Tonight at 8: 53 pm Berkeley Councilmember Kate Harrison resigned. Her full statement was much
longer than quoted here. (see press release below),
In her parting comments she said:

"I’m very upset…I thought about this for a very long time, I’veb
decided to resign from Berkeley City Council…I could say what office holders usually say, they
would like to spend more time with their family, but that is not the reason. Nor am I being
harassed in any way to make this decision. Berkeley’s processes are broken and I cannot
continue to serve…I wish you all the best, but I am resigning."


While those of us attending were still digesting that Kate Harrison resigned, the mayor called a
break and then resumed the meeting as if nothing unusual had happened.

—Kelly Hammargren

Update: Councilmember Harrison has informed the Planet that she is continuing her campaign for Mayor of Berkeley. The election for that office is in November. 

 

---

I have decided to resign from the Berkeley City Council effective February 15, 2024. I could say what office holders’ usually say – that I would like to spend more time with my family – but that is not the reason. Nor am I being harassed in any way to make this decision. I am doing so because Berkeley’s processes are broken and I cannot in good conscience continue to serve on this body.

The enormous impact of income and wealth inequality, predatory lending, increased corporate ownership of housing, and market displacement are complex issues that, when daylighted, make development interests nervous. Proposals to require reasonable objective design standards to protect solar production, insure adequate affordable housing funding and prevent uninterrupted commercial blocks without articulation have been rejected even as they are adopted by dozens of cities that build – like we do -- a lot of housing. U.C. continues to master lease properties, which takes them off our tax rolls. Property owners were asked to support a significant bond while fees paid by property owners and developers of residential rental buildings are discounted without justification.

It is a cruel irony that, as the Biden Administration recasts our national dialogue away from 40 years of trickle-down economics, Berkeley is relying on the market as the ultimate arbiter. Climate change is an existential threat which requires we use all tools at our disposal – solar panels AND infill housing. The impact of a focus on private profits impacts how we do everything. The City is monetizing our Waterfront, has derailed the beloved Kite Festival and free Mime Troupe park performances, has driven recreational activities like the Chess Club off our streets and is not protecting or adding green space.

Finally, issues are presented as a morality play with those who disagree cast in the role of villains. Resident concerns about U.C. Berkeley’s enrollment impact on housing and City services are not adequately addressed. People with legitimate demands that there be public transit to access BART stations and commercial corridors are vilified (we need to find public alternatives to the combustion vehicle, not demonize those who are right now dependent on them). People engaging in a healthy debate about which policing tools are effective at fighting crime while protecting civil liberties are derided as “ideologues” and “busybodies”.

As I said before, I know it will be considered quaint to highlight transparency, good government and engaging the community. I am not interested in process for process’ sake. But our current approach does not reflect the skill or agility to develop the solutions we need to survive our climate, health and inequality crises while understanding that change is hard and must be implemented carefully. 

s

Two disturbing responses to last night's City Council meeting.

The first, Sophie Hahn's shocking statement at Kate Harrison's resignation. Ms Harrison carefully delineated her principled stand in her statement of resignation, whereas Ms Hahn simply accused Harrison of selfish-petulance. I was shocked at Hahn's tone-deaf response. Rather than taking a statesman-like stand, she deliberately trashed Ms Harrison, ignoring the substantial issues Ms Harrison carefully and thoughtfully addressed.:

The Second Shocking Response was Mr Terry Taplin's physical assault of the resigning council member. His were not hands of comfort but a large man's controlling hands. Totally inappropriate.

The legal definition of Assault: "Generally, an assault occurs when a person directly or indirectly applies force intentionally to another person without their consent. It can also occur when a person attempts to apply such force, or threatens to do so, without the consent of the other person."  

Proposition 1 is a measure that, among other things, raises money through selling bonds, for purposes of building recovery-type housing for severely ill neurodivergent people, AKA mentally ill. Secondly it will require counties to spend a third of their mental health budgets on housing and/or bedspace to get some of the homeless mentally ill people off the streets and out of jail, to a safe, short term recovery facility.  

California has the "mental health services act" a ballot measure from 2004, a 1% income tax on those who make a million dollars or more per year, to help pay for some of the needs of mentally ill people. Prop 1 will change how some of this money can be used. It will divert funds from some services to pay for other services.  

An excerpt brought to you from a factual source: "--How Would the Bond Impact Homelessness? The state government estimates the bond would build up to 4,350 housing units, with 2,350 set aside for veterans. The bond would provide housing to over 20 percent of veterans experiencing homelessness. The number of housing units built by the bond would reduce statewide homelessness by only a small amount." -- California Legislative Analyst's Office. 

Proposition 1 doesn't do what is needed. It will direct funds away from community-based treatment, but it will not provide disabled adults with a place to call home. 

In California, it is simply not possible for disabled adults to pay for adequate housing, because the rents are through the roof, and we might get twelve hundred a month, less than the amount needed for anyone to live on, including in shared housing. 

Where does this leave the people who are trying to get well or have gotten well, and who desperately need housing where we do not live in continuous fear of homelessness? It leaves us no better off. This is from the horse's mouth, as quoted above. 

On the other hand, if put into law, it could allow thousands of mentally ill people to be in a safe place as opposed to being jailed. Jailing a mentally ill person is about the worst thing you can do to a human being. In that respect, Prop 1 could alleviate a lot of human suffering. 

Thirty years ago, it was possible to pay for housing in a shared rental or in a subsidized unit, and there essentially wasn't that continuous fear of homelessness. 

How does that fear affect a person who is already tormented by symptoms of paranoia? Badly. Very badly. 

My own personal narrative consists of trying desperately to find out what job I can do wherein I could earn a living for a while. I do not believe Social Security will continue to pay me after Trump gets into office. I am disabled and that has been well documented. However, Trump is likely going to gut any remaining shreds of safety net that have not already been shredded by previous governments and by Trump in his previous term. And I already don't get enough to live on. 

Prop 1 could potentially help some people, but we could be doing far more. This is an effort toward doing something, and Governor Newsom in backing this should be commended for his efforts. It's not perfect but I advise a yes vote. 

Something kept bothering me at the second presentation in two days of the "Ohlone Greenway Safety Improvements Project" at the North Berkeley Senior Center. A small thing perhaps. But there was nothing safe about the safety project.

That wasn't all. It was being raced through a process as though lives were at stake. And the only lives in jeopardy I could see were those intending to use the pathways as pedestrians after having them widened to accommodate electric bike and electric scooter users as well as bike commuters.

