ISSUES
ACTUAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING & HOUSING JUSTICE
I will focus on housing that serves regular people, especially those most discriminated against, not corporate landlords and developers. I will work to expand rental protections and social housing opportunities. I will implement the long-delayed Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). I will work to repeal Costa Hawkins so we can expand rent control in Berkeley.
People living in Alameda County qualify for “affordable housing” if they are making $100,000/year. According to a 2022 Housing Needs Alameda County presentation to the Berkeley City Council, to afford the median home for sale, a household had to earn 185% of the county’s median income or about $238,000 per year. In 2022, in order to afford the median rent, a household had to earn 72% of the county’s median income or about $93,000 per year. These income levels are not accessible for most, and that’s why we need actual affordable housing. We need housing for working people, teachers, seniors, veterans, office workers, people on social security, and others making mid and low incomes.
I will work with the Rent Stabilization Board to expand rental protections. I will advocate for the Berkeley Tenant Protections and Right to Organize ballot measure in November to expand protections for consumers in the rental housing industry. I will debunk the myth that more market rate units will eventually lead to more affordable housing in the future. We can look to San Francisco to see that this approach fails to provide more actual affordable housing. Many of the market rate units are owned by investors who have no need for monthly rental income and have no interest in our local housing market. They are in it for the return on investment, as property values have generally appreciated over time. I will support social housing initiatives and investment in Community Land Trusts. I will work to halt and reverse the cruel displacement caused by redlining and gentrification of our African American communities, and I will help them hold onto their homes and businesses while supporting the right to return of those who were forced out.
I will bring innovative financing models to create actual affordable housing. I will advocate for community land trusts, an increase in developer fees, and more public funds allocated to actual affordable housing.
SMALL BUSINESS REVITALIZATION
We will create vibrant business districts through beautification efforts, a commercial vacancy tax, and incentivizing landlords to decrease the rent and welcome small businesses. I will partner with small businesses to create a Downtown Berkeley Small Business Association. In an effort to repair the harm to South Berkeley’s small business community when the Ashby BART was built, I will secure funding to encourage Black owned businesses to return to Berkeley.
There are vacant commercial spaces all over Berkeley. I will reinvigorate our commercial areas by proposing a commercial vacancy tax, incentivizing landlords to rent their vacant storefronts for less. I will recommend financial incentives and streamlined permitting processes for small businesses. I will collaborate with incubator programs at UC Berkeley to offer technical assistance and mentoring to student and non-student entrepreneurs alike. We will create vibrant business districts through beautification efforts and programs such as San Francisco's Storefront Improvement Program, which provides grants to small businesses for facade improvements, contributing to the revitalization of commercial corridors and attracting foot traffic.
I will secure funding to support a resurgence of Black owned businesses in Berkeley, as well as funding to restore the Black Repertory Theater.
COMMUNITY-CENTERED PUBLIC SAFETY
I will advocate for proven, community-based solutions to our public safety challenges. I will expand the Specialized Care Unit (SCU) to operate 24/7 and ensure that everyone who lives and works in Berkeley knows about it. Fire safety and modernization of our fire department will be a priority.
A root cause of crime is poverty. Institutionalized racism perpetuates economic inequality by limiting access to quality education, employment opportunities, and housing for people of color. These systemic barriers contribute to higher rates of poverty. We must address these root causes if we expect to decrease crime.
My platforms on housing, labor rights, and implementing a guaranteed income will shrink the economic inequity in our city. Guaranteed income programs provide regular, unconditional payments to individuals or families, aiming to alleviate poverty, reduce income inequality, and provide financial stability. Stockton, CA implemented SEED, a guaranteed income demonstration. This 2-year program resulted in improvements in employment, mental health, and overall well-being among recipients. We also must focus on community-based solutions to public safety.
We have been misled by our city’s leaders for years. They claim to be committed to reimagining public safety; however, the police budget continues to grow, police overtime continues to run rampant, and $2 million allocated for a gun violence prevention program goes unspent, while property and retail crime increase.
