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Record of Proceedings

Berkeley City Council Meeting – January 27, 2026: ICE Resolution, Car-Free Telegraph, Police Equipment Ordinance

City Council — Tuesday, January 27, 2026
BodyBerkeley, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:17:26

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Good evening, everyone.

0:02

Um, I'm gonna call to order the Berkeley City Council meeting.

0:04

Today is Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

0:07

Clerk, can you please take the roll?

0:09

Okay.

0:09

Uh Councilmember Kessarwani.

0:12

Here.

0:13

Taplin, present.

0:14

Bartlett, here.

0:16

Tregab, present.

0:18

O'Keefe.

0:20

Sorry.

0:21

Blackaby here.

0:22

Vice Mayor Lunapara.

0:24

Here.

0:24

Councilmember Humbert here.

0:26

And Mayor Ishii.

0:27

Here.

0:28

Okay, all present.

0:30

Great.

0:30

Thank you so much.

0:31

We have an urgent item tonight on the agenda.

0:34

The resolution is called Demanding an End to ICE and CVP searches on Minneapolis and across the country.

0:40

Immediate DHS leadership changes and necessary guardrails for any future funding bill for DHS.

0:45

It falls under immediate action required, and there is a need to take immediate action, and the need for action came to the attention of the local agency subsequent to the agenda for this meeting being posted.

0:56

Councilmember Blackview, would you like to introduce the item?

0:58

Yeah, thanks.

0:59

And I can talk about it if we accept it more during the consent calendar.

1:02

But um a couple of facts here.

1:04

Obviously, we've all been um reacting um to the horrific events um that we've seen transpire in Minneapolis, and a couple of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Predi happened um after um our last agenda deadline.

1:20

And Congress is scheduled to vote on increased ICE funding this week.

1:24

So we felt um in consultation with the mayor and my co-sponsors that this is a an important time for us to speak out um and be heard, and so we wanted to submit this as a immediate action item for tonight's agenda.

1:38

So I would move that we do add it to the consent calendar for the two-thirds vote.

1:43

Um, and I also add uh Councilmember Taplin is a co-sponsor.

1:48

Second.

1:50

Thank you.

1:51

Um can we call the roll?

1:53

Okay, Councilmember Kesarwani.

1:55

Yes, Taplin, yes, Bartlett, yes.

1:59

Aye, O'Keefe.

2:01

Yes, Blackabee, yes.

2:03

Vice Mayor Lunapara, yes.

2:05

Councilmember Humbert, yes, and Mayor Ishi.

2:08

Yes.

2:09

Okay, the item has been added to the consent calendar for tonight's agenda.

2:14

Great, thank you so much.

2:16

Um, I'd like also like to turn it over to Mayor Ishii for some comments that she would like to make.

2:23

Thank you.

2:24

In that same vein, um, I wanted to add some comments.

2:28

So, in the last several weeks, of course, we've been closely monitoring the events unfolding in Minnesota, where the president has sent a surge of ICE agents to cause chaos as punishment for state and local policies that support the immigrant community.

2:40

As the first sanctuary city in the country, the city of Berkeley stands in solidarity with Minnesota and the Twin Cities and will do everything it can to support them in protecting their communities against this unprecedented federal intrusion.

2:52

In that vein, I'm pleased to announce that Berkeley will be signing on to an amicus brief from local governments across the country in support of Minnesota and the Twin Cities.

3:00

The brief argues that the Minnesota federal court should halt the president's ICE invasion, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, immediately because it violates the Tenth Amendment of the U.S.

3:09

Constitution and has caused immense harm to the local community in Minnesota.

3:14

The brief also highlights the harms that similar ICE invasions have caused and will continue to cause to public safety and local law enforcement throughout the country if the court does not act.

3:23

Through this action, as well as the sanctuary ordinance of the city enshrined into law last year.

3:52

Thank you so much, Mayor.

3:54

Um we're gonna start with ceremonial matters.

3:56

Councilmember, we have um three adjournments in memory, and we'll also be um talking about the Holocaust Rembrandt Day, which is today.

4:05

So first we'll go to Councilmember Blackby, who has an adjournment in memory for Martin Marty Loeber.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████56%
Procedural███████████14%
Active Transportation██████8%
Racial Equity██████7%
Public Engagement██3%
Transportation Safety██3%
Miscellaneous██2%
Economic Development█1%
Technology and Innovation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Berkeley City Council Meeting – January 27, 2026

The Berkeley City Council met at 2:15 PM on January 27, 2026, with all nine members present. The meeting featured an urgency resolution denouncing ICE operations, ceremonial adjournments in memory of community members, and a major ordinance revision on police equipment reporting. The council also moved forward with a budget referral to study car-free Telegraph Avenue and approved routine items. Key votes included unanimous adoption of the consent calendar (including the ICE urgency item) and a 6-2 vote to adopt a substitute motion revising the police equipment and community safety ordinance.