I walked home thinking, what is this all about? There's no actual safety in this plan, which my neighbors and I only discovered that night included the removal of eleven mature trees unmarked on my full color map. Only one tree was marked on the map for removal, a coast live oak referred to as dead. One was left to guess where the other trees were, what kind of trees they were, and how long they might survive and contribute to a natural landscape if they were not considered to be, as the map put it, "constraints". It shocked the room to hear of eleven trees planned for removal to accommodate bicycles and electric vehicles intending to "share" a widened pathway with pedestrians. Pedestrians in Berkeley know what "shared-use" means. It means leaping out of the way, if one can, of 30 mph vehicles heading right for you and expecting you to move because, well, because they can. Here at the corner of University and San Pablo you can expect derision from the police if you report this kind of thing. Their attitude is, what do you expect; you live in the wrong part of town. 

The ecologists know that even a dead tree has profound ecological value in a natural setting. And diseased trees, as they die back, still offer habitat, shade, fruit and nuts greatly appreciated by birds and bugs barely hanging on in most cityscapes. Although dead trees might be less attractive, they are essential to a natural setting's health. Dead wood decomposes with the help of fungi, bacteria and other life forms, aiding new plant growth and returning nutrients to the soil while teeming with new life. 

I am a lifelong bike commuter. I routinely used a compass during my working life to dial a five mile circle around my home and only ever entertained job possibilities within that circle. I grew up with a family library which included the first edition of Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe'. I would gladly walk my bicycle on any pathway too constricted for safe "shared-use" by both bikes and pedestrians if it would save a tree. Any tree. 

In the case of this proposal, it would save a Monterey Pine between Cedar and Virginia Gardens, a Red Oak between Cedar and Rose, a Loquat between Cedar and Rose, a Raywood Ash at Rose, a Blackwood Acacia between Cedar and Hopkins, a Callery Pear between Cedar and Hopkins, a dead Coast Live Oak at Hopkins and Peralta, and a Willow at Santa Fe. 

But the map doesn't show the location of any of the trees proposed for removal. None of the members of the public who attended the presentations, unless they asked the specific question asked on Thursday, January 18, 2024 by local reporter Kelly Hammargren, would have any idea that their parks were about to get the axe. Ms. Hammargren at least got a number. It took further requests behind the scenes to get at least eight of the trees identified by species. And they are not on the map. Three trees remain, as of this writing, entirely unidentified by species, location, or alleged disease, and the project is nearly done with its public presentations. 

No one should be making presentations about this project without this information. The presentation didn't offer any alternative to tree removal. It left three trees slated for removal unidentified entirely. One cannot, for instance, walk with a local arborist and independently check on the health of the trees slated to be removed due to a city engineer's determination that they are "substandard" or "diseased" - as well as, apparently entirely coincidentally, right next to the pathway the city wishes to widen - on behalf of a bike lobby vying with developers for most powerful voice in civic political discourse. 

When my generation sparred with the police in the earliest days of Critical Mass bike rides, we were told that we were "blocking traffic" despite being, under California code, traffic ourselves - vehicles entitled to the road. Vehicles equally dangerous as any car, any bus, any taxi. This is why we are not allowed on sidewalks; it is too dangerous, despite what former City Councilmember Rigel Robinson seems to have thought. His ill-considered proposals apparently have a life of their own without his participation. 

But, unlike Albany, which has separate bike paths on the Ohlone pathway beginning right at its city boundaries, Berkeley wants to see if it can get away with a "shared-use" grift which puts us all at risk. The irony is that it is in the name of safety. 

My fellow bike commuters and I had a shared joke about "two-way shared-use pathways" being promoted long before this plan. "Shared-use" has an accompanying death rate which instead of resulting in "One Less Car" as the t-shirts claim, results in "One Less Life", usually that of the bicycle rider who would undoubtedly be found at fault because, after all, it was a bicycle rider. 

We have a choice; we can remake our parks to accommodate bike commuters unwilling to use the roads they have a right to, the roads that the fierce early pioneers of Critical Mass made sure they have a right to. We will lose not just trees. We will lose the sense of space and pace that makes a park different in the first place. Parks are not about getting anywhere in a hurry. Parks are, or should be, about peace, about quiet, about picnics and conversation on a bench with friends. Certainly about knowing your kids won't be killed by a bicyclist late for work banking on pedestrians jumping out of the way as is now common on all Berkeley sidewalks. 

Bike riders in a hurry should use the roads meant for them. And if the roads aren't safe, they should work to make them so, as my generation did. The net result, when bikes are forced to be treated as the natural part of the vehicle traffic they honestly are, will be that a certain ratio of car drivers, forced to slow down to accommodate bicycle traffic at a slower pace, will get on the bus. Congestion all over the Bay Area will reduce. Traffic speeds will naturally slow. Less gas will be used. People will become acquainted with the most green way to get to work, available to everyone with and without disabilities, the bus and rapid transit system. 

Before we sacrifice trees, living beings, before we sacrifice the safety of pedestrians never told their natural landscape of neighborhood trees would need to be treated like furniture, let's at least require the City of Berkeley to be honest when they walk about handing out proposals with most of the story missing. 

We pay our city officials to be fair. We pay them to be honest. We pay them to offer us straightforward opportunities to discuss community plans. There should be no hurry toward proposals which concomitantly include death sentences disguised as safety projects, especially not right before an election. We pay them to do a better job than this. 

# # # 

Carol Denney is a lifelong bike commuter, writer, editor of the Pepper Spray Times, and musician.h

Did Bert, Ernie and Big Bird Really Condemn Genocide?
A tasty bit of disinformation now circulating on Smartphones worldwide was recently released by a beloved rogue intelligence agent whose name is being held as a state secret. Alas, there is no footage to support this report. But it's fun to imagine. The message read as follows. 

"Guess the amazing event we saw today at our local PBS TV station? Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and the rest of the Sesame Street gang apparently decided to rebel from PBS Management's orders and instead to join S. Africa and most of the rest of the world in opposing Israel's genocide! Bert was quoted as lamenting: 'Why are they killing all our little friends—the children and babies we were teaching to count, to read and to get along with each other?!'" 

Fashion Plates
Personalized license plates spotted about town
SALOME9
LYNZEY
LUV MR J
GROK NOW
HOPEWON
DUYOYO (Do You Yoyo?)
BL SONAR (Blue Sonar?)
PHLOVES2 (A philanderer?)
NOTYHON (Naughty Hon?)
B BKLYN (To Be in Brooklyn?)
ROAMPN (Roam the Peninsula?)
TESTHLA ("Tesla" with a lisp. On a Tesla, of course) 

Bumper Snickers
I'd Rather Be Fishing
We Still Have Each Other 

Tell Your Cat I Said PSPSPS
Save Berkeley Iceland
KALX 40th Anniversary
RETIRED: Don't Ask Me To Do a Damned Thing 

Trump's Slump in Iowa, New Hampshire
Former Clinton Labor Secretary and recently retired UC Berkeley economics professor Robert Reich has dissed the Mainstream Media for "falling over itself in seeming awe of Trump’s 'powerful” campaign' in early party primary contests." 

