Good evening, everyone.

I'm calling the meeting to order.

Today is Tuesday, June 16th, 2026, and it is 6 03 p.m.

Clerk, can you please start us off?

Okay.

Uh calling the role, Councilmember Kesserwani.

Here.

Taplin, present.

Bartlett.

Here.

Gregob cousin.

OK.

Here.

Blackaby.

Here.

Little Para.

Here.

Humbert present.

And Mayor Ishi.

Here.

Okay, all present.

Uh, and Councilmember Kessarwani is participating uh remotely for this meeting under the Just Cause uh exemption in the Brown Act.

A quorum of the councils participating in person at the noticed physical meeting location.

And uh Councilmember Kessarwani, please provide a general circumstances related to the need to appear um remotely, but do not disclose any medical diagnosis, diagnosis or other confidential medical information.

Yes, I have a child care need.

Okay.

Uh and please disclose uh if there's any individuals 18 years of age or older present with you and their relationship to you.

Um nobody over 18 is here.

Okay, and Councilmember Kessarwani will participate through both audio and visual technology so we can proceed.

Thank you so much.

Okay, so we will move on to our ceremonial matters.

And for this evening, we are honoring the life of Bertha Brown.

I believe her family is here.

Yes, come on up.

And feel free.

I know there might be some other folks here from um parks and rec or other city staff.

Feel free if you'd also like to come towards the front.

Hi, welcome.

Um, so this evening, first of all, I want to say I'm sorry for your loss.

And uh this evening we have both a proclamation and we will also be adjourning in memory on behalf of Bertha Brown.

Honoring the life of Bertha Brown, whereas for over 30 years, Bertha Brown served as a dedicated City of Berkeley employee, working with youth and teens in the parks, recreation, and waterfront department, and whereas in 1989, Bertha started with the city as a recreation activities leader for the young adult project, cultivating dance programs, talent shows, and positive messaging for teens throughout Berkeley.

From 2008 until her retirement in 2019, she served as the recreation coordinator at the Francis Albriar Community Center, where she initiated the talks around town and pre-kindergarten classes and successfully expanded the program with grant funding to several other parks and recreation sites in Berkeley.

She also oversaw the Longfellow Summer Playground Program, the Latino Parenting Program, and the Young Mothers Program, whereas she further served her community as a member of the city's human welfare welfare and community action commission.

And whereas through her integrity, compassion, dependability, and strong work ethic, Bertha earned the respect and appreciation of colleagues, leaders, community members, and teens throughout the South Berkeley community.

She will be remembered for her incredible creativity, off-the-chart dance moves, end of summer performances with staff, and pure love for the arts.

And whereas Bertha Brown had a tremendous impact on the success, stability, and positive spirit of the Young Adult Project and Frances Allbrier Community Center, impacting multiple generations of Berkeley teens.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Adina Ishi, Mayor of the City of Berkeley, hereby recognize and honor Bertha Brown for her years of dedicated service to our city and express sincere gratitude for her outstanding contributions, loyalty, and commitment to the Berkeley community.

If you'd like to say a few words, um I just want to say um thank you to everyone for their um warm wishes, their prayers, and um just continue to keep us the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you to the city of Barkley.

I just want to say my mom loved Berkeley.

She was a community member when she's working here, and even after retirement.

Um her impact just on people has been amazing to hear the stories, and I'm so honored.

And we thank you for honoring her for her commitment to the city of Berkeley.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for sharing your mother with us, and and thank you to Scott, who also um was the one who requested this as well.

You all know what the other picture.

Yeah.

We have it during our ceremonial matters.

We actually have a brief training from Chris Lynch, I believe, who's here.

Ah, there you are.

Feel free whenever you're ready.

Okay.

Well, we're going to put the presentation up, but I know you have handouts, so why don't I start?

Mark, do you think you'll be able to get it or not?

Okay.

I don't know if we do have handouts.

There we go.

I do not have hand-out, Steve.

Thank you.

Uh Madam Mayor, uh, members of the city council.

My name's Chris Lynch.

I work at a law firm called Jones Hall.

We regularly work with the city as bond counsel and disclosure counsel when the city undertakes bond financings.

This in anticipation of a of a June thirty council meeting at which you'll be asked to consider and approve uh two bond issuances.

Uh the city attorney asked me to come and provide uh some disclosure training.

Um we have done this regularly over the years in anticipation of of similar events.

Um so my message in a nutshell is first uh federal securities laws apply to the city when they issue bonds uh and and also when they provide continuing disclosure related to those bonds.

Um they also apply to other information or disclosures that are intended to reach investors.

So I'll I'll describe some of those other uh disclosures.

Second, city staff and elected officials are expected to take reasonable steps to ensure that the city's disclosure includes all material facts, which are facts that are reasonable investor would take into consideration.

And then third, the city has adopted written policies and procedures that should ensure that the city uh complies with federal securities laws in this in these contexts.

Uh next slide, please.

Um I'll describe briefly the the key federal securities laws and then your policies and procedures.

The Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Act of 19 Securities Exchange Act of 1934 were adopted after the Great Depression when widespread fraud adversely affected investors.

Um the 1934 Act created the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is the federal agency that enforces federal securities laws, and so the 33 Act, the 34 Act, and two SEC rules, 10 B five and fifteen C two twelve, regulate your behavior when you issue bonds.

Most importantly, they prohibit fraud in the offer or sale of securities.

Rule 105 5 requires that communications to investors contain all material facts and not miss state material facts.

And a material fact is any fact that a reasonable investor, given the circumstances, would actually impact their the decision to buy or sell your bonds.

Next slide.

So SEC Rule 15 C212 requires an issuer of bonds to prepare a disclosure document at the time it issues the bonds.

That document's called an official statement, and it is prepared by the issuer's staff with the assistance of municipal advisors and bond council and disclosure council like us.

It has to include all material facts, which are the terms of the bonds and the financial information and operating data that are relevant to that particular series of bonds.

Next slide.

Rule 15 C212 requires continuing disclosure.

And that continued disclosure includes updates on an annual basis of the financial information and operating data that were in the original disclosure document and timely notice of certain events, such as rating changes, bankruptcies, defaults, draws on credit enhancement.

Next slide.

So as I mentioned, on June 30, the City Council will be asked to approve two official statements.

One related to the issuance of general obligation bonds.

Those bonds will be payable from taxes paid by taxable properties in the city, and one for issue of bond for bond or tax and revenue anticipation notes.

Now those notes are paid, they have a one-year maturity date, and they're paid from any unrestricted funds that the city receives in fiscal year 26-27.

In the official statement for each of those bonds, the city will have an appendix A that describes the city's general fund.

Now the city has given the sorry the securities and exchange commission has given clear guidance to what it expects elected officials and employees of the city involved in a bond issuance should do when they are faced with a decision of approving of an official statement related to bonds.

In 1994, Orange County declared bankruptcy.

They declared bankruptcy because they had pursued an investment strategy of issuing short-term notes and investing in risky investments to achieve high above market rate of returns.

They were relying on those above market turns to balance their budget.

The County Board of Supervisors approved official statements for those notes and never disclosed the risks associated with those risky investments.

It also didn't disclose the risks associated with the county's dangerously underfunded budget.

In the wake of the bankruptcy, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a report that described what it expects elected officials to do.

The report highlighted that the supervisors were aware of the risky investment scheme and the county's reliance on it to balance its budget, but did not do anything to ensure that that risk was disclosed to investors.

And then the SEC said what elected officials should do.

The SEC wrote that officials are expected to take steps appropriate under the circumstances to ensure that the disclosure includes all material facts.

Now that could mean when you get the official statement for the bonds and the notes next week, that you could read it word for word.

But I'm not sure the SEC thinks that's realistic.

They do think that if you are aware of some fact that could adversely affect the city's ability to repay those bonds or notes, that you would make sure it was disclosed in the disclosure document.

The bottom line was that the SEC wrote that public officials may not authorize disclosure while recklessly disregarding facts that indicate there's a risk that the disclosure may be misleading.

Next slide.

So in training sessions like this, I like to include this slide because it highlights what the SEC thinks cities and other local agencies should do in order to comply with federal securities laws.

First, they should adopt written disclosure policies and procedures.

In 2017, the city of Berkeley adopted written policies and procedures.

It established a disclosure working group that consists of the city's finance director, the accounting manager, and other members of staff that are relevant to the appropriate to the particular financing.

The disclosure group also will consult with officials like the city's outside municipal advisors and a law firm like ours.

At the time the bonds are issued, the disclosure group will make sure that the official statement complies with federal securities laws before it sends it to the city council for approval.

The staff report will describe your responsibilities under federal securities laws and highlight key sections of the official statement so you know where to look if you'd like to.

The disclosure working group also looks at continuing disclosure reports.

However, I want to point out that your disc your disclosure policies also highlight that there may be other information distributed by the city in addition to its official statements and its audited financial statements and its continued disclosure that may be subject to federal securities laws.

In 2013, the city of Harrisburg had failed to file its continued disclosure filings, and the SEC concluded that misleading information on the city's website and a misleading state of the uh state of the city speech by the mayor were subject to federal securities law and had violated it.

Um next slide.

Oh, sorry, stay so there we are.

I apologize.

Um second, issuers should provide appropriate training to elected officials and employees involved in the bond training.

So the city does that in three ways.

First, I'm here tonight, give you this brief training.

Second, you received a memorandum from the city attorney that included the the Orange County report that I mentioned earlier.

And then third, the staff report for each of the financings will summarize this information for a third time.

Third, local agencies should disclose the big picture issues.

The city of San Diego had an enforcement action for violations of the federal securities laws brought to brought against it by the SEC.

In it, the SEC noted that the city had approved official statements that included misleading audited financial statements.

The city had not disclosed its underfunded pension uh liabilities that was adversely affecting the city's ability to operate its its um various uh services.

Fourth, local agencies should disclose good facts with bad facts.

It's tempting to treat your official statement for bonds like a marketing piece and focusing on your strengths, but it's really important to focus on the good facts and the bad facts.

Finally, the SEC thinks you should work with competent auditors and other consultants to make sure you comply with these rules.

Next slide.

For many issuers, the big picture that the SEC thinks you should disclose has something to do with pensions and OPEPs.

Um but it could also be litigation, it could be the impending departure of a large employer and a rate payer, it could be a deferred public infrastructure work, it could be a structural imbalance in your budget.

So when you get the official statement for the notes and the bonds uh for your consideration on June 30, you'll see an appendix A that we spend a fair amount of time talking about the city's reserve policies and how where they are in their funding levels.

You'll see uh a substantial amount of disclosure about pension and other post-employment uh benefits or OPEB.

Um, you'll also see a discussion of the auditor's recent report on the unfunded liabilities and unfunded infrastructure needs, and then the structural imbalance in the general fund.

Uh, next slide.

Or I guess you're ahead of me now.

Uh go back one if you don't mind.

Finally, you should know that the SEC has punished individuals when they acted with an intent to defraud or recklessly disregarded uh information that should have been disclosed to investors.

In Orange County, the two individuals responsible for their scheme, which were the treasurer and assistant treasurer, the SEC concluded they unknowingly committed fraud and they received fines and a jail sentence.

In San Diego, the SEC brought securities law charges against a broad array of city staff.

And again, the SEC alleged that they had uh reviewed misleading financial statements and allowed them to be published when they uh when they were sent out to investors.

So hopefully it's clear that city staff and elected officials should take reasonable steps to ensure that the city's disclosure documents include all material facts.

If you have questions about whether there are facts you're aware of that have been included in the disclosure, you can either read the document or you can reach out to members of staff or outside consultants to make sure they've been adequately disclosed.

That's all I have, but I'm happy to answer questions.

Thank you very much, Chris.

I appreciate you being here and for the brief training and um also thank you to our city attorney for bringing that in the memo.

Thank you.

Okay.

Very good.

And um folks all have his contact information at the back of the presentation, so feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions, or you know, of course, you can also speak to our city attorney.

All right, moving on to our city manager comments.

Mr.

City Manager, do you have any comments that you have?

No, Madam Mayor, thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Public comment on non-agenda matters.

You have to wait to see if your card is chosen.

Although there's not very many, so probably I think it's one or two.

So now is the time for public comment on non-agenda matters.

If you're on the Zoom and you would like to provide public comments on non-agenda matters, now is the time to raise your hand to the in-person speakers first, and then we'll go to the online commenters.

Okay, the in-person commenters are uh Angela Jernigan, Tony Wilkinson, Theo P.

Thomas Gregory, and Devon, maybe Devin Banks.

So you can come up in any order and speak.

Um, and we'll have uh uh one minute per speaker, and go ahead.

I'm I'm concerned, I don't know what my time is, but uh I have a minute and it's on the time.

Uh I'm concerned about the the um not having a time to discuss um the question of the the building of bike um uh lanes in the city.

Um sorry are you commenting on the bike plan?

Because that is later on the agenda, it's on the actual agenda.

So it wasn't before, yeah.

Right now we're on public comment on non-agenda matters.

Oh, it's on the agenda.

Yes, okay, it's on the so you're welcome to speak on the consent.

I'm sorry, you're welcome to speak on the consent public comment time.

That'll be later.

Yeah, thank you.

All right.

Well, maybe we'll pick another card then.

Uh we have Sloan.

Uh, go ahead.

Hello, my name is Reverend Angela Jernig, and I serve Ministry in West Berkeley, and I'm here speaking tonight um about the topic you'll be voting on next week in terms of the community violence intervention, live free funding.

This is a program that was built on a highly effective national model, and it has been actually also on the agenda for later tonight because we're gonna be presenting information about it.

Oh, okay.

So the vote is next week.

Yeah, but there's but the agenda item is tonight, it's on the agenda.

Sorry.

Okay, so yeah, so folks, the the um this public comment period is for items that are not on the agenda this evening.

Okay, come on up.

We saw that the agenda item, we didn't see it as an agenda item immediately, but we just wanted to echo the importance of Lib Free's work.

Yes, it's too late.

You can still speak to it later.

I just not right now.

That's all okay.

Just want to make sure.

I am assuming the reduction in force plans are not on the agenda, specifically enough to warrant later comment.

I mean it's on the budget presentation.

Um wait till then if that's yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, are there other non-agenda public comments this evening?

Okay, all right, go ahead.

So my speakers on Zoom.

First is Celeste Marks.

Good evening.

This is Dr.

Stephen Albert.

During the May 19 council meeting, Mayor is interrupted by public comment remarks.

Information provided by the First Amendment coalition indicate that this was a clear violation of the First Amendment right to free speech.

The Ninth Circuit has ruled that prohibiting criticism of the civic members of the governing body violates the First Amendment.

Mayor Ishi's error was quote just a reminder not to refer to individual council members.

First, I was not addressing Councilmember Humbert, but instead clearly referring to misinformation on his website displayed on a poster.

I forward a formal cease and assist letter, demanding that the council acknowledge the violations make an unconditional commitment henceforth not to interrupt any speaker addressing statements or positions publicly made by an individual council members or by other city officials.

For code 54960.1 and five, the council has 30 days to comply with during an open session of a regular meeting or special meeting.

Martin should be able to unmute.

Last call for Martin.

Hello.

Good evening.

Yes, um, I I certainly hope that the um extended parking meters is not on the agenda this evening.

Um I am uh Martin Kirkwood.

I used to run a chamber of commerce in San Francisco.

I have was quite concerned about the extended parking meter times.

I have certainly seen a variety of cities uh doing this and seeing reduced economic activity.

Um I certainly have seen uh turnover rates increase.

Also people avoiding areas where extended parking leaders are parking times have been extended.

And I was wondering uh out loud here if the city has looked into evening occupancy rates, turn away rates, merchant support, and what the true economic benefit is for the emergence and for the residents and people that want to shop in the area, um, if it's actually going to harm or if it's going to benefit the city in reaching its five point three million dollar deficit.

Um that's my comment, and um have a nice evening.

Thank you.

Okay.

Next is um um caller with a phone number ending in zero zero zero.

Mr.

Eid will not be able to again be able to say because Roy is out of town for a couple of weeks.

Parking.

Merkley businesses, lots of businesses over the decades because of parking.

But I came to break it first.

Tickets were three dollars.

Now you have sixty plus or forty-nine with everybody.

That was a mistake.

You're reducing your income from businesses.

As you walk around, see how much how many vacants.

And uh it is disgusting.

It's really disgusting.

You try to pick money, you start to pick more money from decent pieces, but actually, losing money.

I mean from a decent piece.

I will call you in the next uh section.

Okay.

Uh thank you.

Next is Della Luna.

Hi, I wanted to say that the uh the zoom maneuvering, the camera control, the audio, has really been excellent uh for the online users, and I really wanted to just comment on that, because um I know it was the issue before, but it's so good now.

So every speaker, we're hearing them clearly, the camera's right there.

And so whoever's controlling that great work, keep it up.

Thank you.

We appreciate you so we can um hear and see everything as needed.

That's it.

Thank you, our excellent partners at Berkeley Community Media.

Yes.

Thank you for Berkeley Community Media.

Uh next is uh Makai Freeman.

Give him two minutes.

Do they have two minutes?

Okay.

Um each button.

I'm calling to get in put on the feet.

And maybe we cannot move our bands and get a fine.

I am looking at if you will use the land.

And yeah.

The hand will be clear.

And the field person.

A cloud speech that could impact on the registry.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Makai.

Thank you.

That's the last speaker.

Okay.

Thank you very much, everyone, for your public comments.

Now I think that many of you were waiting for the consent calendar.

So we will move on to the consent calendar, starting off with comments from any of my council colleagues, and please keep in mind we have a very full agenda this evening.

So if you could keep your comments brief, it would be much appreciated.

Councilmember Humbert.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Yeah, I will um try to speed through these comments.

I just have a few.

Um as to item number 20, the memorandum of understanding with the Berkeley Police Association.

Um I just want to say that I'm very pleased that we've reached accord with the Berkeley Police Association on a labor MOU.

We have the best police department in the state at minimum, and I'm thrilled that we got this done so expeditiously.

Thank you to the leadership and membership of the BPA, and thank you to the city's negotiating team led by HR Director Janelle Rodriguez.

Okay, thank you.

Oh sorry, go ahead.

I know I still have a couple.

Um the bicycle plan update, um, which is item number 29 on consent after a lot of hard work and very good work by the members of our transportation and infrastructure commission, our city manager Paul Budenhagen, our fire chief David Sprague, our public works interim director Wahida Miri and his team with input by neighbors and our treasured advocacy group walk bike Berkeley.

The bike plan is in very good shape and ready to be put into effect.

This is consistent with our climate and street safety goals, and I couldn't be more pleased.

We will be designing and building bike infrastructure that will serve all users, including our disabled community.

We have a very large percentage of Berkeleyans who would ride bikes more if we had safer streets, and this is a big step in that direction.

Thank you for that, everybody.

And item 31, which is Resourcery Orgs mural reveal and food driver relinquishment.

I want to um and sponsored by um or authored by council member Bartlett, who is offered to make me a co-sponsor, which I'm would be very privileged to be.

Um 250 dollars I'd like to contribute from my discretionary DA account, and then item number 33 from Councilmember Lunapara, um United for Health Moffat Library Clinic.

I'd like to contribute a hundred and fifty dollars.

Thank you.

All right, thank you very much, and Councilmember Lunapara.

Thank you.

Um I on item 29.

I'm very excited to support the bike plan.

I want really want to thank the city manager's office, public works advocates, the fire department, for all the work that went into this.

It's I know it's a product of immense and critical work, and I'm so grateful to everyone who participated and provided feedback.

On item 31, I'd like to give 200.

And I am grateful for my colleagues for supporting item um 33 for the Moffitt Library Clinic, which provides um necessary harm reduction in Southside.

Thanks.

Thank you very much.

I'm going to go online to Councilmember Blackaby.

Thanks, Madam Mayor.

We received a number of comments from the public and questions from the public on items three through 17.

I was wondering to city manager and finance staff if we took, for example, just the uh measure GG or sorry, FF increase, which was item 10.

Take a second, maybe just to address that one is kind of an illustrative of the group of like how we set that rate, just the process there, just to kind of make that a little more transparent, why we chose a particular tax increase.

I think it's kind of uniform, but I just if we had just one minute just to kind of talk about that.

I really appreciate it.

Sure, Councilmember, we have um acting deputy director Greg Seagraves is on the line too.

I can just say at a high level that all of those taxes, all those items three through 16 are uh taxes that were approved by the voters, and all of the inflators are based on the language that's in the measure that was approved by the voters.

So it kind of depends on which you know which one, the one you pointed out.

Um Greg can speak a little bit more too.

Um he's on the um that would be great.

And I think one of the questions is like why the PIG versus you know which inflator we choose and all that kind of stuff, Greg, that would be great.

Uh hi, uh Councilmember Blackaby, I'm Greg C.

Graves.

Um, so yeah, as Paul said, the uh the specific language of each individual tax measure determines how we set uh the inflator.

I actually don't have the language, I'm sorry, in front of me specifically for GG, but it is whatever the voters asked.

Um and that's for the special the special assessments that fund services directly.

Obviously, the debt service for the bond measures operate a different way.

We have uh, you know, amounts we need to pay to cover the debt service for those bonds, and those are based on uh the total valuation estimates we get from the county, and we assigned a percentage base that gets added as a line item on those taxes uh to cover uh the debt service for each one of those bonds.

Great.

I noticed on some of these that there was a choice of either using the personal income growth rate or um kind of a more standard CPI.

And again, for each of those measures, it's pretty specific.

Like you can either choose one or one of two, but it's it's it's kind of each of the measures has a particular method where each year you reset that rate based on the inflator.

Um and how's it and it's again that's just sort of in the in the measure itself, right?

Yeah, so we would look at if there's specific language which identifies the specific inflator we should use.

Of course, we'd use that.

Uh, if there's a choice or just a generic reference to inflation, um, we often pick the higher one because it tends to be a leading indicator of the other.

So you can kind of if incomes go up, then prices won't be far behind, and likewise uh, you know, incomes tend to follow prices if there's an inflationary environment.

Okay, great.

Okay.

I appreciate that.

I guess and the point is this is sort of this is done annually, sort of standard practice.

Um we're required to do this annually as part of each measure.

Um, and it's sort of like kind of just locking in the particular inflator that's that's indicated in each provision, and we're just sort of codifying that each year.

Yeah, I mean they tend to be fairly close, um, those measures, they're both measures of inflation.

Um, but yeah, obviously we want the funding that was intended by the voters to keep up with uh you know current current economic conditions.

Okay, thank you.

That's all I had on that, but I just appreciate a little bit of explanation of what's happening there.

Um I'll couple last things and I'm I'm done on the discretionary um items for item 31 on uh Councilmember Bartlett's item.

Um the district six office would like to relinquish 250 dollars and on item 33 Councilmember Luna para's item on the Moffitt library clinic we'd also like to relinquish 250 dollars and that's all I've got.

Thank you very much moving on to Vice Mayor Tragueb.

