U.C. Berkeley To Reduce Enrollment by Thousands, Court Decides

After a legal battle over a proposed hike in enrollment, the University of California, Berkeley will be forced to cut enrollment by roughly 3,000 students in the coming fall. Nanette Asimov and Bob Egelko report on the saga, which began when a neighborhood group sued on the grounds that the university did not conduct the appropriate Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for its proposed expansion.

In August, Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman ordered the campus to cap enrollment at 42,237 — the fall 2020 number — and to halt construction of its Upper Hearst project at 2698 Hearst Ave.: two buildings intended to house professors and add classrooms for the Goldman School of Public Policy. Neighbors had argued that the university failed to properly plan for the increased noise, traffic and other quality-of-life problems the project would bring.

Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods, the group that brought the lawsuit, says it does not want to stop the university's projects altogether, but rather to ensure the university conducts an adequate analysis of potential impacts. "On a 4-2 vote, in a one-sentence order without further comment, the court refused to lift the enrollment freeze ordered by an Alameda County judge and denied review of an appellate ruling requiring the university to conduct further environmental review of an off-campus construction project while it limits incoming enrollment."

The article details the lawsuit and subsequent appeals, which culminated on March 3 with the California Supreme Court decision.

A proposed state bill making its way through the California legislature would exempt public universities from CEQA requirements, which could prevent future battles similar to this one.