Envrionmental Transportation and Land Use Election Forum for Berkeley City Council C'dates

Seven of the ten official candidates to the Berkeley City Council participated in this Environmental Transportation and Land Use Election Forum filmed at Berkeley Community Media for air on Berkeley Cable Access, channel 33.

The Forum was co-sponsored by many local transportation and land use groups (see the questions section to see which groups asked which questions, and their web pages).

The video and photos of the candidates are posted below.

In addition to being posted here, the program will air repeatedly on Channel 33 in Berkeley:

+ Mon 10/25/04 11:00 AM Channel 33
+ Mon 10/25/04 10:00 PM Channel 33
+ Wed 10/27/04 11:00 AM Channel 33
+ Thu 10/28/04 11:00 AM Channel 33
+ Thu 10/28/04 05:00 PM Channel 33
+ Fri 10/29/04 10:00 PM Channel 33
+ Sat 10/30/04 11:00 AM Channel 33
+ Sun 10/31/04 09:00 PM Channel 33
+ Mon 11/01/04 10:00 PM Channel 33

The Questions asked of the candidates are as follows:

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ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE FORUM
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PRELIMINARY SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS
(One word preferred, several sentences okay.)

Asked by Moderator Helen Burke, former EBMUD director, local environmental activist and a current member of the Berkeley Planning Commission.

Waste management:

Berkeley currently recycles 50% of its solid waste, the rest is sent to a
land fill. The Ecology Center and other local environmentalists want the
City to step up its recycling effectiveness to match or exceed Alameda
County's Measure D, which calls for 75% resource recovery by 2010 and 0% waste by 2020. Other cities, including San Francisco and Santa Cruz, are setting their sites on a Zero Waste Goal. If elected, would you support a
Zero Waste Goal for Berkeley?

Transportation:

Parking structures are rarely built to be adapted to new uses, such as
housing or retail. If the City is successful in reducing automobile use
as it says it will, useless parking garages will need to be torn down,
whereas if they were built to be adaptable, they could be more quickly and
economically converted to other uses. Do you support maximizing the
convertibility of any parking structures built in Berkeley?

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LONG-ANSWER QUESTIONS (asked by co-sponsoring groups)

Question # 1: DOWNTOWN PARKING AND VISTA MITIGATION FUND

time limit: 2 minutes
presented by: Rob Wrenn of the Berkeley Ecological and Safe Transportation Coalition (Berkeley BEST)

http://www.berkeleybest.org/

The City is currently negotiating with Vista College over $3.6 million in
mitigation funds promised in the EIR for its new building on Center Street.

Three positions for how the funds should be used can be identified:

Many environmentalists feel that since the City¹s General Plan prioritizes
transportation demand management over parking, that all the money should
be used for transit, pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

The Transportation Commission has recommended that 55% of the funds go to transit, pedestrian and bicycle improvements and 45% should go to parking improvements in downtown, including the possible rebuilding of the City¹s Center Street public parking garage. The Commission based this on the fact that only about 45% of students and staff coming to Vista classes require parking.

And finally, some downtown merchants would like to see all or a large majority of the funds devoted to rebuilding and expanding the Center Street garage.

Which, if any of these positions do you support and more generally what
kind of priority do you feel that parking should have relative to promotion of alternative modes of transportation?

************************************************

MODERATOR: Our next question is a short-answer question provided by Robert Hickey of Urban Ecology.

PRESENTED BY: Robert Hickey, Urban Ecology
http://www.urbanecology.org/

Traditionally, celebrating diversity has been a Berkeley core value. The
built environment can reflect diversity by promoting mixed land uses with
a range of housing types and choices for transportation. Density near
transit and infill housing benefits a large section of those who choose
not to or cannot afford cars, with wide reaching environmental benefits as
well as social equity benefits. Do you promote diversity in the social fabric by planning and advocating for places that provide for a mix of people with a range of needs, backgrounds and income levels?


QUESTION 2: DENSITY/ TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

time limit: 2 minutes [cut to 1 minute, big mistake, should have had at least 1.5 minutes as candidates ran out of time]

presented by: Kirstin Miller, Ecocity Builders
question: (this one is a bit long; maybe 1.5 minutes)

http://www.ecocitybuilders.org/

Berkeley's General Plan endorses the concept of transit-oriented development, that is: locating housing and new development in areas of the
city with good transit service such as in Downtown or above Ashby BART. At the same time, many environmentalists also want open space and natural
features such as creeks incorporated into development of areas with good
transit service.

Some environmentalists have suggested that the transit-orientation of new
development can be enhanced if developers are allowed to build "car-free
housing," housing without new parking spaces, for those who choose to live without owning their own car. They note that car-sharing is available for those who need a car on an occasional basis, and that a recent study shows that 47% of new downtown households do not have a car, with some city-required household parking lying vacant.

