Berkeley City Council Regular Meeting May 20, 2025: Budget, Landmark Appeal, and SSCOC Appointments
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Berkeley City Council Regular Meeting – May 20, 2025
The Berkeley City Council met on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the School District Board Room and via teleconference. The meeting opened with proclamations for Jewish American Heritage Month, East Bay Affordable Housing Month, and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, followed by an adjournment in memory of former Rent Board Commissioner Christina Murphy. The Council approved a large consent calendar, conducted the first public hearing on the FY2026 mid-biennial budget update (which projected an $18.7 million general fund deficit), appointed four residents to the Measure FF Safe Streets Citizen Oversight Committee (SSCOC), and heard an appeal on a landmark designation for 2500–2512 San Pablo Avenue. The meeting was extended to midnight.
Consent Calendar
- Unanimously approved all consent items except Councilmember Lunaparra abstained on item 26 (letter supporting SB 692). Key items included: adding ADA compliance expertise to the SSCOC (Ordinance 7960); a $78 million amendment to the FY2025 appropriations ordinance; confirmation of Janelle Rodrigues as Director of Human Resources ($240,000 annual salary); a $50 million funding application for the North Berkeley BART affordable housing project; a $250,000 contract amendment with The Village of Love for a drop-in center; approval of the 2024 Police Equipment and Community Safety Ordinance annual report; and adoption of resolutions supporting SB 692 (vehicles/homelessness) and AB 91 (MENA demographic data). Item 28 authorized up to $500 per councilmember from discretionary accounts for the Asian Cultural Festival. Item 29 (Alternative Housing Options for People Experiencing Homelessness) passed with amendments, directing staff to identify shelter sites and report on homelessness efforts, gap analysis, geographic equity, and county partnerships.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-agenda matters: Speakers raised concerns about park encampments, called for compassion for unhoused residents, and urged divestment from Israel regarding Gaza.
- On consent items: Several speakers criticized item 21 (police equipment report) for lack of transparency and requested deferral. Item 26 (SB 692) drew both support (as a compassionate buyback program) and opposition (fear of expanded towing and discriminatory enforcement). Multiple speakers strongly supported item 29 (alternative shelter sites), citing successful models like Horizon Village and tiny house villages. Item 8 (North Berkeley BART funding) received praise.
- On the budget: Over a dozen speakers urged the Council not to cut the $2.5 million small sites program (funded by Measure U1), arguing it is cost-effective and honors promises to voters. Others called for cuts to police overtime instead. Online commenters echoed these themes.
- On the landmark appeal: Speakers supported preserving the building as a landmark, noting the appellant’s concerns about future development were speculative.
Discussion Items
- Appointment to the SSCOC: After interviewing candidates, a substitute motion (Fisher, Fraser, Legg, Marzola, Allen as alternate) failed (3 abstentions, 2 passes, 1 nay). The main motion (Fisher, Legg, Gerhardstein, Hatch, with Fraser as alternate) passed 8–0–1 (Councilmember Tregub initially passed but later voted aye). Council acknowledged the strong applicant pool and noted a lack of diversity.
- FY2026 Mid-Biennial Budget Update (Public Hearing #1): Staff presented a $310 million general fund expenditure budget with an $18.7 million deficit. Proposed balancing measures included holding 55.2 positions vacant ($9.3 million savings), a workers’ compensation holiday ($5.2 million), using $6 million from the Section 115 pension trust, reducing the IT cost allocation contribution ($6.2 million), and reallocating $2.5 million from the small sites program. Council discussed the structural deficit (~$22 million in FY2027–28), the impact of federal funding cuts, and the need to honor voter-approved measures. Councilmembers shared priorities (e.g., Ohlone Greenway safety, marina repairs, after-school programs, deportation legal services, pedestrian safety). A motion passed (unanimous) to receive the budget update and direct the City Manager to work with charter officers (Mayor/Council, City Auditor, Police Accountability) to develop recommendations for a hiring freeze on vacant positions.
