Building a Berkeley Where Everyone Can Thrive
Berkeley is the place that made Shoshana O’Keefe who she is. She wants her two kids–and all of our kids—to grow up in a city with the same opportunities she had, a city where all of us can thrive. She’s ready to serve on the City Council, and to deliver safer neighborhoods, more affordable housing, proven solutions to homelessness, world-class schools, high quality and reliable city services, and a community that remains welcoming to all.
Tackling Our Housing and Homelessness Crises With Urgency
Shoshana believes that housing is a human right. She knows that the lack of affordable housing in Berkeley is well beyond a crisis level. The cost to live here has undermined our city’s diversity, kept our economy from growing, reduced our city’s overall quality of life, and pushed people into homelessness. Even those who can live here are burdened by rising costs to such a degree that many have thought about leaving. Simply put, we must build more housing now.
On the Zoning Adjustments Board, Shoshana has helped approve more than 10,000 new homes in Berkeley. This hands on-expertise developed over more than a decade of service has given her deep insight into housing policy and what type of projects actually get built and why. She’s prepared to tackle Berkeley’s housing crisis head-on on the City Council, and will work tirelessly to:
Ensure housing remains a top City Hall priority, so we can build new housing at all levels, including both affordable and market rate housing. Building market rate housing can also help increase affordability by ensuring we more fully meet the overall demand for more housing, thus removing upward pressure on rents and home prices.
Streamline the housing construction approval process and remove barriers that have kept us from building new housing for too long.
Allow for more housing density throughout the city, while doing so thoughtfully in a way that takes into account challenges like fire safety and traffic. Allowing for greater density in areas that haven’t yet been upzoned, such as University Ave west of MLK and Shattuck north of Hearst can make a real difference.
Enable for taller construction in areas that are well suited to transit-oriented development.
Work to reduce homelessness by investing in what works: shelters, mental health and addiction programs, and permanent housing. Our unsheltered and housing-insecure neighbors deserve dignity, compassion, and real assistance to access long-term, secure housing.
A Smart, Comprehensive Approach to Public Safety
Public safety is the cornerstone of a thriving community, and it is imperative that Berkeley families feel secure in their daily lives. As a mother of two, Shoshana understands the profound importance of safety in our neighborhoods. Shoshana is ready to go to City Hall to fight for real public safety for all of us.
Ensure our police department has the resources it needs to do its job. This includes money for outreach and hiring to address staffing deficiencies, technology such as automatic license plate readers and closed circuit security cameras (with limited scope of use that does not amount to surveillance), and other resources needed to allow our officers to be maximally effective in protecting our safety while remaining accountable to protect citizens’ privacy.
Champion the adoption of modern policing strategies, including the Specialized Care Unit to effectively handle mental health crises during service calls, and Project Ceasefire, which collaborates with community groups to combat gun violence.
Ensure District 5 and all of Berkeley is prepared for wildfires and earthquakes. District 5 contains a significant portion of the Berkeley Hills, and Shoshana will work tirelessly to ensure our unique corner of Berkeley is prepared. That starts with efforts like increased vegetation management and enhanced evacuation routes.
Prioritize bicycle and pedestrian safety by adding traffic calming measures to key streets and by investing in bicycle infrastructure with an emphasis on expanding and improving our existing and incredible bicycle boulevards—as opposed to remaking heavily used streets into shared bike/car avenues. The rates of cyclist and pedestrian injury and death in Berkeley are alarming, and it’s time we made addressing this growing crisis a top City Hall priority.
Creating Stronger Partnerships Between City Hall and Our Schools So All Our Kids Can Thrive
Berkeley is fortunate to have excellent schools that overall do a very fine job of serving our youth and providing them with a world-class education, although deep inequities remain. While the City Council doesn’t directly oversee our schools like the School Board does, the relationship between City Hall and our School District is critical. As a leader who has worked in city government as a Children, Youth and Recreation Commissioner and in Berkeley public schools as a teacher and Berkeley High School Site Committee member, Shoshana is uniquely positioned to help foster the stronger partnerships that are needed between City Hall and the School District. On the City Council, Shoshana will:
Work with the School District to create stronger shared goals and collaboration. That can start on the City’s 2x2 Committee, comprised of two members of the Council and two members of the School Board. Shoshana believes her unique perspective will make her a critical asset to this committee.
Fight for more and better recreation program offerings for childcare and out-of-school time. This will not only enrich our children’s lives but provide essential support for our working parents.
Improve how City grants are distributed to programs serving our youth, avoiding duplication and ensuring funding goes to programs with proven records in making a difference for our kids.
Continue Berkeley’s Groundbreaking Climate Leadership
Berkeley has long been known for leading the state, the nation, and in some instances, the world when it comes to innovative policies that protect our planet. We have no time to wait to stem the tide of climate change and Shoshana is fully committed to continuing Berkeley’s leadership on the environment. On the City Council, Shoshana will:
Improve our transportation infrastructure. If Berkeley is going to become a denser, more liveable, more climate friendly city, we must ensure that non-automobile transportation is available, convenient, and appealing. That means building up and improving our bicycle boulevards and making bike and pedestrian improvements throughout the city, including along regional transportation corridors like San Pablo Ave and the Ohlone Greenway.
Prioritize dense, transit-oriented development, to increase energy efficiency, and foster stronger bikeable and walkable communities, reducing our dependence on cars.
Recommit the City to curbing the use of natural gas and replacing it with building electrification in a way that can pass legal muster after the City’s initial efforts were overturned by a court ruling.
Increase our tree planting throughout the city, with a focus on underserved neighborhoods that have been historically and disproportionately exposed to poorer air quality.