Reich isn't having it. "The truth is just the opposite," he contends. "He won fewer than 3 percent of registered voters in Iowa" and only pocketed 53 percent of the vote in New Hampshire’s GOP primary. Compared to Nikki Haley’s 45.9 percent, "a 7 percent margin is nothing for him to brag about (although he’ll brag)." 

"For a former Republican president, his showing in New Hampshire and last Monday in Iowa is pitiful." 

According to preliminary exit polls, only half of the New Hampshire voters identified as MAGAnoids. Six percent were Dems but a whopping 45 percent were Independents. 

"That’s exactly the point," Reich notes. "Even if Trump dominated Haley among Republicans, he did terribly among independents, which portends problems for him in the general election." 

According to Reich, Trump is "likely to be an extraordinarily weak candidate in the general election, given that almost half the entire US electorate is independent, while only 25 percent are Republican" and the rest are Democrats. 

Can You Smell a Deep Fake?
A video compilation recently surfaced on YouTube that makes the case that Donald Trump's mere presence can take your breath away. Here's the vid. It bares the title: Trump’s DEEPEST SECRET is Finally LET LOOSE in Public 

 

Getting to Know the Drill
Sitting in the waiting room at a dentist's office on Solano I got so bored I actually walked across the carpet to read the contents of the half-dozed framed pieces of wall-art. To my surprise, they were all reprints of articles from scientific and medical journals. Herewith, a sampling: 

From Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine: 

"Craniofacial Morphometric Analysis of Individuals with X-linked Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia" 

From Cell Reports: 

"Continuously Growing Rodent Molars Result from a Predictable Quantitative Evolutionary Change over 50 Million Years" 

And, from Prostodontics: 

"On Comparing Two Different Tray-Holding Techniques for Edentulous Maxillary Impressions" 

No need for Novocain, doc. I think I'm already sedated. 

Behind the Steering Wheel 

Recently stuck in traffic behind a family-owned Golden Gate Meat Company van, I had time to scan several adverts displayed on the rear of the vehicle. They included: "Fourth Generation: Specializing in Natural and Organic Meat." "ABF Black Angus Beef." "Raised without antibiotics or added hormones." But the one that gave pause read: "Certified Humane: Raised and Handled." Almost expected to see that followed by "Euthanized Not Slaughtered." 

Human Rights Scores: How Does the US Compare?

 

Worth Noting:

The election to fill the vacant District 7 Council position is April 16. City Council Committees except the Agenda and Rules Committee and undefined “certain exceptions” are suspended until May 1. This does not affect Commissions and Board meetings.

• Monday:
  • At 2:30 pm the Agenda Committee meets in the hybrid format on the Feb 12 Council Council meeting agenda.
  • From 6 – 7 pm Speaking Up for Point Molate on BCDC Climate Equity Plan
• Tuesday:
  • At 3 pm the HAC Subcommittee meets online.
  • At 6 pm City Council meets in the hybrid format with placement of surveillance cameras on the Action Agenda.
• Wednesday:
  • From 12 – 3 pm in person appointments for assistance with Displacement Certificate Applications.
  • From 6 – 8 pm is the online public meeting on the Woolsey-Fulton Bike Blvd.
• Thursday:
  • At 6:30 pm the Landmarks Preservation Commission meets in person.
  • At 7 pm the Housing Advisory Commission meets in person.

Check the City website for late announcements and meetings posted on short notice at: https://berkeleyca.gov/

Directions with links to ZOOM support for activating Closed Captioning and Save Transcript are at the bottom of this calendar.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS 

 

Sunday, January 28, 2024 - no city meetings or events found 

 

Monday, January 29, 2024 

 

AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE Meeting at 2:30 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor – Redwood Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1608158758 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free)  

Meeting ID: 160 815 8758 

AGENDA: Public Comment on non-agenda and items 1 – 7. 1. Minutes, 2. Review and Approve 2/13/2024 -- draft agenda – (Review/Consider) Request from Bay Area Housing Finance Authority for presentation on the ceremonial calendar, use link or read full draft agenda below at the end of the list of city meetings, 3. Berkeley Considers, 4. Adjournment in Memory, 5. Council Worksessions, 6. Referrals for scheduling, 7. Land Use Calendar REFERRED ITEMS FOR REVIEW: 8. Discussion and Possible Action on City Council Rules of Decorum Procedural Rules, and Remote Public Comments, 9. Harrison, co-sponsor Bartlett – Amend BMC 3.78 To Expand Eligibility Requirements for Representatives of The Poor to Serve on The Human Welfare and Community Action Commission or any successor commission, to consider the current geographic information of poverty in Berkeley, 10. City Council Legislative Systems Redesign, UNSCHEDULED ITEMS: 11. Modifications or Improvements to City Council Meeting Procedures, 12. Strengthening and Supporting City Commission: Guidance on Development of Legislative Proposals, 13. Discussion and Recommendations on the Continued Use of the Berkeley Considers Online Engagement Portal. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-agenda-rules 

 

SPEAKING UP for POINT MOLATE from 6 – 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83580101367 

Meeting ID: 835 8010 1367 (no password) 

AGENDA: Phoenix Armenta on BCDC’s Climate Equity Plan. Armenta is Sr. Manager for Climate Equity and Community Engagement SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission 

SpeakingUp4PM@gmail.com 

 

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 

 

CITY COUNCIL Regular Meeting at 6 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 1231 Addison St. in the School District Board Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1600654738 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (toll free)  

Meeting ID: 160 065 4738 

AGENDA: Use the link and choose the html option or see the agenda listed at the end of the calendar. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas 

 

HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE at 3 pm 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1603458497?pwd=QUI5c2ErdEhWTWE5YjVSQjRiUUtpdz09 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-435-1820 (toll free) 

Meeting ID: 160 345 8497 Passcode: 227598 

AGENDA: 4. FY2025 – FY 2028 RFP 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/housing-advisory-commission 

 

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 

 

WOOLSEY-FULTON BIKE BLVD and SHATTUCK-MLK BUS STOPS from 6 – 8 pm 

Videoconference: https://parametrix.zoom.us/j/88570868655?pwd=3F-LxskAZffPbMouf7mxQlZJoFu_Ig.MYeZYDITFjr5GTBf 

AGENDA: Use link to review initial concept sketches 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/public-meeting-woolsey-fulton-bike-blvd-and-shattuck-mlk-bus-stops 

