While every election is important, this one feels like a turning point.
To many progressive people, it feels like the Berkeley we love is slipping away. Everyone has a story to tell.
For some it is the continual sight of new market-rate (luxury) housing in our midst. Others are shocked by the failure of the city government to accommodate disabled people, be they unhoused or members of commissions.
You might be distressed at the mere lip service the staff and council give to effective police oversight. Or, you could be infuriated at the city council’s year-long stone wall of silence on the devastating attack on Gaza.
Here at Berkeley Speaks we do not report troubling news simply to be negative. We believe with the great Ida B. Wells, 19th century African American civil rights and women’s rights journalist, that “The people must know before they can act.” Wells documented 161 instances of lynching in 1892 alone.
So here is some news you can use to act for Our Berkeley.
Breaking News
Housing justice: Four separate Council decisions on housing and homelessness are underway. Critics have condemned them for promoting expensive, small, and nature-destroying housing, and for violating the human rights of the unhoused.
Two of the four decisions have been made and are moving into implementation…
- The Ashby BART “affordable housing” plan was approved by Council on September 16. It appears that a small number of the apartments to be constructed will be for low-income families. (See Profile of Chip Moore, section on “Controversy over the Ashby BART Station Housing Plan”)
- Council passed a resolution on September 10, taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, allowing cities to arrest, cite, or push out homeless people even when no indoor shelter is available. (See our article “Where Do We Go?”)
…while two more are expected within the next several months to a year:
- A “Middle Housing” plan will be considered, probably in 2025, and progressive people are divided in their views. Housing expert Nico Calavita has authored an analysis where he discusses hard densification vs. soft densification—in other words, how to build more housing while not ripping out backyards and other nature, and how to ensure that the denser housing is actually affordable and livable. (See “Middle Housing is Coming to Your Neighborhood”)
- According to the Berkeley TOPA Working Group, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) was voted down by Council on September 30. “Council instead directed City staff to study and develop a Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA).” The alternative proposal was created in a back room without consultation with the community coalition, and it was a disappointment for them. We will follow and report on the progress on COPA. See our article “The Promise of TOPA” in Volume I, Issue 3 of Berkeley Speaks.
Disability rights: This story is coming soon. A community lawsuit over ADA compliance has prevailed over the City of Berkeley’s Draconian rule on disabled participation in commissions.
Unfair campaign practices: This story is coming soon. We have received reports of record-setting rule-breaking, and rule-bending, in Berkeley campaign finance. Stay tuned!
What is coming up for Berkeley?
In the months to come, we anticipate big changes affecting everyone in the city. Here’s some likely events to keep your eyes on.
Beginning sometime in the fall of 2024: Resumption of the “Poor Tour.” That is homeless people’s term for the city government chasing them around town, with nowhere to go, in the wake of the overturning of judicial protection against cruel and unusual punishment. (See our article “Where Do We Go?”)
Tuesday November 5, Election Day: The potential expansion of rent control (Measure BB), or instead, a reduction of the Rent Board’s effectiveness (Measure CC), at the ballot box.
Tuesday November 12, 6pm: Council will consider the Peace and Justice Commission resolution titled “Resolution Opposing the Criminalization of Poverty and Homelessness.”
Date TBD: Council vote on the Peace and Justice Commission resolution on expanding war in the Middle East. (See our article “Israel’s Asault on Gaza and the Search for Peace”)
Monday November 18: Special city council meeting to act on privatization of the Waterfront. (See our Profile of Kate Harrison, section on “Privatizing the Waterfront.”)
Shortly before or after New Year’s: Next step in the process of developing housing at Ashby BART.
2025: A likely vote on implementation of “Middle housing” that may be a green light to over-development of low-income neighborhoods especially in South and West Berkeley. See “Middle Housing is Coming to Your Neighborhood”)
2025: Expect more BPD scandals as the PAB is essentially neutered, and no real investigation into department culture has been undertaken. (See our article “BPD Texting Scandal: Commission and Community Investigations Conclude”)
2027: Starting in 2027 and 2029, new Bay Area-wide regulations will make it illegal to install gas water heaters and furnaces, even to replace broken equipment. If Measure GG passes this November, there will funds available to help homeowners, landowners, and businesses pay for decarbonization. If not, these private parties will be on their own or the government will have to pay many millions out of general fund money. Basically, all hell will break loose. Now is the moment to prevent that. This measure will save residents and small businesses…not to mention the planet. (See “Go Green with Measure GG!”)
