Okay, I think we're gonna get started.

Alright, everyone, I am calling to order the Berkeley City Council meeting.

Today is Tuesday, October 14th, 2025.

It is 6.07 p.m.

And clerk, could you please start us off with a roll?

Okay, Councilmember Kisserwani.

Here.

Taplin.

Present.

Councilmember Bartlett is currently absent.

Tregum.

Present.

O'Keefe.

Here.

Blackaby.

Here.

Unapara.

Here.

Humbert.

Here.

And Mayor Ishii.

And Vice Mayor Humbert is uh participating in the meeting remotely this evening, pursuant to the Brown Act as amended by AB 2449 under the just cause uh exception.

A quorum of the council is participating in person at the physical location that is noticed on the agenda.

And uh Vice Mayor Humbert, if you could please provide a general description of the circumstances relating to your need to appear remotely.

Whoever did not disclose any medical diagnosis or other confidential medical information.

All right, thank you, Mr.

Clerk.

I have a mild cold that I don't want to transmit to anyone else.

Okay, and please disclose if anybody at your location is 18 years of age or older, and if so, um the general nature of their relationship with you.

Yeah, there's no one else present in my home office.

Okay.

And uh Vice Mayor Humbert will participate through both audio and visual technology during the meeting.

And Councilmember Bartlett is present.

Very good.

Thank you.

And thank you, Vice Mayor Humbert, for not passing on your cuties to us.

Um and the next on our agenda is our land acknowledged uh acknowledgement statement, and that will be this month uh by Councilmember Taplin.

The city of Berkeley recognizes that the community we live in was built on the territory of Hutchun, the ancestral and unceded land of the Chicono speaking uh Ohlone people, the ancestors and descendants of the sovereign and Verona Band of Alameda County.

This land was and continues to be of great importance to all the Olone 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 1878.

A 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 Alone people are present members of Berkeley and other East Bay communities today.

The City of Berkeley will continue to build relationships with Luzon tribe and to create meaningful actions that uphold the intention of this land acknowledgement.

Thank you very much.

And I think it's worth noting that um Monday was Indigenous People's Day.

So hopefully folks were able to attend our Indigenous People's Say Pow Wow, which was on Saturday at Civic Center Park.

And so I have some um ceremonial matters this evening, and we have two attorments in memory, but I want to start with our very exciting one.

So if you'd like, you'd come on up.

Yeah.

So I'm gonna put my my hat on for this.

Yes, important.

Okay, so very exciting, y'all.

Um, we have two members of the ballers that are actually from the city of Berkeley.

Um so I'm gonna read a little bit about yeah, thank you.

Yes, so it was very funny.

Actually, I well, I went to a ballers game and I heard them say, you know, they're like, Isaiah Santos from the city of Berkeley, and I was like, whoa, it's so exciting.

Um and then turns out they actually won this year.

So yay!

So congratulations to the ballers.

Um, in just the second year of their existence, the Oakland Ballers are champions of baseball's Pioneer League.

On September 21st, they beat the Idaho Falls Chuckers eight to one in front of a sellout crowd of 4,100 at Raymondi Park to bring a well-deserved championship to Oakland.

With a 73-23 regular season, the ballers broke the league's modern era record for wins, ending the season nine games ahead of the second place Missoula paddleheads.

The ballers have a team full of top-notch players, and we're thrilled tonight to do a special shout out of recognition and congratulations to two hometown Berkeley High School alums, Isai Santos and Noah Millikan.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Okay.

Did you want to say anything?

Um, thanks for this recognition.

Um, definitely not prepared for this, but I appreciate all the support I see up here and um all the support that I'm sure a lot of people from Berkeley and Oakland came and showed to our our team and um yeah we talk about the fans a lot being a big part of what we do as a team and the energy that they bring is important for us and shout out to my parents right there.

Um, they support me.

Throughout my whole life here in Berkeley, and um yeah, thank you.

Thank you, thank you so much.

And I'll give you Noah's, and you can give it to him.

Anyone want to take a picture since you guys have your hats on?

I'll I'll leave this very well.

Oh, you have to go to the game.

Come on, we go to the game.

Okay, congratulations.

So exciting.

I'm so glad we could do that.

Okay, so we also have a proclamation and adjournment in memory for Joanna Macy, which was requested by Councilmember Luna Para's office.

And actually, I'm sorry, I meant to pass this to you in case you wanted to read it.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um would the family of Joanna Macy like to step forward?

Thank you so much for being here.

Honoring the life and legacy of Joanna Macy.

Whereas Joanna Macy was a beloved mother, grandmother, teacher, author, and activist whose life's work profoundly shaped the cultural, philosophical, and academic framework of ecological connection.

And whereas Joanna found a home in Berkeley in 1987, creating community implanting roots throughout her time in the Bay Area, she served as an adjunct professor at Star King School of Ministry, California Institute of Integral Studies, University of Creation Spirituality, John F.

Kennedy University, and several other universities across the country and across the world.

And whereas throughout her life, Joanna committed herself with the pursuit to the pursuit of spiritual and environmental resilience in an era of ecosidal capitalism, with the central vision that a better, more peaceful world will endure, and whereas her many publications explore the intersection and overlap of Buddhist practice, systems theory, and environmentalism, forging prophetic methodologies, empowering those fighting for justice, peace, and sustainability, and reminding us all of the sacred and inextricable connection between all life.

And whereas Joanna was a world-renowned author and teacher, and yet always dedicated herself first and foremost to her family, friends, and community, living her life according to the values she taught.

And whereas Joanna Mason, Joanna Macy, has made an indelible mark on the Berkeley community and beyond, inviting all to participate in the work that reconnects.

Her life and work will forever be cherished and celebrated.

Now, therefore be it resolved that I, Adina Ishii, mayor of the city of Berkeley and the city council, do hereby honor and celebrate the life and legacy of Joanna Macy, recognizing her unwavering resilience and commitment to justice.

May we all strive to follow in her footsteps.

If you want to say any words, you can uh yes, thank you.

Thank you very much.

Uh Mary Ishi, Councilwoman Luna Perra, and the rest of the council.

I'm Jack Macy, uh Joanna's second born.

And I've I've lived in Berkeley uh for over 30 years.

