Berkeley's theater scene has lost several companies in recent years. Berkeleyside lists Bay Area Children's Theater, Aurora Theatre Company and Central Works among the major groups that have shut down. On Nov. 3, voters will decide whether property owners should help pay to keep the rest going. Measure Y is one of seven city measures on Berkeley's ballot.

What a yes vote does

Measure Y would create a parcel tax of 7 cents per square foot of building improvements. Berkeleyside calculates that comes to about $105 a year for a 1,500-square-foot home. The tax would last 12 years and raise about $6.3 million a year, close to $85 million in total. The city lists it as an initiative ordinance creating a parcel tax to fund arts institutions and programs. Because it reached the ballot by petition, it needs only a simple majority, Bay City News and the city both note.

The money would go into a dedicated arts vitality fund in the city treasury and could only be used for the arts. Groups would still have to apply for grants, and the fund would get an annual outside audit.

How the money is split

  • 75%: grants for the operating costs of qualifying Berkeley nonprofit performing arts groups, including theater, dance, music and arts education groups that perform for the public.
  • 10%: capital projects for arts nonprofits, such as accessibility upgrades, new buildings or sound systems.
  • 5%: grants for individual artists and a wider range of arts organizations.
  • 5%: community festivals.
  • 5%: running the fund.

Who is behind it

Backers include Berkeley Rep, Berkeley Playhouse, Berkeley Symphony, Shotgun Players, Freight & Salvage and the UC Theatre, along with the Downtown Berkeley Association and the Chamber of Commerce, Berkeleyside reports. As of Sept. 19 the campaign had raised $121,000. Arts leaders say federal grant cuts have made private funding more competitive. "The money that's just needed to keep the lights on is way less exciting, but that's what's needed," La Peña Cultural Center executive director Consuelo Tupper told Berkeleyside. Shotgun Players' managing director said the company has run a deficit every year and keeps drawing on its reserves.

An earlier version wasn't put on the 2024 ballot because polling sat below 50%. An April 2026 city poll found 67% support, according to Berkeleyside.

Any opposition?

Berkeleyside found no significant organized opposition. Last year Krista Gulbransen of the Berkeley Property Owners Association questioned whether voters would accept another tax after the increases approved in 2024 and rising home insurance costs. She said the group does not take positions on measures not directly tied to rental housing.

A stack of Berkeley taxes

Homeowners weighing Measure Y will see other asks on the same ballot: the $300 million Measure U bond, the Measure V sales tax, the Measure Z public bank parcel tax and Measure AA's soda tax increase. The online and mail registration deadline in Alameda County is Oct. 19. See all of our explainers in the Nov. 2026 election guide.