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Why Berkeley Needs the Green Downtown and Public Commons Initiative

5/14/2014

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Fear of Citizens Initiatives in Berkeley?
Two elected officials have been using their city email accounts or office to scare Berkeley voters away from signing citizen initiatives.

Read a satirical rejoinder from Berkeley citizen and attorney Julia Ross:
"Do Not Sign Any Petitions At All in Berkeley"

Public Commons

The Zoning Overlay Ordinance on Berkeley's existing Historic Civic Center District, will help to preserve the area's use for community, cultural, and civic purposes.
Included are Berkeley's 100 year old Post Office, Berkeley's Old City Hall, New City Hall, Berkeley Community Theater, Veterans' Memorial Hall, the YMCA, and Civic Center Park.
This 2014 initiative will protect our Historic Civic Center District, including Berkeley's Main Post Office.

Green Downtown

Citizens of  the City of Berkeley voted in support of Measure R in 2010 with the promise that doing so would make Berkeley one of the "greenest cities" in the United States.
Currently none of the new proposed tall buildings that could have delivered the green elements that were promised in Measure R have opted to do so.
This 2014 initiative will mandate that any new downtown development will have to conform to those promised standards.

Download the Fact Sheet
Download a copy of the Initiative as filed

More than 1400 housing units are currently in development in downtown Berkeley. Read the January 14, 2014 Berkeleyside article on "Explosive Downtown Housing Boom Under Way."

UPDATE: June 3, 2014, Green Downtown and Public Commons Initiative Qualifies for November Ballot

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The Alameda County Registrar received 3,717 unverified signatures within the statutory time limit. The requisite number of signatures to qualify is 2,638. Based on a random sample the Registrar determined the petition contained 123% of the signatures necessary to qualify for the ballot.
Read the Certificate of Sufficiency.


UPDATE: August 17, 2014: Downtown Initiative Designated "Measure R"

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Check out the New Downtown Initiative website!

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CRITICAL PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
NORTH BERKELEY SENIOR CENTER
Corner of Hearst Ave. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way
The Zoning Overlay Ordinance on Berkeley’s existing Historic Civic Center District, including our historic Post Office, has gained national attention. On August 27, 2014, the Planning Commission will vote on whether to forward the Ordinance to the City Council for consideration at the September 9, 2014 council meeting. The Zoning Overlay will save the Post Office, Old City Hall, and our historic Civic Center from commercial development.

The Mayor and Council have stated that they are ready to make the Zoning Overlay submitted by citizen initiative the law in Berkeley. The Commission must approve an Environmental statement and new use definitions before the Overlay can return to Council.

Show the Planning Commissioners That We Care.
Bring a Friend. Let's Fill the Room!

Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District is our Public Commons.  Let’s protect it with appropriate zoning.


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Long lines and long waits at the Berkeley Main Post Office

5/8/2014

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USPS Responds to complaints of reduced service

We've noticed that lines have gotten longer and slower at the Berkeley Main. And for many postal customers with an "attempted delivery" slip, there's confusion about which post office has their package. Many customers wait in line at 2000 Allston Way only to find out their package has been sent to Station A on San Pablo. Bulk mail service has been moved from the Main to a very industrial sorting facility at 1150 8th Street, near Gilman and San Pablo. For many bulk mail customers that requires a crosstown trip.

So we wrote a letter.
On April 28, 2014, USPS responded.
Surprise:
  • USPS told us wait times average under five minutes with a maximum wait time of 6.48 minutes.
  • The address for Station A is listed. (Hey, we know where Station A is. The problem is a pick-up slip that instructs the customer to "go to your usual post office.")
  • Bulk mail service at 1150 8th Street is "safe and accessible."
Read the April 28, 2014 Letter from USPS.



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    ABOUT

    The USPS wants to sell Berkeley's historic main post office. Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office is a grassroots group that has come together to block the sale of our heritage, stop service cut backs, and preserve living wage postal jobs.

    Our fight is not unique. Thousands of post office closures across the country mean the largest private auction of public history our nation has ever seen.

    Join the movement and spread the word. Our post office is not for sale.

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    Ten Easy Steps
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    to Save Your Post Office!


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    Jac McCormick in NYC
    Fighting for America's
    Post Offices!
    WATCH THE VIDEO!


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    Tell Staples the U.S. Mail is Not for Sale!
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    Sign the petition to stop the sale of historic post office like Berkeley's Downtown Main!

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    Getting rid of middle class jobs is the end. Privatization is the means. Fox News doesn't keep their agenda a secret. Watch the video.

    [10 on Tuesday] 10 Ways to Fight for Your Local Post Office from PreservationNation

    October 2, 2013 letter from Ralph Nader to Senator Dianne Feinstein

    baha_letter_to_usps.pdf
    File Size: 222 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    sample_letter.docx
    File Size: 15 kb
    File Type: docx
    Download File


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