Berkeley City Council Regular Meeting – June 3, 2025
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Berkeley City Council Regular Meeting – June 3, 2025
The Berkeley City Council met on June 3, 2025, at 6:00 PM in a hybrid format to address a full agenda including ceremonial items, public comments, consent calendar approvals, and action items. The meeting began with land acknowledgement, adjournments in memory of Robert Sheppard and Bill DeKarrian, and proclamations for the Berkeley Poetry Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, Christina Murphy Day, and Berkeley Pride Day. Key decisions included unanimous approval of the consent calendar, a public hearing on vacancies and retention under AB 2561, and denial of an appeal for a major development at 1950-1998 Shattuck Avenue.
Consent Calendar
- Amendment to FY 2025 Annual Appropriations Ordinance (Item 1): Second reading adopted, adjusting appropriations by $85.7 million gross and $58.3 million net.
- Police Accountability Board Appointment (Item 2): Appointed Joshua Buswell-Charcoal (with title correction).
- Multiple contracts and grants approved, including: California Arts Council grant ($30,000), SEP Technology database migration ($325,000), Essential Access Health grant ($120,000), AHEAD software licenses ($971,784), Geographic Technologies Group GIS services ($600,000), ConvergeOne Avaya support ($920,000), Superion AS400 maintenance ($309,000), CompuCom professional services ($1,051,000), CivicPlus recreation system ($28,000), BayGreen mobile pumpout ($346,623), Cazadero Performing Arts Camp erosion control ($200,000), E.F. Brett MLK Jr. Youth Services Center seismic retrofit ($11,859,100), and Dixon Resources Unlimited police support ($50,000).
- Council Consent Items (Items 19-25): Approved funding for Berkeley Humane Pints for Paws, Taste of Downtown Berkeley, Berkeley Baby Book Project; resolutions opposing California AB 942 (net energy metering) and USPS mailbox removal, supporting Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act (AB 1243/SB 684); and referral for Oxford Street quick-build bicycle facility ($400,000).
- Urgency item added to excuse Councilmember Kesarwani's absence.
- Vote: All present members voted aye (8-0, with Councilmember Kesarwani absent and Kesarwani absent; later presence noted).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-Agenda Matters: Multiple speakers (including Steve Tracy, Gina Reger, Nicholas Alexander, Alison Bond, Erica Shore, and others) voiced strong concerns about the encampment at Alameda Park, citing public health, safety, and sanitation issues. Some called for the city to clear the encampment and establish a sanctioned camping area. One speaker thanked Councilmember Tregub for his tribute to Robert Sheppard. Another speaker (Madeline Roberts Rich) criticized the city's approval of the United Artists Theater demolition.
- Employee Union: Justin Pitcher, president of SEIU Local 1 (Berkeley chapter), spoke in support of the AB 2561 hearing, praising HR efforts and urging continued collaboration to fill vacancies.
- Consent Calendar Items: Maya Williams (UC Berkeley student) expressed support for the Polluters Pay resolution on behalf of multiple environmental groups. Sam Greenberg (Walk Bike Berkeley) supported the Oxford Street bicycle facility referral.
- Action Calendar: On the ZAB appeal, Kelly Hammer (public comment) questioned the timeline for building permits and urged caution to avoid stalled projects.
Discussion Items
- Item 26 – Re-Establishment of Berkeley Tourism Business Improvement District (BTBID): A public meeting was held to discuss renewal for 10 years starting July 1, 2025. No formal action was taken; the public hearing will occur on June 24, 2025. Councilmembers expressed support for the district and thanked Visit Berkeley for their work.
- Item 27 – AB 2561 Public Hearing on Vacancies, Recruitment, and Retention: Monica Walker, Interim HR Director, presented data showing an average vacancy rate of 15.4% in 2024, with higher rates in the Berkeley Police Association (21.2%) and IBEW (41.2%). The city filled 306 vacancies, with a retention rate of 92%. Recruitment efforts include a new career website, social media campaigns, and direct outreach. Councilmembers asked about historical comparisons, retirement planning, and detailed data for high-vacancy units. The hearing was closed with no action required.
- Item 28 – Zoning Adjustments Board Appeal: 1950-1998 Shattuck Avenue: The project is a 28-story mixed-use building with 599 units (58 very low-income), 16,000 sq ft of commercial space, and a rooftop bar. The appellant argued that the project strains infrastructure, violates CEQA, and would not serve community needs. Applicant Mark Rhoades defended the project, citing state law limitations and requesting modification of condition of approval to extend the timeline for building permits. Council discussed the merits, with several members noting the need for housing and the constraints of state law. The public hearing was closed.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (8-0) with all present members voting aye.
- AB 2561 Hearing: No action taken; report received and filed.
- ZAB Appeal (Item 28): Council voted unanimously (8-0) to deny the appeal and affirm the ZAB decision, approving the project with a modified condition of approval (Condition 82 extended to two years for building permit issuance). The motion was made by Councilmember Tregub and seconded by Councilmember Taplin.
- Ceremonial Items: Proclamations and adjournments were adopted without objection.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 PM (estimated) in memory of Robert Sheppard, Bill DeKarrian, and Christina Murphy.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Yes, we can we can start. Let me start the recording. Recording in progress. Okay. All right. Hello. Good evening, everyone. We are gonna call to order the meeting of the Berkeley City Council. Today is Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025. All right. Clerk, can you please take the roll? Okay. Uh Castle Member Castroani is currently absent. That's where Catalan presence. Bartlett here. Trago present. Oh, Keith. Here. Well, I'm gonna be here. Here. Umbert here. And Mary Ishii. Here. Okay. Okay, so it is the first meeting of the month. And actually, I think Councilmember Blackabi, is it your turn? Or did you read the last one? The last one. Thank you. So in that case, Councilmember Lunapara, I do have it. Um we read the land acknowledgement statement at the beginning of each um first meeting of the month, and we've been taking turns. So this time it is Councilmember Lunapara's turn. Thank you. The city of Berkeley recognizes that the community we live in was built on the territory of Huchin, the ancestral and unceded land of the Chechenyo speaking Alone 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 Alone 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 land, the history of this land, but also recognize that the Alone people are present, members of Berkeley and other East Bay communities today. The City of Berkeley will continue to build relationship with the police channel tribe to create meaningful actions that uphold the intention of this land acknowledgement. Alright, thank you, Councilmember. So this evening we have a few ceremonial items and also two adjournments in memory. So this evening we are gonna start with the adjournment in memory of Robert Shepard, who was a Berkeley resident. And I think that council member Traegab, are you speaking? Uh yes. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Uh today we adjourn in memory of Robert J. Shepherd, a longtime resident of Berkeley. Uh, who um sadly passed away of unknown causes after a long and valiant battle. He graduated from Case Western in 1972 with a degree in electrical engineering, and when he moved to the Bay Area, he worked at several tech companies, including Apple and Sybase.
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