk and Godfrey were raised Catholic, and comfortable with Catholic schools, but they weren't particularly religious, he said. </p><p>Their beliefs were more of a: "People should treat each other well, and there's somewhat of a karma out there."</p><h3 id="despite-cancer-diagnosis-elise-lusk-was-a-fighter">Despite cancer diagnosis, Elise Lusk 'was a fighter'</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_0456.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_0456.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_0456.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_0456.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A driver came down the hill on California Street and struck Lusk on Ada Street. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilie Raguso/TBS</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>In 2022, Lusk was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. </p><p>She'd experienced some new aches and pains and had suspicions, Shean said. Which her friends pooh-poohed.</p><p>But her hunch proved true.</p><p>Treatment, which included stem cell transplant, was arduous and exhausting, Godfrey said. Lusk faced it with quiet determination. </p><p>In private moments, she could be sad, disappointed. But she was a proactive self-advocate, researching in detail, questioning her doctors, he said. </p><p>Their backgrounds as health professionals helped, Godfrey said: "She was a fighter, she wanted to get through this."</p><p>And she was. </p><p>In the year before her death, Lusk was getting strength back. </p><p>She was back in the pool on a regular basis. Her medical team had given her the green light to do more. She planned to go skiing, and on a trip to France.</p><p>On the Sunday after Elise's death, her King Pool masters<strong> </strong>group hit the pool like usual.</p><p>But this time, they did things differently. </p><p>They put a glowing candle on a kickboard and swam it down her regular lane, two. "So Elise could get in a few more laps," Shean said.</p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ How a Berkeley grandma, 84, saved family members from fire ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ She pushed through burning flames to rouse her daughter and son-in-law. BFD rescued another daughter, who was bedridden, but she later died. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/08/community/berkeley-grandmother-saved-family-fire-gofundme/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67a6992834c0750001aa81b1</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Community ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Frances Dinkelspiel ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 07 Feb 2025 16:58:45 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-1143557215.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-1143557215.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>Eighty-four-year-old Lovie McNeal woke up Monday in the early morning hours to find <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/03/community/northwest-berkeley-house-fire-cedar-2-critical/" rel="noreferrer">her bedroom on fire</a>.</p><p>Despite her age and fragility, she managed to escape from her room and wake her daughter and son-in-law. The three fled their longtime home in the 1000 block of Cedar Street in <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/northwest-berkeley/" rel="noreferrer">northwest Berkeley</a>.</p><p>One of McNeal's other daughters, 61-year-old Gwen, who was bedridden, did not escape. </p><p>BFD <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/03/community/northwest-berkeley-house-fire-cedar-2-critical/" rel="noreferrer">arrived quickly and was able to pull her out</a> but she later died at Highland Hospital. A dog, Nico, also perished.</p>  <p style="text-align:center;"><b>Scroll down for GoFundMe details.</b></p>  <p>The McNeal family, who has lived in the house since 1974 when they moved from Arkansas, is reeling from the tragedy.</p><p>"I'm in shock," said Tequilla Warner, 34, Gwen's only daughter. "It seems unreal. I keep waking up hoping I am in a dream."</p><p>Lovie McNeal was critically injured in the fire and is now at the burn center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Warner said.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-gallery-card kg-width-wide kg-card-hascaption"><div class="kg-gallery-container"><div class="kg-gallery-row"><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-925817779.jpg" width="720" height="1343" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/Snapchat-925817779.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-925817779.jpg 720w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-1258642633.jpg" width="1836" height="2440" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/Snapchat-1258642633.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/Snapchat-1258642633.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1600/2025/02/Snapchat-1258642633.jpg 1600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-1258642633.jpg 1836w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div></div></div><figcaption><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Left: Tequilla Warner and Lovie McNeal. Right: Gwen McNeal. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></p></figcaption></figure><p>Warner has <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-for-my-mothers-funeral-costs-after-tragic-house-fire?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">launched a GoFundMe campaign</a> to help pay for her mother's funeral expenses, burial and the costs of traveling to the hospital in Santa Clara. No one in the family has a car, she said. The goal is $15,000.</p><p>"My mother was a very strong single parent, and I am her only daughter," Warner wrote on the GoFundMe page. "My son and I are very devastated, and <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-for-my-mothers-funeral-costs-after-tragic-house-fire?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">anything will be greatly appreciated</a> at this very hard time."</p><p>Warner said she believes a portable heater caught fire in her grandmother's bedroom. </p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Photo-Feb-03-2025--9-02-27-AM.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="796" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/Photo-Feb-03-2025--9-02-27-AM.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/Photo-Feb-03-2025--9-02-27-AM.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Photo-Feb-03-2025--9-02-27-AM.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The cost of repair has been estimated at $100,000. </span><a href="https://x.com/arielnavaphoto?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer"><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ariel Nava Photo</em></i></a></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-fire-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley Fire Department</a> said the damage was limited to one room of the house, but that smoke damage was extensive throughout the structure.</p><p>The fire was accidental but the cause has not been officially determined, said Dafina Dailey, a Berkeley Fire spokeswoman. The cost of repair has been estimated at $100,000, she wrote in an email.</p><p>There was no visible damage to Gwen's room, said Warner.</p><p>Lovie McNeal and her husband raised four daughters in that house, said Warner. They all went to Berkeley High.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-gallery-card kg-width-wide kg-card-hascaption"><div class="kg-gallery-container"><div class="kg-gallery-row"><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-305037775.jpg" width="1836" height="3154" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/Snapchat-305037775.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/Snapchat-305037775.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1600/2025/02/Snapchat-305037775.jpg 1600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-305037775.jpg 1836w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-353188367.jpg" width="1080" height="1664" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/Snapchat-353188367.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/Snapchat-353188367.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Snapchat-353188367.jpg 1080w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div></div></div><figcaption><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Joshua Phillips is now 15. He stayed in the Cedar Street house often. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></p></figcaption></figure><p>Warner grew up in the house too but moved out 15 years ago.</p><p>Warner got pregnant at 18 and was nervous to tell her mother. She asked her to step outside — so she could get some distance if her mom got angry, she said.</p><p>But Gwen was delighted at the news.</p><p>"She said, 'I'm going to be a grandma, I'm going to be a grandma,'" said Warner. "She loved my son so much. That was her world, besides me."</p><p>Joshua Phillips is now 15. His grandmother was very involved in his life and would often take him to and from school. He stayed in the Cedar Street house often.