OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Berkeley City Council Meeting Summary - March 24, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, March 24, 2026
BodyBerkeley, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 7:05:29

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Okay, thank you so much, everyone.

0:04

I am calling to order the Berkeley City Council meeting.

0:06

Today is Tuesday, March 24th, 2026.

0:09

It is 6.23 p.m.

0:11

Thank you all very much for your patience.

0:13

And um, oh, our clerk is on his way back.

0:17

So sorry about that, I jumped the gun, Mark.

0:20

Um, if you could please take the role when you are settled.

0:40

Recording in progress.

0:49

Taking the role for the regular meeting, Councilmember Kesserwani.

0:54

Here.

0:55

Tapman, present.

0:56

Bartlett here.

0:57

Trago.

1:00

O'Keefe.

1:01

Here.

1:01

Blackaby here.

1:04

Here.

1:04

Humbert, present and Mayor Ishii.

1:07

Here.

1:08

Okay.

1:08

Corma's present.

1:09

Okay.

1:10

All right.

1:11

I have a statement to read out first.

1:13

With respect to information item number 27 regarding the settlement between Berkeley's People Alliance and the City in Alameda County Superior Court, case number 24C V064 980, California Court of Appeals case number A17245.

1:32

The City Council hereby commits consistent with the Court of Appeals ruling to no longer invoke government code section 54957.9 as is as it is currently drafted to recess a meeting and reconvene it in a different room or otherwise relocate the meeting.

1:47

Thank you.

1:48

Okay.

2:14

Okay, and also to report out language for the um item number one, the city council met in closed session on March 16, 2026, pursuant to government code section 54956.9D, and provided directions to outside council and approved a settlement by compromise and release with open future medical care as to a workers' compensation matter, assigned claim number BER 2300091, and WCAB case number ADJ 17101925.

2:49

And item number two, the city council met in closed session on March 16, 2026, pursuant to government code section 5495956.9, subsection D, and provided directions to outside council and approved a settlement by compromise and release with a release of future medical care, or in the alternative by stipulations and with request for award with open future medical care.

3:13

As to a workers' compensation matter, assigned claim number BER 240044 and WCAB case number ADJ 18 18 386036.

3:30

Okay.

3:32

Thank you very much, everyone.

3:35

All right, we have two serial ceremonial matters this evening.

3:40

And I am going to start with the Holocaust Remembrance Day Proclamation.

3:46

It was requested by Councilmember Terry Taplan's office, and they are leading the coordination this year for the Holocaust Remembrance Day event.

3:54

So thank you very much for that.

3:56

Today uh the proclamation will be received by Anna Rabkin.

4:01

Anna, are you here?

4:02

I think you're here somewhere.

4:03

There you are.

4:04

Yay.

4:06

Who is our city who was our city auditor for 17 years?

4:10

So thank you very much for your service.

4:12

The actual day of Holocaust Remembrance Day is April 12th.

4:17

And also Council will allocate D13 funds for the event at tonight's council meeting.

4:22

So thank you so much, Anna, for being here with us.

4:26

Berkeley's 23rd annual Holocaust Remembrance Day.

4:30

Whereas the Holocaust was the state-sponsored systematic persecution, annihilation of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945, six million Jews were murdered.

4:42

Roma, people with disabilities, Polish people, gay men, Jehovah's Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war, and political dissidents were likewise subjected to systematic systematic persecution, oppression, and death under Nazi tyranny.

5:00

And whereas Holocaust Remembrance Day stands as a solemn reminder of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, and anti-Semitism, and underscores the vital importance of education, vigilance, and action to ensure such atrocities are never repeated.

5:10

And whereas the City of Berkeley reaffirms its commitment to human human dignity, tolerance, and mutual respect, while standing firmly against anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination.

5:20

And whereas it is our shared responsibility to preserve the truth about the Holocaust as a cornerstone of our collective memory and to honor the resilience and courage of survivors who were able to rebuild their lives.

5:31

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Adina Ishi, mayor of the city of Berkeley, do hereby proclaim April 12th, 2026 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in the city of Berkeley, in memory of those who were murdered in honor of those who have survived, as well as the rescuers and liberators.

5:47

Be it further proclaimed that I call upon all residents to join in remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust to educate themselves about the history of the Holocaust and to recommit to building a more just, tolerant, and compassionate society free from anti-Semitism and hatred of any kind.