Thank you madam mayor.

I would like to thank uh the Health Housing and community services uh leadership and team for working and bringing up uh for approval item 19 which is the behavioral health services act FI 27 through 29 three year integrated plan um this came before me as the um council designate to the um behavioral health commission and uh uh while this is a very challenging time budgetarily between Prop 1 and other um ways in which uh the federal and state budget and county all kind of interface with city um this is an important plan um that to approve it it would provide uninterrupted service delivery and ensure state compliance for most vulnerable populations and stabilizing and exp uh at least stabilizing the city's safety net services um on item 20 which is the MOU with the Berkeley police association I just want to um state my appreciation um that we were able to reach this memorandum of understanding um item 23 um which is the declaration of intent for the FI 27 street lighting assessment uh thank you to the city staff for um I know this is an also an annual uh routine process but want to appreciate uh staff's work on it just last week we had a meeting with some of my constituents and the importance of street lighting came up and this makes sure we have the funding to do that on item 29 um which is the bicycle plan update uh I would like to just echo um my gratitude that already expressed by my colleagues uh I know that city staff uh and uh members of the public did a lot of work on this for a number of years um uh to the um we did receive comments um from members of the disability community and I just want to say um you know this this issue is uh near and dear to my heart and uh conferred with staff and my understanding this is a plan and um staff uh we uh is committed um uh as is the council to ensure that uh going forward uh implementation is done uh consistent with the plan so there will be further conversations this is not the um the and all be all um i want to thank uh on item 32 my co-sponsors council members and bartlett for adopting uh the this is our support item to adopt a support position for sb 954 to address non-housing CEQA exemptions for industrial manufacturing and environmental health protections and finally I would like to contribute a hundred fifty dollars each to um on my G13 account to items 31 and 33 thank you thank you very much councilmember Bartlett thank you madam mayor I'd like to um uh first off go ahead and call out here that's okay while you're looking I'm just gonna say on deck is councilmember taplin then council member Keefe then council member Kessarwani all right, thank you.

Uh, item 30 33.

This is the Moffat Library um advantage clinic.

I want to thank Councilman's forward and donate $200 to this.

Um, and um really pleased to be a part of item 32.

This uh further rationalizing the CEQA um rules to make it uh make life easier to do things we need to need this in the state.

And lastly, 31 uh our item.

This is um uh resourcery.org, they are a wonderful um food pantry, and as we know, due to the budget cuts in federal government and the increased need, um food is at an all-time um all-time need.

Uh, food banks are uh going empty.

Uh people are selling food in the streets now.

Uh hunger has hit home in Alameda County in California.

Uh, and so the groups like resource for sorcery.org.org, resource org, um, they really go a long way.

It's a community-building place, they're gonna be a big mu a mural, an event, it's a food drive.

Uh please come, there'll be prizes, there'll be kids and smiles, there'll be uh happy people, you can come to your civic duty, uh, just come to the event, and uh thank my colleagues for donating.

All right, thank you very much, Councilmember Taplin.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Good evening, everyone.

On item 29, I echo the remarks of my colleagues on items 313.

I would like to relinquish 250 to each.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Councilmember O'Keefe.

I'll be brief.

Like Councilmember Taplin, um, yes, thank you to everyone who did everything.

Lots of great stuff on here.

Trying to save time.

Uh, and I'd like to be recorded as donating 200 for items 31 and 33, and thank you to the um sponsors for bringing those.

Thank you very much.

All right, moving on to Councilmember Kisawani.

Uh, thank you very much, madam mayor.

I'd like to be recorded as donating $100 each to item 31 for resourcery orgs mural reveal and food drive and item 33 United for Health Smallett Library Clinic, and thank you to the authors of those two items.

And I also wanted to uh express my gratitude for seeing the bike plan on the consent calendar tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

And to add to that, uh, from my office 30 for items 31 and 33, 250 dollars for each.

Thank you both for bringing those forward, and thank you so much to city staff for all the work that's gone on with the bike plan.

It can be very challenging to meet with all the constituents and work with city staff and make sure folks are on board.

Um, so thank you all so much for that work.

And um, I just wanted to clarify for folks that were concerned about fire danger uh uh with the bike plan that the fire department will still need to review any complete street plans.

So I know that that was a concern.

I wanted to bring that up.

And that's it from me.

And is there any public comment on consent calendar or information items only?

I think come on up.

Uh good evening, Berkeley City Council.

Amori Langmo, president of the Berkeley Firefighters Association, local 1227.

Uh behind me, there are 30 firefighters here on their own free time because the current biannual budget proposes the elimination of 20 positions, even if the sales tax passes, I'll let it know those.

Sorry, are you talking talking about the budget?

Yes.

Because that's not on the consent calendar.

It's an action item that's later this evening.

So if you can wait until we have that item come up.

All right.

Thank you so much.

All right.

Hi, hi, I'm Tao Passell.

Thank you all so much for all your kind words about the bike plan.

Uh, I'm very much in support of it, and I would basically just encourage y'all to think about and work with staff on to what degree can it be relatively automatically implemented with a minimum of you know disruption, turmoil, you know, revisiting to the council, multi-year debates, things like that.

So thank you all for your support of it, and hopefully we will see it go through.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, Jeff Lomax.

So after this evening, the sales tax rate in Berkeley will probably be approximate on track to hit 11 and a half percent.

Which is really gonna hit our small businesses.

Most of those small businesses.

Sorry, the sales taxes.

I'm getting there.

Okay, thank you.

Can you have my time back, please?

Thanks.

So, small businesses are are really struggling.

A lot of business owners actually work day jobs or multiple jobs.

So, what one thing you could do, and this would probably improve revenues on your sales taxes.

Why not give them a pass this year on the inflators?

You already tax them at 30 percent higher.

I'm sorry.

What item are you referring to on the agenda?

Because if you're talking about the sales tax, it's actually an action item.

May I finish?

So let's go ahead and tell me which item that you're referring to.

You are voting on a set of inflators that are going to, and for all those parcel taxes, small businesses are already taxed at a 30% higher rate for reasons that are I don't even understand because they're they're certainly not piling into the libraries.

So as a gesture and probably an economically rational choice, why not give a pass on those inflators at least for the businesses on the commercial side?

They're already paying tremendously higher parcel taxes, and you're later going to pass a sales tax increase based on the premise that they're going to be generating the revenue for you.

So a rational economic approach would be give them a break on the back end, because at 11.25%, you will see a serious decline in revenues from sales tax because that's how economics works.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Coming up, Tom.

Tom Yahwagi, uh consent to our calendar, item 29, the bike plan.

Uh once again, yes, thank you very much.

Uh, I was able to participate in a number of uh public workshops.

Uh and uh I'm just really happy with what we've accomplished.

And uh thank you again for for passing it.

Thanks.

Thank you, Carol.

Carol Murasovic.

Uh speaking to item 19, uh, there were uh there's been a lot of misunderstanding about this transition from the mental health services uh act through the behavioral health services act.

I want to clarify a couple of things.

Uh uh for example, the excellent options encampment wellness team, which has been great, is actually uh part of the plan that will be going forward and after we uh move forward through uh input from review from human resources and also meet and confer with the unions.

Uh presuming this is passed tonight, uh options will be getting actually an extended contract through June 30th, 2029.

And this refers to the AB 339 process.

Um also the mental health trauma monies, they will continue these are monies to the underserved populations such as African American LGBTQ.

Thank you.

Thanks, Carol.

Anyone else online have public comment for consent and calendar and information items only, please?

Yes, we currently have eight hands raised.

First is Charles Siegel.

Hello, uh I'm speaking on behalf of Walker to urge you to pass item 29, the bike plan is a good bike plan.

And I want to thank staff for all the work that's done listening to public input.

Just listening is a lot of work in itself, but also accommodating all the public and staff did a great job.

And um, of course, there'll be more public input as each project is implemented.

So we still have a lot of work to do in implementing these projects, but counts.

And I also want to thank all the council members who spoke in favor of the bike plan.

So council could take a step in the right direction by approving bike plan on consent tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, next is uh Makai Freeman.

Oh, where'd she go?

Oh, uh this is a I next.

Yeah, will you put me further?

That's okay.

Um, I'm meant to uh gonna send it to 20.

I like to think in memory.

What was Berkeley had the one of the greatest news departments in the country?

I looked in memory.

Oh, great excuse Chief Dash Butler.

Who in nineteen eighty, who had an embezzlement in our San Francisco store over one million dollars with embezzled by the uh store manager Robert Friedman.

Well, but uh excuse me.

Uh uh Chief Buffler helped me find an objective to a particular guy to code.

He also appointed two policemen in front of our house in UCLID for over two years.

I did pay them six thousand dollars a month.

That was good, because the the bad person within my life, my family's life, my life.

Uh again, in memory exchief Dutch Butler.

It was one of the best chiefly ever have ever had.

Thank you.

And we'll talk to it.

Thank you.

Uh, to Mackay Freeman.

Yeah, the councilman.

I have no doubt that we're still uh the heart uh I concerned and blind death and needs to and the thought are still in danger.

The plan did not talk about the current chat.

Again, that uh infrastructure will not be needed.

And going on, yeah, I was almost hit twice and I cannot get of my car.

Going on.

Because the rent from contrast.

We did not know.

How many individuals that just build?

And the plan is very and incentivize one topic over another.

This is a very definition of the nation, and nice and all of this, and count this.

And I think not just like count.

Thank you, Mackay.

Okay, next is Kelly.

Uh yes, can you hear me okay?

Yes.

Okay, on the bike plan.

Um what I don't see happening when with the eighty-five million dollars that it looks like we're gonna spend on this bike plan, is an assessment of before and after.

We really need to do bicycle counts before we do the infrastructure and we need to follow up with bicycle counts afterwards to see if we are successful in increasing the number of bicycle riders, because the last bicycle counts that were done by the community showed uh no significant increase in bicycle riders.

So we really we really need to follow up with this, and also figure out which configuration is really the most utilized and the most successful, and we can't do that unless we do continue to do bicycle counts on a regular basis.

Thank you.

Next is uh Jenny King.

Uh thank you, Mayor and Council People, especially for your support tonight for resourcery road.

Um we're item number 31 on the consent calendar.

Food security in Berkeley is a big issue right now.

We started a pantry out front of our house a while ago.

It's rolled into the need of starting a nonprofit.

Um, and so we're having our first fundraiser coming up.

I hope everybody comes.

Um, but I just want to put this out to the people of Berkeley.

We know how to do Berkeley.

We know how to aid people and take care of each other.

And I really want to challenge everybody to find a way to make a difference.

Um, right now we're having incredibly difficult food access problems, and we can all all do something about it.

So thank you very much for everybody who's contributing.

And please come and have a piratey good time with us on the 27th.

Thank you so much.

And I hope you get a chance to collaborate with Berkeley Food Network as well with your work.

Okay.

Next is Stephen Copeland.

Good evening, everyone.

I'm assuming you can hear me.

I am here on consent item 26, and I'm here on behalf of the second low bidder base cities.

Uh, bring the council up to speed.

This is a public works project where uh radius is the apparent low bidder.

But when they turn in their bid, they turned in two pages of the first page of the bid with two different pricings.

Um then city staff uh obtained our uh bid protest.

We've gone back and forth in letter writing, but essentially what I wanted to brief you all on this.

This um, when there is a mathematical mistake according to case law, and the case law is uh Valley Crest case.

You can see it within the letters that have been written.

It's black letter law.

If there's a mathematical mistake in a bid, and here there is one because there are two different numbers for the same bid item.

Um, there is no discretion to waive that mistake, and that is what staff is recommending that you do by awarding this job to radius.

Thank you.

Thanks for your comment.

Next is Helen Walsh.

Good evening, Mayor Ishii and Council members.

I am commenting on consent item number 29.

My name is Helen Walsh, and I'm speaking as a Berkeley resident who has been engaged in issues related to accessibility of public ride-away.

I support safe mobility of everyone, including people who bike walk, roll, and drive.

My concern tonight is not about opposing bikeways.

My concern is that the bicycle plan update is a planning document that will guide how the city allocates space in the public right away, and it is being adapted on consent without discussion.

Residents with disabilities and seniors have repeatedly shared new changes in the public right of uh in the public right of way, can unintentionally create new barriers, barriers.

These are real lived experiences in Berkeley.

The plan acknowledges disability concerns, but it does not yet include a defined framework of evaluating excel.

Okay, I sent the letter too.

Thank you.

Thanks, Helen.

We'll look at your letter.

Next is Nancy Rader.

Good evening, yes, Nancy Rader representing the Berkeley Fire Safe Council.

Uh the Fire Safe Council urges you to move item 29, the bike plan to the action calendar to enable discussion of an important issue, which is that the final plan removes language from the draft plan that major street infrastructure projects will be evaluated for their impact on emergency response times.

Instead, the final bike plan states a goal of quote balancing the need for new bikeways with the need to preserve and improve emergency personnel response times.

This wording suggests that the city could sacrifice emergency response times if necessary to install bike lanes on major thoroughfares without considering how many residents benefit from emergency response versus bike lanes or whether adequate alternative bike routes exist.

Therefore, we urge council to move this item to action to reinstate the language from the final bike plan to assure Berkeley residents that the city's emergency response services will not be compromised without good evidence that street infrastructure projects will deliver greater public safety benefits.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nancy.

All right, I think that's it for our public comments.

Um for my council colleagues, is there?

Oh, one, two, two, four.

Okay.

Sorry, I just thought we lost quorum for a second.

Did we uh is there a motion?

Move to approve.

Second.

Can we take the roll on that, please?

Okay, okay, to approve the consent calendar, Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes.

Taplin.

Yes.

Bartlett.

Yes.

Tragab.

I.

O'Keefe.

Yes.

Flackabee.

Yes.

Lunapara is.

To approve the consent calendar.

Councilmember.

Yes.

Okay.

Humbert?

Yes.

And Mayor Ishi.

Yes.

Okay, motion carries.

All right.

Thank you, everyone.

Okay.

So I just want to go over what's gonna be on the agenda for the rest of this evening as we move on to the action calendar.

So folks just have a sense of what's going on.

And I know there are a lot of you here who are here to speak about the budget, which is later this evening.

So 34 is about uh residential preferential parking program.

Um we've got an item that's coming up, 35 as well, which is policy for disruption of remote participation during council meetings.

Both of these items we expect to be relatively quick.

Affirming all electric standards for the 2026 infrastructure bond.

Similarly, not uh long presentation.

37 um and through 39 are all about measures uh for the potent potentially for the November 3rd ballot.

Um this is about language, et cetera.

And so we expect that those will move forward unless there's a lot of public comment on them.

And then we have a public hearing about the budget.

And so because last time we didn't get a chance to talk about the CIP, there will be a presentation on the CIP, and uh then the city manager will present um his budget with staff.

I will present my amendments to that budget.

We will take council questions, public comment, and then finally comments.

We will not be voting on the budget this evening, just so folks make sure to know that.

Um so we should move forward then to our action item number 34, implement residential preferential parking program on the 1500 block of Delaware Street.

I'll pass it over to interim director Amiri.

Thank you.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Council members Wahita Mary and I'm director of public works.

Uh, this item is the standard RPP opt-in request for the south side of the 1500 block of Delaware Street.

Uh, tonight I have with me uh Joshua Brett, who is uh one of our public works assistant in transportation planners with the Gold Berkeley program.

He'll share a few slides with you guys and then we'll open up for any questions or comments you might have.

Okay.

Sorry.

Oh wait, no, I want this full stop.

No, it's it's fine.

Um good evening, uh, uh Mayor Ishii, City Council speak right into the mic.

Yeah, good evening, Mayor Ishii, city council members, uh, city clerk uh as uh director interim director Wahida Miri just said it is a standard uh residential preferential parking opt-in program.

Uh so this is for the south side of the 1500 block of Delaware Street, um, and what we did, we took initially did a parking serve.

We initially uh received the signatures of residents of this block.

Uh there are 11 residential addresses in total, and we obtained nine signatures.

Uh the minimum of 51% of residents have to sign the petition for opt-in.

So this is eighty-two percent in favor, so it's well above that.

Went twice to check the occupancy levels on that block of the street at 11 a.m.

10 out of 12 spaces were occupied, or 83%, the same at 2 30 p.m.

10 out of 12 spaces were also occupied.

And 75% is the minimum parking occupancy percentage to be eligible for an RPP opt-in.

So that is also above the minimum.

And here at attachment two, you can see highlighted is the block face that is opting in.

We included, in addition to the 1500 block, we included 1800 California on that, because their property directly abuts uh the block face where there will be RPP enforcement if this motion passes.

And notices were mailed to affected residents.

They were posted on the block 14 days prior to this hearing, as well as uh posted out in front of the Model Shurek uh building on MLK.

Here's the little timeline of implementation.

We received the completed petition on February 3rd.

Uh the next day I went and performed the parking occupancy survey.

Um because this block is on Aloney Park, we did uh outreach to stakeholders in the Ohlone Park, informing them that this would be going before council.

That includes the Friends of Aloney Park as well as the several soccer clubs that use the field there.

Uh and the only response we got we was positive.

Uh and so here we are tonight on June 16th for the city council report.

And if this m if this measure passes, uh we will be in installation.

We'll install three RPP signs uh between June 30th and July 14th, and after those signs are installed, uh parking permit enforcement will begin.

Thank you, Mayor and Council.

This concludes the report.

Thank you very much.

You did great.

Um any questions from staff or sorry from council?

No, no questions.

All right, is there any public comments on this matter?

Anyone online?

I didn't see anyone.

No speed.

Okay, very good.

Is there any comment from councilman?

Someone like to move the item and but to close the public hearing.

Sorry, make the motion to close the sublist.

Second.

Can we take the role on that, please?

Okay, to close the public hearing, Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes.

Kaplan, Bartlett, yes, Traga.

O'Keefe, yes, Blackaby, yes.

Yes, Humbert.

Yes.

And Mary Ishi.

Yes.

All right.

Motion is passed.

A public clearing is closed.

Public hearings closed.

Thank you.

Yes.

All right.

Does anyone want to make the actual motion?

So moved.

Okay.

Second from Councilmember Pirate Lake.

Can we take the role on that, please?

Okay, to adopt the to implement the residential preferential parking program on the 1500 block of Delaware Street.

Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes.

Kaplan.

All right.

Bartlett.

Yes.

Traga.

Aye.

O'Keefe.

Yes.

Lackaby.

Yes.

Munapara.

Yes.

Humber.

Yes.

And Mary Ishi.

Yes.

Okay.

Motion carries.

Motion carries.

Item has been passed.

Thank you all so much for your presentation for the work that you put in.

Appreciate all the out um uh outreach you did to the community.

Thank you.

So all right.

Moving on to item number thirty thirty five policy for disruption of remote participation during council meetings.

Um would you like to say anything about this?

Sure.

So just uh as a brief introduction, the SB 707, which was adopted last year, made several new uh amendments and changes and added new provisions to the Brown Act.

Um, one of which is for legislative bodies that meet remotely they must adopt a policy for how they will proceed if there is a disruption of the telephonic or internet service that allows for the remote participation by the public.

And this item brings forward that policy to the council for approval it just sort of runs down the process if there is an outage we announce the disruption we call for recess we engage in good faith efforts to diagnose and restore the disrupted service if we cannot restore the service after uh one hour we have to try for at least one hour the law says then we can reconvene the meeting by action of the council or uh we could um adjourn the meeting so this just uh sort of codifies what the new state legislation requires and it's before the council for approval tonight thank you so much are there any questions about this item councilmember tragic or vice mayor trago is that a question uh it is thank you um uh at the bottom of page one um there's uh five one subpart for um i was just i was hoping it could clarify what this means the meeting shall remain in recess for at least one hour or until service is restored whichever is sooner uh the at least one hour I was hoping you could clarify yes so if there is an outage and it's not restored uh we have to try for at least an hour and if it's still not able to be restored then we can engage in the process to reconvene even if we do not have remote access restored so you have to try for at least one hour before moving on to the reconvening portion however if it is restored before one hour then you can just proceed with the meeting.

Okay thank you very much other questions no all right is there any public comment on this item again we're on item number 35 policy for disruption of remote participation during council meetings I see nobody online or in person all right is are there any comments from my council member colleagues is there a motion to approve so moved okay second second okay can you take the role please clerk okay to approve the policy for disruption of remote participation during council meetings council member Kessarwani yes taplin all right yes Trega aye O'Keefe yes Blackaby yes Humbert yes and Mayor Ishi yes okay motion carries all right thank you all very much we're moving on to item number 36 affirming all electric standards for the 2026 infrastructure bond measure and city capital projects um is someone here from the environment and climate commission that wishes to speak ah yes come on up we have an either words to say just if you have questions oh okay you are available for questions all right are there any questions from my council member colleagues and there was a supplemental also submitted so um is there any public comment on this item any public comment on uh item number 36 affirming all electric standards for the 2026 infrastructure bond measure and city capital projects I see a hand online.

Oh, Council member blackby, I'm sorry, was that a question?

I do have a quick question and comment, but I can do it during my comment.

Oh.

Okay.

I see no other hands for public comment on this one.

So let's move to council member comments and you can start, Council member black.

Okay, great.

Thanks.

Uh thanks, Madam Mayor.

Really quickly and and to the city manager.

I mean, I think again, the spirit of this item is wherever possible, and hopefully in every case, we do sort of an all-electric implementation.

But I know that the committee um had suggested, and then in your SUP two, you and Director Klein have implemented this idea that there may be there may be rare exceptions where it's not economically feasible or practical to do that in a particular case.

I just wanted you to kind of can you talk us through how that might work and then what the process would be to come to council in those those cases.

Sure.

Thank you for the question, Councilmember.

I just want to emphasize your earlier part of that point, which is that it is our intention that the uh infrastructure would be all electric, and we we agree with the commission on that.

Um as we put in the supplemental, there may be rare instances in which that's just really uh difficult to do, either from a feasibility perspective, a cost perspective, or some other perspective.

And in those cases, um we would have to get council approval uh for that sort of a treatment, and we would then you know we would bring a formal council item before you uh in which that was all explained prior to anything happening.

Okay, that's helpful.

So it's the the intent and the spirit is we're we're going for all electric in as many cases as we can, unless there's a kind of a rare exception, and you come to us and we have a discussion and then we either approve it or don't approve it, but we at least have a conversation about the feasibility and weigh the trade-offs between.

Maybe it's gonna be more expensive, but we think we should do it anyway, or in this case, hey, we'll we'll do this other alternative because it's just not feasible.

Yes, that's exactly right.

Okay, I with that change.

I I support this and I appreciate the effort to kind of try and find a way of um keeping the spirit of this in the clear direction, which is what we want to do.

But then we do have an escape valve in those rare occasions where we might need to look at other options.

So thank you for uh making that addition.

And that's all I have.

Thank you very much, Councilmember Blackaby.

Councilmember Humbert.

Yes.

Excuse me.