</p><p>Gwen worked as an accountant for many years. Two years ago she had emergency gallbladder surgery that left her unable to walk, said Warner, who has worked as her mother's caregiver since then.</p><p>Despite her limited mobility, Gwen still enjoyed life. </p><figure class="kg-card kg-gallery-card kg-width-wide kg-card-hascaption"><div class="kg-gallery-container"><div class="kg-gallery-row"><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_20241006_181902_392.jpg" width="1080" height="1814" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/IMG_20241006_181902_392.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/IMG_20241006_181902_392.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_20241006_181902_392.jpg 1080w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div><div class="kg-gallery-image"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/FB_IMG_1738727690021.jpg" width="800" height="480" loading="lazy" alt="" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/FB_IMG_1738727690021.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/FB_IMG_1738727690021.jpg 800w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></div></div></div><figcaption><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Warner and her mother outside Yoshi's (left) and on the couch. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Courtesy</em></i></p></figcaption></figure><p>In October, Warner surprised her mother by buying tickets to hear Freddie Jackson at Yoshi's in Oakland. He was one of Gwen's favorite R&B singers.</p><p>Warner's aunt and uncle both escaped the fire thanks to Lovie's quick thinking. </p><p>They were treated at Highland Hospital but have since been released. They are staying in a hotel for now.</p><p>The family has insurance for the Cedar Street property but learned it may take a year to repair.</p><p>While grappling with her mother's death, Warner is still amazed by her grandmother's strength.</p><p>"She saved lives," said Warner. "My grandma got up and out of her bed. She's 84. She got through the burning flames. She busted into my aunt and uncle's room, where she collapsed. She literally saved them."</p><p>Services for Gwendolyn McNeal are pending. </p><p><em>Frances Dinkelspiel is an </em><a href="https://francesdinkelspiel.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com"><em>award-winning journalist</em></a><em> and author of two best-selling books, Tangled Vines and Towers of Gold.</em></p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Berkeley sexual battery suspect released, may get diversion ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Berkeley PD's Bike Patrol picked up Audrey Barlow last week just a day after a teenager said he slapped her buttocks on her way to school. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/06/arrests/berkeley-sexual-battery-suspect-freed-diversion-review-set/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67a4edc834c0750001aa5c1e</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Arrests ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:30:00 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_7684.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/IMG_7684.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>A man who was charged with <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/30/crime/berkeley-high-report-student-touched-inappropriately/" rel="noreferrer">sexual battery on a Berkeley High student</a> was released on his own recognizance this week and is being considered for a diversion program, court papers show.</p><p>On Monday, Judge <a href="https://www.louisgoodman.com/blog/alameda-county-public-defender-roz-silvaggio-louis-goodman/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Rozlynn Silvaggio</a> granted a defense motion to release Audrey Barlow from jail, referring him to a misdemeanor diversion program for assessment, according to court records.</p><p>Berkeley PD's <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/bike-force/" rel="noreferrer">Bike Patrol</a> picked up 41-year-old Barlow on University Avenue last week just a day after the teenager made her sexual battery report. He is unhoused, police said.</p>  <p style="text-align:center;"><b>Read more about <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/sex-crimes/">sex crimes</a> in Berkeley.</b></p>  <p>According to court papers, the student was walking to <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-high-school/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley High</a> on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, on the sidewalk next to Civic Center Park, when Barlow began walking toward her as she passed by tents in the area at about 9:30 a.m. Jan. 29.</p><p>As Barlow walked in front of her, she saw him drop a cellphone and then bend down to pick it up.</p><p>When the young woman walked by him, police wrote, Barlow slapped her buttocks. </p><p>Shocked, she continued on to school and immediately reported what happened, authorities said.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/30/crime/berkeley-high-report-student-touched-inappropriately/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Adult at park touched Berkeley High student ‘inappropriately’</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Limited details have been released but TBS has asked officials to comment.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-402.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_7602-1.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-police-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley police</a> quickly set up surveillance at Civic Center Park and identified Barlow as a possible suspect.</p><p>The BHS student later identified him as the man who had slapped her, according to charging papers.</p><p>But that wasn't all police found as the investigation continued.</p><p>"A record search revealed several disturbing incidents involving Barlow in the area," police wrote.</p><div class="kg-card kg-product-card"> <div class="kg-product-card-container"> <img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Audrey-Barlow-25-4490.jpg" width="384" height="480" class="kg-product-card-image" loading="lazy"> <div class="kg-product-card-title-container"> <h4 class="kg-product-card-title"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Audrey Barlow. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">BPD</em></i></h4> </div> <div class="kg-product-card-description"><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2019, BPD arrested him after he was reported masturbating in front of a woman's vehicle for several minutes. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">About two years later, police detained him after finding him masturbating in public on Telegraph Avenue, police wrote.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">More recently, police detained Barlow after he "exposed his penis in public to a BHS safety officer near the high school campus" in January 2024, according to charging papers.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Last week, a BPD sex crime detective secured a warrant for Barlow's arrest, which led to his brief detention.</span></p></div> </div> </div><p>On Friday, the Alameda County DA's office charged Barlow with misdemeanor sexual battery.</p><p>As part of her order freeing him while the case proceeds, Judge Silvaggio said Barlow must stay at least 100 yards from Berkeley High School and that he cannot go into Civic Center Park, according to court records.</p><p>He has entered a not-guilty plea and is scheduled for a diversion assessment next week.</p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Nevada fugitive charged with Berkeley carjacking attempt ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Police said Jason Dunaway told detectives he'd gone to the Berkeley Hills "looking to either steal work trucks or steal from work truck." ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/06/arrests/berkeley-carjacking-attempt-nevada-fugitive-charged/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67a4d70634c0750001aa5aa6</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Arrests ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 09:00:26 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Photo-Jan-31-2025--11-28-55-AM.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Photo-Jan-31-2025--11-28-55-AM.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>A man with a history of skipping court has been charged with pistol-whipping a Berkeley Hills resident during a recent carjacking attempt, court papers show.</p><p>This week, the Alameda County DA's office charged 31-year-old Jason Dunaway of Oakland with attempted carjacking with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse, according to charging papers.</p><p>Dunaway told Berkeley detectives he'd gone to the <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-hills/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley Hills</a> "looking to either steal work trucks or steal from work truck," police wrote.</p><p>He said he used a "fake gun" to hit the victim and then dumped the weapon near Lake Merritt, authorities said.