Election Section

Just like on the national level, the Berkeley election this year represents a watershed. Many seats are up for grabs, so there is the opportunity to make a real difference. Sometimes we can enthusiastically vote "for" someone, and unfortunately sometimes we have to be sure to vote "against" someone.

This year there seem to be two people to vote "against" in Berkeley for reasons having to do with ethics and character, as well as people to vote "for." 

1. the Trump of Berkeley -- District 5, beware

One to vote against is Stephen Murphy, running for City Council, in District 5. As a lawyer, he was involved in a legal case that went on for years; he ended up getting censured in 2012 for his actions and fined $8500, which apparently is a huge amount for this kind of issue. The family involved (they live in his district) created a website to tell their story, and you can read all the details here:
http://www.stephenmurphy2016.org/ 

and here -- another lawyer from Berkeley wrote an article about it because he was so outraged by the situation. It's called A Trump of Our Own:
http://nicolaus.com/2016/10/a-trump-of-our-own/ 

The Court of Appeals judges said this about Murphy (this text as laid out this way is from Nicolaus' article but I also saw it in the actual legal text): 

“What is especially disturbing to us is Murphy’s steadfast refusal to acknowledge his breach of his duty to provide us with a document bearing on our jurisdiction and to express any remorse for that breach.” 

“Murphy aggressively and with remarkable temerity threatened [opposing counsel] with sanctions.” 

Murphy’s “response to us ‘was both truculent and dismissive.'” 

Murphy “repeated his personal attacks” on opposing counsel. 

Murphy “demonstrated no recognition whatsoever of the gravity of his misconduct.” 

Murphy “met our concerns with nothing but petulance and disregard.”  

Murphy displayed “steadfast refusal to recognize his conduct as blameworthy.”  

Murphy’s conduct displayed “‘dishonesty and lack of remorse.'” 

Sound familiar? Sophie Hahn, running against him, is well worth voting for. 

2. Berkeley's biggest liar?

And then there's Laurie Capitelli, who is running for mayor (and endorsed Stephen Murphy). He is taking credit for achievements he has actively tried to block, derail, or diminish, such as raising the minimum wage and getting affordable housing built and getting significant community benefits from developers. He even showed up at a meeting and said "I renege" after he agreed to a minimum wage agreement that had been hammered out.

It's fine if you don't agree with those goals -- just don't take credit for them when others make them happen. People I know who have been deeply involved in these issues are very unhappy that he is taking credit for them, such as on his political mailers. I hear he is also frequently disrespectful to people at City Council meetings. (Yes, he was endorsed by Robert Reich, but when I bumped into Reich a year ago at CVS and tried to talk to him about Berkeley issues, he basically said, "Unfortunately I don't pay much attention to local politics.") 

In addition to that, Capitelli apparently profited from the sale of a house to the Berkeley police chief after the City Council agreed to lend the police chief $500,000 to buy a house, which is all the more infuriating when he is siding with developers in the city rather than fighting for more affordable housing. If you'd like to read the original article in full about Capitelli's ethically questionable behavior regarding the police chief's home:

http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/10/02/berkeley-councilman-profited-from-police-chiefs-public-home-loan/ 

He denied that he was paid a realtor's fee, but said he was paid a consultant's fee, still profiting from the sale of this house:
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/10/05/laurie-capitelli-says-he-didnt-split-commission-from-house-sale-for-meehan-but-will-return-fee-he-was-paid/ 

I have a long list of other dishonest behavior from folks who saw it firsthand, if you're interested. 

3. Who did Bernie Sanders and Dolores Huerta endorse?

If you want a Berkeley that is progressive in its behavior and not just in its words and where politicians keep their word, I recommend voting for Jesse Arreguin and Kriss Worthington in ranked-choice voting. Arreguin was endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Dolores Huerta. (Do not write Capitelli in because, even as the third choice, that could benefit him in the election.) 

4. which group is pouring money into this election?

Here is some information on big money pouring into this election -- and it's this kind of outside money that makes it even more important that our elected officials are of high integrity: 

• Laurie Capitelli $60,382,
• Stephen Murphy $13,018,
• Susan Wengraf $10,074
• Darryl Moore $9,012

5. A petition for South Berkeley

If you'd like to sign a petition aimed toward mitigating against gentrification in South Berkeley and making sure there are significant community benefits for another proposed development there, here's the link:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/berkeley-stop-gentrification?source=s.icn.em.mt&r_by=416597 

If you made it this far, thanks for listening! May the year to come bring greater sanity, good will, and compassion in our elected officials