Yes, thank you, madam mayor, and and I um uh thank you, uh Councilmember Blackaby for your questions.

Um they they sort of dovetail with mine.

I well, I don't have questions, but I I have comments.

Uh and I want to thank our environment and climate commission for bringing this item to us.

I'm strongly in favor of the measure with the supplemental language supplied by our city manager and planning director, whom I thank for engaging with this important item.

We absolutely want to use low carbon emitting electric infrastructure, but we need the flexibility in very limited and exceptional circumstances to repair or install, say, gas infrastructure.

I hope we'll not have to do this and use this exception, and as time passes and technology improves, the chances of having to do so will lessen, I'm confident.

Um I do would like to make a friendly amendment if this is appropriate, and um add um the following language, uh, both as a new therefore be it resolved clause, and it would read as follows.

Um the city council's authority to grant exceptions to the all-electric construction and electrification requirements is a legislative discretionary act, and neither the granting nor the denial of any such exception shall give rise to any claim or cause of action in any court.

And the reason I think this should be added is to ensure that if we have a priority project, for example, pool improvements, that um heaven forbid require an exception.

We don't want to create a situation where a council decision and the subsequent project can be tied up for years in litigation, perhaps even due to motivations that have nothing to do with natural gas use.

I just want to make sure that you know that that things can work efficiently.

So I I guess I would ask the city attorney, um, did you listen um to the language that I that I read?

Is that something that you think is appropriate from your perspective as our counseling?

I did listen.

It doesn't seem to raise a red flag for us.

Okay, so I'd like to I'd like to um I'd like to move the item um with the supplemental and my friendly, my friendly amendment.

Second.

Thank you.

That those are my comments.

Thank you.

Council member, Vice Mayor Trega, please.

Thank you.

And to staff for all your work over the last few days.

And the uh the city manager supplemental pretty much captures it.

And I I think the amendment we just heard is uh reasonable.

Uh I would just like to confirm with the city manager.

Um, would it be your intention to make every uh feasible effort to pursue grants um to help offset uh any costs associated with electrification, be it the Bay Area Air District or uh other regional state, and maybe one day again federal entities.

Yes, council member, it it absolutely would be as I said.

We are also very committed to the to the objective of all electrification, and uh that would include us um seeking grant funding to bridge a gap if need be.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Any other comments from my council colleagues?

Is there uh there was already a motion and a second, so can we take the roll on that, please?

Okay, to uh approve the uh resolution from the environment and climate commission um as revised in the uh with the changes in the staff supplemental and the new resolve clause added by council member Humbert on the motion, Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes, yes.

Uh Taplin, Bartlett, yes, Traga.

Aye, O'Keefe, yes, Blackaby, yes, Lunapara, yes, Humber, yes, and Mayor Ishii.

Yes, okay, motion carries.

Thank you very much to the commission to commission staff for being here for answering our questions and also just for the work that you did on this.

So all right, very good.

Um we are moving on to item number 37, placing a charter amendment measure on the November 3rd, 2026 ballot to amend multiple administrative provisions.

Mr.

City Clerk.

Yes, uh, so this is a charter amendment that primarily covers various um topics related to elections, candidates, uh recall, initiative, referendum, uh, a sort of whole slate of uh electoral um reforms for the and language amendments for the charter.

Um there was a sort of comprehensive supplemental number one, uh, where each of the proposed warning changes have a description and and comments, uh sort of an annotated um comments for each uh proposed amendment.

Um if you have any questions about any particular um proposed changes, I'm happy to to review them, or if you'd like me to sort of uh run down a quick summary of the proposed changes, I'm happy to do that as well.

I just want to thank you for the changes and appreciate you bringing this forward, cleaning up this language, and also uh the fact that they consider also protections for our elected officials, I think it's important because um unfortunately we're in a time where our elected officials are being threatened with violence, um, stalked and harassed.

So thank you very much for that.

Um, do my council colleagues have any questions?

Okay, is there any public comment on this item?

This is item number thirty-seven placing a charter amendment measure on the November 3rd, 2026 ballot to amend multiple administrative provisions.

Anyone online?

No, no hands raised.

Okay, so um for our council comment period, um, I'm curious if any folks are interested in being involved with um uh filing the ballot measure arguments on this measure as provided for in the elections code section 9282.

I know I am interested in being involved with this, but would love to have at least one or two more folks join me.

Yes, Councilmember Taplin is interested.

Any other council members interested in writing arguments with me?

Don't worry, there's plenty more for us to work on later.

So okay.

All right, very good.

Well, Councilmember Tapman will be joining us.

Are you sure, Councilmember Lunafara?

Yeah, sure.

All right, she's gonna join us, very good.

Uh we call that volunteling someone.

So, all right, very good.

Any other comments this evening?

Otherwise, um I'd like to make a motion that we adopt this resolution and then designate by motion that council member taplin, mayor Ishi, and Council Member Lunapara work on the ballot measure arguments.

All right, very good.

Can we take the role on that, please?

And and just to clarify, Mayor, that this also in changes, includes those minor formatting uh corrections that were in the sub two packet.

Yes, thank you.

Uh on the motion, Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes, Kaplan.

Hi.

Bartlett, yes.

Aye.

O'Keefe.

Yes, Blackabee.

Yes.

Lunapara.

Yes.

Humbert?

Yes.

And Mayor Ishii.

Yes.

Okay, motion carries.

Very good.

Thank you very much.

Moving on to item number 38, placing a general obligation bond measure in the November 3rd, 2026 ballot for the acquisition or improvement of real property for public infrastructure and facilities.

I'm gonna pass it over to City Manager.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um, I don't have a lot of comments.

Our our uh team has presented on this before, so you all have seen this.

I want to thank our city attorney Brown and Deputy uh City Attorney uh Sam Harvey for their work putting the language together.

Um I will note that we did also submit uh some red line steps uh on this item that mirror the language in item 36 around the electrification.

So that's also part of this bond measure.

Um very similar language to what you just heard on item 36.

Um we have folks here who are available to answer questions if you have any.

Um, but we don't have any presentation.

Thank you very much.

Are there any questions from my council member colleagues?

Okay.

Is there any public comment on this item?

We're on item number 38, placing a general obligation bond measure on the November 3rd, 2026 ballot for the acquisition or improvement of real property or public infrastructure and facilities.

Anyone online I do not see anybody on the raised uh for this item.

All right, let's have Councilmember Humbert start us off with comments.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um I want to thank staff and the city manager manager's office, the finance department, public works parks, and others for all their work preparing this bond measure.

It was an Herculean task.

Um consistent with my friendly amendment above on item 36.

I'd like to please add the following language, both as a new whereas clause in section one findings as uh and a new bullet in section two object and purpose of bonds, and it's essentially the same language.

The city council's authority to grant exceptions to the all electorate construction and electrification requirements is a legislative discretionary act, and neither the granting nor the denial of any such exception shall give rise to any claim or cause of action in any court.

So I'd move that uh as a friendly amendment, move the item to.

Second.

Um, hold on a minute.

I want to get a chance to hear from our council on this.

I mean, of course, feel free to make the motion and all that, but would like to hear from our council.

We're just checking one thing.

While our council and when I say council, I don't mean the council, I mean our council, our attorneys are discussing this.

Um just folks, if you can be thinking about if you'd like to be involved with the uh ballot measure arguments on this item and also the next.

Just think about it.

If we can take like a two-minute recess to discuss one thing.

Would you like to see the copy of the language?

You have it.

All right, we're gonna take a brief recess so that we can review the language.

Thank you.

Recording stopped.

Okay.

Okay, thanks everyone.

We are back.

So again, we're on item number thirty-eight, was it which is about the general obligation bond.

And we just heard back from council, so if you wouldn't mind summarizing for us your recommendation, please.

Um, yes, madam mayor.

So our recommendation is to just strike the word legislative.

So it says the city council authority to grant exceptions to a to the all electric construction and electrification requirement is discretionary.

And then it goes on to say, and neither the granting nor the denial of any such exception shall give rise to any claim or cause of action in any court.

And then in addition to that, we think that uh it would be advisable to add a severability, severability clause to the bond measure language itself, and we're gonna read that into the record.

Great.

So this will be added as new uh section seven.

Uh if any word, phrase, sentence, part section, subsection, or other portion of this measure, or any application thereof to any person or circumstances declared void, unconstitutional or invalid for any reason, then such word phrase sentence part section, subsection, or other portion, uh, or the prescribed application thereof shall be severable, and the remaining provisions of this measure and all applications thereof not having been declared void, unconstitutional or invalid, shall remain in full force and effect.

The people of the city of Berkeley hereby declare that they would have passed this measure and each section, subsection sentence clause and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsection sentences, clauses or phrases have been declared invalid or unconstitutional.

Thank you, Sam, for reading that in, and uh thank you.

I would add those to my motion.

Okay, you're not gonna repeat them.

I'm just kidding.

Sorry.

All right, um, are there any other uh oh yes, comments now?

And uh council member taplin, would you like to start?

Uh yes, thank you very much.

I want to thank city admin and the departments as well as the mayor's vision 2050 refresh toss horse.

I wanted to volunteer to uh help draft the ballot argument.

Very good.

Thank you so much.

Would anyone else like to join me?

I think council member track up, you had mentioned Vice Mayor Trae Cub.

And oh, oh, also, oh, oh my gosh.

All right, I think we can have one, two, we can have up to four, right?

I want to do one.

Okay, can I put you on the sales tax then?

Because I know that um council member Blackaby is also interested.

So okay, so there will be council member Blackabee, um Vice Mayor Traegu, and Councilmember Taplin and myself.

Yes, there's a word limit.

Okay, thank you very much.

Um, would someone like to make that uh we have that motion?

We had a second, we're adding on those four people.

Um so can we take the roll, please?

Oh, sorry, thank you.

Public comment.

Is there any public comment on item number 38 placing a general obligation bond measure on the November third ballot?

There's someone online, speaker online, uh Steve.

Go ahead.

Oh, yes, and district six.

Um, calling because I wanted to remind you that um when you started working on projects for the bond, the inflation was 2.4 percent.

Inflation is now 4.2 percent.

Now that means that inflation has increased over 50 percent.

That means it's gonna be really tough for you guys to do all these projects.

Because when inflation is high, construction costs escalate.

This is gonna stall all these projects, lead to budget overruns, and require even higher tax revenues or debt to complete.

So when you vote on this tonight, you are voting, knowing, knowing that inflation has gone up 50 percent, it could go up from 4.2%, it could go up to six percent.

You have to take this into consideration.

Please, please.

Mayor and city council.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Are there any other public comments?

That's it.

Okay, thank you very much.

All right, can we take the roll, please?

Okay, so this is on the motion placing the general obligation bond on the November 3rd, 2026 ballot, uh, including the amendments read in by the city attorney, and also the severability clause, with the authors designated being Mayor Ishi, Councilmembers Blackabee, Tregob, and Taplin on the motion, Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes.

Taplin.

All right.

Bartlett.

Yes.

Tragum.

Aye.

O'Keefe.

Yes.

Blackaby.

Yes.

Lunapara.

Yes.

Humbert.

Yes.

And Mayor Ishii.

Yes.

Okay.

Motion carries.

All right.

Thank you all so much.

We're moving on to item number 39, and then we will take a brief break.

We're doing great on timing.

Thank you, everyone.

Um item number 39 is placing a transactions and use sales general tax measure on the November 3rd, 2026 ballot.

And yes, did you have anything you wanted to say on this one, Mr.

City Manager?

Um, no, just that uh again thanking City Attorney Brown, Deputy City Attorney Harvey for the bond language for the uh the language of the measure, and also thanking staff for working on it, the leadership of Deputy City Manager White.

Um, and I'll just also give a shout out to Councilmember Casawani, who was uh really pushing on this very early on uh when we were all thinking about it.

So thank you, Councilmember, for um generating the idea and uh staff for putting it together.

Thank you very much.

Are there any questions from my council colleagues?

Is there any public comments on this item?

Item number 39, placing a transaction and sales use sales general tax measure on the November 3rd, 2026 ballot.

I do not see any hands online.

No, oh, one Isabel who's listed as Steve.

Yes, hi it's Steve here again.

Isabel Gaston, District 6.

Um, I commented on this uh once before uh at the budget and finance committee, and I just wanted to reiterate um that you know this is really going to be hard for low-income folks.

And you know, Ben Ben Bartlett, Councilmember Bartlett.

Sorry, I know I'm not supposed to mention people's names.

You know, he already mentioned how people are hurting food wise.

My husband actually works at the food bank too, and there's been an enormous uptick, and a sales tax is regressive.

We all know that, and I really think you should think long and hard.

This this is not a good time to do this.

In fact, I think it's actually quite cruel, and it's really pushing people to places that really with it's just you're gonna make people leave, you know, businesses and residents.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Isabel.

Um, one more speaker.

We have Michael Katz.

Good evening.

Um, respectfully, I just want to reiterate what the last speaker said.

The outlook for this does not look good if you look at other East Bay sales tax measures this month.

People are really squeezed by inflation.

Um they're questioning what they're getting from all levels of government.

I know you folks try really hard, and the city's in a bad way.

But um, this is a regressive tax in combination with the countywide or the region wide sales tax.

It would give us one of the highest regressive sales tax rates in the country.

And regressive taxes hit the poor the worst as a university city.

We have a substantial population that has negative income.

Students don't earn, they pay tuition and fees.

So again, I would urge you to consider alternatives to this.

Thank you.

Thank you, Michael.

We have a speaker here in person.

Yeah, Jeff again, so yeah.

So we've got an economic downturn and high inflation.

That's I think really challenges the assumptions that you're gonna realize the revenue here.

Um back to the small businesses, they're now effectively on track for an 11.25% sales tax rate on top of the five percent plus inflators you've just approved.

So um we're creating conditions where really the ability to conduct retail business in Berkeley is going to be extremely challenging.

It's probably going to be no growth to low growth, with the exception of any growth we get from population increase.

Let's hope.

And again, the overhead costs for businesses are already challenging, they've just gone up.

And so what you're really gonna end up with, and perhaps we'll get some added sales tax from this, is we're gonna have the most Amazon friendly city in America because trying to cover overhead costs in this city, and I've talked to a lot of business people.

I'm not making this up.

I hope you have it is really challenging.

And again, adding another regressive measure, another aggressive tax, and assuming that's gonna result in 10 million dollars, is I would say extremely optimistic given um the current economic conditions.

And people can go outside of Berkeley to find lower sales tax rates on big ticket items.

So what you're left with is people that are gonna pay 11.25% on things like the smaller purchases, and they're just gonna leave Berkeley for the things that really make a difference.

And they're gonna leave Alameda County as well, because that's where this overall increase is coming from.

But it's going to be worthwhile because under these conditions, that's what economics does.

It causes people to make rational economic choices and go to where is in their economic interest.

Thank you, Mr.

Omax.

All right, um, let's move on to my council members' comments.

Sorry, there's one more online.

Yeah.

Oh, apologies.

Uh last speaker online is Cheryl Daville, a former council member.

Yeah, I agree with the last uh speaker, and I also feel like all these things, the bond measure.

Um I don't I mean, how do we know what that money's really gonna go to?

Cause all the things that that hundred million dollars, I mean, a lot of the benchmarks didn't get met, so it's interesting.

Uh, and you know, with 47, the fascism, and all these other things, people are leaving Berkeley.

Black and brown people are barely here anymore.

Um, and you're making it very, very, very difficult.

So, I don't think this is a great idea.

And um, I know people aren't.

Well, I don't know, we'll see what happens, but Berkeley's so expensive as it is already.

You have all these vacant properties.

I don't think this is a wise choice on a lot of the decisions that you are making this evening, and I miss the consent calendar, but and I know that not you know, that bike plan probably went through.

I don't know what happened, but that doesn't look out for a lot of the other people that are disabled.

I understand I'm not I you know, item at hand, thank you.

I'm not finished.

Do I still have time?

Because I can't see the freaking clock.

You have 17 seconds left.

Free Palestine and the genocide, free your minds from the evil and disrespectful rude behaviors that you demonstrate all the time.

Okay, that's it.

Thank you very much.

Um moving on to our council member, my council member colleagues' comments starting with councilmember Blackabi online.

Thanks, Madam Mayor, and um thanks to Councilmember Castarwanian staff for putting this together.

I also want to acknowledge and thank the commenters that we heard on this item.

I agree that, you know, this is uh a sales tax increase is a difficult kind of measure to consider.

Um I will say that, you know, I and I've said this a lot over the past 18, 20 months I've been on the council, that my preference over the long term is that you know our our revenue growth should be driven by business activity and housing growth and and more productivity that's coming through the system as opposed to raising taxes.

Uh, where we can.

Um but I will say the one thing that gives me some satisfaction here that this is the right consideration, is that we're matching uh and coming into parity with neighboring jurisdictions uh and and that the sales we're not moving out of WAC, but we're actually meeting and sort of closing the gap with other jurisdictions.

So I think the distortionary effects are somewhat mitigated by that fact because we're not going to have a sales tax that's out of line with neighbors.

We're basically meeting what we're neighbors are at.

Um but I like I do have concerns, you know.

Over time, I think we're gonna be generating much more revenue uh when we focus on economic output and growing the economy and uh adding more productive people who can afford to live here.

That's gonna drive drive revenues in the long term, but in the short term, in terms of helping us close the deficit and uh adjusting the sales tax rate to be a parody, um that's uh it's gonna allow me to support this prequel measure.

And so I think uh that's where I am, and I appreciate my colleagues for bringing it forward.

So thank you.

Thank you very much.

Um next is Councilmember Humbert, and then on deck is Councilmember Kessarwani.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

And I I'd like to associate myself with the comments of um Councilmember Blackby.

I want to thank the city manager, the finance department, and all other city city staff who worked on this, and particularly thank Councilmember Kessarwani who really championed it.

I support placing this measure on the ballot.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Councilmember Kessarwani.

Thank you very much, Madam Mayor.

I um I just actually just wanted to echo the appreciation of staff for this, and um and and I know Councilmember Blackerby already said this, you know, the reason why um when we came up with this concept, it was actually something I talked about with um with our SEIU folks early on because we knew how devastating this budget would be and how deep the cuts would be.

And so this is our uh proposal to the voters to try to mitigate some of the worst of those reductions, and um this would put us in line with Albany and Oakland, you know, our neighboring jurisdictions, and uh I do want to acknowledge, however, that it is a tough time for a lot of folks, and inflation is up, and grocery prices are up, and it is really hard uh to um for a lot of people.

I I know a lot of people are struggling uh just to be able to afford the basics in our community.

Um it does give me some comfort that groceries are exempt from the sales tax.

Um I I do understand um you know, any sales tax by its nature is regressive.

Uh however, you know, given the importance of the services that we're trying to fund and the um the reality that this is simply going to put us on parity with our neighboring cities.

You know, I think this is very much uh the right approach as we look to balance and and um I I look forward to taking the vote and and you know, thanks staff again for putting this together for us.

And Councilmember Ketherwani, would you like to join and be part of the uh ballot argument writing?

Sure, sure I could do that.

I'm also interested in I know that council member key fits as well.

So, and council member, it's your turn to speak anyway.

So, okay, I just want to say briefly um how much in support I am of this.

And I really I didn't know Council Member Castrowan, I didn't know this was uh this is your brainchild, so or at least you're advocating for it.

So thank you so much.

Uh I think this is a really key measure.

We really need new sources of revenue.

This is a no a no-brainer one to me.

You know, I do acknowledge that it is it is a tax increase and that has effects, but honestly, I I watch my dollars very carefully, and I did not know that we were half a percent under the neighboring jurisdictions.

And I've been asking a lot of people, this is not scientific, but I've been asking a lot of people.

I haven't met a single person who was aware of that.

So I feel like this is um so incremental, and because it brings us to parity with other jurisdictions.

This has already been mentioned several times.

Um, I think this is um just a really smart move, and I'm happy to be putting out about it.

I hope it passes.

Thank you very much.

Anybody else interested in joining and writing the ballot arguments for this?

We've got three, so it's okay, but okay, very good.

Um, all right.

Oh, okay, Councilmember Keefe is moving.

Okay.

Can we take the roll on this one, please?

Okay.

Uh on the motion.

Sorry, so um, due to sort of the the nuances of the revenue and taxation code, we should make sure that the motion uh is to uh adopt the ordinance uh proposing the transactions in use tax and adopt the resolution placing the tax uh on the ballot.

The ordinance would then appear, you know, on a subsequent consent counter consistent with ordinary second reading practice.

But of course, we're not going to affect control proof by the voters.

That was exactly my motion.

Thank you so much.

One second.

Okay, very good.

Thank you very much, Sam, for the clarification.

All right, go ahead.

Okay, so to adopt the resolution, placing the measure on the ballot, and also the first reading of the ordinance with the authors designated as Mayor Ishii, Council members Kessarwani and O'Keefe.

Um, Councilmember Kessarwani.

Yes.

Bartlett.

Yes.

I O'Keefe.

Yes.

Lackaby.

Yes.

Lunapara.

Yes.

Humbert.

Yes.

And Mayor Ishi.

Yes.

Okay, motion carries.

Thank you very much, and thank you very much to staff.

Um, all right.

So we are moving on to item 40, but we're going to take a break before.

Then we're going to take a 15 minute break.

Um, and then we will move on to item forty A.

We will start with the CIP, then we will have the presentation of the budget, my budget amendments, and then um, on from there.

So just so folks know where we're at.

Thank you very much.

We'll be back in 15 minutes.

Recording stopped.

Oh, Oh, Recording in progress.

Okay, thanks everyone.

We are moving so fast.

We had to get the staff set up.

So I think we're good.

All right.

Folks, can I have quiet please?

Thank you.

All right.

So we are moving on to item number 40.

Um, I know this is a bit confusing, but we're gonna start with the CIP.

Um, and then as I said before the break, we will move on to our actual budget um presentation, um, and I will present my amendments, and then uh we will hear from the public.

So I'm gonna pass it over to our city staff, whoever's gonna start us off.

Thank you, Mayor and Council members.

Um my staff, Mark Collier is actually going to share screen.

Um, it's actually the CIP presentation.

We order we move the order of things.

Thank you very much.

Next slide, please.

So we're going to have a very robust presentation to you regarding our five-year CIP.

We're gonna go over, I'll be going over the overview, our inventory and different program categories, funding highlights, infrastructure funding by category, then by funding source, and then my colleagues will take over PRW CIP with Director Ferris, PWCIP with interim director Wahira Miri, and IT will be attacked team with director Fong and Deputy Barry Jennings, and then I will take it back with unfunded and next steps.

Next slide, please.

So, what is a capital improvement program?

It we here in the city develop a five-year CIP, and essentially it identifies anticipated capital projects and projected funding.

Also serves as a guide to lock-time infrastructure.

I know, what's that?

Sorry, Councilmember Black.

Councilmember Blackaby.

You've gone off.

Thank you.

