Berkeley City Council Regular Meeting - July 28, 2026

The Berkeley City Council met on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, beginning at 6:03 PM and adjourning after midnight. The meeting featured a highly contested debate over Item 27, a referral to pave Hopkins Street with protected bike lanes and safety improvements, which passed after multiple substitute motions failed. Other action included approval of a consent calendar with numerous routine items, a public hearing on inclusionary housing fees, and an urgent resolution supporting a unionization effort at the Graduate by Hilton hotel.

Consent Calendar

• Approved an urgent resolution (Item 0) supporting the rights of workers at the Graduate by Hilton, Berkeley, to form a union with UNITE HERE Local 2. The resolution was co-sponsored by multiple councilmembers and passed unanimously.
• Approved second reading of Ordinance No. 8,031-N.S. for a five-year lease with International Child Resource Institute for office space at 125-127 University Avenue.
• Approved minutes for several prior meetings.
• Appointed a new member to the Police Accountability Board nominated by Councilmember Taplin.
• Designated Councilmember Lunaparra as voting delegate and Councilmember Humbert as alternate for the League of California Cities Annual Conference.
• Authorized amendments and contracts for veterinary medical services, grant acceptance from Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services, bid solicitations, bill printing/mailing, wildfire coordination, emergency medical supplies, and fire/rescue boat replacement.
• Approved contracts for food security services (Berkeley Food Network), recreation management software, furniture for the MLK Jr. Youth Services Center, the Santa Fe Trackbed to Park Conversion project, and an amendment for the Berkeley Marina Docks D&E Replacement project.
• Authorized an additional Civic Arts Commission meeting in 2026.
• Approved excused absence for Councilmember Bartlett from the June 30, 2026 meeting.
• Adopted a resolution to join an amicus brief challenging the EPA's rescission of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding.
• Approved relinquishment of council office budget funds for the Berkeley School Supply Distribution & Resource Fair ($200 per member, with contributions from Bartlett, Tregub, Ishii, and others), for the Downtown Berkeley Association Social Service Outreach Coordinator position, and for the Russell Street Halloween Festivities (2026-2029).
• Referred to the City Manager the development of commercial vacancy blight mitigation strategies (RENAISSANCE Part 1).
• Item 28 (adult-oriented businesses definition update) was moved to consent and sent back to the Land Use, Housing & Economic Development Committee.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Public Comment on Non-Agenda Matters (start of meeting): Several speakers addressed issues including: opposition to aggressive new parking meter rules adopted in June; concerns about a proposed 32-unit development at 1130 Oxford Street (alleging abuse of state housing laws); a call for a break from contentious debates; and a complaint about Zoom meeting capacity.
• Public Comment on Consent Calendar: Speakers included: John Caner (Downtown Berkeley Association) thanking Councilmember Tregub for the RENAISSANCE item; Andrew Crispin (Berkeley Food Network) expressing gratitude for the food security contract; multiple workers from the Graduate by Hilton speaking in Spanish and English about excessive workload and the need for a union; and a speaker supporting pedestrian safety and youth services.
• Public Comment on Item 26 (Inclusionary Housing In-Lieu Fee): Former Councilmember Cheryl Davila advocated for 100% affordable housing; Sarah Bell (Housing Advisory Commission chair) noted that the commission voted to advance the 2,500 sq ft exemption but some members felt it was too generous for single-family homes; other speakers argued for taxing existing housing rather than new construction.
• Public Comment on Item 27 (Hopkins Street): Over 100 speakers (in-person and online) expressed deeply divided views. Supporters of protected bike lanes (including many parents, youth, and cyclists) cited safety concerns, climate goals, and the need to connect bike networks. They argued that painted bike lanes and shareows are insufficient and that Rose Street is not a viable alternative. Opponents (including residents, business owners, church members, and seniors) raised concerns about loss of parking, accessibility for disabled and elderly, impacts on small businesses (especially Monterey Market), fire department access, and the cost of the project. Several speakers noted that the fire chief had not yet signed off on the specific design. A small number of speakers also addressed racial equity and gentrification concerns.

Discussion Items

• Item 26: Inclusionary Housing In-Lieu Fee Update – Staff presented a referral response to amend the in-lieu fee for single-family residential units, establishing a 2,500 square foot deduction (down from 5,000 sq ft for multi-unit). The council held a public hearing, then voted unanimously to adopt the resolution closing the hearing and approving the fee update.

• Item 27: Referral to Schedule Hopkins Street for Paving with Enhanced Safety Improvements – This was the main action item. Councilmember Kesarwani presented the original motion, which called for repaving Hopkins Street from Sutter Street to San Pablo Avenue with one-way Class IV separated bikeways from The Alameda to Peralta Avenue, class II buffered bike lanes from Sutter to The Alameda, traffic calming, raised intersections, bus boarding islands, a comprehensive curb management plan, and outreach to stakeholders. She offered amendments to soften tree removal language and add placemaking considerations. Councilmember O'Keefe presented a substitute maintaining paving and pedestrian improvements but removing the Class IV bike lane, instead proposing class II/III bike lanes and a referral to implement Rose Street as a bicycle boulevard. Councilmember Taplin presented a supplemental to extend the protected bike lanes from Peralta Avenue to Stanage Avenue. Councilmember Blackaby offered a substitute that would direct staff to develop two alternatives (one with current plan, another with a balanced approach minimizing parking loss) and return to council for final direction. After extensive debate and public comment, Councilmember O'Keefe's substitute motion failed (3-6), and Councilmember Blackaby's substitute motion also failed (3-6). The main motion from Councilmember Kesarwani then passed on a vote of 6-3 (with Councilmembers Tregub, O'Keefe, and Blackaby dissenting).

• Item 28 (moved to consent): Referral to update the definition of adult-oriented businesses in the Berkeley Municipal Code and review restrictions in the C-DMU district. Referred back to committee.

Key Outcomes

• Item 26 (Inclusionary Housing Fee): Adopted unanimously (8-0, with Councilmember Kesarwani absent) – Resolution amending the inclusionary housing in-lieu fee to establish a 2,500 square foot deduction for detached single-family units and maintain the 5,000 sq ft deduction for multi-unit projects.
• Item 27 (Hopkins Street): Passed 6-3 (Councilmembers Kesarwani, Taplin, Bartlett, Lunaparra, Humbert, and Mayor Ishii in favor; Councilmembers Tregub, O'Keefe, and Blackaby opposed). The motion directs the City Manager to repave Hopkins Street with Class IV protected bike lanes from The Alameda to Peralta Avenue, Class II buffered bike lanes from Sutter to The Alameda, traffic calming west of Peralta, raised intersections at Hopkins/Monterey and Hopkins/California, bus boarding islands, a comprehensive curb management plan, and outreach to stakeholders. The amendment softened tree removal language and added placemaking considerations. The referral supersedes all prior council actions on Hopkins Street design.
• Consent Calendar: Approved as a block, including the urgent resolution supporting Graduate by Hilton workers, all routine contracts, and council discretionary fund allocations.
• Meeting adjourned at approximately 12:30 AM.