 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PREFERENCES info SESSION from 7 – 8 pm 

Sold-Out 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/affordable-housing-preferences-info-session 

 

DISPLACEMENT CERTIFICATE APPLICATION ASSISTANCE APPOINTMENTS from 12 – 3 pm 

Book and Appointment for In Person Application Assistance: https://calendly.com/housingpreferences/30min?month=2024-01 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, City Hall 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/displacement-certificate-application-assistance-appointments-1 

 

Thursday, February 1, 2024 

 

LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION at 6:30 pm 

In-Person: at 1901 Hearst, North Berkeley Senior Center 

AGENDA: 6, 2136-2140 and 2154-2160 University – Demolish two UC-owned City Landmarks, Heron Building  

7. 2274 Shattuck – Use Permit #ZP2023-0079 – Demolition referral for UA Theater 

8. 2274 Shattuck – Landmark or Structure of Merit Designation for the UA Theater – LMIN2023-003 

9. Certified Local Government (CLG) Annual Report for the State Office of Historic Preservation 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/landmarks-preservation-commission 

 

HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING at 7 pm 

In-Person: at 2939 Ellis, South Berkeley Senior Center 

AGENDA: 6. Officer elections, 7. Receive Presentation from City of Berkeley Funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) ECHO Housing, 8. BOSS’s Application for the City of Berkeley’s CDBG Public Facility Improvement FY 2024 Program, 9. Update and Possible Action on the Arts and Housing Subcommittee 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/housing-advisory-commission 

 

Friday, February 2, 2024 – no city meetings or events found 

Saturday, February 3, 2024 - no city meetings or events found 

Sunday, February 4, 2024­ - no city meetings or events found 

 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

 

AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE Meeting at 2:30 pm on January 29, 2024 

DARFT Agenda for February 13, 2024 City Council meeting 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor – Redwood Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1608158758 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free)  

Meeting ID: 160 815 8758 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-agenda-rules 

 

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Kouyoumdjian, HR – 2nd reading amending CalPERS Contract
2. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager – 2024 State and federal Legislative Platform
3. Numainville, City Clerk – Amendments to Alternative Commissioner Regulations
4. Numainville, City Clerk – Reschedule April 16 regular council meeting to April 2
5. Hollander, Economic Development (OED) – Grant Application for $150,000 to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
6. Hollander, OED – Contract $69,000 with Masako Miki Public Art Commission for Aquatic Park ceramic tile mural for Park Pathway Wall
7. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations and RFP - $90,000
8. Warhuus, HHCS – Dissolution of the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission and the Peace and Justice Commission and establishment of the Berkeley Community Action Commission
9. Warhuss, HHCS – Contract $1,379,400 with Traditions Behavioral Health for psychiatry services through 6/30/2027
10. Fong, IT - $300,000 with Compu Systems for Professional Services through 12/31/2024
11. Commission on the Status of Women – Recommendation on Public Safety/Crime Prevention for Women especially older vulnerable women (references recent muggings on BART pathways) suggestions 1 – Ashby/North Berkeley BART escorts, 2. Explore DBA & Telegraph BID Ambassadors as escorts, 3. Explore expanding Go-Go Grandparent, 4. Develop Community-wide forum on safety and crime prevention, 5. Consult with BPD on identifying locations and times of highest safety risk

AGENDA on ACTION: 

12. Klein, Planning – Appeal 1960 San Antonio/645 Arlington Ave – Spring Estate Structural Alteration Permit #LMSAP22022-005
13. Arreguin – RFP for Development of West Berkeley Service Center
14. Taplin & Bartlett – Referral to City Manager and $250,000 Budget Referral for Incentives for Equitable and Affordable Middle Housing
15. Bartlett – Create a plan to leverage Berkeley arts community and cultural resources to incentivize the occupation of empty store fronts
16. Bartlett – Designate the Adeline Corridor as the Black Arts and Culture District

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

17. Small Sites Program Update
18. Bay Area Housing Finance Authority and 2024 Regional Affordable Housing Bond

 

++++++++++++++++++ 

 

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA for Regular 6 pm Meeting on January 30, 2024 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 1231 Addison St. in the School District Board Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1600654738 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (toll free)  

Meeting ID: 160 065 4738 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas 

 

RECESS ITEMS: 

1. Sprague, Fire – Purchase Order Firehouse Alerting System $175,000
2. Sprague, Fire – Reject all bids and negotiate with contractors for Berkeley Fire station landscape project No. 24-11622

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

3. Klein, Planning - 2nd Reading Prevailing Wage Requirements in the Southside Plan Area add BMC 13.108 for projects exceeding 50 units or 50,000 sq ft
4. Hollander, Economic Development – 2nd Reading Expansion of the Elmwood Business Improvement District (BID) Levy Assessments in the District for 2025 and Authorize a Contract with Elmwood Business Association (EBA) to receive revenue
5. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations $200,000 (Staff uniforms and resale items for Recreation Division)
6. Sprague, Fire – Grant Application $1,100,000 from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire) Wildfire Prevention Grant to Implement an Incentive Program for Residents in Berkeley’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone
7. Sprague, Fire – Grant Application $99,600 to State Homeland Security Grant Program to implement CAD to CAD interface between the City of Berkeley Communications Center and the Alameda County Regional Dispatch Center
8. Sprague, Fire – Contracts total $4,000,000 for hazardous fire fuel treatment and removal 2/1/2024 – 1/30/2028 with $1,00,000 each to Julian Tree Care, Professional Tree Care, West Coast Arborist Inc, West Coast Tree Service
9. Warhuus, HHCS – Revenue Contract accept Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) Contract Number 24F-3001 for $299,495 from CA State Department of Community Services and Development 1/1/2024 – 5/31/2025
10. Warhuus, HHCS - Revenue Grant $300,000 from State of CA Tobacco Control Program for Tobacco Control Program for FY 2025
11. Expenditure Contract $159,000 Alameda County Public Health Department (Office of Dental Health) to provide dental services in BUSD 1/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
12. Warhuus, HHCS – Expenditure Contract $150,000 with Berkeley Free Clinic for Laboratory Services 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
13. Warhuus, HHCS – Amend Contract No. 32300149 add $30,000 total $158,315 with mySidewalk, Inc for HHCS Web-Based Population Health Data Platform through 3/4/2026
14. Warhuus, HHCS - Amend Contract No. 32300112 add $20,000 total $145,000 with Harold Dichoso for COVID-19 Outreach and Education
15. Warhuus, HHCS – Martin Luther King Jr. House RFP recommendation 1. Approve transfer from RCD to Insight Housing, 2. Extend $1,178,974 funding reservation to Insight Housing, 3. Reserve $822,014 from Housing Trust Fund to Insight Housing, 4. Waive Sections I.A.1 and IV.C.1 of Housing Trust Fund Guidelines, 5. Authorize CM to amend contracts
16. Transfer Tax Refund $95,625 for 1741-1747 Russell to Insight Housing to support renovation at 1741-1747 Russell
17. Kouyoumdjian, HR – At-Will Designations – 1. Amend BMC 4.04.120(A) designate unrepresented classifications of Employee Relations Manager and Assistant to the City Attorney as at-will, 2. Approve 5% salary differential for the Employee Relations Manager classification and modify job specification to state that the incumbent “may act as department head in the absence of the Director of Human Resources.”
18. Ferris, Parks – Donation $3,400 Memorial Bench at Cesar Chavez Park in memory of Samuel Lepie Hallward
19. Louis, Police - Amend Contract No. 31900143 extend contract due to expire 2/4/2024 by 2 years with Passport Labs Incorporated for a Parking Management System
20. Murray, Public Works – Contract $814,680 with CESCORP, dba Cal Elite Builders for Corp Yard City Fleet EV Charger Project Specification No.23-11546-C
21. Murray, Public Works – Contract $1,566,000 (includes contingency $261,000) with CESCORP, dba Cal Elite Builders for Central Library HVAC Replacement Project
22. Murray, Public Works – On-Call Contracts totaling $8,400,000 with $2,800,000 each 1/1/2024 – 6/30/2025 with 1. Hollins Consulting, Inc. (Hollins), 2. Kitchell/CEM, Inc (Kitchell), 3. O’Connor Construction Management, Inc. (OCMI)
23. Murray, Public Works – Contract $311,348 (includes $29,045 contingency) with Shaw Industries, Inc. for Civic Center Building Carpet Replacement Project
24. Murray, Public Works – Amend Contract No. 108007-1 add $650,000 total $1,073,534 with Don’s Tires Services, Inc for City fleet vehicles and extend through 6/30/2025
25. Murray, Public Works – 5 Year Lease Agreement with We Wield The Hammer at 2440 Durant in the Telegraph-Channing Mall and Garage