Um, it also serves as our long-term infrastructure planning and budget decisions, and the reason we're presenting it here today as well is because it's developed as part of our city's biannual uh budget process.

Year one and year two is capital budget, it represents our new funding appropriation for the fiscal year's projects, and is adopted with annual operating budget, which is gonna be part of our fiscal year 27 annual appropriation, and it also functions as the most actionable portion of the CIP.

Year three and five is more of a plan.

It serves as a budgetary management tool and it's reevaluated and updated regularly to reflect evolving community needs, council priorities, and fiscal conditions.

It's a list of projects and funding that are used for planning purposes.

Our five-year CIP includes 149 projects.

Next slide, please.

This is, I think I can speak for the whole team.

One of our favorite slides, because it's very visual, and it represents all of the infrastructure inventory that we do have, and I'm not gonna go over all of them, but I do want to highlight that as you can see here, the city of Berkeley uh maintains an extensive portfolio of capital assets.

We have about some of the highlights is 213 miles of streets, 61 miles of bicycle infrastructure, 56 parks, 38 public restrooms, five community centers, and three resident camps, and of course, the behind the scenes, all technology to support departments serving the public.

Next slide, please.

Within our CIP, we group them into 12 different categories.

I'm not gonna go through all of them, but there are, I want to do say that the other infrastructure that typically will include EV charging stations, street lights, traffic signals, and other projects that cannot be categorized under the more obvious eleven other categories before it.

Next slide, please.

The next few slides will talk about funding highlights.

So the major, the more, not the majority of, but the more reliable funding source for our infrastructure comes from our city's annual baseline allocation in the CIP fund, and that is actually transferred from the general fund.

With an additional eight million dollars dedicated specifically to improving the streets paving condition index in recent years, other funding sources are restricted, such as sewer fund for sewer system improvements, stormwater fund for related drainage work, streetlight fund for streetlight upgrades and maintenance.

So speaking of T1, in 2016, this was a voter approved a 100 million dollar T bond to improve the city's aging infrastructure.

T1 has provided the funds needed to fix our city's failing infrastructure and made many of our communities' buildings safe, accessible.

We paved a lot of our neglected streets, build green infrastructure, and replace outdated and non-compliant place structures.

Phase one has been completed, 39 projects total, 40 million dollars spent, and something that this team is really proud of: 23 million dollars of that was leveraged funds.

Phase two is still in progress, 37 projects.

We're using the remaining 60 million dollars plus an additional 4.1 million earned in interest, and 43 million dollars of that is used in leverage to leverage funds, other funds.

We rely on voter-approved funding such as Measure T1, which has significantly advanced our capital project delivery.

Next slide, please.

Other funding highlights for our CIP program are grants.

Without measures like T1 and other funding sources providing essential matching funds, our ability to qualify for many grants would have been very limited.

A detailed list of the 65.4 million dollars in capital grants is included in the agenda packet.

Next slides, please.

Measure FF is a long-term investment strategy focused on maintaining and improving Berkeley's transportation infrastructure with emphasis on street, sidewalk safety, and environmental performance.

The table to the top right, my right, is our budget for the next two years.

For 2027, we are proposing to spend 24.1 million dollars in Measure FF in fiscal year 28, about 14.5 million dollars.

What that two years will hope to improve.

It's over four center line miles of roadway rehab, over 15 transportation safety projects, and green infrastructure compliance projects.

Staff intends to leverage Measure FF funds to strengthen our CIP by pursuing additional capital grants using the same successful strategy employed with Measure T1.

Later in this presentation, we'll walk through what Measure FF is funding and how it fits into the city's long-term CIP.

Next slide, please.

This slide will give you the overall funding picture for our five-year CIP.

The key takeaway here is that within the next five years.

Our total for five-year CIP is 410.6 million dollars.

The first year in 2027, we have a total funding of 100.1 million dollars, and in fiscal year 2028, 87, 83.7 million dollars.

I just do want to highlight that the zero budget for IT in the out years of 29, 30, and 31, is because they do not have a baseline CIP fund allocation.

And there is an insufficient fund balance in their IT cost allocation.

The street decline, as you can see in funding from 27 to 28, can be explained by measure FF funding received in 27 equals 18 months' worth, versus 28, it's only the full 12 months.

Measure FF funding can be found in streets category, sidewalks, and transportation.

The top three program categories and our five-year CIP are streets at 34%, sewer at 30 at 29%, and transportation at 10.6%.

The street includes 67.4 million dollars, 42.1 million dollars in Measure FF.

Sidewalks include 11.8 million dollars in Measure F and transportation includes 20.4 million dollars in Measure FF.

Next slide, please.

This slide is telling the same story, but instead of broken down by categories, it's broken down by funding source.

In 27 and 28, and again, that is our most reliable funding source for the time being and the most discretionary.

PRW special funds and parks tax with increased one-time funding in fiscal year 27 at 6.125 million, and in 2028, it reverts back to a more baseline recurring funding at 2.75 million dollars with total PRW special funds of $3.53 million dollars in 28 and 7 million dollars in 27.

IT is currently funding their biannual capital budget with our IT cost allocation, which is an internal service fund.

Public work special funds total 75.6 million dollars in 27 and 61.4 million dollars in 28.

The two highest contributors of the PW's public work CIP budget are the sewer fund and again measure FF.

The grants total in 27 is 5.1 million dollars, and in 28 it's 5.9 million dollars.

And I want to highlight that the 65.4 million dollars grant slide that we just talked about earlier, are the majority of those current grants have already been appropriated in prior fiscal years.

Next slide, please.

So the next few slides, I'm gonna hand it over to my colleagues.

They are going to highlight their recent capital improvement project accomplishments as well as go over their biannual 27 and 28 CIP budget.

We will hand it over to Scott Ferris first, and then Wahira Miri and then Kevin Fong and Barry Jennings.

Thank you.

Okay.

So um, sorry, when you turn off one, sometimes you turn off both.

Is it on now?

Testing.

Okay.

Testing.

Testing one, two, three.

Alright.

Um, I've been told I'm too passionate about my projects, so uh speak too long.

So I'm gonna try and be unpassionate here and and just get through them so that we're not here all night.

Yeah.

So um I'm gonna start with Willard here.

The it's a T1 funded project.

It's the most awarded CIP project the city has ever had.

We've won five significant awards and our finals for sixth.

Um, and so this is what we can do with with uh with funding.

That's an amazing project and has been an amazing amenity for that community.

Uh next slide, Mark.

So we're gonna talk briefly about our accomplishments.

Um the Willard's up there, we finished a project at Alone and and Civic Center.

Um next slide.

Here we're looking at some uh the South Adeline projects and which we're going to uh cut a ribbon for like three or four smaller projects on Saturday at 1215 for anybody who wants to come on out.

The Miwaukee Forest is complete.

The um the landscaping project in front of the here there is complete, and the dog park should be complete tomorrow.

And we've got a few other little amenities we've added in South Berkeley.

So the community is really excited.

Uh ribbon cutting 1215 somewhere in uh the landscaping area on Saturday.

Next slide.

Oh, and I I want to just really quick um another T1 funded project.

So um a lot of uh uh a lot of capital improvements up at camps.

Thank you.

Um the big one was the Casadero storm damage.

Um, so we did a lot of repair, a lot of rebuilding of cabins, and uh you see there the stage got rebuilt, um, and a variety of other things that combination contractors and my staff dealt with.

Uh we've had sport courts improvement at Echo Lake, and uh at both Echo and Tualme, we installed um generators and a switch that allows us to um essentially operate when the electricity goes down.

We've had a lot of brownouts in both in both um areas in the last several years, and so now when uh we lose electricity, we'll have the dining hall and the main hall will be um we'll be uh able to operate.

Next slide, lots of accomplishments at the waterfront, F and D redecking.

Um it looks beautiful, Terry.

Thank you very much for that referral.

Um South Co.

West parking lot is finished and looks great along with uh the the east and the middle docks, so all that work has been completed this year.

Next slide.

So projects near completion.

Um K Yappa Martin Luther King uh junior use services facility is um on its way, uh and the a lot of the shell is complete now.

They're working inside, and that project should be done in January of 2027.

So we're not far.

Um that's a 15 million dollar T1 project, the Santa Fe right away.

Um that's uh largely a grant-funded project.

We have five and a half million dollars worth of state grants on that project, and that that project has started construction.

We've started the remediation of the soil uh about two weeks ago, and um we're hoping to get bids back on the above ground uh improvements in the next week or two and award that and start that construction uh late summer, early fall.

So DE dock is almost done.

Um we've been waiting on PGE in the East Bay MUD and that we have dates for hookups for both of those, and so we so hope to be cutting a ribbon in the marina for the dredging and the DE dock uh projects um sometime in July.

Next slide, Mark.

So here you see a kind of a breakdown by funding source um for 27 and 28.

We have a fair amount uh more money in 27, largely because we've um we're using uh Parks Tax Falance to finish a couple of large projects.

Um the mlk um use services center uh the tombaits complex and santa fe right away next slide oh you go back to the go back one slide mark um and what you see this year in fiscal 27 and 28 you'll see an allocation from the camps fund that hasn't happened since 2013 so we've when the Berkeley Twali camp burnt down which was the main um fund driver for the camps fund we were operating in the red and so we did no capital projects funded by the camps fund and it's just now that the fund is recovering now the Tualme camp is since the fourth year of operation um we're very close to selling out this summer and so we're uh gonna spend about a million dollars and do in of camp improvements out of the camps fund which is new um go ahead mark next slide so what are we gonna do in 27 and 28 um in the waterfront we're gonna replace some finger docks and we're gonna try and start to move the garbage containers off um the seawall and back into the parking lot so away from the ocean um we're gonna um start the design oh dock parking lot we're gonna finish o and k electrical um the state's parking lot which can was construction will start probably in the next month will be uh redone and um we will do a kind of a maintenance project at the South Cove East parking lot we just finished the South Cove West we did the South Coast East about eight eight years ago and in order to keep it properly maintained we're gonna seal and restripe and um we're gonna do some um we're gonna redo the landscaping along the bay trail on the southern portion from university to Emeryville and that's 700 thousand dollars is was funded in FY26 but the project will happen in in 27 next slide so um in parks we've got several projects here we're working on the Cedar Rose uh playgrounds the five to twelve is out the bid actually it's about to be awarded I think we're coming into the next meeting and awarding it and um then we're gonna we're gonna finish the two to five we've got some money in here for design and construction for James Kennedy sports fields.

That um that project is uh sorely needed there's no ADA access to that facility and it is one of the only facilities that hasn't been touched in the last um 15 to 20 years.

Additionally um we've got some funding in here for our MLK Yap facility um I'm not sure you all are aware but we lost a part of a FEMA grant on and so we went ahead and did phase one and phase two uh we've kind of split it into two projects we will add the solar and the storage in phase two so that is largely what you see funded there in in fiscal 27 next slide um also in parks we've got um we're gonna do a park restroom I think that's gonna be either Cedar Rose or Cordnesis and um we're gonna finish that Santa Fe right away project that was funding I talked about earlier uh along with Tom Bates and the sports complex there we're gonna fix a leak at King Pool and um we've got uh a project at Aquatic Park that's going to be several phases the Dreamland area project and the first phase is a combination of uh work between public works and parks.

There's gonna be a BIOS well where the Dreamland parking lot is, and we're gonna create some parking out on boulevard in order to allow for um have parking for Dreamland while we complete phase one, and while we wait for the funding for phase two, which will be the mass the Dreamland area kind of plan that we put together.

Next slide.

At camps, I talked about that, a million dollars, and here's how we're going to spend it.

We're going to replace the water line at Echo Lake.

We draw from three water sources up at Echo Lake.

We have a small cistern, a well, and we draw water out of the lake.

And so the lake line, which you see featured here in the right-hand photo, is a line that goes from camp to about a quarter mile all the way down to Echo Lake and draws water out of the lake.

And that lake line has deteriorated and needs full replacement.

So we're going to do the design and the um uh design of that in fiscal 28.

Um, and hopefully the construction soon after.

Um next slide.

Okay, now I'm gonna pass it off to Wahid.

All right.

Thanks, Scott.

Uh good evening, Madam Mayor, Council Members Wahida Miriam, Director of Public Works.

Over the past two fiscal years, public works transportation has delivered major capital projects that put adopted uh city plans into action.

These projects support climate goals, vision zero, equity, and save a travel for people walking, biking, rolling, taking transit, and driving.

Examples in front of you include the MLK Vision Zero Hybrid Quick Build Safety Improvements, our famous South Side Complete Streets Project, Woolsey Eden Intersection Improvements, the Parker Addison Bikeway, Sacramento pedestrian safety improvements, and the recently construction initiation of the Looney Greenway safety improvements projects.

The important point is that these are not isolated projects.

These come from adopted plans and community direction, and they're being delivered through a coordinated capital effort.

Next slide, please.

We completed work at citywide locations identified in our five-year paving plan, totaling about 30 lane miles of street paving and about 14 and a half lane miles of service ceiling.

That's quite a bit.

Kudos to our team members.

From July 2024 to approximately June of 2026, the 5050 sidewalk repair program completed an estimated 350 repairs, reducing trip hazards and improving access.

The team also completed structural rehabilitation of approximately 1,600 linear feet of Strawberry Creek culvert, protecting important in underground infrastructure.

While those accomplishments in mind, let's look at the proposed fiscal year 27 and 28 public works CIP budget in the next slide, please.

So Public Works is proposing a significant two-year capital investment.

Approximately 92 million dollars in fiscal year 27, and about 79 million in fiscal year 28.

So combined together, that's about 171 million dollars over the next two years of the capital budget cycle.

The largest funding source that you might have picked up already, the category is a sanitary sewer, measure FF, the CIP fund, stormwater, and um equipment replacement.

Measure FF is especially important because it expands transportation, sidewalk, pavement, and very importantly, safety investments citywide.

One important note is that the fiscal year 27 includes Measure FF revenue collected since the measure went into effect in January of this year 2025.

So that's why the fiscal year 27 measure of FEPA amount is higher than your normal standard 12-month year, but it'll pan out a level out at the 14th year.

I'll walk through the public works program areas uh starting with sanitary sewing the next slide, please.

Sanitary sewer is one of the largest public works capital investments with approximately 48 million dollars proposed over the next two fiscal years.

This work supports public health, environmental protection, system reliability, and compliance with the 2014 consent decree.

The city is required to rehabilitate sewer infrastructure at a rate of approximately 4.2 miles per year based on a three-year rolling average.

In fiscal years 27 and 28, the sewer rehabilitation project includes a little over 24 million dollars in the fiscal year 27 and a little over 22 million dollars in fiscal year 28.

This continues a long-running program that has rehabilitated much of the city's sewer infrastructure system since 1980s.

The urgent sewer project funds priority repairs identified through conditions assessment.

The city inspects roughly 20 to 25 miles of sewer mains and associated maintenance holes each year to identify infiltration, inflows, and obviously structural deficiencies that deteriorate the system in fiscal year 27.

We'll also complete the sanitary sewer master plan.

We're very excited, which includes hydraulic modeling, CIP recommendations, and a fee study to actually evaluate whether our current rates sustain the program long range.

The next slide will cover facilities, which supports the buildings and structures that allow city services to operate.

Okay.

The facilities program includes approximately 20 proposed projects.

These investments keep city buildings and structures safe, functional, resilient, and in a state of good repair.

Key areas including planning for modernization of the zero waste transfer station, public safety building server room redundancy, and IT resilience upgrades, roof replacements, so no more leaking on the fifth floor on the or in the men's bathroom when you're sitting down, and building envelope repairs, and other deferred maintenance.

These projects are not only about buildings, they're about making that sure the city services can continue during normal operations, emergencies, and future climate or seismic events.

Next slide, please.

Sidewalks, obviously, are major accessibility and safety priority for public works in the city.

The proposed public works sidewalk program includes 19 projects with a strong emphasis on ADA improvements, curb ramps, pathways, and public right-of-way access.

The city is planning approximately 200 sidewalk repairs located locations for the fiscal year 26 sidewalk repair project.

At the same time, the 50-50 sidewalk repair program has a wait list of approximately 1,400 locations, again 1,400 locations, and roughly over 200 more gets added every single year.

So it's a chasing game as you can tell.

Clearing that backlog by 2031 would require more than 7 million dollars in additional funding.

Measure FF obviously is critical here.

Without Measure FF, the Safe Streets Initiative, sidewalk investments would be roughly 30% of the proposed funding levels.

With Measure F, we can make more meaningful progress on accessibility, tripping hazards, pathways, and the ADA transition plan as a whole.

The principle here is simple.

When we make Berkeley safer and more accessible for at risk people or users, we make it safer and more accessible for everyone in Berkeley.

Next, please.

Stormwater.

Stormwater.

Includes about nine proposed projects and approximately 10.6 million dollars over fiscal year 27 and 28.

This program is driven largely by regulatory compliance, water quality, obviously flood resilience, and climate adaptation.

Under the municipal regional stormwater permit, some street rehabilitation projects trigger what we call GI and means green infrastructure requirements.

The fiscal year 26 green infrastructure project will design and construct LIDs short for low impact development improvements triggered by the recent street rehabilitation work.

The permit also requires the city to reach 100% reduction in trash discharges to the bay compared to the 20209 baseline.

The city has achieved about or approximately 94%.

That's a great accomplishment for our team members.

Again, 94% reduction, huge.

But additional trash capture facilities are needed to reach the full goal.

Major efforts include the Berkeley Aquatic Park stormwater improvement project, Coordinates Creek Restoration at 9th Street, storm drain and trash capture work, stormwater quality improvements, the clean water program, and completion of the stormwater master plan, which we're excited about.

That master plan will help identify deficiencies, prioritize future capital projects, and incorporate climate adaptation strategies.

Next, please.

The streets program includes the city's annual street rehabilitation program, the bridge preventative maintenance, and the coordination between the measure effort program.

So together, these investments total more than $58 million in fiscal year 27 and 28 to improve safety, accessibility, and pavement conditions citywide.

I'll keep it there.

Next slide.

Okay.

With the core street rehabilitation program and Measure FF road rehab funding combined, we are proposing more than $58 million for streets in fiscal year 27 and 28.

That includes close to 38 million dollars in the street rehab program and about 20 million dollars in additional Measure FF road rehab funding.

The combined program is expected to improve about 25 center lines of streets over the next two years.

The work is spread across all eight council districts and is aligned with again policy priorities, including equity zone, bikeways, bus routes, high injury streets, and the city's dig once policy approach.

Council's 2022 commitment of an additional $8 million annually for paving made a huge difference.

Before that, the city was averaging roughly about two to three centimeters of paving per year.

Since that investment, we have increased output to nearly 10 centimetes per year over fiscal year 24 through 26.

And for a pavement engineer, they will be jumping up backwards.

You know, that's a great accomplishment.

So it's in the right direction.

So obviously the data is moving in the right direction, as I mentioned.

Citywide PCI improved from 55 in 2023 to about 57 at the end of 2025.

But PCI 57 unfortunately is still at risk category, and the city has more than 300 million dollars in deferred pavement maintenance.

So we are making progress, but the work is still far from complete.

Next, please.

These investments prioritize making it safer for people of all ages and abilities to walk, roll, bike, take transit, and move around Berkeley in general.

They include safe routes to school, bicycle boulevards, pedestrian safety improvements, traffic signal modernization, transit access, and corridor projects.

The funding sources include Measure FF, obviously, the state.

We have a lot of local grants, state transportation tax, MTC funding, the UC Berkeley settlement, Measure BB, and other regional and local resources.

The next slide highlights examples of our transportation projects that we're proposing in the CIP.

This slide highlights several projects within the proposed transportation CIP.

Adline transportation improvement will deliver quick build improvements and advanced permanent design, including safety, accessibility, protected bike facilities, signal improvements, and AC transit bus stop improvements.

The Cedar Street Median Crossing and Cedar Street Pedestrian Safety Crossing Improvements support safer crossings along an important corridor and connect with the bike plan and the pedestrian plan priorities.

Citywide traffic calming program provides stable funding to expand neighborhood traffic calming as a whole.

We were at Claremont last night.

The Claremont Avenue Complete Streets Corridor Project will support the public process and design work for major safety corridor.

Alone greenway improvements will widen and repave the greenway, add lighting, and improve crossing.

Oxford for all will obviously advance complete streets design between Hearst and Bancroft.

The telegraph multimodal project will continue complete streets design from Dwight to the Oakland border, including protected bike lanes, transit improvements, pedestrian safety, and ADA upgrades.

We also continue safe routes to schoolwork for Washington Elementary, Berkeley High, along with the Vision Zero Quick Build and Action Plan work that's ahead of us.

Next slide, please.

All right, the final slide before I stop talking.

So the final public works categories equipment replacement and other infrastructure that America touched upon a little bit at the beginning.

So equipment replacement includes five proposed equipment replacement projects and six other infrastructure projects.

So in fiscal year 27, the vehicle replacement program is proposed at about 9.6 million.

And in fiscal year 28, that goes down to about 4.9 close to 5 million.

The equipment replacement fund is supported by monthly charges to departments for vehicles and equipment replacement.

Departments are responsible for covering shortfalls and replacement costs exceed available balances.

So the fiscal year 27 plan is to replace approximately 66 vehicles or pieces of equipment and add one new all-electric rear loader truck for zero waste.

For 28, the numbers are about 61 replacements, including some mowers.

So, and as a general rule, the city public works, whenever the market and operation allows us, we will move towards electrical electric vehicles.

With that said, that concludes the public work slides.

I'm going to hand it over to my colleague to take over the IT slides.

Thanks, Boeid.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the council.

I'm Kevin Fong, director of IT.

And fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, we don't have a lot of slides, but it does not mean we're not passionate.

I mean, I'm so passionate, I brought help along.

So tonight I'm pleased to present some of the key IT milestones and accomplishments from the past year.

So the IT team significantly strengthened the stability and security of city operations by accelerating our cloud migrations, ensuring full regulatory compliance, and replacing outdated inefficient systems, which we're still doing.

Our achievements are built on four strategic pillars, and I'll start with the first one better online services.

To build a more resilient infrastructure, we transition to a cloud-first architecture.

Central to this effort was the Excel cloud migration in October of 2025, an achievement that eliminated on-site server failure risk and delivered an immediate 40% increase in portal performance.

For context, this platform securely processes about $15 million in annual permitting and another $30 million in business licenses.

For our city workforce, we collaborated with HHR, payroll, audit, and the city manager's office to launch the employee access portal on March 23rd of this year.

This is this secure self-service module allows over 1,500 city employees to manage their pay stubs and W-2s independently, which is already reduced HR administrative tickets by 30%.

Our second pillar is stronger security and reliability driven by rigorous multi-layered protection strategy.

First, on identity verification, we achieved a 100% citywide compliance with our hardware-based multi-factor authentication.

We kind of dubbed that as the Berkeley two step, if any of you remember that, but I won't do the dance here.

