Okay.

Yeah.

We're recording.

Good evening.

I'd like to call to order the regular meeting of the Berkeley City Council for Tuesday, May 7th, 2024.

And the first order of business is roll call.

I'd like to ask the city clerk to please call the roll.

Councilmember Kessarwani.

Here.

Taplin, presence.

Bartlett.

Present.

On.

Present.

Langgraft.

Presence.

Luna Para.

Here.

Umbert.

Present.

And Mayor Araging.

Present.

Okay.

Okay, a former the city councils present.

Thank you very much.

Um, so uh as we begin our meeting tonight, I want to read our land acknowledgement statement, uh, which is also posted in our council chambers.

Uh the city of Berkeley recognizes that the community we live in is built on the territory of Kuchun, the ancestral unceded land of the Chechenyo speaking Alone people, the ancestors and descendants of the sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County.

This land was and continues to be of great importance to all of the Ohlone tribes and descendants of the Verona Ban.

As we begin our meeting tonight, we acknowledge and honor the original inhabitants of Berkeley, the documented 5,000 year history of a vibrant community at the West Berkeley Shell Mound, and the Alone people who continue to reside here in the East Bay.

We recognize that Berkeley's residents have and continue to benefit from the use and occupation of this unceded stolen land since the city of Berkeley's Incorporation 1878.

And as stewards of the laws regulating the city of Berkeley, it's not only vital that we recognize the history of Islam, but also recognize that the Allonee people are present members of the Berkeley and other East Bay communities today.

The City of Berkeley will continue to build relationships with all Ohlone tribes to create meaningful actions to pull the intention of this land acknowledgement.

So with that, we'll move to um before we move to ceremonial matters.

And please be aware that the city council's rules of decorum, which would we have copies of the physical rules for people to review and billboards summarizing the rules in the room, prohibit the disruption of the orderly conduct of our council meeting.

And a summary of these rules is available on the one-page Hannah on the table near the rear of the boardroom.

I just want to uh just announce that disruptive behavior um includes but is not limited to shouting, making disrupted noises, creating or participating in a physical disturbance, speaking out of turn or in violation of applicable rules, preventing or attempting to prevent others who have the floor from speaking, preventing others from observing the meeting or entering into or remaining in the area of the meeting room that is not open to the public or approaching the council dyis without consent.

We ask that you observe these rules so that all members of the public may observe and participate fully in tonight's meeting.

We thank you for being here this evening.

So with that, uh we'll proceed to ceremonial matters and the first order business is the ceremonial swearing in of our new colleague, Councilmember Cecilia Lunapara.

So I'd like to ask the city clerk if he can please administer the oath of office.

Okay.

Do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California.

That I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I'm about to enter.

Congratulations.

So now I want to turn the floor over to our colleague, uh, Councilmember Luna Parra.

Thank you so much, and and thank you for that.

Um serving on the Berkeley City Council and representing the Southside neighborhood will be the honor of my life.

Thank you so much to my new colleagues and all of my family and friends and mentors and neighbors who helped me get to this moment.

Um I am so excited to be here representing my beloved district seven community.

I made some comments earlier, but would like to reiterate them.

Um, again.

I am grateful to be the first undergraduate student, the first Latina, and the first queer woman of color to be elected to this body.

I promise to always remain accountable to my constituents and continue organizing alongside my community because this seat and this vote is ours, and I will pledge time and time again to honor you with it.

My presence here is a testament to the power of students and young people in Berkeley and beyond.

A great example of this student power is the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the Mario Savio Steps on Sproul Plaza.

In my time in the encampment over the past two weeks, I have again witnessed the beauty and solidarity and inclusivity of our campus community.

And it is important to remember that while students on campuses here in the Bay or protests here on uh campuses in the Bay Area, Israel's bombs have reduced every university in Gaza to rubble.

As such, I fully support my classmates' demands in their encampment.

Last week I sent a letter from my city council office to Chancellor Chris, uh UCPD and the UC regents, encouraging them to avoid the mass police violence and repression that protests on other campuses have faced at the hands of their administrations and urging them to engage in good faith in negotiations with the encampment.

I will do everything in my power to ensure that no city, county, or UC resources are used to arrest, suspend, evict, or otherwise punish nonviolent student protesters for exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech, nonviolent protests, and collective assembly.