Ross’s Policy Priorities
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Berkeley's housing affordability crisis doesn’t just affect newcomers, but all of us: from parents and grandparents whose children and grandchildren can’t afford to live here, to businesses that can’t find workers, to those pushed out onto the street when rent goes up. While rents dipped slightly a couple years ago, they have started to climb again. We need to do more to bring down the cost of housing and protect low-income and long-term tenants in our community.
As Councilmember, I will:
Champion new housing at all income levels: from subsidized affordable housing for rent-burdened families and individuals, to permanent supportive housing to help folks struggling get off the street, to new market-rate housing that supports local businesses and grows our tax base, providing more revenue for better city services.
Support strong tenant protections, ensuring longtime residents aren’t driven out by rising prices or unfair landlord practices.
Encourage family housing, “missing middle” housing like duplexes and quadplexes, and backyard cottages (accessory dwelling units) that make it easier for multigenerational households to stay together.
Support necessary zoning, building code, and other changes to make smaller, affordable-by-design homes more feasible to build, while ensuring we keep community benefits and strong design guidelines so that new buildings enhance our city.
Prioritize housing near transit and destinations like schools, jobs, and shops, helping to keep cars off the road and reduce our community’s environmental footprint.
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Homelessness is one of the most visible, painful, and acute challenges facing District 1. The status quo is not working. Everyone in Berkeley deserves to be treated with equal respect and compassion. We need to balance the needs of our unhoused neighbors with those of the broader community, especially where health and safety are concerned. Sleeping on the street isn't a compassionate situation for anyone, and the health risks of encampments affect encampment residents the most. We need to build real pathways back to stable, healthy lives, while also keeping our parks, sidewalks, and public spaces safe, clean, and welcoming for everyone.
We cannot allow open-air encampments to become permanent fixtures in District 1, which is why enforcement must be early and paired with regional RV sites, interim shelter, and shelter offers.
As Councilmember, I will:
Fight to keep and restore funding for existing programs that are working. City-operated permanent supportive housing, such as the Hope Center, and the city’s RV buyback program are examples of existing programs that are working. Unfortunately, with the budget crisis, we're facing $3.5 million in cuts to the city’s Health, Housing, and Community Services. I will fight to increase revenue and restore funding to these essential city programs.
Regional solutions to region-wide problems. The County has the funding, the shelter beds, and the case-management infrastructure for a truly regional response. We need to facilitate coordinated entry into the regional system that already exists, rather than trying to solve our regional homelessness crisis all on our own.
Pair an RV and encampment ordinance with an inter-jurisdictional RV site, funded and operated by the County. I will be the champion for a competitive application for Alameda County Measure W (Home Together Fund) dollars and work with the County and neighboring cities on where to site it. For too long in Berkeley we have accepted an “anything goes” approach to unsheltered homelessness. This has placed an undue burden on residents, businesses, and visitors in West Berkeley. I will support policy and enforcement that will prevent encampments from forming in the first place.
Fund permanent supportive housing. We must increase our permanent supportive housing capacity. This must be done throughout the city because District 1 already hosts a disproportionate volume of homeless services compared to the rest of the city. These services will provide a pathway out of homelessness, rather than managing it indefinitely. We need market-rate housing projects to start breaking ground again to build our Housing Trust Fund back up, and we should put another affordable housing bond in front of voters now that Measure O funds have run out.
Listen to city staff. In staff’s own words, "absent new sources of external funding… staff do not recommend opening new programs when several existing shelter programs face imminent risk of closure." I do not support adding new programs when budget cuts threaten our existing ones.