Second, for endpoint security, we completed a full hardware and software refresh, recently deploying Windows 11 enterprise across all our city workstations to meet modern security standards.

And third, for some employee safety, we accelerated the launch of Be Warned.

This is a multi-platform internal emergency system designed specifically to notify staff of critical health and safety issues by pushing alerts instantly to all city issued devices.

Our third pillar is more reliable infrastructure focusing on facility builds and connectivity.

A major milestone was reaching 95% citywide facility Wi-Fi coverage, which included overcoming the complex challenges and engineering challenges of deploying on the open waters at the marina.

We also successfully delivered the core technology infrastructure for the fire headquarters relocation.

Despite utility permitting delays, our team engineered a temporary connection solution to ensure the department moved in completely on schedule.

Additionally, we standardized our meeting room audio visual hardware, replacing legacy systems unify the user experience, and we directly achieved a $68,000 annual savings.

Finally, pillar four, financial improvement or operational improvements, targeted the elimination of inefficient obsolete systems.

To achieve regulatory compliance, we launched new technology that lets 311 securely handle credit card payments by phone in full compliance with PCI standards.

It makes payments easier, improves revenue collection times, and eliminates the city's liability.

For context, during a single week in May 2026, our 311 center securely processed over $37,000 in credit card payments by phone.

To accelerate the modernization of our financial infrastructure, we restructured our approach to accounts receivables.

We removed general billing from the scope, allowing specialized end systems to handle direct invoicing.

As a result, revenue data now bypasses our legacy fund system entirely, protecting data integrity and accelerating the sunsetting of our aging mainframe infrastructure.

So in summary, we established a new baseline for IT excellence.

By modernizing our environment and eliminating operational risk, we've successfully cleared the path to our future roadmap, including the final decommissioning of legacy systems and upcoming public safety cloud upgrades.

Next slide, please.

So I'm going to pass this on to Deputy Director Barry, who's going to talk about infrastructure security and applications.

Thank you, Kevin.

So this slide that we're looking at summarizes information technologies proposed capital investments for FY27 and 28.

These projects focus on three core areas: infrastructure, cybersecurity, and business applications that support city operations and services delivered to the community.

Just as the city invests in roads, facilities, and other critical public assets, we must also invest in the information technology infrastructure that supports virtually every city service today.

The largest investment is in cybersecurity and infrastructure.

These funds support the technology that keeps city operations running, protect sensitive information, and reduces the risk of service disruptions caused by cyber threats or equipment failures.

The asset management project improves our ability to track and manage city technology assets, helping us plan replacements before equipment fails, ensuring public funds are used efficiently.

On the application side, the Clarity Project is a planning department-led initiative for a new permitting system with IT supporting integration efforts into Irma to improve connectivity between systems.

As Berkeley transitions to a new permitting platform, this investment ensures information can flow seamlessly between systems, reducing manual work, improving data accuracy, and helping staff process permits more efficiently.

Since technical requirements are still being finalized, the current 150,000 estimate is preliminary.

The remote site redundancy project improves resiliency at city facilities by providing backup connectivity options, helping critical operations remain available even when a primary network connection is disrupted.

Overall, these investments represent a relatively modest capital commitment.

485,000 in FY27 and 685,000 in FY28, but they help protect millions of dollars in existing technology investments and support the reliable delivery of city services.

The key takeaway is that these investments help protect the city's ability to deliver services by maintaining secure systems, reliable infrastructure, and resilient technology, we can continue supporting city operations and serving the community effectively.

With this, I'll hand it back to Marikar to talk about unfunded capital needs.

Thank you, colleagues.

Now you guys understand why this was a 40-slide presentation.

There's been a tremendous amount of work that's happened, is currently happening, and is planned to happen.

However, even with this remarkable uh progress and strong pipeline of projects already scheduled for the next biannual budget and planned through 2031, we still face a significant challenge, which is our unfunded capital needs remain substantial.

Um, I oh Mark, can you please go to the next slide?

Thank you.

I uh reload reloaded the five-year CIP budget just to show again that the proposed five-year CIP investment is 4.106 million dollars in the next five years.

However, even after that five-year investment, we project an estimated 2.12 billion dollars in unfunded capital needs at the end of the five-year period.

What does that mean?

That means that our annual capital allocation are insufficient to address infrastructure needs at the scale and pace required, resulting in increased risk of facility failure, escalating repair costs, service disruptions, and inequitable conditions across neighborhoods.

To put this into perspective, information technology faces approximately 22.6 million dollars in unfunded capital needs.

In a moment, each department director will briefly highlight their most pressing unfunded needs, beginning with IT, followed by Parks Rex and Waterfront, and concluding with public works.

Might be faster just to switch seats.

So thank you, Marikar.

So you may have heard the you may have heard the term funds.

I mentioned it earlier.

For those that don't know, funds is a city's 1980s era custom built software system that manages our day-to-day financial operations.

It's old, it's outdated, and it needs to be replaced immediately.

I want to be completely transparent about our fiscal reality.

Right now, the funding required to fully retire funds is entirely unavailable within our internal IT budget.

We're forecasting at least two years of intense dedicated effort to finally get off this legacy system at a total estimated cost between 3.2 and 3.7 million dollars in today's dollars.

Our continued reliance on this system carries a massive operational risk as well.

The outside contractors who custom built funds 40 years ago are nearing retirement or discontinuing service.

Because of their unique specialized knowledge, an unplanned departure would leave the city stranded with a critical support deficit.

If it breaks, we won't have anyone to fix it.

Sunsetting the system is therefore our highest priority to ensure long-term business continuity.

The largest and most complex remaining pieces, the land management and parcel tax data modules are simply too high risk to leave unaddressed.

Consequently, for the upcoming budget cycle beginning in FY29, we'll be working directly with the budget office to try to secure baseline CIP funding.

Dedicated capital is the only way we can mitigate this risk and officially shut this system down.

I will close and say that the good news is that we aren't waiting around to take action.

Our focus for this upcoming fiscal year is aggressively moving our accounts receivable, general billing, and customer master modules currently in funds over to our modern platforms such as Tyler Technology.

So we do have a clear path forward.

We just need the capital resources to finish the job.

So thank you.

I'll pass this, I guess, to Scott.

Thanks, Kevin.

Next slide, Mark.

Next slide.

Keep going.

Keep going.

We just got the individual slides there.

Oh, we did.

Yes, it's okay.

Go back to the other on the yellow strips.

Yeah, yellow strips.

Yeah, go.

Okay.

Well, we have a fair amount of unfunded and parks recreation and waterfront.

Uh we've made a lot of progress with uh T1, about fifty million dollars of T1 was allocated to fix up our parks and our waterfront.

Um we've our camps are in relatively good shape, but we still have a significant amount of unfunded.

And um, as Merikar pointed out, even though we're doing um uh a tremendous amount of capital over the next five years, we're not making any progress on that unfunded list.

And the same thing is true in parks.

We have um, as we things break, things wear and tear, and so as we complete projects, other ones become issues or break.

We had a um just yesterday or or just Saturday, we had a uh a slight a small sinkhole up here in the south cove, which we're really worried about, and hoping that the bond measure passes in November and we'll have the funds to replace the seawall, which was the genesis of that sinkhole.

And but throughout parks, we have a variety of unfunded needs that need to be um funded so that we're not closing facilities.

Um I think in 2015, we closed the Berkeley Pier, we closed the the Berkeley the trellis at the Rose Garden shortly after, and fortunately with T1 funds, we were able to re-establish that working on the pier.

Um, but as we as scene gets old, things get older, they need to be fixed.

And so we've got a couple we've got a community center that's not seismically safe and very small that needs to be fixed.

Um, and so our unfunded needs keep growing, and um we're excited for the potential bond measure that'll make a lot of progress.

We heat.

Thanks, Scott.

For public works, I'll keep it uh pretty simple.

The key takeaway is that um on the public works side, unfunded capital needs is approximately 1.8 billion.

Yes, 1.8 billion.

Uh that reflects the scale of infrastructure we're responsible for maintaining, which is obviously streets, sidewalks, sewer, stormwater, transportation, facilities, fleet, and many other core assets that we residents rely on every single day.

So this CIP obviously is not a full solution, it's the city's best um efforts to prioritize limited resources, protect essential services, priorization, and leverage outside funding wherever we can feasibly.

So with that said, I'll hand it over back to Americar.

Okay, I need to eat more spinach.

Can't even press that.

We don't want to end this amazing presentation with a 2.2 billion dollar unfunded need.

We did just want to highlight that that is something that we need to work towards addressing.

But what we do as we wrap up, it is important to highlight that there's been some progress made despite the significant unfunded capital needs.

Streets and roads and sewers.

If you guys can read that, the bottom table, the streets, the sidewalks and pathways started off the first the five-year CIP with about 66 million dollars of unfunded need at the end of the five-year period.

It's gonna be about 54.7 million dollars unfunded capital for streets and roads.

We'll start off at about 263.1 million dollars at the end of the five-year period.

We're expecting to see that decrease to 167 million dollars.

And sewers starting with 138 million, the five-year period at the end of the five-year period.

This is the most significant decrease.

It's gonna be at about 32.7 million dollars unfunded need.

This improvement is not done, it will not happen by accident.

It is the result of targeted strategic solutions.

We have increased RCIP fund funding for streets and roads, measure FF revenues supporting sidewalks and pathways, streets and roads, and a completed sewer study rate study that led to phased rate adjustments beginning in fiscal year 2016.

These steps show that when we invest intentionally, we close gaps and strengthen our infrastructure.

That concludes our presentation of the five-year proposed CIP, and we all can now move on to discussion and questions.

Thank you.

Oh, next steps.

So for next steps, we're here now June 16th.

We're gonna go over, we went over the CIP as well as the biannual budget.

It's the next, I believe, the next item or third item in the 40 agenda item 40.

Or the June 23rd, we're hopeful that we're back here in front of you to adopt a 2027-28 budget and the five-year CIP.

July 1st is the beginning of fiscal year 27.

The adopted budget and balancing measure will take into effect, and the fiscal year 27 capital budget is available.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I know that was a lot to present and to gather and to work on, so thank you all very much for presenting it.

Um last time they presented this, there was some argument about which department was most important.

It was very amusing, but I I say that just to say that you all are very passionate about the work you do, and you've accomplished so much.

It's just really um it's really incredible.

Really amazing to see all the work that you've done.

I really am very grateful.

Um, so I want to take questions from my council colleagues on the CIP, starting with Councilmember Taplin.

Oh, okay.

Um, Councilmember Bakhby, do you have a question?

I do have a couple quick questions.

Uh I don't know how quick, actually, but they'll relatively quick.

Um slide 37.

If you could just pop that back up again, Mari Carr and 38.

Um, so I know that the bottom of 37, again, we're gonna invest, you know uh 400 million dollars over five years on capital projects, and our total unfunded capital needs or basically kind of flat.

We still, you know, so basically we're replenishing capital, but then capital needs are accumulating at the same time and we're doing some replenishment.

So we're kind of staying steady state.

On the other hand, on the next slide, as you indicated, like we're making significant investments in streets and sewers such that the backlog for streets and the backlog for sewers are significantly reduced, like we're making good progress there.

So I think my question is so given that overall we're sort of keeping we're kind of treading water, but we are making real progress in a couple areas.

Do we have a sense of where are the areas where we're getting worse?

Because a few areas are getting better, then some areas are getting worse.

And do we have a sense of what areas those are getting worse?

Does that make sense?

I'll give a um big picture answer and then for specific program categories, I'll rely on my colleagues to answer.

So there um some of them will probably be facilities because they have a very um their own their funding source is really just the general fund or the CIP fund, which is they're at the mercy of what's available, and the annual baseline, which is not very much uh for facilities.

I believe it is 900,000 annually for our um 95 buildings that we manage, which is um getting older as I sit here and talk.

Um, do you guys want to answer it specifically?

Um, well I'll talk regarding IT.

So one of our primary responsibilities is security, and as you know, everyone owns a computer, you gotta buy a new computer every few years.

So um we're impacted by that, you know, our firewalls and everything, they need to continue to be upgraded.

Uh just the rising cost of subscription software.

There's an annual escalator every year.

Uh that gets a little bit out of hand.

And then we have this little thing called AI coming up, which um, you know, as more of us are gonna start to use it, that consumes a lot of server power and things like that.

So there's gonna be additional costs in that, just in the licensing and then how much we're gonna use it, right?

So those are the things that come to mind.

Then you get the other stuff that just like sewers, right?

You don't think about it, but we have fiber that's underground, uh that deteriorates.

And um, so we need just like we need to keep the sewers running, we need to keep those fibers in good shape.

So, great.

Um, over time I'd love to see again understand more of this.

And if it's in the full report, I was kind of flipping through it in the in the full document.

It may not be in the in the in the presentation, but maybe if offline someone could point me at those numbers.

I I am really curious.

Like, you know, this is one of the things I've kind of I've I've I've been curious about for a while that like because I know like conceptually it makes sense.

We're investing, but things are atrophying at the same time.

And so it's this question of how much do we actually need to be investing to be moving the needle overall and not just treading water?

Um, and um, so I'm I'm really heartened to see that like we're investing enough in streets and we're investing enough in sewers that like we're like as you on the next slide, we're like we're making a big dent in those.

But I would just love not for now necessarily but out offline to know where things are really getting worse because those are gonna be the next detention areas in the next five year CI CIP potentially.

So that's one question.

Second question is um, if the infrastructure bond does pass, what does that do to the five-year plan?

Would we re-update the plan?

Maybe it's a question for the city manager.

Would we update the plan?

What happens in the middle of the five-year CIP if the infrastructure bond passes, and how do we make decisions about that?

Well, we um you've seen the project list for the five-year plan, uh, so that five-year plan project list would be incorporated into the part of the CIP, and we would be looking at um how do we how do we bring those new revenues in and um obviously we'd have to hire new staff, create new contracts with people to to do the do a lot of that work um and and build that into this.

So it would be a process.

Okay, okay, but we wouldn't necessarily we do this every five years.

We wouldn't necessarily re-update the plan in year two or year three.

I mean, we'll have the project list and we'll know what we're doing, and we'll come back and look at this again.

You know, in the next budget cycle to set the new the next five-year plan from there, basically.

Right.

Okay.

I comment on it, it'll generally reduce.

I mean, and that if if the bond measure passes, we're talking about the first five years probably spending a hundred million.

So it's generally going to reduce.

I would I would venture to say somewhere our unfunded lists between um you know 100 and 150 million dollars.

Um and I think um you will uh in the that increase over a hundred is because we know that that funding we could use to leverage for a variety of grants and other um funding sources that are out there.

So you saw earlier with Merikar's graph around the sixty-two sixty six million dollars are current grants that um public works and parks is operating out of but um in total in T1, we were able to leverage that a hundred million for another eighty-three million.

So we anticipate being able to do the same thing with uh additional funds.

Um there are many of our grant sources out there require 10, 20, 25, 50% leverage, so we'll be able to uh make a significant debt in the next five years in our own funded list.

Can I add last point and then oh sorry, keep going?

Council Member Blackabi.

I wanted to also say that to point out that the attachment um this capital improvement program overview, the last two pages has a more detailed uh breakdown of the unfunded capital needs by category in the last in the next five years.

Um, hopefully that will um answer your question.

If not, we can definitely provide something um more granular for you if you need to and also I'll dive into that.

That's helpful.

Thank you.

Well, but um last thing I think I mentioned this budget committee.

I am concerned that like in the out years, we have no new investment in IT.

I don't know what our options are there, what we can do, because again, you know, we invest money in IT, it also helps us save money and operations down the line.

So um do we have is it just an allocation decision kind of a council priority kind of policy thing if we wanted to move more money into IT or is that is there some restriction in terms of the the balance of that fund?

No, it is it'll it'd be a council pro uh prerogative on that and uh looking at the IT needs and in some of the out years on this plan is something that you know we definitely need to sit down with the ID department and get um, you know, more dig into that a little bit more and be able to come back to you all with some concrete proposals.

Okay, thank you.

Thanks, uh Mayor.

Thanks.

Did you have comments as well?

Because I I just realized if if you have some brief comments just on specifically on the CIP.

Okay, I'm gonna go back to Councilmember Taplin then.

Thank you.

Uh thank you very much and thanks to the team here.

Um I've always felt that the CIP never got the attention that it deserves.

I actually begin every year by reviewing the CIP as I prepare my work or plan for the year.

Um I want to commend PRW, PW and IT for your work on T1 and systems monetization as well as the grants and awards received.

I'm glad the camps fund is back online and grateful for the capital improvements on the waterfront and at Dreamland, the stormwater improvements at Equality Park and elsewhere in the city, the Vision Zero update, the citywide traffic calling program, and the strawberry creek culvert repairs.

I know we have a long road ahead of us with some tough choices that may call for some deep restructuring, but I wanted you to know that you have my support and commitment to ensure that you have the capital resources as necessary.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Vice Mayor Trake.

Sorry, so just to clarify, so folks, you can ask your questions and give some brief comments on CIP now.

And then what I want to do is give us like a five-minute stretch break, because I I think we've been sitting a long time here.

So go ahead.

Okay, thank you.

Um I have uh six questions, and the rest I'll submit in writing.

Um, Councilmember, you may not have time for all of those questions.

So I would prioritize, recommend prioritizing and keeping anything that you can keep for follow-up briefing.

Absolutely.

That's my prioritize list.

I had 12.

Otherwise.

Um on site 27.

Uh can you the North Barkley Senior Center Wall Collision Damage Repair?

Could you um edify me on what that is or what precipitated the damage?

What was the question again, Councilman?

Uh, what was the North Barkley Senior Center damage repair or collision damage repair?

Yeah, I don't have the immediate numbers in front of me, but we had two phases, one uh an emergency just to patch things up with temporary infrastructure, and we're going through the contract now with Bebros to be able to do the permanent repairs.

But the good news is that's not coming out of our funds.

We have our operations team that are also working, and I believe also City Attorney's Office uh for insurance claims.

So whatever the cost is, they'll be reimbursed through the insurance claim.

Okay, I'll I'll follow up offline um on that.

Um still not clear what the collision was, uh, but um I wanted to dig into um I had a broad question around I I think this uh in the past there was alignment between the five the CIP and the five year paving plan, and I know you spoke a little bit about this in fight, why it's broken out, but um what can you speak to the alignment or the difference between the two?

So the alignment is that the five-year uh paving rehabilitation is part of the overall CIP, which again also includes measure FF right now as well, too.

Includes all of the pavement rehabilitation, safety initiative, safety projects, sidewalks, and so forth, all inclusive.

Okay.

Um moving to IT.

Um I had a uh could you speak broadly um around I mean we had a referral uh from the council?

Uh I understand there is a draft uh guidance, um, and then there's a resolution around responsible use of AI.

Could you speak to how you're thinking about the integration of AI and also um talk about which aspects of the workflow right now that are public facing, like when you go pay your uh bills, um, still uh are in need of um having automation or being able to um on have online payment functionality.

Okay, let me start with the AI.

Um we are in the final steps of publishing an AI administrative regulation.

Uh, that should be coming out shortly, I hope, and that provides some uh good guidance in terms of how we use AI.

Uh we purposely designed it so it doesn't specifically guide you to a particular AI solution, it guides you in how to properly and and responsibly use it.

Um we are internally right now uh prototyping or proof of concepting on a limited basis, uh Microsoft's co-pilot, because we are already licensed for that under a government cloud license, which by the way means that unlike other AIs, anything that we do within the co-pilot AI within the government cloud keeps it within our bubble.

So it doesn't share that information.

And that's very important, right?

Because if you go to a general public AI and you prompt it with something, you've effectively discussed that topic with somebody else.

So the litmus test that we basically follow by is would you talk to somebody in the streets about what you want to talk about?

If the answer is no, you shouldn't use AI.

Um so we're we're getting close to that.

Um, and we have to move on that because many employees are kind of going off on their own, and you know, we get constant bombardment about, you know, what do you recommend?

And honestly, we don't have a recommendation right now.

We're working on it ourselves.

So hopefully that addresses the uh the AI concern.

Um, in terms of, I think your last question was uh more self-service functionality, right?

So I don't know if you were so we had credit card payments by phone process by 311 about two years ago.

That wasn't PCI compliant, so we had to stop doing that.

And um the impact on the community was bad because people were complaining.

Hey, you know, now you're forcing me to either mail in a payment or come in person.

So it took a little while, but we managed to implement that that credit card payment by phone solution.

Uh we made it universal, so right now 311 is using it, but we're in a position where we might be able to expand it in the next year to any department because it's tied in tightly to our phone system.

So um other departments like maybe finance, for example, if they want to start processing it, it's a matter of configuring the phone system to direct it to that solution.

Is that seamlessly integrated to online payment capability?

Like I I know RPP parking, you can now do that online, but I um I understand from constituents that not all uh but that functionality is limited to certain.

Yes, so the solution we have is a universal solution, it's just where we apply it to.

So when we decide to go that direction, we can apply this solution to RPP payments or whatever, right?

Okay.

Uh would love to dig in a little more at a later time.

Um but um moving on.

Um, um right now uh I believe you're using two systems.

There's clarity for planning or uh for planning, it's being migrated to clarity, but then a seller is still being used.

So what it what is the longer term uh and I guess what are the costs that we are holding while we're using two separate systems?

So that is a concern of ours.

Um, so yes, the answer is we are using Excel, Excel is supports the finance department, um planning, who else?

Public works, right?

And I think some fire permitting and environmental health, right?

So Excel supports those three departments.

Planning is is looking at a replacement for Excel to just replace their permitting solution.

Um so that's that 150,000 dollars that we alluded to that because we don't know there's gonna be some integration effort.

But either way, we are gonna have two systems because if clarity goes live, that's just for the planning department.

We still need to maintain Excel for um the finance department and the other departments, right?

Um, so until we we come up with a better master plan, uh we're gonna actually end up with two parallel systems.

Okay, thank you.

Um and my last question, I'm gonna have some brief comments, but um funds.

Did I hear correctly?

Um funds migration is beginning in FY29.

No, no, no, no.

Um, funds migration has been going on and it's going on now, but we have two major modules, which is uh parcel tax and land management.

Those are the two behemoths that we still need to migrate off of funds.

Um so right now we have sufficient funding in the IT cost allocation to address uh the some of the smaller modules like accounts receivable and general billing and customer master, but when those are completed, then that's gonna be around FY28-29.

We still need to address those last two big modules, which currently is unfunded.

And our 680 cost allocation doesn't have the money to pay for that right now.

So that's why I raised in the uh the unfunded CIP issue.

Okay, thank you.

Um I I know there's more opportunity to dig in.

Um I'll just say that I IT needs a dedicated funding stream, and I'm looking forward to if I have the opportunity to continue um this work on the council um that uh my intention is to um work with you, kind of focus some of my future efforts in that direction.

Um I formally believe that um all city departments, including semi-autonomous departments.

Um I will leave it at that, uh, need to budget for and pay their fair share in terms of uh IT expenditures.