And uh I will say that um my mother Joanna loved living in Berkeley.

And in uh the last 30 years, she lived in the Elmwood neighborhood, and she really relished being able to walk and uh patronize many of her favorite uh local businesses and shops from her dining room away from home at Kenyan that she would take people to.

So she was well rooted, and not only did her three offspring, we all live in Berkeley.

We came here, even though we grew up in the East Coast.

So she has three grandchildren that lived either downstairs from her or short walking distance away.

So close close family ties.

And you know, she demonstrated the way she lived that she really loved uh not only us, but she loved so many people and the world, really taking in the beauty right to her last days as she would take walks and just breathe in the beauty of everything.

But she's also known for having been really uh fearless and being and being able to honor her pain and other pain for the world and really being able to see what's happening in the world and her work, it really helped people get in touch with that and move through that to see with new eyes, new perspectives, and to be able to act more effectively in the world.

So she has people uh all over the world who've been impacted by uh her work, and it it's a real honor.

Uh she would be delighted by this recognition.

And I'll just couple of quick quotes.

You know, if you haven't heard, she likes to, she has said that the heart that breaks open can really hold uh the whole universe.

And if the world is to be healed, uh she is said, I'm convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life exceeds their fear.

And in her last public appearance, was uh in Berkeley at Zellerbach Hall as a keynote speaker for the 2023 Bioneers Conference, awesome conference.

And she said at the closing of her remarks that I'm gonna tell you how to save the world.

Be glad to be alive.

So uh with that, I thank you very much for this honor.

I find these adjournments in memory um so sad, and and yet hearing about people's lives is just a really beautiful thing.

It's an honor that we get to do that.

So we also have an adjournment in memory for Nobel laureate George Schmoot, requested by Councilmember Blackaby, and so I know you've got a brief presentation for us.

Yes, thank you, Mayor Ishi.

Um, Professor George Smoot uh passed away on September 18th at the age of 80.

And I also ask tonight that we adjourn our meeting in his honor as well.

In Berkeley, we remember George Smoot as a brilliant astrophysicist, a dedicated educator, and a cherished member of our academic community who lived and worked here for more than four decades.

As a professor of physics at UC Berkeley and a longtime researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, located in my district.

Dr.

Smoot led a distinguished career, quote, uncovering the secrets of the universe, in the words of current lab director Mike Witherell.

In 2006, Dr.

Smoot was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with John Matter, for their groundbreaking discovery of the black body form and tiny temperature variations in the cosmic microwave background radiation, or in layman's terms, the evidence that helped confirm the big bang theory and profoundly deepened our understanding of the origins of the universe.

His work not only transformed the field of cosmology, but also inspired generations of students and scientists around the world.

Beyond his scientific achievements, George Smoot was deeply committed to education and public engagement.

He donated $500,000 of his Nobel Prize winnings to establish the Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics, and later founded the Teaching the Universe program to support science education for secondary school teachers.

He also brought humor and accessibility to his field through cameo appearances on the big bang theory, delighting audiences and demystifying science for the public.

Professor Smoot even won the one million dollar prize on TV game show Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader in 2009.

What a risk.

Imagine the embarrassment if he hadn't won that.

As noted by the academic programs committee, Dr.

Smoot believed that cosmology and physics should reach beyond the walls of the laboratory to enrich public understanding of science and connect discovery to the broader challenges facing humanity.

Colleagues remember George is a terrific human being, someone who all who took the time to talk with everyone regardless of their position, and who was always generous with his knowledge and support.

One former colleague noted that Professor Smoot joined the lab's dance club in anticipation of having to learn the waltz for various Nobel ceremonial galas.

As this colleague said, and I quote, and who had unlocked the secrets of the universe, struggling to master a simple box step.

Scientists observed that he will continue to branch into the work of others, ensuring that science remains at the forefront of our understanding of the universe.

And even the late Stephen Hawking once described Smoot's discovery as the scientific discovery of the century, if not of all time.

Perhaps nothing encapsulates Professor Smoot, Professor Smoot's passion for science, his commitment to education and his love for Berkeley and the Cal Band, then this video clip.

If I can get it to work here.

And so when they said we wanted to react to Big Bang with the guys from your lab, I said, no way, I want the ban.

Okay.

So now I gotta tell you what the big bang is so you guys can do this before the sun goes down.

Okay.

So the idea is everything in the early universe was packed together very densely.

It may have gone for infinite.

We don't have infinite people, so we just have to use what we got.

And everything's stretched, right?

Everything got bigger.

And the further away you are, the faster you go.

So we're gonna want to start at the beginning with everybody packed dense and jostling around and playing high tempo rapid.

Then the mark, everybody moves apart.

The people on the outside moving faster than the people on the inside.

And there's a little bit of irregular motion, so miss some steps.

Okay.

I know you can do this.

Right?

And then what happens is you're gonna form, you're gonna coalesce together in groups of six.

So you have to find six buddies, and half of you are gonna form spiral galaxies.

Three people facing one way, three the other, and you rotate slowly as you move out, and the other half form elliptical galaxies, which are round blobs that keep moving out.

So now there's a brass section out there called tubas, they make a really spectacular spiral galaxies, a really big one, like our own galaxy or like Andromeda.

So you guys get to be near the middle, and you get to make a really cool, you don't have to run out so fast, but you get to make, you get to be able to orient where half and spacing the other way, and you get to rotate with a sort of twist up.

And you're like the centerpiece of this whole thing.

Go to the please join me in honoring the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Professor George Smoot, a true son of Berkeley.

Thank you.

Um, thank you very much for sharing that.

I'm sure it would have made him proud.

Um, next, we're moving on to our city manager comments.

No comments tonight, Madam Mayor.

Okay, thank you very much.

And then next we will move on to our city auditor comments.

Michelle say slowly so that she can walk up here.

Thank you so much.

So good evening.

As you know, as an auditor, I sometimes bring news where things can be improved, and sometimes that's not the best news to get, but it's necessary, it's part of my job.

But tonight I actually have some good news to share.

So this is after an audit comes out.

We work with departments on implementing those recommendations.

And I wanted to call your attention to the information items that staff have submitted.

I'd like to first provide an update on the audit of cities' staff shortages that we released in 2023.

