I am supporting Measure R 2014 Green Downtown Initiative for the following reasons: In 2010, Berkeley voters overwhelmingly approved Measure R, but our City Council has not delivered on its promises. Here is how the measure read: “Shall the City of Berkeley adopt policies to revitalize the downtown and help make Berkeley one of the greenest […]
Green Pathway
Posted inCity, Housing & Development
Judge tweaks downtown ballot summary after lawsuit
Berkeley voters will weigh in on the future of downtown with Measure R this fall. Photo: Emilie Raguso An Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that several of the words used by the Berkeley City Council in the ballot summary for a proposed downtown initiative to go before voters in November were biased and inaccurate, and […]
Posted inBerkeleyside, City, Events, Housing & Development
At B-Side: Implications of downtown Berkeley initiative
At the first B-Side forum co-sponsored by The Hub and Berkeleyside, participants debated the merits of this fall’s downtown initiative. From left, Lance Knobel of Berkeleyside, Berkeley Councilman Jesse Arreguín and Eric Panzer of Livable Berkeley. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel At the first B-Side forum co-sponsored by The Hub and Berkeleyside, participants debated the merits of […]
Posted inCity, Housing & Development
Downtown initiative on ballot; Berkeley city, schools may lose millions in fees
Downtown Berkeley, May 2014. Photo: Emilie Raguso The majority of the Berkeley City Council exerted its political muscle Tuesday night by voting for a ballot description for the downtown initiative drawn up by Mayor Tom Bates that is less flattering than the ones offered by the city attorney and Councilman Jesse Arreguín, the main proponent […]
Posted inHousing & Development
Would new green initiative kill 2 downtown high rises?
Downtown Berkeley as seen in 2012 from the top of the Chase building on Shattuck Avenue. Photo: Tracey Taylor Update, June 14: The initiative has qualified for the November 2014 ballot. Original story: As volunteers man the entrances to Berkeley Bowl, wander the farmers markets, and stop people on the street to collect signatures for […]
Posted inCity, Housing & Development
Initiative aims to tighten ‘green’ parts of Downtown Plan
Four years after voters adopted a new vision for downtown Berkeley, they may be asked to refine it. Photo: Tracey Taylor Update: 6//14: The initiative has qualified for the November 2014 ballot. Original story: City Councilman Jesse Arreguín, some members of the environmental community, the labor community, and preservationists are circulating a ballot initiative that […]
Posted inCity
Lawsuit challenges Berkeley’s new Downtown Area Plan
A new lawsuit is challenging the Downtown Area Plan adopted by the City Council in March 2012. Photo: Tracey Taylor Three neighborhood associations have filed a lawsuit against Berkeley, claiming that the adoption of the Downtown Area Plan in March 2012 did not comply with state environmental laws. The Council of Neighborhood Associations, which has […]