Thursday, October 24, 2024

November 2024 Summary

I finally finished all my election recommendation writeups. Here are links to the posts where I list how I'm voting in the November 2024 election (from least to most local):

State PropositionsBerkeley Measures

If you want the whole thing as a single document, here's a PDF -- all 25 pages of it. 

For the TLDR recommendations-only list, print pages 1-2, or read on...

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

State Propositions - Nov 2024

Here are my recommendations on California's 10 State Propositions:

State Propositions
2: YES for Bonds for Public Schools + Community Colleges
3: YES to Preserve Marriage Equality
4:YES for Natural Resources and Climate Change Bonds
5: YES YES YES to Allow Local Bonds for Affordable Housing and Public Infrastructure with 55% Voter Approval
6: YES to Prohibit Involuntary Servitude
32: YES to Raise Minimum Wage to $18 by 2026
33: YES to Expand Cities’ Control of Rent Increases for Vacant Units
34: NO to Protect Non-Profit’s Abilities to Engage in Politics
35: NO NO NO to Too-Complicated Ballot-Box Budgeting that will Worsen CA’s Deficit
36: NO NO NO, don’t Reinstate Three Strikes and the War on Drugs

See separate posts for recommendations on Berkeley ballot measuresBerkeley elected officials (city council, school board, rent board), and other elected officials (from President to local districts + Alameda County).

For details on state propositions, read on ..

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Federal, State, Alameda County, & District Elected Officials - Nov. 2024

Here are my recommendations on the elected officials I vote on above the city level -- Alameda County, Special Districts, and State + Federal elected officials. Plus this is where I link to others who cover wider parts of the East Bay than I do. First the TLDR summary ...

Federal & State Elected Officials:

President/Vice-President: Kamala Harris & Tim Walz
US Senator (both races): Adam Schiff
US Congress, 12th District: Lateefah Simon
CA Senate, 7th District: Jesse Arreguin
CA Assembly, 14th District: Buffy Wicks

Alameda County Elected Officials:
Supervisor, 5th District: John Bauters
NO NO NO on the Recall of Pamela Price, Alameda County District Attorney

Special Districts:
*BART District 3: Barnali Ghosh
BART District 7: Victor Flores
*AC Transit, Ward 1: Christian Peeples
*AC Transit, Ward 2: Jean Walsh 

*Note: uncontested races, so they won't show up on your ballot, but you should know who's representing you!

Plus (for all of you who ask me about Oakland and other East Bay races), see below for recommendations from knowledgeable and like-minded friends. 

See other posts for Berkeley ballot measures, Berkeley elected officials, and the state propositions (coming soon!).

For details, read on!

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Berkeley Elected Officials - Nov 2024

Here are my recommendations for Berkeley elected officials (city council, school board, rent board)

Berkeley Elected Officials:
Mayor: Adena Ishii
City Council District 2: Terry Taplin
City Council, District 3: Matthews #1, Bartlett #2
City Council, District 5: No endorsement
City Council, District 6: Andy Katz #1, Brent Blackaby #2
School Board: Corn, Vasudeo
Rent Stabilization Board: Kelley, Twu

See other posts for Berkeley ballot measures, other elected officials (from President to local districts + Alameda County), and the state propositions (coming soon!).

For details, read on...

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Berkeley Measures - Nov. 2024

Here are my recommendations on Berkeley’s 12 (!!) ballot measures.  

Berkeley Measures
W: Yes to Update/Extend Berkeley’s Transfer Tax to Pay for Homelessness Services
X: Yes to Support Berkeley’s Libraries 
Y: Yes to Support Berkeley Parks
Z: Yes to Extend Sugary Beverages Tax
AA: Yes to Extend Voter-Approved Spending Limits
DD: No Endorsement on Prohibition of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
HH: NO on Extremely Poorly Designed Indoor Air Quality Measure

See separate posts for recommendations on Berkeley elected officials (city council, school board, rent board), other elected officials (from President to local districts + Alameda County) and the state propositions (coming soon!).

For details on Berkeley's measures, read on ...

GG: No on Poorly Crafted Measure for Large Buildings Fossil Fuel Tax

GG: NO on Poorly Crafted Measure for a Large Buildings Fossil Fuel Tax

At first blush, Measure GG looked good: it taxes something we want to reduce (natural gas use) and uses the revenues to support good things. But after I read more about its impacts and the nuances of the measure, I concluded that Measure GG is a poorly-crafted measure that won’t actually incentivize lower emissions in a fair and sustainable way. I hope proponents will go back to the drawing board and work with the city to put a better plan forward. 

I'm voting No on GG. 

Yes on FF, No on EE: Berkeley, Nov 2024

EE + FF: YES on FF / NO on EE - Safer + Smoother Streets for Everyone

There are two competing measures that both would fund safety improvements and repairs for Berkeley’s streets and sidewalks. They’re complicated to unravel and they relate to an area where I have a couple decades of work experience (transportation policy), so apologies in advance for the very long writeup. 

TLDR: I’m voting YES on FF and No on EE. 

For more, read on …