And that audit, we found that Berkeley government at the time had difficulties retaining employees, which caused staff shortages that limited the city's ability to provide services.

We found a number of issues that contributed to those shortages, including employee dissatisfaction, high workloads, and instability in HR.

I'm pleased to report that city management and HR, both under new leadership since the time of the audit, have made significant progress on implementing those recommendations.

Since the last audit update in 2024, the city has implemented 12 out of 25 total recommendations.

To give an example of one of the recommendations update, HR launched a comprehensive training program for staff at all levels through a platform called NeoGov Learn.

This training program includes the supervisor learning plan, which is a hybrid learning experience for supervisors in the city of Berkeley.

Another highlight from this most recent audit update includes city management enhanced communication strategy.

City management has expanded the communication opportunities with city staff to include department open houses, a weekly wrap-up, which I really enjoy because I get those, and I think everyone loves getting those because we get regular updates, and that's made available to all city staff, uh online town halls and annual manager meetings.

These communication efforts are being integrated into annual plans to maintain strong communication in the city of Berkeley.

While Berkeley, along with other departments, face challenges with budget deficits and an ongoing hiring freeze, retention improvements will help the city maintain the current hardworking staff who serve the Berkeley public.

We want to thank HR and city management for their collaboration on this important audit.

Second, I want to provide an update from HR on our 2019 audit of the city's domestic violence policy response.

In this audit, we found that Berkeley's domestic violence leave policy for employees did not fully align with state requirements and model policy elements at the time of the audit.

We also found that Berkeley could adopt practices to provide a more supportive domestic violence response, such as training, outreach, and education.

Since the last audit update last year, HR has implemented five out of six total recommendations.

Yeah.

In response to the audit, HR recently launched the updated administrative regulation on leave policy for absence related to acts of violence.

This new policy incorporates model policy elements and includes comprehensive guidance to employees experiencing acts of violence.

These are really important steps to keep our staff safe.

HR also developed training materials for employees on the updated policy and plans to launch this training on NeoGov Learn, the training platform I discussed earlier, ensuring that staff understand the city's domestic violence response policy.

Thank you again to HR for implementing these recommendations in response to our audit, and congratulations to all this progress made.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

It's always great to get good news and so proud of our city and all the work that's being done to take care of our employees.

They're literally the lifeblood of our organization.

So thank you very much for those comments.

Okay, so we are moving on to public comment on non-agenda matters.

Okay.

There's just two cards.

So this is also this is also the time when people who are participating remotely on Zoom.

If you wish to speak on an item that is not on the agenda, please raise your hand now.

Okay.

So it's a total of six speakers, so we would go to one minute per speaker.

Um we have Maria and we have Carol.

Okay.

Come on up.

Sharing with council a presentation I heard today from the National Housing Low Income Coalition when just when you think you haven't heard anything, um, couldn't hear anything really, even much worse from the federal government.

Uh this was a federal employee who was presenting, and as we know the administrate federal administration wants to um litig uh laxen the regulations of the federal uh the fair housing act, well, actually they're actually disciplining employee and terminating employees who are actually doing their job.

And and this was one of those employees, and he was he has filed a whistleblowing complaint.

Uh and uh that they're especially focusing on that they don't want any investigations on persons and sexual uh orientation, gender identity, and immigrant women intended to be protected under the violence against women act.

Thank you.

Thanks for letting us know about that.

Hello, Maria.

Welcome back.

Oh, yeah.

I'm so glad that we're all here and I'm so glad we honored Joanna Macy.

I knew her personally, not really well, I wish, but Shambhala, the fact that there can be a peaceful, harmonious, I'm starting to cry, community, where everyone is all right.

Everyone cares and shares, and the fact that it's born from be grateful that you're alive.

From there, I mean, when I actually take the time to be grateful, I fill up an overflow and can't help but be generous.

What a privilege it is to be alive.

So thank you, Mayor.

Thank you for this space.

Thank you for each of us here, and I really, really want us to know that we can.

Because if Berkeley can't, what in the world is the world gonna do?

Right?

So we can, and I'm looking for space for everyone.

Thank you.

Thanks, Maria.

Now I'm getting the minute down.

Yeah, getting good at staying on time.

Okay, so online for non-agenda public comment.

The first speaker, the hand raised, is Madeline Rich.

Howdy, it's me again.

I'm calling because as you know, I feel the vitality of downtown Berkeley will flounder without access to a movie theater.

And I'm not talking about the kinds of films of the Pacific Film Archive.

I'm not trying to cast aspersions on those, but I'm talking about Friday night, Saturday night kinds of films.

And I'm here to tell you and remind you that the Berkeley City Council Planning Commission and Zab and many others have many arrows in their quiver to collaborate with the developers in downtown Berkeley to try to um realize some sort of access to movies on uh at at certain occasions.

Not least is what is the public art on private development um ordinance.

And so, and so while I think what happened with United Artists Movie Theater was a hugely missed opportunity to work with Mr.

Kennedy on providing some sort of community benefit to provide access to cinema, not necessarily on site.

I do entreat you to can to kind of think more creatively about how to make sure that there's ongoing access to more popular films in downtown Berkeley.

I think the retailers and the community need it.

Thank you very much.

Thanks, Madeline.

Okay, next is Amanda Montez.

Oh, wait, she just lowered her hand.

Um next is Jerry's iPad.

Hey, hello, good evening.

My name's Jesse Sheehan.

I run the chess club on Telegraph Avenue.

I'm calling to advocate tonight, uh, Mayor Ishi.

There's some talk that you're trying to move our Telegraph Holiday Festival from Telegraph Avenue.

And um the talk was it's being moved to where we all know there's going to be a giant construction site at the Ashby Bart station.

Last year, just before you took your tenure, um, most of our vendors we got together.

We've been vending there for as long as uh many of them have been doing 40 years, some of them, and there's talk, they don't want to move the holiday, the telegraph holiday festival off the telegraph.

And I believe because there's some understaffing, so Peter Ridou and several of the items has admitted he's understaffed and submitted some items, and it's almost like is it easier to just get rid of our special events in Berkeley?

Um, I really would plead that you pull together like you did last year.

Your time's up, but I I just want to reassure you that's not something that I am trying to do.

So I I just looked over at Councilmember Luna Para and we'll we'll talk about it.