6:03

Thank you.

6:03

Did you want to say thank you very much, Maya and Council members and Councilmember Tepplen.

6:18

I'm very proud that Berkeley is the first, I think, of any city to have a Holocaust, a secular one.

6:29

So it's very important that we're doing this, especially now.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Surveillance Technology█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Public Safety██████████11%
Public Comment█████████10%
Procedural████████8%
Miscellaneous█████5%
Cultural Recognition████4%
Personnel Matters███3%
Parks and Recreation██2%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Berkeley City Council Meeting Summary - March 24, 2026

The Berkeley City Council met on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 6:23 PM. The meeting included ceremonial proclamations, a whistleblower report, approval of an interim police accountability director, and extensive debate on a proposed public safety technology package involving Flock Safety. The meeting adjourned at approximately 12:30 AM after continuing the Flock item to a special meeting on June 2, 2026.

Ceremonial Matters & Proclamations

  • Council proclaimed April 12, 2026 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in Berkeley, with the proclamation received by former City Auditor Anna Rabkin. Council also allocated D13 funds for the event.
  • Council honored the life of Elaine Williams Bloom (passed February 24, 2026), a longtime educator and social justice advocate. Her son Russell accepted the proclamation.
  • Council recognized the life and advocacy of Marcia Poole, who passed away; her husband spoke.

Consent Calendar

  • Council approved the consent calendar, which included routine approvals, grant acceptances (e.g., $465,258 for school-based health services), and several ceremonial items with discretionary fund contributions.
  • Item 7 (2845 Woolsey Street Mills Act contract) was pulled to the action calendar for further discussion and later continued to the next regular meeting (April 14, 2026) after the Landmark Preservation Commission did not provide a definitive recommendation.
  • Item 13 (pavement safety improvement project contracts) was removed by the city manager due to omitted proposals.
  • Item 16 (Peace and Justice Commission recommendation on Alien Enemies Act education) was referred to the budget process as it has unbudgeted costs.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Non-Agenda Public Comment: Speakers raised concerns about commission recommendation tracking, zoning enforcement at 2425 Durant, the naming of a street after a colonial spy's wife, the Gaza genocide, the Ashby BART crosswalk, and support for a Go Bond to improve Harrison Park fields. One speaker criticized the collapse of the police accountability board.
  • Consent Calendar Comments: Multiple speakers supported the glue trap ban (item 20), citing cruelty to wildlife. Others urged passage of the Peace and Justice Commission items on free speech and the Alien Enemies Act. One speaker questioned the high number of consultant contracts (item 14) given the city's deficit. Several speakers thanked council for Holocaust Remembrance Day and other community events.
  • Action Items:
    • On the Kathy Lee appointment (item 25), many speakers praised her integrity and urged council to provide strong support to the Police Accountability Board (PAB) and fill vacancies.
    • On the Flock Safety contract (item 26), the vast majority of speakers opposed expansion, citing Flock's history of unauthorized data sharing with ICE, risks to immigrant communities, inability to protect data from federal warrants, and the city's sanctuary commitments. A few speakers (including the Berkeley Police Association and Chamber of Commerce) supported the technology for public safety and staffing needs.

Discussion Items

  • Whistleblower Report (Item 18): City auditor presented findings that a former employee committed the city to a $286,000 ambulance purchase without required council approval. Recommendations included clearer purchasing rules, escalation steps, training, and transparency. Council members thanked the auditor and noted that some changes have already been implemented.
  • Urgent Item: Cesar Chavez Park Renaming: Councilmember Kesserwani proposed amendments to refer the renaming to the Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Commission for a community process, with Dolores Huerta as one option, and direct immediate removal of signs. Councilmember Ishii noted her separate item covering other Chavez-named sites. The amended item was approved unanimously.
  • Interim Director of Police Accountability (Item 25): Council unanimously approved the resolution to appoint Kathy Lee as interim director. Lee's statement was read; she expressed commitment to meaningful civilian oversight and urged council to fill PAB vacancies.
  • Public Safety Technology Package (Item 26): BPD and Fire Department presented a proposal for a consolidated surveillance system (ALPRs, fixed cameras, community video streams, drones as first responders, and Flock Nova software) via a single vendor (Flock Safety). The PAB presented strong opposition, citing inadequate review time (24 hours for the MSA), lack of a consolidated acquisition report, vendor selection concerns, and conflicts with sanctuary city policy. Four council supplementals were presented:
    • Councilmember Bartlett: Proposed amendments to the MSA including $1 million penalties, termination for convenience, strict data controls, and private right of action.
    • Councilmembers Humbert, O'Keefe, Taplin, and Kesserwani: Six recommendations including increased penalty to $150,000, termination for convenience, limit on anonymized data license, prior consent for changes, council approval for modifications, and anti-circumvention provisions.
    • Councilmember Blackaby: Similar contract amendments plus enhanced reporting (monthly for first six months, then biannual).
    • Mayor Ishii, Vice Mayor Lunaparra, and Councilmember Tregub: Reject Flock contract; refer community video streams and drone policies back for revision; approve fixed cameras with monthly audits; strengthen oversight, data retention, and sanctuary compliance. Council extended the meeting to 1:30 AM to allow full public comment. After extensive testimony, council voted to continue the item to a special meeting on June 2, 2026, due to unresolved issues and insufficient time for deliberation.

