Berkeley

Efforts to Lift Children and Families Could Fit California’s Budget, New Study Says

Published

7 years ago

January 12, 2019

Awarding parents more time with newborns and easing access to preschool could fit within Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first state budget, according to UC Berkeley researchers.

Newsom — as candidate for governor — promised to expand affordable preschools, along with buoying parents raising infants and toddlers, in hopes of narrowing the “school readiness gap,” as he called it during the fall campaign.

Berkeley analysts identified funding sources to support working families, while dodging additional burdens on California taxpayers. “Lawmakers could extend preschool to many more children, while putting little pressure on the state treasury,” said Gerry Shelton, a Sacramento school-finance expert and coauthor of the report.

The state will begin the new fiscal year with nearly a $15 billion surplus, thanks to a booming economy and plump treasury in Sacramento. But the Berkeley analysis warns that competition for new dollars in the state budget will be stiff.

The report advances four financing ideas to buoy young families with a baby at home, along with parents struggling to find affordable child care or pre-k.

–Extend transitional kindergarten to 50,000 additional 4-year-olds in the coming three years, while enriching classroom staff. By bolstering K-12 populations, this could hedge against an $800 million cut to public school spending tied to enrollment declines, rather than costing more;

–Expand paid family leave to about 100,000 new families after the birth of newborn by increasing the state disability tax by 0.1 percent, to avoid a hit on the state general fund, and distribute levies fairly among all California workers;

–New supports for infants and toddlers, as urged by Newsom during his campaign, must be financed from the state’s general fund, researchers say. But pediatric care for newbornscould be reimbursed by the federal government if the Affordable Care Act withstands political challenge. Newsom may include this element in his proposed budget.

–Include support of infant-toddler and pre-k organizations in the next school facilities bond. Districts like L.A. Unified have pioneered the use of local revenue bonds to support early learning centers. The legislature can broaden this approach to finance new child-care and pre-k slots for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in community-based programs as well.

Each proposal avoids raiding the state’s budget surplus, while steadily ramping-up investments to backstop young families in the coming two to three years. Key to the analysis is a pending $800 million cut in public school spending over three years, tied to a steady decline in the state’s student population, according to the legislative analyst.

Adding preschool-age children to otherwise shrinking K-12 enrollments would avert the ongoing shaving of education spending, as well as serve rising counts of 4-year-olds in high-quality programs, as the report details.

The state’s relative riches do offer the chance to initiate early-childhood investments that could be sustained even when the economy flags, researchers conclude.

“We can also extend paid family leave, for instance, to tens of thousands of young parents with newborns,” said Berkeley’s Bruce Fuller, professor of education and public policy in the Graduate School of Education, “without spending a dime from the budget surplus.”

Building infrastructure over time

Just one in eight California parents with infants or toddlers can find space in a licensed home or center facility, according to an earlier Berkeley report. The new analysis suggests that early-childhood programs might be included in a new school facilities initiative pegged for the 2020 ballot.

Los Angeles pioneered the concept of passing local bonds to build scores of early learning centers, say researchers. They describe how this approach could be extended statewide — to expand and modernize licensed child-care homes and preschools.

The Berkeley report points out that California “has more than recovered from recession-era cuts” to early-childhood and family programs. Still, less than half of all 3- and 4-year-olds attend quality pre-k statewide.

“We have a rare opportunity to simplify and amplify our early education system,” said Abe Hajela, a legal expert in Sacramento who helped draft the new report, “if the governor and legislature move boldly and prudently in the coming year.”

Broader tax reforms, technical details

The report points to longer-term revenue possibilities as well, such as returning to a split-roll property tax, with heavier levies placed on industrial properties. This was the case before voters passed Proposition 13 in 1978.

Other proposals include taxing services provided between corporations, which presently escape any public levies, despite making up a growing portion of all economic activity in the post-industrial California economy.

But “we see no good fiscal reason to wait when it comes to investing in young children and families,” professor Fuller said. “We see strong complementarities between widening access to quality pre-k, while backstopping funding for public schools.”

The analysis was conducted by Capitol Advisors, a Sacramento-based firm specializing in education finance. It was commissioned by the Early Childhood Think Tank at Berkeley, a statewide panel identifying sound options for lifting California families supported by the Heising-Simons and Packard Foundations.

Public Affairs, UC Berkeley

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Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

10 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.