By Isabelle Gaston
Measure EE or "Fix the Streets" is a well-crafted tax measure that focuses like a laser on three things: Street repaving, fixing sidewalks and pathways, and improving bike boulevards. It will pave all streets in Berkeley, bringing them all up to a "good" condition defined as a Pavement Condition Index of 70.
Measure EE is elegant in its simplicity and design, unlike Measure FF, its rival. Measure EE doesn't take six hours to read, leaving you utterly confused. It isn't selling deception; it's offering the most straightforward tax measure in Berkeley in years.
In contrast, Measure FF has many faults including an obsession with cycle tracks at the expense of everyone else's safety. However, its major faults are that it is full of bloat leaving at least $100 million of its projected revenue unaccounted for in terms of spending, and it will not pave all streets, unlike Measure EE. That's a fact.
Why will many streets go unpaved under Measure FF unlike Measure EE? This answer is embedded in the full text, on page 3. It states that Measure FF will pave streets to a "good" condition although there is ample wiggle room to back out of that commitment with nine words: "Ideally, with no streets having a PCI below 50." This is the critical distinction between the two measures: Measure FF could pave your neighbor's street but not yours which is in awful condition. In contrast, Measure EE will pave both. The take home message is Measure FF will leave many streets unpaved throughout Berkeley; they will be left in "at-risk" condition (or under 50 PCI). This type of deception in a local tax measure is unparalleled, and to add insult to injury, Measure FF will cost you 50% more than Measure EE over its lifetime of the tax.
Measure EE's approach to fixing our streets, sidewalks, and bike boulevards is smart, and that is why it has my full support. Like many of you, I would prefer that Council would budget for basic city services; however, it isn’t a priority. So please vote "Yes" for Measure EE and "No" for Measure FF on November 5th.
