homelessness

Berkeley City Council approved the creation of a housing complex in Downtown Berkeley entirely at market-rate. Community members have blindly rallied around increased housing, without pushing for the affordability of those developments. What’s the point of building more housing if the people who need it the most can’t afford it?

Last week, newly-elected Gov. Gavin Newsom released his budget proposal for the next fiscal year — one that includes greater investments in California’s future with a clear commitment to equality. After former governor Jerry Brown’s disappointing last term, it’s refreshing to see that Newsom is already keeping his promises to his constituents.

Last week, the Berkeley Unified School District board unanimously approved a policy that would require all girls’ and gender-neutral bathrooms to have free menstrual products — a mark of progress on the district’s part. But what’s alarming is that the world’s “No. 1 public university” has yet to follow suit in providing this basic necessity to community members.

The Berkeley Commission on the Status of Women held a public meeting Wednesday evening, during which several women shared their experiences with homelessness and Berkeley City Councilmember Sophie Hahn spoke about her life’s work fighting for women’s rights.

Berkeley City Council will focus on issues surrounding housing and the homeless, discussing particular policies concerning the homelessness crisis, sidewalk regulation enforcement and home sharing, during its regular Tuesday meeting.

Gov. Jerry Brown recently passed three bills that tackle the housing shortage by increasing housing development near BART stations, addressing homelessness in the city of Berkeley and promoting student housing development throughout California.