Why is Tom Bates wrong for Berkeley?
-ATTEMPTING TO OVERDEVELOP TOWN -- sort of like THE BRONX.
-DISSING CITIZENS WITH HEARTFELT PROBLEMS - LIKE SAY THE TRADER JOE'S BUILDING OVERSHADOWING A QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD.
-THROWING AWAY RESOURCES, TURNING ICELAND INTO A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
-SELLING OUT THE CITY TO UC. SINCE THE EARLY 80'S WHEN BATES AS A LEGISLATOR HELPED UC MOVE THE BLIND SCHOOL TO FREMONT SO THEY COULD TAKE OVER THE SITE FOR DORMS, TO TODAY WHEN BATES SEEMS TO HAVE TURNED DOWNTOWN OVER TO UC AS AN EXTENSION OF ITS ADMINISTRATIVE JUGGERNAUT, BATES, THE LAST ROSE BOWL PLAYER THAT HE IS, HAS BEEN "OLD BLUE" TO THE CORE. I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT HE IS IN FAVOR OF CUTTING DOWN THE OAKS AT THE STADIUM AND BUILDING THE HANDY 4 STORY BURIED GYM.
-OVERPLANNING THE FUTURE AND DESTROYING THE PRESENT- TURNING TELEGRAPH, WHICH IS A NICE TREE LINED BOULDEVARD WITH YOUNG MOM AND POP BUSINESSES, INTO A HUGE OVERBUILT BUS ROUTE WITH EXCLUSIVE LANES IN THE STREET FOR BUSES.
- NOT TELLING THE TOWN HIS PLANS. IT HAS COME OUT IN CITIZEN MEETINGS AND IN THE AGENDA COMMITTEE THAT HE WANTS TALL BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN, SAY 250 FEET, AND 5 STORY APTS ALONG ROUTES LIKE UNIVERSITY AND TELEGRAPH, DESTROYING THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOME BASED STRUCTURE OF THE TOWN.
-Failure to get tough on crime. Just look at the SW corner of town. Just try to get a cop to follow up and arrest someone.
-WASTING CITY assets, like the parking lot at Oxford where trees were cut down and parking eliminated to build buildings for whom no tenants have been found under cover of "environmental" leadership. The city gave away land and money here.
-Public peformances at Council meetings of disregarding the public's interests and voting for his own--ie turning Wrights Garage into a large restaurant and bar, illegal under local ordinance.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Transit Village(s) & Ashby Bart
While in Sacremento on our dime as a legislator Bates managed to pass Transit Village legislation which he is now using to try to develop a vast housing development replacing the parking lot at Ashby Bart.
He tried to force it through with a phony "citizen's" commission representing the area, which he appointed himself. This failed. He evidently is trying something else that the home owners in the area do not want.
Read a full account of the Ashby BART controversy on our appendix page. Here is an excerpt:
Government officials who face overwhelming public opposition have roughly three options at their disposal. If they concern themselves with the democratic process, and therefore regard themselves as servants of the public, and not Lords who rule by fiat, they will of course heed to the will of the people. The second option is to make a compromise, rendering a decision that’s somewhere in the realm between overwhelming public opinion, and, in this particular case, the Mayor, a Councilmember, and handful of hungry developers.
The third option—the one chosen by Mayor Bates—is to manufacture a façade of public participation, while proceeding to do whatever he intended to do before confronting public opposition. This is where Ed Church and the South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation (SBNDC) enter into the story. Knowing full well the controversial nature of his grant proposal, Mayor Bates assigned the SBNDC with the duty of creating a task force to lead the project, to appoint ‘community members’ to its ranks to develop a “shared vision” for the Ashby project.
Other areas for unseemly development include San Pablo Ave, and the current Kragens Auto on University, which is becoming the Trader Joe's building, whose 5 story height and traffic impact will overwhelm the previous quiet residential neighborhood.
The Mayor has been quoted that the Hillside School would be a good site for a 20 story building. You will recall that this prized neighborhood school was closed by politicians intent on weakening the hills politically and blaming earthquake considerations.
