The BAHA Board of Directors has endorsed Berkeley Measure U, a $300 million bond measure funding capital improvements to Berkeley public facilities. We urge Berkeley residents to vote to approve the measure in the November 3 General Election.
The City Council unanimously placed Measure U on the ballot on June 16, 2026. A City report is available with the full bond language here. Pictured here is the question as it appears on the ballot.
At the time of passing the ballot measure, the City included a list of proposed projects. Among these projects is the seismic retrofit of two of Berkeley’s most important landmarks: Old City Hall/Maudelle Shirek Building and Veteran’s Memorial Building. The funding included represents 25% of the estimated seismic retrofit cost, matching funds required to receive Federal grant money.
BAHA has raised the alarm about the need to retrofit these buildings for years. The seismic retrofit of these structures, in particular, is the necessary first step for any plan to put these irreplaceable buildings to good use. Measure U is a rare opportunity to fund this work. The Berkeley Community for a Cultural Civic Center has long lead efforts to secure the buildings’ futures. Berkeleycccc.org is a great place to learn more.
We recognize that the bond measure has flaws. For one, it does not guarantee that all the projects on this list will be funded. Bond language notes that “funding from the Bonds should be guided by the City’s non-exhaustive list of proposed projects…”, but this neither commits the city to fund all the listed projects nor to fund only the listed projects. For another, we are not convinced that the included fire station replacement projects, in particular, adequately consider the possibility of preserving distinctive existing architecture. If these projects move forward, we will continue to advocate preservation as an element of the work.
But we cannot wait for the perfect bond measure. We cannot simply wring our hands about the uncertainties and pass up a chance to make a difference for our Civic Center landmarks. If the measure passes, there will be work to do. We will need to do all we can to make sure the City follows through on the seismic retrofits, but that is a far better prospect than simply watching the buildings deteriorate for the foreseeable future.
