Neighborhoods

By Gordon Wozniak

To build stronger neighborhoods and bridge the Town/Gown divide, we need to couple the wisdom of the long term residents with the energy and vitality of Cal students.

To improve relations between neighbors and students living south of campus, my Council Office facilitated the creation of a joint UC-City intern position. In 2009, the Student Assistant for Neighbor Relations was tasked to create a neighborhood watch system and to foster better relations and communication among housed chapters and long-term residents. In 2010, my Council Office and UC CalGreeks at Cal worked together to secure funding for a Southside Community Relations, Safety, and Livability liaison in order to continue this work in the upcoming school year.

During the last four years, Berkeley Project has brought thousands of UC students to work on hundreds of community improvement projects in Berkeley neighborhoods. Due to the recent budget cutbacks at both the City and the University, the support for this great community service project has been reduced dramatically. I have committed to work with the student leaders of Berkeley Project to ensure that this great neighborhood-building project continues to thrive for the next four years and beyond.

I believe in the creative energy of Cal students and long-term residents alike. We need to work to increase civic engagement across the board. That's why I'm dedicated to building a bridge between our bright student population and city government by promoting more opportunities for student leadership development and by fostering a more productive relationship between the university and the city in order to create the partnership we need for long-term success.