 This is not a campaign about promises, a campaign about solutions, and we're going to show people solutions. Michael Lee is currently running for mayor of Berkeley, but he's not your typical candidate. A self-described old bum, Lee is a member of the notorious homeless population in Berkeley. He says he has a new vision for a new future. And he believes that as mayor, he could make important and lasting changes. This city is out of control. It's totally and absolutely out of control. It's become a city of haves and have nots. And the people that have happened to control city council. We have a city here that has over a thousand homeless people sleeping in the doorways every night. A lot of them are 70, 80 years old. We have overall one of the highest crime rates in the nation. The crime rate is 51% higher overall than anywhere else in the state. We have students here at University of California. Our youth at the University of California can't find housing here. To me, that's the most disgusting thing. That's our future they're giving away. They're throwing our future away. So that's my main motivation for running for city council. I think that what I have is a new vision for a new future. There's some common sense things that should be happening that aren't happening. I think that this city council is very arrogant. It's going to tell you what's good for you. They're not going to come and ask you your opinion, especially if Cal students. Lee's primary concern is the lack of affordable housing. However, he has a plan that he thinks could solve the problem. Affordable housing, when you use that term, that's subject to all kinds of interpretation. I'm the only candidate that has put an actual dollar amount to that so that you can understand that. My definition of affordable housing is $500 a month for a studio apartment, $750 for a one bedroom, and $1,000 for a two-bedroom apartment. To me, that's affordable. The reason I say that is because of the fact that I use kitchen table common sense. Lee also thinks that he would have a better approach to solving the city's issues with homelessness. The concerns that people have about homeless people with tweakers and drug addicts and robbers and thieves, those are our concerns too. We don't like those people either. We drive them off every chance we get. To me, if you have a problem like homelessness, then you sit down and you deal with it. You make that a priority on your agenda. Because of the fact that they don't really truly understand the hidden costs of homelessness, especially to the quality of life for everybody here, they don't want to deal with it. What they want to do is they want to throw homeless people in jail, give them a bologna sandwich and pat them on the head. That's not the solution. That's not the solution because tomorrow you're going to hand them a bologna sandwich and a pat on their head. Wouldn't it be far better to teach that person and help that person give that person a hand up and say, look, we the community are going to give you a hand up. This is not a hand up. We're going to give you a hand up. What we require for me is to be a responsible individual. Determined to better represent the students of Cal, Lee plans to be very involved with campus issues. When Cal students come up against the regents for fee hikes, you won't see any of my opposition in this race. Come up to Cal campus and go, how can I help? I will. You have a problem on that campus? You're a huge part of the city. You're the reason, your community is the reason why we live here in Berkeley because you bring such diversity and such innovation to this town. You make it fun. You really do. And I for one cherish y'all, professional politicians, they don't because they really don't care at the end of the day about community. The capitol in Oregon, my opposition is going to say, oh no, we know better for you. How the hell do you know better for Cal students? Do you go to school at Cal? Do you have to put up with a crap from over there? No. Then you're not the expert. When's the last time you've seen anybody from City Council up on campus? Never, never, never, never. Although he admits that he doesn't have professional experience, Lee was adamant that he's the best candidate for the job. The capitol is a crook. Period ended. He's already shown that he's violated public trust. Jesse Erigan, who's done some wonderful things for the city, has contributed a lot. He's made a lot of good things happen for this city. My issue with Jesse is that I've been watching City Council for a while now, and I just don't think that he is aggressive enough to protect the interests of specifically Cal students because, quite frankly, to protect your own interests to City Council, you're going to need somebody up there who ain't willing to go home. Does Jesse Erigan going to come out of City Hall to help you all or walk Sproul Plaza? I don't think he will. I will. I will. Why will I do that? Because I value y'all. Y'all bring a unique contribution, unique contribution, you know, sort of thing. Except for the frat boys up on frat road, but, you know, as long as they stay up there, they're fine and dead. Just don't come down here to people's park and you're drunk and ass peeing all over the place. We don't want to see that. As mayor, Lee intends to be a hands-on leader in the Berkeley community. I'm not the savior. The City Council ain't the savior. We're going to work on this together because that's the only way that things are going to get solved. One thing I do know is that we either succeed or fail together. It's not going to be any more about this City Council this or City Council this. It's going to be we. It's not going to be I. It's not going to be them. It's going to be we, the community. We are going to solve problems.