“Laurie has that rare capacity to see and work through to the center of complex and polarizing issues, analyzing them from various perspectives to find workable and realistic solutions. I heartily endorse Laurie Capitelli for re-election to the Berkeley City Council, and hope, for the sake of our city, that he is re-elected.”
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Peter Damm, Ph.D., Berkeley business owner. |
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Building Community
Sustainability
Safer Streets
Planning for the Future
Revitalizing Berkeley’s downtown and neighborhood commercial districts.
Vibrant neighborhood shopping areas, including our Downtown, are vital to the economic health of our city – to create jobs, provide opportunities for local businesses and grow our commercial tax base that supports essential public services – and make Berkeley neighborhoods exciting and pleasant places to live.
Independent locally owned businesses are the heart of our neighborhoods.
As a partner in a local business and with a wife owning a local bookstore, Laurie is eager to move forward with local merchants and neighborhood supporters in a “Buy Locally Berkeley” campaign engaging all sectors of our community to support our local businesses that are so vital to the character of our community.
Excellence in public education is a must.
The City Council and School Board recently adopted Vision 20/20, a program to bring excellence to all of our youth and narrow the ‘Opportunity Gap’ that has for so long plagued our cities. Laurie is eager and willing to work with the key stakeholders in our community along with Nancy Skinner and Loni Hancock (who have both endorsed Laurie) to make this vision a reality. His 20 years of work on the Berkeley Public Education Foundation give him the skills to do so.
The Town/ Gown wars must come to an end.
The University of California is a great part of what makes Berkeley a world-class community. Their contributions to our city are immeasurable. But there must be a greater awareness and response from them regarding some of the negative impacts of such a large institution on the community that surrounds them. Laurie is committed to bringing the parties together to share visions and plans BEFORE they are ‘set in concrete’ so that the inevitable impacts of change and development can be mitigated to minimize the effects on our community.
Citywide Watershed Plan.
For Councilmember Capitelli, a Berkeley Watershed Plan is the next logical step to our creeks ordinance. Berkeley’s storm-drain infrastructure is suffering from years of deferred maintenance. Combined with Berkeley’s court-ordered water quality requirements and decisions to be made about street sweeping, coordinated planning and forging public support are essential.
Improving recycling and solid waste efforts.
Councilmember Capitelli has been conducting site visits of other recycling/waste facilities in the region and is working with staff and the recycling community to help Berkeley reach its environmental goals. Laurie is actively involved in creating the best new recycling facility to ensure the future of recycling and waste reduction in Berkeley.
We must get out of our cars.
One of the key elements of the pending Climate Action Plan is the reduction in the use of our automobiles. Laurie is eager to work with Mayor Bates to develop a comprehensive shuttle program to provide access to our job centers from BART for our commuters and link residents to our neighborhood shopping districts. We must also improve mobility for our seniors and disabled and others who rely on public transit.
Traffic and pedestrian safety
With the review and likely adoption of the Pedestrian Master Plan, Laurie will continue to advocate for streetscape improvements, educational efforts and stricter enforcement in order to make our streets safer for pedestrians.
Regional detox center and housing for the homeless.
Drug treatment and housing options are important companions to the “Public Commons for Everyone” initiative, which will help us to achieve practical and lasting solutions to the persistent challenges facing the less-fortunate in our community.
We must continue to prepare for a major disaster.
It is critical that we continue to improve our preparedness for the inevitable. Laurie has worked to make more effective the homeowners seismic retrofit program. We now face the task of retrofitting our multi family housing supply that provides shelter for an enormous portion of our community. Laurie will bring his experience in the housing industry to bear on this process assuring that it will be an effective and affordable program. Neighborhood preparedness is a key part of any response to a disaster. Laurie will continue to push for funding, locally and beyond, to keep this program moving forward.
Safeway development on North Shattuck and Solano.
Laurie will work to assure that as these sites work through the permit process they are thoroughly reviewed and provide the appropriately scaled amenities for both of these sensitive neighborhoods.
The future of artists and light industry in West Berkeley.
Artists and light industry are a crucial part of West Berkeley’s history – and its future. Laurie supports a revision of West Berkeley planning to attract new businesses while protecting the neighborhood.
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| Laurie and Mayor Bates test drive an all electric car at the 2007 Solano Stroll. |
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