Thanks for bringing that to our attention.

Next speaker for non-agenda poet comment is Della Luna.

Yes, I would like to make a comment about I felt we need more education around the bicycles and the bike ways, the bike uh what's it called?

The lanes in the roadway.

I noticed there's like a lot of infrastructure that's changing and happening in the roadways, but there's no education around that.

So, for example, in Berkeley, I was in a car, biker was in a the right-hand lane on the right hand side of me, and then he signaled that he was making a left turn kind of suddenly, and then he came in front of into my lane and then made a left turn into the left lane.

So it's like he needed to be indicating he was making two turns, not just one.

And it seemed as a biker that he had no clue really how drivers drive and how we look for signals.

So it just seemed like a really dangerous place for the biker to be.

And then I saw a biker in the left-hand turn lane in a 12-lane um traffic intersection, and it's just unclear how the biker gets from the bike lane into the left-hand turning lane.

And so it just there's these moments where things get really dangerous in the roadways.

And I think cross education would be ideal.

Thanks, Tally.

I know your time's up, but thank you for letting us know about that and um bringing that to our attention.

Is there anyone else on that?

Yes, there's four more.

Um next is uh caller with a phone number ending in zero zero zero.

Hi, good evening.

So today we could not serve you with the person, but we didn't really demand for one million dollars.

Some of the interesting email.

I should give you a better warning.

With action of Donald Trump will have real serious problems if uh bird school comes in.

We dismantled the whole uh health department pretty much and remind you in his administration by denying COVID 19.

1.2 million people million Americans died from COVID 19, where most countries only had tens of thousands.

We need to the family.

Also, the memory, my beautiful uh Bruce Achieve six, Dash Bucklow, who gives them my company millions of dollars, appointed two policemen in front of my house and you could for two years.

Have a good night and work very hard to get our business back into location in Berkeley.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, next is uh Sam Teesdale.

Sam, you should be able to unmute.

Good evening, council members.

My name is Sam Teesdale, and I'm here to speak against the proposed increases to special event permitting fees.

Our longstanding Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair has already faced major hardships after being pushed out of its traditional location on telegraph to add a line at Ashby Bart station.

This event has been part of Berkeley's culture for decades.

It supports local artists, small business, and brings people together during the holidays.

Adding new or higher permit fees will only make it harder to keep this beloved community event alive.

These fairs don't make large profits, they operate on tight budgets and depend on vendors who are already struggling with higher costs.

I urge the council to reconsider any additional fees or to find ways to support community events rather than burden them.

The Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair is part of what makes Berkeley unique.

Please help us keep it that way.

Thank you.

Thanks for your comment.

So that item is actually on the information calendar, so if there's any other commenters comment on commenting on that item, we would wait until the um public comment on consent and information items soon.

Um Amanda Montez.

Hello.

Um, I was actually calling in regards to public comment by employee unions for the first regular meeting of the month.

I'm calling as vice president of ASNE Council 57 local one.

And I was hoping I'm sorry.

Oh, yeah.

Can you can you just give us a minute because we're we're just finishing up public comment on non-agenda matters, and then we'll come over to you.

Great, thank you.

Thank you.

So actually, Amanda, is the last speaker?

Okay.

So we could reset the cost.

Very good.

All right.

Well, we will in that case reset the clock for our five minutes.

Thank you.

We're moving on to public comment by employee unions.

Okay, Amanda, go ahead.

Thank you.

Um, my name is Amanda Montes, and I serve as Vice President of Berkeley's AfSME Council 57, local one.

I also serve the city as a senior management analyst in the public works department, and I serve as the secretary of the Safe Street Citizens Oversight Committee, and I'm a proud Berkeley resident.

Item number 16's recommendations from the city auditor and the city's response are what bring me here tonight.

Our union, which represents the city's managers and engineers, has a vested interest in retaining a six and successfully recruiting city staff.

Finding number two is one of the issues that we wanted to bring to you tonight.

Individual contributors who move into managerial roles or even smaller managing roles of five or more people into management roles of 20 or more people, are accepting promotions with lower compensation packages.

Essentially, they're getting pay cuts while managing larger teams.

But our system doesn't work that way.

Moving on to section three, please consider utilizing in-person and online job fares.

Our management staff see these opportunities and routinely are disappointed by our lack of participation in vital run-on-one opportunities to find the best and the brightest.

Sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the city auditors' recommendations.

If you're looking at item 16, which I hope all of our council members are, this audit recommends expanding telework options to reduce costs, retain staff, and attract talent.

Current policies being adopted by city management disregard this cost saving measure despite facing future budget deficits in the coming fiscal years.

Our staff see this as an opportunity to contribute to the city's overall solutions in looking towards how we can meet our budget realities.

We are hoping that the council would begin to consider this as well as a real life solution for real life staff.

Thank you for considering some of our recommendations, and we look forward to continuing on these conversations as we move forward and see the city meeting more of the auditors' recommendations from this particular audit.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Thanks for bringing that to us.

Are there any other employee uh unions?

I don't see any.

I don't see any hands raised.

No one here.

Nobody's come forward in public in person.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Well, let's move on to the consent calendar.

Um, and I will take public comment on consent calendar and information items only, please.

Sorry.

Council discussion.

Oh, thank you.

Yes.

Well, actually, I can no, you're right.

Sorry, I'll discuss it.

Um Carol, sorry, give me a minute.

We're gonna I'm gonna take comments from our council members first.

Okay, comments.

Councilmember O'Keefe.

I'm the only taker.

Um, thank you, Mayor.

I uh wanted to say a few words about the Robocop item, if that's all right.

Um, mostly because I want people to appreciate uh how cool this item is that you're hopefully going to be voting for soon.

Um so I don't know if you know the backstory, but um there was a surveillance device that was installed at the CVS in District 5 last spring, and we like immediately started getting calls, and it wasn't the surveillance that's normal for a busy drugstore.

Um it was it had an audio component, and the audio component was like a scary robot cop voice, hence the nickname Robocop, which we immediately gave it.

And you know, most alarmingly, in my opinion, it would it would say all kinds of things, but it would admonish people for uh standing on the sidewalk, which I believe is a right we all have.

So it was it was problematic.

Um, multiple constituents independently described it as dystopian.

