The meeting was the first for newly sworn-in Mayor Adena Ishii and newly elected Councilmembers Shoshana O'Keefe (District 5) and Brent Blackaby (District 6), along with re-elected members. The council addressed routine consent items, an emergency bike giveaway, and held a discussion on restaurant inspection audit progress. Public comment was dominated by criticism of that morning's 4 a.m. sweep of the Old City Hall encampment.
Hello. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to welcome you all to the December 10th meeting of the Berkeley City Council and call this meeting to order. Can we start with a roll call, please? Okay, thank you. Councilmember Kessarwani. Here. Taplan. Present. Bartlett. Here. Trago. O'Keefe. Here. Blackaby. Here. Luna Para. Here. Humbert. Present. And Mayor Ishi. Here. Okay. Quorum is present. Thank you. So typically we would read the land acknowledgement statement at the beginning of each monthly meeting, but since this is my first meeting, I'd like to ask that we do a land acknowledgement statement again. And from now on, we're going to be switching off and have different council members do the land acknowledgement. And we're going to start with Councilmember Kessarwani. Thank you very much, Mayor Ishi. The City of Berkeley recognizes that the community we live in was built on the territory of Huchiun, 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 Ohlone 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, excuse me, but also recognize that the Aloney people are present members of Berkeley and other East Bay communities today. The City of Berkeley will continue to build relationships with the Luhan tribe and to create meaningful actions that uphold the intention of this land acknowledgement. Thank you so much, Councilmember. I'd like to move us on to ceremonial manner matters, and I'm going to pass it off to Mark, our city clerk. Okay, thank you, Mayor. So at this time we will uh administer the oath of office for uh newly elected and re-elected um members of the city council and mayor. Okay. Uh so at this time I'll have you stand, and if you turn on your microphone and point it up, it'll pick up some better audio. And raise your right hand and repeat after me. I state your name. I don't know Keefe. Do you solemnly swear or affirm? Do so. Do solemnly that I will support and defend that I've been able to do that. That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California. And the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, foreigners. Foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance.