election 2014

Election Day in Berkeley this year saw the impacts of the more than $1 million poured into the city’s most contentious measures — although the final votes yielded mixed results for the election’s biggest spenders.

I dress up, usually in some subtle combination of campaign-trail colors. I pick a blue-and-white dress and wear red jewelry. I pick a red dress with a blue belt. I am a dork all the way; I update Facebook to gloat about voting, and I Instagram my sticker on the way out.

In all likelihood, this election will send you to Sacramento alongside a lopsided state Legislature, perhaps even one with a supermajority. It will be tempting, of course, to work exclusively with the majority party. Such a practice will surely prove convenient, but this is not what California needs or deserves.

On Tuesday, Berkeley residents voted on seven city measures, one county measure and six state propositions.

Check back right here for updates and results as the day goes on. Berkeley voters are heading to the polls Tuesday morning to select councilmembers for Districts 1, 4, 7 and 8, three school board members, five rent board members and to decided on seven city ballot initiatives.

Measure R builds on eight years of community process by providing the legal language to realize the vision of our Downtown Area Plan and close loopholes that have allowed corporate developers to get out of promised community and environmental benefits, including increased affordable housing, fair wages for workers and higher green-building requirements.

Ballot initiatives and laws often have misleading names. Anyone can call anything a “green” initiative. The people who wrote Measure R may sincerely believe this initiative will make Berkeley more livable and environmentally friendly, but they are wrong.