The ongoing federal government shutdown threatened to cancel San Francisco’s annual celebration of the United States military. But with the aid of international allies, Fleet Week prevailed. Over Italian Heritage Weekend, four military jet fleets and one commercial airline team roared across the Bay Area skies. Rather than the traditional parade of ships that grace […]
Tag: Bay Area
The Case for a Metrolink Land Trust
The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), or Metrolink, has been serving Los Angeles and its surrounding counties for decades, moving millions of passengers a year. Founded in 1991, the commuter rail network is one of the largest in the nation at 437 miles of track. Size is not enough to attract riders, though. Over […]
Can SB 79 Cure the Housing Crisis?
Suburban life is core to the American identity. Miles of manicured lawns have become our amber waves of grain. Through exclusionary zoning practices, Californians have been funneled into this singular mode of living. All hope is not yet lost, though. With increasing pressure on policymakers in Sacramento, legislation is currently being drafted to reverse decades […]
Flight to the Right: How Democrats Lost San Francisco Asian Americans
In a historically progressive city, San Francisco’s Asian American community showed up and showed out in support of right-wing candidates and policies down the ballot in the 2024 election. While Trump’s share of Black and Latino voters hardly shifted, Trump captured Asian Americans in tension with the Democratic Party. After President Donald Trump’s onslaught of […]
California: The Most Over-Hated State
When I first came to Berkeley, I was well aware of the Bay Area and its reputation. Friends and family, both in-state and out, hit me over the head with tales of crime, homelessness, poverty, and stuck-up tech CEOs. Although the last admonishment was warranted, as soon as I arrived Berkeley struck me with its […]
The Debate Around Reopening K-12 Schools in the Bay Area
Covid-19 has undoubtedly harmed our most vulnerable communities disproportionately. This effect has not just been seen on overall public health— it is also apparent throughout our education system. Due to the structure of public school funding, each school throughout the state differs enormously with varying degrees of resources. Public schools are beginning to face unprecedented […]
The U.S.-China Brain Drain
This publication, the Berkeley Political Review, is situated within the Bay Area, a section of California that is best known for its incredible innovations in the technology field. The ecosystem created in Silicon Valley is unlike any other comparable industry ecosystem in the world and has led to the creation of world-conquering technology companies. Focusing […]
Mobilizing to Fight the California Housing Crisis
In the Bay Area, one can see the effects of the California housing crisis in the slew of RVs and mobile homes parked on the streets. The residents of these mobile homes are much more resistant to the change offered than expected, indicating the need for different ways to address the issue. The housing crisis […]
A Spotlight on the Red Light District
When most Californians hear the words “human trafficking,” they imagine a faraway, third-world country. Yet the practice is rampant within the United States –– California ranks among the top four domestic destinations for human trafficking. California is home to an extremely profitable human trafficking industry due to its extensive international borders, easy access to the […]
The Spies Next Door: China’s Espionage Campaign in California
Cloak and Daggers in California In the early 2000s, the CIA succeeded in recruiting the personal valet of one of China’s most powerful Communist Party members. Over the next few years, this source overheard hundreds of conversations that gave the CIA an intimate picture of the inner workings of China’s state security apparatus, Party plans, […]