I saw that word a lot.

I think it was right.

Um, and it was a clear nuisance, and it was on all night, so it would just make noises randomly all night that could be heard inside homes across the street with the windows closed.

Um, I also want to note it was active during the farmers market, and I went and spoke with a vendor, the vendor whose table was right there, and he said it had been like telling him it was gonna call it cops on him for the entire farmers market, so unfortunately he was more amused than than upset, but I found that to be pretty unacceptable and also ridiculous.

So, you know, I don't want to make too much of take too much time here, and the story does have a happy ending, which was that it went away, it was silenced, and then eventually it's gone completely.

But the problem is that um despite the best efforts from city staff, it took over a month to make it turn off.

And over that time, people were routinely and regularly being woken up in the middle of the night with scary Robocop sounds.

So what's that?

Oh no, they're coming for us.

It was not quite quite.

Let's I have a recording of it actually, but I'll play it for you later.

Yeah, we should take a pause.

I think that might be a fire alarm.

Hold on.

Is it the fire alarm?

Okay.

We've not supposed to.

Does it say something, Jenny?

Touch it.

Oh, I'm gonna travel now.

Okay.

So I guess Mark is gonna call.

Sorry, sorry, I can keep talking.

Oh, yay!

See, he touched it.

I think it needs to be audited.

Sometimes people just want to be heard.

Yes, thank you.

Yay.

Okay, well, uh, why don't you finish your comments on now, Mark ain't gonna look into this.

I don't see any fire, so hopefully.

Yeah, we seem to be safe uh for now.

Okay.

So anyway, um, I think the point I was gonna make is we were able to get rid of it, but the reason it took so long and people were people had their sleep disturbed for a month, is that our noise ordinance isn't really equipped to deal with something like this because it was loud, but it was it was um intermittent and also unpredictable.

So it was just it was difficult to really make a strong case that this was a nuisance, although it clearly was.

So I was kind of bummed about that.

But then I remembered that um as a member of the city council, I can change the laws.

Sort of, I can I can do a process that may result in the law being changed.

So here we are.

Um I just want to thank uh my staff um and the staff from environmental health who worked a lot to get rid of it, and also the city attorney's office who um worked really hard with on this item with me.

And um I just want to say that I hope that one day soon our city will be free of Robocop style surveillance devices.

And oh, I also have a note here.

Um I would like to add council members Humbert Tregoob, right, and Lunapara as co-sponsors.

So thank you to all three of you for your support.

Okay, very good.

Um moving on to Councilmember Lunopara.

I was just gonna ask to be added as a co-sponsor.

So thank you, Councilmember O'Keefe.

Okay, very good.

And um, Councilmember actually Vice Mayor Humbert, and then we'll go to Councilmember Blackabee.

Thank you, madam mayor.

Um, I want to talk about a couple items, and the first is number one, which is just a slight uh addition, maybe not so slight, um, to the cost of constructing the new restroom at Willard Park, and I'm truly excited about this.

The old one, and it's about to open on knock on wood pretty soon here.

The old one was awful and filthy and looked like it belonged in a punk rock club in Lower Manhattan in 1979.

I expected to see Joey Ramone walk out of it, which would have been sort of cool, but it was unfit for children or adults.

It was really, really hideous.

This new one may wind up not being quite as lovely as the beautiful new Willard Clubhouse, but it will be plenty nice and thank you to our great director of parks, recreation, and waterfront Scott Ferris and his team for seeing this through, and thanks to my predecessor Lori Droste for advocating for this great improvement.

And then I also wanted to talk a little bit about uh Robocop.

And I want to thank Councilmember O'Keefe for adding me as a co-sponsor.

We don't need the unjustified and extremely unpleasant voice alarms that are triggered by someone walking by in the public right away.

I encountered one on residence on a residential street um several months ago, and it made my walk through the beautiful Berkeley Hills much less present.

I just hope I was not recorded when I turned the air blue in response.

Um then finally on item 13.

I want to thank Councilmember Blackaby for that item and for his work on these regulations, these PAB regulations during your tenure, Councilmember Blackaby on the police accountability board.

It's time to get these done.

The process has taken years.

Thank you.

That's all I have.

Thank you, Councilmember Blackabee.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh, comments on just a few items.

Um I wanted to thank Economic development Manager Eleanor Hollander and the Office of Economic Development for item five, pursuing a 16.5 million dollar FEMA grant to underwrite the seismic retrofit of Old City Hall and the Veterans Memorial Building, two historic and essential landmarks in our downtown.

Also really wanted to thank planning director Jordan Klein, Fire Chief Sprague, Assistant Chief Arnold, and their teams on item six.

This is a really important part of the strategy of financing implementation of the Ember program.

It's pursuing a FEMA grant to support Berkeley's home hardening and defensible space project.

If awarded, this grant would provide $4.1 million to support property owners in the Berkeley Hills Wildland Urban Interface Area to help make their homes more resilient to wildfire ignition and spread.

This is both for home hardening as well as creating defensible space, which are, as we know, really important elements of making our neighborhoods more wildfire prepared.

This is just one more important element in the work that staff and this council are doing, and we've said we were committed to lining up financial support to make Ember implementation possible.

We've already secured a $1 million CALFIRE grant, which is helping to fund work under the residence assistance program.

We already have a transfer tax rebate on the books, which is being improved and strengthened to help buyers and sellers make home hardening improvements on their properties.

We're working on a forthcoming loan program to help neighbors finance work on vegetation management and home hardening.

And we just saw yesterday that the governor signed AB 888, which this council helped advocate for, which is the California Safe Homes Grant Program, which will be administered by the Department of Insurance, which will also provide grants to homeowners.

So lots of important work.

This FEMA grant is an important element of it, and there's a lot in the hopper.

So again, I just want to thank the fire department and the planning department for the pursuit of this grant.

On item 13, thanks to Councilmember Humbert for mentioning it.

I also want to thank the mayor, Councilmember Harbert, and Councilmember Taplin for co-sponsoring this item.

This item requests that we as a council adopt a resolution urging that the police accountability board, the Berkeley Police Association, the department, and the city complete negotiations on the final PAB regulations as soon as possible, and also schedule a closed session in the very near term so we can get updates from stakeholders on the state of negotiations and any outstanding issues.

