Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
A special meeting of the Berkeley City Council was called on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 4:08 PM to resume consideration of two items continued from the September 15, 2026 meeting. The primary agenda was Item 1a, a resolution to allow the Berkeley Police Department (BPD) to use tear gas in narrowly defined life-threatening incidents and to lift the pandemic-era moratorium on smoke and OC spray. Item 1b, from the Peace and Justice Commission, proposed retaining existing bans and commissioning health studies. Councilmembers Kesarwani, Tregub, O’Keefe, Blackaby, Lunaparra, Humbert (participating remotely due to illness), and Mayor Ishii were present; Councilmembers Taplin and Bartlett arrived during the meeting. Public comment was taken, followed by council deliberation and votes.
All right. Hello, everyone. Good evening. I'm calling the Berkeley City Council meeting, special meeting to order. Today is Tuesday, September 29th, 2026, and it is 4.08 p.m. Can we please start off with the role? Thank you, Mary. And before we get to roll, I just want to mention that Councilmember Humbert is participating remotely this evening under the Just Cause provision of the Brown Act. So we're just gonna go ahead and go through that script before we start the meeting. Councilmember Humber is intending to participate in the meeting remotely pursuant to the Brown Act under the just cause justification. A quorum of the council is participating in person at a single physical location that is identified on the agenda, open to the public within the boundaries of the agency and meets accessibility requirements. This satisfies the requirements of the Brown Act. Councilmember Humbert has notified us of their need to participate remotely. Councilmember Humber, if you would please provide a general description of the circumstances relating to your need to appear remotely at this meeting. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Um I woke up this morning with a rotten cold, and I don't want to expose my colleagues or anyone else in the chambers to it. Thank you, Councilmember. Sorry, did he hear you're not feeling well? Um if you could also please disclose um whether there are any other individuals 18 years of age or older if they are present in the room at your location, and if so, the general nature of your relationship with such individuals. There is no one else present. Thank you. Councilmember Humbert, you're reminded that you must participate through both audio and visual technology. Thank you. Thank you. All right, and now we will move on to roll call. Councilmember Kessarwani here. Taplin is absent. Bartlett is absent. Traegob. Present. O'Keefe. Here. Lackaby. Here. Lunapara. Here. Humbert. Present. Mayor Ishii. Here. Thank you. Okay. Thank you very much. And I hope you feel better, Councilmember. All right. So we have one item on our agenda this evening. Um, and it is old business. The item is item 1A, resolution reinstating the Berkeley Police Department's ability to use tear gas for critical life-threatening incidents only and lifting the COVID-19 moratorium on smoke and uh how do you say that, Chief? OC spray.