A recent study by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice found that Berkeley police have solved crimes at a lower rate than agencies throughout California, while spending more per capita than the state average. Meanwhile, fear mongering about crime recently pushed the Berkeley City Council to recommend more surveillance cameras be placed around our city, even though Berkeley’s pilot program to determine the effectiveness of cameras has barely begun.
I will advocate for proven, community-based solutions to our public safety challenges, such as Richmond’s highly effective Office of Neighborhood Safety. I will expand the SCU – Berkeley’s new non-police emergency response to mental health and substance use crises – to operate 24/7 and amplify the program so that everyone who lives and works in Berkeley knows about it. I will assure the implementation of a community-led gun violence prevention and reduction program. I will encourage all residents to attend Mental Health First Aid and self-defense classes. I will support a city-sponsored escort service. I will promote a “we keep us safe” ethos with a Community Host program. At heavily pedestrian trafficked intersections and where there has been an uptick in crime, a Host trained in conflict de-escalation, communication skills, and knowledge of available resources will be posted. We will collaborate with local businesses, community organizations, and city services to support this initiative.
I will address the two-tiered policing system that our African American, Latinx, and marginalized communities know only too well. I will shine a light on BPD’s harmful tradition of primarily protecting the lives and property of those who have been historically secure and who have never been plagued with being unfairly surveilled, targeted, and abused.
Fire safety will be a priority. Berkeley is changing quickly. New state laws are turning Berkeley from a low-rise city to a high-rise one. This change requires not only an up to date fire safety plan but a modern fire department ready to successfully battle fires in the hills and in tall buildings. Our fire stations are out of date and aging and must be modernized. Four of our seven stations must be rebuilt while the other three need to be renovated and expanded. Stations lack decontamination spaces needed to protect firefighters from the toxic particulates that cling to clothing after fighting a fire.
Berkeley has yet to implement the 2023 Facilities Plan to modernize our fire department. I will champion this plan to ensure it gets off the ground as soon as possible.
HOUSING THE
UNHOUSED
Berkeleyans know that our city has a homelessness problem, but our leaders refuse to take steps to permanently fix it. The #1 cause of homelessness is increasing economic inequality. First and foremost, we need to create a sanctioned encampment for our unhoused neighbors with basic amenities. We also must ensure that our shelters are accessible. In addition, I will work to create a safe parking lot for our vehicle dwelling neighbors. I will work with our county, state, and congressional representatives to find funding to provide permanent housing for those most in need.
Initially, we must create a sanctioned encampment: a designated area where those who are homeless in Berkeley are encouraged to live. Basic amenities will be provided, including running water, electricity, toilets, and trash collection. This will be a hub where the many service providers (e.g., housing coordinators, street medics, mental health specialists) will reliably be able to meet with their unhoused clients. This will streamline access to available support, and provide a more respectful and compassionate option for those experiencing homelessness.
What happens now are occasional sweeps of encampments where an army of people arrive to enact the sweep, including many BPD officers, Public Works staff along with dump trucks, and members of the Homeless Response Team. These actions inflict harm on an already traumatized population, and don’t result in solving the problem.
The needs of our unhoused community are not uniform: some have been on the streets for years (“chronically homeless”), others are looking for a new start through job training or school, and still others are experiencing housing insecurity because their rent is too high due to lack of actual affordable housing. Each of these groups has different needs, but all need permanent affordable housing; until we have that, our homelessness problem will continue.
Those with housing insecurity live in housing beyond their means and are at risk of not being able to pay their rent and thus being evicted. The city offers rental assistance programs, but this is not enough. Many tenants don’t know about or are scared to use these programs (e.g., because of immigration status).
I will work to educate our community about, expand the reach and funds, and make more accessible Berkeley’s Housing Retention Program.
Those who are seeking a new start through job training or school are placed in city transitional housing. Transitional housing currently relies on motels. The key element of transitional housing – coordination between agencies and services to ensure that people receive what they need to start over (e.g., drug rehabilitation to job training) are rarely offered to those in transitional housing. After being in transitional housing for approximately six months, these people are supposed to move into permanent housing. Yet, the majority move back to the streets because there is no permanent housing available.
