A leptospirosis outbreak at Berkeley's Harrison Street encampment—a tropical disease rarely seen in developed countries—exposed how courts blocked the city from clearing the site for 16 months, even after rats tested positive and public health officials declared an emergency. The case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing legal battle over homeless encampment clearances in California. Meanwhile, Berkeley is also at the center of debates over UC admissions standards and a proposed state wealth tax, with a local professor and UC Regents both facing scrutiny for decisions that critics say ignored the data.
Leptospirosis, common in underdeveloped countries, spread through Berkeley's Harrison encampment—and courts continued to prevent cleanup efforts.
Robert Reich earns $13,000/hour to denounce capitalism while blocking affordable housing in his own backyard. Now he's pushing a tech-killing wealth tax.
Archival footage reveals the 2020 board meeting where Regents admitted they were ignoring faculty data to appease one woman.