Downtown Parking and the Brower Center
Bad enough was the demolishing of the Hinks garage to make way for the huge apartment complex called Library Gardens (No gardens, just tiny apartments), but downtown and movie parking was further destroyed by the digging up of the Oxford Lot for a proposed Brower ecology center with adjacent HUD supported "affordable" housing.
Beautiful old trees were cut down on day one of this overpriced, over funded project. This is the Mayor's personal baby.
Whats wrong? No need. They are building an ecology center with no tenants signed up. They are putting an underground garage on top of Strawberry Creek. The city has had to throw all sorts of money in the pot to subsidize developers, while the city employees must take a day per month off to balance the budget. The Council has been warned by staff that there is financial trouble here to no
avail. Unnecessary financial risks are being taken. I suppose that UC will end up with renting this property in another stealth grab.Why was this done? It is the Mayor's baby. It is his personal heritage. If anyone knows another reason please post it in comments.
HUD Housing and Urban Deveopment Subsidised Housing
Berkeley's Housing Dept was recently cited for especially poor performance and the entire staff dismissed. The head of Berkeley's City Dept of Housing was also dismissed. It seems a HUD audit had finally pointed out that the local housing job was not being done right.
The waiting list was over 5 years old. It was a mess so that no one could tell the order of selection, and had to be discarded. It seemed that no one was ever selected from the list anyway. The funds were set aside to be allocated to new buildings as a sort of subsidy. What many people don't know is that there are cheap vacant units available that no one is taking. Legitimate candidates were ignored.
The waiting list was over 5 years old. It was a mess so that no one could tell the order of selection, and had to be discarded. It seemed that no one was ever selected from the list anyway. The funds were set aside to be allocated to new buildings as a sort of subsidy. What many people don't know is that there are cheap vacant units available that no one is taking. Legitimate candidates were ignored.
Section 8 Vouchers are meant for needy people as they come available but the head of the housing dept just held them aside and dubbed them "Project Based Section 8 Centificates.'
' (The City in general provides higher than fair market rents to the developer which in turn provides fewer vouchers for those who truly need housing. The developers are provided Market or above market rents for inclusionary units--this results in the Double dipping (developer gets higher rent for an inclusionary unit and gets to claim that he is providing affordable housing) and the City gets less affordable housing.
This guarantees rental income for the developer, even on vacant units.
The city had to board up and set aside City built subsidized housing as not affordable for the city to keep under repair. The contractor responsible for managing the units was collecting extremely high fees and doing little or no work. The City leverage funds for ten years to repair these properties and in a couple of years they were inhabitable.
The Mayor and others had been ignoring this mess for years because the HUD subsidies were being funneled to new developments that the Mayor wanted.
The city had to board up and set aside City built subsidized housing as not affordable for the city to keep under repair. The contractor responsible for managing the units was collecting extremely high fees and doing little or no work. The City leverage funds for ten years to repair these properties and in a couple of years they were inhabitable.
The Mayor and others had been ignoring this mess for years because the HUD subsidies were being funneled to new developments that the Mayor wanted.
Cell Phone Towers
Maybe our City Hall doesn't feel like fighting Washington DC but the Mayor and Council refused to block the installation of Cell Phone Towers on the edge of a very nice residential neighborhood. The Mayor felt forced to avoid legal action from the Feds while the neighbors, in droves, wanted the Mayor to fight valiantly along side of them, win or lose.
The Mayor is like a father that thinks he knows best, but the citizens are under the impression that he is supposed to support what they want. Tell us what you think in the comments section.
The Mayor is like a father that thinks he knows best, but the citizens are under the impression that he is supposed to support what they want. Tell us what you think in the comments section.
Warm Water Pool Ignored by Council and Sc. Bd
Despite continuous lobbying from Council Member Dona Spring and many other handicapped warm water pool users, and despite voter passage of a bond messure years ago, the Mayor, the Council, and the School Board seem determined to tear down its landmarked building and run a $14 million bond issue to replace the pool on a small lot without parking for the users. The building could be fixed up for an estimated $3 million.
Several citizens have succeeded in landmarking the historic buildings on the South end of the High School property not only within Berkeley, but with a State Landmark designation too. They hope to stop the school board determination to demolish this beautiful facility.