Council Consent Items: 

26. Arreguin - City Council Committee and Regional Body Appointments through 1/31/2025
27. Hahn & Robinson - Support for ACA 4 Elections: Eligibility to Vote repeal constitutional requirement disqualifying electors incarceration for felony convictions
28. Wengraf, co-sponsors Humbert, Hahn, Harrison - Adopt Resolution urging PG&E to underground utilities in Berkeley’s VHFHSZ (Very Hire Fire Hazard Severity Zone)

AGENDA on ACTION: 

29. Humbert – Budget Referral: Additional Security Cameras at Intersections Experiencing Increased Violent Crime proposed intersections: Alcatraz and College, Woolsey and Telegraph, Woolsey and Shattuck, Alcatraz and Adeline, Alcatraz and Sacramento

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

30. Removed by City Manager - Warhuus, HHCS – Receive Presentation on Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and its preparation for a $10 to $20 billion Regional General Obligation Affordable Housing Bond under consideration for the November 2024 election
31. LPO NOD: 2119 Marin #LMSAP2023-003
32. LPO NOD: 910 Indian Rock #LMIN2023-0002

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

LAND USE CALENDAR PUBLIC HEARINGS: 

• 2924 Russell 2/27/2024
• 1960 San Antonio 645 Arlington Avenue 2/13/2024
• 3000 Shattuck Avenue (Construct 10-story mixed-use building) – TBD

WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

• January 30 at 3 pm – Ashby BART TOD (Tentative), Berkeley – El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation (tentative) (removed)
• February 6, 2024 – Office of Economic Development (OED) Dashboards Presentation
• February 13 (4 pm) – Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development
• Berkeley-El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation (tentative)

UNSCHEDULED WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS 

• Fire Department Standards of Coverage & Community Risk Assessment - (removed)
• BPD Annual Report (March 12 at 4 pm tentative)
• Dispatch Needs Assessment Presentation
• Presentation on Homelessness/Re-Housing/Thousand-Person Plan (TBD regular agenda)
• Draft Waterfront Specific Plan– rescheduled from November 2, 2023 and February 6, 2024 to December 2024

PAST MEETINGS with reports worth reading: 

• May 16 - Fire Facilities Study Report, Wildfire Prevention Plan https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-special-meeting-eagenda-may-16-2023-6-pm
• June 20 (WS) - Climate Action Plan & Resilience Update, Berkeley Economic Dashboards Update reports available https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas/city-council-2023-06-20

. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

Kelly Hammargren’s summary on what happened the preceding week is posted on the What Happened page at: https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/what-happened.html and in the Berkeley Daily Planet https://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/ 

 

The Activist’s Calendar of meetings is posted on the What’s Ahead page at: https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html 

 

If you would like to receive the Activist’s Calendar as soon as it is completed send an email to: kellyhammargren@gmail.com.If you want to receive the Activist’s Diary send an email to kellyhammargren@gmail.com. If you wish to stop receiving the weekly calendar of city meetings please forward the email you received to- kellyhammargren@gmail.com -with the request to be removed from the email list. 

______________ 

For Online Public Meetings 

CLOSED CAPTIONING, SAVE TRANSCRIPT OVERVIEW, DIRECTIONS and ZOOM SUPPORT LINKS:
.
ZOOM has as part of the program -(for no extra cost)- Closed Captioning (CC). It turns computer voice recognition into a text transcript. Closed Captioning and show full transcript and the save option are only available when the person setting up the ZOOM meeting has activated these options. If you don’t see CC ask for it. If it can’t be activated for the current meeting ask for it for future meetings. 

 

The accuracy of the Closed Captioning is affected by background noise and other factors, The CC and transcript will not be perfect, but most of the time reading through it the few odd words, can be deciphered--for example "Shattuck" was transcribed as Shadow in one recent transcript. 

 

For the online attendee, the full transcript is only available from the time the attendee activates Show Full Transcript. But if you sit through a meeting and then remember 10 minutes before it is over to click on Show Full Transcript you will only get the last 10 minutes, not the full transcript – So click often on both Save Transcript and on Save to Folder during the meeting for best results. 

 

When you click on Show Full Transcript it will allow you to scroll up and down, so if want to go back and see what was said earlier you can do that during the meeting while the transcript is running. 

 

At the bottom of the transcript when we as attendees are allowed to save there will be a button for, "Save Transcript," you can click on the button repeatedly throughout the meeting and it will just overwrite and update the full transcript. Clicking on the Save Transcript repeatedly as the meeting is coming to an end is important because once the host ends the meeting, the transcript is gone if you didn't save it. 