Key Outcomes

  • Cesar Chavez Park: Approved referral to Parks Commission for renaming process; directed immediate removal of signs.
  • Kathy Lee Appointment: Approved unanimously as interim director of police accountability.
  • 2845 Woolsey Street Mills Act: Continued to April 14, 2026 regular meeting.
  • Public Safety Technology (Flock Contract): Continued to a special meeting on June 2, 2026. Council will revisit the contract, use policies, and supplementals at that time.
  • Consent Calendar: Approved as amended (items 13 and 7 removed; item 16 referred to budget).
  • Closed Session Settlements: Council approved settlements for two workers' compensation matters (claim numbers BER 2300091 and BER 240044). Council also committed to not invoking Government Code §54957.9 to relocate meetings, per the court ruling in the People's Alliance case.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, thank you so much, everyone. I am calling to order the Berkeley City Council meeting. Today is Tuesday, March 24th, 2026. It is 6.23 p.m. Thank you all very much for your patience. And um, oh, our clerk is on his way back. So sorry about that, I jumped the gun, Mark. Um, if you could please take the role when you are settled. Recording in progress. Taking the role for the regular meeting, Councilmember Kesserwani. Here. Tapman, present. Bartlett here. Trago. O'Keefe. Here. Blackaby here. Here. Humbert, present and Mayor Ishii. Here. Okay. Corma's present. Okay. All right. I have a statement to read out first. With respect to information item number 27 regarding the settlement between Berkeley's People Alliance and the City in Alameda County Superior Court, case number 24C V064 980, California Court of Appeals case number A17245. The City Council hereby commits consistent with the Court of Appeals ruling to no longer invoke government code section 54957.9 as is as it is currently drafted to recess a meeting and reconvene it in a different room or otherwise relocate the meeting. Thank you. Okay. Okay, and also to report out language for the um item number one, the city council met in closed session on March 16, 2026, pursuant to government code section 54956.9D, and provided directions to outside council and approved a settlement by compromise and release with open future medical care as to a workers' compensation matter, assigned claim number BER 2300091, and WCAB case number ADJ 17101925. And item number two, the city council met in closed session on March 16, 2026, pursuant to government code section 5495956.9, subsection D, and provided directions to outside council and approved a settlement by compromise and release with a release of future medical care, or in the alternative by stipulations and with request for award with open future medical care. As to a workers' compensation matter, assigned claim number BER 240044 and WCAB case number ADJ 18 18 386036. Okay. Thank you very much, everyone. All right, we have two serial ceremonial matters this evening. And I am going to start with the Holocaust Remembrance Day Proclamation. It was requested by Councilmember Terry Taplan's office, and they are leading the coordination this year for the Holocaust Remembrance Day event. So thank you very much for that. Today uh the proclamation will be received by Anna Rabkin. Anna, are you here? I think you're here somewhere. There you are. Yay. Who is our city who was our city auditor for 17 years? So thank you very much for your service. The actual day of Holocaust Remembrance Day is April 12th. And also Council will allocate D13 funds for the event at tonight's council meeting. So thank you so much, Anna, for being here with us. Berkeley's 23rd annual Holocaust Remembrance Day. Whereas the Holocaust was the state-sponsored systematic persecution, annihilation of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945, six million Jews were murdered.

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