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To the Editor: 

Tom Bates says he's not a leftist, yet he is surrounded by leftists from every corner of town, all hoping against hope that he can unseat Shirley Dean. Tom Bates laments about the loss of rent control, a most important issue to leftists. Just what does Bates mean?  

Passage of Costa Hawkins (vacancy decontrol) does not mean that rent control has ended in Berkeley; it has just been modified from the draconian environment that prevailed under the leadership of former mayor Loni Hancock. Thousands of tenants throughout Berkeley enjoy low rents and eviction controls virtually unprecedented in any American city, yet Tom Bates says rent control is a thing of the past. 

Tom Bates says he can work with both sides to solve disputes. Does he mean he'll convince leftist councilmembers like Dona Spring and Kriss Worthington to change their minds on important issues like housing, development, and sensible conversion of warehouse space? What specifically are the disputes that Mr. Bates hopes to resolve? 

Just what is Tom Bates up to? Is he temporarily disassociating himself from the left, very conveniently, to give us the impression that he is a moderate? Sounds like Berkeley voters are in for a slick campaign of deception from Mr. Bates. 

Leon Mayeri 

Berkeley