Absentee ballots have arrived and the November 2014 election is just around the corner. Berkeleyside has been covering the issues for months, and we’ve collected some of our best Berkeley election coverage in a single post to help readers get informed before they cast their votes.

Browse Berkeleyside’s 2014 election coverage.

Berkeley has several council seats up for grabs, and seven ballot measures under consideration. If you haven’t yet plugged into the local issues on the table, here’s your chance. On election night, we’ll cover the results live, and we plan to keep this hub updated as Nov. 4 approaches. If you think it’s a good resource, we hope you’ll share it with your friends and neighbors.

See our election-night live blog here, with continuing updates.

What else do you need to know?

The deadline to register to vote in Alameda County for the Nov. 4 election is Monday, Oct. 20. Registration can be completed online. Berkeleyside does not endorse candidates or measures.

In addition to our news coverage, a lively debate has been going on in our opinion pages. Berkeleyside welcomes submissions of op-ed articles of 500-800 words. We ask for first refusal to publish. Topics should be Berkeley-related and local authors are preferred. Please email submissions to the editors.

Click the following links to jump to the section of interest.

Berkeley City Council

Three council seats are contested, in districts 1, 7 and 8. Councilman Jesse Arreguín is unopposed in downtown Berkeley’s District 4. Find your council district and your local representative manually, or use this handy tool.

Council District 1: Incumbent Linda Maio is facing off against local activist Merrilie Mitchell and Worthington aide Alejandro Soto-Vigil. See District 1 election coverage on Berkeleyside.

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Council District 7: Berkeley native Sean Barry has filed to run for the District 7 seat, challenging 18-year incumbent Kriss Worthington. See District 7 election coverage on Berkeleyside.

Council District 8: The race for Berkeley’s District 8 seat, soon to be vacated by Councilman Gordon Wozniak, is the most competitive of the 2014 election season. Four candidates are vying for the post: George Beier Jr., Michael Alvarez Cohen, Lori Droste and Jacquelyn McCormick. See District 8 election coverage on Berkeleyside.

City auditor Ann-Marie Hogan is unopposed, and five people are running for five seats opening on the city’s Rent Stabilization Board. The school board and District 15 Assembly races are contested.

Berkeley School Board: Five candidates — Ty Alper, Norma Harrison, and incumbents Josh Daniels, Karen Hemphill and Julie Sinai — are running for three open seats.

Assembly District 15 seat: Elizabeth Echols and Tony Thurmond are competing to fill the District 15 seat that will be vacated by Nancy Skinner. Elected in 2008, Skinner is termed out, but modifications to the term limits in 2012 mean one of these candidates could claim the seat for the next 12 years. Read District 15 Assembly race coverage on Berkeleyside.

The ballot measures

There are seven Berkeley ballot measures set to come before voters in November, but four have gotten most of the attention. There’s the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, the parks tax, the downtown initiative and the question of what the city’s council district boundaries should be. (Three lower profile items relate to recall provisions, corporate personhood and working from home.)

Measure D: The soda tax

The city of Berkeley is considering a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on the distributors of sugar-sweetened beverages, and the American Beverage Association is fighting that initiative. Selected news stories follow; see complete Measure D coverage on Berkeleyside.

News

Opinion

On the web

Measure F: The parks tax

The city says it needs to raise money to support Berkeley’s parks. The proposal on the table translates into an additional $43 a year for the owner of an average-size home. (That same homeowner already pays about $240 a year under the existing parks tax.) Selected news stories follow; see complete Measure F coverage on Berkeleyside.

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Opinion



On the web

The pro-Measure F campaign is online here; there’s no apparent organizing force against it.

Measure O: Amendment to the recall provisions in Berkeley City Charter

From the ballot question: “Shall the Charter of the City of Berkeley be amended to conform the provisions for the recall of elective officers to recent judicial rulings and the state Elections Code with respect to counting of votes, signature threshold, petition circulators, and signature verification, and adjust the deadlines for calling recall elections to allow for consolidation with statewide elections?”

Opinion

Measure R: The downtown initiative

Advocates pushing for more stringent environmental standards have put this measure on the ballot to set stricter rules for developers who hope to build in downtown Berkeley. Opponents of the measure say it will stop the positive trajectory of smart growth and increased density downtown. Its supporters say the measure will bring more community benefits, and provide more protection for the downtown post office, which has been put up for sale. Council has already adopted new zoning rules designed to protect the post office; if voters adopt those same rules in November, council will be unable to make changes — down the line — that currently are under its purview. Selected news stories follow; see complete Measure R coverage on Berkeleyside.

News

Opinion

On the web

Measure S: New city council districts

Berkeley has been working to create new council district lines for years. In December a council majority adopted new lines, which were challenged by a referendum earlier this year. Voters will decide in November whether to uphold the lines council adopted, or send the city back to the drawing board in 2015. Selected news stories below, or see complete Measure S coverage on Berkeleyside.

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Opinion



On the web

Learn more about the Yes on S and No on S campaigns online.

Campaign finances

Berkeleyside has been keeping a close eye on the money as election season heats up.

Other resources

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