As Councilmember Humbert mentioned, the PABs been operating under interim regulations for the past four years.

To fully implement the voter approved mandate from 2020, the board needs its final regulations in place.

We recognize that the negotiations have been complex.

There are many parties involved, and all parties are making significant efforts to reach agreement, but it's been four years, and this resolution calls on all parties to make the completion of these final regulations a top priority and bring this important process to a close.

It will bring more certainty to the public, more certainty for officers, for the department, and for the board.

So I appreciate the support of my colleagues and look forward to passing that tonight.

Two more quick items.

Just comment on the information report item 17, which is the civic arts grant.

It's a granting 91 awards totaling more than $650,000.

I just want to comment that I recognize that we are in a challenging budget environment, but I also think it's important that as a city we continue to support the arts, and this demonstrates our commitment to making sure that the arts flourish here in Berkeley.

And finally, information item 15, which is the report that identifies potential locations that the city could utilize to establish staffe's item requesting alternative housing options for people experiencing homelter sites, whether following the successful Grayson Street model or other models that the city managers found effective.

It's important to me and many colleagues that we identify one or more potential locations, secure financial support from the county, and move swiftly towards implementation.

It's important to do this so we can relieve the strain of unsanctioned encampments in parks along creeks, in the commercial corridor, and in residential areas across the city, and this would help us bring some resolution to that challenge.

As part of this, I would propose tonight that we bring this informational report back to council as an action item on our November 18th agenda so that we could discuss next steps and consider future actions based on those findings.

That's all I had.

Thank you.

Five minutes.

Perfect timing.

Alright, thank you very much.

Councilmember Trago.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I also wish to thank Councilmember O'Keefe for the Robacop item number 12 and honored to serve as a co-sponsor of that item, as well as uh thank Councilmember Blackaby for his item 13 urging police accountability board regulations completion.

I also wish to thank staff and in particular Eleanor for the work on item five, which would adopt a resolution authorizing the city manager to submit a letter of commitment of matching funds for seismic hazard mitigation grant application for the historic city of Berkeley Civic Center, Project Seismic Retrofit, as well as uh retrofitting um the uh historic veterans uh building um something that has been um an issue that has certainly predated uh my time in office and the time and office of many before me, but absolutely must get done.

Um these are crown jewels uh of our civic life, they are historic and architectural landmarks, and they absolutely need to be preserved and um providing the needed funding uh to make sure they're seismically safe is a critical component of that.

Uh I also um would like to acknowledge uh staff's hard work on um bringing back uh the response to a referral um authored by council member or Keefe around uh exploring alternative housing options for people experiencing homelessness.

Um this is uh a topic that um my office working with uh all of my colleagues has been laser focused on uh and we're getting regular updates and have regular engagement with the county around uh uses of Measure W funding.

Um so if there is an opportunity to discuss this further, I would certainly support that as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Going back to Councilmember O'Keefe.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, earlier I didn't realize we were also commenting on information reports.

Um, so I want to add uh actually, Councilmember Blackaby, thank you.

You said everything I wanted to say about um about the uh response to was item 15.

Um, yeah, the response to my um alternative housing sites item, but I just want to add uh my gratitude toward to um city staff for all the hard work.

Um it was that I was actually blown away by how much information was in that document.

So Paul, please extend that to Peter, whoever else worked hard on.

I really appreciate it, and I'm looking forward to the discussion that we'll have later.

All right, thank you very much.

Um, anyone else comments?

Um, okay.

Oh, sorry.

Uh, Vice Mayor Humba, did you have additional comments or I think you're no, I didn't.

I just failed to lower my hand.

Sure, no worries.

Okay, um, adding on my thanks as well for five and six um in particular.

Um the state of the city is next week, and I was like, wow, it's amazing.

We don't have a venue to have our own state of the city in.

Um, so many times people tell me they they're shocked we don't have like a civic space that that holds more people and um our alarm thing going off.

Today is a good reminder that not having our own council chambers also has uh an impact on our meetings as we've had many audio and uh recording issues over this last year as well.

So excited to kind of move that process forward.

Um so thank you all for that work and um also want to add my thanks for 15.

Um this list is very exciting, and and I know it's also just the beginning.

We've got a lot of work to do to get the funding in place.

And um, you know, it's it's exciting.

I think we're in a good place to do it given um we've been working very closely with the county on Mount Measure W funds as the chair of the homelessness working group within the Alamina County Mayors Conference.

Um it's been great to connect with my colleagues and and get more coordinated around homelessness as an issue as a regional issue.

So, um, and then just to mention again on 13 the urging the police accountability board regulations completion.

Um, just to say that I've spoken with all of the different parties there, and I know that they have a path, we have a path forward there.

So I am very excited and looking forward to that.

Um moving forward.

So thank you all.

Um, so now that we have done our comments, I will uh close council comments and open up to public comments.

Are there any comments on consent calendar or information items only?

Okay, sorry about that earlier, Carol.

Thank you out.

Go ahead.

First then, item four.

Uh I am I am hoping that Healthy Black Families is also collaborating with Soul Space.

Soul Space is also funded under the Mental Health Services Act.

It is funded to provide services, mental health services, wellness services to African American community members.

And so hopefully they're coordinating together because they're time limited also, and we when we coordinate together, we have something that's more effective.

Uh, and hopefully they will be incorporated within the uh African-American holistic resource center.

Uh moving on to the police accountability item, a board item number 13.

It seems as if there should be something definitive.

Although I hear the mayor saying that there's a lot of hope out there.

If you have three parties who don't agree, perhaps they should bring in a mediator.

Perhaps it should be the model where they have a list of three mediators that they uh that they can so they all agree to one, and they fund it from their budget, and there'd be a definitive deadline where when they return, they have reached an agreement.

Uh last on the alternative, well, not maybe not last, because since I have a little more time, alternative housing options.

If there are members of the public who may right or wrong, believe that there are other possibilities as far as uh vacant lots.

Uh, who can they inquire to to see if those are possible spaces?

Um possible locations to add to the list.

And last, I was gonna say I I hope five and six that we're not being overly optimistic because of course we need these things, and we can't use the word equity in them because as we know, we lost the one million dollar tree blanching grant by using the word equity.

So hopefully we won't be penalized by being a sanctuary city.

