Iris Kwok

California's heralded wine industry is running dry — here’s why With wine consumption down, major California wine companies are laying off workers and shuttering production facilities.

The problem facing California's wine industry: too many grapes and not enough buyers. Exports have also dropped as Canadians have boycotted American wine in response to Trump's tariffs, @iriskwok.bsky.social reports: www.latimes.com/business/sto...

How is your academic program supporting local news *beyond* student reporting? Better understanding the various roles that colleges and universities play in a state's media ecosystem is important — and we need your help. This survey for the Center for Community News at the Uni...

🚨 ATTN: College journalism professors. I'm looking to find out what you're doing to support your state's local media ecosystem *beyond* student reporting. Fill out this survey if that's you. I'm researching it for UVM's Center for Community News: uvm.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?... #academicsky

Berkeley Marina hotel owes city nearly $700,000 in unpaid rent, adding to budget woes Rent from the DoubleTree by Hilton makes up more than half of Berkeley’s waterfront lease revenue. Without it, the city's putting off important repairs.

My last story for Berkeleyside (for now):

www.berkeleyside.org/2025/06/03/b...

Berkeley to close Cesar Chavez Park Tuesday and Wednesday as a drone tests for methane leaks Berkeley was fined last year for air quality violations related to methane leaks at Cesar Chavez Park, a former landfill.

Starts today, ICYMI:

www.berkeleyside.org/2025/05/19/c...

Berkeley lays off 4 Marina security staff, citing budget shortfall Facing a $27 million budget deficit, Berkeley cut its waterfront security program and laid off five employees.

Facing a $27 million budget deficit, Berkeley cut its waterfront security program and laid off five employees.

Berkeley lays off 4 Marina security staff, citing budget shortfall Facing a $27 million budget deficit, Berkeley cut its waterfront security program and laid off five employees.

Facing a $27 million budget deficit, Berkeley cut its four-person waterfront monitor program. It also laid off a fifth person whose job a city spokesperson did not disclose. My latest for @berkeleyside.org:

www.berkeleyside.org/2025/05/13/b...

Urban Ore workers strike ends without a collective bargaining agreement Some unionized Urban Ore workers went on an “open-ended” strike in March. Forty days later, and with a new lead negotiator at the bargaining table and some layoffs, the strike has been paused.

After 40 days and some layoffs, workers at Urban Ore, the West Berkeley salvage yard and reuse store, have ended their strike.
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/05/02/u...

Fired (or not?) from Trump’s EPA, this Berkeley resident says his worst fears have come true Hired in January to help improve water quality and restore Bay Area wetlands, Daniel Fahey was promptly fired. A judge’s ruling won him back his job, but he’s on administrative leave, his future uncer...

Hired in January to help restore Bay Area wetlands, Berkeley resident Dan Fahey was promptly fired. A judge’s ruling won him back his EPA job, but he’s on administrative leave, his future uncertain, and he’s worried about “dirtier air, dirtier water, toxic land.” www.berkeleyside.org/2025/04/30/f...

Judge temporarily blocks termination of UC Berkeley student's visa The Cal student joined three other Chinese international students last week in suing the Trump administration for revoking their visas.

ICYMI: A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing ICE from arresting/incarcerating UC Berkeley grad student Zhuoer Chen and three other Chinese international students for 14 days

www.berkeleyside.org/2025/04/18/u...

Long-lost lanterns may soon light up Berkeley’s Northbrae neighborhood Local history buffs are working to recreate two lanterns that used to shine at a busy North Berkeley intersection in the early 1900s.

Long-lost lanterns may soon return to a pair of unassuming stone pillars near the Berkeley Library’s North Branch.

I loved writing this story about local history, public art and a community effort to (quite literally) brighten up the Northbrae neighborhood!💡

www.berkeleyside.org/2025/03/14/l...

40 fun things to do indoors on a rainy day in Berkeley Here are a few suggestions for spending the drizzly week ahead — culled from our big list of affordable Berkeley activities.

By the way, I keep a running list of affordable activities to do in Berkeley. Here’s the rainy day version of it, in case the gloomy weather has you feeling down. www.berkeleyside.org/2024/03/02/f...

Seaweed bacon and squelching cow belching: Explore the ‘future of food’ at Lawrence Hall of Science Learn how Bay Area innovators are creating the “future of food” at a new Instagrammable exhibit at the UC Berkeley science center.

I got to spend last Friday in one of my favorite places in Berkeley: the Lawrence Hall of Science. Go check out their fun new exhibit on the future of food! 🥓🌽
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/03/12/l...

Strikes at UC Berkeley, Berkeley Lab impact Cal health services, BAMPFA Thousands of UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab workers are on strike amid fraught contract negotiations with the University of California.

Thousands of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory workers went on strike yesterday amid fraught contract negotiations with the UC. My story:

www.berkeleyside.org/2025/02/26/u...

rusty monkey bars at dreamland playground in west berkeley

For my latest Berkeleyside story, I wandered through Dreamland for Kids, a run-down wooden playground in Aquatic Park that’s older than me. Berkeley wants to redesign it and is soliciting input. More: www.berkeleyside.org/2025/01/31/a...

