That squares with my experience. It makes me sad to think of Berkley declining. 

I doubt I'd ever have chosen to live there, or been able to afford it, but I've never found a city as appealing.

I have spent a lot of time in the Bay area and SF and Berkeley specifically. Berkeley and SF went way downhill before Covid. 

Some areas in SF are bouncing back but a lot was lost. 

kepford

I was in San Francisco back during the Bush years and loved it. When I went back more than a decade later, it was definitely a lot sketchier and dirtier. Berkley was still beautiful, though, although I've heard that it went way downhill.