The Berkeley City Council met on January 21, 2026, at 6:30 PM for its first regular meeting after the winter recess. The meeting included ceremonial recognition of the city's poet laureates, public comment on non-agenda matters, approval of a consent calendar, and action on four items: separate sale of ADUs, vital records fees, recreation and camp fees, and zoning amendments for by-right housing and design review. The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:56 PM.
Good to go. Yes, we are ready. All right, very good. I'm going to call to order the Berkeley City Council meeting. Today is Tuesday, January, excuse me, January 20th, 2026. And I'd like to start off with a roll, please. Okay. Calling the role, Councilmember Kessarwani. Here. Taplin. Bartlett. Trago. O'Keefe. Here. Blackaby. Here. Lunapara. Here. Humbert. Present. And Mayor Ishii. Here. Okay, all present. Thank you very much. So it is the first meeting backed after our uh winter council recess. And we have been taking turns saying the land acknowledgement statement. So I'm beginning the year. I'm going to start us off. So the City of Berkeley recognizes that the community we live in was built on the territory of Huchun, the ancestral and unceded lands of the Chochenyo speaking Ohlone 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 law regulating the city of Berkeley, it is not only vital that we recognize the history of this land, but also recognize that the Aloney people are present members of Berkeley and other East Bay communities today. The City of Berkeley will continue to build relationships with the Lishan tribe and to create meaningful actions that uphold the intention of this land acknowledgement. Thank you. Now moving on to our ceremonial items. So for our ceremonial items this evening, we have the presentation of Berkeley's uh poet laureates. So tonight we recognize Aya de Leon, Berkeley's 2024 to 2025 Poet Laureate, and thank her for her. Where are you? Oh, there you are. There we go. And thank her for her extraordinary service to the city. Aya's work has powerfully uplifted poetry as a tool for justice, storytelling, and community connection. I had the honor of having her present a poem at my inauguration ceremony a little over a year ago. I thank her for her leadership, generosity, and vision, which have strengthened the Berkeley's literary arts community in lasting ways. And we are deeply grateful for her contributions to our community. We are also honored to welcome Hanan Mazri. Ah. As Berkeley's next poet laureate, Hanana is a long-time Berkeley educator, poet, and cultural worker whose practice centers land, ancestry, and intergenerational learning. Her work reflects a deep commitment to youth, community, and creative stewardship.