You will remember that the Mayor tried to destroy the Landmark Preservation Ordinance and failed when citizens obtained enough signatures on a petition to block his developer friendly replacement ordinance.
Several citizens have succeeded in landmarking the historic buildings on the South end of the High School property not only within Berkeley, but with a State Landmark designation too. They hope to stop the school board determination to demolish this beautiful facility.
You will remember that the Mayor tried to destroy the Landmark Preservation Ordinance and failed when citizens obtained enough signatures on a petition to block his developer friendly replacement ordinance.
Where is the Mayor on preservation, adaptive re-use and building a sustainable future for our community? He is ignoring his own "Green--Measure G Rhetoric".
Thus is government in Berkeley these days, a continuous struggle to right the wrongs of the Mayor and Council by concerned citizens.
Photo Credit: Jakob Schiller, The Berkeley Daily Planet
Related entries:
Letters to the Editor, Warm Pools, 11.20.2007
BRT Bus Rapid Transit with Dedicated Lanes
Bates is trying to hide behind the Transportation Commission whose members and staff throttle off discussion of whether the BRT comes up at planning meetings.
BRT will take two lanes out of the middle of Telegraph Ave in Oakland, eliminate much of the parking in front of all the new little businesses that have grown up from 15th St. in Oakland, and Dwight Way in Berkeley, and lay waste the economic structure of what has rather surprisingly become a beautiful tree lined Boulevard in recent years.
Huge Van Hool diesel buses lumber up and down the Ave quickly now. It is hard to see value in tearing up the streets. It is easy to see the terrible congestion and destruction of businesses that will result. San Leandro told AC Transit no. So should Berkeley. In the non peak hours a bus will come by occasionally. In the mean time all 4 lanes of the street are busy with normal traffic. In peak hours droves of buses roam the streets, but the traffic flows for all. BRT would cause extreme jams.
Just last Friday night one N bound lane of Telegraph was blocked at 51st, completely j
amming traffic. We were headed to Kentucky fried chicken on Telegraph for dinner and ended up at a Thai restaurant on College Ave, trying to get out of the traffic jam.
Tom is not on the AC Board of Directors but he meets with members every week to push his agenda and is pushing with this program without much community support. Neighbors do not support this. The only supporters in meetings seem to be non Berkeley people who make their living working in traffic planning and have sort a religious belief in BRT.
BRT will take two lanes out of the middle of Telegraph Ave in Oakland, eliminate much of the parking in front of all the new little businesses that have grown up from 15th St. in Oakland, and Dwight Way in Berkeley, and lay waste the economic structure of what has rather surprisingly become a beautiful tree lined Boulevard in recent years.
Huge Van Hool diesel buses lumber up and down the Ave quickly now. It is hard to see value in tearing up the streets. It is easy to see the terrible congestion and destruction of businesses that will result. San Leandro told AC Transit no. So should Berkeley. In the non peak hours a bus will come by occasionally. In the mean time all 4 lanes of the street are busy with normal traffic. In peak hours droves of buses roam the streets, but the traffic flows for all. BRT would cause extreme jams.
Just last Friday night one N bound lane of Telegraph was blocked at 51st, completely j
amming traffic. We were headed to Kentucky fried chicken on Telegraph for dinner and ended up at a Thai restaurant on College Ave, trying to get out of the traffic jam.Tom is not on the AC Board of Directors but he meets with members every week to push his agenda and is pushing with this program without much community support. Neighbors do not support this. The only supporters in meetings seem to be non Berkeley people who make their living working in traffic planning and have sort a religious belief in BRT.
Bates voting for the Developer’s, turning Wright’s Garage into a Bar, illegal under local ordinance.
Elmwood: Bates supported the developer effort to turn Wright's Garage into a huge fancy restaurant that the neighborhood didn't want. This in turn cost both the neighbors and the developer (John Gordon) mucho extra bucks as the community sued the city and the developer to overturn this decision. It was clear at the Council meeting that the neighborhood overwhelmingly rejected this drastic change, but Bates, as usual, ignored the neighbors and voted with the developer.