Thank you.

My name is Curtis Walters.

I live in Sharshana O'Keefe's district, and I'm one of the people who was directly impacted by the surveillance system in CBS.

Um, my bedroom window has a direct line of sight to the CBS, and I'm about 500 feet away.

So I was woken up on a regular basis.

Um, when that started happening, I contacted city council um Shoshana O'Keefe, and her uh chief of staff, Alex Wollen, jumped right in.

Um, so I'm here mostly to say thank you for the engagement.

I talked to friends of mine who don't live in Berkeley and told them the level of engagement that I got with the situation, and they're like, really?

So I really appreciated that.

It was from the very beginning.

And then handed the situation mostly over to our chief of staff, Alex, who was constantly engaged with me.

As situations would continue, there were minor improvements, and then it would fall apart again.

I was constantly feeding back the information on what was happening, how it was happening.

And the uh the department that deals excuse me with noise issues got engaged, and I was shocked to learn that uh they really had their hands tied, that they couldn't stop a situation of noise that wasn't necessary coming from a business into a residential area.

And uh, and so I'm delighted to see that there's an item on the agenda to pass laws to make resolving the situations like these far easier in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you, and it's always nice when someone comes just to say thank you.

So props to your office, council member.

Hello, good evening.

I'm uh Lisa Bullwinkle.

I'm here as a private citizen tonight, but I am the former chair of the art commission, and I'm currently on the art commission, and I've been working on a lot of items that are on your agenda tonight.

Um, I'm really thankful that uh Eleanor has put this grant forward.

We've been working for five years to get those two buildings in a state so that they don't fall down around our ears, and this is maybe a good way to get going with some funding.

And thank you, Terry, also for your work on this.

Um mainly I am here to talk about the fee increases on festivals.

One of the things I've been working on for almost eight years in the city is getting the festival grant program up and running and well funded, and um we now have an incredible uh festival grant, and this year we have almost 60 events that have received grant money from us.

You know, um this is a time when we're all being reminded constantly on a daily basis that the way to fight fascism is to create joy and hope and community, and that's what festivals do, and our community wants that.

And I think yes, we need to increase fees.

I've been consulting with a group of all the event producers, and we have some other ideas we're gonna bring to you in a couple weeks.

But for these increase of fees, we want to know what we're gonna get on our end.

We find this very one-sided, and we'd like to know if we can have any input, if there's time to still have input on this, or if this by bringing this to you, is that a done deal, or do you have to approve the fees?

We're not clear.

So, anyway, um, thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, appreciate it.

Y'all are so busy, and you're doing such a great job, and I'm so impressed.

The mention of public restrooms just thrills me since I brought it up for years.

And police accountability, obviously, to serve and protect, is such a grand aspiration, and fire safety, you know, helping us do that, because it's kind of overwhelming when I drive around to see how easy it will be if we don't get it together.

But I'm primarily here at the moment to encourage you to again hold the space of grace.

I'm so thrilled you're the head of the whole kitten caboodle with regard to homelessness, however you define it.

Because I know your heart is here in Berkeley, but I know it's gonna take a whole range regional collaboration because people from Richmond are you know, everybody's shuffling people around, and if we don't work together, we're not gonna find the places for people, and when we do find space, it's like for everyone.

Then everyone feels better.

They really do.

I mean, I would be down and outright annoying if I didn't have a space place to be.

So it's like tuck me away somewhere, and I won't bother you.

And there's a way that we can do this if we remember that we in coming together, can must, because no one's gonna be safe if everyone isn't, and there is space, there's more than enough.

I drive around tending everyone all day long every day, and I see endless possibilities.

So if we remember like a family, no one has to go hungry.

No one has to be suffering.

We can care.

So thank you for listening to me because I know we can, that's my whole point.

Thank you.

I won't take the whole time.

Um, Emily Ragusa from the Berkeley Scanner.

I'm commenting on the civic arts grants, actually, which I think it's fantastic.

The city funds um those projects and in the interest of community.

And I kind I wanted to just highlight a movement uh going on now to bring more public funding also to journalism organizations, um, to see journalism as a public good contributing to our democracy, and it would be great if Berkeley or sort of regional efforts also made money available through grants to local journalism organizations.

New Jersey has a really strong program doing this where they've actually given more than five million dollars to uh 81 different uh journalism orgs throughout the state.

There's other ones under consideration.

Um, and I think also California is working on its own program at the state level, but I think uh like Berkeley and Alameda County could consider doing something because there's a lot of independent organizations that that could benefit from support.

And then I also just as a side note wanted to thank Councilman Humbert for teaching me a new phrase.

I had to Google turn to the air blue, and I'm I recommend everyone else do it too.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Um is there comment online?

Yes.

Oh, and just to answer your question, um the the fees aren't getting approved tonight for the event fees, so there is opportunity to have conversation.

Thank you.

First speaker on consent and information is phone number ending in zero zero zero.

Oh, good evening.

I hope you heard about this big huge and the dean a couple of days ago.

Two of them, one with over seven, one over eight.

That happened in Berkeley.

50% of the building will be flattened.

By the way, I have been emailing it for years.

The big one's coming.

The Hillard Fort is the most dangerous pool in America.

It's called the Feeding Zion.

A seven magnitude and heroes will flatten the whole Easter Bay.

And uh, we have to take that in consideration, and uh we really can do much besides my spending predicts, you can be a pale and teaching as well.

But geology, what in a very very dangerous door.

Right.

Oh, this is the council.

Well, all the uh Berkeley residents to uh do whatever we can to enhance the foundation and property.

By the way, my name is Eid.

I mean, we're over 60 two years.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Isabel.

Isabel you should be able to unmute.

Hello.

Yes.

Okay.

I am another constituent that lives very close to the CVS and I want to comment on the Robocop item.

The individual who spoke in person was very eloquent, did a great job second absolutely everything they said both with how annoying and disruptive to sleep and normal existence and life the device was and also the thanks to Sean and Alex for being very responsive about it.

I wanted to add um that the flashing light was also very irritating to us as well.

There was a blue and white combo flashing light that especially at night was I guess aimed to mimic like police car lights.

That was very disruptive as well.

We could see it even with our blinds shut so in any legislation you pass about that it would be appreciated if you were able to include something about the the light aspect as well.

