John Fox, who ran the world’s largest wine Ponzi scheme from his Berkeley store, gets out of prison
He was sentenced to six and a half years but is getting out two years early.
He was sentenced to six and a half years but is getting out two years early.
The Ninth Street shelter is set to close at the end of August, but the city has money to open it up elsewhere.
The Ninth Street “winter shelter” will now stay open until the end of August.
The shelter on Ninth Street, which can accommodate 90 people a night, had been slated to close April 15.
A planned partnership between the organization and BHS never materialized, and the district plans to repurpose the space for new programs next year.
Tension was high Tuesday night as the Berkeley City Council debated interim uses for the Premier Cru site and plans to build homeless housing on the Berkeley Way parking lot.
The emergency shelter, which is open until April, offers free Wi-Fi, plenty of places to charge phones, indoor toilets, hot breakfasts and storage.
As the city attempts to reopen negotiations on sharing a meeting room, records obtained by Berkeleyside and conversations with both sides shed light on why past efforts failed.
“Let’s put forward our best proposal,” said Mayor Jesse Arreguín. “If they accept it, great. If not, we’ll build this facility.”
From his luxurious Berkeley headquarters, Fox sold millions of dollars worth of wine he did not have and used the money to buy fancy cars and dates online.
A new report breaks down the projected costs of each piece of the ambitious homelessness plan, and puts forth recommendations for the elements to prioritize.
Berkeley is poised to buy the old Premier Cru complex on University and may use it for new City Council chambers and, eventually, affordable housing.
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