League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Alameda County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Mike Alvarez Cohen Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Berkeley; Council District 8

The questions were prepared by the LWV Berkeley/Albany/Emeryville and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What do you see as your District's biggest problem and how would you address it?

My first priority for my District is to be highly responsive to the needs of the neighborhoods, citizens and businesses - especially in making our neighborhoods safer and more family-friendly.

So I developed a District 8 plan that will model how government that is transparent and tech-savvy can be cost-effective and highly responsive to neighborhoods, residents and businesses.

Here's a link to my The D8 Transparency and Accountability System.

2. What would be your highest priority for the good of the City as a whole?

In the Mayor's May 2014 State-of-the-City presentation, he stated that the number 1 obstacle to addressing our challenges (including mitigating traffic and maintaining parks) is lack of funds.

So one of my top citywide priorities is to increase the number of clean jobs in Berkeley and thereby grow our commercial and retail tax base so that we have the funds to address our challenges.

Here's a link to my An Even Better Berkeley 2020 Plan.

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?

I don't support Measure R. I've been on Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board for eight years, and for the past two years I was unanimously elected as Chair. Accordingly, I have a great deal of experience with our Downtown Plan.

Over the past few years our Downtown has been improving, and I'm optimistic about its trajectory under the current Downtown Plan. However, our current Downtown Plan has opportunities for refinement. These periodic refinements are a normal process in land-use, and therefore they should be implemented via the normal planning process.

In contrast, Measure R comprises a large, complex set of changes. Implementing those changes as a ballot measure is not prudent because: (1) we have to accept all or none of the changes, and (2) if we approve the ballot, then we can't readily refine the plan through the normal planning process.

Measure R will halt the revitalization that our Downtown is experiencing, and it will impede our ability to maintain a normal process of periodically refining our Downtown land-use. Consequently, I don't support Measure R.

---

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.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
SmartVoter Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter

---

Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 16, 2014 09:19
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://www.lwvc.org
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.