We received 2 completed questionnaires, from Laurie Capitelli and Sophie Hahn.

Your Name:    Laurie Capitelli
Address:     Sonoma Avenue, Berkeley

Email:    

Website:    laurie4council.com (pending)

1.  Motivation -- Why did you choose to run for this office?    I have lived in Berkeley for over 45 years. I know my community and have a deep affection for it. I have the skills and knowledge to analyze issues and bring divergent interests to common ground. My community participation has given me perspective on many issues facing our community from education to land use to economic development to our beautiful natural and built environments.

2.  Priorities -- What do you believe are the main priorities for your office?  What are some specific tasks (e.g. specific legislation, policies, et.) you intend to accomplish while in office?
My first priority must be to protect the existing resources of our community as we evolve and change. Change is inevitable…it is only a matter of guiding it to further enhance the values of our community. Over the past 4 years I have actively supported the protection of our watershed bringing on a fulltime watershed planner;  sought to balance the interests of property owners with the need to protect our creeks; vigorously supported affordable housing along our transit corridors; supported appropriate downtown and West Berkeley economic development. I want to continue efforts toward downtown revitalization and developing ‘green’ business opportunities in our community to generate jobs for our youth and bring badly needed resources to our community.

3.  Qualifications -- Please give a brief summary of your background and qualifications for being a City Councilmember.
I have served for 4 years each on both the Planning Commission and the Zoning Adjustments Board. I served as chair of both bodies. I chaired the Mayor’s Taskforce on the Permitting Process bringing together widely divergent interests to forward consensus recommendations to the City Council. I have also served on the Board of the Berkeley Public Education Foundation for almost 20 years (2 years as President).
In 1991 I cofounded the Elmwood Theater Foundation (a nonprofit) with a group of Elmwood neighbors. Our purpose was to purchase the theater which was slated for demolition by an Oakland developer; restore it; and find an operator to run it. We were successful in doing so and the theater is now an integral part of the Elmwood shopping district.

4.  Instant Runoff Voting -- The voters of Berkeley overwhelmingly passed instant runoff voting in 2004, but it has not yet been implemented in Berkeley by the County Registrar of Voters.  What will you do to insure that there will be instant runoff voting for the 2010 City Council and Mayoral elections?
I am fully supportive of IRV and see absolutely no reason that it should not be implemented for the next election…assuming that all required government bodies outside of Berkeley certify its’ use. I will work with the City Clerk to insure such implementation.

5.  Public Campaign Financing -- Would you support a pilot program for financing mayoral campaigns in 2012?  Would you support a measure on the Berkeley 2010 ballot in favor of full or partial public financing?  Please elaborate.
I am fully supportive of a pilot for financing the next Mayoral campaign. I do not support public financing of council campaigns at this time. Campaign contribution limits in Berkeley do not permit individuals to ‘buy’ votes or influence with large contributions.

6.  U.C. Berkeley-- Are there any conflicts between U.C.’s long range development plan and the City of Berkeley’s area and general plans?  What remedies would you support?  What ideas do you have for trying to get more accountability from U.C. in its proposed long range plan for both the U.C. and the LBNL campus?  Would you support taking legal action if necessary?  What is your position on the current campus Oak Grove and athletic facility controversy?
This is one of the most difficult issues facing our community. The ‘deck is stacked’ against the City in practical terms as the University acts as an entity unto itself. I believe that various stakeholders must commit to a reasoned exchange and dedicate themselves to a consensus process. I also believe the University must set an outside limit to its growth and stay within that envelope. If we are not able to do this, I would support state legislation to limit UC development and compel accommodation to UC host communities.

I would prefer that the University locate the athletic facility in a less vulnerable location. I fully support the seismic retrofit of Memorial Stadium. I have supported legal action in the past and would do so in the future if appropriate.

I am also eager to receive the DAPAC/Planning Commission recommendations on the future of the downtown. This has been a collaborative process with UC and may serve as a model for future discussions.


7.  What is your 10 year plan for downtown Berkeley and our other commercial districts?
I am very excited about the downtown and believe we are on the cusp of a revitalized neighborhood. We can anticipate the David Brower Center coming on line in the next year; the development of a new University Art Museum and the Judas Magnes Museum; the completion of the Arpeggio Housing Project; and the completion of the renovation of the Shattuck Hotel. The council will take under consideration the new downtown plan this fall and that will be an exciting and engaging discussion. We also have the possibility of a conference center adjacent to the art museum at Shattuck and Center Streets with the opportunity to develop an inviting pedestrian environment along that corridor.

