Supporters of Berkeley Bond Issue L harken back to memories of 1991 firestorm
BERKELEY -- Berkeley leaders are promoting a massive new tax measure by stressing what it would do to improve safety in case of a wildfire and they have the support of a woman who remembers the 1991 firestorm all too well.
Look at Margaretta Mitchell's backyard today and you wouldn't know a fire had ever happened. Full-size oak trees crowd the property and towering redwoods shade her stately home. But 31 years ago, it looked very different from there.
"It was like a moonscape," she said. "And all the redwood trees were sticks."
During the firestorm, Margaretta's home became the site of a pivotal stand made by firefighters and a small army of citizen volunteers.
"If they saved this house, from the way the fire was coming, they would save the rest of Berkeley...literally," she said.
The firefight was successful and while the roof was destroyed, the rest of the home was still standing.
Margaretta produced a documentary about the struggle to save, and then restore, her historic home. She said she will never forget the experience, but she's afraid others already have.
So, she joined a group of city officials on Tuesday at a news conference, promoting the passage of Berkeley Measure L. The bond measure would be the largest in city history, raising $650 million, $50 million of which would go toward burying overhead power lines along seven miles of the city's fire evacuation corridor.
"We know that these downed lines can block evacuation routes, trapping fleeing residents and preventing our first responders from doing their jobs," said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin.
"In high winds, the electricity lines are subject to snapping and sparking," said Councilmember Susan Wengraf, "It's been determined that 99 percent of fires could be prevented if electric lines were undergrounded."
But less than eight percent of Measure L money would go to this purpose. The other 92 percent would fund street repairs, affordable housing and other infrastructure improvements.
Taxes have already been raised in the recent past for those issues, so supporters were focusing on the wildfire danger, hoping it will strike a chord with voters at this time of year.
Margaretta was lending her support simply because she's seen what can happen when the warm October winds begin to blow.
"Part of me says it can't happen right here again," she said. "But I know full well that that's not true."
It's estimated that Berkeley Measure L would raise property taxes on the average existing single-family home by about $260 per year. Because it would be a new tax, it needs at least 2/3 of the vote to pass.