League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Alameda County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Council Member; City of Berkeley; Council District 1

The questions were prepared by the LWV Berkeley/Albany/Emeryville and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on District Problems, The City as a whole, Measure R Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What do you see as your District's biggest problem and how would you address it? Answer from Alejandro Soto-Vigil: I believe the biggest problem District 1 is facing at this moment has to do with air quality. West Berkeley is home to numerous industries and I believe in working with community members and businesses to ensure mutually beneficial relations. As a Councilmember I will work to support the goals and mission of the West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs, and will request that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) keep permanent air monitoring stations in West Berkeley and throughout all of Berkeley. Answer from Linda Maio: Traffic volume and speed plague our neighborhood streets. I hear this at almost every neighborhood meeting. District 1 is the funnel for all commuter traffic from points north. Our "feeder" streets are narrow and cannot handle it. We take a multi-solution approach using traffic calming devices such as plantable circles, stop signs, "slow" signs, and I have been advocating for placing the small brightly colored images of a child with a flag. I hope to make these widely available. I have also requested an area traffic plan so that improvements are not made piecemeal. 2. What would be your highest priority for the good of the City as a whole? Answer from Linda Maio: My highest priority is maintaining our commitment- citywide, across neighborhoods, and as a community- to strive to be a healthy and sustainable place to live, across the racial and economic diversity of our residents and neighborhoods. Everything else--the environment, decent housing, and academic success for our children, addressing homelessness, public safety, quality of life for everyone--stems from that commitment, attention and awareness. Our commitment to ethics, justice, democracy, is why people want to live here. Answer from Alejandro Soto-Vigil: The creation and expansion of affordable housing will be my highest priority as a City Councilmember. I have worked tirelessly to preserve and create new affordable housing in Berkeley so that the generations of families (new and old) that make Berkeley the diverse and vibrant city it is can continue to live here. 3. The Downtown Initiative, Measure R [Initiative Ordinance Amending Downtown Zoning Provisions and Creating Civic Center Historic District Overlay Zone] proposes detailed changes to the current zoning rules. Do you support or oppose it and why? Answer from Alejandro Soto-Vigil: I support Measure R because it does three things that I consider important. It guarantees affordable and family-sized housing in the Downtown area, it creates a Historic Civic Center in perpetuity, and it provides parking for bicycles and cars, for both residents and visitors. I believe Measure R will create a green, equitable, and civic downtown for all of Berkeley. Answer from Linda Maio: I oppose R because it did not come from the years of community process and consensus that created the current Downtown Plan. Measure R was written by a small cabal in opposition to building up the Downtown. We need the Downtown Area Plan to build up the Downtown if we are to get people to live near their work, and out of the cars that they now drive through our neighborhoods. Measure R compromises transit-oriented development in Downtown. Also, the current plan allows the Council, whoever is on it, to make needed changes. Measure R would require any changes, even small ones, to go back to the ballot. That alone should prompt a NO vote. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.