California Magazine Archive

The Subterranean Scene

By James Pagett Tollen

For decades, a familiar Berkeley pizza parlor has housed a truly underground theater.

The Daily, for Kids

By Alison Bowen

Five questions for Stephanie Kelmar ’90, founder of KidNuz podcast

2026 Summer Reading List

By Editorial Staff

For your entertainment, here are our favorite books this season

Queen of Pain

By Chris Ballard

For her next feat of endurance, Catherine Breed ’15 will swim the length of California.

Someone Had to Go First

By Pat Joseph

Berkeley Law’s Claudia Polsky on taking Trump to court

What Goes Up

By Coby McDonald

For the Campus Architect, it’s a question of coherence

The Fire is Still Alive

By Geoff Koch

Lunch Poems at 30

Humble Recipient

By Apoorva Tadepalli

Author Amy Tan is Cal’s 2026 Alum of the Year.

Editor’s Note: Summer 2026

By Pat Joseph

“If you went to Cal, we want you to be proud that this is your magazine. If you didn’t and you stumble upon a copy, we want you to wish you had.”

Major Issue

By Nathalia de Alcantara

Media reports say the computer science major is in trouble. At Berkeley, it’s complicated.

A Blessing of Unicorns

By James Pagett Tollen

Berkeley alumni have founded nearly 80 billion-dollar startups. Here are six of them.

Research Radar: Summer 2026

The latest findings and breakthroughs from Berkeley researchers