But yeah thank you all so much for taking this seriously trying to make our lives better.

Thanks.

Okay next speaker is um Jesse yes hello thank you for calling on me again um I would like to thank the city manager's office for the uh the work on the homeless action um I and going forward I'd like you guys to look at because I deal with it and I I deal with the companies what happens oftentimes is these large companies that we subcontract to even given the space that you identify a facility and give them the space they tend to run short on funding themselves which puts the community short and it puts off accountability I'd like to see the city of Berkeley take and own their own shelter and staff it with city employees and lead the country and the model of how we should be dealing with homelessness.

Thank you.

Next is Joyce Carr hi I'm Joyce Carr and I'm a community member um I just wanted to say that the the changing the event space is really I'm not happy with that I mean it was supposed to be on Telegraph Avenue hence Telegraph Avenue Fair it's been going on forever that was one of the great things about near Christmas time.

Joyce I'm sorry this is actually comment on consent calendar and information only oh and the permit fees you know that makes it harder to to um to put those on if that's part of what you're saying right now the permit fees they're going up and you know these crafters and it's just harder to put these together with those with that happening and I wish that you wouldn't raise it so we can keep making these events wherever they are okay that's it.

And then um Mariah.

Hi can you hear me?

Yes.

Hi um I just wanted to a lot of people have already kind of said what I was planning to say but just wanted to add my thanks about the Robocop um proposal.

I live on Henry Street near the Safeway at Shadow Rose and I'm not right by the CVS but I'm a cross shadow across shadow place across the parking lot and I could still hear it with all my windows and doors closed and I work from home and it was really disruptive so I am just really grateful that um to Councilmember O'Keefe and to all the other co-sponsors for moving moving that forward.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, that is all the speakers.

Okay.

All right.

Um thank you all.

I appreciate your um your public comments and um also comments for my colleagues as well.

Um all right.

So is there a motion to approve the consent calendar?

So moved.

A second, second.

All right.

Oh, um, we've got a council member online, so we'll need to take the role for this.

Okay, to approve the consent calendar, council member.

Oh, wait, and just one clarification.

Councilmember Black, we you mentioned something about item.

Yeah, asking to bring that back on November 18th, which I think the staff indicated could be a date that might work.

Okay.

As a discussion item.

As an action item.

As an action item, okay.

Yeah.

Like carry over this same item or submit a new item, bring this item back upwards.

Yeah, okay.

So we'll continue this item to November 18th.

I'm sorry, just to clarify.

Um, it's just occurred to me.

So does that come, would that come into our agenda and rules?

Committee.

Um, yeah, it, you know, it's a it's a little bit unusual because we are actually adopting the resolution tonight, which is what the item's recommendation is.

Um, so to have um this same item with the same recommendation on the 18th might.

I guess the the issue is where we wanted staff to have time to prepare us to prepare to have a proper sort of conversation about it at a future agenda rather than to do that tonight.

Um, so happy to accommodate whatever the right mechanism is for doing that.

Mayor, Councilmember Blackby.

I think we also wanted to make sure the public the public had a chance to comment on it, whereas I don't think people can prepare to do that today.

Uh I also think that um until we have like some concrete next steps to move that forward, um it would be maybe not advisable to have the public discuss all the items on that list.

Um, so can I maybe ask that it come back as a separate item?

That that would be like an action to to do something new with it as opposed to just receiving this list again and then discussing it.

Sure.

Do you want to say something about that, Mr.

City Manager?

Well I'm just trying to figure out what the what that looks like, yeah.

I'm saying that I think it needs to be a separate item, like a separate.

So don't bring this one back on.

Yeah, not this one, but this topic I think should come back for us to have conversations about next steps.

That seems reasonable to me, and I'm happy to work offline with people to figure out what the mechanism would what the like prevailing change would be to to initiate that.

Does that make sense?

I'm sorry, council member.

We should have had that conversation.

No, that's fine.

Um, yeah, I think it's long as um it as long as it's an expeditious return, and if we can prepare the item before the 18th, I just yeah, didn't I just want to keep that the ball move?

Yeah, absolutely.

And I think that makes a lot of sense.

So I think we don't then so I think if that's the commitment from staff and the council, I think then we don't need to like it'll we'll adopt it as part of the consent calendar tonight, and then I think there's a commitment to bring back something on the 18th separate.

That makes sense.

We can do it.

I'm I'm not exactly sure what will be different.

I mean, what you know, what could be different is if we got an indication from the county that measure W money would be flowing to the city for this purpose.

Um so maybe it's a more of a conversation about preparing for that a little bit more and wanting to assess it.

Perhaps I can recommend I can bring it back as like a report back from the county and the conversations we've been having there about like if we you know are receiving funding, if they're changing their structure.

It might be a good idea anyway for me to give a report on what we've been doing on the county level around homelessness and how it connects with what we're doing here.

Okay, and so if that's the case, we can do it as part of the regular agenda and rules process, right?

Yeah, I I can work with my team to get an item together for that.

Okay, so then uh or a presentation.

So we'll so we'll kind of withdraw my piece.

We'll just adopt this part of the consent calendar tonight, and then you'll come back with a separate item.

Okay, that sounds good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh on the consent calendar, Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes, Taplin.

Yes.

Bartlett?

Yes.

Tragub.

Aye.

O'Keefe.

Yes.

Blackaby.

Yes.

Unapara.

Yes.

Humbert.

Yes.

And Mayor Ishi.

Yes.

Okay.

All right, very good.

And um we don't have an action calendar this evening, so um I will entertain a motion for.

Uh non non-agenda public comment.

Sorry.

I will take non-agenda public comment.

Is there anyone else?

Anyone online?

No.

Okay.

In that case, I will entertain a motion for adjournment.

So moved.

Second.

Alright.

Can you take the roll, please?

Okay, to adjourn, Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes.

Taplin.

Yes.

Bartlett.

Yes.

Traegab.

Aye.

O'Keefe.

Yes.

Blackaby.

Yes.

Unapara.

Yes.

Humbert.

Yes.

And Mayor Ishii.

Yes.

Okay.

Okay.

Is this a record?

I don't know.

Alright.

Thanks, everyone.

Have a good night.

Recording stopped.