Sophie Hahn - On The Issues
Berkeley needs leaders who listen, seek win-win solutions, and put ideas into action. With an amazing pool of local talent, our city should be a model of good government: relevant, respectful, well-managed and responsive to community opinions and needs.
As I meet with more of you in the weeks to come, I will continue to incorporate your hopes and ideas into my plans. Once elected, I will regularly exchange ideas with constituents and engage them in the development and wellbeing of our community. Please read on for thoughts on some important issues!
Sustainable Transportation for District 5
- I will bring together local residents and business owners to craft transportation solutions that respond to the unique topography, demographics and shopping patterns of our District. To help meet the city’s goal of reducing greenhouse gasses, I will seek better options for walkers and bikers and explore the possibility of shuttles to bring goods and people back home. To be successful, we must develop ideas closely tailored to local conditions and needs.
Support for Small Businesses
- The character, scale and diversity of our shopping districts are huge assets. But many of our small businesses struggle to survive. Supporting them means much more than help with permits. As a former small business owner and lifelong local customer, I will engage with District 5’s businesses to address the full spectrum of their concerns, and launch a vigorous campaign to "shop local."
- A mix of relevant merchants increases patronage for all, and reduces the need to drive around - and out of - town. After consultation with local residents about their shopping needs, I will work with building owners and agents to attract complementary businesses our community will patronize.
Improving Public Safety and Community Organization
- Safety is an important issue for District 5. We are bisected by the Hayward Fault, and have experienced an increase in both property and, sadly, violent crime. I will spearhead the organization of District 5 neighborhoods for Disaster Preparedness and to increase participation in the Police Department’s “Crime Watch” initiative. An important bonus of block-by-block organization will be increased community among neighbors, and better communication among residents, our fire and police departments, and City Hall.
- Pedestrian safety, streets and sidewalks, path and park maintenance, signage and other “everyday” matters are ongoing local concerns. Residents who travel our streets are the best source of information about what works and what needs to be fixed. Rather than wait to respond to dangerous incidents or complaints, I will create an online forum for residents to identify problems and suggest improvements, big and small.
Downtown, Development and Livability
- Our residents have significant buying power, want to shop in Berkeley and yearn for an engaging, accessible, appropriately scaled downtown. Their vision for our community - and their shopping and entertainment needs - should form the basis for shaping our commercial areas. I will work to expedite the revitalization of Downtown Berkeley - and other common and commercial areas - to meet the community’s desires and needs - and generate much needed revenues.
- An extremely important issue for District 5 is the proposed rebuilding of the Safeway at Rose and Henry/Shattuck. Properly conceived and designed; responsive to the community; and mindful that the site marks an important commercial/residential gateway; this development could enhance our neighborhood for years to come. Unfortunately, current plans do not show this level of promise. I will work with Safeway and the community to achieve an appropriately scaled and high quality project. Our community expects no less.
- Another Safeway development, the Solano Avenue Safeway in Albany (at the Berkeley border), directly impacts District 5 residents and merchants. I will reach out and work cooperatively with the City of Albany to make sure that the concerns of Berkeley neighbors are considered in the development of this important store and property.
- One of the most attractive aspects of District 5 is its beauty. Trees, parks and gardens, well-loved properties and varied architecture are hallmarks. When considering development, transit and other changes within our District – and throughout Berkeley -- aesthetics, green spaces, appropriate scale and livability for current residents will always figure prominently in my decisions.
Fiscal Responsibility:
- Berkeley residents have shown themselves to be generous and caring citizens – supporting schools, libraries, healthcare, low income housing, services for the homeless and disabled and many other progressive, compassionate programs. We deserve open, responsive government, careful fiscal oversight and the active pursuit of revenue sources other than increased residential taxes.
- The recent Marines/Code pink situation has cost the City well over $200,000 in police overtime and other related expenses. We can not afford expensive distractions which divert monies from city services – especially in a time of economic downturn.
Strong Support for Youth and Education:
- Educating our children and ensuring they go on to lead healthy, productive and fulfilling lives is a fundamental task of the entire community – not just parents and schools. I will work to leverage city resources for the benefit of our children, coordinating youth programs more closely with schools and other agencies, expanding programs where possible, and encouraging UC Berkeley and local employers to invest more in the future of Berkeley’s youth. No child in Berkley should leave high school without a life plan, and the skills, education, resources and support to move on to college, or to a well-paid job.
- Berkeley’s teachers and schools do an amazing job, with limited resources. City residents have repeatedly voted to supplement shrinking State school funding, and private fundraising efforts add more. But local assessments and fundraisers can not make up for shamefully low State funding. And the disparity in educational outcomes among Berkeley’s youths is morally unacceptable in a community that values equity, and civil and human rights. As an elected official of the City of Berkeley, I will join with other Bay Area elected officials to lobby the State relentlessly. The future of our city and State depend on increased State educational funding, from pre-school through graduate degrees.
Improved Relations with UC Berkeley:
- The City’s relationship with UC Berkeley must be improved. Although sources of friction are built-in, and the larger community’s interests must be preserved, our destinies as a community are linked. As a UC Berkeley graduate, daughter of a UC Professor Emeritus and a life-long member of the greater Berkeley community, I will work hard to find common ground and develop fair, positive collaborations.
Enhanced Participation and Communication:
- I trust our residents; our democratic system is given life through their participation. All my work in District 5 – and throughout Berkeley -- will be undertaken in the spirit of building community and increasing communication between residents and City Hall. I will maintain regular office hours and will step-out to meet residents in their neighborhoods and homes. The Internet provides greatly enhanced opportunities for communication and participation: I will create online forums to facilitate the exchange of ideas and engage more citizens in the development and wellbeing of our community.
