ACTION ALERT: THE APRIL 22 APPEAL HEARING IS FAST APPROACHING!
Dear Save the UA Berkeley supporters:
📣 ALL HANDS ON DECK: 📣 We are in our last full week before the Berkeley City Council appeal hearing on April 22. We need all the help we can get to pressure city leaders, spread the word, and help raise funds in these final days. See below for a list of ways to help.
As a reminder, the city wrongfully handed the developer a full end-run around CEQA, leading the zoning board to quickly rubber-stamp the project without the full facts. Unless the Mayor and City Council intervene to reverse this decision, the developer will be able to tear down this beautiful art deco theater in short order—even though it’s a historic landmark under state law! 👿
***ALERT: The meeting agenda just came out and it contains all the information you need to attend in person or online. See the agenda HERE.***
ACTION ITEMS
(Followed by NEWS UPDATES)
1. Keep writing to the Mayor and City Council until Monday 4/21 at noon. If you haven’t written yet (or lately), you still have time. Make sure to say your email is about the “appeal of 2274 Shattuck Ave. use permit ZP2023-0079.”
For contact info and further instructions see our Take Action page.
2. CALL CALL CALL the Mayor and Councilmembers! We know that calling members of Congress can be a good way to get their attention. In that spirit, we want you to CALL Berkeley city leaders in these final days—especially if you live in or around Berkeley or go to school or do business in the city.
Most of the time the call goes to voicemail, and that is fine. Leave a message. Keep it short, respectful, and the point and say it’s regarding 2274 Shattuck Ave. If you aren’t successful, call again later.
Further instructions for the Call Campaign are at the bottom of this message. 👇
3. SPREAD THE WORD ONLINE USING OUR GRAPHIC ART. This is critical in the final weeks. Please share on FB, IG, X, and Nextdoor. Share over text and email. If you live in or around Berkeley, sharing on Nextdoor is a great way spread awareness.
You have your choice of Save the UA images to use:
—Comic art hearing poster. This has the hearing date and time and was made by cartoonist Briana Loewinsohn.
—Black and white poster art by muralist Chris Granillo. This is on a flyer with text and one without text.
—A meme made by group member Christine U’Ren from a photo of the massive crater on Harold Way between Kittredge and Allston. A developer demolished the Shattuck Cinemas and other structures on this cite before completely abandoning the project well over a year ago.
***If you need pointers on what text to use when posting online, please see the Call Campaign instructions at end of this message***
Here’s a G drive link with image files to download. Jpegs work for sharing online, and pdfs are good to print out flyers.
4. DONATE. We are still raising funds for last-minute legal and other costs. Any amount would help. Thank you! The link to donate is HERE.
5. Sign and/or share our ONLINE PETITION.
NEWS UPDATES
1. As mentioned above, the meeting agenda just came out and it contains all the information you need to attend in person or online. Check it out 👉 AGENDA.
2. Berkeleyside recently published an alarming article that says that due to a market downtown (that happened before Trump took office), developers have halted or even abandoned ALL housing construction in the city’s downtown, “creating empty blighted lots.”
This is why we fear the UA developer could destroy the entire theater only to abandon the plan for one reason or another and why our new meme featuring a huge crater in the downtown is hitting a nerve. Story HERE.
3. We appreciate that Martin Snapp of the East Bay Times published a column about the campaign to save the theater.
Okay, that’s it for now — except see below for the Calling Campaign instructions.
THANK YOU for all your support! Keep fighting!
SAVE THE UA BERKELEY
CALL CAMPAIGN INSTRUCTIONS
(PLEASE ADAPT ACCORDINGLY IF YOU DON’T LIVE IN BERKELEY)
1. It’s okay to leave a voicemail. Calls to the mayor and council often go to voicemail, and leaving a voicemail is fine. That way, you can call in the evening or whenever is convenient for you.
2. Please make two calls at minimum — to the Mayor and the Councilmember representing your district. Ideally, you will leave messages with ALL the Councilmembers. Spread the calls across the week if that helps.
3. When leaving a message:
—Whether you speak to a person or leave a voicemail, keep it brief and to the point (under 1 minute)
—Please give name and where you live.
—Specify you are calling about the UA Berkeley theater at 2274 Shattuck Ave., which is going before the City Council on April 22.
—Urge them to take action to prevent the demolition of the ENTIRE United Artists theater.
—You can personalize the message but keep it under 1 minute.
—If the voicemail is full, call the next day. Keep trying.
—At the end of the process, reply and let us know what calls you made.
SAMPLE MESSAGE — around 30 seconds
Hello, my name is [ ] and I live [ ]. I have lived here for [ ] years. I’m calling about the United Artists theater at 2274 Shattuck Ave. The building is a historic landmark and a developer must not be allowed to demolish the auditorium building without further review under CEQA. The Mayor and City Council must intervene at the appeal hearing on 4/22. Thank you for your consideration.
***Again, please adapt your message if you don’t live in Berkeley.***
SAMPLE MESSAGE — under 60 seconds
Hello, my name is [ ] and I live [ ]. I have lived here for [ ] years. I’m calling about the United Artists theater at 2274 Shattuck Ave. This art deco treasure is on the California Register of Historical Resources, meaning the development proposal to destroy the massive four-story auditorium structure should undergo extensive review under CEQA. The city was dead wrong to grant the developer an exemption to this process. Housing construction is important but it doesn’t have to cost the city an irreplaceable landmark theater that could rejuvenate the downtown. I’m counting on [name of mayor or councilmember] to intervene on the theater’s behalf on 4/22. Please follow the law and due process and Save the UA Berkeley! Thank you for your consideration.
4. Mayor and Council contact info:
Here's a LINK to the contact info or see list below --
MAYOR Adena Ishii
Phone: (510) 981-7100
Fax: (510) 981-7199
Email: mayor@berkeleyca.gov
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DISTRICT 1
Rashi Kesarwani
Phone: (510) 981-7110
Fax: (510) 981-7111
Email: rkesarwani@berkeleyca.gov
——
DISTRICT 2
Terry Taplin
Phone: (510) 981-7120
Fax: (510) 981-7122
Email: ttaplin@berkeleyca.gov
———
DISTRICT 3
Ben Bartlett
Phone: (510) 981-7130
Fax: (510) 981-7133
Email: bbartlett@berkeleyca.gov
——-
DISTRICT 4
Igor Tregub
Phone: (510) 981-7140
Email: itregub@berkeleyca.gov
———
DISTRICT 5
Shoshana O’Keefe
Phone: (510) 981-7150
Fax: (510) 981-7155
Email: sokeefe@berkeleyca.gov
——-
DISTRICT 6
Brent Blackaby
Phone: (510) 981-7160
Fax: (510) 981-7166
Email: bblackaby@berkeleyca.gov
——-
DISTRICT 7
Cecilia Lunaparra
Phone: (510) 981-7170
Email: clunaparra@berkeleyca.gov
———
DISTRICT 8
Mark Humbert
Phone: (510) 981-7180
Fax: (510) 981-7188
Email: mhumbert@berkeleyca.gov