Um on the CIP, um, I really appreciate uh the call out to to Councilmember Taplin's point, uh, sometimes CIP not always getting the um the visibility that it deserves.

I really appreciated the comprehensive nature of this presentation.

Um we have to continue to prioritize essential infrastructure investments that keep Berkeley safe, accessible, and resilient.

Repairing and improving streets and sidewalks, upgrading sewer and stormwater systems, and enhancing ADA accessibility throughout public spaces is immensely important.

And we, of course, live in uh earthquake country, and so this plan also advances seismic retrofits and ongoing maintenance of city facilities along with upgrades to park and recreation amenities.

Um, as someone who has dedicated the uh better part of my adult life to working on climate protection and climate justice, uh I'm really proud that the city is also expanding its commitment to climate action through projects focused on building electrification and energy efficiency, and I appreciate how integrated that is along with resiliency into the plan.

Uh so thank you so much.

Councilman, if I can, uh your inquiry about the North Berkeley Senior Center Wall Project.

The contract was awarded at 61,168 to, as I mentioned earlier, Bros construction.

And again, the main point of issue there was a vehicle ran into the wall.

So while we are making the repairs to the location is open, but I believe that regarding hot food there's still an issue.

But once we repair everything is fully operational, as I mentioned earlier, the city is going for reimbursement through the reins insurance from that resident who ran into it.

Unfortunately, hope that answers your questions inquiries.

It answers part of my question.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Humbert.

Madam Mayor, I don't have any questions.

I just have comments, so I can save those for later.

If you would like on the CIP, though, you're welcome to.

Oh, sure.

Yeah, okay.

Thank you.

Um I want to thank all of you sitting up there, our spectacular directors and the staff that works with you for this incredible report and all the work that you know that you do and all the work that went into it.

Um I just want to kind of um rhapsodize a little bit.

I really appreciate the photos of the great projects that have been completed in your presentation.

The beautiful stormwater swale facilities that preserve and filter our stormwater include beautiful native grasses and plants.

The photo of the recently completed Willard Clubhouse, which I just I mean, I'm just so still so thrilled about it.

A facility that was designed as lead silver and was awarded lead gold, and and it's garnered incredible numbers of awards.

The photos of Southside Complete Streets, the Woolsey Eaton intersection, which I think is a work of art.

Um these are just a few of the great accomplishments recently completed by all of you, and I want to say that I'm thrilled that the Fulton Woolsey bike boulevard improvements have been completed, including the important safety crossing improvements at Shaddock and Woolsey between districts eight and three.

Um I'm thrilled that we're underway with the quick build safety improvements on the Claremont Avenue corridor.

They're happening right now.

We're moving toward final design adoption and bids on the critical safety improvement at Zachary's Corner, Warring and Derby, after an inclusive public process that included Zachary's father and grandmother.

Um I see this report shows the work we're going to be able to do to make our streets safer and sidewalks better and safer through Measure FF funds.

And I'm so grateful that Berkeley residents supported that by an almost supermajority in D eight.

In D8, I see that we'll finally get to work on the dangerous crossing at Claremont and Eton, where our D8 resident Paul Fogle was so grievously injured several years ago.

This will be an FFCIP project.

I see the first year of the five-year CIP plan includes an expenditure for commencing the process of designing permanent corridor improvements on Claremont Avenue.

There will be substance substantial public outreach on this, of course.

I'm thrilled generally to see that we'll be spending FF monies on repairing the worst of our sidewalks and the worst of our streets, and specifically some of our streets in the worst conditions, with PCIs hovering in the single digits.

And these are things we weren't able to tackle until until FF.

So thanks to all of you and your staff for this report, and also to every member of our staff and contractors who have done and will do the work shown in this report.

Thank you.

Big hand of applause for all of you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember Rartlet.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I too want to thank you all for your work.

Your work.

These last few years uh you've accomplished so much.

And with um a very creative process, resources become challenging, constrained, found new buckets of resources, new workflows, and uh dedicate yourselves to making our city uh great again, if you will.

And uh so and uh you've done a lot of great work in my district.

You named it all.

I want to thank you uh again.

And so I'm curious, though, as we look at sort of the next five years, and uh, you know, the and I want to just hearken back to Councilmember Vicemar Tragob's um comments.

You know, it's a shame that the IT budget is not um vigorous because uh so much of the savings are gonna come from, bless you, are gonna come from IT ultimately.

We know this uh as we get better processes and more efficiencies and do more um with the new tools we have.

Um, and then the other savings and the on the physical side, the CIP, um I'm curious about the the cost trajectories uh across these um these different facets of the next few years.

Uh I know they're I know they're protected to go up.

Uh they were last five years ago too.

Uh and so I'm looking at the you know the the core sort of the core components that are that are subject to inflation, inflationary pressures, um, the concrete, um asphalt, uh electrical components, labor.

Um, so I'm wondering uh what sort of uh sort of structural uh issues, struct structural techniques, structural strategies are we deploying uh to kind of get the cost curve uh because our our our buckets of money are are gonna are are finite.

Uh and so I'm wondering what are we looking?

Are we looking at new forms of procurement?

Uh you know, large um procurement uh at scale.

Is it uh new materials that last longer or new new things like concrete made of hemp, things like that.

You know, I'm curious as to what we're looking at to get at the cost curve.

I can start and I can hand it over to our my colleagues to chime in.

So unfortunately, as you mentioned, council member, we really don't have too much control as far as inflation.

We do have some wild cards as far as the oil prices, hopefully they're gonna come down.

So there's not too much limitation that we have, and there's we we tend to keep a tight pulse as far as technology and what's trending.

Uh obviously, with GI, we look at papers, so we have a good robust toolbox to be able to implement whatever is the most efficient means and methods to treat the location.

Uh but the majority of the savings comes with the way we strategize how we package our contracts, where we do what we work where we compile a lot of infrastructure work at specific locations based on the needs to be able to get competitive costs, meaning uh save in mobilization and traffic control costs.

So those elements from uh engineering construction, project management, construction management perspective, we do have a little bit of wiggle room and we can be strategic, but unfortunately, to your point, as far as the material cost and escalation, that's not within our our uh limitation or our wheelhouse to be able to control it.

But we do look at the trends, and we look at how do we competitively get the best pricing by combining projects by pulling it from all of the adopted plans that we have that is you know close to being shovel ready to be able to get the most infrastructure and maximize the limited funds that we have.

And also, to your point for pavement, I think our team who uh a bunch of them are behind me in support for today, the engineering team public works is a full force behind me and their the brains behind all of this.

We look at um through our engineering lands, where do we have critical you know point management?

Meaning that if we do have infrastructure, that if we give a little bit of love today, it'll save us two million dollars in two years and we take that route.

And that becomes our first and foremost professional recommendation to be able to control costs to be able to extend the life cycle of our infrastructure that is already aging, so that way it gives us a little bit more flexibility to m maneuver and do more within the city with our limited resources.

So again, as I mentioned, I want to give uh huge shout outs to our engineering team, transportation who's behind us, uh, because they're uh day in, day out they do this, uh, you know, and and try to maximize the limited funds that we have and roll out as much safety and infrastructure that we can efficiently.

Big ups to the team.

Uh the question I'm curious, just as we have uh this sort of this jurisdictional spanning uh energy system here, Ava Energy.

Uh do we ever have that possibility of sort of group buying for materials with other jurisdictions to lower the lower the cost by its scale, you know?

So we use a variety of methods to to lower our cost, and I think uh we he touched on some of them.

Um so but others of them are making sure we are bids are competitive, meaning that there are multiple bids on um our our um on our construction projects, and that you it's always worrisome when you do um the mandatory bid walk and you have two or three contractors show up as opposed to 13 or 14 because you know you're gonna get a much better price from more contractors.

So reaching out to those contractors, making sure they're sure they're all aware of those bridge, and quite frankly, a lot of it comes down to the relationship with our project project managers.

So contractors are willing to bid on projects for the city of Berkeley because they know they're gonna work with oftentimes very qualified um and um efficient project managers, and so that makes their job so much easier if you're working with somebody who can guide you through the process of of the bureaucracy of our bureaucracy and um construction management and an inspection, and we work hand in hand with those contractors, so the relationship between our project managers and the contractors is really important, and also oftentimes increases the number of bids we get.

Um so they're stable of contractors, and right now, you know, what we're seeing we're in this little lull here where there's and we will be probably for the next few years where there's not a whole lot of municipal money out there, and so um, and a lot of my peers are talking about hey, the the the projects that they are bidding out are coming back, you know, around the engineer's estimate, um, and are much more predictable than they have been in the last two to three years because those are us municipal projects out there, and that will be it'll be that way for the next probably four to six years.

And so we've got a window where you know we can roll out as many projects as we're gonna be more competitive.

And so that those all those type of things keep our prices down.

Um, you know, the Santa Fe right-of-way bid, which I was talking about earlier, came back in today.

We had a lot of very competitive bids, and we had um uh several of those bids that were below our construction estimated cost, but it's because we had a fair amount of bidders there, and uh people are looking for work.

So all those factors go into what the you know how the contractor sharpens their pencil.

Okay, let last question.

And uh and it's on the on this bit on this bid topic too.

Uh, have the you have we had any um any sense that the that the the new the new entities envisioned under the birth inclusion diversity index?

Have any of these new companies been applying?

Have they been competitive?

Have they been partnering with some existing legacy companies?

Just curious.

We've seen more um a much more variety of of companies and a lot of newer companies bidding on our projects than ever before.

Yeah, as an example, our current fiscal year 26 paving um project that just went out is hitting the streets.

This the contractor who won the competitive bidding is new.

So a lot of times it was a previous contract that uh was awarded, but this time around it is a new contractor.

Again, they were went through the public bidding process, they were the most qualified responsive responsible bidder.

We're looking forward to working with them.

Very good, thank you.

Thanks for the question.

Councilmember O'Keefe.

I forgot I pressed the button.

Um, just a quick appreciation.

Um thought that I had during the presentation, which was what 40 slides?

It's very long, but that's that's not a criticism.

I want to say that in recognition for how uh complex um of a system this represents.

And I was really struck somewhere during the presentation that like each each single slide represents an unbelievable amount of person hours for whatever projects were depicted on the slide.

And I was just like when I kind of thought of that, and then there's like 40 slides, it was just uncredible how much work has been done.

And and what we're looking at today is how well organized and executed it is because it's a really really complicated thing to manage.

So I just wanted to give props to all of you and city manager and every all the people who execute it's really um I'm I'm very impressed.

And um that was my general appreciation.

I have a very specific appreciation, which is for um acting director Marie.

Thank you so much for putting McGee on the FF paving plan.

It's just it's a small, seemingly random street, but it's like basically rocks, and the residents are very appreciative.

So that's all.

Thank you so much.

Uh again, I want to give the credit to Measure FF team, transportation engineering, and all the it gave us opportunity for like what I call the 360 perspective to be able to look at all of our network where street segments that were missed for 30 years.

They have an opportunity now, as they all pay their taxes.

This gives them an opportunity for a fresh pavement and also it safeguards the road for bicyclists, pedestrians, you know, strollers, because when you're in gravel, that's not a safe uh means of travel path.

If I tried to write my bicycle on that road, I think it would destroy the entire thing.

So thank you.

Uh Councilmember Kessarwani.

Uh thank you very much, Madam Mayor.

I um I just uh, you know, this is actually my second time getting this presentation because uh we we did receive it at the the budget and finance committee as well.

So I just want to thank you again for all of the detail that is presented here, and I uh specifically wanted to call out the work on streets.

I I know you did already, you know, talking about that eight million general fund increase.

Um I authored that, and and I just want to take us down memory lane because when I first got on the council back in 2019, 2020, uh, we would pass our five-year paving plan, and our public works director at the time would tell us and and he sort of glossed over it, and that's not a criticism because we were always in the habit of seeing our pavement condition index decline every time we approve the five-year paving plan, and uh the reason for that is because we were not investing enough general fund resources to actually see the pavement condition index improve, and I really zeroed in on that and recognized that as a major problem.

Others did as well, you know.

You know, I don't want to take singular credit, and I I really wanted to see us commit more general fund dollars to that, and we made that commitment, and I want to thank the advocates who rallied around measure F F to draft that and collect the signatures and get it on the ballot.

What that measure does, as this presentation shows, it doubles down and gives us even more resources so that people who live on McGee, that used to be district one, it's now district five.

Street that was in similar condition, and we we worked to get that one repaved a couple years ago.

And I did want to briefly mention that Measure FF has language in it that says if we don't continue to do the eight million general fund commitment, that that parcel tax revenue will also go down.

And I really appreciate that because I feel very confident that it has it has really locked in that general fund commitment.

And it this is really hard stuff because think about the deficit that we're in right now.

It would have been if we didn't have that guarantee in FF that we cannot pull these dollars, it would have been really tempting.

And that's what prior councils did reduce the investment in capital, streets that we all use every single day to close deficits.

You know, that's really a big part of why we're in the unfunded um deferred maintenance, right?

Of of a lot of our capital.

So I mean, a lot of cities have this problem though, you know, it's things are uh, you know, things uh wear out and degrade um and and the costs continue to grow.

So so we have this problem, and and and so I I just feel like they're despite the 1.8, I think you said 1.8 billion, right?

Of unfunded infrastructure liability.

I I really think that there's a bright spot here for our for our streets and the sidewalks, and and then we have our 300 million dollar general obligation bond that the voters will take a look at and hopefully um authorize so that we can do more, do more of all of this work uh that we all benefit from as a community.

So thank you again, and um, really glad to see where we are on the streets, especially.

If I can add, uh, thanks to measure FF and the approach that we're taking between the baseline two programs.

Uh we run some modeling in our 12-year projections.

They show that our PCI as a full network throughout the city will be in the 60s, so that's a huge accomplishment.

That's only 12 years, and again, that goes based on the framework that we're addressing the city complete network.

So that's great.

I mean, as I said, we're definitely heading in the right direction, and kudos to council members who made the $8 million decision.

As I said, we're still not in the 70s, but hey, we're in a great place in the 60s in 12 years.

That's great.

We just got to keep heading in that direction.

Yes, and and just quickly, Mr.

Amiri, for people who don't know what 60s mean.

I mean, that's a bad grade, but you know, if on a on a test, but 60s here, because we uh just translate that.

That's is that's not very good, but is it like good or fair?

It's it's it's very good for where we're at right now.

When we when you think about PCI of six, and when when the sweeper goes by and the dust cloud comes up in the in a in a you know established corridor, I think as I said, we're going we're heading in the right direction.

Again, it shows a commitment from the residents from council to again provide the resources so we can deliver the goods.

So kudos to all of you guys.

Yes, and and because also just really quickly, I know it's getting late.

We have another big item to do.

When you're at six, you know, in the past we would tell you, well, we're really sorry, tough luck now, because your street is in such bad condition that it would be too expensive to fully repair your street, uh, to fully reconstruct your street.

Um, and so we need to put ourselves in a position where we're not letting things get to that point, right?

That I think we have that cost curve for streets, right?

Where a dollar early saves eight dollars later on the reconstruct.

Um, so that's why we did the eight million.

You know, we we're trying to save money by maintaining, and and I think that's where we're gonna be.

And um, so so I'm really I'm really pleased to see that.

Thank you.

Moving on to Council Member Linopara.

Thank you.

I don't have any questions.

I just I really want to thank all of the people who have worked on this.

Um I during the conversation I was reminded of the origins of Measure F F and how three of us after the failure of Measure L came up with this idea, and it was a couple of 20-somethings that cared enough about this that started it, but it was so many people along the way that that were that worked on the campaign that that volunteered that that voted for it, and now it's the work of our incredible staff that's going to implement it.

So I just am very grateful for all of that.

Thanks.

Thank you so much.

I just have some comments.

Um again, thank you all so much for your presentation.

Sure.

Okay.

I'm gonna interrupt myself and open up the public hearing on the on the budget.

Um thanks.

Thanks, Mark.

Um, all right, so I mean, you all know infrastructure is one of my top priorities, and I'm very proud of all the work that we've done here, especially on our T1 projects.

It's already been mentioned, I guess.

But new Willard Clubhouse, restrooms and lighting in a Loney Park, Civic Center Upper Plaza, the dock repairs, and so much more is really improved the quality of life for our residents and also for our visitors.

We've completely um we've completed safety projects on several intersections and streets in Berkeley working towards our complete streets goals.

I see these projects every single day as I go around the city, and and I hear from people in the community that they see it too.

So I know that you all don't get to hear appreciation all the time, but know that the public really does appreciate your work.

And um, you know, we've done so much here, and I know there's a lot more to do.

I know that as Marikar was saying, the end of the presentation is a little bit hard because there is so much to do, and yet I know that we're really working on chipping away at this, and um that I really see that the next steps that we're moving forward um will get us in a good spot and and really making significant uh work of this uh this great need.

Um, as my colleagues have also said, I'm committed to addressing funded and unfunded capital improvement needs.

I know that this will take many years to get to the point where we're adequately maintaining our infrastructure versus just crisis management, which I know is what folks feel like it is right now.

Um, we've done a really amazing job at leveraging funding.

You all have done an amazing job of leveraging funding, and I want to make sure that we're continuing to do that, and that's why it's so important that we set aside funding from our general fund, and also, of course, that we are supporting this infrastructure bond that's coming up as well because this will really address some of our most urgent needs while also investing in capital projects that are critical to ensuring that Berkeley continues to thrive.

Um I also um you know just want to thank everyone for just the work that we have coming up because of course this is the plan once we approve it, there's work to do here.

So um I just want to say thank you again.

Thank you to all of you, thank you so much to your staff, thank you to everyone who put this presentation together.

It's a massive lift.

Um, and my staff and I have really spent a lot of time with it.

It's my second time hearing it, and I just feel more grateful the second time around.

So thank you all.

Um we are gonna take a, I think we need to take a 10-minute stretch break because we've been sitting a long time.

So we're gonna take a 10-minute stretch break, and we're gonna come back and the um we're the city manager will go over his budget or his staff will I'll present um my um clearly we need this break because yeah, I'm gonna present my amendments, and then um we will have council questions, public comment, and then council comments.

So 10 minutes, we'll be back.

Thank you.

Um, first of all, yeah, we need to stick around.

I think that's a good question.

Thanks for your statement.

So I don't want to make a big thing about it, but it is quite dramatic.

It was actually not like this process.

And I thought, yeah, that's our first thing.

It's really something so anyway, I don't know if I need to be here.

You know, I think I mean, I am so grateful for all that you and you all the way.

Yeah, but if you have an interview, you have an interviewing item about the rest of it.

I don't have a lot of time.

I'm confident.

But there's another hearing next week.

Yeah, yeah.

Which will be here, right?

Yeah, okay.

I'll be here.

Okay, thank you.

I want to have a few buttons.

Right.

So I'm not going to do that.

Yeah.

I don't know how to talk about it.

Okay.

Oh, no.

I think that's all.

I saw that I had no idea.

L'univers, and what, okay, okay, okay, ooh, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

Recording in progress.

Okay.

Thanks, everyone.

Thank you for your patience.

All right.

Coming back into session.

Thank you so much.

I'm going to pass it over to our city manager to present us with his budget.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I'll be brief and then I'll hand it over to budget manager Mark Ardupaya.

We have a short slide, a short deck, 10 slides, 10 minutes.

With the idea that we would work as hard as we could to minimize the impact of a very significant, nearly 30 million dollar structural deficit on both the services and programs and impacts that are felt by residents and also on impacts to our staff.

And it has been a very hard journey.

And I'm proud to say that while it is deeply painful to lay off any staff, we have really focused hard on making that number as small as possible.

Of that 183 staff, about 20 are filled positions who are on the layoff list.

So that 20 will go down to approximately 14.

And of the 14, she and her team are working very hard in partnership with our labor partners who have been very good partners throughout this process on a flexible placement program whereby we've frozen hiring in most uh classifications and positions to preserve the opportunity for people to move into jobs that are vacant, even if they are not in the same classification in which they currently reside, as long as they meet the minimum qualifications.

That is a uh that will be a voluntary offer that uh is made to people who are in that category.

And I really do want to extend my thanks to our HR Director Janelle Rodriguez and her team who have been working very hard to um go through that a tremendous amount of analysis and work um to minimize to the greatest extent possible the uh impacts to our staff and prevent as many people as possible from losing a job.

So um it has been a hard period.

Uh I really want to also extend thanks to Deputy City Manager David White, who's done a tremendous, tremendous amount of work.

Um, our budget manager Mark Ardupaye, who's done a tremendous amount of work as well as her um her small team.

It's a very small team who put in a lot of hours, and um we'll continue to put in a lot of hours until we wrap this whole thing up over the next week or so here.

So um with that I will turn it over to Marikar to walk through the slide deck.

Thank you, Paul.

My laptop's not working, so bear with me.

This is just a recap of what we proposed uh and presented um on May 19th to the full council, the proposed fiscal year 27 and 28 biannual budget.

Next slide, please, Mark.

So the purpose of overview, um, the purpose of this is to have a public hearing number two on the proposed biannual budget and five-year CIP.

Um continued discussion on the proposed fiscal year 27 and 28 budget as well as the five-year CIP that you just heard.

And of course, um, it allows for city council and public input um to allow for adoption of a balanced budget um scheduled on June 23rd, 2026.

The short slide will cover a recap of the proposed biannual budget as well as some technical technical changes since a May 19th.

Next slide, please.

Apologies for this very small font.

Budget engagement timeline.

This is just to show you that how we have been extremely engaged throughout this whole biannual budget development process.

We started way before January 2026, but just wanted to highlight what's been happening the past six months.

We've had budget and finance policy committees throughout.

The very first time we presented an update of the 27-28 proposing the baseline, presenting the baseline budget.

February 2026, we received a general fund revenue update from our finance director, as well as an overview of revenue enhancements.

We also had an overview of our fund CIP fund, which is when we propose and share that it does not have enough funding balance and it's expecting a structural deficit.

April 2026 is when it really picked up.

May 2026, a couple more budget and finance policy committee meeting.

We also presented the proposed five-year CIP and a budget referral song stroll.

And on May 19th, as mentioned, we presented to the full council the 27 28 proposed budget.

And here we are now in June, we've had two budget and finance policy committee meetings on the 11th, the mayor's proposed budget, and the community agency contracting overview.

And tonight we're here to continue discussion on the budget as well as we presented the five-year CIP to you.

And next Tuesday is the adoption of the proposed biannual budget and the five-year CIP as well as well as our fiscal year 2027 annual appropriation ordinance.

Next slide, please.

I'm sure you know this already, but our fiscal context of impacts and unknowns.

We mentioned already that we are experiencing a structural deficit and challenges, not only in the general fund, which is what we have mainly focused on, but also in our special funds like parking funds, marina, and our CIP fund.

There's a rising cost in personnel, pension, health care, and our liability insurance, as well as labor negotiations, inflation.

And we don't know how far it's how high it's going to go still.

