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Why recall the Mayor of Berkeley?

Mayor Tom Bates...


  • does not listen to the constituents of Berkeley

  • suppresses the concerns of citizens to satisfy developers

  • takes federal HUD Section 8 money (that should be used to help qualified tenants with rents) and slots it for developers so they can build high-density, modern apartment buildings in the heart of downtown, that will either remain empty, or be filled with students and young professionals. ( They are primarily filled w/ individuals NOT from Berkeley-- you might also want to know how units were left unfilled once people had died and the City continued to pay the developers rent on behalf of the deceased.)

  • Uses the "Green" movement as a pretext to overdevelop town, cut down trees, and transfer city, state, and federal funds to developers.

  • voted to rid Berkeley of Iceland, a landmark skating rink.

  • Does not notify the public in advance of important meetings

  • Provides no evidence for the claims he makes

  • No accommodation of those who wish to express dissent

  • Says, "Let's focus on obtaining federal/state funds now, and we'll worry about the final plans later," whether he's talking about procuring funding for the Ashby transit village or the BRT

  • On the Warm water pool--he should be supporting adaptive reuse and sustainability--the City's own letter to the BUSD stated that the building should be saved. Bates could apply for federal and State dollars to develop a preservation program vs using City GF dollars. He looks to us to carry the entire burden vs leveraging our dollars
  • another recall site is: http://berkeleyrecall.com/

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

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.
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