Cowan, described as “an amazing public servant,” said he only once had to defend Berkeley on something with which he disagreed.
Zach Cowan
Posted inCity
Berkeley officials split over impacts of new zoning code proposals
Council voted Tuesday to embark on an intensive project to develop extensive new development standards to preserve the city’s discretion over land use decisions.
Posted inCity
Federal judge upholds Berkeley cellphone warning
Berkeley will soon require cellphone retailers to warn customers about potential radiation dangers. File photo Berkeley will soon start to require cellphone retailers to warn customers about potential radiation dangers, following a federal judge’s rejection of an industry supported campaign to put a stay on the city’s cellphone right-to-know ordinance. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen […]
Posted inCommunity
Partying at UC Berkeley may have just gotten harder
A large crowd of Halloween revelers gathered in Berkeley in what officials described as a riot. Photo: David Yee Citing a riot on Halloween and three alcohol-related deaths near the UC Berkeley campus in recent years, Berkeley officials approved new rules Tuesday night to address rowdy parties and other problems associated with group housing widely […]
Posted inCrime
Berkeley medical cannabis commissioner faces fraud and extortion charges
Dan Rush addresses a group at the Cannabis Workers Rising Symposium in Winchester, Nevada. Photo: Facebook The former chair of Berkeley’s Medical Cannabis Commission (MCC) is scheduled to appear in federal court today, Sept. 23, to face extortion, fraud and money laundering charges connected to his dealings with cannabis dispensaries in Berkeley, Oakland and Las […]
Posted inCity
Wireless carriers sue Berkeley over phone radiation law
A front gate in Berkeley decorated with old cellphones. Photo: Fragmentary Evidence A wireless trade association filed suit against Berkeley on Monday, claiming that the city’s new law requiring notification of possible radiation from cellphones is a violation of the First Amendment. CTIA The Wireless Association filed the federal suit in the Northern District of California […]
Posted inCity
Nonprofit accuses city of Berkeley of ‘unethical contracting practices’ for new homeless center
Berkeley’s new approach to homeless services: the proposed Housing Crisis Resolution Center. Image: City of Berkeley Berkeley’s new approach to homeless services: the proposed Housing Crisis Resolution Center. Image: City of Berkeley The city of Berkeley says it will change its commission recommendation process after a community agency brought allegations of serious conflicts of interest during […]
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Forty Acres’ new cannabis site is illegal says Berkeley
Forty Acres is operating from 1510 Ashby Ave., which the city says is an illegal use. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel Three months after the city council ordered the Forty Acres Medical Marijuana Growers Collective to shut its doors at 1820-1828 San Pablo Ave. because it was a public nuisance, the medical marijuana organization has relocated to 1510 […]
Posted inCity
Berkeley preps new cellphone radiation safety law
Judging by this Berkeley gate, it’s clear that there will be at least some support in the city for proposed required warnings, under consideration by the city council, about safe cellphone use. Photo: Fragmentary Evidence Judging by this Berkeley gate, it’s clear that there will be at least some support in the city for proposed required warnings, […]
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Zoning Board says cannabis collective a public nuisance
The Zoning Adjustments Board ruled Nov. 6 that Forty Acres, at 1820-1828 San Pablo Ave., is a public nuisance. Photo: Google Street View Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board voted unanimously Nov. 6 to declare the Forty Acres Medical Marijuana Growers’ Collective a public nuisance – the latest step in Berkeley’s three-year odyssey to shut the place down. […]
Posted inCity
Berkeley councilman says city mishandled legal fees in Measure S redistricting lawsuit; city disagrees
Above, the contested Berkeley Student District Campaign map, which was approved by council in December. Above, the contested Berkeley Student District Campaign map, which was approved by council in December. Less than a week before Berkeley voters will decide whether to adopt new council district boundaries, a local official has criticized the city for how it handled legal fees for a lawsuit over […]
Posted inCity
EPA settlement calls for repairs to East Bay’s faulty sewage lines; Berkeley to pay $133,500 civil penalty
Berkeley and other East Bay cities have reached a settlement with the EPA to upgrade their sewer lines, which should prevent raw sewage from spilling into the bay during storms. Photo: dogefrost The recent settlement of a lawsuit between the Environmental Protection Agency and several cities, including Berkeley, will lead to major repairs of the East […]