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/31/crime/berkeley-man-pistol-whipped-armed-robbery-shasta/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Berkeley man pistol-whipped amid robbery on Shasta</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">The armed robbery took place on Shasta Road in the Berkeley Hills.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-400.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/Photo-Jan-31-2025--11-29-25-AM-4.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>Last Friday morning, <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-police-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley police</a> responded to the 2700 block of Shasta Road to investigate the carjacking attempt.</p><p>Authorities said the victim, a 77-year-old Berkeley man, had briefly left his keys on his passenger seat while he ran back inside to grab his wallet. </p><p>When he came out, a woman was inside his truck on the passenger side holding his keys, according to charging papers.</p><p>The resident tried to get the keys back, which led to a struggle as he held the woman down, police wrote. </p><p>That's when a man with a gun showed up and struck the resident in the back of the head, leaving him with a cut BPD described as a "moderate injury." </p><p>Dunaway told the resident to let go of the woman, "or I will kill you," police wrote.</p>  <p style="text-align:center;"><b>Read more about <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/robberies/">robberies</a> in Berkeley.</b></p>  <p>The pair left in a gray Mercedes and took the stolen keys with them, according to charging papers.</p><p>As Berkeley police investigated the crime, they found surveillance footage of the duo fleeing the scene.</p><p>BPD alerted nearby law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for them.</p><p>On Sunday, Oakland police spotted the Mercedes and pulled it over in East Oakland at about 7 p.m., according to charging papers.</p><p>Dunaway was behind the wheel and his girlfriend was in the passenger seat, police wrote.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/04/crime/berkeley-atm-robbery-attempt-shattuck-vine/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Update: Men try to rob mother holding baby at Berkeley ATM</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Berkeley has had about a dozen robberies this year — a steep drop from historic, pre-pandemic averages of about one robbery a day.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-401.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2025-02-04-at-12.09.24-PM-1-2.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>When BPD later searched the couple's hotel room in Oakland, they did not locate the car key from Shasta Road.</p><p>But they did find a gun holster, which was empty, as well as a gun cleaning kit, authorities said.</p><p>According to charging papers, Dunaway's girlfriend told police she'd seen him with a small gun within the past month.</p><p>She also told detectives she had not been on Shasta Road on Friday morning but said Dunaway had access to her car and that she did not know where he'd been at the time of the carjacking attempt.</p><div class="kg-card kg-product-card"> <div class="kg-product-card-container"> <img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Jason-Dunaway-25-4806.jpg" width="384" height="480" class="kg-product-card-image" loading="lazy"> <div class="kg-product-card-title-container"> <h4 class="kg-product-card-title"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Jason Dunaway. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">BPD</em></i></h4> </div> <div class="kg-product-card-description"><p dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Police wrote that Dunaway had been arrested in the past on suspicion of gun possession, battery and auto theft.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"He's failed to appear in court at least six (6) times and had his probation revoked at least three (3) times in Alameda County," according to charging papers. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">He was convicted of auto theft in Alameda County in 2015 and placed on probation.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Dunaway is also wanted by authorities in Reno, Nevada, because he skipped court in connection with a case there, BPD wrote.</span></p></div> </div> </div><p>As of this week, he remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail with a bail of $210,000, according to jail records. </p><p>Dunaway is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Feb. 27 at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.</p><p>Berkeley has had about a dozen <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/robberies/" rel="noreferrer">robberies so far this year</a> — a steep drop from historic, pre-pandemic averages of about one robbery a day.</p><p>Last year, there had already been more than 20 robbery reports in Berkeley in the same period.</p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime 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*{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Berkeley aims to up wildfire prevention rules after LA fires ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ "I'm under no illusion that this process will be easy," said D6 Councilman Brent Blackaby. "We're asking a lot of the community." ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/05/community/berkeley-wildfire-prevention-ember-proposal/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67a2f3d734c0750001aa3372</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Community ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Kate Darby Rauch ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2025 05:00:36 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/54254899745_f0348e20f1_k.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/54254899745_f0348e20f1_k.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>A bold plan to significantly tighten Berkeley's wildfire preparation framework is headed for <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-city-council/" rel="noreferrer">City Council</a> next week, hastened by recent images of Los Angeles neighborhoods falling to fire fueled by severe winds from the east.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-fire-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley Fire Department</a> said its push to get the plan before officials was motivated by the devastating Los Angeles fires — though many of the ideas have been discussed for years, said Berkeley Fire Chief David Sprague.</p><p>"Maintaining the status quo in communities with exposure to wildfire will inevitably result in <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/12/community/berkeley-fire-chief-take-action-now-fire-resilient-future/" rel="noreferrer">similar, disastrous outcomes</a>," Sprague said.</p><p></p>  <div style="min-height: 58px;max-width: 440px;margin: 0 auto;width: 100%"><script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/signup-form@~0.2/umd/signup-form.min.js" data-label-1="Form-article-yellow" data-button-color="#FFB70B" data-button-text-color="#000000" data-site="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com" async></script></div>  <p>Appropriately named EMBER, for "Effective Measures for Berkeley's Ember Resilience," the initiative ups required wildfire defense measures in Berkeley's highest risk areas along the "<a href="https://www.usfa.fema.gov/wui/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">WUI</a>," or wildland urban interface.</p><p>This includes a mandatory <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/03/community/berkeley-wildfire-season-dispatch-cut-whack-yank-dig-repeat/" rel="noreferrer">ember-resistant area</a> where no vegetation or combustible materials would be allowed within 5 feet from the base of buildings, called "Zone 0" in defensible space lingo.</p><p>The aim is to significantly shore up defenses against wind-fueled fire starting in or near the brushy open space of the East Bay Regional Park District and <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/uc-berkeley-crime/" rel="noreferrer">UC Berkeley</a> in the <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-hills/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley Hills</a>.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-05-at-1.54.27-AM.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="525" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-05-at-1.54.27-AM.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-05-at-1.54.27-AM.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-05-at-1.54.27-AM.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A partial list of deadly wind-driven wildfires that transitioned to urban conflagration.</span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Berkeley Fire</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>By all measures, fire conditions in Southern California were extraordinary this winter, with <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/12/community/berkeley-fire-chief-take-action-now-fire-resilient-future/" rel="noreferrer">severe gusting winds of up to 100 mph</a> and bone-dry drought conditions in an environment that's naturally dry.