What do the local weather emergency, homelessness, poor well being entry, lack of parks and playgrounds, gentrification/displacement, and pedestrian deaths all have in widespread?
These are all issues that impression our high quality of life and our youngsters’s future. And these issues have a disproportionately unfavourable impact on these of us who’re Black, brown, and low-income. As residents of Berkeley and residents of District 3, we are able to clear up these issues on the native degree. We should construct a extra equitable and sustainable Berkeley the place everyone seems to be handled pretty and with respect, the place everybody has a protected place to name residence, the place everyone seems to be protected strolling in our metropolis, and the place these most weak — our youngsters, seniors and disabled — are cared for by all of us.
Proper now, we now have the chance to construct a extra equitable and sustainable Berkeley by voting for Deborah Matthews for District 3. Deborah’s imaginative and prescient and proposed insurance policies for south Berkeley present her dedication to constructing a extra equitable and sustainable south Berkeley. She commits:
- To help a minimal of $50 million of Measure O funding for non-profit owned reasonably priced, low-income leases and homeownership in south Berkeley;
- To help a improvement plan for Ashby BART that maximizes the variety of reasonably priced houses, offers an improved area for the Berkeley Flea Market, and helps native companies;
- To sponsor funding for south Berkeley’s personal Ohlone Park/Adeline Greenway to attach our neighborhood with inexperienced area, pathways for strolling and biking, and to gradual visitors;
- To protect the historic tradition of our neighborhood by funding an African American Arts and Cultural District in south Berkeley’s industrial districts;
- To reverse and stop displacement of low-income households and other people of shade by making a proper to return coverage and by rising sources for low-income renters and owners; and,
- To reform town’s exclusionary zoning and planning insurance policies to extend housing and homeownership alternatives in ALL of Berkeley’s neighborhoods.
Deborah has been enhancing our neighborhood for many years. With integrity and dedication, Deborah has chaired the Zoning Changes Board (1996-2014), the Housing Fee (1994-2000), and vice-chaired the Planning Fee (2014-2016). She offered the management vital to assist get approval for the colourful group areas, small companies, and housing developments that make South Berkeley distinctive and thriving — the Ed Roberts Campus, The Tarea Corridor Pittman Library, Lemat Restaurant, Berkeley Bowl West, Mojo Cafe, Harper Crossing Senior Properties, Biofuel Oasis, John Muir Well being Facility, Lifelong Medical Heart, to call a number of.
When Deborah was chair of the Housing Advisory Fee (1994-2000), she put in lengthy hours fastidiously reviewing the funding functions for housing and group providers. This is the reason she is aware of that non-profit housing helps our seniors, single dad and mom, youngsters, disabled, and homeless higher than inclusionary market-rate improvement. That’s the reason she helps elevated charges on market-rate builders and extra funding for the Housing Belief Fund, in addition to an acquisition fund particularly for non-profit housing builders. So as to maximize the variety of low- and very low-income houses we construct, we should elect a pacesetter like Deborah who has the expertise and the dedication to do the affected person, strategic work on advanced housing and planning points.
Incumbent Ben Bartlett is usually absent on housing motion. Ben Bartlett‘s voting document at Metropolis Council exhibits him lacking the laborious votes when neighbor opposition is current. He was absent for the vote on 23 housing units at 3000 Shattuck that got here earlier than council on attraction on Nov. 27, 2018 and was absent for the vote on 63 housing models at 2527 San Pablo Ave. that got here earlier than council on attraction on Jan. 23, 2018. He voted to remand a 57-unit constructing at 2701 Shattuck Ave. again to ZAB, which delayed it not less than a yr.
Ben Bartlett’s Zoning Changes Board appointee constantly votes towards new housing. Ben Bartlett’s Planning Fee appointee helps downzoning Adeline Hall close to Ashby BART and supported provisions that go towards the Ashby BART MOU. Ben Bartlett stated no to lacking center housing on Hearst Avenue.
Deborah Matthews acknowledges that Berkeley has an extended historical past of discriminatory planning and housing insurance policies. In South Berkeley’s District 3, these discriminatory practices are evident within the six-lane Adeline roadway the place visitors speeds via our neighborhood, within the down-zoning efforts round Ashby BART station, within the lack of a transparent “proper to return” coverage for former African American residents and others who’ve been displaced, within the metropolis’s refusal to ensure a spot for the Berkeley Flea Market, within the lack of a daring plan for constructing and funding parks in our neighborhood. Deborah will present the management and laborious work to right these issues and can assist us on our solution to making issues proper.
Deborah is dedicated to South Berkeley. That is her residence and her life work. She isn’t in search of a stepping stone to increased workplace. She is a citizen, not a politician. She has devoted herself to group service in Berkeley, and she or he has the skilled and group background to supply efficient and constant long-term management. Vote Deborah for District 3!
Signed by the next Berkeley Residents, SBN! Steering Committee members, and South Berkeley NOW members:
- Ariella Granett, SBN! founding member, steering committee, Fairview Avenue, 94703
- Barry Fike, Allston Method, 94703
- Betsy Thagard, SBN! founding member, steering committee, Carleton Avenue, 94704
- Bhima Sheridan, Fairview Avenue, 94703
- Brynn McKiernan, California Avenue, 94703
- David Koo, California Avenue, 94703
- David Soffa, SBN! founding member, Otis Avenue, 94703
- Gary Miguel, Ellis Avenue, 94703
- Jane Scantlebury, SBN! founding member, Otis Avenue, 94703
- Jeffrey Westcott, Fairview Avenue, 94703
- Jodi Levin, SBN! founding member, steering committee, Otis Avenue, 94703
- John Givens
- Jon Lau, SBN! founding member, steering committee, Ward Avenue, 94703
- Jonathan Packman
- Jonathan Singh, former Berkeley resident
- Lee Bishop, Northside Ave., 94702
- Marcia Freedman, Carleton St, 94703, a former member of Israeli Knesset (parliament)
- Matt Lewis, SBN! founding member, steering committee, McGee Avenue, 94703
- Matt Nichols, SBN! founding member, Otis Avenue, 94703
- Niloufar Khonsari, Otis Avenue, 94703
- Pablo Diaz Gutierrez, California Avenue, 94703
- Peter Waller, SBN! founding member, steering committee, Carleton Avenue, 94704
- Phyllis Orrick, Kains Ave. 94702
- Rachel Beck, works in Berkeley
- Renee Mitchell, Fairview Ave. 94703
- Teresa Clarke, SBN! founding member, steering committee, Otis Avenue, 94703
- Tomasso Sciortino, resident close to Ashby BART