For people who are chronically homeless, there is a nationally mandated policy of “Housing First.” The basis of this policy is that those who are chronically homeless are not going to get well on the streets and that support services are best provided in permanent housing. Further, chronically homeless folks do not want to be moved around to temporary housing locations as they will opt to return to their “permanent street home.” As such, Housing First offers them a new permanent option immediately without a string of temporary housing first. Unfortunately, in Berkeley, our Housing First approach does not place chronically homeless in permanent housing. Rather, they are placed in motels used for transitional housing. As a result, chronically homeless might stay in a motel for a few weeks or months, but eventually will return to the streets.
Many in our unhoused community are disabled and we have very few accessible shelter beds in Berkeley. Since Berkeley’s Pathways STAIR Center opened in 2018 to temporarily house 45 people at a time, accessibility advocates have been calling attention to the lack of accessibility and non-compliance with ADA requirements at the shelter. I will ensure that we have adequate accessible beds to serve our unhoused community.
Also, we have a growing community of vehicle dwellers in Berkeley. We need to create a safe parking area where these people can live without the constant fear of being towed and losing their home.
Finally, during the winter months, an inclement weather shelter is opened only when the forecasted weather is 45 degrees or less, and/or 50%+ chance of rain. I am committed to ensuring Berkeley has a winter shelter that is open 24/7.
I will work with our county, state, and congressional representatives to find funding to provide permanent housing for those most in need, including permanent supportive housing for people with mental health and cognitive disabilities.
SAFE, LIVABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT
In this time of climate emergency, every new development and change in our city must be viewed through the lens of safety and sustainability. I will re-energize our city’s commitment to living in balance and harmony with the natural world by making the protection of the environment a priority. We must hire and maintain a trained and dedicated workforce. I will invite the First Peoples of this land to guide and teach us during this time of climate crisis.
Some claim that the environmental movement began in Berkeley with the formation of Save the Bay in 1961. In recent years, Berkeley has fallen far short of being a good steward of this area.
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The city's failure to abate methane emissions from the closed landfill at Cesar Chavez Park. Berkeley has been issued 21 Notices of Violation over the last five years by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and has yet to propose a solution.
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Berkeley established a creek protection ordinance, but city staff were not effectively educated. In April 2019, firefighters extinguished a fire in a garbage truck and uncontrolled runoff killed the steelhead in Codornices Creek.
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Berkeley had to be sued by the EPA to finally start repairing the system that was spilling raw sewage onto the streets.
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Berkeley’s recycling hub was found to violate clean water laws. The city launched an effort to redesign the site years ago, but those leading the effort have left, and after years of study there are no solutions to the flood hazard and PCB runoff in place.
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According to a January 4, 2024, letter from three of Berkeley’s unions representing Public Works Employees, high turnover, inability to retain talented staff, lack of leadership, and a vacancy rate over 30% are issues they face in trying to do their jobs.
I will make hiring and maintaining a trained and dedicated workforce a priority. I will also revitalize the commissions so that there will be more community input and accountability.
In 2009, Berkeley City Council passed the Berkeley Climate Action Plan, which includes many achievable goals that we have yet to focus on. I will support a seamless, green, zero-emission public transit system that is accessible and fare-free for all. I will initiate a program to plant native trees all over the city to create more tree canopies, which will sequester carbon and reduce the urban heat island effect. Live Oak saplings that sprout plentifully around healthy Live Oaks will be gently uprooted and replanted in places without Live Oaks. I envision working with Chechenyo speaking Lisjan Ohlone people to teach and guide city leaders how to plan for seven generations into the future.
I will also advocate for programs to clean up blight in our city, including the creation of art on the windows of empty storefronts, and transforming vacant lots into green spaces, parks, or community gardens.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Much of Berkeley's infrastructure—streets, sidewalks, storm drains, parks—was built over 75 years ago and is in need of repair. The cost of this repair and replacement is estimated at $1 billion. To fund the repair of streets and sidewalks, I will advocate for the Berkeleyans for Better Planning ballot measure in November to assure this work is done responsibly and with oversight.