</p><p>But the elements that lead to disaster could also play out here, Sprague said: Dry vegetation combined with heavy winds from the east (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_wind?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Diablo winds</a>) and older homes, many made of wood, in dense neighborhoods.</p><p>The greatest threat to Berkeley has historically been in the fall when Diablo winds blow and vegetation is dry following months with little to no rain, though climate change is linked to less predictable weather.</p><p>"These factors have, again and again, contributed to vegetative wildfires penetrating communities, igniting structures and transitioning into a wind-driven <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=q0MpxZ9w1gNFr3yz&v=LfTVKfcBvEk&feature=youtu.be&themeRefresh=1&ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">structure-to-structure conflagration</a>, which overwhelm available firefighting resources," he said.</p><p>Berkeley <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/adena-ishii/" rel="noreferrer">Mayor Adena Ishii</a> has called a special City Council work session about EMBER on <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Tuesday, Feb. 11</a>, at 4 p.m.</p><p>(As of publication time, the agenda had not been posted.)</p><p>The work session is an early step along the way to potential adoption, BFD said. </p><p>BFD also intends to hold several community workshops before the final recommendation goes back to council, which is expected to happen in March.</p><div class="kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-red"><div class="kg-callout-emoji">💡</div><div class="kg-callout-text"><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The city of Berkeley has </strong></b><a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/feb-16-use-survey-help-shape-future-wildfire-prevention?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer"><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">announced a survey</strong></b></a><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> it hopes will help inform its approach to wildfire prevention. The deadline is Feb. 16.</strong></b></div></div><h3 id="berkeley-ember-plan-includes-new-quarter-mile-buffer">Berkeley EMBER plan includes new quarter-mile buffer</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-ember-zone-4-proposed-bfd.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="864" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/berkeley-ember-zone-4-proposed-bfd.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/berkeley-ember-zone-4-proposed-bfd.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-ember-zone-4-proposed-bfd.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">New proposed Berkeley Zone 4: A quarter-mile buffer to help prevent the spread of a wind-driven wildfire to nearby homes. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Berkeley Fire</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>The EMBER proposal has three main elements, which are intended to work in concert. They include:</p><div class="kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-grey"><div class="kg-callout-emoji">🔥</div><div class="kg-callout-text">Creating a new Berkeley Zone 4, in the hills east of Grizzly Peak Boulevard. The <b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">quarter-mile buffer</strong></b> was designed to help slow the transition of the spread of a wind-driven wildfire to nearby residential neighborhoods, giving firefighters and residents more time to take critical action.</div></div><p>Berkeley currently has <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/Berkeley-Fire-Zone-Map.pdf?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">three fire zones</a>, from Zone 1 mostly in the flats and with the lowest hazard, to Zone 2 covering much of the hills, to Zone 3, the highest hazard area, encompassing the Panoramic Hill neighborhood above UC Berkeley.</p><p>Under the new plan, the eastern portion of Zone 2 along the East Bay park district boundary would become the new Zone 4 — essentially a bump-up in hazard severity.</p><p>The change is based on fire department modeling of fire behavior, so zones 3 and 4 together would include the Berkeley neighborhoods facing the highest wildfire threat.</p><p>Properties in existing Zone 2 not slated for the new Zone 4, largely below Grizzly Peak Boulevard, would still be required to do wildfire mitigation. All of Zone 2 is considered a high fire hazard severity area. But not as strict as proposed for Zones 3 and 4.</p><p>The city's fire zones aren't to be confused with the <a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/03beab8511814e79a0e4eabf0d3e7247/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">state's Fire Hazard Severity Zones</a>, which are used as a blueprint for regulations, policy and funding decisions. </p><p>But there is overlap: The state's highest-severity zones in Berkeley are almost identical to the city's zones, including the proposed Zone 4. </p><p>Most of the Berkeley Hills are in the state's very high severity zone.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-04-at-10.06.38-PM.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="469" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-04-at-10.06.38-PM.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-04-at-10.06.38-PM.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-04-at-10.06.38-PM.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Cal Fire's </span><a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/03beab8511814e79a0e4eabf0d3e7247/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer</span></a></figcaption></figure><h3 id="zones-3-4-would-be-subject-to-more-stringent-zone-0-rules">Zones 3, 4 would be subject to more stringent "Zone 0" rules</h3><div class="kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-grey"><div class="kg-callout-emoji">🔥</div><div class="kg-callout-text">Requiring an <b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ember-resistant zone</strong></b> in Berkeley fire zones 3 and 4, with no combustibles within 5 feet of the base of buildings</div></div><p>Blowing embers often land against external walls, easily igniting leaves, plants, wooden patio furniture and any burnables in the area, which in turn can quickly ignite structures. </p><p>Studies consistently show creating a noncombustible or ember-free zone around the base of buildings can greatly reduce the chance of this happening.</p><p><a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/dspace?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Defensible space</a>, required by state law in California's highest wildfire hazard areas, including in Berkeley, sets yard maintenance standards in zones from structures out. The strictest clearing is closest to buildings.</p><p>In a twist of California legislative limbo, or some might say black hole, "Zone 0" was <a href="https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB3074/id/2210565?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">adopted by lawmakers in 2020</a> but has yet to be enacted.</p><p>The state <a href="https://calfire-umb05.azurewebsites.net/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Board of Forestry & Fire Protection</a> is charged with writing the details of the law, such as what will and won't be allowed. It can only be enforced after this is done.</p><p>This process, which includes gathering input from statewide stakeholders, was estimated to take about a year. It is now stretching into year five, with no final product in sight.</p><p>This leaves fire agencies in a Zone 0 gray area. They can <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/03/community/berkeley-wildfire-season-dispatch-cut-whack-yank-dig-repeat/" rel="noreferrer">educate about the law</a>, and say it's (probably) coming but, so far, it has no enforcement teeth.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FZgK4ibagbQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" title="IBHS Research Center Ember Storm Test Highlights"></iframe></figure><p><a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Cal Fire</a>, the state's fire agency, sets defensible space law, with enforcement by local fire departments. </p><p>Local jurisdictions can enact <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/03/community/berkeley-wildfire-season-dispatch-cut-whack-yank-dig-repeat/" rel="noreferrer">their own or stricter requirements</a>, but can't go weaker than the state.</p><p>And this is what <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-fire-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley Fire</a> wants to do.</p><p>"We don't need any more evidence," said Colin Arnold, Berkeley Fire's assistant chief in charge of the urban interface division, of the value of an ember-resistant zone.</p><p>"We know what we should be doing, in fact the whole state knows what we should be doing, but we haven't been able to do it yet," he said. "Let's get this done."</p><blockquote class="kg-blockquote-alt">"The most effective version of Zone 0 eliminates all combustible material within the first 5 feet of a home"</blockquote><p>To date, the city has required a degree of Zone 0 compliance based on its interpretation of defensible space.