The Berkeley City Council held its first regular meeting after the winter recess on January 20, 2026, at 6:00 pm. The meeting began with a land acknowledgement, ceremonial passing of the poet laureate, and public comment on non-agenda matters. The council then approved a consent calendar with routine items and debated significant policy changes, including the separate sale of ADUs as condos, by-right housing approvals, and revised recreation fees.
All consent items were approved by a unanimous roll‑call vote (8–0).
Non‑agenda public comment (in‑person and remote):
Public comment on consent items:
Public comment on Action Item 21 (ADU condos):
Public comment on Action Item 24 (zoning/design review):
1. Action Item 21 – Separate Sale of ADUs (AB 1033) Staff presented an ordinance to allow condominium conversion of ADUs. Vice Mayor Lunapara introduced a supplemental adding tenant protections: 90‑day right of first refusal for all tenants, a five‑year prohibition on conversion after no‑fault evictions, restrictions on owner‑move‑in evictions, and an option to pay the affordable housing mitigation fee or accept rent control. Councilmember Humbert offered an amendment to the staff version limiting the right of first refusal to 90 days (for covered units only).
During council debate, members expressed concerns about balancing homeownership opportunities with tenant displacement. Councilmember Taplin asked about Measure Q exemptions, and staff clarified that the supplemental does not conflict with state law. The affordable housing mitigation fee was estimated at $221,538 for a 750‑sq‑ft ADU, based on a staff example. Councilmember Backaby emphasized the primary goal of creating for‑sale inventory under $1 million. Councilmember O’Keefe supported the staff version to maintain structural consistency with existing law. After a substitute motion by Vice Mayor Lunapara failed (4–3), the main motion by Councilmember Humbert (staff version with 90‑day right of first refusal for covered units) passed 6–1.
2. Action Item 24 – By‑Right Housing and Design Review Staff presented amendments to allow by‑right approval of qualifying housing projects on previous housing element opportunity sites and to revise design review for middle housing in the MUR (mixed‑use residential) zone. The planning commission had recommended one non‑binding design review meeting for MUR projects of 5+ units. Councilmember Kessarwani successfully moved to exempt MUR middle‑housing projects from design review entirely, to treat all residential zones equally. The motion passed unanimously (8–0).
Next Steps:
Shoulder with your soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, where we have had Greenlandic soldiers and Danish soldiers fighting this, these wars to for freedom and for democracy. And right now, we have unwillingly become the front for the same fight for democracy, for freedom, and for human rights. We want democracy, but we are not respected. So please, Mr. President, and please, all Americans, we would love you to act. We need you to act. We need you to call all your senators, all your politicians, and tell them they need to act. They need to stop your president in annexing Greenland. Because this is not only a matter of Greenland, this is the matter of the world order as we know it. It's a matter of sovereignty, and it's a matter of the borders. So please act and please speak to all you know about this. And just to make sure that you know, Greenland is protected by all European countries now, almost, and also Denmark has troops up there. So this wouldn't be just an attack on Greenland. This would also be an attack on the NATO alliance. So wake up, America. I know it's early your time. So please wake up. You need to act. And we can fight this fight together. Within the US, the Europe, and also for Greenland. So please support Greenland and follow our demonstration campaign on support Greenland.org. Could you talk also about this claim of President Trump that if he doesn't act, if the United States doesn't uh acquire Greenland or buy Greenland, uh that there are uh threats from China and Russia to uh to move in? Well, this situation is very bad. We can't go back in time, but we can wake up now. It's very important that the American people all over the US, they act now. Contact your politicians, contact your press. Make sure and that to tell them you support Greenland, not only because of Greenland, because but because Greenland is now the front for the fight for democracy. It's very important also to understand this is not just a political or geopolitical fight. This is a matter of trust between the people. We can trust our democracies. We had an election in Greenland last year, and we hadn't had an election in Denmark this year. It's very important to understand there's a close cooperation between the Greenlandic and Danish leader. The American presidents try to split our two countries, but it only made us stand even closer together. So the leader of Greenland's message is very clear that if we had to choose, if Greenland had to choose between uh United States or Denmark, Greenland will choose Denmark and Europe. So it's very important that you wake up and you see that this not only as a fight for Greenland, but also for the trust we as Greenlanders can have for the Americans and uh and the NATO alliance. So this is not only Greenland being attacked, this is uh democracy, freedom, and the world order as we know it that's being attacked. Julie Rademacher, I want to thank you so much for being with us, chair of Wagut, an organization, national organization for Greenlanders in Denmark, which help organize the protests for unity and support for Greenland of thousands this weekend, both in Greenland and Denmark, and we'll cover the Davos summit as well, where President Trump and other world leaders are. Democracy now is accepting applications for video news production digital fellowship. Check our website at democracy now.org. I mean goodly. Okay, America, let's do a little financial check-in. Where is your money going? Do you know? Oh, right, straight into the pockets of billionaires who definitely need another private jet. That's seven bucks you just spent on coffee and donut. Yeah, the corporate giant you're buying from probably underpays its workers and somehow still gets a tax break. Oh, and that burger. Um...ny. Okay, uh calling the roll. Uh, Council Murray Taplin.