Tree-sitters at the University of California, Berkeley were granted a victory last week when a judge ruled the university must resolve lingering concerns about a major construction project that would, among other things, cause the death of a grove of coastal oak trees.
Protestors, including the city of Berkeley, sued the university after it announced the construction of a new $123 million athletic center. The unification of several groups demonstrated the tension between the city and the university. We commend the ruling and the right of the city to work with the university to ensure the protection of the grove. We also realize the importance of the relationship between the city and university.
For Berkeley, this is more relevant because of the relative size of the town and influence of the college, while UCLA is only a small part of the vast Los Angeles community. But UCLA has had trouble in the past working with Westwood in trying to put in more streetlamps and discussing rent control repercussions for students. We hope that both the residents of UCLA’s surrounding neighborhoods and the university realize the need for a mutualistic relationship and learn how to communicate with one another in order to progress.