Another member quits ‘broken’ City Council
Berkeley City Council Member Kate Harrison on Tuesday announced she plans to resign from her position next month, saying that the city’s “processes are broken and I cannot in good conscience continue to serve on this body.”
Her resignation takes effect on Feb. 15, according to a statement she shared with the Chronicle. According to the Daily Cal, UC Berkeley’s student newspaper, Harrison’s resignation came in the middle of Tuesday night’s council meeting. She told the Chronicle she still plans to run for mayor.
Harrison’s resignation comes just weeks after Rigel Robinson resigned from the council and ended his mayoral campaign, citing the toxicity of politics and harassment from political opponents.
“I could say what office holders’ usually say — that I would like to spend more time with my family — but that is not the reason,” Harrison said. “Nor am I being harassed in any way to make this decision.” In her statement, Harrison said proposals aiming to protect solar production and “insure” funding for affordable housing were rejected, even though cities similar to Berkeley were adopting similar proposals.
She added that the city was monetizing the waterfront and taking away popular events like the Kite Festival. She also said the city was not addressing concerns from residents about UC Berkeley’s enrollment impacts on housing, and requests for public transit to access BART stations and commercial corridors.
Harrison concluded her statement by saying, “I know it will be considered quaint to highlight transparency, good government and engaging the community. I am not interested in process for process’ sake. But our current approach does not reflect the skill or agility to develop the solutions we need to survive our climate, health and inequality crises while understanding that change is hard and must be implemented carefully.”