People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group

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You can make a difference by donating today to People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group. We need support for our legal fund to defend the park from imminent destruction by a UC Berkeley 12-story construction project. Our long range purpose is to establish a People’s Park Historic District to protect, preserve, and enhance public understanding of the irreplaceable open space and of the significant architectural and cultural landmarks and historic events unique to the Southside campus area of UC Berkeley. People come to Berkeley from all corners of the U.S. and international locations and ask, “Where is People’s Park?” This landmark location, which was just approved by the State Historical Resources Commission to be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, is an asset to Berkeley and with some care and concern could become a much greater one.

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Lawsuit against UC Berkeley to Challenge Expansion Plan

The community is justifiably outraged by the City’s capitulation to Cal on the Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). A suit has been filed on the LRDP/Environmental Impact Report (EIR), with Tom Lippe as the lawyer. Tom has won the previous two California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) cases against UC Berkeley, so he’s very knowledgeable on the issues.

People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group and Make UC A Good Neighbor (both nonprofit organizations) are the plaintiffs. The suit focuses on the deficiencies in the LRDP, plus the project specific issues related to the Anchor House project and the People’s Park project. The final legal issues won’t be settled for at least a couple of months; the writ was filed on August 20, 2021.

This case should be a winner. Lippe scored the first win on limiting unmitigated UC Berkeley growth. This is all within the context of UC Berkeley making poor strategic decisions for eliminating its budget deficit through monetizing public assets.

(Tom has established an excellent reputation in the environmental field, winning important victories in efforts to protect ancient forest, watershed, and other environmental values from unlawful logging of old-growth redwood and Douglas fir forests on the north coast of California and mixed conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada.)

The primary issue is UC Berkeley expansion and overreach into Berkeley, which of course will impact People’s Park but also many sites and buildings in Berkeley over the 16-year span of the plan. Every Berkeley resident will eventually be affected by UCB’s corporate-like growth.

Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods was the plaintiff in previous cases and is currently involved in three cases that haven’t come to final judgement. David Axelrod has also taken legal action against the City of Berkeley for its Brown Act violation in making a settlement agreement with UCB.

Checks should be written to People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group. Contributions are tax deductible.

Donations by check can be sent to the address below:
People’s Park Historic District Advocacy Group
P.O. Box 1234
Berkeley, CA 94701-1234