We are great planners in Berkeley, with dozens of well-researched, thoughtful plans and hundreds of great ideas sitting on the shelf. Yet, there is a big piece missing: accountability

We need to increase transparency around implementation, including regular progress reports and financial statements, made available to the public.

We need to increase public involvement around next steps when plans are completed, both to provide input and to hold city leaders accountable for making measurable progress. For example, if Berkeley has a great solution and no funds to implement it, the public needs to know and weigh in on possible reprioritization of funds.

The city should work closely and cooperatively with the independent, elected City Auditor to achieve these goals.