August 2022 – Bond Measure to Go on November Ballot

The City Council voted on August 3 to proceed with a $650 million bond measure. While the Civic Center is still included in “a long list of other infrastructure priorities such as improvements to Berkeley’s waterfront, parks, pools and civic center” [Berkeleyside], the $100 million for that category is an improvement over the June suggestion of $90 million. CCCC will continue to advocate for the importance and urgency of the seismic work and renovation of the Maudelle Shirek Building (“Old City Hall”), Veterans Building and Civic Center Park. The other parts of the bond measure will be $300 million for streets, sidewalks and bike and pedestrian infrastructure, $200 million for affordable housing, and $50 million to move power lines underground along two wildfire evacuation routes. The money raised through the bond is expected to leverage additional funding from county, regional, state, and federal sources. As Mayor Arreguín stated, voter approval of the bond measure would have “a positive, transformative impact on our city.”