A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless
world. Rollo May
Here are five myths that residents of Berkeley, California
may abide by.
1. The
majority of food consumers are vegetarians or vegans. Nope. The “Vegetarianism in America” study published
by Vegetarian Times showed that just 3.2%
of US adults follow a vegetarian-based diet. Approximately 0.5% of those
are vegans, who consume no animal products at all.
2. Nearly
everyone eats organic food. Not
yet, probably not ever. In 2017 total organic food sales reached a
new high, $45.2 billion. However, these organic sales represent a petite 5.5%, also a new high, of all food sold
in retail channels in the US. Organic food is more expensive than “regular”
food products. Organic price premiums can range
from 25% for veges and fruits to
over 70% for milk products.
3. Electric
vehicles and hybrids have captured the auto market. Hardly. L It’s true; the SF Bay Area has had the highest per
capita electric vehicle (EV) sales for a while. Berkeley enjoys the 8th highest
purchase share of EVs of California cities, about 18%. When you drive around
Berkeley the number of Teslas, and to a much lesser extent Chevy Bolts and
Nissan Leafs, is quite impressive. Nevertheless, when I travelled 6,200 miles on
highways back and forth across the US within the last month, my EV sitings were
very far and very few between. No surprise; the market share of battery-powered
EVs across America is a meagre 2.4%
as of September. If you add plug-in hybrids, the EV market share inches upwards
to a frail 3.1%.
4. Summer. Summer in Berkeley is a myth. It’s filled
with fog and cool temperatures. Daily high temperatures in Berkeley during the
usual summer months (June – August) are much nippier than many other places.
Visitors to the SF Bay Area during summer are often shocked that they need
sweaters, not just t-shirts to feel comfortable during the day. That’s because the weather in Berkeley is dominated
by the cool Pacific Ocean. As Mark Twain allegedly stated, "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."
Berkeley’s warmest (e.g., summer) month is actually September, when the average
daily high temp is 74.8˚F. The average high temp for June through August is a chillier
73.8˚F. If you want to be cool,
Berkeley’s your place. But to avoid the myth of Berkeley summer, you’ll need to
know the way to San Jose, where the average high temp for June through August
is balmy 81.0˚F.
5. Inequality. For decades the City of Berkeley, and its
voters, have been actively engaged in reducing many forms of social and economic
inequality. Yet by some measures Berkeley’s inequality is persistently higher;
it’s not utopian pure parity. The Berkeley Unified School District was the
first in the nation (in 1968) to voluntarily implement a two-way busing program
to facilitate desegregation. In June, Berkeley opened the doors of another and new $2.4
million shelter for the homeless. Starting Oct. 1, the city’s minimum wage is $15/hr.
It has offered a host of social services for those who don’t have resources
and/or opportunities that others have. However, one curious result is that the
city’s Gini Index (GI) – a statistical measure of income inequality – is much
higher (indicating more inequality) than its neighboring communities. The GI
for Berkeley is 0.532 (comparable to that of Guatemala, ranked 10th highest in
income inequality). In contrast, the GI for Alameda County is 0.459 and for nearby Concord
is 0.389. Why is this, despite the city’s demonstrably broad efforts to provide
for its poorer residents? Most likely, it’s because of the fairly large degree
of economic "natural diversity" within the city. This is also why the
GI's for Concord and Alameda County are much lower, since they’re less economically
diverse. In this sense, Berkeley’s lower GI, although concerning, may not be totally
dire.
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