District 4 Council Member: Dona Spring

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Council Member Dona Spring

Dona Spring

Dona Spring (1953-2008): Dona Spring passed away on Sunday, July 13th from complications of rheumatoid arthritis. Services are pending. Her staff is maintaining her office. For more information, please visit the announcement from the City Manager at: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/PressReleaseMain.aspx?id=23468

Council District 4

27 years of Community Service
Neighborhood and Tenant Organizer

Environmental leader

Advocate for Seniors, Disabled, Youth and

Health Care Reform

Dona Spring--Positive Leadership

Increasing municipal services in our neighborhoods with more street lighting, tree trimming, sidewalk and street repair.

A Champion for Our Parks and Recreation facilities:

Dona helped obtain funding for Ohlone Park improvements like additional children's play equipment and a mural to commemorate Ohlone Indians. She is trying to get additional recreational opportunities at our waterfront.

More Affordable Housing: Dona's advocacy is for federal loans for tenants to purchase their units and for loans for lower income people to make home repairs. She has created educational and assistance programs for tenants. Dona is working to prevent the loss of long-time tenants and small businesses.

Protecting the Environment

Protecting our soil, air and water from toxic pollution has been a life time commitment for Dona. She has spent years working for accountability from the University and the city in the use and reduction of toxins. Dona's leadership is reducing the flow of heavy metals into the storm drains.

Dona's advocacy for a healthier environment includes:

1. Combining car trips to reduce automobile use--fossil fuel consumption is a leading polluter of our environment.

2. Eating lower on the food chain to reduce habitat destruction, pollution, water and fossil fuel consumption.

3. Precycling and recycling. For more information contact the Ecology Center 527-5555.

4. My leadership resulted in a successful bond measure to build a new Animal Shelter Call 981-7140 to volunteer.

Confidence in Our Commercial Areas:

Dona's leadership has helped to create:

* Clean Cities Program: which reduces graffiti, increases sidewalk cleaning, and improves trash removal in the commercial areas. (Homeless people were hired to assist with these tasks.)

* More Mixed-Use Development: commercial and residential projects on Shattuck and University Avenues. These projects attract new residents and businesses which result in safer streets, more jobs and a healthier tax base.

* Low interest loans to new small business who hire Berkeley residents.

* Promotion of Arts and Cultural Events: Dona secured funding for major arts groups to move to the downtown Art?s District and doubled funding to arts groups in Berkeley. She has sponsors cultural events such as Indigenous People's Day, Earth Day and Cinco De Mayo in Civic Center Park.

* Downtown Streetscape Improvements: Dona recommends better pedestrian crossings, more trees, increased lighting, building facade improvements and further development of the arts district on Addison Street.

Improving Public Safety:

Voted for additional police officers--Dona wants to apply for federal funds for increasing safety personnel and programs.

Restricting the Sale of Fortified Liquor: Dona has worked with business owners for a more responsible sales of fortified alcohol products. A number of liquor owners have agreed not to sell these after 8pm. (Thanks to Fred's Market on University Ave. for giving up the sale of cheap fortifieds whose main purpose is to get people drunk.)

De-tox and Rehab facilities: Dona will continue to lobby for medical treatment and services to reverse the downward spiral of drug and alcohol addiction. Essential to this effort is the funding for the creation of several detox facilities in the East Bay area. Without such facilities, we will be deprived of a critical component needed to help reduce homelessness, aggressive behavior, addiction-driven panhandling and crimes associated with drug and alcohol addiction.

Dona Spring, Berkeley City Council member

November 1992 - November 2006

She can be contacted at:

Dona Spring
City of Berkeley
2180 Milvia Street
Berkeley, California 94704

Phone: (510) 981-7140
Email: spring@ci.berkeley.ca.us

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