Public Comment

Berkeleyans for Better Planning, Vote No on Measure L, today demanded that the $15,000 donation from 2274 Shattuck QOZB LLC accepted by the Committee for an Affordable and Resilient Berkeley-Yes on Measure L be returned and that the Yes on L campaign stop soliciting money from companies with business pending before the City Council. 

Jim McGrath, former Berkeley Parks and Waterfront Commissioner and member of the Berkeleyans for Better Planning Steering Committee, made the call for the contribution to be returned. McGrath stated: 

“I didn't just vote for past funding measures, I ran campaigns that increased city funding for parks and infrastructure by nearly $200 million. This bond is just too big and too poorly written. It doesn't have the transparency and oversight language that I would need to see to support it. More than 130 small donors agree with me and have contributed to our campaign. I'm astonished that the yes on Measure L campaign and some of their donors are so afraid of oversight that they would accept donations from people with business pending with the city. While that may not be illegal, it certainly isn't the kind of Berkeley that I want to see.” 

2274 Shattuck QOZB LLC is registered by a private developer seeking approval of a multi-story 239-unit tower at 2274 Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley. This same developer has several other projects in its "pipeline," according to The Real Deal. The questionable donation is 60 times larger than would be allowed if it were given to a candidate-controlled committee and buys an untold amount of influence over a City Council that still needs to grant necessary approvals for this developer’s projects. 

About Measure L

Measure L is a poorly drafted $650 million bond measure that was placed on the November ballot by a unanimous City Council without adequate public vetting. The measure does not guarantee that any affordable housing will be built and provides no protection for low-income residents or seniors. Under Measure L, the city is asking for the largest investment in Berkeley’s history with no detailed plan and no explanation for why it isn’t using the remaining $55 million in affordable housing funds voters approved in 2018 to build housing for the unhoused. 

About Berkeleyans for Better Planning

Berkeleyans for Better Planning (berkleyansforbetterplanning.org) is a grassroots coalition formed to oppose Measure L and then work toward solutions to our very real problems. The No on Measure L coalition is made up of a broad base of community members that includes former members of the Berkeley City Council and city commissioners as well as the Alameda County Green Party and Berkeley Neighborhoods Council. 

Paid for and distributed by Berkeleyans for Better Planning, No on L, FPPC # 145452