Whereas, Memorial Stadium, completed in November 1923, was funded through the private support of alumni, students and friends of the University of California, Berkeley; and

Whereas, the University has maintained its academic and athletic excellence in the classroom and on the playing field in numerous endeavors and disciplines but must increase its ability to remain competitive on both; and

Whereas, Memorial Stadium is currently seismically unsafe and a delay in its retrofit and enhancement puts at risk the safety of student-athletes, staff and alumni; and

Whereas, the University, as part of its plan to retrofit and enhance Memorial Stadium must first build a facility to safely house the 450 student-athletes (representing 13 different women’s and men’s teams), coaches and staff; and

Whereas, the University has completed exhaustive and diligent seismic and environmental studies to ensure that the safety of all users of the training facility is paramount and that environmental concerns are appropriately addressed; and

Whereas, fifteen thousand nine hundred and five (15,905) residents of the City of Berkeley are University alumni, representing approximately twenty percent (20%) of the registered voters in the City of Berkeley, and many of them, along with the voices of thousands of other alumni have expressed their support of the Memorial Stadium Campaign through private financial support and public discourse and expression; and

Whereas, nonetheless the City Council of the City of Berkeley continues to sue the University and refuses to enter into settlement discussions particularly over the protection of, not an ancient grove of trees, but rather, trees planted during a 1923 landscaping project, even though the University has expressly committed to replace such trees on a three to one ratio; 

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the California Alumni Association, independently representing over 424,000 living alumni of the University, including the 15,905 alumni residing in the City of Berkeley, hereby urges the City Council of the City of Berkeley to cease its actions, and drop its lawsuit against the University and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with the University about the Memorial Stadium Campaign in all of its phases;

Further Resolved, that the California Alumni Association fully supports the construction of the Student Athlete High Performance Center as currently envisioned by the University;

Further Resolved, that the California Alumni Association will continuously and publicly demonstrate its support of the University throughout the Memorial Stadium Campaign.