Assembly Bill 1307 passed the state Assembly on Monday following passage in the Senate on Aug. 17. Votes in both houses were unanimous.
It's unclear when Gov. Gavin Newsom will consider whether to sign the bill, but Berkeleyside reports it will likely be important to state Supreme Court justices when they rule on litigation between two community groups and the University of California over the university's plans to build housing on the park.
UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof said by email Tuesday that the university welcomed the decision.
"Left in place, that court's ruling could have prevented students across the state from getting the housing they need and deserve, while bestowing new powers on powerful NIMBYs who wish to impede the construction of housing not just for students but also for the unhoused and low-income families.”
The alleged NIMBYs – an acronym for the phrase not in my backyard – are likely the groups, Make UC A Good Neighbor and the People's Park Historic District Advocacy Group, which don't want housing on People's Park.
Neither of the community groups consider themselves NIMBYs, said Harvey Smith, who speaks on behalf of the groups. The groups argue that the university has other sites to building housing besides People’s Park.
The park is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it provides what the groups say is needed open space in a densely populated Berkeley neighborhood near the university.