The Zoning Adjustment Board approved a new use permit on Wright’s Garage, overstepping current regulations that place quotas on types of businesses on College Ave, and rules on alcohol consumption.On June 12, 2007, concerned citizens appealed to the Mayor and City Council for a public hearing on the matter. The City Council voted 4-3 in favor of holding a public hearing. Council Members Maio, Spring, Worthington and Anderson voted in favor of a public hearing. Mayor Bates and Council members Betty Olds and Darryl Moore opposed the public hearing. In order to grant a public hearing, at least five council members must affirm the motion. With two of the council members not voting, it was necessary for either Bates, Olds, or Moore to vote for the proposition. Rules required 5 votes to act and Council people Capitelli and Wozniak were recused from voting.
At the City Council meeting the following week, June 19, more people came to voice their opposition to both the ZAB decision and Mayor Bates unwillingness to grant a public hearing. After seeing the throngs of people, Bates "asked why it was on the agenda at all." The Daily Planet noted, “Bates reminded the some three dozen supporters of the appeal in the audience that they had lost the vote the previous week and that nothing would change when the council voted again.” So much for letting your voice be heard. Bates went on to say, “In essence you’ve had the public hearing—a one-sided hearing.” That night’s hearing being plainly ‘one-sided,’ Bates said without irony, because the developer, John Gordon, did not speak.
Of course, what was at stake, and what Bates apparently failed to understand, was not whether one commercial developer should be allowed to make an argument for building what he wants; the issue is whether or not the Zoning Adjustment Board should be setting aside clearly established ordinances without proper discussion with the surrounding community.
(See Daily Planet 6/22/2007: http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article1.cfm?archiveDate=06-22-07&storyID=27346)
Mayor Bates could not understand this concept or just did not care, and continually voted against the public hearing in City Council Meetings over the remaining thirty days, until the Zoning Adjustment Board decision became final. Subsequently a group of nearby neighbors sued the City and are negotiating with John Gordon on modifying the proposed use. The principal issues are size of the restaurant and percentage of alcohol sales to total sales.
(For final decision, See item 31 from 7/10/2007 meeting:
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/2007citycouncil/packet/071007/07-10s.htm)
Related Entries:
Mayor Bates Chides Citizens Opposed to New Wright's Garage Development. Highlights from 6/19/2007 City Council Meeting (ZAP Appeal)
The Mayor is not Considerate of Others
At the Council Meeting the Mayor as Chairman can schedule appearances. He uses this power to disaccommodate groups who wish to speak to the Council.
-Handicapped people were recently disrespected by the Mayor. They came to speak at the start of the meeting. Dona Spring asked the Mayor to let them speak early because of their condition and transportation needs, but the Mayor put them after two other groups, taking his turn to spend 37 minutes boasting about a new solar program of his in the meantime. Many of the handicapped people left before they could speak. This was absolutely inexcusable behavior.
-Elmwood neighbors were kept all evening until 11 pm for three meetings running to speak against the developer plans for Wright's Garage. When this writer mentioned this recall program recently at a meeting of these neighbors they all jumped to sign the petition. No love lost there.
-Members of the Public, who are often accustomed to be able to speak at 7 pm, are held over until 11 pm. The Mayor purposely uses his Chairmanship to disaccomodate folks he doesn't want to hear from.
-Handicapped people were recently disrespected by the Mayor. They came to speak at the start of the meeting. Dona Spring asked the Mayor to let them speak early because of their condition and transportation needs, but the Mayor put them after two other groups, taking his turn to spend 37 minutes boasting about a new solar program of his in the meantime. Many of the handicapped people left before they could speak. This was absolutely inexcusable behavior.
-Elmwood neighbors were kept all evening until 11 pm for three meetings running to speak against the developer plans for Wright's Garage. When this writer mentioned this recall program recently at a meeting of these neighbors they all jumped to sign the petition. No love lost there.
-Members of the Public, who are often accustomed to be able to speak at 7 pm, are held over until 11 pm. The Mayor purposely uses his Chairmanship to disaccomodate folks he doesn't want to hear from.
