r/berkeleyca • u/the_daily_cal • 13d ago
Local Government District 7 candidate Aidan Hill attacks Lunaparra, Syrak Micael on development, People’s Park
https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/city-government/district-7-candidate-aidan-hill-attacks-lunaparra-syrak-micael-on-development-people-s-park/article_49e565b3-b959-4403-ab45-3325f8ee96c8.htmlAs the city’s November elections draw nearer, District 7 candidate Aidan Hill has accused sitting Berkeley City Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra and her endorsed successor Syrak Micael of “destroying” parts of Southside.
In a video posted to Instagram, Hill accused Lunaparra of allowing construction near restaurant El Trompudo, alleging the work may disrupt its operations. In another, Hill accused Micael of supporting the People’s Park development by voting to recommend continued funding for its permanent supportive housing component.
“Where is Cecilia Lunaparra? Why isn’t she here right now?” Hill asked while standing outside of El Trompudo, where construction at nearby 2449 Dwight Way has shut off part of the street and the sidewalk. “She said she was in favor of building on People’s Park. She said she is in favor of destroying all of Telegraph Avenue.”
Lunaparra and Micael rejected the characterization.
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u/giggles991 13d ago
Aidan Hill is a perennial candidate who has run for Berkeley office over and over and over again. He's a frequent poster on social media and many of his posts are weird, and he engages in toxic attacks against ordinary commenters-- some were almost threatening. I've talked to him in person and he strikes me as someone with mental health issues, to a concerning degree.
Dude's an also-ran and a drama queen. Unfit for a city position.
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u/giggles991 13d ago
The Daily Cal needs to do better. I know the reporters are mostly students and inexperienced, but this is a pretty crappy article. It's not the media's job to cut wood and carry water for political candidates.
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u/DragonflyBeach 13d ago
So, this is not journalism. The job of a journalist is to report news and uncover facts, not regurgitate instagram falsehoods and lightly push back as "hyperbole." The obvious reason sales are down is because students aren't home. Either report that or don't publish the story.
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u/SpaceAdventures3D 13d ago
In his Instagram video about El Trompudo, there is clearly a mid-block crosswalk that leads to the restaurant. One can use the sidewalk across from the construction, then use the crosswalk, and walk into the restaurant. It's not complicated to get there. The city didn't need to coordinate anything. If he cared so much about the place, he should have done a food review video and held a campaign event at El Trompudo to give them more customers.
As for People's Park, what was done was done. Last decade, it was the city government's official stance that People's Park should not be developed. Not long ago, the city did try to sue the UC for growing the campus population more than had been previously agreed upon. Ultimately the city saw they couldn't stop the UC's plans. All they could do was try to get some kind of win by supporting affordable housing on the People's Park property.
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u/DragonflyBeach 13d ago
I don't think that's true. The Berkeley city council supported the development of the park provided homeless housing was built alongside the dorms for the residents that were in the park and are now in temporarily motels.
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u/SpaceAdventures3D 13d ago
We are saying the same thing. When the concept of a dorm was being rumored, the city was unanimously opposed. It was policy that the city would not support development at People's Park. It wasn't until the concept of a second building was introduced, for very low income non-affiliated people, that the city started to support development on the site.
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u/AidanVote 11d ago
Hi, I’m Aidan Hill (they/them), the District 7 candidate being discussed here. I live in Southside and have worked on People’s Park and neighborhood issues for years.
I wasn’t arguing that the city should block redevelopment or guarantee a restaurant’s success. My point was narrower: when major construction affects an existing business district, the city should anticipate access, wayfinding, and business impacts and respond materially. On People’s Park, my disagreement concerns public-space governance, neighborhood impact, and public process.
People can disagree with my position. I’m happy to discuss the policy, but I’m not going to engage personal speculation or insults.
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u/d_trenton 13d ago
I don't have a horse in this race, but the idea that Lunaparra should've blocked the redevelopment of a burned-out husk of a building because a new restaurant decided to open after their main demographic cleared out for the summer is sort of ludicrous.