Within Our Means Berkeley Renews Its Commitment to the City's Sustainable Financial Future
In 2025, the City of Berkeley stands at a critical and unprecedented financial crossroads. We continue to face a persistent structural budget deficit where ongoing expenditures are outpacing revenues. Additionally, recent federal actions all but guarantee further strain on California's finances, with cuts to health, education, housing, and social safety net programs.
The Mayor and City Council have expressed a commitment to finding sustainable solutions to address the persistent imbalance of expenditures and revenues. As residents dedicated to Berkeley’s social and economic well-being, we applaud their commitment. However, we firmly believe a clear, long-term strategy of policy changes is essential. Without it, the city risks compromising its ability to meet core priorities and maintain the quality of life residents expect.
Within Our Means Berkeley is renewing its commitment to supporting this effort. We believe the Mayor and Council are sincere in their desire to chart a sustainable path forward. However, given current fiscal realities, that path will need to diverge from previous approaches.
In the months ahead, we will offer concrete, constructive solutions to help guide this process. As a starting point, we present our report: Fiscal Imbalance: Analyzing Berkeley’s Budget Deficit.
This report provides insights into some of the structural factors contributing to the current fiscal imbalance. Going forward, we will explore and propose specific strategies that can help Berkeley achieve a more sustainable financial future.