Berkeley’s Priorities
On Tuesday June 8 at the Budget Town Hall, the City Manager emphasized that “…the budget is more than an accounting of expenditures & revenues, [it’s] the way in which we show our community how we link our priorities to funding.” This begs the question, who benefits from the proposed budget and what are the priorities of our council and city manager? The city’s supposed priorities are defined in the strategic plan goals; however, the current budget doesn’t align with several of those goals.
Evidence of the city’s strategic plan goal to “champion and demonstrate social and racial equity” is woefully lacking. First, most of the items associated with the goal of equity are on hold (with the exception of the legally required Police Accountability Board and the long overdue African American Holistic Resource Center). Second, even though the city auditor’s report confirmed significant racial profiling within the BPD, — “BPD stopped Black people at a significantly higher rate than their representation in the population (34% compared to 8%), while BPD was most likely to search Black and Hispanic people following a stop.” — the current budget addresses this crucial issue inadequately. $150k for bias training is now part of the already bloated police budget. And yet numerous studies around the country have found that bias training for police simply doesn’t create change in officers’ behavior.
Not only is equity not addressed sufficiently, but neither is the goal to “create affordable housing and housing support services for our most vulnerable community members.” The current budget slashes funding to homeless services by over $3M and cuts funding to community agencies by $6M. In addition, none of the proposed plans for building new affordable housing specify affordability for low and very low income people.
Instead of new construction which is detrimental to the environment, why isn’t there a plan in the budget to house the homeless in the ample vacant units and houses throughout the city? This is not only the humane thing to do, it would align with one of the city’s strategic plan goals; to “be a global leader in addressing climate change, advancing environmental justice, and protecting the environment.”
What is the city spending money on? $38M to rebuild Tuolumne Camp. $47M to renovate local parks. $56M is being considered for a downtown facelift. People are suffering and dying on our streets, and yet the city prioritizes items that would be lovely and enjoyed by some, but are unnecessary at this time.
What will it take to turn the tide from a gentrifying system of topdown, behind closed doors governance to an authentic and innovative city government that centers the care and wellbeing of residents? What will shift the status quo of the city council following the city manager’s lead of rubber stamping the ever increasing police budget and pandering to developers and real estate interests?
Please share your ideas with us at reimaginingberkeley@gmail.com.
