The Berkeley City Council held its regular hybrid meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the School District Board Room, 1231 Addison Street, Berkeley, with a teleconference location in Anaheim. Mayor Jesse Arreguin presided, and all eight councilmembers were present. The agenda included an urgent excused-absence item, a large consent calendar, a public hearing on a solar-plus-storage power purchase agreement, and first reading of a research-and-development grant tax exemption. The meeting was adjourned in memory of Joseph 'Joe' Panicali, a Berkeley physician and community volunteer.
Okay, first order of business is uh low call, please. Hi, roll call, Councilmember Cazarwani here. Taplin. Present. Bartlett. Here. Trago. Present. Han. Here. Wengraf. Present. Munapara? Here. Humbert? Here. Mayor Argyen. Present. Thank you. Okay, great. Before we uh get started with the actual agenda, I would like to inform you of the rules, rules tonight in the council chamber. To allow for full participation by all members of the community and to ensure that important city business is able to be completed, we ask that all attendees conduct themselves in an orderly manner and respect the rights of others participating in the meeting. Please be aware that the City Council's rules of decorum prohibit the disruption of the orderly conduct of the council meeting. A summary of these rules is available in the one-page handout on the table at the rear of the boardroom. Disruptive behavior includes but is not limited to shouting, making disruptive 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, entering into or remaining in an area of the meeting room that is not open to the public, or approaching the council dais without consent. We ask that you observe these rules so that all members of the public may observe and participate in tonight's meeting. Thank you. And now we'll move on to the land acknowledgement statement. The City of Berkeley recognizes that the community we live in was built on the territory of Huchun, the ancestral and unceded land of the Chercheno speaking Ohlone 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 Band. 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 Illoney people who continue to reside 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 in 1878. As stewards of the laws regulating the city of Berkeley, it is not only vital that we recognize the history of this land, but also recognize that the Ohlone people are present members of Berkeley and other East Bay communities today. The City of Berkeley will continue to build relationships with the Liesjan tribe and to create meaningful actions that uphold the intention of this land acknowledgement. Okay, now it is my absolute honor to present the proclamation tonight to Ray Yep. And Ray, please come forward. And I hope that this proclamation conveys that, because I couldn't agree more. So honoring Ray Yep on retirement from the infrastructure and transportation commission. Whereas Ray Yep was born in the southern area of China, near Canton, and as a young boy emigrated to Stockton, California, we grew up in a neighborhood of Mexican and Chinese immigrant farm workers. And whereas Ray excelled in school and graduated with a BA in engineering from the University of California at Davis and a master's degree in civil engineering from Cal State Sacramento. And whereas Ray enjoyed an extremely successful career in infrastructure management and water, wastewater and stormwater planning and design, and managed the operations of the Santa Clara Valley Water District for many years. And whereas after retirement from the private sector, Ray dedicated himself to public service, helping our city. He served as chair of the Measure M subcommittee and the chair of the Oversight Committee for Measure T1 and led the Underground and Utilities Task Force, as well as the Mayor's Vision 2050 task force. Whereas Ray Yep volunteered as an infrastructure specialist with Berkeley's Public Works Department on special assignments and worked with former Council Member Mayo on efforts to publicize the hazards of transporting back in crude oil by rail. And whereas Ray Yep served as chair and member of the former Public Works Commission, and then as a member of the newly formed Transportation and Infrastructure Commission. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Susan Wingraff, on behalf of Jesse Aragin, mayor of the City of Berkeley, do hereby honor Ray F on his retirement from the Transportation and Infrastructure Commission, and express our deep gratitude and appreciation to Ray for his expertise, generosity, and many hours of volunteer contributions to the City of Berkeley. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mayor Harry Dean, Vice Mayor, Wayne Graff, and Council members. This is really an honor, and I appreciate it very much.