</p><p>Berkeley's new EMBER initiative, which was already supported by the city's <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/disaster-and-fire-safety-commission?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Disaster and Fire Safety Commission</a>, calls for codifying strict measures in city law rather than waiting any longer for the state.</p><p>"The most effective version of Zone 0 eliminates all combustible material within the first 5 feet of a home and any outbuildings, attached decks and stairs," Arnold said. This includes underneath decks and stairs.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/03/community/berkeley-wildfire-season-dispatch-cut-whack-yank-dig-repeat/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Dispatch from Berkeley wildfire season: Cut, whack, yank, dig, repeat</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Home inspections, a “fuel break” on Grizzly Peak and a project focused on eucalyptus understory cleanup are just a few of the efforts underway.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-391.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Kate Darby Rauch</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2024-10-03-at-5.09.24-AM-7.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>Under the city's proposed regulation, Zone 0 would prohibit weeds, grass, plants (including climbing vines), debris, wood mulch products, combustible fencing and gates, plastic trash and recycle cans, trellis, pergolas, shade coverings, combustible planters, privacy walls, boats, RVs, vehicles and other material that could be ignited by embers or flames.</p><p>Wood fencing would need <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/fire-resistance?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">5 feet of fire resistance</a> against buildings, such as metal or fire-resistant materials.</p><p>"If it could burn, it wouldn't be allowed there," Arnold said. Potted plants, with some conditions, would be an exception, he said.</p><h3 id="berkeley-fire-hopes-incentives-will-inspire-homeowners">Berkeley Fire hopes incentives will inspire homeowners</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-hills-neighborhood-BFD.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="633" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/berkeley-hills-neighborhood-BFD.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/berkeley-hills-neighborhood-BFD.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-hills-neighborhood-BFD.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The East Bay hills have dense structures, most of which are pre-2008 construction and lack retrofits to make them resistant to wildfire and lack a Zone 0. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Berkeley Fire</em></i></figcaption></figure><div class="kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-grey"><div class="kg-callout-emoji">🔥</div><div class="kg-callout-text">Incentivizing <b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">home hardening measures</strong></b> in Berkeley fire zones 3 and 4, or measures known to make buildings <b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">more ember resistant</strong></b>. Incentives could include low-interest loans, tax credits and other financial or work assistance.</div></div><p><a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/home-hardening?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Home hardening</a> measures include Class A non-combustible roofing, double-pane windows, ember-resistant vents, gutter guards, non-combustible exterior siding, under-floor protection such as gypsum sheathing and non-combustible decks.</p><p>State law requires new construction in high wildfire severity zones to adhere to <a href="https://up.codes/viewer/california/ca-building-code-2016/chapter/7A/sfm-materials-and-construction-methods-for-exterior-wildfire-exposure?ref=berkeleyscanner.com#7A" rel="noreferrer">strict fire codes</a> with many of these measures. This includes large remodels and ADU's or in-law units.</p><p>But Berkeley is largely built-up, and new construction is rare.</p><p>The city can't legally require hardening on existing homes. The work can be expensive.</p><p>Berkeley Fire hopes incentives will spur homeowners to take these steps. It's also considering hardening requirements when a property is sold, similar to sewage lateral requirements, BFD Chief Sprague said.</p><p>"The fire department recommendations will include a proposal that the council consider expanding when home hardening should be required within Berkeley Fire zones 3 and 4, looking at existing successful programs like seismic and sewer lateral retrofitting as models," he said.</p><p>Additionally, BFD wants the Berkeley City Council to consider prohibiting <a href="https://www.cedur.com/wood-shake-vs-wood-shingles?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">wood shake</a> roofs, as <a href="https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/question/shake-and-wooden-roofs-are-prohibited/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com#/city/answers/wildfire-action-plan-requirements-for-residents/shake-and-wooden-roofs-are-prohibited" rel="noreferrer">San Rafael has</a>. </p><p>"In the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire, it was estimated that each burning home with a wood shake roof contributed to the ignition of 10 other homes," Sprague said.</p><h3 id="zone-0-and-home-hardening-are-peas-in-a-pod">Zone 0 and home hardening are "peas in a pod"</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-very-high-fire-hazard-severity-zone.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="1031" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/berkeley-very-high-fire-hazard-severity-zone.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/berkeley-very-high-fire-hazard-severity-zone.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-very-high-fire-hazard-severity-zone.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Only 50 homes (in blue) in Berkeley’s "Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone" have been built post-2008 to meet modern wildfire and ember resistance. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">See the </em></i><a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?layers=c9c25caa5351450b86ce9e993675bb80&ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer"><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">full map</em></i></a><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>Calling the Zone 0 and home hardening proposals "two peas in a pod," the fire department says they must go hand in hand for maximum benefit.</p><p>"Wildfires pose an ignition threat to structures from radiant heat, direct flame and embers, with embers being especially hazardous since they can travel long distances beyond municipal and property boundaries," Sprague said.</p><p>"While we can reduce the risk of wildfire spreading on the ground by managing vegetation and removing flammable materials around homes, embers remain a significant challenge," he continued. "To truly protect a home, it must be 'hardened' to resist both fire and embers — meaning it's built or retrofitted with materials and features that can withstand these exposures."</p><p>Slowing fire can save lives, he said, especially in dense neighborhoods such as the Berkeley Hills.</p><p>"The more time it takes a vegetative fire to ignite combustibles around homes and homes themselves, the more time there is for the community to evacuate and for firefighting resources from around the region to amass," the chief said, "and suppress the ignitions that do occur."</p><h3 id="im-under-no-illusion-that-this-process-will-be-easy">"I'm under no illusion that this process will be easy"</h3><p>Those working on the EMBER proposal know it faces hurdles.</p><p>"I'm under no illusion that this process will be easy. We're asking a lot of the community," said <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-roster/brent-blackaby?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Councilman Brent Blackaby</a>, of District 6, in the hills.</p><p>Neighborhood outreach is already in the works. So far, he said, he's heard largely favorable responses.</p><p>"People know this is important and know we're going to have to make some shared sacrifices," Blackaby said. "Public interest in this is great, and we have to get it right. I think the reality is that people recognize this is work that needs to get done."</p><p>Arnold, BFD's wildland division chief, said he believes the fire department's annual budget, including grants in hand, can largely cover the new framework — education, <a href="https://www.berkeleyfiresafe.org/inspection?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">inspection</a>, enforcement.</p><p>At least out the gate. Berkeley's wildland fire response is funded largely by <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/our-work/bond-revenue-measures/measure-ff?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Measure FF</a>, an $8.5 million yearly emergency services parcel tax approved by voters in 2020.</p><blockquote class="kg-blockquote-alt">"You can't get people out as fast as fire moves"</blockquote><p>Home hardening, however, will need new resources, he said.