Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: UC Berkeley Law School Deliberately Discriminated Against White, Asian Applicants, Federal Probe Finds

Spotted on the Berkeley calendar: Join Us in Remembering the Heroes of Flight 93

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Hey there, Berkeley! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Federal probe targets UC Berkeley Law over alleged discriminatory admissions practices
  • Beloved Top Dog is bringing its classics to Downtown Berkeley
  • How could Berkeley's new zoning plan reshape Elmwood's small-business corridors?

Also on today's calendar: Join Us in Remembering the Heroes of Flight 93 and 11 more events.

Today's riddle: I'm a rock group with 4 members; one member was assassinated. What am I? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Friday: Breezy in the afternoon, with a high of 71 and low of 59 degrees.
  • Saturday: Brisk and cool, temps: high: 70, low: 56.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 75 and low of 56 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. UC Berkeley Law School Deliberately Discriminated Against White, Asian Applicants, Federal Probe Finds (patch.com) — Federal civil rights officials say UC Berkeley's law school used race-conscious tactics that disadvantaged white and Asian applicants and favored Black applicants in 2024–25 admissions, allegedly violating the Civil Rights Act. Berkeley Law leaders, based in the city, strongly deny any racial preferences, insisting their admissions process complies with Proposition 209 and federal law while still pursuing diversity goals.
   

2. Top Dog To Expand With New Downtown Berkeley Location: Report (patch.com) — Berkeley food lovers can look forward to Top Dog expanding with a new outpost inside The BreakRoom in Downtown Berkeley, following the closure of its Oakland shop. The partnership will feature five of Top Dog's classic menu items plus sides, continuing a Berkeley-born institution that has fed generations of local college students since 1966.
   

3. Save Berkeley Shops proposes alternative zoning plan, ballot initiative ahead of upzoning vote (dailycal.org) — Berkeley residents may soon face major changes to neighborhood corridors as the City Council considers the Corridors Zoning Update, which could upzone areas like Elmwood and affect small businesses. In response, Save Berkeley Shops is pushing a "community zoning" alternative and preparing a possible 2028 ballot referendum that would freeze any adopted upzoning if enough local signatures are gathered.
   

4. First-ever healthy checkout policy shows promise for reducing soda sales, increasing healthy snack purchases (eurekalert.org) — Berkeley shoppers are part of a closely watched experiment: the city's 2021 healthy checkout ordinance is linked to lower soda and small-package candy sales, especially in supermarkets that comply most. Researchers say stronger enforcement and broader product-placement rules could further improve local diets and guide similar policies in other cities.
   

5. 25 Years Later: The Lasting Aftermath of 9/11 (kpfa.org) — Berkeley listeners hear UC Berkeley professors Hatem Bazian and Michael Mark Cohen unpack how 9/11 reshaped civil liberties, surveillance, and political dissent in ways that still affect local communities today. Speaking on KPFA's Hard Knock Radio, they trace expanded government powers, targeting of Muslim and activist groups, and the rise of digital surveillance, urging residents to preserve history, defend education, and organize locally.
   

📸 Around Berkeley

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Thanks to an absolutely amazing group of neighbors found here on next-door who all love cats, magic has been found!!
    He was in a nearby shed that he had not been in for very long. He is now reunited in a wonderful, large crate provided by an amazing neighbor inside… (Nextdoor McGee Spaulding)
  • The great horned owl is singing its song right now!
    You can hear it well on the south side of Alta Bates. (Nextdoor Bateman)
  • University of California Berkeley posted a job opening for Senior Assistant Director of Admissions, Visitor Experience Manager (4510U), UGARS Admissions - #70455 - 70455 in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • Pyramid Global Hospitality posted a job opening for Night Auditor in Berkeley. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Berkeley here.

Ok Berkeley! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Mount Rushmore (Thank you J.J. W. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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