The Sustainable and Accountable Funding for Equitable Street Transformation, Revitalization, Enhancements, and Essential Traffic Safety, or SAFE STREETS, initiative created by the Berkeley Citizens for Safe Streets and the Fix the Streets and Sidewalks measure proposed by the Berkeleyans for Better Planning, or BFBP, will be on the November ballot.
According to Brandon Yung, a volunteer for Berkeley Citizens for Safe Streets, both measures were created following the failure of Measure L from the November 2022 ballot, which sought to fund affordable housing and street infrastructure.
In response to this measure, Berkeley Citizens for Safe Streets and BFBP created the SAFE STREETS and the Fix the Streets and Sidewalks initiatives, respectively. Both focus exclusively on sidewalk and street improvements.
The SAFE STREETS measure proposes the funding be derived from a special 14-year parcel tax, according to the measure document. The proposed tax is set at 17 cents per square foot for residential properties and 25 cents per square foot for non-residential properties, bringing the total funding to $480 million, according to the Berkeley Citizens for Safe Streets website.
The BFBP measure plans to allocate $153 million with a 12-year special parcel tax of 13 cents per square foot, according to the Berkeleyans for Better Planning website.
“Fix the Streets is focused on paving all the streets that aren’t rated in good condition and fixing all the sidewalks and pedestrian pathways. SAFE STREETS aspires to bring streets to good condition on average, which could leave many streets in a deteriorated state,” the BFBP website states.
Yung emphasized the SAFE STREETS measure’s goal to elevate the city’s average pavement conditions and implement the city’s goal of zero fatal and severe traffic collisions.
Yung noted he believes the Fix the Streets and Sidewalks measure “overpromises and underfunds,” due to less proposed funding compared to the SAFE STREETS measure.
When drafting the measure, organizers met with various city commissions, transportation advocates and community groups to incorporate diverse perspectives.
“We got transportation advocates, sustainability advocates, pedestrian cycling and transportation advocates, as well as people who criticized Measure L in 2022 to come together, all these different camps, all these different coalitions of people to come together, and say … we’re going to put it on the ballot via citizen initiative,” Yung said.
Yung highlighted the SAFE STREETS initiative promises significant improvements for UC Berkeley student transportation safety.Yung said the measure does the “best job” of representing the interests of the entire Berkeley community.
If the measure passes, Berkeley Citizens for Safe Streets expects Berkeley’s streets will better accommodate pedestrians when walking at night and those with mobility devices, among others.
In the event both measures receive over 50% of the vote, the measure that receives more votes goes into effect, Yung said.