On the evening of Jan. 19, Timothy Burroughs, Berkeley’s chief resilience officer, delivered a presentation to city council on the seismic upgrade needs of the City’s seven “city care and shelter sites”. City care and shelter sites are sites that provide “regular day-to-day services but also serve as a care and shelter service in times […]
Election 2016
Posted inCity
The lowdown: Berkeley council on minimum wage, ballot measures, homelessness, street paving, more
Council is back to Old City Hall for tonight’s meeting. Photo by Melati Citrawireja Council is back to Old City Hall for tonight’s meeting. Photo by Melati Citrawireja Election season is already heating up, with a special session tonight, before the regular Berkeley City Council meeting, on possible ballot measures for November. Then, at the […]
Posted inCity
They’re off: Candidates file campaign finance statements
Laurie Capitelli. Photo: courtesy Laurie Capitelli The Berkeley political jostling has begun, even though elections will, of course, only be held in November. City Councilman Jesse Arreguín has raised close to $25,000 for his race for mayor, almost four times as much as City Councilman Laurie Capitelli, his strongest opponent. Capitelli, who has been endorsed by […]
Posted inCity
With mayor and two councilmen stepping aside, Berkeley’s election is heating up
Max Anderson: not running again for Berkeley City Council this year. Photo: courtesy Max Anderson After serving 12 years on the Berkeley City Council — and another 12 on various city commissions — Max Anderson has decided not to run for another council term. Anderson’s exit from the race for District 3 in South Berkeley has already […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: An open letter to City Council on homelessness
Let me begin this brief note by first setting aside all the bitterness and anger I feel towards recent actions you have taken against me personally as a member of the homeless community. I am commanded to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: Berkeley’s ancient ruins — A photo essay
On July 1, 2014, the recently retired Director of Public Works, Andrew Clough, gave a somber presentation to City Council on the condition of facilities in Berkeley. The information report accompanying his presentation stated the following: “During the past 25 years, the City has deferred maintenance on many City buildings, decreasing the value of the assets […]
Posted inCity
Laurie Capitelli to run for mayor of Berkeley in 2016
Photo: courtesy Laurie Capitelli City councilman Laurie Capitelli took out papers this week to set up a campaign to run for mayor of Berkeley. “My plans are to run for mayor,” he confirmed to Berkeleyside Tuesday evening during a break in the city council meeting. Capitelli said he will make a formal announcement in early December. […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: Support the recommendations of the Homeless Task Force
Time and again, Berkeley voters have made it clear that they reject the criminalization of the homeless, many of whom are veterans suffering from mental trauma and LGBT youth kicked out of their homes because of who they love. Do you think these people should be considered criminals simply for living in our community? I […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: Let’s amplify local voices in Berkeley City Hall
Ask any elected official how much time they spend on fundraising and I’d be willing to bet most respond with, “too much.” In Berkeley, seven of the eight last city council elections went to the candidate who raised the most money, and so did the last mayoral election. When Berkeley candidates have to spend so […]
Posted inCity
Jesse Arreguín formally announces run for mayor
Jesse Arreguín has formally announced his mayoral bid. Photo: Arreguín for Mayor campaign City Councilman Jesse Arreguín formally announced Thursday that he is running for Berkeley mayor by sending out an email statement declaring his candidacy. He will follow that up with a kick-off rally Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. in a location that will be […]
Posted inCity
Oops! Did Jesse Arreguín inadvertently declare he is running for mayor?
Jesse Arreguín changed the name of his Facebook page Monday to declare his candidacy for mayor. Berkeley City Councilman Jesse Arreguín may have inadvertently announced his candidacy for mayor Monday when he changed the name of his Facebook page from “Jesse Arreguín for City Council,” to “Jesse Arreguín for Mayor.” The change triggered an automatic notice […]