Our historical reliance on one-time sources.

We still, our fiscal year 2026 year end results are still pending.

So we don't know how we're gonna end fiscal year 26.

And we just did a whole presentation in front of you about deferred maintenance and significant unfunded infrastructure needs, increased service demands and community expectations.

Of course, our November 2026 ballot measures, both local and statewide, that could impact our budget significantly going forward.

And last but certainly not least, state federal revenue limitations, economic and political uncertainty.

Next slide, please.

Started this budget development.

The goal is a structurally balanced budget that protects core services, reduces reliance on one-time funds, and sets the foundation for long-term fiscal sustainability.

We did that by first and foremost establishing our 2728 baseline budget by using actuals plus service needs going forward.

Budget balancing framework.

After the revenue and expenditure adjustments, the general fund deficit ranged from 31.3 million in 27 to 29.5 in 28.

Then there was an immense citywide effort to reduce 10 to 12.5% of general fund baseline budget, other fund-specific fixes that are also in structural deficit and revenue ideas.

This included strategic cost shifts, non-departmental refinements, and required debt service support and parking fund stabilization.

Even though we say that we want to move away from you relying on one-time resources, there are strategic times where it must be done, and as long as you use it, if it's a one-time source, it must be used for a one-time need.

So the use of one-time resources in fiscal year 27.

We have identified 12.06 million dollars of one-time funds used to smooth out the deficits.

And this is being used to sustain services in public safety youth and adult programs in fiscal year 27 until the outcome of a potential November 2026 sales tax measure is known.

This was also part of the May 19th slide presentation, but the general fund budget balancing will face recap.

We started off, the initial was 32.3 million in 27.

With an updated revenue, it became 27.14.

And as I mentioned, there's the um adjustments that happened in our total deficit before one-time use of resources in 27 was 33.3.

We used 2.1 million dollars of that to smooth out the 27 and 28, so it'll be easier to develop a budget, a balanced budget.

In 27, we ended with a general fund deficit after revenue and expenditure adjustment of 29.2.

In 28, we started with 33.2 million dollar deficit after revised um revenue projection 20 almost 25 million, and all of the changes and adjustments we ended with 29.5.

So those two bottom numbers were the numbers that we were working with when we initiated the budget balancing exercise for the whole organization.

Next slide, please.

Proposed revised changes all funds revenues.

So there are some technical changes that happened from the amounts that we proposed and presented on May 19th.

I will not go over every single slide, every single one.

There's a summary page on the next um couple of slides.

But overall, there's um a variance of 17.13.7 million dollars from the numbers from May 19th to now.

On the revenue side, next slide, please.

And on the all funds expenditure side, some of the technical changes that happened resulted in about an 11.6 million dollar change from the amounts proposed on May 19th to now, and in 2028, it is a 6.6 million dollars.

Next slide, please.

So the 2027 original proposed for May 19th, the revenue was cited at 772.1 million dollars.

The 27 revised today is 785.8 million, the expenditure was 905.2 million dollars.

Um, the revised proposed is now 916.8 in the 2028 proposed original on May 19th, the revenue was 773.4 million, the revised is 788.2 on the expenditure side is 865 million, and the revised proposed is 871.8.

On the staffing side, um, it was 1,600.84 FTEs.

The revise is an increase of two, so 1,606.84, and it's the same number uh in 2028.

So the changes from the 51926 reflects capturing capital grants and other capital funding that were not included in the 20 in the my in May 19th proposed amounts.

Also, we did not yet know what the consumer price index and personal income growth rates were going to be.

They were not yet available in 519 and they are now.

So we adjusted for that.

And also the Ren Board budget approved their budget by its board.

So we had to implement that as well and incorporate that in the budget.

These are an explanation of the changes can be found in the schedule of changes in the attachments.

The 27 and 28 staffing count that increased to two is due to the rent board's additional one OS 3 and one project-based assistant planner.

Position not to exceed three years.

Next slide, please.

This is the proposed general fund summary.

Nothing's changed on the revenue side on the expenditure side.

Um it is now 313.8 million dollars in 2027.

And in 2028, um, it is now 319.5 million dollars, and that can be explained.

Um the change in the expenditures stems from the part of the city auditors' budget balancing plan that were not reflected in the May 19th to 26 numbers that the budget office caught and have now put into the proposed amount.

The general fund staffing count um increased by 0.5, and that is again due to the rent board's um additional two FTEs, and 1.5 of that is their special funds, and 0.5 of that is general fund.

But it does not increase their general fund allocation.

I just wanted to point that out.

What they did was they decrease their non-personnel that they get from the general fund and moved it up to their personnel.

So that concludes this real very short presentation.

Again, um, the point of this is to continue our discussion and provide comments on the proposed budget as well as the proposed five year CIP.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Um, and if it's okay with my council colleagues, I'll present uh my amendments to this budget, then we can take questions at the same time.

Does that work?

Okay.

All right, very good.

So I want to start with some comments, some introductory comments.

So, as was mentioned by Marikar's presentation, we are in a $30 million structural deficit.

Simply put, that means our expenses exceed our costs with the reliance on one-time resources, cuts of the federal and state levels, the slow recovery from the pandemic, the increase in cost, and continued financial uncertainty from international conflicts, tariffs, and unstable federal administration.

We have exhausted our options of one-time cuts.

We can no longer rely on these one-time fixes, and as a leader, as mayor, as your mayor, it's my job to tell it to you straight, make hard decisions, try to reduce the impacts of these cuts, and work towards increased revenues and a sustainable budget.

Together with city staff and the city manager, we've been working to balance our two-year budget in ways that don't continue to kick the can down the road.

My recommendations seek to address the priorities that my council colleagues have expressed while also leaving room for the uncertainty of this November's election.

I want to make sure the public understands that the entire council is concerned about the uncertain future of FY28, and this isn't just about the possible closure of a fire station, additional loss of staff, et cetera, if the sales tax doesn't pass.

I can speak for all of us that public safety is a priority, and we will continue to work hard to keep our stations open.

And I really don't know what November will bring.

On the ballot this November is a state valid measure that will require two-thirds for special taxes and prohibit charter cities, which we are from levying transfer taxes.

If we lose our ability to have transfer taxes in Berkeley, we will be losing an additional 35 million dollars.

Keep in mind that we are right now working to close a 30 million dollar deficit, and we could be losing another 35 million dollars if this measure passes in November.

So believe me when I say that this budget has been stressful, but what might happen in November would be cataclysmic.

As mayor, it's my job to think about the entire city, every department, every person, every resident, every business.

We can only get through this challenging time if we stick together.

So I ask you all for your patience, your compassion, and for your support as we move forward.

So I'm now gonna move into a little bit more detail about my amendments.

These were also presented at a previous budget and finance committee meeting.

So first we took into consideration the council referrals dating back from September of this fiscal year.

Three of the referrals identified non-general fund sources, so we're continuing to move those forward in the FY 2027 budget.

When we did a deep dive on the budget reduction plan from the city manager's office and balanced the priorities uh identified by city council members, uh we first focused on identifying priorities that do not require general fund dollars.

These priorities included the council referrals on downtown revitalization, Car Free Berkeley, Car Free Telegraph, small sites, and the sacred rest drop-in center.

These projects draw from the LRDP settlement, which is the settlement we have with UC Berkeley, SOSIP, which is funding set specifically for downtown, measure FF and the Housing Trust Fund.

These sources of funding can only be used for specific purposes.

So I want to make sure folks understand that those kind of big ticket items are coming from alternate sources, not the general fund.

Then we looked at projects and programs that council members named as priorities, particularly those that have a potential for economic impact and revenue generation.

One of those was the full-time employee, a full-time employee in the Office of Economic Development, of which seven of us identified as a priority at the May 19th council meeting to support small businesses, uh, project to increase housing at Telegraph and Claremont Housing, that's called Pitch, which will increase our tax base, the DBA outreach or outreach worker helping to support our unhoused community, Solano Stroll, the largest East Bay Street Fair and a commercial corridor, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to Berkeley, and Live Free, our gun violence prevention program that helps to make our streets, neighborhoods, and schools safer.

We identified $514,000 in general fund sources, which I'll review in a moment, drawn from salary and cost savings that were proposing to support the five strategic projects and FY2027, which I'm gonna go over in a bit.

I'll show you all this and go over it in more detail, but I want to give an overview first.

There are four other line items in the city manager's budget reduction plan that were identified by council members or commissions as priorities that we are not putting forward as a result of our follow-up with discussions of our follow-up discussions with staff.

So these are the vegetation and fuel reduction.

It was reduced from 450K to 207K.

This was Councilmember Black Ruby, by the way.

Staff reported that the work that's needed to be done can be covered by the 207K in funding that remains.

The street trauma prevention program, this position was established in to increase cross-devent cross-departmental collaboration.

Um I believe that moving forward this can be accomplished without dedicated staff.

CERT program, staff reported that they are transitioning to a volunteer instructor model and are not planning to expand the Berkeley Ready program.

And heart to heart, the community health commission prioritized this program, and the city contract for lifelong medical care expired in June 2026, and without that partnership, the success of the program was already in jeopardy.

So I'm now gonna walk you all through.

Sure.

Yes, I'd also like to move to accept my supplemental.

Thank you.

This is to accept the supplemental uh revised material that was uh handed out at the meeting today.

Councilmember uh this for item 40A, Councilmember Kisserwine.

Yes, Kaplan.

Hi, Bartlett, yes, Trago.

Aye, O'Keefe, yes, Black.

Yes.

Lunapara.

Yes, Umbert, yes, and Mary Ishi.

Yes.

Okay.

Motion carries.

Thank you, folks.

All right.

So I'm going to put this up on the screen so folks can see.

There are also a number of these that are printed in the back, so feel free to check that out.

And I will highlight any of the differences that are the ones that are online.

Okay.

All right.

So as was mentioned, these these ones on the top are all have all have special fund allocations.

So this is the downtown Berkeley revitalization projects, which includes funding for the canonary, actually, I think this is spelled wrong.

Canonary lighting project, as well as Oxford for All.

This was an item brought forward by Councilmember Tragub.

And it will be paid for out of the streets and open space improvement plan, SOCIP, which can only be used for funding for downtown projects in a certain geographic area.

The next one is the Car Free Berkeley item or car free telegraph, as I think many of us call it.

This has been referred to the LRDP funding process, and it and the difference here is that it was split between FY2027 and FY2028, so half and half.

This was a referral from council member Linopara, Kesserwani and myself.

And additional information here was added about that the total request, what the total request is and how it was split in half.

All right.

Small sites is listed on here, 3.8 million dollars.

This funding is carry over of the 2.5 million dollars unspent budgeted for small sites from FY 2026 and an added 1.3 million dollars of currently unallocated funding.

So I also want to make it clear that the HAC had recommended that we actually put additional funding for measure U1.

And so this is actually scaled back from what they had requested because we wanted to just use funding that would be set aside for small sites and not funds that could go into the general fund.

And um next on here is sacred rest slash village of love.

Um LRDP funding for 100k for FY27 uh with the stipulation that UC Berkeley must match the 100k allocation, and then um as you can see in red, the these numbers were adjusted because we had separated FY27 FY28 for car free telegraph, so it changed the totals.

All right, so the general fund direct transfers again the pitch project that I had mentioned earlier, that's 180k from uh FY26 District 8 salary savings.

So that's council member Humbert's office salary savings, and also 70k from FY27 from Councilmember Humbert's office budget as well, and so that's a total of 250,000 specifically for the pitch project.

Now moving on to the general fund expenses.

This would be the one OED full-time position identified for removal and the initial reduction plan, 236,000.

Um, and again, the reason why this was a focus for so many of the council members was because of revenue generation, 40,000 for Solano Stroll.

Um, and so there is an item tonight that's specifically set aside for um for Solano Stroll, and I have included that instead in this budget, and we've made adjustments to this to this number.

Um council member O'Keefe has also put forward a D13 item, which um has funding set aside for that, and we've also had conversations with um folks um who run Solano Stroll to help support them in finding fundraising for the additional money.

Um live free.

We were able to identify an additional hundred thousand dollars so that they could reach the two hundred thousand dollars, which is needed to fill the gap from FY27.

Um, unfortunately, there was not funding that we were able to find for FY28, so I want to be clear about that.

Um and the city managers also, we've had conversations about uh continuing to assist in applying for grants and supporting them and trying to find this funding.

Uh DBA outreach worker, $38,000, which was not the full 40k, um, but this is basically all we were able to add from it for a total of $514,000.

And so where is all of that coming from?

Those are all general fund expenses.

These are general fund revenue transfers that would be coming from my office, $160,000 from the city attorney's office.

Um she'd done additional work to find uh additional funding from her budget.

So that's non $52,000 of non-personnel, $100,000 from city attorney's office salary savings, and then uh variable time off, which is for general fund savings only, an additional 11 days, all set around holidays that already exist.

And again, it's um oh, actually, I think the V is um anyway, but this is optional, is my point, it's not required, and then $15,000 from the city council catering from the city clerk's budget, and then also a settlement, a cannabis settlement for $100,000, and that is $514,000.

So I believe my council member colleagues, you should have this printed in front of you, and folks um who are out here, also there are some printed in the back if you want to take a look a little bit more in detail.

Um, but I will take questions now from both my budget recommendations and the city manager's budget, and I'm gonna I don't I'll leave this open up here just for a little bit in case folks have specific questions.

All right, starting with council member taplin.

Uh thank you very much to Mr.

City Manager and Madam Mayor.

Um I did watch the buzzing budget and finance presentation.

I just had one question.

The additional 100k for live free.

I'm wondering where you found that.

From the uh city attorney's office had some salary savings in her budget.

Wonderful, thank you.

Other questions for my council?

Oh, sorry, uh folks online.

I'm gonna start with council member Kesserwani and then council member Black could be after.

Okay, I'm on tap.

You all can hear me?

Yes.

Okay, well, I want to thank I believe it's Mr.

White and uh Ms.

Dupaya who are at the table.

I can I can see the back of your heads at this point, but um I I want to thank you for your presentation.

Um, I know you've been coming to the budget and finance committee regularly.

You you've come to the council once already with a very detailed presentation where we, you know, we did see in that presentation um positions that are proposed for elimination that are vacant.

Um at that time, we were working with a number of 20 people, you know, real people being laid off.

And so um I I just want to center this on on you know what the mayor already said that this is a really challenging budget.

This is the most challenging budget um that I have been involved in, and this is my eighth year on the council.

And I, you know, I did want to just do some budget 101 really briefly because I'm I'm seeing I'm getting emails in my council inbox of people asking what is the quote unquote cause of the structural deficit.

And I think the mayor tried to explain this.

You know, it's it's a condition in which our expenditures as our city are consistently greater and growing faster than our revenue sources.

That's what it is.

And in the last couple of budgets, what we have done is look at one-time fixes.

For example, we borrowed money from our workers' comp fund or workers' compensation fund.

That was one of our solutions.

We did less to our section, contributed less to our Section 115 trust where our pension obligations, for instance.

Uh, the problem with that is um those one-time fixes are only available one time, and the costs that are growing faster than revenues, it's it's our labor costs primarily, right?

It's it's uh salaries and benefits, and so we have to figure out how to right-size our organization.

Let me pause there and see if Mr.

White would like to add any further context there in terms of cost drivers, revenue sources.

Oh, can you speak into the mic?

I couldn't no, I have nothing to add, council member.

Okay, so so so for folks watching at this at this hour at home you know I hope that explains what's going on and and um and I I really want to speak directly to our our city staff and say that I I really feel this um on a really personal level and I you know I'm getting emotional as I talk about this and um you know I I spoke last time about one city one team and I have been meeting weekly um sometimes more than weekly with the city manager and the deputy city manager you know we met on Saturday and I was looking at vacant positions that are not proposed to be eliminated I was looking at that list of people who are slated to be laid off and um looking at all of our revenue sources and um I I just want to tell you that I have looked at this really really carefully and I'm gonna continue to do that up until June 23rd to look to make sure that I have looked at every single option that is available.

And the way I have to think about this is I can't um you know I I really want to avoid the one time fixes for ongoing costs.

So what that means is I could I could try to find a one-time way to pay for a position but next year we have the same challenge to figure out what is that one time fix for that position.

So we really do have to look at you know all of the work that has gone in from every department to look at you know which positions are uh are ones that we're gonna have to let go of so that we can make sure that our expenditures are in line with our revenues um and and it is really tough and um I I just want to tell you that that it it really is weighing on me and um I know we're gonna continue to work through this so let me let me get to some of my questions.

So I did want to ask you uh Mr.

City Manager can you talk about what the process is for those 20 people who are on this layoff list what options that they are being offered can you walk us through that.

Yeah yes council member so the as I mentioned that there's 20 people out of the 183 positions that got eliminated who are actually in filled positions that are slated to be eliminated and thus those people would be laid off.

We worked really hard to try and figure out ways for them not to be laid off and that's a sort of a threefold strategy.

One is that any classification that had a person in it that was slated to be laid off was frozen for hiring um and the whole series was frozen if it had like a one two and a three progression up through the classification.

And the goal there is that you know when we did this back on April 10th that there would be hopefully some attrition some people might retire or get a new job or for whatever reason leave the organization and therefore there would be an open position for someone who is on this layoff list to bump into and maintain their job.

So that's that's one category.

And our anticipation is that probably after people bump into open positions we'll have 14 people left on that list that layoff list.

And then as I mentioned we've been working hard, RHR director and her team, to figure out other open jobs that they could bump into.

And what this is required is for me to freeze all hiring and positions, so that again we would have first an understanding clearly of what vacant positions exist, and we wouldn't be filling those positions until we get through the budget adoption.

And then second, maybe there would be some additional attrition that would allow for vacancies to open up into which people could be placed into.

You know, figuring out who had the minimum qualifications to go into a job, even if it was a completely different job in classification from the one that they're currently in.

And that cannot be effectuated until the budget is adopted and we have certainty about which positions are vacant and which positions are filled.

So it's important for us to maintain this vacancy list as it is, and then the budget gets adopted, and then we can effectuate the flexible placements for people who meet the MQs or could meet them very shortly for any job in the city.

Those people would be offered those jobs.

And after HR has done a significant amount of analysis to think through who might be eligible for what jobs and what jobs are open, we anticipate that somewhere between another six and seven people would be flexibly placed into one of those jobs.

And again, this is voluntary, and we don't know for sure if that will happen or not.

But we have worked aggressively to open up those pathways for people to remain employed with the city, even if it's not in the same job, and in some cases it would be a job that paid less, but it would be a job with benefits.

And so those are the two, those are the two main strategies that we've used.

And if you have questions, we also have our HR director here if there's more detailed questions, and she could step in as well.

Okay, um, thank you, Mr.

City Manager.

So I know you you were speaking city government hiring speak.

The MQ is minimum qualifications.

Uh so I I'm gonna try to put that into lay person's terms.

You know, because we have vacant positions that are not being eliminated, and and and on the other hand, we have some people who are on a layoff list.

You know, I feel it's really important that we pause hiring people from outside our organization and give those 20 or so people an opportunity to figure out if they're qualified for vacant positions in our organization.

You know, I I think we should be doing that to minimize and mitigate the human impact of right sizing our budget, and and that's what the city manager just described that opportunity for people if they're qualified to be able to go into those vacant positions that remain.

Um and so I I just want to thank you, Mr.

City Manager.

I want to thank our human resources director and the HR team because you know there is a lot of back and forth, I can imagine in trying to figure all this out, and um I I know it can be stressful for people who are thinking about taking advantage of this opportunity, but you know, this is something that I talked to the city manager about and and wanted to make sure that we did as an organization.

So um, so thank you, Mr.

City Manager, for just explaining that.

Uh, the other request that I had made at the budget and finance committee was to look at a possible revenue source for eight positions in the fire department, five firefighters and three paramedics.

Um, Mr.

City Manager, do you can you update us on the status of that?

Uh yes, council member.

Uh, we have been diligent diligently looking at revenues.

You know, our our finance team last updated revenues in February.

Um, and since then, we there's a couple of potential revenue increases that uh, you know, we don't have exact projections yet for some of them, but um there's a utility users tax that uh was when it was initially uh created, was mostly generating revenue from people who had cable TV since a lot of people have moved from cable TV to streaming services like Netflix, et cetera.

Uh, we are eligible to apply uh the UUT to utility users tax to those streaming services.

We anticipate that will generate some additional revenue.

Again, we don't have an exact figure on what that might be yet, but we are are working on that.

Additionally, we've been um negotiating with the county and looking at ambulance transfer fees and expect that through several different ambulance transport um fees.

We would have revenues exceeding what our projections currently are.

Um so those are the two uh I would say those are the two revenue streams that we've been most focused on and looking at.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, we have to actually make a motion to extend the meeting.

So okay.

Um do you want to pick a time, Madam Mayor?

Yeah, I let's just to be safe, 1145.

Second.

Okay.

Can you take the role on that, please, Clerk?

Okay, to extend the meeting to 1145, Councilmember Casserwani.

Yes, Bartlett.

Yes, Trago, aye, O'Keeffe, yes, Glacaby.

Yes, Unapara.

Yes, Humber, yes.

And Mary Ishii.

Yes, okay, motion carries.

Okay, and and I'm I'm done.

I'm I'm I'm just all just about done with these questions.

Um, and then finally, you know, I I just wanted to briefly touch on the mayor's uh amendments or uh proposal to fund certain priorities.

Um, you know, I I want to thank the mayor and and her brown act circle for those proposals on the housing trust fund allocation for small sites.

Uh Mr.

White, can you brief us on what new affordable housing projects are in need of gap funding at this point, additional gap funding from the housing trust fund?

Can you give us a rundown of that?

Sure, I I'd be happy to.

So in working with our housing and community services team, um, they've done an assessment of the housing trust fund portfolio.

And, you know, uh there are a variety of projects that we believe over time will need uh additional funding, some of which is known today and some of which is not known just because the projects are in the process of securing funding, but we do know that the project at 1740 San Pablo um likely will need anywhere from two to four million dollars of additional money.

There are some smaller asks um associated with a couple of small sites projects.

Uh one at 2321 10th Street, and another one is the Solano Avenue Cooperative.

But I think more importantly, and I think what is uh particularly germane to the city council is you know, there have been over time some very substantial commitments associated with North Berkeley BART and Ashby Bart Station as well.

Those projects are in early stages of pre-development and moving their projects along, and so given the time frame that it's taken for those projects to come to fruition.

We certainly anticipate in an environment with rising construction costs, as you heard from our CIP presentation, rising labor costs.

Um that for sure those projects are going to need additional funding.

The amounts are to be determined.

Um, but given the constraints are on our housing trust fund, we naturally are concerned about adequate funding being available for them.

Okay, thank you very much, Mr.

White.

And and so I'm very closely tracking projects in my district, and I had an opportunity to talk to Colleen Egan, the CEO of Insight Housing.