ICELAND Closes with Mayor's Blessing
Perhaps the largest turnout ever at the City Council grouped hockey players and figure skaters in a huge parade and yet at a subsequent meeting the Mayor supported tearing down the Rink and replacing it with housing. The Council voted him down and the Mayor said old skaters could put up a plaque. He was booed!!
The details here included a petition to "Landmark" Iceland which passed despite the Mayor and his cronies telling lies about the neighborhood and trying to eliminate an iconic Berkeley institution. It was our existing Landmark Preservation Ordinance that saved Iceland, an ordinance that the Mayor had tried to replace.
Today the Mayor is on the Rink's fund raising committee (clever politician that he is, switching sides when he lost) but there is no record of his producing the millions in funding that he continually produces for buildings that no one wants. It is possible for the Housing Advisory Commission (HAC), an advisory committee to the Council, to allocate several million dollars to Iceland, but I guess that the Mayor just "forgot" to push this button. When this was pointed out to the Iceland preservation people they were rather astounded.
The details here included a petition to "Landmark" Iceland which passed despite the Mayor and his cronies telling lies about the neighborhood and trying to eliminate an iconic Berkeley institution. It was our existing Landmark Preservation Ordinance that saved Iceland, an ordinance that the Mayor had tried to replace.
Today the Mayor is on the Rink's fund raising committee (clever politician that he is, switching sides when he lost) but there is no record of his producing the millions in funding that he continually produces for buildings that no one wants. It is possible for the Housing Advisory Commission (HAC), an advisory committee to the Council, to allocate several million dollars to Iceland, but I guess that the Mayor just "forgot" to push this button. When this was pointed out to the Iceland preservation people they were rather astounded.
The real question here is why the city closed it down in the first place (a put up job if I ever heard one) and why the city just didn't contribute the few hundred thousand dollars that the owners needed to replace the cooling plant and keep the rink open.
Hundreds of Berkeley figure skaters, hockey players (many kids), and recreational skaters have had to go out of town to find ice time. Iceland was and can again be the best community center for athletics that we have. I note that the new baseball field adjacent is locked to community use. Absurd decisions by nutty politicians.
Comments on the Recall and Voting.
The county says we need 17,000 signatures to recall the Mayor.
You can help. Email us and we'll help you gather signatures.
Gatherors will be on both sides of town almost daily. We have 58 days from Dec 6 to do this. This is sure to give the Mayor a wake up call.
If you see a table at your favorite grocery store, come on over and sign.
Also be sure to see if the Mayor's stooges are harassing the signature gathers. Do not expect him to play nice, because that is not his style.
If we get enough good signatures a new election will be set, probably for June, and anyone who wishes can run for Mayor.
Add your comments to any section of the blog, or email the blog a new section and we will try to publish it. Make suggestions or corrections to the blog. It is your blog, our blog, Berkeley's blog. Give us your thoughts. The email link is at the top of the blog.
An interesting side note is that the Alameda County recorder says that out of 105,000 or so residents of Berkeley we have 70,000 registered voters.
This is obvious nonsense. There must be 20,000 or more people who no longer live here who are still registered to vote. I wonder how many drop back into town to vote, or are the politicians still "voting the cemetery."
Politics in Berkeley are somewhat reminiscent of Chicago.
You can help. Email us and we'll help you gather signatures.
Gatherors will be on both sides of town almost daily. We have 58 days from Dec 6 to do this. This is sure to give the Mayor a wake up call.
If you see a table at your favorite grocery store, come on over and sign.
Also be sure to see if the Mayor's stooges are harassing the signature gathers. Do not expect him to play nice, because that is not his style.
If we get enough good signatures a new election will be set, probably for June, and anyone who wishes can run for Mayor.
Add your comments to any section of the blog, or email the blog a new section and we will try to publish it. Make suggestions or corrections to the blog. It is your blog, our blog, Berkeley's blog. Give us your thoughts. The email link is at the top of the blog.
An interesting side note is that the Alameda County recorder says that out of 105,000 or so residents of Berkeley we have 70,000 registered voters.
This is obvious nonsense. There must be 20,000 or more people who no longer live here who are still registered to vote. I wonder how many drop back into town to vote, or are the politicians still "voting the cemetery."
Politics in Berkeley are somewhat reminiscent of Chicago.
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