Tag Archives: Tom Bates

Editorials

Progress on homelessness

CITY AFFAIRS: The Compassionate Sidewalks Plan is a good start toward fixing the city’s homelessness problem after the failure of Measure S.

Berkeley’s debate over its failed measure to restrict sitting on commercial sidewalks left many questions unanswered. Though members of both sides agreed that homelessness was a problem, once voters rejected Measure S, the city was left without a solution. Berkeley City Councilmember Jesse Arreguin’s Compassionate Sidewalks Plan, set to be Read More…

Editorials

Beyond Measure S

CITY AFFAIRS: Following the failure of Berkeley’s proposed ban on sitting on commercial sidewalks, solutions to homelessness are still needed.

When Berkeley voters were weighing whether to approve Measure S, we hoped the ballot initiative would fail and force the local community to come up with better solutions to combat homelessness. Now, that moment has arrived. The measure, which would have prohibited sitting on commercial sidewalks in Berkeley during certain Read More…

Editorials

Same council, new mandate

CITY AFFAIRS: Following an election that reaffirmed the status quo on Berkeley City Council, officials must do a better job of working together.

Tuesday’s election results left the makeup of Berkeley City Council completely unchanged: All four incumbent council members were re-elected, as was Mayor Tom Bates. However, just because Berkeley’s main elected officials are the same does not mean their attitudes should remain static. The city’s challenges are steep, as exposed over Read More…

Editorials

Election 2012 Endorsements: City candidates

Jacquelyn McCormick Berkeley City Mayor When Tom Bates was last re-elected as mayor of Berkeley in 2008, we expected him to be a leader who could bring local officials and residents together. Instead, he has proven to be a mayor who, especially in recent months, is unable to bridge the Read More…

The Soapbox

For the record

I understand that my last column unintentionally caused offense over my reference to Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington as “Princess Worthington.” This reference is not in any way intended to offend, demean or imply anything concerning the council member’s sexual orientation. As an ally of the queer movement and as Read More…

Editorials

All against one

CITY AFFAIRS: Most of the opponents to Mayor Tom Bates in this election are focusing too much of their attention on attacking the incumbent.

So far, this year’s race for Berkeley mayor seems to be composed of two parties: Tom Bates and everyone else. As a 10-year incumbent, Bates is an easy target for the other candidates. But opponents are placing too much emphasis on criticizing his record when voters really need to see Read More…