Preservation of our neighborhood commercial districts is high on my list. I have lived within 3 blocks of both Solano Avenue and Monterey Market for over 30 years. These are pedestrian friendly local shopping areas that serve us well. They must be treated with reverence as we move into the future. The nature of commercial districts evolves over time. The impact of big box retailers, ‘shopping’ on the internet, and the cannibalizing of our retail markets by our neighbors (i.e. Emeryville, El Cerrito Plaza, Target in Albany) compel us to continually evaluate our own markets to provide maximum flexibility and minimal barriers to encourage small, independent businesses to join our community.

8.  Automobiles -- What policies should the city take to reduce automobile use and make the city friendlier to pedestrians and other non-automobile transportation?  Should the city do anything about parking in the downtown area and, if so, what?  
I am very excited about some of the proposals being considered. I am exploring with the Mayor’s office a whole host of ideas from local BART shuttles links to neighborhoods; fare free zones on AC transit; jitney service to BART, downtown, and other shopping districts. I have worked with the police and other city staff to develop programs to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety in my district. Traffic calming is a key tool for creating safer pedestrian and bicycle environments for all of our citizens. Education and observance of good practices is also key…not only for drivers but pedestrians and bicyclists.

Regarding parking in the downtown…too reduce auto use we must provide reliable and timely public transportation services to the downtown…but we also must provide an adequate parking supply using best practices to best utilize those resources. This includes full implementation of our TDM program. I do not support expanding the parking supply at this time beyond the reconstruction of the Center Street Garage. We must invest in other means to access the downtown before considering such.

I also serve as Berkeley’s representative on the Bay Area wide Citizens Advisory Commission for the projected ferry system which includes a terminal in Berkeley. The prospect of a comprehensive ferry system on our waterways is challenging and I am privileged to participate in the process.

9.  Safety --What are the most important issues of public safety facing the residents of Berkeley?  What kinds of programs are useful for creating a safe environment for all people?
Berkeley is probably one of the better prepared communities in California in regards to our biggest threat…the Hayward fault. The seismic tax credit has been used by thousands of homeowners to retrofit their properties. It is now time to fully address the retrofit needs of soft story apartment units. This will demand creative approaches regarding financing, staging, and potential disruption of tenants.

One of the best ways to create safe environments is for neighbors to join together at a variety of levels; disaster preparedness and knowledge; cache development; an inventory of neighborhood resources (people and supplies); and the concept of ‘eyes on the street’. When we know our neighbors we are more fully engaged in preparing ourselves for the small and large public safety issues which we will inevitably have to deal with. The City should take an active role in organizing neighborhoods throughout our community.

I have been very active in developing a pedestrian safety plan and look forward to the Pedestrian Safety Master Plan coming to the council for review. We must look to methods for changing the ‘driving culture’ in our community and slow autos down while encouraging pedestrians and bicyclists to observe the ‘rules of the road’.

10. How will you work to make Berkeley sustainable for the long term, both economically and environmentally?
Sustainability must be approached in a variety of ways. I have recently begun to study the issues around recycling and trash disposal visiting other sites in the Bay Area. In the next few years we will be rebuilding our transfer station and I would hope that it will be a state of the art facility. We need to examine the implications of single versus multi stream recycling and design our new facilities for maximum flexibility as the technology of recycling and waste management evolves.

We also need to review our building codes to see where we can develop regulation that will encourage green building. We need to encourage new buildings and remodeling projects to use best practices in this area. Construction and demolition debris accounts for a substantial portion of our landfill demands. The regulatory has already begun and I look forward to participating to fully implement new recommendations and regulations.

Transportation is the biggest contributor to green house gases. As I stated above, we need to find alternative transportation structures to keep more cars off the street and move ourselves around more efficiently. We need to maintain our ‘walkable’ neighborhoods as our community evolves.

I am also excited about the Climate Action Plan being developed in the Mayor’s office. As a community, we must now move from broad policy adoption (Measure G) to practical implementation. This will require change in the way we go about our daily activities and we must approach it fully cognizant of people’s wariness of such change. It must be perceived as a win/win situation. It is easy to adopt broad policy…it is more difficult to change one’s behavior.