Though we are faced with a large financial burden and a great deal of work ahead of us, rebuilding our infrastructure comes at a time where it presents at least two opportunities:
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We can rebuild our infrastructure to help us mitigate and adapt to the local impacts of climate change. We can plant native trees that are drought tolerant to create tree canopies which will cool our streets. We can rebuild roads to meet the needs of not just cars, but also bicyclists, pedestrians, and other green modes of transportation.
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As we rebuild our infrastructure, we must understand that each district has distinct needs. For example, scientific and safety recommendations are clear that undergrounding power lines is a priority in the hills where the risk of wildfire is high. However, undergrounding power lines in some areas in the flats may be contraindicated (especially given that in several years, it is likely that these power lines could be at risk of being under water).
LABOR & WORKERS' RIGHTS
I will work to expand and enforce workers rights. I will support workers and city employees as they endeavor to get higher wages, better working conditions, and bargaining demands that benefit all.
I will be a voice of accountability on the City Council, ensuring that city management negotiates in good faith and follows through in a timely and responsible way on their commitments. I will ensure the Fair Work Week ordinance, the ordinance to prevent wage theft, and the HARD HATS ordinance are fully implemented and adhered to. I will create a program for all workers in Berkeley to be able to attend Mental Health First Aid training for free. I will champion an environment of respect and appreciation for workers in Berkeley.
TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, & INTEGRITY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
We need a city management and administration overhaul. We need a transparent accountability system with strengthened oversight and community input. I will help transform the often combative environment amongst city leaders, city staff, and residents into one of collaboration, respect, and effective governance for the benefit of the people.
Not only did two Berkeley city council members resign in January 2024, there has been an exodus of senior city staff, including the Public Works Director, Director of Health, Housing and Community Services, and Berkeley’s Health Officer. There have also been many senior employees who have resigned in the past year. In response to city positions having a 19% vacancy rate, the city manager launched her Employer of Choice program in September, 2022. Since then, the vacancy rate has increased.
Some of Berkeley’s unionized workers are still waiting for the city to make good on commitments made during labor negotiations in the summer of 2021. The years-long Hopkins Street debacle imploded last spring with the head of Berkeley’s Transportation Division, Farid Javandel, leaving. It’s unknown if he resigned or was fired. What we do know is that the City was in a rush to secure final city council approval and award the Hopkins Corridor Project before July 1, 2023, in order to avoid complying with the new San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board stormwater treatment and green infrastructure regulations. The city council passes legislation and then doesn’t adhere to it.
Also, there is a tremendous amount of unnecessary litigation, costing the city millions of dollars and using our city attorneys’ valuable time, because of poor management and shortsighted decision making. For instance, members of Berkeley’s Disability Commission filed a lawsuit against the city for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to allow them to attend Commission meetings remotely as an accommodation. Also, Secure Justice sued the City of Berkeley for ignoring their own Acquisition and Use of Surveillance Technology Ordinance and won.
THRIVING COMMUNITY
I will build bridges of mutual understanding in our culturally, economically, politically, generationally, and religiously diverse city rather than exploit artificial divisions. I will hold regular office hours, host town hall meetings, and foster dialogues on issues that affect our community.
Berkeley’s population of people 65 years old and older is 16% and growing. We must plan strategically and inclusively or our aging population. One program I envision pairs high school volunteers with older adults. We would recruit and train high school students to provide companionship and assistance to seniors, while coordinating with our senior centers and community organizations to identify seniors in need of support.
We also have a growing population of UC Berkeley students. I will collaborate with students and administrators to ensure Berkeley residents are informed about the many student initiated community projects as well as The Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund. I also have a vision to create spaces where community members and students can get together to cultivate connections with one another.
DIVESTMENT FROM ISRAEL
I will bring a Ceasefire Resolution to the council. I will then bring a divestment resolution so that Berkeley public funds are no longer invested in Israeli companies and will be prevented from any such investments until there is Palestinian sovereignty.
Now that you know some of my ideas, please let me know your ideas. I want to hear from you so we can make Berkeley better together!