 

Near the end of the meeting, after you click on "Save Transcript," click on "Save to Folder." The meeting transcript will show up (as a download to your desktop) in a separate box as a text file. (These text files are not large.) After you have done your last Save Transcript and Save to Folder (after the meeting is over) you can rename the new transcript folder on your computer, and save it (re-read or send or share it). 

 

Remember, allowing us attendees to save the meeting transcript does not require the public meeting host to save the transcript (for public record.) 

 

Here is the link to ZOOM Support for how to set up Closed Captioning for a meeting or webinar:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/8158738379917#h_01GHWATNVPW5FR304S2SVGXN2X 

 

Here is the link to ZOOM Support for attendees in how to save Closed Captions: 

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360060958752-Using-save-captions#h_01F5XW3BGWJAKJFWCHPPZGBD70 

 

How to convert a YouTube video into a transcript 

Copy the YouTube url into the box with “enter a youtube url” and click on go https://youtubetranscript.com/ 

The transcript (not perfect, but very close) will appear instantaneously 

 

 

 

Worth Noting:  

The election to fill the vacant District 7 Council position is April 16. City Council Committees except the Agenda and Rules Committee and undefined “certain exceptions” are suspended until May 1. This does not affect Commissions and Board meetings. 

• Monday:
  • At 2:30 pm the Agenda Committee meets in the hybrid format on the Feb 12 Council Council meeting agenda.
  • From 6 – 7 pm Speaking Up for Point Molate on BCDC Climate Equity Plan
• Tuesday:
  • At 3 pm the HAC Subcommittee meets online.
  • At 6 pm City Council meets in the hybrid format with placement of surveillance cameras on the Action Agenda.
• Wednesday:
  • From 12 – 3 pm in person appointments for assistance with Displacement Certificate Applications.
  • From 6 – 8 pm is the online public meeting on the Woolsey-Fulton Bike Blvd.
• Thursday:
  • At 6:30 pm the Landmarks Preservation Commission meets in person.
  • At 7 pm the Housing Advisory Commission meets in person.

Check the City website for late announcements and meetings posted on short notice at: https://berkeleyca.gov/ 

Directions with links to ZOOM support for activating Closed Captioning and Save Transcript are at the bottom of this calendar. 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

BERKELEY PUBLIC MEETINGS AND CIVIC EVENTS 

 

Sunday, January 28, 2024 - no city meetings or events found 

 

Monday, January 29, 2024 

 

AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE Meeting at 2:30 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor – Redwood Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1608158758 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free)  

Meeting ID: 160 815 8758 

AGENDA: Public Comment on non-agenda and items 1 – 7. 1. Minutes, 2. Review and Approve 2/13/2024 -- draft agenda – (Review/Consider) Request from Bay Area Housing Finance Authority for presentation on the ceremonial calendar, use link or read full draft agenda below at the end of the list of city meetings, 3. Berkeley Considers, 4. Adjournment in Memory, 5. Council Worksessions, 6. Referrals for scheduling, 7. Land Use Calendar REFERRED ITEMS FOR REVIEW: 8. Discussion and Possible Action on City Council Rules of Decorum Procedural Rules, and Remote Public Comments, 9. Harrison, co-sponsor Bartlett – Amend BMC 3.78 To Expand Eligibility Requirements for Representatives of The Poor to Serve on The Human Welfare and Community Action Commission or any successor commission, to consider the current geographic information of poverty in Berkeley, 10. City Council Legislative Systems Redesign, UNSCHEDULED ITEMS: 11. Modifications or Improvements to City Council Meeting Procedures, 12. Strengthening and Supporting City Commission: Guidance on Development of Legislative Proposals, 13. Discussion and Recommendations on the Continued Use of the Berkeley Considers Online Engagement Portal. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-agenda-rules 

 

SPEAKING UP for POINT MOLATE from 6 – 7 pm 

Videoconference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83580101367 

Meeting ID: 835 8010 1367 (no password) 

AGENDA: Phoenix Armenta on BCDC’s Climate Equity Plan. Armenta is Sr. Manager for Climate Equity and Community Engagement SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission 

SpeakingUp4PM@gmail.com 

 

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 

 

CITY COUNCIL Regular Meeting at 6 pm 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 1231 Addison St. in the School District Board Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1600654738 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (toll free)  

Meeting ID: 160 065 4738 

AGENDA: Use the link and choose the html option or see the agenda listed at the end of the calendar. 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas 

 

HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE at 3 pm 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1603458497?pwd=QUI5c2ErdEhWTWE5YjVSQjRiUUtpdz09 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-435-1820 (toll free) 

Meeting ID: 160 345 8497 Passcode: 227598 

AGENDA: 4. FY2025 – FY 2028 RFP 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/housing-advisory-commission 

 

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 

 

WOOLSEY-FULTON BIKE BLVD and SHATTUCK-MLK BUS STOPS from 6 – 8 pm 

Videoconference: https://parametrix.zoom.us/j/88570868655?pwd=3F-LxskAZffPbMouf7mxQlZJoFu_Ig.MYeZYDITFjr5GTBf 

AGENDA: Use link to review initial concept sketches 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/public-meeting-woolsey-fulton-bike-blvd-and-shattuck-mlk-bus-stops 

 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PREFERENCES info SESSION from 7 – 8 pm 

Sold-Out 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/affordable-housing-preferences-info-session 

 

DISPLACEMENT CERTIFICATE APPLICATION ASSISTANCE APPOINTMENTS from 12 – 3 pm 

Book and Appointment for In Person Application Assistance: https://calendly.com/housingpreferences/30min?month=2024-01 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, City Hall 

https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/displacement-certificate-application-assistance-appointments-1 

 

Thursday, February 1, 2024 

 

LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION at 6:30 pm 

In-Person: at 1901 Hearst, North Berkeley Senior Center 

AGENDA: 6, 2136-2140 and 2154-2160 University – Demolish two UC-owned City Landmarks, Heron Building  

7. 2274 Shattuck – Use Permit #ZP2023-0079 – Demolition referral for UA Theater 

8. 2274 Shattuck – Landmark or Structure of Merit Designation for the UA Theater – LMIN2023-003 

9. Certified Local Government (CLG) Annual Report for the State Office of Historic Preservation 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/landmarks-preservation-commission 

 

HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING at 7 pm 

In-Person: at 2939 Ellis, South Berkeley Senior Center 

AGENDA: 6. Officer elections, 7. Receive Presentation from City of Berkeley Funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) ECHO Housing, 8. BOSS’s Application for the City of Berkeley’s CDBG Public Facility Improvement FY 2024 Program, 9. Update and Possible Action on the Arts and Housing Subcommittee 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/boards-commissions/housing-advisory-commission 

