City Council Special Meeting eAgenda May 5, 2022
PROCLAMATION
CALLING A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL
In accordance with the authority in me vested, I do hereby call the Berkeley City Council in special session as follows:
Thursday, May 5, 2022
6:00 PM
Jesse Arreguin, Mayor
Councilmembers:
District 1 – Rashi Kesarwani |
District 5 – Sophie Hahn |
District 2 – Terry Taplin |
District 6 – Susan Wengraf |
District 3 – Ben Bartlett |
District 7 – Rigel Robinson |
District 4 – Kate Harrison |
District 8 – Lori Droste |
PUBLIC ADVISORY: THIS MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH VIDEOCONFERENCE AND TELECONFERENCE
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54953(e) and the state declared emergency, this meeting of the City Council will be conducted exclusively through teleconference and Zoom videoconference. The COVID-19 state of emergency continues to directly impact the ability of the members to meet safely in person and presents imminent risks to the health of attendees. Therefore, no physical meeting location will be available.
Live captioned broadcasts of Council Meetings are available on Cable B-TV (Channel 33) and via internet accessible video stream at http://www.cityofberkeley.info/CalendarEventWebcastMain.aspx or http://berkeley.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=1244.
To access the meeting remotely: Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device: Please use this URL https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81580825926. If you do not wish for your name to appear on the screen, then use the drop down menu and click on "rename" to rename yourself to be anonymous. To request to speak, use the “raise hand” icon by rolling over the bottom of the screen.
To join by phone: Dial 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (Toll Free) and enter Meeting ID: 815 8082 5926. If you wish to comment during the public comment portion of the agenda, Press *9 and wait to be recognized by the Chair.
Please be mindful that the teleconference will be recorded as any Council meeting is recorded, and all other rules of procedure and decorum will apply for Council meetings conducted by teleconference or videoconference.
To submit a written communication for the City Council’s consideration and inclusion in the public record, email council@cityofberkeley.info.
This meeting will be conducted in accordance with the Brown Act, Government Code Section 54953. Any member of the public may attend this meeting. Questions regarding this matter may be addressed to Mark Numainville, City Clerk, (510) 981-6900. The City Council may take action related to any subject listed on the Agenda. Meetings will adjourn at 11:00 p.m. - any items outstanding at that time will be carried over to a date/time to be specified.
Preliminary Matters
Roll Call:
The public may comment on each item listed on the agenda for action as the item is taken up. For items moved to the Action Calendar from the Consent Calendar or Information Calendar, persons who spoke on the item during the Consent Calendar public comment period may speak again at the time the matter is taken up during the Action Calendar.
The Presiding Officer will request that persons wishing to speak use the "raise hand" function to determine the number of persons interested in speaking at that time. Up to ten (10) speakers may speak for two minutes. If there are more than ten persons interested in speaking, the Presiding Officer may limit the public comment for all speakers to one minute per speaker. Speakers are permitted to yield their time to one other speaker, however no one speaker shall have more than four minutes. The Presiding Officer may, with the consent of persons representing both sides of an issue, allocate a block of time to each side to present their issue.
Action items may be reordered at the discretion of the Chair with the consent of Council.
Urgent Item: Resolution Supporting the Reintroduction of a Mask Mandate on AC Transit
From: Councilmember Robinson (Author), Mayor Arreguin (Author)
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution calling on the AC Transit Board of Directors to reconsider its decision and readopt a mask mandate for the AC Transit system, and calling on the health officers of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Francisco to mandate mask wearing on all public transit systems.
Financial Implications: None
Contact: Rigel Robinson, Councilmember, District 7, (510) 981-7170
Action Calendar – New Business
1a. Fulfilling the Promise of Berkeley’s Reimagining Public Safety Initiative: Recommendations for a Comprehensive, Phased Approach
Supplemental material (Supp 2)
Supplemental material (Supp 3)
Presentation
From: Mayor Arreguin (Author), Councilmember Harrison (Co-Sponsor), Councilmember Bartlett (Co-Sponsor), Councilmember Hahn (Co-Sponsor)
Recommendation:
To continue the study and implementation of a comprehensive, new approach to public safety and policing in Berkeley, responsive to the City Council’s unanimous July 14, 2020 direction for a transformative approach to community-centered safety with equitable investment in the essential conditions of a safe and healthy community:
1. Refer up to $5.3 Million to the FY 2023-2024 Budget Process for staff and/or consulting services and community investments to complete the Priority Reimagining Public Safety Initiatives listed in Attachment 1, Section A to the report.
2. Direct the City Manager to prioritize over the next two years the programmatic recommendations for Phase 1 of Reimagining Implementation listed in Attachment 1, Section B to the report.
3. Direct the City Manager to initiate a design process for an innovative and comprehensive public safety agency or Department of Community Safety within the City of Berkeley administration, as outlined in Attachment 1, Section C to the report, and return with recommendations to the City Council by May 2024 to align with the FY 25-26 Biennial Budget process.
4. Except where resources may allow for expedited implementation, refer additional reforms to the FY 2025-2026 Biennial Budget as outlined in Attachment 1, Section D to the report.
