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🌱 Patch AM: Do Berkeley’s new wildfire rules put your hillside garden at risk?

Spotted on the Berkeley calendar: Flipper Upper Properties Tour: Real Estate

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Greetings Berkeley! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Do Berkeley’s new wildfire rules put your hillside garden at risk?
  • How badly was Berkeley’s Cazadero music camp hit by Christmas storms?
  • How Berkeley’s gas-ban defeat is reshaping energy rules across California

Also on today's calendar: Flipper Upper Properties Tour: Real Estate and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: After dinner, my parents asked if I could clear the table. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Berkeleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 57 and low of 43 degrees.
  • Friday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 57, low: 36.
  • Saturday: Times of clouds and sun, with a high of 58 and low of 39 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Vegetation now banned near 1,400 Berkeley Hills homes. Here's what to know (berkeleyside.org) — New wildfire rules now ban most flammable materials within 5 feet of about 1,400 homes in the Berkeley Hills, with inspections starting in May. If you live in the Grizzly Peak or Panoramic mitigation areas, you’ll face strict “Zone Zero” vegetation and fencing standards, potential fines up to $500 per day, and upcoming city workshops to help you comply.
   

2. Berkeley's Cazadero camp heavily damaged by winter storms (berkeleyside.org) — Berkeley’s city-owned Cazadero camp in Sonoma County suffered major storm damage over Christmas, with toppled redwoods wrecking tent cabins, utilities and other structures. City staff and camp leaders are assessing costs while urgently seeking volunteers and donations so Berkeley families and students can still attend music programs starting this spring.
   

3. Trump Administration Sues Morgan Hill, Petaluma Over Local Natural Gas Bans (kqed.org) — A new federal lawsuit against Morgan Hill and Petaluma over local natural gas bans leans heavily on a 2024 court ruling that struck down Berkeley’s own gas-hookup ordinance. That Berkeley decision is now shaping energy policy statewide, as cities rethink electrification rules and federal lawyers argue local gas bans conflict with national energy law.
   

4. What looked like a planet was actually a massive space collision (sciencedaily.com) — UC Berkeley astronomer Paul Kalas led a study showing that what once looked like a new planet around the star Fomalhaut was actually the aftermath of giant collisions between planetesimals. Using Hubble data, his team found dust clouds masquerading as planets, offering a rare window into how young planetary systems—and possibly our own solar system long ago—evolve.
   

5. David H. Romer on challenges to the Fed (brookings.edu) — A UC Berkeley economics professor emeritus, David Romer, recently joined a high-profile panel on “The Future of the Fed,” outlining three major challenges facing the central bank, including rising federal debt and new technologies like crypto and AI. His remarks, alongside figures like Janet Yellen, frame these as issues largely beyond the reach of monetary policy, with video and slides available online.
   

📸 Around Berkeley

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Please share & repost to help reunite this lost cat!
    Silverado was LOST on December 13, 2025 in Berkeley, CA 94702 near Carleton Street and San Pablo Ave Sharing for a neighbor. For the latest… (Nextdoor Claremont Hills)
  • Food pantry shoppers near El Cerrito;
    is anyone available to do shopping Wednesday mornings for me? It would include groceries for yourself. Meat, eggs, cheese and pantry items. I am… (Nextdoor Le Conte)
  • TradeJobsWorkforce posted a job opening for Amazon Forklift Operator in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • University of California Berkeley posted a job opening for Academic Advisor (4545U), Athletic Study Center - #70525 - 70525 in Berkeley. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Berkeley here.

Ok Berkeley! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I needed a running start, but I made it!
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