Journal

Housing Equity at UC Berkeley: A Comparative Analysis of Habitability, Cost, and Tenant Protections

Housing, SP’ 26

Student housing shortages pose an increasingly urgent issue in the City of Berkeley due to rising costs, limited availability, and persistent habitability concerns. Housing shortages have remained a long-standing challenge across California, with 2023 median rent prices at 1.5 times greater than the national median. For students at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), financial pressure and limited housing supply raise on-campus housing fees, while similar competition off-campus contributes to high rental rates. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the typical cost of off-campus housing for UC Berkeley students was $15,149, creating significant financial strain for many students. This report details the affordability and habitability conditions experienced by UC Berkeley students in both on-campus and off-campus housing. The primary objective of this initiative is to document and analyze current student housing conditions through data collection and research, and does not intend to serve as direct policy recommendations.

Berkeley Rent Board Final Policy Recommendations

Rent, SP’ 26

Berkeley’s Rent Board operates one of the oldest rent stabilization programs in California and has developed a relatively successful system for collecting registration fees and administering tenant protections. At the same time, Berkeley faces unique challenges like a dense rental market, high rates of tenant turnover, and a large student population. These conditions can make registration compliance and data verification more difficult than in jurisdictions with more stable ownership patterns or lower tenant mobility. This report seeks to examine how peer jurisdictions have approached compliance tracking, outreach, verification, and enforcement, and to identify practices that may help Berkeley strengthen registration compliance. While no single model is fully transferable, the experiences of other California jurisdictions suggest several strategies that could be adapted to Berkeley’s existing structure.

Collisions on California State Route 138 – Data Analysis Report

Transportation, SP’ 26

The purpose of this report is to characterize and explain the patterns of severe and fatal collisions on State Route 138 through an analysis of Caltrans data from 2020 to 2024, as well as qualitative testimony from community partners. The overall objective of our research is to support the Office of Assemblymember Carrillo in evaluating whether SR-138 meets the criteria for targeted state safety investments, enhanced enforcement strategies, infrastructure improvements, or formal designation as a Priority Safety Corridor.

Beyond Measure W: Building Enforceable Housing Protections in Unincorporated Alameda County

Housing, FA’ 25

Unincorporated Alameda County faces a growing housing crisis shaped by weak tenant protections, limited enforcement systems, and the absence of municipal governments. Although the county adopted a Just Cause for Eviction ordinance in February 2025, there is no enforcement infrastructure to uphold it. Renters in unincorporated areas have no rent board, hearing processes, or oversight body to review violations, which leaves many residents without practical protection. Measure W was meant to support housing stability, yet its programs have not reached the communities that most heavily rely on county governance. This memo recommends two coordinated strategies to fill these structural gaps: establishing an Independent Rent Board with elected commissioners and launching a Measure W-funded Community Land Trust partnership for long-term affordability.

Alameda County Final Budgetary Recommendations

Budget, FA’ 25

Alameda County’s informational budget resources offer limited explanations or breakdowns of budget processes, posing a significant obstacle in functional community engagement. To improve accessibility and constituent engagement, our initiative proposes implementation of the following measures: (1) redesigning the budget webpage, (2) developing a comprehensive instructional guide, (3) instituting engagement workshops, (4) increasing asynchronous participation options, and (5) improving outreach through social media and public surveys.

Closing the Gaps: Policy and Infrastructure Solutions for Berkeley District Seven Evacuations

Public Health, FA’ 25

This policy memo addresses a critical vulnerability in the City of Berkeley’s District 7: the significant gap in emergency preparedness, specifically around wildfire and disaster evacuation. Survey results and stakeholder interviews reveal that UC Berkeley students and other District 7 residents lack clear, accessible, and actionable information about how to evacuate during an emergency. This problem is amplified by conditions unique to the district including high student population with limited car access, dense Southside layout that makes driving difficult during emergencies, and low visibility of evacuation routes and materials on and around campus. As a result, many residents are unsure of where to go, how to leave, and which sources offer reliable information when a crisis occurs.

Toward Successful Reintegration: Addressing Barriers to Housing and Employment for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals in California

Criminal Justice, SP’ 25

The criminal justice system in the United States fails to provide a successful process for reintegration for formerly incarcerated individuals. Limited investment in effective reentry programs, housing resources, and vocational training programs has created significant structural barriers to successful reentry into society for formerly incarcerated individuals. These barriers contribute to high rates of poverty, homelessness, and recidivism, especially within marginalized communities. Housing and employment access for individuals recently released from prison must be improved and expanded through effective, equitable, and supportive measures to promote successful reintegration and community wellbeing. This memo outlines policy alternatives aimed at dismantling the housing and employment-related obstacles faced by formerly incarcerated individuals.

Threats To Financial Aid Under the Trump Administration

Education, SP’ 25

Federal student loan and grant programs incentivize and facilitate low-income and marginalized students to pursue higher education. Uncertainty and potential reductions in such financial aid programs under the Trump Administration threaten the enrollment rates of these students. Through this memo, we explore the potential impact of these new financial aid policies. We additionally explore commonly proposed policy solutions to student loan programs and assess their viability in a world where federal financial aid may be more uncertain.

Improving Refugee Resettlement: Congressional Strategies for Efficiency and Equity

Global Studies, SP’ 25

The U.S. refugee-admissions system is congested, inequitable, and costly. More than two million asylum claims languish in a years-long backlog, while refugees who do reach the United States receive only 90 days of federally funded support and face persistent barriers to English acquisition, education, and stable employment. The purpose of this memo is to identify practicable reforms that would make refugee processing and integration faster, fairer, and less expensive.

Powering the Green New Deal: The Role of Nuclear Energy in a Sustainable U.S. Energy Transition

Environment, FA’ 24

In the United States, most states rely on non-renewable energy sources of power, reflecting long-standing trends of economic necessity. Though there has been a recent shift toward renewable energy, the transitions are often unsustainable and fail to create long-term jobs. One notable exception is nuclear power, a promising source of renewable energy despite pervasive concerns regarding its general danger. This poses difficult questions: how do we shift away from a non-renewable energy-based economy towards a more sustainable energy economy, while mitigating public fears around nuclear power? What are other alternatives which would help us meet our energy goals?

Proposing Further Regulation on Neonicotinoid Use in California

Environment, FA’ 22

Neonicotinoids are some of the most widely used insecticides in the world and represent a classic policy tradeoff case where the agricultural benefits of the product must be weighed against environmental and public health risks. The Roosevelt Network at Berkeley Environmental Initiative Team performed thorough research around the environmental and economic implications of neonicotinoid use in California and proposed three policy alternatives for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to consider when moving forward with the regulation of this controversial insecticide.

Improving the Diagnosis, Treatment, and
Experience of ME/CFS

Public Health, FA’ 22

836,000 to 2.5 million Americans suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a poorly understood and devastating chronic disease. Despite the widespread impact of ME/CFS, there exists a lack of infrastructure in our health care system to support patients with this condition. While a potential silver lining of the pandemic has been renewed attention on unexplained fatigue associated with long COVID, there still remains an all-around lack of awareness of ME/CFS due to limited research funding, lack of understanding of the condition’s etiology, and inadequate medical training regarding the condition.