</p><p>"I think the home hardening piece is an important part of the puzzle for a resilient neighborhood. Without a funding source to provide support, it's unlikely that residents independently harden their community," Arnold said.</p><p>"My hope is that we can dive head first into a combination of options, such as tax rebates, grants, etc. Without financial support, I wouldn't think we would get adequate buy in."</p><p>Even if the new approach is adopted, the fire department says early evacuation on the most extreme red flag days, when the city <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/18/berkeley-fire-department/berkeley-extreme-fire-weather-alert-evacuate/" rel="noreferrer">sends a special alert</a>, gives the best chance of saving lives, Arnold emphasized.</p><p>"Under extreme conditions we as humans can't move as fast as fires, especially given the infrastructure of the streets in the hills and the numbers of people that live there," he said. "You can't get people out as fast as fire moves."</p><div class="kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-grey"><div class="kg-callout-emoji">🔥</div><div class="kg-callout-text"><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">MARK YOUR CALENDAR: The City Council work session about EMBER is set for </strong></b><a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer"><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday, Feb. 11</strong></b></a><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, at 4 p.m.</strong></b></div></div><p><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/author/kate-darby-rauch/" rel="noreferrer"><em>Kate Darby Rauch</em></a><em> spent more than 10 years as a daily news reporter with the East Bay Times and has freelanced for numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Newsday, the Seattle Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Magazine.</em></p><h3 id="related-stories">Related stories</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/12/community/berkeley-fire-chief-take-action-now-fire-resilient-future/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">BFD chief: ‘We cannot fall into the trap of doing nothing’</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Berkeley firefighters have joined more than 90 firefighters from Alameda County to assist with the firefight in Southern California.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-393.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Guest contributor</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_3571-4.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/27/berkeley-fire-department/uc-berkeley-news-wildfires-is-bay-area-ready/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Are Berkeley and the Bay Area ready for major wildfires?</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">A UC Berkeley-led team is using simulations to stress-test the region’s preparedness and building games to educate the public about wildfires.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-394.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Guest contributor</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/GiB2YYqaMAAgg8N-3.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/10/18/berkeley-fire-department/berkeley-extreme-fire-weather-alert-evacuate/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Extreme fire weather: Berkeley says some should evacuate</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">The city recommends that residents in fire zones 2 and 3 leave the Berkeley Hills before 8 p.m. Friday through Saturday at 7 a.m.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-1-395.jpg" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">The Berkeley Scanner</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Emilie Raguso</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/thumbnail/50365672548_684eeb18b2_k-1.jpg" alt="" onerror="this.style.display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii on her first months in office ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Ishii offered insights on her plans to get critical work done and build unity across divisive issues. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/04/community/berkeley-mayor-adena-ishii-first-months-highlights-plans/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67a2856a34c0750001aa114b</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Community ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 14:11:20 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/adena-ishii-BDC-1.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/adena-ishii-BDC-1.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>Mayor <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/adena-ishii/" rel="noreferrer">Adena Ishii</a> spoke candidly to community members Monday night about her first months on the job and what Berkeley can expect from her.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.berkeleydemocraticclub.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley Democratic Club</a> organized the event, which took place on Zoom.</p><p>Participants said they found Ishii smart, straightforward, introspective and refreshing — and also look forward to seeing how she grows as a leader.</p><p>Here are some of the highlights.</p><ul><li>She's already working to create a community task force for key stakeholders affected by immigration issues</li><li>She plans to stand strong on immigration but you won't find her "on social media trying to taunt Trump" or rile up his base</li><li>She's working to build relationships and trust across the <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-city-council/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley City Council</a> (which has five new members, of nine, since last year alone)</li><li>She's determined to have a balanced budget but knows tough financial times are ahead</li><li>One of her main goals is to get existing work done, particularly as far as basic services, rather than adding to the plate of already overburdened staff: "You will not see a lot of new legislation from our office"</li><li>She noted that staffers across the city are doing their best despite ongoing shortages: "We are still a city that's recovering from the pandemic"</li><li>She wants to change the conversation around divisive issues, whether it's homelessness or transportation: "We need to be united and that is something I am very focused on"</li><li>She's working to create an internal spreadsheet or database that includes community and neighborhood groups across a wide range of issues. If you want to be included, let her know by emailing <a href="mailto:mayor@berkeleyca.gov" rel="noreferrer">mayor@berkeleyca.gov</a></li><li>Her office is also looking for interns — contact info above</li><li>She wants to create more effective and efficient ways for community members to give input online, knowing that not everyone can make it out to meetings</li><li>When it comes to her overall approach to being Berkeley mayor, she's focused primarily on the big picture and moving the ball forward: "I am not a policy wonk"</li><li>On commission appointments: For now, the prior appointees will remain in place, but her office is working to create a process to solicit applications from everyone who is interested</li><li>In response to a question about whether she believes it's possible to "eradicate" homelessness: She said it's worth working toward as a goal but her focus will be on looking at ways to keep people from falling into homeless in the first place </li><li>She proactively brought up the recent <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/03/community/berkeley-city-council-mayor-motion-fails/" rel="noreferrer">City Council conflict over committee appointments</a>, saying she did not see it as a defeat. She said she knew in advance it might not pan out, but wanted to "fight for it on the dais," which she believed was more transparent than burying it behind the scenes</li><li>The outcome of that item was "disappointing," she said — but also believes it's valuable to have uncomfortable conversations, that people won't always agree and that, in the end, there were "no hard feelings": "I'm really proud that we fought to put that forward even though it didn't pass"</li><li>She described the issue as "one small blip" in what she sees as four more years of working together as council members to get important work done for the city: "This is just one thing that we disagreed about and that's OK"</li></ul><p><strong>Connect with the </strong><a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-roster/adena-ishii?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer"><strong>Berkeley mayor's office directly</strong></a><strong> on its website. Learn more about the </strong><a href="https://www.berkeleydemocraticclub.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer"><strong>Berkeley Democratic Club</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><em>Editor's Note: The Scanner attended Monday's virtual community event as a member of the media. TBS is independent and nonpartisan and </em><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/tips/" rel="noreferrer"><em>welcomes invitations</em></a><em> to a broad range of community events.