The inadvertent release of social security numbers for 11,000 current and past City of Berkeley staff was the major story of the week. City Manager Christine Daniel apologized for the error, which came in the provision of salary data to the Bay Area News Group (BANG) in March. There is no evidence that the SSNs have been used fraudulently since the release, and BANG managing editor Bert Robinson said on Wednesday that the numbers had been scrubbed from its system.
It may have been widely expected, but the confirmation that the U.S. Postal Service will sell its historic downtown post office building at 2000 Allston Way provoked dismay among Berkeleyside readers. Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said he was “extremely disappointed,” and commenters wrote that they hoped a public use for the building could be found.
The most dramatic redistricting since 1986 looks to be on course in Berkeley. Six rule-compliant redistricting proposals have been received by the city from individuals and community groups. The City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposals on May 7. From the submitted plans, it seems likely that redrawn boundaries will include a student-majority district.
Berkeley’s council districts have been in place for 27 years, as has Sushi California on MLK. Readers responded enthusiastically to this “sunken treasure,” as described by Anna Mindess, making it one of the three most-read stories of the week.
What posts stood out to you this week? Are there other stories you’d like to see? Let us know in the comments or by writing to us at editors@berkeleyside.com.
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