Measure AA — Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax: SUPPORT

Raises Berkeley’s existing soda tax from 1 cent to 2 cents per fluid ounce and converts it to a dedicated special tax. The basis for supporting the measure lies in our State and Local Finance Position which grants “consideration of expanding the sales tax base to include carefully defined non-essential food items, such as candy, and admissions to amusements.”

The basis for League support lies in a 2021 California Public Health Department report that states that a 2 cent per ounce state tax on sugary beverages would reduce health care costs by 1.8 billion. The League has an established Health care position as well that is aligned with how the tax revenue will reportedly be used. Specifically, the proceeds will be reserved for projects to fight diet-related conditions like Type 2 Diabetes obesity, heart disease, tooth decay, and offer public health and nutrition education. Additionally, funding will be directed to fund access to clean water and healthier foods. The League supported the measure in 2014, the year the sugary sales tax first passed and continues to support the sales tax based on the League of Women Voters of California State and Local Finances and Health care positions. Vote Yes on AA!

Source (https://www.lwvbae.org/league-news/vote-with-the-league-nov-2024-2)

Measure U — Infrastructure & Facilities Bond: SUPPORT

Authorizes up to $300 million in general obligation bonds for emergency response facilities, parks, seismic and climate resilience upgrades, and replacing aging natural gas infrastructure. Although the City has sensibly increased investment in critical infrastructure in recent years, it requires an estimated $2 billion of investment in capital assets to maintain and upgrade its aging infrastructure. This $300 million bond measure is a step in a healthy direction for the City to meet its capital needs and move towards developing a long-term multi-year plan the public understands. This measure helps address critical needs that if not acted upon, will only become more expensive if the City doesn’t take pragmatic action in the right direction now. This needed measure requires two-thirds voter approval to invest in Berkeley’s current needs and those coming on the horizon and should be a part of long-term planning and investment strategy. Vote Yes on U!

Source (https://www.lwvbae.org/league-news/vote-with-the-league-nov-2024-2)

Measure V — Sales Tax for the General Fund: SUPPORT

Adds a 0.5% sales and use tax to help close Berkeley’s general fund budget gap, generating an estimated $9–10 million a year, that brings the City’s sales tax rate up to reflect the sales tax rate in most cities in Alameda County. City officials have warned that without the tax revenue the measure will raise, the City is at risk of closing the North Berkeley fire station and laying off police officers and firefighters.

As previously stated, the increase simply brings the sales tax up to the level of  most Alameda County municipalities. The LWVBAE position on revenue and taxation emphasizes “adequacy,” so municipalities have the revenue needed to carry out the basic functions of a properly managed city, which include maintaining public safety departments at reasonable staffing levels. Further, the League’s position on climate change directs us to ensure the City has adequate fire mitigation infrastructure in an era of worsening climate change.  Vote YES on V!

Source (https://www.lwvbae.org/league-news/vote-with-the-league-nov-2024-2)

Measure W — Election & Administrative Charter Amendments: SUPPORT

Makes multiple updates to Berkeley’s charter covering candidate filing fees, the Fair Elections public financing program, recall and referendum procedures, and redistricting rules. Measure W makes 11  changes to the City Charter, with three carrying substantive weight and eight aligning existing city language with state law.

Policy positions applied: Campaign Finance and DEI.

Filing fee drops from $150 to the state code amount, currently $25. Direct barrier removal at the exact margin where first-time candidates without institutional backing decide whether to run.
Candidate statements no longer require place of birth, place of residence, or taxpayer status. Birthplace disclosure invites nativist filtering, taxpayer status functions as a wealth screen, and home address disclosure is a safety exposure that falls hardest on candidates who already receive harassment.
Public financing administrative cap rises from $250K to $400K. Increasing funding to keep up with rising costs is what keeps a public financing program relevant, helpful, and true to its democratic mission.

The measure is aligned with the League’s long commitment to expanding opportunities for citizens to run for public office, without the lack of personal wealth standing in the way as a prohibitive barrier. Investing in Berkeley’s public financing of campaign system expands opportunities and helps to reduce the outsized influence Big Money has in our political system. Vote Yes on W!

Source (https://www.lwvbae.org/league-news/vote-with-the-league-nov-2024-2)

Measure X — Rent Stabilization Ordinance Amendments: SUPPORT

Updates Berkeley’s rent control law with a combination of tenant protections and administrative changes. Measure X amends Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization and Eviction for Just Cause Ordinance in several ways. It would make most rent-control and registration exemptions unavailable when a unit was not exempt at the start of the current tenancy; require notice to preserve the exemption for certain owner-occupied duplexes; permit fee reductions or waivers for subsidized units owned or leased by qualifying nonprofits; change the annual registration deadline; cap any periodic rent increase at 10% even when a landlord has accumulated (“banked”) prior annual adjustments; and extend tenant-association rights to some smaller properties.

The strongest basis for support is LWVBAE’s Berkeley rent-control position. It says Berkeley’s program should regulate rent increases and protect tenants from unwarranted increases while providing landlords a fair return; protect against arbitrary, discriminatory, and retaliatory evictions while preserving eviction for just cause; maintain Berkeley’s socioeconomic diversity; maintain the quality and quantity of housing; and make the system clear, predictable, efficient and fair. Measure X is largely consistent with those goals: several provisions are administrative clarifications, the exemption rule improves predictability for existing tenants, and the 10% cap protects tenants against unusually large, accumulated increases without reducing the ordinary Annual General Adjustment formula itself.

There are also favorable precedents. In 2004 LWVBAE supported Berkeley Measure O, which established the current CPI-based rent-adjustment formula because the League believed it better balanced tenant and landlord interests while increasing predictability. Vote Yes on X!

Source (https://www.lwvbae.org/league-news/vote-with-the-league-nov-2024-2)