It’s currently 17% vacant. In case you’re a UC Berkeley grad student on the hunt for housing, applications for xučyun ruwway open 2/18 for the 2025-26 academic year. For the current school year, applications are open now portal.housing.berkeley.edu/StarRezPorta...

Photos: Take a peek inside UC Berkeley’s newest student housing Five months after opening, 360 graduate students and 200 undergraduates are living at the xučyun ruwway housing complex Albany.

I toured UC Berkeley’s newest graduate student dorm (and the school’s first building to have an Indigenous name):
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/01/17/u...

Around Berkeley: California Jazz Conservatory selling off instruments, fundraisers for LA fire victims Other events include a talk with writer-filmmaker John Sayles and several East Bay fundraisers for L.A. wildfire recovery efforts.

Here’s a link to this week’s roundup! If there are more Berkeley/East Bay folks putting together fundraisers for the following weekend, pls send my way. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/01/16/b...

South Berkeley tenants feared losing their homes after landlord's death. A local land trust is helping them stay South Berkeley tenants feared losing their homes after their landlord died. A local land trust is helping them stay.

wrote about the community land trust model and how it might alleviate berkeley’s housing crisis 🏠 www.berkeleyside.org/2025/01/13/b...

If you/someone you know in Berkeley is putting together a drive for LA wildfire relief, I’d love to highlight in Berkeleyside’s weekly events roundup or The Scene, our arts/culture/events newsletter, which goes out every Thursday. Pls reach out here or at iris@berkeleyside.org w/ event details 💕

Radiation is normal at Cesar Chavez Park, but it’s a different story underground, tests show New precautions are being urged for workers in contact with subsurface liquids at the popular landfill-turned-park, but Berkeley residents need not fear a stroll on the surface.

Radiation levels at Cesar Chavez Park are safe for its casual visitors, according to UC Berkeley’s drone tests. But tests of liquids deep below the landfill-turned-park found elevated radiation levels. Safety precautions are now being urged for workers.

New: www.berkeleyside.org/2025/01/02/r...

Screenshot from Berkeleyside article showing top ten list for teen category in 2024, data from Berkeley public library. 1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (327 checkouts) 2. Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood (254) 3. A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah Maas (252) 4. A Court of Wings & Ruin by Sarah Maas (241) 5. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (222) 6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (216)

ngl, i’m not sure how to feel about the fact that two SJM books made it into the top five for the teen section 😬🫢

Laptops and an 18th-century shipwreck: What Berkeley library patrons checked out in 2024 The library shared with Berkeleyside the year’s most frequently checked-out books and household tools.

for the second year in a row…here’s what berkeley residents checked out from the library in 2024! 📚🪚
www.berkeleyside.org/2024/12/30/p...

that part of shostakovich cello concerto 1 mvt 1 that goes “bum dundundun bum dun bum dun dun dun”

no thoughts, head empty, only this

North Basin Strip Shoreline Park Improvement Project: Public Survey Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

The East Bay Regional Park District is driving the effort and *really* wants your feedback. Weigh in by Dec. 31 and you’ll be entered into a raffle for a free EBRPD membership (and who doesn’t want a free parking pass?). www.surveymonkey.com/r/north_basi...

Promenade? Hostel? Swimming? What do you want to see at new shoreline park? The East Bay Regional Park District wants public input for the future of North Basin Strip. Mountain bikers worry they’ll be pushed out — again.

Berkeley’s shoreline could get a new 20-acre park!

Ideas being considered include a hostel, a promenade, sand volleyball courts, a swimming area, a creek daylighting project that could help reduce flooding risk in West Berkeley and much more.

My latest: www.berkeleyside.org/2024/12/20/b...

A tsunami warning spurred evacuations in West Berkeley, but feared waves never came A magnitude 7.0 earthquake off the Humboldt County coast Thursday morning triggered a tsunami warning for the California coast.

maybe the *real* tsunami was the surge in web traffic that came immediately after the phone alerts went out

www.berkeleyside.org/2024/12/05/t...

Oakland promised a bike lane after a child’s death. Now budget problems are delaying the project The Lakeshore Avenue cycle track was expedited last year after a 4-year old was killed riding a bike with her father.

Oakland's budget and bond-issuing decisions continue to affect infrastructure projects ready to be implemented. The latest one is the postponement of the cycle track on Lakeshore Avenue, which was fast-tracked after a 4-year-old's death. New:

oaklandside.org/2024/12/03/o...

UC Berkeley plans to build its tallest dorm yet in Southside neighborhood UC Berkeley plans to build its tallest dorm yet in the Southside neighborhood. The 23-story building could provide around 1,500 beds for freshman and sophomores.

UC Berkeley could break ground on its tallest dorm yet — a 23-story high-rise — as soon as next year. Plus: an update on the university’s progress toward meeting the housing goals it set back in 2017. My latest for Berkeleyside:
www.berkeleyside.org/2024/12/03/u...

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