The Berkeley City Council met on Tuesday, December 2, 2025 (with the meeting called to order in the evening) for a lengthy session covering ceremonial items, public comments, consent calendar, and action items including fire code amendments, Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code adoption, and a zoning change for alcohol sales on Telegraph Avenue. The meeting began with a land acknowledgement and proclamations in memory of community leader Evie Wozniak and Fire Captain Scott Hall. State Senator Jesse Arreguin provided an update on state legislative priorities. After extensive debate, the council approved the fire code with a commitment to further study specific sections, adopted the WUI code with referrals, and continued an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) item.
Can we? Yes, all right. I'm calling to order the Berkeley City Council meeting. Today is Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025. Can you please take the roll? Okay. Councilmember Caserwani is present. Taking the roll. I'm here. Present. Okay. Taplin present. Councilmember Bartlett is currently absent. Tregab is currently absent. O'Keefe. They're both in the back, but I'm here. Okay. Uh Blackabee here. Councilmember Luna Para is currently absent. Councilmore Humbert present. And Mayor Ishi. Here. Okay, Quorum is present. Okay, it is the actual first meeting of the month. Um, and so typically what we've been doing is taking turns saying the land acknowledgement statement and okay, Councilmember Trago. The city of Berkeley recognizes that the community we live in was built on the territory of Huchun, the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo speaking Alani people, the ancestors and descendants of the sovereign Volano Band of Alameda County. This land was and continues to be of great importance to all of the Alone tribes and descendants of the Verano Band. As we begin our meeting tonight, we acknowledge and honor the original inhabitants of Barclay, the documented 5,000 year history of a vibrant community at the West Barkley Shell Mound, and the Alone people who continue to reside in the East Bay. We recognize that Barclays residents have and continue to benefit from the use and occupation of this unceded Stalin land since the city of Barclays Incorporation in 1878. As stewards of the laws regulating the city of Barclay, it is not only vital that we recognize the history of this land, but also recognize that the Alani people are present members of Barkley and other East Bay communities today. The City of Barkley will continue to build relationships with the Lajan tribe and to create meaningful actions that uphold the intention of this land acknowledgement. Thank you very much, Councilmember. So for our ceremonial items this evening, we have a presentation by Senator Jesse Ergeen. Um I believe that he is online, but to give him a little bit of time also to to come forward, I'm going to have us do our proclamation adjournment and memory for Evie Wozniak, which will be presented by Councilmember Humbert. Thank you, Madam Mayor. And here is the is that proclamation. Whereas Evi Wozniak was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, friend, whose irreverent humor, boundless curiosity, and deep devotion to her family and to Berkeley continue to inspire us. And whereas Ebbie was dedicated to public service as a community organizer in Berkeley during the tumultuous 1970s, and a member of the Berkeley Waterfront Commission, where she did important work parenthetically, and whereas Evie embraced the world with fearless energy, maintaining a special connection to Indonesia and pursuing adventures that range from scuba diving and boxing to skiing and tennis, and whereas Abby also found joy in the richness of daily life, whether maintaining a garden full of flowers, exploring family history in the Mayflower, enjoying K-dramas, and the music of Leonard Cohen, or sharing coffee and fancy birthday cakes with friends, and whereas Abby was a passionate champion of the arts, the arts and culture, serving as a devoted patron to institutions such as the Berkeley Rep, the other Aurora Theater, the Junior Center for Art and Science, and Bamfa, believing in the power of creativity to enrich our community, and whereas Abby leaves behind a legacy defined by her commitment to learning, her spirited advocacy for public spaces, and the vibrant, gracious warmth she shared with her husband Gordon, her children, her grandchildren, and her wide circle of friends. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Adina Ishi, mayor of the city of Berkeley, do hereby honor the life, legacy, and service to the Berkeley community of Evie Wozniak. Thank you. Thank you. Three of us presenting here. Yes. So I I'm gonna go first, and Linda Shack and Lonnie Hancock are going to say something. I just want to stress how much Evie was devoted to Berkeley. When I finished my PhD in 1974 and was looking for jobs, and I got a job offer from Brooklyn and Stony Brook in Long Island, she said, I'm not going to Long Island. My friends are in Berkeley. This is where I want to live. You got to find a job in Berkeley. And eventually I did.