</em></p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Update: Men try to rob mom holding baby at Berkeley ATM ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Berkeley has had about a dozen robberies this year — a steep drop from historic, pre-pandemic averages of about one robbery a day. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/04/crime/berkeley-atm-robbery-attempt-shattuck-vine/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67a0e535226a220001601f93</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Crime ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 12:42:14 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-04-at-12.09.24-PM-1.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-04-at-12.09.24-PM-1.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>Berkeley police are investigating a robbery attempt over the weekend at a <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/north-berkeley/" rel="noreferrer">North Berkeley</a> ATM in the bustling Shattuck Avenue business corridor.</p><p>Police said the woman, an Emeryville resident in her 30s, was at the ATM at 1480 Shattuck Ave. (at Vine Street near Safeway) when two strangers approached her Saturday shortly after 9 a.m.</p><p>The Scanner learned after publication that the woman was a mother holding her baby at the time of the robbery attempt. (This story was updated to include that information.)</p>  <p style="text-align:center;"><b>Read more about <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/crime/">crime</a> in Berkeley.</b></p>  <p>The pair demanded the woman's property.</p><p>Seeing no weapons, she refused and the young men fled the scene, <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-police-department/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley police</a> said.</p><p>As of this week, BPD said it remains an active robbery investigation. No arrests have been made.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-robberies-2025.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/berkeley-robberies-2025.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/berkeley-robberies-2025.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-robberies-2025.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There have been about a dozen robberies and robbery attempts this year in Berkeley. </span><a href="https://bpd-transparency-initiative-berkeleypd.hub.arcgis.com/pages/crimes?ref=berkeleyscanner.com#cknad003o" rel="noreferrer"><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">BPD Transparency Hub</em></i></a></figcaption></figure><p>On Friday, a man and woman with a gun <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/01/31/crime/berkeley-man-pistol-whipped-armed-robbery-shasta/" rel="noreferrer">pistol-whipped and robbed a 77-year-old man</a> on Shasta Avenue during a possible carjacking attempt in the <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-hills/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley Hills</a>.</p><p>Berkeley has had about a dozen robberies so far this year — a steep drop from historic, pre-pandemic averages of about one robbery a day.</p><p>Last year, there had already been about 22 robbery reports in Berkeley in the same period.</p><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-error" style="color: #FFFFFF;" data-members-error=""></div> </form> <p class="kg-signup-card-disclaimer" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> ]]> </content:encoded> </item> <item> <title> <![CDATA[ Dissent on the dais as motion from new Berkeley mayor fails ]]> </title> <description> <![CDATA[ Cecilia Lunaparra criticized some of her colleagues for using the "Trumpist tactic of silencing dissent." Terry Taplin pushed back hard. ]]> </description> <link>https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/02/03/community/berkeley-city-council-mayor-motion-fails/</link> <guid isPermaLink="false">67a11fba226a220001602dbe</guid> <category> <![CDATA[ Community ]]> </category> <dc:creator> <![CDATA[ Emilie Raguso ]]> </dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 03 Feb 2025 15:41:47 -0800</pubDate> <media:content url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-mayor-adena-ishii-BI6A1021.jpg" medium="image" /> <media:thumbnail url="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-mayor-adena-ishii-BI6A1021.jpg" /> <content:encoded> <![CDATA[ <p>A proposal from Berkeley's new mayor went down in defeat in recent weeks, revealing a fractured City Council getting off to a rocky start to the legislative season.</p><p>It was only the second council meeting for <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/adena-ishii/" rel="noreferrer">Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii</a>, who narrowly beat District 5 incumbent Sophie Hahn in a tight race in November that came down to a ranked-choice contest.</p><p>The November election resulted in major changes to the Berkeley City Council, with former Mayor Jesse Arreguín <a href="https://sd07.senate.ca.gov/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">becoming a state senator</a> and longtime Councilwoman <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/12/10/community/berkeley-city-council-susan-wengraf-retirement/" rel="noreferrer">Susan Wengraf retiring</a>.</p><p>That put three new faces on the dais: Ishii in the mayor's seat, Brent Blackaby winning Wengraf's seat and Shoshana O’Keefe taking the seat vacated by Hahn.</p><p>The Ishii proposal was routine, with her appointments to different <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">council committees</a> focused on topical work, as well as her choice for her first vice mayor.</p><p></p>  <div style="min-height: 58px;max-width: 440px;margin: 0 auto;width: 100%"><script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/ghost/signup-form@~0.2/umd/signup-form.min.js" data-label-1="Form-article-yellow" data-button-color="#FFB70B" data-button-text-color="#000000" data-site="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com" async></script></div>  <p>The somewhat wonky item was originally on the consent calendar — meaning it was set to have been adopted en masse by a single <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-city-council/" rel="noreferrer">City Council</a> vote along with nearly two dozen other <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/city-council-meetings/2025-01-21%20Annotated%20Agenda%20-%20Council.pdf?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">largely non-controversial items</a>.</p><p>But elected officials can move consent items to the action calendar if they want to discuss them and have two other votes in support from the nine-member body. </p><p>That's what happened Tuesday night, Jan. 21.</p><p>It was Councilman Terry Taplin who, early in the night, put the mayor's item on the action calendar with the support of Rashi Kesarwani and Brent Blackaby.</p><p>When the item later came up, at the end of the meeting, Taplin explained his position and suggested two significant changes to the proposal.</p><p>Taplin first suggested putting Councilman Mark Humbert on the <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-agenda-rules?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">Agenda & Rules</a> committee in place of Ishii's pick, Cecilia Lunaparra. </p><p>Taplin said the three-member panel "would benefit from the experience of senior members who have gone through the legislative process numerous times, have seen the iterative evolution of the rules and procedures, and would contribute further to the balance of perspectives."</p><p>As its name suggests, the agenda committee helps set the schedule and agenda for City Council meetings, including the date proposals will be heard and whether they need further policy work and review.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-terry-taplin-BI6A0970.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-terry-taplin-BI6A0970.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-terry-taplin-BI6A0970.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-terry-taplin-BI6A0970.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii listens to Councilman Terry Taplin at a City Council meeting in December 2024. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilie Raguso/TBS</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>Taplin also proposed a change to the process for appointing vice mayor, which is a ceremonial role, suggesting it should rotate among council members in order of seniority rather than going next, as Mayor Ishii had proposed, to Lunaparra, who <a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/04/17/newsletters/berkeley-city-council-district-7-election-results-so-far/" rel="noreferrer">won election last April</a> with just <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/12FmaskiSvX_zTuT6EehM1vAgnPnNZWwg/view?usp=sharing&ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">291 votes</a>.</p><p>"I believe such an order would be fair and objective," Taplin said. </p><p>He also noted that Kesarwani had been on the Berkeley City Council for six years but had never been vice mayor, adding, "which was always strange to me."</p><p>Lunaparra spoke next, saying she wanted to put Taplin's motion, which had been seconded by Kesarwani, "in context."