West
UC Berkeley parents raise $40k, hire private security guards to temporarily patrol campus at night
Concerned parents calling themselves SafeBears have raised $40,000 to pay for security guards or “safety ambassadors” to patrol the UC Berkeley campus area for a few weeks in early March.
UC Berkeley may be one of America’s most prestigious schools, but its location in the California Bay Area has parents and students both wary of safety on campus. A group called SafeBears, that touts itself as comprising “1,300+ Cal parents and community allies working to improve safety for UC Berkeley students,” has worked to solve the problem themselves, hoping their prototypical program of patrols around campus will inspire the college to take more action themselves.
The SafeBears website declares that “Cal parents raised over $40,000 to conduct a private security pilot program around UC Berkeley” that was “inspired by USC’s Safety Ambassadors program.” These privately hired security guards have been patrolling the campus area from 6:30 p.m. at night to 3 a.m. starting on March 6, but will only continue to do so until March 23.
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Student walks through Sather Gate, the iconic entrance gate to the campus of UC Berkeley in downtown Berkeley, California, October 9, 2018. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
The organization of parents cited a litany of local issues and incidents making the case that students are in dire need of more protection on campus, ranging from citing an “armed robbery spree” to a pattern of trespassing incidents, such as when “a convicted felon made his way to a sixth floor shower in a first-year residence hall before being arrested by UCPD.” All the while, SafeBears noted that the Berkeley Police Department is “in the midst of a staffing crisis.”
SafeBears president Sagar Jethani, who has twin sons at Berkeley, voiced his frustration to CBS News arguing the college has not taken enough action to protect students themselves, “The fact is if they’re not going to act, despite repeated pleas from parents and students to take more substantial action, then we’re going to act.”
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He added further, “We want to, frankly, turn up the heat with the administration. We want to show that we’re not content to just wait forever to have these safety ambassadors deployed.”
The pilot program of these patrols by hired security will reportedly only last until March 23, after which time parents reportedly hope the university will take over.
A spokesperson from UC Berkeley raised concerns about the effort to Fox News Digital and noted the campus’ own efforts to keep people safe.
“Hiring private security raises a number of concerns including the training and experience of individuals hired by such firms,” the spokesperson warned. “Further, any security effort on the campus must be coordinated with UCPD, independent of the funding source.”
The spokesperson contested that funding can best be used in other ways.
“We believe that university funds are better spent hiring more sworn or non-sworn UCPD officers for standard daily response efforts. Parents who want to donate funds toward additional campus security can do so via a university fund that has been established,” the spokesperson wrote, “We do not believe that private security should take precedence over hiring sworn officers. In addition, a holistic approach to campus safety is required and is the most effective approach.”
Numerous new efforts from the school administration were mentioned as well. One such initiative was “Increased security efforts” including “key card access to buildings, surveillance cameras, and dedicated on-site staff.” Another was the “Increased staffing of Community Service Officers” or “CSOs” which are trained students employed by the UCPD. The spokesperson elaborated that “Early in the fall semester we had 58 CSOs, next week we will be up to 90, and we are planning to increase staffing to at least 100 Community Service Officers.”
All of this is in addition to Berkeley’s ongoing efforts, such as night safety services and student safety education.
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Acquiring the land, rights and equipment needed for a public takeover of PG&E will cost nearly a billion dollars more than San Francisco had previously offered to the utility, according to the city’s newly revised estimate submitted to state regulators.
The new $3.4 billion valuation comes after the city had twice offered PG&E $2.5 billion for the utility’s assets, starting in 2019. Both times, PG&E officials dismissed the offers as too low. The utility has yet to make a counteroffer, however, maintaining a public takeover isn’t in the best interest of the utility or its customers.
In a filing to the state Public Utilities Commission on Monday, San Francisco PUC head Dennis Herrera said the new value is part of the city’s “century-long goal of providing electric service throughout San Francisco.” Herrera cites “consistent problems with PG&E’s service” as a factor in the city’s effort.
In December, there were seven blackouts alone, city officials say, including one triggered by a circuit breaker fire in the Mission substation that left parts of the city without power for three days during peak holiday shopping season.
According to Herrera, the $3.4 billion value is in line with an investment banking analysis that sets a value range for the utility of between $3.1 billion to $3.6 billion. The new value, Herrera says, is based on a final detailed accounting of PG&E’s assets and property and includes the undisclosed bid to acquire PG&E’s Martin substation that feeds most of the city’s power. Documents suggest consultants valued the facility at between $170 million and $370 million.
The city’s two previous offers for PG&E’s grid in the city didn’t include buying the facility in San Mateo County, near the Daly City border with San Francisco. Under the plan, the city would buy the station as well as pay separately to build a smaller PG&E substation next door to the Martin facility to serve PG&E customers outside San Francisco.