Financial Implications: See report
Contact: Jesse Arreguin, Mayor, (510) 981-7100
1b. Response to Reimagining Public Safety Recommendations
From: Councilmember Taplin (Author)
Recommendation:
1. Adopt the City Manager’s April 2022 recommendations for Reimagining Public Safety with the following revisions, and;
2. Refer to the City Manager’s office establishment of an Office of Racial Equity to aid in the implementation:
Policy Recommendation amendments
-“Implement the Specialized Care Unit Pilot using all of the recommendations of the consultant and the SCU Steering Committee as a road map”; Add: with regular review of performance metrics and service evaluations.
-“Continue to plan for a civilian traffic enforcement unit, both by informing the content of state law changes to enable such a unit, and by developing an implementation plan once state law does change”; Revise: Conduct a feasibility analysis of a non-sworn auxiliary traffic enforcement unit, including comprehensive analysis of any and all traffic violations and dangerous road behavior that may be safely addressed entirely by a civilian unit.
-“Approve a new Vision Zero staff position in Public Works’ Division of Transportation to conduct collision analysis”; Add: and to study extent of feasibility and scope of potential civilian enforcement pilot, implementation of Vision Zero and Berkeley Department of Transportation and Infrastructure department structuring models to advance engineering-first solutions to traffic safety with a racial justice and social equity lens.
-“Develop additional capabilities to address public safety goals with appropriate response level”; Revise: Develop additional capabilities to address root causes of crime and violence, including reduction of poverty and recidivism through a Guaranteed Income pilot program and City employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, and locally-based Crisis Stabilization. In addition, the City Manager’s Office, and subsequently an Office of Racial Equity as appropriate, shall periodically report on performance metrics, administrative capacity, and fiscal sustainability for partnering CBOs and other NGOs performing violence prevention services, mental health crisis responses, and any other services under the auspices of Reimagining Community Safety.
Budget Recommendation amendments
-Consulting services - $650k amended to: Office of Racial Equity Associate Management Analyst (1) to oversee a Guaranteed basic income pilot, city employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated, and support position (1) to conduct structural assessment and administrative capacity building for CBO partners- $480k; Consulting services for Priority Dispatch, Call Data Analysis for Crisis Stabilization - $170k.
-Add: Vision Zero analyst - $200k
Financial Implications: See report
Contact: Terry Taplin, Councilmember, District 2, (510) 981-7120
1c. Discussion and Possible Action on Budget Referrals and Direction on Reimagining Public Safety including Consideration of the Recommendations of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR), Reimagining Public Safety Task Force, and City Manager’s Report on Reimagining Public Safety
From: City Manager
Recommendation: Discuss and provide direction on recommendations to transform public safety and policing in Berkeley.
Financial Implications: See report
Contact: Dee Williams-Ridley, City Manager, (510) 981-7000
Adjournment
I hereby request that the City Clerk of the City of Berkeley cause personal notice to be given to each member of the Berkeley City Council on the time and place of said meeting, forthwith.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the official seal of the City of Berkeley to be affixed on this 2nd day of May 2022.
Jesse Arreguin, Mayor
Public Notice – this Proclamation serves as the official agenda for this meeting.
ATTEST:
Date: May 2, 2022
Mark Numainville, City Clerk
NOTICE CONCERNING YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS: If you object to a decision by the City Council to approve or deny a use permit or variance for a project the following requirements and restrictions apply: 1) No lawsuit challenging a City decision to deny (Code Civ. Proc. §1094.6(b)) or approve (Gov. Code 65009(c)(5)) a use permit or variance may be filed more than 90 days after the date the Notice of Decision of the action of the City Council is mailed. Any lawsuit not filed within that 90-day period will be barred. 2) In any lawsuit that may be filed against a City Council decision to approve or deny a use permit or variance, the issues and evidence will be limited to those raised by you or someone else, orally or in writing, at a public hearing or prior to the close of the last public hearing on the project.
Archived indexed video streams are available at http://www.cityofberkeley.info/citycouncil.
Channel 33 rebroadcasts the following Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. and Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
Communications to the City Council are public record and will become part of the City’s electronic records, which are accessible through the City’s website. Please note: e-mail addresses, names, addresses, and other contact information are not required, but if included in any communication to the City Council, will become part of the public record. If you do not want your e-mail address or any other contact information to be made public, you may deliver communications via U.S. Postal Service to the City Clerk Department at 2180 Milvia Street. If you do not want your contact information included in the public record, please do not include that information in your communication. Please contact the City Clerk Department for further information.
Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the City Council regarding any item on this agenda will be posted on the City's website at http://www.cityofberkeley.info.
Agendas and agenda reports may be accessed via the Internet at http://www.cityofberkeley.info/citycouncil
COMMUNICATION ACCESS INFORMATION:
To request a disability-related accommodation(s) to participate in the meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact the Disability Services specialist at (510) 981-6418 (V) or (510) 981-6347 (TDD) at least three business days before the meeting date.
Captioning services are provided at the meeting, on B-TV, and on the Internet.
Communications
Discussion and Possible Action on Budget Referrals and Direction on Reimagining Public Safety including Consideration of the Recommendations of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR), Reimagining Public Safety Task Force, and City Manager’s Report on Reimagining Public Safety
Fulfilling the Promise of Berkeley’s Reimagining Public Safety Initiative: Recommendations for a Comprehensive, Phased Approach
Response to Reimagining Public Safety Recommendations
- Clara de Martel
- Brian Hinch
- Sara Beth Hoffman
- Collin Thormoto
- Sunny Smith
- Kelsey Reid
- Liz Wagstaffe
- Sarah Openheim
- Jessica Stern
- Mary-Lee Smith
- Diana Bohn