RUBÉN'S PRIORITIES

Public Safety and Disaster Resilience

Everyone should feel safe in Berkeley. As an inclusive, welcoming community, I believe we do not have to sacrifice our values of openness for security. I will work with our highly trained officers to ensure they continue to meet community needs and respect all individuals.


I will:

  • Prioritize community policing, to build trust and relationships between peace officers and residents
  • Ensure emergency mental health and non-sworn meet community needs, freeing up police resources to focus on serious crime
  • Support civilian oversight of law enforcement actions by the Police Accountability Board
  • Modernize our police department to solve crimes faster with less staff time, while ensuring strict compliance with our city's civil liberty and data privacy policies
  • Increase staffing and continue work to modernize the 911 dispatch center to ensure quick emergency responses
  • Collaborate with the Berkeley Fire Department and my colleagues to reduce fire risks from hillside areas and be prepared for potential evacuations

Economic Development and Worker Justice

Berkeley's downtown business district is the heart of our city, and throughout our community, small and independent businesses serve as essential providers of local goods and services. I will work to ensure our local businesses can thrive and support our local workers.


I will:

  • Support our arts, culture, hospitality, restaurants, and nightlife by improving safety and transit access, to enable more late-night dining and entertainment in our downtown business district
  • Work with business groups, community nonprofits, and the UC to attract new and retain legacy businesses
  • Improve staffing and streamlining to speed up permitting for new small, local businesses
  • Support workplace and hazard protections for essential workers in healthcare, food and retail, and emergency services
  • Support apprenticeships, health care and labor standards and project labor agreements in large development projects
  • Support the right to organize for all workers
  • Support adaptive reuse of underutilized commercial buildings

Climate & Environment

Berkeley is an international leader in addressing climate and environmental issues. I am committed to continuing our city's leadership in this area.


I will:

  • Revitalize our public green spaces, including Civic Center Park
  • Work to expand electric vehicle charging and help homeowners get subsidies for all-electric appliances
  • Advance the City of Berkeley's Zero Waste Strategic Plan
  • Collaborate with AC Transit to expand and improve bus service
  • Invest in pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements, pedestrian plazas, and neighborhood traffic calming
  • Work to address dangerous driving and unsafe speeds, to reduce vehicle collisions and save lives

Housing & Homelessness

Our housing affordability crisis is driving our homelessness crisis. These problems have one overarching solution: an all-of-the-above approach to building more homes, of all types, and at all income levels, especially affordable homes for very low income individuals. Our homeless residents also need additional supportive services. Tenants need stability and protection from unfair treatment, as well as opportunities to become homeowners.


I will:

  • Support a regional housing bond and work to maximize affordable housing revenue from market-rate development
  • Work to make down payment assistance available for first-time homebuyers
  • Facilitate the construction of all types of housing, including accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and tiny homes
  • Simplify approval processes for affordable, energy-efficient, and climate-smart housing
  • Support tenant protections, including emergency rental assistance and eviction defense funding for low-income tenants
  • Fight for fair access to housing for people receiving state and federal assistance
  • Increase access to public restrooms, shelters, and treatment centers
  • Work with Alameda County to ensure adequate crisis and substance abuse programs and services

Budget and Fiscal Responsibility

As a small municipal government, Berkeley's first priority must be the effective delivery of core city services. We need to ensure continuity and stability before investing in additional services and improvements.


I will:

  • Support replenishing the City's Reserve Fund, which helped stabilize City services during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Work with the City Manager and City Auditor to identify cost savings opportunities without reducing services, such as updating technology to streamline operations and service delivery (e.g. online payments)
  • Work to expand and diversify citywide revenue sources, to pay for existing and future programs and provide resilience in the face of economic changes
  • Ensure an orderly and transparent annual budget process to enable community input on City priorities and focus resources on critical operations