Consent Calendar

  • Urgency Resolution (Item 31): Added to consent by a 2/3 vote. The resolution demands an end to ICE and CBP surges, immediate DHS leadership changes, and guardrails for future DHS funding. It also calls for abolishing ICE and reforming DHS. The council pledged solidarity with Minnesota communities and directed copies to federal representatives.
  • Other Consent Items: Included approval of an option agreement with TSA Holding Group (with city manager assurances on labor peace agreement), a contract for the Santa Fe track bed park conversion, a contract renewal with Urban Ore (noting worker contracts settled), a referral to poll residents on a sales tax increase, and item 22 (car-free Telegraph budget referral) moved to consent. All items passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Non-Agenda Public Comment: Several residents spoke about police accountability, flock cameras, and community safety. Former councilmember Cheryl Davila urged the council to take action against ICE and criticized the city's preparation. Other commenters addressed concerns about surveillance, police procedures, and the need for transparency.
  • Consent Calendar Public Comment: Many speakers supported the car-free Telegraph item, citing safety, sustainability, and business benefits. Speakers also urged action to protect immigrant communities and called for canceling the flock contract as a concrete step against ICE. Witnesses from Urban Ore and labor groups expressed appreciation for contract renewal.
  • Item 21 (Police Equipment): Public commenters urged a longer (60-day) review period for the Police Accountability Board (PAB), emphasizing the need for thorough oversight. Several noted that the PAB is understaffed and that 30 days may be insufficient. The PAB chair indicated 30 days could work if material is submitted early enough and meetings align, but advocated for 45–60 days to allow collaboration.

Discussion Items

  • Item 21 – Recession and Replacement of Police Equipment and Community Safety Ordinance: Councilmember Humbert and O'Keefe proposed consolidating BPD military equipment reporting into one annual report, aligning with state law (AB 481) and reducing duplication. Councilmember Blackaby offered a supplemental amendment retaining additional local requirements (deployment reporting, PAB role, pepper spray provisions) and adjusting review timelines. After debate, a substitute motion passed (6-2) that sets a 45-day PAB review period (30 days for time-sensitive grants), retains the private right of action (capped at $15,000), and incorporates other technical edits from staff and the city clerk.
  • Notable points: The chief noted that the annual report is backward-looking and much data is already on the transparency hub. The PAB chair explained that 30 days can be tight due to meeting schedules and staffing. The final ordinance streamlines reporting but keeps geographic location and equipment categories explicit.

Key Outcomes

  • Urgency ICE Resolution: Adopted unanimously as part of the consent calendar. The city also signed onto an amicus brief supporting Minnesota in federal court.
  • Item 18 (RPP on Cedar St): Approved unanimously.
  • Item 19 (Marina Fee Increases): Approved unanimously.
  • Item 21 (Police Equipment Ordinance): Passed as amended by the substitute motion (6-2, with Councilmembers Kessarwani and Taplin dissenting). The ordinance will be effective 30 days after second reading. It consolidates reporting to one annual report, mandates PAB review within 45 days (30 for grant-related items), and retains local transparency requirements.
  • Next Steps: The car-free Telegraph item (item 22) was referred to the budget process, with funding from restricted sources (LRDP, Measure FF). The council will consider the police equipment ordinance on second reading at a future meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Um, I'm gonna call to order the Berkeley City Council meeting. Today is Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Clerk, can you please take the roll? Okay. Uh Councilmember Kessarwani. Here. Taplin, present. Bartlett, here. Tregab, present. O'Keefe. Sorry. Blackaby here. Vice Mayor Lunapara. Here. Councilmember Humbert here. And Mayor Ishii. Here. Okay, all present. Great. Thank you so much. We have an urgent item tonight on the agenda. The resolution is called Demanding an End to ICE and CVP searches on Minneapolis and across the country. Immediate DHS leadership changes and necessary guardrails for any future funding bill for DHS. It falls under immediate action required, and there is a need to take immediate action, and the need for action came to the attention of the local agency subsequent to the agenda for this meeting being posted. Councilmember Blackview, would you like to introduce the item? Yeah, thanks. And I can talk about it if we accept it more during the consent calendar. But um a couple of facts here. Obviously, we've all been um reacting um to the horrific events um that we've seen transpire in Minneapolis, and a couple of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Predi happened um after um our last agenda deadline. And Congress is scheduled to vote on increased ICE funding this week. So we felt um in consultation with the mayor and my co-sponsors that this is a an important time for us to speak out um and be heard, and so we wanted to submit this as a immediate action item for tonight's agenda. So I would move that we do add it to the consent calendar for the two-thirds vote. Um, and I also add uh Councilmember Taplin is a co-sponsor. Second. Thank you. Um can we call the roll? Okay, Councilmember Kesarwani. Yes, Taplin, yes, Bartlett, yes. Aye, O'Keefe. Yes, Blackabee, yes. Vice Mayor Lunapara, yes. Councilmember Humbert, yes, and Mayor Ishi. Yes. Okay, the item has been added to the consent calendar for tonight's agenda. Great, thank you so much. Um, I'd like also like to turn it over to Mayor Ishii for some comments that she would like to make. Thank you. In that same vein, um, I wanted to add some comments. So, in the last several weeks, of course, we've been closely monitoring the events unfolding in Minnesota, where the president has sent a surge of ICE agents to cause chaos as punishment for state and local policies that support the immigrant community.

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