 

Friday, February 2, 2024 – no city meetings or events found 

Saturday, February 3, 2024 - no city meetings or events found 

Sunday, February 4, 2024­ - no city meetings or events found 

 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

 

AGENDA AND RULES COMMITTEE Meeting at 2:30 pm on January 29, 2024 

DARFT Agenda for February 13, 2024 City Council meeting 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 2180 Milvia, 6th Floor – Redwood Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1608158758 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free)  

Meeting ID: 160 815 8758 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/council-committees/policy-committee-agenda-rules 

 

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

1. Kouyoumdjian, HR – 2nd reading amending CalPERS Contract
2. Friedrichsen, Budget Manager – 2024 State and federal Legislative Platform
3. Numainville, City Clerk – Amendments to Alternative Commissioner Regulations
4. Numainville, City Clerk – Reschedule April 16 regular council meeting to April 2
5. Hollander, Economic Development (OED) – Grant Application for $150,000 to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
6. Hollander, OED – Contract $69,000 with Masako Miki Public Art Commission for Aquatic Park ceramic tile mural for Park Pathway Wall
7. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations and RFP - $90,000
8. Warhuus, HHCS – Dissolution of the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission and the Peace and Justice Commission and establishment of the Berkeley Community Action Commission
9. Warhuss, HHCS – Contract $1,379,400 with Traditions Behavioral Health for psychiatry services through 6/30/2027
10. Fong, IT - $300,000 with Compu Systems for Professional Services through 12/31/2024
11. Commission on the Status of Women – Recommendation on Public Safety/Crime Prevention for Women especially older vulnerable women (references recent muggings on BART pathways) suggestions 1 – Ashby/North Berkeley BART escorts, 2. Explore DBA & Telegraph BID Ambassadors as escorts, 3. Explore expanding Go-Go Grandparent, 4. Develop Community-wide forum on safety and crime prevention, 5. Consult with BPD on identifying locations and times of highest safety risk

AGENDA on ACTION: 

12. Klein, Planning – Appeal 1960 San Antonio/645 Arlington Ave – Spring Estate Structural Alteration Permit #LMSAP22022-005
13. Arreguin – RFP for Development of West Berkeley Service Center
14. Taplin & Bartlett – Referral to City Manager and $250,000 Budget Referral for Incentives for Equitable and Affordable Middle Housing
15. Bartlett – Create a plan to leverage Berkeley arts community and cultural resources to incentivize the occupation of empty store fronts
16. Bartlett – Designate the Adeline Corridor as the Black Arts and Culture District

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

17. Small Sites Program Update
18. Bay Area Housing Finance Authority and 2024 Regional Affordable Housing Bond

 

++++++++++++++++++ 

 

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA for Regular 6 pm Meeting on January 30, 2024 

Hybrid Meeting 

In-Person: at 1231 Addison St. in the School District Board Room 

Videoconference: https://cityofberkeley-info.zoomgov.com/j/1600654738 

Teleconference: 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (toll free)  

Meeting ID: 160 065 4738 

https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas 

 

RECESS ITEMS: 

1. Sprague, Fire – Purchase Order Firehouse Alerting System $175,000
2. Sprague, Fire – Reject all bids and negotiate with contractors for Berkeley Fire station landscape project No. 24-11622

AGENDA on CONSENT: 

3. Klein, Planning - 2nd Reading Prevailing Wage Requirements in the Southside Plan Area add BMC 13.108 for projects exceeding 50 units or 50,000 sq ft
4. Hollander, Economic Development – 2nd Reading Expansion of the Elmwood Business Improvement District (BID) Levy Assessments in the District for 2025 and Authorize a Contract with Elmwood Business Association (EBA) to receive revenue
5. Oyekanmi, Finance – Formal Bid Solicitations $200,000 (Staff uniforms and resale items for Recreation Division)
6. Sprague, Fire – Grant Application $1,100,000 from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire) Wildfire Prevention Grant to Implement an Incentive Program for Residents in Berkeley’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone
7. Sprague, Fire – Grant Application $99,600 to State Homeland Security Grant Program to implement CAD to CAD interface between the City of Berkeley Communications Center and the Alameda County Regional Dispatch Center
8. Sprague, Fire – Contracts total $4,000,000 for hazardous fire fuel treatment and removal 2/1/2024 – 1/30/2028 with $1,00,000 each to Julian Tree Care, Professional Tree Care, West Coast Arborist Inc, West Coast Tree Service
9. Warhuus, HHCS – Revenue Contract accept Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) Contract Number 24F-3001 for $299,495 from CA State Department of Community Services and Development 1/1/2024 – 5/31/2025
10. Warhuus, HHCS - Revenue Grant $300,000 from State of CA Tobacco Control Program for Tobacco Control Program for FY 2025
11. Expenditure Contract $159,000 Alameda County Public Health Department (Office of Dental Health) to provide dental services in BUSD 1/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
12. Warhuus, HHCS – Expenditure Contract $150,000 with Berkeley Free Clinic for Laboratory Services 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
13. Warhuus, HHCS – Amend Contract No. 32300149 add $30,000 total $158,315 with mySidewalk, Inc for HHCS Web-Based Population Health Data Platform through 3/4/2026
14. Warhuus, HHCS - Amend Contract No. 32300112 add $20,000 total $145,000 with Harold Dichoso for COVID-19 Outreach and Education
15. Warhuus, HHCS – Martin Luther King Jr. House RFP recommendation 1. Approve transfer from RCD to Insight Housing, 2. Extend $1,178,974 funding reservation to Insight Housing, 3. Reserve $822,014 from Housing Trust Fund to Insight Housing, 4. Waive Sections I.A.1 and IV.C.1 of Housing Trust Fund Guidelines, 5. Authorize CM to amend contracts
16. Transfer Tax Refund $95,625 for 1741-1747 Russell to Insight Housing to support renovation at 1741-1747 Russell
17. Kouyoumdjian, HR – At-Will Designations – 1. Amend BMC 4.04.120(A) designate unrepresented classifications of Employee Relations Manager and Assistant to the City Attorney as at-will, 2. Approve 5% salary differential for the Employee Relations Manager classification and modify job specification to state that the incumbent “may act as department head in the absence of the Director of Human Resources.”
18. Ferris, Parks – Donation $3,400 Memorial Bench at Cesar Chavez Park in memory of Samuel Lepie Hallward
19. Louis, Police - Amend Contract No. 31900143 extend contract due to expire 2/4/2024 by 2 years with Passport Labs Incorporated for a Parking Management System
20. Murray, Public Works – Contract $814,680 with CESCORP, dba Cal Elite Builders for Corp Yard City Fleet EV Charger Project Specification No.23-11546-C
21. Murray, Public Works – Contract $1,566,000 (includes contingency $261,000) with CESCORP, dba Cal Elite Builders for Central Library HVAC Replacement Project
22. Murray, Public Works – On-Call Contracts totaling $8,400,000 with $2,800,000 each 1/1/2024 – 6/30/2025 with 1. Hollins Consulting, Inc. (Hollins), 2. Kitchell/CEM, Inc (Kitchell), 3. O’Connor Construction Management, Inc. (OCMI)
23. Murray, Public Works – Contract $311,348 (includes $29,045 contingency) with Shaw Industries, Inc. for Civic Center Building Carpet Replacement Project
24. Murray, Public Works – Amend Contract No. 108007-1 add $650,000 total $1,073,534 with Don’s Tires Services, Inc for City fleet vehicles and extend through 6/30/2025
25. Murray, Public Works – 5 Year Lease Agreement with We Wield The Hammer at 2440 Durant in the Telegraph-Channing Mall and Garage

