The number of people experiencing homelessness in Oakland jumped a staggering 47 percent between 2017 and 2019, according to the latest Point-In-Time (PIT) homeless count.

At 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 15, 1969 250 California Highway Patrol officers arrived at newly constructed People’s Park, while a helicopter buzzed overhead. They cleared a few people who were sleeping on the fresh sod and put up a chain link fence. As the sun rose, Berkeley’s newest green space, a symbol of an alternative vision of society, was enclosed behind a perimeter of state police officers.

The beloved poet died in early December, leaving behind a legacy of poems that capture a bygone Berkeley. Julia Vinograd—resistance icon, the Bubble Lady, Berkeley’s very own bard—died on December 4 after a long battle with colon cancer. She was 74. Vinograd has been a staple of Telegraph Avenue since the late 60’s, selling poetry books, blowing bubbles, and watching the world go by.

Top: Alfred Twu, Gregory Magofna, and Mary Kay LaceyBottom: Kate Harrison and Lori Droste (Photos courtesy of council campaigns) On