UC Berkeley said it spent $6.62 million for UC police, mutual aid law enforcement, lodging, meals, supplies and engineering in an operation to block off People’s Park in January.
The university released the information Wednesday in response to Berkeleyside’s request under the state Public Records Act, and said the numbers reflect invoices received up to Feb. 14. Additional invoices are due from agencies that provided mutual aid, like UC Irvine police, the university said.
Cal also shared the information in a public news release, and said the university has spent about $4.8 million since the beginning of 2022 to purchase temporary housing options for people living at the park. That includes hotel rooms offered to residents at the Rodeway Inn and the Quality Inn.
The university has not confirmed how many law enforcement officers from UCPD and mutual aid were called to the scene and said they won’t disclose the details for security reasons.
UC Berkeley police entered the park with hundreds of mutual aid law enforcement officers the night of Jan. 3 to shut down the square block and wall it off with double-stacked shipping containers. They made the move pending a state Supreme Court decision over whether they can build a 1,100-bed student and supportive housing project at the location.
In August 2022, the university said it spent roughly $4 million in an attempt to close down the park. They were deterred by large protests, vandalism of construction equipment and occupation of the park.
The university broke down this year’s costs in the records request:
- $2.85 million to build a perimeter, including $972,000 for shipping containers, $1.27 million for gates, equipment, lighting and supervision and $515,000 for engineering services and surveying.
- $3.77 million for law enforcement, including $849,000 for lodging, $281,000 for meals, $1.47 million for UCPD overtime and $633,000 for outside security services.
The park remains under 24-hour security surveillance, with APEX security officers posted at the corners of the shipping container perimeter.
Activists opposed to construction at the park protested for nearly a week on Telegraph Avenue, and have popped up efforts to provide mutual aid for frequent visitors to the park in the nearby area of the Dwight Way triangle.
The university expects to spend over $400 million on the People’s Park student and supportive housing project. The supportive housing, included in the total, is estimated to cost $90 million based on projections from RCD, a previous developer who pulled out of the project, according to Cal.
The UC Regents first approved the student housing portion of the plan in 2021 with a price tag of $312 million. To date, the university says it has spent about $16.1 million.
The UC said costs are expected to surpass $400 million due to construction costs and court delays.
The state Supreme Court has not yet scheduled a hearing for the ongoing court case, but a date is expected in the spring.
Correction: It was incorrectly reported that UC Berkeley expects to spend over $400 million for the entire student project. The university expects to spend over $400 million on the student housing, in addition to supportive housing.