The new value accounts for 67 miles of underground transmission lines in the city, as well as more than 1,000 miles of underground distribution lines and 480 miles of overhead distribution lines. The value includes 50,000 enclosed vaults and other enclosed structures, 38,000 power poles, 17,500 switches and other electrical devices, as well as communications and control centers, spare parts and system records.
The cost of buying the land and property rights from PG&E would be about $600 million.
San Francisco’s bid to break up with PG&E and provide public power appears to be gaining momentum. Jaxon Van Derbeken reports.
PG&E – which has long cast doubt on the city’s ability to run its grid in San Francisco – said in a statement: “Our assets are not for sale, and a government takeover in the city would be extremely expensive and raise rates for San Franciscans for decades.”
The company says regulators will require the city to pay for everything from wildfire mitigation, energy efficiency programs and subsidizing rates for low-income customers – and that will mean higher, not lower rates.
The city’s bid, it says, “has grossly underestimated these costs.”
The utility adds the city’s estimate for its assets and property “lists a value billions of dollars below fair market value.” The city price estimate, the utility says, doesn’t factor in all the various costs of separating from PG&E’s grid.
“PG&E will thoroughly review CCSF’s filing and plans to submit its own testimony in October 2026, as the CPUC has directed,” the company said.
Small business owners and residents from San Francisco’s Sunset District on Monday said they plan to file a class action lawsuit against PG&E.
DENVER (KDVR) — Denver police are investigating a hit-and-run crash involving a motorcycle on Tuesday evening.
The Denver Police Department reported that the crash also involved a motorist and happened at East 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Police did not release any description of the suspect vehicle.
Denver police said drivers should expect delays in the area.
This is developing news.
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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
After months of build up, the Seattle Seahawks are less than 48 hours from being on the clock for their first pick of the NFL Draft, as long as they hold on to pick No. 32 in the first round.
Seahawks Draft: A mid-round edge rusher with elite length
While the offensive line has long been a need for the Seahawks in drafts, this year running back, edge rusher and cornerback are among their top positions of need.
Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard highlighted a pair of players who could help bolster the Seahawks’ edge group as he continued his draft profile series Tuesday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
In this edition of Huard’s draft profiles, he looked at Michigan edge rushers Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham, who also played on the same team together in high school at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.
Huard pointed to the connection head coach Mike Macdonald, a former Michigan defensive coordinator, and many members of his coaching staff have to the Michigan program.
“They know these guys, they know them inside and out,” Huard said. “They typically like they’re Michigan men, and these are two physical guys that have all the attributes you’re looking for on the edge.”
The high-floor pick
Moore is coming off a decorated four-year career at Michigan where he piled up 24.5 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, eight passes defended and three forced fumbles in 53 games.
This past season, the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Moore totaled 10.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles while earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.
“I think this is a pretty fair quote about him: ‘Unselfish, well-rounded, high floor.’ Is he a high-ceiling guy? Not as much as Barham, but he’s a very high-floor guy,” Huard said.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Moore ranked as the No. 65 prospect in this years draft. ESPN has him ranked 60th.
“He is just your fierce, tough, edgy, productive (player),” Huard said. “He played in space a little bit more. They are field-boundary scheme at Michigan at times. He’s been more of the field rusher, more against your left tackle. And (he’s) just got more in the tool bag… He’s been a defensive end. He’s pretty well versed in it. He’s going to have a bigger tool bag, I think, than both Boye (Mafe) and Derrick Hall had, and he’s going to be a second, late-second-round (pick). Rugged, tough Michigan guy.”
The high-ceiling pick
Barham spent his first two college seasons at Maryland, which included earning Freshman All-American honors in 2022, and transferred to Michigan in 2024. He played linebacker at Maryland and in his first season at Michigan before making the move to edge for his final college season.
In 12 games at a new position in 2025, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Barham amassed 10 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
“Jaishawn Barham is a little bit more of a wild card, and one of the scouts that was quoted in some of the prep for this said he may bloom with the right coaching,” Huard said.
Huard recalled seeing Barham as a freshman at Maryland while he was doing color commentary for FOX and being in awe of how physically mature he already looked.
“I remember being on the field, as a freshman, looking at him going, ‘There’s just no way. There’s no way humanly possible that that guy played high school football the year before,’” Huard said.
Jeremiah has Barham ranked as the No. 77 prospect in the draft. ESPN has him ranked 88th.
“He is a higher ceiling guy you’re going to have to coach up,” Huard said. “He doesn’t come with years and years and years of experience on the edge.”
Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft coverage
• An under-the-radar Seattle Seahawks need Brock Huard sees
• NFL Draft: What – and who – Seahawks could get by trading back
• Why Hasselbeck says Seahawks are in great spot to trade back
• Seattle Seahawks open to trading top pick for bigger draft class
• A player Seahawks could trade for another draft pick
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