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Radicals foresee Berkeley changesBERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - Three self-styled radicals who won election to the Berkeley City Council say their victory is a mandate for sweeping changes in this community of 113,000.“The people of this city have decided it’s not going to be business as usual anymore. The city said we want change and we will have change,” said Ira T. Simmons, 28, a black attorney and one of the three who won a council seat on the radical slate.One of the radicals’ first objectives will be to push for the restructuring of the police department to bring it under greater community control — despite the overwhelming defeat of a ballot measure in Tuesday’s election that would have done this.Other proposals call for new city services for the poor and minority group members including rent control on apartments and free child care centers, and the imposition of a city income tax on income over $12,000 to replace the property tax. Property tax, the radicals say, discriminates against the poor.Also proposed is low-cost health insurance and neighborhood treatment centers for heroin addicts.The radical councilmen-elect are supported by the new mayor, Warren Widener, a Negro who backed the radicals’ platform. He is the first black to be elected mayor in Berkeley.“The new slate is going to represent people who suffer and never have been treated fairly,” Widener said. “This election is going to be noticed around the world.”He added, “This vote means the city has said it’s finally tied up with the status quo.”The new mayor says in addition to programs to help the poor he will push for a city vote on peace in Vietnam, a vote for 18-year-olds in municipal elections and elimination of the city manager’s job.In pushing for the restructure of the police department, Widener and the three radicalcouncilmen say they are undeterred by voters’ 2-1 defeat of a proposal that would have divided the police department into three units, each controlled by separate neighborhoods — one for the University of California campus area, the other two for the black and white residential areas.They would devise an alternate plan, they said.Before the radicals can make any sweeping changes, however, they face a test of strength.The mayor and radical councilmen balance off four moderates on the City Council, one of whom, Edward Kallgren, was elected Tuesday.A ninth council seat is vacant — and whoever fills it could hold the tie-breaking vote on issues. The seat was vacated by Widener on his election to succeed retiring mayor Wallace Johnson.The council members will name the ninth member — and the radicals say they will try to fill the post with Rick Brown, 28, a UC graduate student who came in fifth in the council race 23 votes behind Simmons.“I think we can get a fifth vote on the council to appoint a student to the vacancy and I hope Rick Brown is appointed,” said Ilona Hancock, 30, one erf the radical councilmen and wife of a UC associate professor. The third member of the radical slate is D’Army Bailey, 29. Like Simmons he is also a black attorney.Most city employes questioned by newsmen said they intended to stay on their jobs in the wake of the radicals’ victory.The police force, almost to a man had warned they would quit if their department was divided under the now-defeated ballot proposal.But the city staff, for the most part, seemed prepared to stay on.“If we insist they work within the system, we shouldn’t bellyache if they win through the system,” said William F. Anderson, 52, of the inspection department.Uncle proposes bills to pay Alaskan nativesCAMPAIGNER — This campaigner on a unicycle passes out pamphlets on a Berkeley street where a record number of voters turned out for municipal election. The cyclist was a proponent of controversial Proposition 1 on ballot which called for charter amendment which would split the police department into three bodies governed by neighborhood councils. The bomb fraud alludes to police announcement Monday regarding discovery of a dynamite cache found in a garage near city hall.BERKELEY MAYOR — Warren Widener, 32, a liberal attorney, became the first black elected as mayor of Berkeley. Widener and his wife are shown receiving congratulations last night.
Newspaper Details
Woodland Daily Democrat
Woodland, California, US
Wed, Apr 07, 1971
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
Patuxent R.
AL, USA 18 Oct 2024
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