Downtown Berkeley Association

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, local businesses in Berkeley struggled to adapt to ever-changing regulations and customer influxes as they continued to seek external support. 

Le Bateau Ivre, a French Berkeley restaurant, welcomed an unusual sight on Mother's Day as families occupied its space — a stark contrast to last year.

Residence Inn Berkeley, a 16-story hotel, will be opening in Downtown Berkeley this October in response to growing demands.

Berkeley, a home to many fleeing communities less tolerant of their sexual orientations, will celebrate its LGBTQ+ community a bit differently this year. 

As California begins a return to normalcy following its June 15 reopening date, the city of Berkeley lifted a broad range of COVID-19 restrictions Tuesday following state guidelines. 

In a press release Tuesday, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín announced the city has vaccinated half its population with at least one dose.

Berkeley city officials, the Bagai family and others unveiled the renamed Kala Bagai Way on Thursday, the first street in Berkeley to be named after an Asian immigrant.

As more students choose to return to campus for the fall semester, some businesses in Berkeley have seen an increase in customers.

After months of closure due to shelter-in-place orders, many Berkeley restaurants opened their doors for outdoor dining Friday, using spaces such as sidewalks, curbside parking spaces and courtyards.

Berkeley City Council is set to vote at its May 26 meeting to establish a COVID-19 Business Damage Mitigation Fund, which will provide grants to businesses that experience property damage through vandalism or other “problematic behavior.”