Berkeley City Council Regular Meeting - January 21, 2025

The Berkeley City Council met on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 6:00 PM in a hybrid format. The meeting covered a wide range of topics, including reaffirming Berkeley as a sanctuary city, a budget referral for daylighting infrastructure, expanding homeownership opportunities, and contentious council committee appointments. The Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) appeal for 2708 Prince Street was withdrawn before the meeting. Public comments were heavily focused on support for the sanctuary city resolution, with many speakers sharing personal stories and organizational endorsements.

Consent Calendar

• Approved unanimously (with modifications): Items 1–21 (routine contracts, grants, and appointments) plus three items moved from the Action Calendar: Item 26 (Expanding Homeownership Opportunities), Item 27 (Reaffirming Berkeley as a Sanctuary City), and Item 28 (Budget Referral for Curb Marking/Daylighting).
• Item 22 (Council appointments, seating, vice mayor term) was moved to the Action Calendar for discussion.
• Notable consent items include: $2,683,395 for the FY 2025 Curb Ramp Improvement Project (Item 4), $320,000 predevelopment loan for MLK Jr. House and $500,000 reserved for Haste Street rehabilitation (Item 12), a $40,000 NEA grant for arts programming (Item 8), and a $200,000 contract for an early intervention system for police (Item 16).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Sanctuary City (Item 27): Over a dozen speakers expressed strong support. Representing East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, the Peace and Justice Commission, OASIS Legal Services, the Multicultural Institute, and other groups, speakers urged the council to codify sanctuary protections into ordinance, allocate funds to community-based organizations, and ensure sensitive sites (schools, hospitals, places of worship) remain safe from ICE. Several Japanese American community members shared family histories of incarceration during WWII, drawing parallels to current threats. One speaker noted that over 21% of Berkeley residents are immigrants. The council also heard from a union representative (SEIU 1021) who voiced support.
• Daylighting (Item 28): Speakers from Walk Bike Berkeley and the Transportation & Infrastructure Commission emphasized that 80% of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in Berkeley occur at intersections and that daylighting could reduce pedestrian injuries by up to 30%. Residents described dangerous blind spots caused by illegally parked vehicles.
• Homeownership (Item 26): A few speakers cautioned about potential loss of open space and lack of affordability guardrails in middle housing proposals.
• Other: Comments were also made about early morning noise at the People’s Park construction site, the need for public restrooms (University & San Pablo location), and a constituent’s parking ticket dispute.

Discussion Items

• Council Committee Appointments (Item 22): Mayor Ishii’s original proposal placed Councilmember Lunaparra on the Agenda & Rules Committee and Councilmember Blackaby on the Land Use Committee, with Councilmember Bartlett on Public Safety. Councilmember Taplin offered a substitute motion to instead appoint Councilmember Humbert to Agenda & Rules and swap Bartlett and Blackaby on Public Safety and Land Use. The substitute motion failed (3 yes, 4 no, 1 abstain). The main motion—which also set the vice mayor rotation by seniority (with ties broken by vote percentage) and included the AC Transit Committee appointments (Kesarwani primary, O’Keefe alternate)—passed 5-3 (Mayor Ishii voting no). Councilmember Lunaparra expressed disappointment, noting the message it sends to young people and dissenting voices. Councilmember Taplin defended the change as a matter of process and fairness.
• Sanctuary City Reaffirmation (Item 27): Moved to the consent calendar and approved unanimously. The resolution reaffirms Berkeley’s sanctuary city status, asks the City Attorney to explore legal support for sensitive sites, and creates a mayoral task force to codify protections into ordinance. Councilmembers spoke passionately about protecting immigrant communities in light of the new federal administration’s threats. Mayor Ishii noted her family’s history of Japanese American incarceration and the importance of local resistance.
• Expanding Homeownership (Item 26): Moved to consent and approved. The referral directs the City Manager to develop zoning and subdivision code modifications to enhance middle-income homeownership opportunities, consistent with state law SB 684. A supplemental clarified that the hillside overlay zone (fire-prone areas) is excluded pending completion of an evacuation study.
• Daylighting Budget Referral (Item 28): Moved to consent and approved. Recommends $1,250,000 to the June budget process for curb marking and preventive infrastructure upgrades at high-risk intersections to comply with California’s new daylighting law (AB 413).

Key Outcomes

• Sanctuary City reaffirmation approved (unanimous consent). City Attorney to explore legal defense for sensitive sites; task force to be formed.
• Council committee appointments approved as amended: Agenda & Rules Committee will include Councilmember Humbert (replacing Lunaparra); Land Use Committee will include Councilmember Blackaby (replacing Bartlett); Public Safety Committee will include Councilmember Bartlett (replacing Blackaby). Vice mayor rotation set by seniority.
• Budget referral for daylighting ($1.25M) referred to June 2025 budget process.
• Homeownership ordinance development referred to City Manager and Planning Commission, with hillside exclusion.
• Consent calendar (including 21 routine items plus three moved items) approved unanimously.
• Public hearings on bond financing for 2001 Ashby Avenue (Item 23) and recreation fee changes (Item 24) were closed and items approved. ZAB appeal (Item 25) withdrawn; ZAB decision stands.
• Adjournment in memory of those lost in the Southern California wildfires.

Meeting adjourned at approximately 9:30 PM.