Another proposal designed to enhance the livability of areas with new
development calls for creation of a pilot program of transfer of
development rights (TDR) to facilitate and fund specific creek daylighting
and restoration projects. Large portions of creeks are now running in
deteriorating underground culverts, threatening many homes. TDR could give homeowners a way to save their investment and yield their land for creek restoration and greenspace in return for a density bonus elsewhere.

What are your views of Transit Oriented Development? Would you be inclined to support ordinances to allow car-free housing and for a pilot transfer of development rights program for creek restoration?


QUESTION # 3: BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND ACCESS

MODERATOR: Our next question deals with bicycle and pedestrian safety and access, and is a joint question presented by Phil Morton of the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition and Wendy Alfsen of Walk and Roll Berkeley. You will have one minute to answer this question.

PRESENTED BY: Phil Morton, Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition (BFBC)
http://www.bfbc.org/



PHIL MORTON: The Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition is working to make Berkeley the most bicycle-friendly city in the USA.

With our help, The City of Berkeley created a Bicycle Plan and an accompanying Bicycle Boulevard Toolkit after many years of work through what was one of the most extensive public planning processes ever conducted in our city.

Unfortunately, only slow progress has been made on implementing the Bike Plan, and the City recently cut the bike fund to zero. The fund was only $140,000 per year, less than 1% of what is spent on motor vehicle traffic in Berkeley, and roughly the same cost as one police officer's salary and benefits. Do you support restoring and/or increasing the bike fund, and would you prioritize implementing the Bike Plan, including creation of safe crossings of major streets in Berkeley?

AT THIS POINT Marcy Greenhutt for WENDY ALFSEN TAKES OVER

PRESENTED BY: Wendy Alfsen, Walk and Roll Berkeley
http://www.americawalks.org/

Safely crossing the street can also be difficult for pedestrians in Berkeley.
It¹s often made difficult and dangerous by a number of practices which the City could easily change. For instance, pedestrians have to wait a long time to cross the street at many locations, and are sometimes even told not to cross while facing a green light for cars. This results in jaywalking, frustration, and unnecessary exposure to pollution. Would you support changes at intersections, especially those which are heavily used or have a history of “accidents,” to make it quick, convenient, safe and legal to cross the street?

MODERATOR PLEASE SUMMARIZE AT THIS POINT:

"So this combined question is asking you for your views on bicycle plan funding and on what can be done to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross busy streets."



MODERATOR: Our next question is presented by Gus Yates of Carfree City USA. Gus is a certified hydrologist and creeks expert who is a great asset in the quest to find solutions to Berkeley’s crisis of crumbling creek culverts. Candidates will have one minute each to answer.

PRESENTED BY: Gus Yates, Carfree City, USA
http://www.carfreecity.us/

Gus: Thank you. Carfree City USA is a nationwide group seeking to create the first modern carfree city or district in the United States. We worked with the Alliance for Strawberry Creek on the issue I am asking about.

The University of California is planning to develop their property in the
heart of Berkeley, with a proposed hotel/conference center/museums
project. In compliance with the 2001 General Plan revision, the City of
Berkeley's Planning Commission convened a Task Force to make specific
recommendations for the project, which were subsequently unanimously
supported by the City Council and passed on to the University and the
developer. The recommendations included closing Center Street to motor
vehicles between Oxford and Shattuck Ave., creating a pedestrian plaza,
and possibly daylighting Strawberry Creek through the project area as a
celebrated natural feature. Do you support such an ecologically designed
city center for Berkeley and what would you do to help achieve it?




Question #4: TRANSIT EFFICIENCY

MODERATOR: Our next question relates to a new idea for a much more efficient bus service. I understand we have a video clip to help illustrate this idea?

VIDEO ROLL-IN, approx. 1 minute.

time limit: ONE MINUTE

MODERATOR: This question will have a one-minute time limit and is presented by Amber Crabbe from the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, or, TALC

PRESENTED BY: Amber Crabbe, Transportation and Land Use Coalition
http://www.transcoalition.org/

AC Transit is currently doing environmental review of its proposed "Bus Rapid Transit" service along a corridor stretching from downtown Berkeley to downtown Oakland via Telegraph Avenue and then on to San Leandro.

Bus Rapid Transit will reduce travel time, making buses more competitive with cars, and would increase the frequency and reliability of service. Plans for this corridor call for an upgrade of the successful "Rapid Bus" that now runs on San Pablo, including distinctive bus stations that are spaced further apart than existing stops, traffic lights that stay green for buses, real-time bus arrival information, and dedicated bus lanes.

Some Berkeley merchants and residents have come out against the project because it will reduce the amount of roadway space for cars when it creates a dedicated lane for buses. The City of Berkeley, however, already has a Transit-First policy, and Bus Rapid Transit with dedicated lanes has already been endorsed by both our General Plan and the draft Southside Plan.

As a Councilmember, will you support Bus Rapid Transit in Berkeley?

Additional Q:

There is much interest in Berkeley to create group passes for free access to AC Transit buses. UC Berkeley students have already succeeded in creating this for themselves with their "Class Pass." If elected, what's the biggest group, if any, that you intend and expect to see obtain such an agreement with AC Transit? (short answer)


QUESTION #5: PEAK OIL/ENERGY CONSERVATION

VIDEO ROLL-IN

time limit: ONE MINUTE
presented by: Christopher Gray of the Post Carbon Institute.

http://www.postcarbon.org/

Many prominent petroleum geologists and energy analysts believe that global oil extraction is peaking (i.e., reaching its highest level) and once past the peak, will decline inexorably into the future. Natural gas has already peaked in North America. When oil and gas supply falls short of demand, major economic and social disruptions are likely. No portfolio of existing energy technologies can fully replace both oil and natural gas AND safeguard the life support systems of the planet. Replacing oil and gas with coal and nuclear power is problematic for environmental reasons. And nuclear plants may prove to be an enticing target for our many enemies.

As Berkeley City Councilmember, would you support 1) the creation of a Green Ribbon committee to thoroughly examine how energy scarcity in the context of peak oil and gas may impact Berkeley and the East Bay and how those impacts can be addressed. and 2) Would you follow the City of Vallejo¹s lead and commit to making city operations completely energy independent "or off the grid" through use of solar panels, windmills and other renewable energy sources.


EXTRA QUESTION: ASKED ONLY IF ENOUGH TIME REMAINED

UNIVERSITY
time limit: depends on how much time is left
presented by: Rob Wrenn, Berkeley BEST
http://www.berkeleybest.org/

The University is planning a major expansion between now and 2020. The City has raised questions about University plans, presented in the draft Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), to add over 3500 new parking places. Do you think the University is doing enough to encourage students and staff to walk, bike and take transit to campus? Do you think the City should take legal action if their proposed final LRDP does not adequately address the city¹s concerns?


QUESTIONS FROM AUDIENCE MEMBERS:


First:

I’d like to see a show of hands of all those candidates who would say yes to the question, “Can you envision Berkeley one day working as a carfree city?”




(Jason Meggs reads this one as questioner sent via email, can’t attend)

POLLUTION STUDY

This is a question adapted from one submitted by Fran Haselsteiner via email: Will the candidates commit to performing air pollution testing in Berkeley, particularly on residential arterials downwind from I-80, and make the results public? The connection between air pollution and infant mortality, not to mention adult mortality, and other diseases including childhood leukemia and our severe asthma epidemic, has been established. [The Air District says it not have the resources to perform these tests, which it says might be done by the City for as little as $50,000 at the very rock bottom, or as much as $300,000 or more.]

Berkeley has a higher percentage of walkers and bicyclers than most cities in California. Many new drivers come to Berkeley every year, who may be
unfamiliar with so many nondrivers using city streets. Would you support
giving a special written test to motorists who are first-time applicants
for Residential Parking Permits, as a condition of issuing them a permit,
in order to help ensure that they are familiar with their duties to people
who are walking, biking, and using wheelchairs?

Presently, the City of Berkeley will not provide previously available
information showing where traffic injuries and fatalities are occurring.
The Berkeley Police have also resisted allowing third-party review of
crash reports. Such information is critical for analyzing how to make our
streets safer. Would you work to ensure that this information is made
available? [Only had time for a hand-raise, all but District 2 raised hands in support although Darryl Moore indicated he hadn't heard the question.]

***********************************************

Audience questions not asked due to lack of time:

Walking, bicycling and using transit are transportation modes which environmentalists wish to promote for numerous reasons. Unfortunately, there are many barriers currently facing people who choose these modes.
What do you see as the #1 thing keeping people from bicycling more for
everyday travel and shopping in Berkeley? (one sentence response)

Do you believe Berkeley has enough parks and community gardens, and would you oppose proposals to build on People's Park, the only park in the
Southside area?

The Ecology Center found that in Berkeley, food makes up 40 percent of
residential waste. Does the candidate support collection of food for
composting?

Does the candidate endorse modifying the code to permit "soft demolition"
which will aid contractors to recycle more from demolition jobs?

If a manufacturer substitutes a non-recyclable material for a recyclable
should the manufacturer be required to take responsibility for that
material instead of projecting the disposal costs onto the taxpayers of
Berkeley?

Additional SHORT ANSWER Question from Gus Yates:

Eliminating free employee parking has been demonstrated to decrease automobile use and congestion. Providing such parking is a huge subsidy to drivers, yet nondrivers rarely receive support. Would you be in favor of a requirement that employers in Berkeley charge for parking and use the revenues to offer free transit passes to employees?

>fin<