With four weeks until the Nov. 3 election, city of Berkeley mayoral candidates Wayne Hsiung, Aidan Hill and incumbent Mayor Jesse Arreguín gathered virtually for a debate moderated and organized by BridgeUSA at Berkeley and The Daily Californian.
Moderators asked each candidate questions generated by Berkeley residents and students about their positions regarding the issues of homelessness, the environment and police reform. In discussing these topics, the candidates engaged in debate over People’s Park, PG&E and UCPD.
“The political decisions we make now will forever directly affect our city’s future,” Hill said during the event. “As a city, Berkeley must begin to look at both environmental and social costs to development.”
The first section focused on housing and homelessness in Berkeley, with the first question addressing redlining. All candidates agreed on the need for zoning reform but had different ways of approaching the issue.
According to Arreguín, zoning reform is already underway, and he referenced his current work toward streamlining the building permit process. Hsiung, however, noted the complexity of the current zoning ordinance document and the need to simplify it so that it is more accessible to the general public.
“(The Berkeley zoning ordinance) is far too long and far too complicated,” Hsiung said during the event. “It is too often deployed against low-income folks, people of color and, particularly, folks in the Black community.”
Hill, however, noted that areas of the zoning ordinance prohibiting co-housing, accessory dwelling units and land use plans should be revisited. According to Hill, the city should promote housing development that encourages urban density.
A question about the status of People’s Park also revealed disagreement among the candidates.
While Arreguín supported UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ’s vision to potentially build student housing over the park to address the student housing shortage, Hill opposed the idea.
“Until the people’s equity can stay intact, nothing can happen,” Hill said during the event. “People’s Park is a temporary refuge area for students and the residents who live around there, as there is no other open space to go to in case of an emergency.”
Moderators then turned the discussion toward the environment, with all three candidates emphasizing renewable energy and Arreguín pointing to the city’s 2030 carbon-neutral goal.
On the topic of transportation, candidates once again had opposing views.
According to Hill, Berkeley “can’t rely” on BART and AC Transit for transportation. Hsiung added that Berkeley should have a free electric shuttle service, with funding for this project potentially coming from a gross receipts tax, something that Arreguín said is not feasible.
“We need to make decisions based on real numbers and a realistic understanding of how to implement that policy,” Arreguín said during the event. “A gross receipts tax is a great idea, but it might drive businesses out of Berkeley.”
In the section of the debate regarding police, all candidates shared concern over the policies of both Berkeley Police Department and UCPD.
According to Arreguín, UCPD might not be “honoring Berkeley values and Berkeley’s policies,” and noted that there should be more alignment between Berkeley’s policies and those of the UC system. Hsiung echoed this idea, emphasizing the need to reform use-of-force policies.
Hill, however, noted that the city should demilitarize police and make sure that there are health standards in place for all Berkeley police departments.
“One way we can create better accountability is to make sure that use-of-force policies in the UC Berkeley campus are as progressive and effective and evidence-based as the ones being implemented around the nation,” Hsiung said during the event.
