Berkeley Political Review

When They go Low, We Go… Also Low

When the majority of Californians get together to attack democratic safeguards in the name of preserving a balance, we aren’t really getting a compromise. Instead, it’s a loud, blatant signal that the system is eating itself. Proposition 50’s passage signifies that political polarization has gotten to the point that people on both sides of the […]

Trump’s Message to California, the Nation

MacArthur Park is a civic treasure of Los Angeles. It stands as a testament to the diversity and resilience of the city and the people that inhabit it. On July 7, these values were challenged. Federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents descended upon the park in trucks and horseback, marching down Wilshire Boulevard […]

What Newsom Doesn’t Get, Mamdani Does

Zohran Mamdani’s recent primary win in New York wasn’t just a triumph of social media savvy and grassroots organizing. It marked something rarer: a progressive campaign built on substantive policy, not on reactive posturing against Republicans. In doing so, Mamdani has charted a path the Left has long struggled to find.  Available for purchase at […]

California Calls Foul Play on the NCAA with SB 206

It started with money, as it so often does in a world of college athletics. For decades, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) raked in billions from television contracts, sponsorships, and merchandise built on the backs of student-athletes, who were banned from profiting from their own names, images, and likenesses (NIL).  In 2019, California lawmakers […]

Take a Trip With Me: LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin

Heroin, LSD, Marijuana, MDMA: what do they have in common?  Chemically, not much. But Richard Nixon’s 1970 Controlled Substances Act designated all of them “as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” otherwise known as Schedule I substances. Americans have since accepted the various medical uses of marijuana, yet […]

A Stain on California’s Progressivism

In a country plagued by a hurricane of partisan politics, California is often seen as the United States’ leader on progressive policy and action, the calm amidst the storm. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has held office since 2019, is often hailed as the masthead of this movement. His stances on climate change, gun control, […]

What to Make of the Rise in Catalytic Converter Theft in California

In September of last year, my car’s catalytic converter was stolen. As a college student with minimal experience with cars, I was only made aware by my neighbor, who informed me that the “horrible, growling noise” coming from beneath my car was a telltale sign that the catalytic converter was no longer there. The next step, […]

Newsom Recall: Lessons from the Past

Recall attempts are nothing new to California politics. Since 1913, 55 attempts have been made to remove the governor from office, but only once, in the year 2003, did the recall actually qualify for the ballot. It removed the incumbent, Gray Davis, and replaced him with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Gavin Newsom, California’s current […]