- Landmark Appeal – 2500–2512 San Pablo Avenue: The appellant (property owner) did not object to landmarking but sought removal of two character-defining features (“one-story massing” and “13 storefront bays”) to allow future housing. Staff and the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) argued that preservation does not preclude development, citing the California Theatre precedent. After public comment, the Council adopted a substitute motion to affirm the LPC decision with amendments: striking “one-story massing” and changing “storefront bays” to “bays” to allow flexibility. The motion passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Appointed Reena Fisher, Douglas Legg, Ben Gerhardstein, and Sybil Hatch (with Zach Fraser as alternate) to the SSCOC.
- Received the FY2026 mid-biennial budget update and initiated discussions with charter offices on a hiring freeze.
- Affirmed the landmark designation for 2500–2512 San Pablo Avenue with modified character-defining features, dismissing the appeal.
- Approved the consent calendar as amended, including all contracts, resolutions, and policy referrals.
Meeting Transcript
I am going to call to order the Berkeley City Council meeting. Today is Tuesday, May 20th, 2025. And I'm going to start with the role, please. Councilmember Kessarwine. Here. Taplin. Here. Bartlett is absent. Dregum. Peasant. O'Keefe. Here. Blackabee. Here. Lunapara. Here. Humbert. Here. And Mayor Ishii. Here. Okay. Forum is present. All right. Thank you very much. We have a few different ceremonial items today. And I'm going to start with our proclamations. Ooh, just realized I don't have them in front of me. But we have three proclamations Jewish American Heritage Month proclamation, East Bay Affordable Housing Month, and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. And following that will be an enjoyment in memory of Christina Murphy. Thank you. So starting with Jewish American Heritage Month. All right. And it will be received by Jeff Morgan and Sam Hirschberg. Just if in case you all want to come up to the podium, since I know you're gonna you have some prepared remarks as well. Okay. Oh, and perhaps one more person. Okay, so Jewish American Heritage Month, whereas the city of Berkeley takes great pride in supporting individual freedoms and is strengthened by the diverse religious, ethnic, political, and cultural contributions of its residents, including Jewish Americans, and whereas the history of Judaism on this continent dates back to 1654, when 23 Jewish refugees fleeing persecution abroad sailed into modern day New York City, and whereas over 350,000 Jewish Americans live in the Bay Area and make invaluable and significant contributions to the fabric of our communities. And whereas the city of Berkeley is home to a wide variety of Jewish institutions that cultivate space for sacred worship, study, and community, such as synagogues, community centers, preschools, nonprofits, campus organizations, and more. And whereas Jewish Americans are diverse, encompassing a wide range of identities, beliefs, racial backgrounds, lived experiences, observances, and cultural traditions with connections to vibrant Jewish communities worldwide. And whereas Tikkun Olam or Repairing the World is this meaningful expression of Jewish values for many Jews, reflected in the involvement of countless Jewish Americans in movements for social progress, justice, justice, excuse me, equity, freedom, and liberation throughout American history. And whereas the City of Berkeley honors the resilience of Jewish Americans amid a troubling rise in anti-Semitism in recent years and reaffirms the shared moral responsibility to stand forcefully against all forms of anti-Semitism. And whereas the Berkeley City Council acknowledges the importance of local government in celebrating its diverse communities and advocating for equity and justice and reaffirms that Jews everywhere deserve to live in peace, dignity, and safety. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Adina Ishi, Mayor of the City of Berkeley, do hereby declare May 2025 as Jewish American Heritage Month. Yes. Well, thank you, Mayor, and thank you, members of the council. Um I am only one member of the Jewish community here in Berkeley, but I'm delighted to be able to um uh receive this along with some of uh uh a few other members of our community. Um, you know, Berkeley is a very diverse city, as we all know, and um the Jewish community is I think equally diverse, which is fitting for the Jewish community of Berkeley. We have, as you mentioned in the proclamation Jews from all walks of life, all uh political um uh perspectives, uh lots of different colors of us, and it's really a dynamic and diverse group. And I think that um that's what makes us strong. Um and in addition to this diversity, we share um, we Jews share um a common heritage and history um that goes back, as everybody here knows, probably at least 3,000, maybe 3500 years.
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