Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation natural gas ban is dead. But is the battle over?

The city’s pioneering step fell flat after a long fight in court, but campaigners – and leading chefs – say they’re still going electric

Four years ago, Berkeley made history when it became the first city in the United States to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings.

It was a natural step for the famously progressive California community, which was an early adopter of curbside recycling in the 1970s, banned styrofoam in 1988, and more recently led the charge to outlaw single-use packaging and plastics.