The following opinion piece was previously published in Berkeleyside.
by Jocelyn E. Goldsmith-De Sena, Margot W. Smith, Tajmal Payne, Rev. Michael Smith, Moni T. Law, George Lippman, and Matthew Lewis
Measure HH — the Healthy City Buildings Ordinance — would update Berkeley’s city buildings to current clean air standards and prepare us for future pandemics and disasters. City-owned and leased buildings include City Hall, libraries, senior and recreation centers, permit offices and health facilities. As of now, they are dangerously behind national standards of air purity. Our public spaces must be safe for all. See https://healthyberkeleybuildings.org/
Due to poor ventilation, COVID-19 outbreaks constantly threaten city buildings, harming the public and workers. City buildings serve children, seniors, the immunocompromised and the most vulnerable in our community. At least one city employee died of COVID. Some developed long COVID.
City buildings are also designated disaster shelters during heat waves and wildfire events. They should provide clean air.
Community members and workers have repeatedly notified the mayor and City Council of air quality issues that make the buildings unsafe. Despite receiving $67 million from the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, which Congress intended partly for ventilation upgrades to protect the public, the city has failed to act.
In 2023, the White House COVID-19 Response Team asked the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) to create new building standards known as “Standard 241” to protect occupants from airborne infections through increased airflow. Measure HH would adopt Standard 241 in Berkeley municipal buildings, protecting infants, children, seniors, the public and workers from infections, wildfire smoke and toxic pollutants. This would make city buildings safe when needed most.
Berkeley’s Public Works Department, which maintains municipal buildings, has concluded that “[i]mplementing the Healthy City Building Ordinance, and the associated ASHRAE Standard 241 in the City of Berkeley’s facilities is essential for enhancing indoor air quality and reducing the risk of airborne disease trandsmission.”
Standard 241 is a highly flexible tool that adapts airflow rates for each building’s type of use and occupancy. Clean air can be achieved through a variety of low-cost strategies ranging from swapping out filters, opening windows, plugging in portable HEPA filters, or disinfecting dirty air with ultraviolet light.
President Biden’s White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, said, “Standard 241… fundamentally changes the game. It is one of the most important public health interventions I have seen in … decades.”
Harvard professor highlights the importance of ventilation for “healthy buildings”
Indoor air systems “absolutely key” in curbing spread of viruses | 60 Minutes
Opponents claim that this investment in clean air is too expensive. In fact, the measure will pay for itself. And financial costs must not overshadow the human need to breathe.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Senior economists at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, specializing in cost-benefit analysis of public health policy, found that by avoiding COVID-19 infections alone, investments in clean air could save the city thousands per year in avoided sick leave, workers’ compensation and health care costs.
For example, an investment of $2,100 in an average medical waiting room, such as the West Berkeley Family Wellness Center, could save the city $62,000 per year. Similarly, a $2,600 investment in a food service hall in Berkeley’s senior centers could save the city $21,000 annually.
Berkeley has a long history of taking on challenges to better prepare us for disasters and issues that hurt our most vulnerable. We need to move away from the ethos that pennies are more important than the lives of our community members and workers.
HH is supported by the Berkeley NAACP, SF Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility, SEIU 1021, AFSCME PEU Local 1, 350 Bay Area, the Berkeley Tenants Union and the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club. Join us in voting Yes on HH for healthy city buildings.
Jocelyn E. Goldsmith-De Sena is a community health worker specialist and chapter officer for Berkeley SEIU 1021; Margot W. Smith is chair of the Berkeley Commission on Aging; Tajmal Payne is president of the Berkeley NAACP; Rev. Michael Smith is president of the Berkeley Black Ecumenical Ministerial Alliance; Moni T. Law is chair of the Berkeley Community Safety Coalition; George Lippman is a member of Berkeley People’s Alliance; Matthew Lewis is secretary of the Berkeley Tenants Union.