</p><p>Lunaparra called the motion "frivolous, untransparent and petty," saying: "It is not my MO to yell or point fingers or shame others for disagreement, but I am appalled and saddened about what my colleagues are trying to do today."</p><p>"I'm the first Latina to ever serve on the Berkeley City Council. I was the first openly queer woman of color to ever serve on the Berkeley City Council. I represent District 7, the only student supermajority district, and represent thousands of engaged, intelligent, passionate young people, and I do so proudly and wholeheartedly," she said. "And to do so, I sometimes must dissent."</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-cecilia-lunaparra-BI6A1033-1.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-cecilia-lunaparra-BI6A1033-1.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-cecilia-lunaparra-BI6A1033-1.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-cecilia-lunaparra-BI6A1033-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">District 7 Councilwoman Cecilia Lunaparra at a City Council meeting in December 2024. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilie Raguso/TBS</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>Lunaparra said she believed Taplin and his supporters were trying to block her appointments because they were threatened by her policy positions.</p><p>"I am so disheartened to see that folks that I have tried very hard to work with, despite and while celebrating our disagreements, run with the Trumpist tactic of silencing dissent," she said.</p><p>Lunaparra said it was this type of behavior that marginalized young people and pushed them out of politics.</p><p>"Unfortunately, and truthfully, my colleagues are playing a game that I don't want to play," she said. "And I find this to be a matter of immaturity." </p><p>Lunaparra said she had been true to herself and her district since being elected and had approached her council colleagues with a collaborative spirit.</p><p>"By trying so hard and so relentlessly to make sure that I am not on Agenda & Rules, I want you to know that you have bruised the relationships that I thought that we were building," she said.</p><p>Taplin's response was swift and forceful.</p><p>"I am a gay Black man. I was raised in Section 8 housing. I am the son of a single mother who has MS and diabetes. I represent the neighborhood I grew up in: West Berkeley," he said. </p><p>"I'm not a Berkeley graduate," he said. "But I represent my district." </p><p>(Lunaparra <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-roster/cecilia-lunaparra?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">graduated from Cal last year</a>.)</p><p>Taplin said his motion had nothing to do with politics and that he had worked hard to get along with all of his colleagues. </p><p>"I cherish each of the relationships I've built with every last one of you. Whether we agree, whether we vote the same, whether we disagree, whether we fight — we are one council," he said. "The choices I make are in the interest of the city and my constituents."</p><p>"I do not wish to treat intersectional identity discourse as some kind of defensive joust," he added.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-mayor-adena-ishii-BI6A1096.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w600/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-mayor-adena-ishii-BI6A1096.jpg 600w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/size/w1000/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-mayor-adena-ishii-BI6A1096.jpg 1000w, https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/content/images/2025/02/berkeley-city-council-mayor-adena-ishii-BI6A1096.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii at a City Council meeting in December 2024. </span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilie Raguso/TBS</em></i></figcaption></figure><p>Mayor Ishii spoke last, keeping her remarks relatively brief.</p><p>She said she was disappointed to see opposition to her item from some of her colleagues on the dais.</p><p>"It's unusual for committee assignments to be challenged in this way," she said. "Typically, the mayor has made appointments and the council approves them."</p><p>Ishii said she had considered the issue of seniority but had seen her election "as a chance to shake things up and give others leadership opportunities." </p><p>She also noted that the role of the agenda committee was to streamline council meetings and policy work adding, "frankly, if it has so much power, then that's something that we should be looking at — because one committee should not have that much power."</p><p>Ishii made a substitute motion in support of <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-01-21%20Item%2022%20Seating%20Arrangement%20for%20the%20Council%20-%20Rev%20%28Supp%202%29.pdf?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">her original proposal</a>, with some minor tweaks, which Lunaparra seconded.</p><p>"This is not a political appointment. It's a process one," Ishii said. "Regardless of what happens, we will all move forward together."</p><p>The Berkeley City Council voted on the substitute motion first, as per its normal procedures. The mood appeared tense.</p><p>When it was her time to vote, Shoshana O’Keefe — who had not spoken during the meeting about the item itself — paused for a long time before saying yes.</p><p>Ultimately, the mayor's motion failed with four votes in opposition (Kesarwani, Taplin, Blackaby and Humbert); three in support (O’Keefe, Lunaparra and Ishii); and an abstention from Igor Tregub.</p><p>Councilman Ben Bartlett was absent from the meeting.</p><p>The main motion, from Taplin and Kesarwani, was up next and prevailed with five ayes (Kesarwani, Taplin, Tregub, Blackaby and Humbert) and three noes (O’Keefe, Lunaparra and Ishii).</p><p>Before Humbert cast what turned out to be the decisive vote, he asked the mayor if he could explain his position. She granted his request.</p><p>"I haven't lobbied for an appointment to Agenda & Rules," he said, taking pains to be precise. "I have tremendous, tremendous respect for Council Member Lunaparra and I was moved by her comments. But, having heard that four other council members on the dais would like me to serve, I would be willing to do so." </p><p>City Hall insiders said the split vote during such an early meeting revealed possible alliances and dynamics to keep a close eye on.</p><p>One person called it "humiliating" for Ishii to have put forward the proposal and been overruled out of the gate by a council majority.</p><p>There had been indications before the meeting that the motion didn't have the votes it needed to prevail, but the mayor kept the item on the agenda, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity.</p><p>"I think that speaks to her inexperience," they added. "Hopefully she's learned from it."</p><p>The Berkeley City Council's <a href="https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas?ref=berkeleyscanner.com" rel="noreferrer">next regular meeting</a> comes Feb. 11.</p><div class="kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-grey"><div class="kg-callout-text"><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have insights about Berkeley City Hall, we want to hear from you. </strong></b><a href="https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/r/60e0bf07?m=756a8a5d-66c7-48b2-8437-80a6718448eb"><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Contact The Scanner</strong></b></a><b><strong style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> through our tips form or on Signal: 510-459-8325.</strong></b></div></div><div class="kg-card kg-signup-card kg-width-wide kg-style-accent" data-lexical-signup-form="" style="; display: none;"> <div class="kg-signup-card-content"> <div class="kg-signup-card-text kg-align-center"> <h2 class="kg-signup-card-heading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner</span></h2> <p class="kg-signup-card-subheading" style="color: #FFFFFF;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Authoritative crime + safety news</span></p> <form class="kg-signup-card-form" data-members-form="signup"> <input data-members-label="" type="hidden" value="Form"> <div class="kg-signup-card-fields"> <input class="kg-signup-card-input" id="email" data-members-email="" type="email" required="true" placeholder="Your email"> <button class="kg-signup-card-button " style="background-color: #FFB70B;color: #000000;" type="submit"> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-default">Subscribe</span> <span class="kg-signup-card-button-loading"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24" width="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <g stroke-linecap="round" stroke-width="2" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" stroke-linejoin="round" class="nc-icon-wrapper"> <g class="nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o"> <circle cx="4" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3"></circle> <circle cx="20" cy="12" r="3"></circle> </g> <style data-cap="butt"> .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o *{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}} </style> </g> </svg></span> </button> </div> <div class="kg-signup-card-success" style="color: #FFFFFF;"> Email sent! 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