Nov 2020 Berkeley

Here are my recommendations on Berkeley’s measures and elected officials:

Berkeley Measures

FF: Yes to Parcel Tax for Emergency Services

GG - Yes for Trip Tax on Transportation Network Companies (Uber+Lyft)

HH - Yes for Utility Users tax for Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

II - Yes for a new Police Accountability Board

JJ - Yes for Higher Mayor + Council salaries

KK - Yes to Update Outdated Parts of the City Charter

LL - Yes to Extend Voter-Approved Spending Limits

MM - No Endorsement on Complicated Measure on Rent Control and ADUs

Berkeley Elected Officials

School Board: Laura Babitt and Ana Vasudeo

Mayor: Jesse Arreguin

City Council, District 2: Terry Taplin #1 (plus #2 Carter, #3 Sharenko)

City Council, District 3: Deborah Matthews #1, Ben Bartlett #2

City Council, District 5: No endorsement

City Council, District 6: No endorsement

Rent Stabilization Board: Marasovic, Johnson, Kelley, Simon-Weisberg, and either Ahmadi or Panahi

For details, read on ...

Nov 2020: Alameda County Measures, Judges, + Elected Officials (Federal-State-Special Districts)

Here are my recommendations on Alameda County’s measures plus elected officials from the federal down to county/district level.

Alameda County 

Measure V: Yes for Utility Users Tax Unincorporated areas

Measure W: YES YES YES for Housing and Services for People Suffering from Homelessness

Federal + State offices
President: Biden-Harris
U.S. Representative, 13th Congressional District: Barbara Lee
CA State Senator, 9th Senate District: Nancy Skinner
CA State Assembly, 15th Assembly District: Buffy Wicks
CA State Assembly, 18th Assembly District: Rob Bonta

Special Districts:

AC Transit At-Large: Chris Peeples

AC Transit Ward 1: Wallace

AC Transit Ward 2: Jean Walsh

BART District 1: Jamie Salcido

BART District 3: Rebecca Saltzman

BART District 7: Lateefah Simon

East Bay Regional Parks Ward 1: Elizabeth Echols

Plus (for all of you who ask me about Oakland every year), see below for a friend's recommendations. 

For details, read on ...

Nov 2020 State Propositions

Here are my recommendations for the state propositions. Details are below the jump. 

14: No: Health Care & Schools are Better Uses of State Tax $$ than Medical Research

15: YES YES YES for Schools + Communities First

16: YES YES YES to Support Racial and Gender Equality

17: YES YES YES to restore voting rights to people on parole

18: YES to Allow Some 17 year-olds to Vote in Primaries

19: NO NO NO to a Cynical Ploy to Reinforce Racial + Wealth Inequities in Property Taxes

20: NO NO NO - Don’t Reimpose Harsh Sentencing that Creates Overcrowded Prisons

21: YES to allow CA Cities to Use Rent Control

22: NO NO NO - don’t let Uber+Lyft be exempt from labor law and subvert democracy

23: NO, cuz OMFG why are we voting on Dialysis rules again?

24: NO to revising Consumer Privacy Protections

25: YES to Confirm Law Eliminating Cash Bail … and then fix the alternative

And now for the detailed writeups on each measure ...