Council Consent Items: 

26. Arreguin - City Council Committee and Regional Body Appointments through 1/31/2025
27. Hahn & Robinson - Support for ACA 4 Elections: Eligibility to Vote repeal constitutional requirement disqualifying electors incarceration for felony convictions
28. Wengraf, co-sponsors Humbert, Hahn, Harrison - Adopt Resolution urging PG&E to underground utilities in Berkeley’s VHFHSZ (Very Hire Fire Hazard Severity Zone)

AGENDA on ACTION: 

29. Humbert – Budget Referral: Additional Security Cameras at Intersections Experiencing Increased Violent Crime proposed intersections: Alcatraz and College, Woolsey and Telegraph, Woolsey and Shattuck, Alcatraz and Adeline, Alcatraz and Sacramento

INFORMATION REPORTS: 

30. Removed by City Manager - Warhuus, HHCS – Receive Presentation on Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and its preparation for a $10 to $20 billion Regional General Obligation Affordable Housing Bond under consideration for the November 2024 election
31. LPO NOD: 2119 Marin #LMSAP2023-003
32. LPO NOD: 910 Indian Rock #LMIN2023-0002

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

LAND USE CALENDAR PUBLIC HEARINGS: 

• 2924 Russell 2/27/2024
• 1960 San Antonio 645 Arlington Avenue 2/13/2024
• 3000 Shattuck Avenue (Construct 10-story mixed-use building) – TBD

WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS: 

• January 30 at 3 pm – Ashby BART TOD (Tentative), Berkeley – El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation (tentative) (removed)
• February 6, 2024 – Office of Economic Development (OED) Dashboards Presentation
• February 13 (4 pm) – Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development
• Berkeley-El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan Presentation (tentative)

UNSCHEDULED WORK SESSIONS & SPECIAL MEETINGS 

• Fire Department Standards of Coverage & Community Risk Assessment - (removed)
• BPD Annual Report (March 12 at 4 pm tentative)
• Dispatch Needs Assessment Presentation
• Presentation on Homelessness/Re-Housing/Thousand-Person Plan (TBD regular agenda)
• Draft Waterfront Specific Plan– rescheduled from November 2, 2023 and February 6, 2024 to December 2024

PAST MEETINGS with reports worth reading: 

• May 16 - Fire Facilities Study Report, Wildfire Prevention Plan https://berkeleyca.gov/city-council-special-meeting-eagenda-may-16-2023-6-pm
• June 20 (WS) - Climate Action Plan & Resilience Update, Berkeley Economic Dashboards Update reports available https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas/city-council-2023-06-20

. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

Kelly Hammargren’s summary on what happened the preceding week is posted on the What Happened page at: https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/what-happened.html and in the Berkeley Daily Planet https://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/ 

 

The Activist’s Calendar of meetings is posted on the What’s Ahead page at: https://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html 

 

If you would like to receive the Activist’s Calendar as soon as it is completed send an email to: kellyhammargren@gmail.com.If you want to receive the Activist’s Diary send an email to kellyhammargren@gmail.com. If you wish to stop receiving the weekly calendar of city meetings please forward the email you received to- kellyhammargren@gmail.com -with the request to be removed from the email list. 

______________ 

For Online Public Meetings 

CLOSED CAPTIONING, SAVE TRANSCRIPT OVERVIEW, DIRECTIONS and ZOOM SUPPORT LINKS:
.
ZOOM has as part of the program -(for no extra cost)- Closed Captioning (CC). It turns computer voice recognition into a text transcript. Closed Captioning and show full transcript and the save option are only available when the person setting up the ZOOM meeting has activated these options. If you don’t see CC ask for it. If it can’t be activated for the current meeting ask for it for future meetings. 

 

The accuracy of the Closed Captioning is affected by background noise and other factors, The CC and transcript will not be perfect, but most of the time reading through it the few odd words, can be deciphered--for example "Shattuck" was transcribed as Shadow in one recent transcript. 

 

For the online attendee, the full transcript is only available from the time the attendee activates Show Full Transcript. But if you sit through a meeting and then remember 10 minutes before it is over to click on Show Full Transcript you will only get the last 10 minutes, not the full transcript – So click often on both Save Transcript and on Save to Folder during the meeting for best results. 

 

When you click on Show Full Transcript it will allow you to scroll up and down, so if want to go back and see what was said earlier you can do that during the meeting while the transcript is running. 

 

At the bottom of the transcript when we as attendees are allowed to save there will be a button for, "Save Transcript," you can click on the button repeatedly throughout the meeting and it will just overwrite and update the full transcript. Clicking on the Save Transcript repeatedly as the meeting is coming to an end is important because once the host ends the meeting, the transcript is gone if you didn't save it. 

 

Near the end of the meeting, after you click on "Save Transcript," click on "Save to Folder." The meeting transcript will show up (as a download to your desktop) in a separate box as a text file. (These text files are not large.) After you have done your last Save Transcript and Save to Folder (after the meeting is over) you can rename the new transcript folder on your computer, and save it (re-read or send or share it). 

 

Remember, allowing us attendees to save the meeting transcript does not require the public meeting host to save the transcript (for public record.) 

 

Here is the link to ZOOM Support for how to set up Closed Captioning for a meeting or webinar:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/8158738379917#h_01GHWATNVPW5FR304S2SVGXN2X 

 

Here is the link to ZOOM Support for attendees in how to save Closed Captions: 

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360060958752-Using-save-captions#h_01F5XW3BGWJAKJFWCHPPZGBD70 

 

How to convert a YouTube video into a transcript 

Copy the YouTube url into the box with “enter a youtube url” and click on go https://youtubetranscript.com/ 

The transcript (not perfect, but very close) will appear instantaneously