11.  Please explain the conflict around Bus Rapid Transit in Berkeley.  Are you in favor of BRT as currently proposed by ACTransit?  Are you in favor of the BRT ballot measure?
BRT is a transportation proposal to have a premium bus route between downtown
Berkeley and San Leandro. Much of this route would involve a dedicated bus lane and expedited stoplight timing for public transit with raised boarding platforms to create easy access for riders. Concerns have been expressed about the potential impact on adjacent residential neighborhoods (diversion of traffic), additional traffic congestion, a loss of street parking, and other potential negative consequences for businesses along the route.
AC Transit has requested that the city identify a ‘preferred alternative’ for a BRT system. I am generally supportive of the concept of BRT but will reserve judgment until a full EIR is produced for evaluation.

I am opposed to the BRT ballot initiative. It is bad government to tie the hands of this council and all future councils as it would limit virtually any right of way changes in the future. We today cannot anticipate the needs of the future.

12.  The city and the school board have proposed a ballot measure for the June 2010 to fund a warm water pool.  Would you support that measure.  Please explain.
I will support such a proposal if the plans are reasonable and affordable. There have been various proposals brought forth in the past which I believed were unrealistic in terms of cost and size of facility. The proposal should be scaled to provide services to the size of the population using the facility.

13.  What is your opinion of the current sunshine ordinance proposal and what changes would you make?  Please explain.
I believe Berkeley has one of the most open and transparent decision making processes in the state. Citizens have access to policy makers at an unprecedented level. We have an elaborate system of boards and commissions which vet policy decisions from a variety of perspectives. I fully support an open and efficient sunshine policy.     

14.  Endorsements -- Who has endorsed you so far?  Who do you expect to endorse you?
Endorsers as of August 21, 2008

Tom Bates, Mayor of Berkeley
Linda Maio, Berkeley City Council, District 1
Darryl Moore, Berkeley City Council, District 2
Max Anderson, Berkeley City Council, District 3
Betty Olds, Berkeley City Council, District 6
Gordon Wozniak, Berkeley City Council, District 8
John T. Selawsky, President, Berkeley School Board
Nancy Riddle, Vice President, Berkeley School Board
Joaquin J. Rivera, Berkeley School Board Director
Shirley Issel, Berkeley School Board Director
Karen Hemphill, Berkeley School Board Director
Loni Hancock, State Assemblywoman, 14th District
Miriam Hawley, Former District 5 City Council Member
Nancy Skinner, East Bay Regional Parks District Director
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, Educator/Nonprofit Director
Terry Doran, Former President Berkeley School Board; Member Zoning     Adjustments Board
Therese Powell, Chair, Board of Library Trustees
Carrie Olson, Member, Landmarks Preservation Commission
Harry Pollack, Former Chair of Planning Commission
Mary Friedman, Former Executive Director, Berkeley Public Education Foundation
Linda Schacht, UC Faculty, Journalist
Norman LaForce, Chair, San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club
Sylvia C. McLaughlin, environmentalist

Organziations
SEIU Local
Alameda County Central Labor Council AFL-CIO

INDIVIDUALS

Fernando Agudelo-Silva
Theodore Akulian
Joanne Backman
Dick and Carolyn Beahrs
Judy Boe
Tony Bruzzone
Larry Carlson
boona cheema
Margaret Corrigon
Mike Drew
Bob Epstein
Larry Gibbs
Kathy Freistadt
Stan Friedman
Sherry Gendelman
Miles Graber
Margaret Gurdziel
Bob Hawley
Bob and Kathy Helliesen
Barbara Hendrickson
Kathryn Hill
Richard Hill
Tak Hirahara
Ken & Toshiko Holland
Christopher Hudson
Mike Issel
Elyce Judith
Celia Karian
Billy Karp
Ali Kashani
Robert and Diana Kehlmann
Lori Kyle
Bob Laird
Casey Laird
Sam Laird
Susan Levine
Dan & Emily Loeb
Stanley & Judith Lubman
Jill and Piero Martinucci
Nils Moe
Nancy Mueller
John Norheim
Jim Novosel
Barbara and Phil O’Hay
Trina Ostrander
Tim and Linda Perry
Jon Ricardi
Paul and Connie Riccardi
Karen Rice
Isaiah Roter
Amy Roth
Julie Sinai
Brad Smith
David Snippen
Hilda and Henry Steckel
Anita Thede
David and Elizabeth Trachtenberg
Russell Vincent
R.C. Wong
Don Yost

15.  Anything Else? -- Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?
I am committed to the best for Berkeley. Many of us hold strong and passionate perspectives as to what are community should be about and what direction our community should take. We need to be equally as passionate and committed to finding common ground amongst us and building a consensus toward a vision for our future.