The Berkeley City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, starting at 6:00 PM. The meeting featured ceremonial recognitions for outgoing Councilmember Sophie Hahn, Acting Mayor Susan Wengraf, and former Mayor Jesse Arreguin, along with a consent calendar of routine items and two public hearings on action items. The council approved all consent items as a block and adopted resolutions for the Solano Avenue Business Improvement District renewal and zoning amendments to encourage research and development uses.
Welcome everybody to the regular meeting of Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024. Before we get started, I want to read to you our rules of procedure. Welcome to this meeting of the Berkeley City Council. 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 are available in 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. Prior to each public comment period, provide the following. Oh, sorry. I'm not supposed to read that. Okay. So first order of business is roll call, please. Okay, calling the roll for the 6 o'clock p.m. regular meeting. Councilmember, I did text Councilmember Kessarwani. She says she's will be joining shortly. Um Councilmember Kessarwani is currently absent. Councilmember Taplan. Presence. Bartlett here. Tregu. Present. On. Present. Lunapara. Here. Humber. Here. And acting Mayor Wengraff. Present. Okay. Quorum is present. Okay. At the beginning of every meeting, um we read the land acknowledgement statement. The City of Berkeley recognizes that the community we live in was built on the territory of the Huchun, the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo 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 Loujan tribe and to create meaningful actions that uphold the intention of this land acknowledgement. Now we'll move on to ceremonial matters. Councilmember Kessarwani has joined the meeting. Councilmember Kessarwani has joined the meeting. So I just run through the transcript very quickly before we do that. Councilmember Kessarwani is participating in the meeting remotely, pursuant to the Brown Act as amended by AB 2449 under the Just Cause justification. A quorum of the councils participating at the in-person physical meeting location that was noticed on the agenda, which require which satisfies the requirements of the Brown Act. Councilmember Kessarwani has notified the council of her need to participate remotely. And Councilmember Kessarwani, please provide a general description of the circumstances relating to your need to appear remotely. However, please do not disclose any medical diagnosis, disability, or other confidential medical information.