Position on the Environment

By Tom Bates

Environmental concerns are extremely important to a majority of the people of Berkeley. Berkeley was the first City to adopt a 50% recycling goal, to limit the chemicals that create holes in our ozone layer, to put organic gardens in our schools and much more.

To restore this leadership, I would create a Department of the Environment so that the environmental responsibility now spread throughout many different departments is coordinated. My office would also regularly convene a sustainability roundtable to bring Berkeley's environmental and community leaders together to provide practical advice on how to move towards our vision of sustainability

TRANSPORTATION:

Our auto use is congesting our streets, polluting the air, making it hazardous to walk or bike and making our city less liveable. I am committed to providing alternatives so it is easier for Berkeley residents to get where they want to go without using a car.

Transit, Traffic Management and Parking - I will work to get UC Berkeley, the Berkeley Unified School District, and all large employers to provide their employees with "ecopasses", allowing access to transit at no or little cost. I will expand the Car Share programs to help reduce the need for auto ownership. In the downtown, the City needs to do a better job of promoting existing parking availability. Any new parking and parking policies need to prioritize van and car pools.

Bikes, Pedestrians and other non-car users - I am committed to making travel by bicycle and for pedestrians and other non-car users as safe and as easy as travel by car. Specifically, I will prioritize implementation of the bicycle plan, increase public education efforts to promote bicycle use, and increase efforts toward pedestrian safety and accessibility.

Transit Oriented Development - Housing and businesses on streets served by transit will help reduce reliance on cars. For example, San Pablo Avenue can be a boulevard that models a new urban vision - housing, mixed uses, locally serving businesses and increased transit services. AC Transit's planned new bus service will be 40% faster than conventional service making it easier for residents to use the bus for commute trips and others to ride the bus to shop San Pablo Avenue businesses.

YOUTH:

School Gardens and Healthy Food - Working with concerned parents, I helped start gardens in every public school in Berkeley. The program helps students appreciate the value of natural spaces and habitats and teaches them, in a hands on way, about nutrition.

Environmental Education - I would support a ballot measure to ensure that environmental education is made available to K-12 students throughout Alameda County, funded by an increase in the existing surcharge on waste disposed of in county landfills.

PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND WILDLIFE:

As Berkeley's Assemblymember, I negotiated with BART to acquire Ohlone Park and with the State for Claremont Canyon open space, and sponsored the legislation to establish Berkeley's waterfront as the East Bay Shoreline State Park. I will continue this leadership as Mayor.

Berkeley Creeks - Creek restoration is an excellent tool for enhancing the liveability of our city. I will seek funding to bring above ground more of Berkeley's creeks. The Berkeley Creeks Ordinance also needs strengthening. Questions of interpretation have led to confusion and controversy. Clear standards and guidelines for development of creekside properties are needed.

East Shore State Park Planning - The East Shore State Park should be classified as a State Park to make sure that as much as possible remains in open space and that natural habitat is preserved. I support a plan that preserves the park in as natural a state as possible. The proposal for 600 parking places is not appropriate given the existing congestion on the I-80 corridor and the surrounding surface streets - the Park can meet the needs of a large and diverse population without such a large allocation for parking.

Aquatic Park - Currently, the Aquatic Park lagoon is in special need of the City's attention. The City needs to move forward on implementing the green wall, addressing the failure of the tidal gates, and improving the preservation of habitat for wading birds in particular.

Endangered Species - Berkeley has not yet been creative in this regard. I will welcome new initiatives to help preserve biodiversity and protect threatened species. The City must use its advocacy role to actively support State and Federal legislation protecting biodiversity and threatened and endangered species; and the environmental programs in our schools must be need strengthened so our children can understand the issues and become leaders in this effort.

Tree Protection - Berkeley has tree protection policies and a very limited tree removal ordinance - other cities including Oakland have stronger protections. I will work to create and implement a tree preservation ordinance that environmentalists can be proud of.

URBAN POLLUTION:

Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Berkeley was one of the first cities in the country to make a commitment to climate protection. The City adopted a greenhouse gas emissions abatement plan in 1998, but has fallen behind on implementation of the plan. I would make its implementation a priority. I will also use the City's advocacy role to support legislation regulating carbon emissions from vehicles, along with federal bills to improve vehicle fuel efficiency standards and regulate multi-pollutants. Berkeley should follow the lead of cities like San Francisco and Santa Monica and be much stronger in utilizing and promoting renewable energy generation.

Street Sweeping - The City needs to improve its public education about the street sweeping program so that people understand that its main purpose is to protect the Bay from pollution. With proper understanding of the environmental purpose of street sweeping, we can minimize negative neighborhood reaction to the street sweeping program.

Recycling - It is a shame that Berkeley as the initiator of the 50% recycling goal has not lived up to its initial leadership. Berkeley was the first city in the country to adopt a 50% recycling goal, modeled after my State legislation. I would remedy the current near absence of recycling bins in the City's own facilities and offices. I would ensure that there are expanded recycling opportunities at all public spaces, City facilities, schools and commercial establishments. The City should continue its limited plastics collection while funding an aggressive public education program to help us choose alternatives to plastic. I would investigate restricting the use of the most hazardous, noxious, carcinogenic plastics, and explore banning forms of plastics that currently can't be recycled, such as yellow and blue newspaper wrapping. A ban on disposal of aluminum cans, glass containers and newsprint has worked effectively in other cities and should be considered.

Green Building - Green Building is a fundamental component of sustainable businesses, and an essential building block for a sustainable Berkeley. It is time to adequately staff and move this program forward to best build on the good volunteer effort that currently exists.

ENERGY:

Solar and Renewable Energy - Berkeley should take an active role in facilitating the use of solar energy. I am committed to making Berkeley a leader in moving away from the era of fossil fuels and into a solar future. I will work with the Energy Commission, experts in the field of renewables, solar and renewable energy business leaders and agencies such as EBMUD, the State, the Federal government and other cities to achieve the widest expansion and promotion of distributed generation possible.

Independent Power - I will use my Legislative contacts in the Capitol to work towards passing legislation that will allow us to choose alternative electricity providers. It is critical that Community Choice legislation passes, so Berkeley can determine the most effective path for aggregating residential and commercial power consumers to facilitate better power choices and the purchase of power generated from renewable sources.

Energy Conservation and Efficiency - Berkeley was a leader in this area and has fallen behind. Existing Commercial and Residential Energy Conservation Ordinances have greatly improved the energy efficiency of the City's existing building stock, but neither have been adequately promoted or enforced and many buildings are not in compliance. I will make their promotion and enforcement a priority. I will also work with BUSD and other community service agencies to ensure that they are making full use of State grants and other programs to fund energy efficiency.