Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How far behind are Berkeley’s English learners—and what’s BUSD doing now?

Be sure to catch Flipper Upper Properties Tour: Real Estate on the Berkeley Patch calendar

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Tuesday January 13th Patch AM
Tuesday January 13th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Good morning Berkeley! We're back in your inbox this morning to keep you in the loop with what's happening in and around town. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How far behind are Berkeley’s English learners—and what’s BUSD doing now?
  • How UC Berkeley research could change hepatitis C care in jails
  • How Berkeley’s gas-ban court loss now threatens other California climate rules

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: My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

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

  • Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 63 and low of 43 degrees.
  • Wednesday: Plenty of sun, temps: high: 62, low: 43.
  • Thursday: Plenty of sun, with a high of 66 and low of 45 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. English learners still behind in Berkeley schools despite some gains (berkeleyside.org) — New data from Berkeley Unified shows English learners, especially long‑term students, still trail far behind peers in proficiency and college readiness, even as test scores rise. District leaders outlined new tools like live translation at board meetings, Spanish‑language parent workshops, and an Immigrant Rights Ambassadors program to better support multilingual and Latino families across Berkeley schools.
   

2. Hepatitis C, though easily treated, is ignored in many jails (berkeley.edu) — A UC Berkeley public health researcher is urging counties like San Francisco to treat hepatitis C inside jails, arguing many people cycle in and out without ever accessing community care. The study found more than half of those jailed with hepatitis C in San Francisco remained untreated, even though many stayed long enough to complete a full course of medication. Researchers say better jail-based treatment could support broader elimination efforts.
   

3. United States Seeks to Invalidate California Cities' Natural Gas Bans in New Buildings (natlawreview.com) — A recent federal lawsuit targeting all‑electric building rules in Morgan Hill and Petaluma leans heavily on a 2024 Ninth Circuit decision striking down Berkeley’s own gas-piping ban. That Berkeley ruling is now a key precedent the Trump administration is using to challenge similar electrification ordinances across California and beyond, potentially influencing how cities can regulate gas in new construction.
   

4. NASA's observatory reaches distant orbit to monitor ultraviolet halo (interestingengineering.com) — UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory is running mission operations for NASA’s new Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, now settled into orbit near the Sun-Earth L1 point. From there, the spacecraft will spend at least two years mapping Earth’s faint ultraviolet halo, helping scientists better understand how our atmosphere slowly leaks into space and informing studies of other planets’ atmospheres.
   

5. Capture of Venezuelan President Maduro sent shock waves through expat community in East Bay (berkeleyside.org) — Venezuelan immigrants in the East Bay, including a UC Berkeley MBA alum, are grappling with fear for relatives back home and mixed feelings about the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Oakland- and Berkeley-connected residents describe both relief at his removal and deep concern over U.S. intervention and control of Venezuela’s oil, while local organizers plan protests in nearby Richmond.
   

📸 Around Berkeley

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Berkeley

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

📣 Berkeley Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Berkeley PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Charming, people-loving orange male kitten available for adoption!
    He loves cuddling with people. And playing, playing, playing. I fostered him for Cat Garden Rescue in Pinole. Contact them, not me; he's with them… (Nextdoor Rose District)
  • I rehomed a cat in the hope that he would be a friend for my current cat.
    He refused. He's healthy, but isn't engaging in anything but hiding. He's safe, has water and food, is healthy, and so on. My cat even tried… (Nextdoor Rose District)
  • TradeJobsWorkforce posted a job opening for USPS Mail Clerk in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • IICRC posted a job opening for Weekend Part time Day Porter Berkley 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 took its bike away.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Berkeley