The continuing dispute over the University of California Berkeley’s Gill Tract figured prominently throughout the last week. On Monday evening Occupy the Farm activists issued a statement urging the university to cede the tract to urban farmers. Within a day, university officials responded with “disappointment and dismay”, citing a “stunning degree of arrogance and entitlement”. UC police blocked access to the tract on Wednesday, and a lawsuit was filed against 14 members of Occupy the Farm later that day. The university sealed off the site on Thursday.
The debate over the West Berkeley plan also continued to simmer, with a second public hearing at this week’s City Council meeting. Nearly four hours of testimony showed a more balanced mix of supporters and opponents to the plan. The council plans a full discussion of the plan and a vote on its adoption next Tuesday.
Land and street use seemed to be in the air this week. Our coverage of the proposal to bring a car-free “Sunday Streets” plan to downtown Berkeley provoked plenty of positive comments — and very few negatives — from Berkeleyside readers.
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