Insight is one of the affordable housing developers on the team at North Berkeley BART, and they're doing a new building of 83 units of permanent supportive housing at the North Berkeley Bard Station for formerly homeless people.

She told me they submitted their home key plus application today, but um they are still gonna need additional gap funding.

Um, and so I want us to be mindful of these asks when we're thinking about how to allocate from the housing trust fund.

And I did want to just highlight 1740 San Pablo.

This is the corner of San Pablo in Delaware.

It is a short biking distance to North Berkeley BART.

So to me, you know, anything on San Pablo Avenue is a transit-oriented development, and that is 54 units of new affordable housing from RCD resources for community development.

Um, and they have an actual ask that's two to four million.

This is a blighted property.

Council Member, sorry, you're about two minutes over your time.

So okay, I can't see the clock.

So I I'm just about to wrap up.

This is a blighted property um gas stations slash tax service.

I don't know what it is.

It's fenced off.

You know, I I want us to think about investments that can transform blighted properties into new homes for people.

Those people aren't able to come to the budget and finance committee and advocate for funding.

So I am here tonight to advocate on their behalf.

I am advocating for the formerly homeless people who are going to move into North Berkeley BART.

I'm advocating for the low income families who I would like to see move into 1740 San Pablo within a couple years.

This project has been in the pipeline since I started on the council.

So these are the trade-offs we have to decide about next next Tuesday, June 23rd.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Councilmember uh Tapman had given you some of his time.

So go ahead, Councilmember Blackaby.

Thanks, madam mayor, and thank you so much to the team.

And look, and thanks to the mayor.

I want to again associate my comments with with the mayor and Councilmember Caswani said that about how uh weighty these decisions are, how much we know these are affecting um real people, our residents, but also our hardworking staff.

Um, and so none of these are easy.

Um, these are all hard conversations, and but we're trying, I appreciate the city manager's effort, uh, really kind of grabbing the structural deficit by the horns and saying we've got to really make a dent in it.

Um I'll observe that I think that you know we're gonna make a lot of progress this year, but we also know the full closure of the structural deficit is pending potentially some things that might happen this November.

Um, and and I think potentially it's also pending, you know, I do think there are a couple of other things we need to have a look at that we can't before this uh end of this fiscal year, but things like questions around the public health, environmental health, some of these other functions that the county also provides, um, and that other cities in our county are relying on the county to provide rather than providing them in their own municipal form.

So again, I I don't think we don't have the time or the effort and to properly sort of uh figure that out now.

But I will say I I think there are some pretty big other things to look at after we get through this budget cycle to kind of finish the closure of the structural deficit ahead of next year.

Um, but I do appreciate the fact that we're making substantial progress here.

Um I wanted to, in addition to what Councilmember Cassarwani asked about the eight firefighter positions, which I know we're trying to fund, I I'd also want to encourage us to look at the three additional uh the operations captain, the fire marshal and fire inspector in particular, some of those roles are both important for what's happening in terms of welfare safety in the hills.

They're also really important to getting building projects approved and constructed, which is a source of economic development for the city as well.

So I think as we're I know the city manager and team are looking at how we can find funding for that, but I'd advocate not just for the eight, but I'm advocating for the larger group, if if we can again put our pencil to that, I'd support that.

Um the last question I had is this we've heard this a few times in the budget committee, and as we've been talking to some of our labor partners, the question versus about freezing versus eliminating positions.

Um, I wonder if the city manager or HR team could talk about that.

Um, because I'd also support the idea of um there is something that feels like a bigger hurdle if you eliminate a job uh or a classification entirely because adding that back down the road feels a lot harder than saying, hey, look, we want to freeze it at least for the next year or two years, take it off the budget books, and then look at it and keep it in as if it's something that we can fill to later point, we could we could consider filling it.

But practically, what is the difference between freezing and eliminating?

And are there some of these jobs that we could freeze versus eliminate?

And would that make any difference from the budget process?

Well, you you could freeze positions rather than eliminate them with clarity that they're frozen because we don't have funding to pay for them.

Um, and in that way, you know, in some ways it's semantic.

Um, I guess I would I would say that you could always whether they're frozen or removed from the budget, they could always be added if the council wanted to add positions and there was a need for whatever the position was doing.

So that is always something that could could be brought forward, it could be put forward in in the AAO one as a way to look towards you know, we've right-sized our budget, we've removed these positions from it, and we're gonna grow, you know, based on where we think it's most appropriate to grow, um, rather than have a list of positions to fill because they used to be filled, and perhaps those are the right ones, or perhaps they're not.

Yep, got it.

Last thing on revenue is transfer tax.

I know there's a couple of big commercial transactions.

Um, one in particular I'm thinking about that are in the process of closing as we're forecasting transfer tax revenue.

You know, how closely do we look at those individual things, or do we look at kind of a trend line when we're kind of coming up with our revenue target for something like transfer tax?

Cause that can be spiky, uh, especially on commercial activity.

That that is spiky, and we, you know, we I mean, I guess I I do want to to emphasize the point that the mayor made because it's a really significant one about the taxpayer protection act that has been qualified for the statewide ballot.

As she said, if it passes, it would be a 35 million dollar annual hit to our budget because it would essentially eliminate all transfer tax.

So um the their governor is working on a compromise by which the that bill would be pulled off of the ballot, and in return they would have some sort of an agreement to limit transfer taxes, but not totally do away with them.

The you know, we don't know exactly what that would look like, even if it does happen, but last the last sort of numbers they were talking about when we projected the impact to the city, it would be approximately a ten million dollar annual hit to us because they would reduce right now.

Our our top transfer tax rate goes up to three and a half percent.

What they were talking about is limiting it to a one and a half percent, um, and applying that only to single family homes, but not applying anything to commercial and multi-family.

So um, so all that to say there's a lot of unknowns, and I would say not unlikely that we'll have another significant hit on the transfer tax side, which makes it you know might make it easier to forecast transfer tax if they take it away, but um, but right now Henry and the team does a good job of looking at pat looking at what's happened in the past and kind of basing it on a five-year average or you know, working through that.

Thank you.

Uh, thanks for all the work and uh look forward to hearing public comment and feedback as we try and kind of bring this over the finish line in the next week.

Thank you.

Thank you, folks.

Can we just keep it to questions, please, so we can get to public comment, then we'll come back and do do final comments.

Um Council Member Linapara?

Thank you.

Um I have a couple questions.

First for the mayor, um, the city attorney savings, um, city attorney's office savings, those are one-time funds, not permanent.

Okay, thank you.

Um I oh sorry, just for the public, that's correct.

Okay, thank you.

Um I'm curious.

I I think how I'm curious how the referral, um, the pitch referral is going to slot into the RRV list.

Is it how does it work in terms of prioritizing planning referrals?

Well, it's a great question.

And you know, I would I would ask the the council to help us prioritize and answer the question that you just asked.

Um, because there are other projects that are on the list, and if they don't, but if they don't have funding, and this does have funding, maybe you want you want to prioritize this, but however you all want to do it, it would be very for very helpful for us to get clear direction from you.

We've talked about doing like kind of a mid-year RRV, and I I think that that would make sense given that we've made some adjustments here.

So I think it would be worthwhile to to look at our prioritization make sure it's clear so we can give you clear guidance.

Okay.

I that there are currently referrals on the RRV list that are that are on planning's list that are ranged highly and so I just want to make sure that those don't get um left behind.

Okay I have some questions um is the police chief on the call okay thank you um I know we've asked a lot of questions and you sent an amazing memo thank you so much for that information um I have a I'm wondering how can you tell us what the amount of officers that are budgeted for an FY26 budget are you asking about the most recently adopted budget FY26 there are 174.

Okay thank you um and if there are less hired police officers um I believe 154 is the amount right now does that mean that there's a surplus in the FY26 budget on the on the salary side yes it would mean that there would be salary savings from positions that are not filled okay that's helpful um and those we could we could um how are those being allocated reallocated within those salary savings is the is it the chief is on I think she could um uh help with some of these questions that you're asking council member if it's easier we can also take this offline I I'm here if you want to ask the question again.

Yeah sorry um if there in FY26 are 174 offers officers at budget but we only have 154 hired officers that surplus salary savings how is it being reallocated?

So that uh salary savings um is uh we're experiencing that both in our overtime costs um the increase in our overtime costs um and some of that salary savings has also been absorbed back into the general fund for for other funding okay is there I I think it'd be helpful to know what where those funds are going to um I have another question around the the funding that was unspent in the edge worth contract and rolled over in anticipation of an expansion of the flock contract and FY26 um and I'm curious if there's a surplus in that those funds chief you're muted okay just sorry I can see sorry I I'm working on it sorry um yes there is there is funds that are in the public works budget right now that were um are held for the edge worth contract um some of those are uh already allocated to some other edge worth or it's some other camera projects that public works had underway um but the those uh funds are are frozen as part of um the uh council direction to do the install on the uh fixed cameras okay thank you but they're so that they're they're just sitting there right now that's correct okay thank you so much thanks for that information those are all my questions thank you other questions from council members before we move on to public comment okay I will take we will take public comment and this by the way is for um item 40 which includes a b and c um I addressed Solano Stroll in my comments, and so feel free to address this in your public comments.

Come on up.

Is it a one-minute clock or a two-minute click?

One minute click.

Okay, well um thank you for the opportunity to speak um my name is Thomas Gregor.

I'm speaking on behalf of SEIU 1021 C S U PTRLA.

And our chapter is looking at eight layoffs, human beings being shown at the door uh next month.

Our chapter understands that the city needs to end its um reliance on one-time monies, and um, and we understand and agree with that.

Um we we don't think it needs to, we don't need to end that addiction cold turkey in fiscal year 27, and we're not um the plan proposed by management in uh fiscal uh in mid mid-April um earmarked uh 9.4 million dollars to uh fund uh and bridge money to fund 33 positions uh in the hopes that the sales tax will pass in November and could pick up that bill come fiscal year 28.

So um and um I have a gentleman who's willing to cede their minute to me if that's possible.

I'm telling you, I don't know.

And um out of those 33 positions, 15 of them are vacant.

And um our chapter feels strongly that it's more important to fill, more important to fund filled positions than vacancies.

Vacancies don't produce any outcomes for constituents, uh vacancies don't have mortgages to pay or family expenses to cover, so we feel strongly about that, and it would only cost 1.7 million dollars to save our chapters eight jobs for one more year, which would not greatly increase the amount of money already being earmarked for one-time funds to save jobs, and that year could go um uh be spent um more thoroughly conducting um planning for an austerity plan.

Um, an example of of errors we're making is um the the elimination of the mobility uh the the street mobility team is gonna force calls on the more expensive police officers and in a June 12th uh Daily Californian article.

Uh the department head said that was an undended unintended consequence.

There shouldn't be unintended consequences in this plan.

They should all be even the unpleasant consequences planned out.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Benito Goel with Full Spectrum Labs and a Berkeley resident.

Berkeley, San Francisco, and many other cities with a relatively high cost of living have all been experiencing a heightened pace of market rate development, but the creation of affordable housing is lagged.

Our cities are seemingly well-intentioned and mission aligned in prioritizing the needs of historically underserved residents in the context of historic income inequalities, but something is amiss.

Since on the brand reality, in all these cities suggest the positive impact is not there.

Berkeley alone has lost over 100,000 unsubsidized unaffordable affordable homes since 2020, thousand more at risk in the next five years.

Most of it has sufficient city resources to fund permanently affordable housing, displacement in the city is inevitably inevitable.

As the Joan Advocates presented it to ask for cities allocation of 2.5 million for the small size program in the upcoming budget.

I would sincerely urge you to consider answering these questions.

What kind of housing are we creating and who will we get to live in it?

And to what you're saying, the city's political to fund affordable housing.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Good evening.

My name is Jean Clinton.

I live on Ward Street between Shaddock and Telegraph, where one of the long time failed and abandoned streets.

Uh we've been working diligently over the last year with city council member Bartlett's office, public works staff, all of the relevant council committees and citizen commissions.

I want you to know we've witnessed really hard work by the public work staff to wrestle with multiple goals and objectives while embracing council priorities and policies.

We're impressed by the resulting five-year CIP project plans.

We're pleased to see that our street is included in the measure FF plan for street repairs, but still three more years away.

Two years ago, we were scored at 12 on the PCI index.

We're probably down to single digits now.

The street sweepers came by today, and we had a cloud of dust for about five minutes.

I have a suggestion.

I invite.

Could I have one more sentence?

Thank you.

I'm I'm sorry, unless someone else gives you a minute.

Sorry, you're getting a minute from James in the back.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

We invite cash flow permitting.

We invite the council and public work staff to consider placing the two worst blocks of Ward Street into the Carlton Street project, just two blocks away, which would allow the work to occur in the first two years of the CIP.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Do you want to get minutes from folks?

Yeah, I'm gonna grab these two guys right here.

Do you want another one?

You can have three people.

Okay.

So you will have four minutes total.

Thank you.

Amori Lingmo, president of the Berkeley Firefighters Association, local 12.7.

Um we are slated for 20 positions to be eliminated.

Nine of those would be restated with station four if the sales tax passes, but there's another 11 positions that would be eliminated, five firefighters, three paramedics, uh, the fire marshal, sworn fire inspector, and uh uh fire captain.

Um, those five firefighters and three paramedics, those are like operational positions.

We already work 56 hours a week.

With the elimination of those positions, we're gonna work significantly more over that 72 and 96 hours a week uh on a regular basis with those positions gone.

Um I want to thank our council members and city manager for looking for funding for those positions, including the fire marshal, sworn inspector, and the fire captain.

Um those are essential to the development and safety of that downtown corridor.

Uh the fire marshal and the sworn fire inspector enforces all the safety stuff that goes into all the construction of those buildings, as far as like all the fire prevention fees that we collect, um, they handle all that stuff as well.

Um, as I looked at the budget over the last uh 10 years, went back to 2016.

Um the fire department brings in a significant amount of its own revenue.

Um we have special use taxes uh that come in.

We have money from the UC Berkeley settlement fund that comes in.

Um, and when you take a look at all the special use taxes and how much it funds our department, we're probably at a third that we are fund our self-reliant on.

And when you factor in our fire prevention inspection fees that go to the general fund, and our ambulance transport revenue that also goes to the general fund, that's about 10 million dollars going towards the general fund.

And so when you factor all of that in, our net reliance on the general fund for the fire department is actually closer to um only half.

We're we're picking up half the tab.

And so, and but we're also being hit the hardest of all the departments in this city.

So I just ask you guys to please um think about that and how much we bring in and how much we do for this community and how much we show up every day, every night uh for all the citizens of Berkeley when you're debating these cuts.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Oh, sorry.

One other thing on that.

We're actually 15% less reliant on general funds today than we were 10 years ago.

Thank you.

Hi Mayor and Mayor and members of the city council.

My name is Asa NDI.

I'm executive director of the Northern California Land Trust.

Uh, first of all, I want to thank council members, mayor, and staff uh for uh dealing with this really difficult uh budget season and cycle.

Um second, um, I want to thank the council and the board for supporting the small sites program, um, particularly um having the hopefully enough funding for us to be able to move forward with projects.

We're currently looking at a property actually that's really close to here in district one on Curtis.

And then the last point I wanted to make was really about trying to um uh help support all three Ps by addressing preservation.

We want to make sure that when we're adding new affordable housing units, we're not losing existing affordably affordable naturally occurring units.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Good evening, council members and mayor ICE.

My name is Angela, and I'm a resident of Addison Court Housing Cooperative just down the street.

Uh, I'm here to urge you to accept the hack recommendation to allocate 2.5 million for the small sites program and protect measure U1.

Low-income folks are fighting to stay in Berkeley and Small Sites has worked for this.

Recipients at 26, 27 California Street are converting their building into a permanently affordable self-managed co-op.

Kind landlords who limited rent hikes at similar properties are aging and looking to sell.

Housing preservation isn't just about affordable housing, it's also about keeping communities whole.

It reduces gentrification by letting our elders and families age in place, preserving the heart and soul of neighborhoods, like Miss Betty Gray, who lives in a small sites building.

Once they are ready to move on, it naturally creates ways for other folks to join and stabilize local culture and history.

This is how I moved into my co-op.

Please continue to fund small sites program in the upcoming fiscal year and protect measure U1 dollars in affordable housing.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor Council.

My name is Matt Gustafson.

I'm the organizational director at the Bay Area Committee Land Trust and a District 2 resident.

I'm here, as you know, to speak in support of the small sites program and prioritizing this in the FY2728 budgets.

I want to thank you, Mayor Ishii for including a small sites referral in your proposed budget as well as Council Members Bartlett and the Opara for including those as priorities that you stated the first time we had a budget hearing.

I am here tonight with a letter of support that's been signed by almost 50 organizations plus individuals in mostly in Berkeley, who I think all of you have already received this from me yesterday.

Also joining in support of this ask to fund small sites in the upcoming year.

RCD, by the way, as well as ESPA for everyone, also sent in their own letters in support of the small sites program.

So I just want to say that this preservation, as speakers before me uh have mentioned, deserves to have a seat in our um holistic affordable housing strategy.

Currently, it's only funded 3.7% of HDF.

And it deserves more.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Which is really gonna even make it more of a crisis situation, so that if I talk about the shelter, I mean, this is just one thing that we're eliminating, it's just one thing on top of another, and that HUD is now moving forward with uh the NOFA that was held up uh last year because they hadn't issued notice properly to eliminate subsidies and changing those permanent housing subsidies, of which we have 285 in Berkeley into temporary shelters.

And all of this is such a calamity, and I don't know that I have an answer for you.

Thank you for uh for the DBA social worker.

You know, but this is gonna be really a bad year.

Good evening, Mayor and Berkeley City Council.

My name is Alan Kane.

I'm the executive director of the Solano Avenue Association.

I'm horrified to hear about all of these events and uh sad to see all the firemen here that are potentially gonna lose their job.

Given the climate of the situation, it's difficult for me to advocate for a street festival.

I'm here to advocate for a street festival.

I think the Solano Avenue strolls are one of kind of one of a kind event.

Um, and I won't take up any more every time than that.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Is there any public comment online on any of the item fours?

Looks like there's eight hands actually.

Okay, let's start with uh Claire uh Greensfelder.

Good evening, Mayor Ishi and Council members.

I appreciate the difficulty that you're facing with all these budget cuts, but I'm here to speak on behalf of the arts organizations and the members of the Berkeley Cultural Trust.

Those of us that receive grant funding were pretty shocked this morning to receive a notice that even our grant renewals for this year may be off by 10%.

I just want to factor that out for you.

We've already given 248,000 in the budget cuts from staffing losses, and we really appreciate all the efforts that are being made.

But in my own case, a thousand dollars to cut from a $10,000 budget means 10 honorariums for 10 artists at $100 each.

These are small amounts, and I just really urge you to look and not go forward with the 10% reduction for grants that have already been allotted and for next year.

Since we've already lost so many staff people that have more than accounted for the 10% cut that was requested by the council.

In fact, we've cut 20% by losing staff.

So please consider.

Thank you so much.

Thanks, Claire.

Next is Charlie.

Charlie should be able to unmute.

Hi.

Good evening, everyone.

Thank you for all of the community members who went ahead of me and spoke on 40A.

I'm speaking to advocate for the small sites funding, which was recommended directly from the housing advisory commission.

The line between housed and unhoused can be a very thin one.

Displacement is real.

I am a part of the community known as the courtyard on Sacramento, and we are trying to work with the Bay Area Community Land Trust to secure housing for 23 units, many of whom are retirees, long-term members of Berkeley of over 50 years.

And these are social workers, school teachers, nonprofit workers, Section 8 housing, adults living with disabilities.

People could be losing their homes.

Small sites saves homes, keeps Berkeley residents in Berkeley.

Thank you.

Thank you, Charlie.

Next is Artell.

Unmuting.

Yes.

I'm Linda Artell and I live on McGee Street, which has been mentioned.

So I'm representing people who live there.

And our street is a failed street that has not been paved in 33 years.

The uh city public works people say there's zero remaining useful life.

We've been passed over so many times because it was too expensive to fix.

So we're very grateful to be considered uh in uh measure F.

The street has ruts and pits and holes and gravel and dirt, and cyclists fall or avoid the place.

Uh pedestrians have to be very careful, especially at night, at dusk and in the rain.

Uh again, many thanks to the uh staff and council members that are here helping us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is uh Jeff Lomax.

So it's painful to listen to the human tragedy here, but as a reminder, four members of this council have endorsed a parcel tax to finance an experimental bank.

Um, and that experimental bank is intended to fund projects in Oakland, Richmond, and other cities.

So there's a huge opportunity cost here because you're basically taking Berkeley funds proposing to export them at a time when we're hearing about this human tragedy rather than endorsing this experimental bank, you should be opposing this measure at this time because we simply can't.

We're hearing all this tragedy tonight, and you're endorsing a proposal that would take funds out of Berkeley for a purpose we don't even know is going to succeed.

So please change your position from endorsement to opposition.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Kelvin Ward.

Yes, good evening, uh mayor, council members.

My name is Kelvin Ward.

I'm a regional organizer with Live Free California, and I uh support the mayor's proposed $200,000 re-allocation to live free to close the fiscal year of 2027 funding gap.

Want to thank you for investing in this work.

I know this program is effective because I've led and supported community violence intervention efforts as both an organizer and advocate in uh many cities.

And I've seen uh firsthand our intervention mentorship and trusted community relationships can change lives before violence occurs.

This program more than pays for itself, so I respectfully ask you to support the mayor's reallocation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, next is Teresa Gonzalez.

Hello there.

Um, good evening, uh, Madam Mayor, esteemed city council members and city manager.

My name is Teresa Gonzalez, and I am the state director for Liffree, California and the Berkeley Violence Intervention and Prevention Program with the City.

Um I want to begin by expressing our profound gratitude uh to Mayor Ishii for her leadership and commitment in identifying $200,000 uh to close the FY27 funding gap.

Um, so Mayor Ishii, thank you.

Um this decision reflects exactly the kind of courageous values-driven leadership that Berkeley deserves and has committed to including all the city council who supported this initiative in its inception.

Um we are respectfully um asking the full council to support this funding um and vote for it next week.

Um, I wanted to just remind everyone that the results of this program speak for themselves in 2025, the second year of the pilot.

We experienced zero fatal and zero non-fatal injury shootings.

The first such year um marking history in the pandemic.

Thank you.

Next is Kelly.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Okay.

Uh, just to add on to the comments about the small sites and all of the benefits for the people living them and having affordable housing.

Uh, when we preserve buildings, we're also taking a sustainable action by not tearing down housing that can be saved and used for affordable housing.

So I'd like you also to keep sustainability in mind.

When you look at this, uh it's a climate-friendly thing to do.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks, Kelly.

Next is Bryce Miller.

I care deeply about keeping our communities intact, and I'm urging you to accept the HIC's recommendation to allocate 2.5 million dollars for the small sites program in the upcoming budget.

Small sites keeps affordable housing in community hands.