Berkeley had created a liberal city council regime in the 1960s, but its administrative style, dependent on a city manager form of government, clashed with expectations for participatory reforms and redistributive programs that emerged from civil rights and student movements. An “April Coalition” won city council seats beginning in 1969 and was able to generate support by putting initiatives on the ballot. By 1979, the Berkeley radicals, now having adopted a formal structure as Berkeley Citizens Action (BCA), won a working majority of the city council. Under Mayor Gus Newport (1979-86) and Loni Hancock (1986-94), the city continued its progressive reforms.

Documents, Links, and Images

• Running the City for the People, Eve Bach et al., 1982  (PDF: 1.1 MB)
• The Success and Failure of Strong Rent Control in the City of Berkeley, 1978 to 1995, Stephen Barton, 1998 (PDF: 1.5 MB)
• The Decline of Progressive Government in Berkeley, California, Pierre Clavel, 1999 (PDF: 491 KB)
• The BCA: From Activism to Office, Will Miner and Howard Levine, 1985 (PDF: 384 KB)
• Berkeley in the 70s, David Mundstock

RMC Resources

Series III: Berkeley
The Cornell collection derives from research by Pierre Clavel and others and includes 29 interview transcripts, 45 key city documents, and 174 news clippings covering the years from 1974 to 1996.