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Berkeleyans deserve world-class streets. That means not just smoother streets free of potholes, but also ones that are comfortable and welcoming for all road users, whether they're walking, biking, rolling, or driving. We especially need to ensure our streets are safe and accessible for the most vulnerable in our community, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities, both those who depend on automobiles for mobility, as well as those who can’t drive for health or safety reasons. Thanks to the generous support of Berkeley voters, Measure FF (passed in 2024) will provide some $270 million over 14 years to help fix our streets – but it’s up to the next City Council to ensure we use that funding efficiently and deliver on the street improvements Bekeleyans voted for. As your Councilmember, I will:
Ensure Measure FF and City tax dollars are spent wisely and effectively towards fixing our streets, including repairing Berkeley’s failed streets, and ensuring new safety projects benefit all road users.
Prioritize accessibility, mobility, and comfort for the most vulnerable among us, ensuring safety for people walking, biking, and using mobility devices, while preserving parking spaces for those who rely on them.
Advocate for fixing broken sidewalks, support District 1’s Equity Zone for priority paving, and support beautification and increased street trees on our neighborhood blocks and arterials.
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Every family in District 1 deserves to feel safe at home, walking to school, or out in their neighborhood at night. That means both safety from crime, as well as safety from abuse of power and technology. Real safety means more than just responding after something goes wrong; it means preventing harm in the first place. Keeping Berkeley residents safe requires balancing an effective police force with effective and responsible guardrails and oversight.
As Councilmember, I will:
Ensure our police department has the resources to respond quickly and effectively to violent crime in our community, as well as the resources to deter and prevent crime before it happens.
Support the Police Accountability Board’s role in providing independent civilian oversight and fair and impartial investigations.
Require any policing technology to have clear and appropriate usage policies, including vendor requirements for data access controls, with enforceable mechanisms to hold bad actors accountable. Flock does not meet these standards, and I would support moving off of Flock as quickly as possible.
Support hiring of non-sworn first responders and civilian staff roles where feasible, ensuring our resources are utilized effectively.
Support community policing that builds real relationships and trust between officers and the neighborhoods they serve.
Invest in lighting, visibility, and street design that help prevent crime before it happens.
Balance accountability with compassion, so every resident, from small business owners to families to our most vulnerable neighbors, feels genuinely protected.
Restore funding for a clinician-staffed, non-transport response unit for low-acuity medical calls, so engines and ambulances stay available for true emergencies.
Fully staff our Emergency Communications Center, because alternative response only works when dispatchers have the capacity to send the right resource to the right call.
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Berkeleyans deserve world-class service from their local government, but our city has not always been a pinnacle of operational excellence. Our families and small businesses shouldn't have to choose between a city with the right values and a city where potholes get fixed, permits move quickly, and your tax dollars are spent effectively.
As Councilmember, I will:
Provide rigorous budget oversight, ensuring every tax dollar is spent wisely and in line with the voters’ intent.
Streamline permitting for housing and small businesses, so projects don't sit stuck in red tape for years.
Support investments in the City’s operational efficiency, such as by modernizing outdated software and technology systems, to help deliver better services at lower costs. For example, the City should make it possible to auto-pay your waste collection bill.
Prioritize constituent services, ensuring calls and emails are returned in a timely fashion, listening to diverse perspectives, and helping residents and local businesses get the assistance they need.
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I've spent fifteen years working to protect the natural world, from restoring forests and wildlife habitat across the globe to serving on our local Sierra Club's executive committee. Berkeley's environment deserves that same care at home. Every family, in every neighborhood, deserves clean air, trees in their neighborhood, and a park nearby they're proud to bring their kids to. Protecting our local biodiversity, our creeks, our shoreline, and our urban forest is an important part of making District 1 the vibrant, refreshing community that residents deserve.
As Councilmember, I will:
Support planting more street trees, especially in the flatlands, to ensure every neighborhood benefits from shade and cleaner air.
Keep our parks clean, well-maintained, and welcoming for families, kids, and seniors.
Protect our shoreline and invest in the Berkeley Marina, preparing for sea level rise and supporting new transit options and Marina-focused businesses and activities..
Turn Golden Gate Fields into a public park rich in amenities, while restoring wetland habitat and creating more access to the bay for everyone.