Berkeley City Council Special Meeting – May 7, 2024

This special meeting, convened at 4:15 PM on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in the School District Board Room, was called to conduct a public hearing on the Program Year (PY) 2024 (City Fiscal Year 2025) Annual Action Plan (AAP) for federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds and to receive recommendations for community agency funding for fiscal years 2025–2028. The meeting featured a staff presentation, testimony from commission and youth panel representatives, and public comment from more than 20 speakers representing community agencies. Council ultimately approved the proposed federal funding allocations and referred the general‑fund recommendations to the June budget process.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Andrew Crispin (Berkeley Food Network) described the network as the largest direct food assistance organization in northern Alameda County, distributing over 200,000 lbs of food monthly and serving 1,063 households in April 2024 alone. He emphasized that the organization received no funding in the current recommendation cycle and asked for support.
• Lisa Corona (Board Chair, The Bread Project) thanked the city for past support and noted that the Bread Project trains 100 people annually in food and baking industry skills, and that it relies on the Berkeley Food Network for food supplies.
• Adriana Betty (Executive Director, RISE) described RISE’s 47‑year history of case management for Berkeley youth, the impact of stagnant funding (her staff salaries have not kept pace), and the need for a salary increase to retain professional staff.
• Ayana Davis (Deputy Executive Director, Healthy Black Families) advocated for full funding of community‑based organizations, particularly in West and South Berkeley, and highlighted the need to prevent displacement as the city builds thousands of new units.
• Julia Hatton (CEO, Rising Sun Center for Opportunity) requested that council preserve the funding recommended by the Housing Advisory Commission (HAC) for Rising Sun’s Opportunity Build program, which provides union‑backed construction training and has helped women and justice‑impacted individuals.
• Angela Regalado and Stacey Barmaster (Insight Housing) thanked council for ongoing funding but stressed that stagnant funding undermines capacity to meet rising demand, especially for an aging homeless population with complex needs.
• Mirna Cervantes (Executive Director, Multicultural Institute) and others from the Multicultural Institute asked council to approve the HAC and YEP recommendations to continue supporting Latino immigrant and low‑income families.
• Emma Martin (Center for Independent Living) requested an increase in CDBG funding for the Residential Access Program, which provides home modifications to keep low‑income disabled and older adults safely housed.
• Olivia King (RCD) and Brenda Goldstein (Lifelong Medical Care) urged council to restore $47,000 in funding for ToolWorks services at two permanent supportive housing sites (Erna P. Harris and UA Homes), warning that cuts would destabilize housing for over 100 formerly unhoused residents.
• Ryan White (Lifelong Homeless Services Director) asked council to continue funding for Lifelong’s Shelter Plus Care case management contract, noting that defunding would harm 50 vulnerable clients, including one who had regained health and stability after months of intensive support.
• Youth Review Panel members (Abby Schwartz, Tamar McKee, Lydia Millikate, Israel Nicodemos, Lucia Segovia Mendoza, Lucas Turney Vostan) presented the YEP funding recommendations, explaining they had reviewed 28 applications, allocated $1.7 million across 20 programs, and prioritized programs with strong measurable outcomes for African‑American/Black and Latinx youth.

Discussion Items

• Staff Presentation – Health, Housing, and Community Services (HHCS) staff presented the PY 2024 AAP and the community agency RFP process. Key points:
  • The RFP covered approximately $11 million in combined federal, state, and local funds.
  • 91 applications were received; 68 programs are recommended for funding.
  • Recommendations were developed by four review bodies: the Human Welfare and Community Action Commission (HWCAC), the Youth Equity Partnership (YEP) Youth Review Panel, the Homeless Services Panel of Experts, and the Housing Advisory Commission (HAC).
  • HUD allocations are estimates because the city has not yet received its final allocation.
  • The resolution before council covers only federal funds (CDBG, ESG, HOME, HOME‑ARP) and authorization to work with Alameda County on HHAP funds. General‑fund and Measure‑E recommendations will be considered during the June budget adoption.
• Commission Reports:
  • Jose Lara Cruz (HWCAC) reported that the commission reviewed 13 proposals and recommended funding 10, but could not fund any new proposals due to limited resources.
  • Katie Cobian and the Youth Review Panel explained the panel’s process and presented detailed funding allocations for kindergarten readiness, school success, health/resilience, and college/career readiness.
  • Carol Morosevic (Homeless Services Panel of Experts) noted that the panel aligned with most city manager recommendations but differed on funding for the Pacific Center for Human Growth (LGBTQ housing) and expressed concern that 20% of Measure P funds ($1.3 million) are being used for 5150 transports rather than direct services.
  • Debbie Potter (Housing Advisory Commission) stated that the HAC recommended a $208,000 annual increase in general‑fund support for housing services and workforce development to prevent erosion of service levels; the city manager’s proposal would eliminate funding for Rising Sun Center for Opportunity and cut other programs.
• Council Discussion:
  • Mayor Arreguin acknowledged the frustration of stagnant funding and committed to finding ways to support the Berkeley Food Network and Rising Sun during the June budget process. He noted that the city faces a projected deficit but emphasized the importance of funding these critical programs.
  • Councilmember Hahn thanked all agencies for their work and expressed dismay that caring professions are so poorly compensated.
  • Councilmember Humbert praised the youth panel and called the omission of the Berkeley Food Network “inexplicable,” urging that some funding be allocated to it.
  • Councilmember Bartlett echoed support for the Berkeley Food Network and suggested reallocating funds from Habitat for Humanity, which he criticized for past cost overruns.

Key Outcomes

• Motion adopted (unanimous roll‑call vote: Kesarwani yes, Taplin yes, Bartlett yes, Hahn yes, Wengraf yes, Humbert yes, Mayor Arreguin yes) to approve the staff recommendation for Item 1, which:
  1. Approves the proposed PY 2024 federal funding allocations for CDBG, ESG, HOME, and HOME‑ARP.
  2. Authorizes the City Manager to execute agreements and submit the Annual Action Plan to HUD.
  3. Authorizes staff to work with Alameda County on HHAP funds.
• All general‑fund and Measure‑E funded agency recommendations are referred to the Fiscal Year 2025‑26 budget adoption process (final vote expected by end of June 2024). The council encouraged agencies and the public to participate in upcoming budget hearings on May 21 and in June.