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Council Discretionary Fund Grants

At a glance

  • What: Councilmembers relinquish money from their discretionary Council office budgets to the General Fund so it can be granted to community groups.
  • Where it stands: On July 28, 2026 Council adopted two such grants on the Consent Calendar, and the author withdrew a third.
  • Council Consent Item 10, Luna Dance Creativity's May Day Gathering and Bazaar (Taplin, author): up to $500 per Councilmember, including $500 from Taplin. Resolution No. 72,249-N.S., adopted as amended with contributions up to: Bartlett $250, Lunaparra $200, Blackaby $250, Tregub $150, Humbert $200, Kesarwani $100, O'Keefe $250, Mayor Ishii $250. Adopted with the Consent Calendar (Blackaby/Humbert), all ayes.

Five Council Consent Items were adopted with the Consent Calendar (Taplin/Humbert, 8 ayes, Bartlett absent), each amended to add contributions from other members "up to the amounts listed":

  • Item 37, Business Damage Mitigation Fund (Mayor Ishii, co-sponsor Tregub): up to $10,000 per Councilmember, with $10,000 from Ishii and $500 from Tregub, to the Downtown Berkeley Association as administrator, to help small businesses with property damage including vandalism. Resolution No. 72,362-N.S. Added: Blackaby $200, Humbert $250, O'Keefe $500, Lunaparra $200, Kesarwani $250.
  • Item 38, Berkeley Nikkei Senior Center end-of-year celebration on December 12 (Ishii): up to $2,500 per Councilmember, $2,500 from Ishii. Resolution No. 72,363-N.S. Added: Blackaby $250, Humbert $100, O'Keefe $200, Lunaparra $200, Tregub $150, Kesarwani $100.
  • Item 39, Little Free Store and Community Services United clean-up and mural painting party on July 25 (Bartlett): $500 from Bartlett. Resolution No. 72,364-N.S. Added: Blackaby $250, O'Keefe $200, Lunaparra $200, Tregub $150, Kesarwani $100, Ishii $250.
  • Item 41, Zero Empty Spaces in Downtown Berkeley, a temporary affordable artist studio activation in the former Half Price Books location (Tregub, co-sponsor Ishii): up to $2,500 per Councilmember, $300 from Tregub and $2,500 from Ishii, granted to the Downtown Berkeley Association. Resolution No. 72,365-N.S. Added: Blackaby $250, O'Keefe $200, Lunaparra $200, Kesarwani $100.
  • Item 42, 2026 Solano Avenue Stroll co-sponsorship (O'Keefe; co-sponsors Ishii, Blackaby, Kesarwani): up to $25,000 per Councilmember, including $24,000 from O'Keefe, $5,000 from Ishii and $15,000 from Blackaby, to the Solano Avenue Association for the 50th annual Stroll on September 13, 2026. Resolution No. 72,366-N.S. Added: Lunaparra $200, Tregub $150, Kesarwani $4,000.

Bertha Brown memorial gathering (adopted July 14)

  • Council consent item 18, by Councilmember Bartlett: $1,000 from his discretionary budget (and any other members who wished) for the South Berkeley Community Church Hunger Program memorial gathering honoring Bertha Brown and accessibility services. Resolution No. 72,395-N.S., amended to add contributions up to: Lunaparra $200, Taplin $150, Tregub $150, Kesarwani $100, O'Keefe $250, Humbert $150, Blackaby $250, Ishii $100.

RISE program (adopted July 14)

  • Council consent item 20, by Councilmember Tregub: up to $250 per Councilmember (including $250 from Tregub) for the Berkeley Public Schools Fund's RISE (Raising the Next Generation of Student Advocates) program. Supplemental material was accepted at the meeting (Tregub/Humbert, all ayes). Resolution No. 72,396-N.S., as amended to add contributions up to: Lunaparra $200, Bartlett $250, Taplin $150, Kesarwani $100, O'Keefe $250, Humbert $100, Blackaby $250.

School supply fair (adopted)

  • Item 22, by Councilmember Bartlett (co-sponsors Tregub and Mayor Ishii): up to $200 per Councilmember to support SupplyBank.org's Citywide Berkeley School Supply Giveaway & Resource Fair. Resolution No. 72,416-N.S.
  • Original contributions: Bartlett $200, Tregub $150, Ishii $100. Revised at the meeting to add: Humbert $150, Blackaby $200, Lunaparra $200, Kesarwani $100, Taplin $200, O'Keefe $200.

Russell Street Halloween (adopted)

  • Item 25, by Councilmember Humbert: up to $4,000 per Councilmember, including $4,000 from Humbert, granted to the Claremont Elmwood Neighborhood Association for Russell Street Halloween festivities from 2026 to 2029. Resolution No. 72,417-N.S.
  • Revised to add contributions up to: Tregub $150, Blackaby $250, Lunaparra $200, Kesarwani $100, Taplin $200, Bartlett $200, O'Keefe $200, Ishii $100.

Downtown Berkeley Association outreach position (withdrawn)

  • Item 23, by Councilmember Tregub: up to $1,000 per Councilmember (Tregub $500, O'Keefe $500, Blackaby $500, Lunaparra $300) for the Downtown Berkeley Association's Social Service Outreach Coordinator position, to close the cost-sharing gap. Withdrawn from the agenda by Tregub.

June 2026 grants (adopted June 9 and June 16)

June 9 (Council Consent Items 19 to 21, adopted in the Consent Calendar motion, Taplin/Humbert, all ayes), each amended to add contributions "up to the amounts listed":

  • Item 19, Berkeley Poet Laureate Program (Mayor Ishii, Taplin added as co-sponsor): up to $2,500 per Councilmember, $2,500 from Ishii, for panelist fees and the poet laureate stipend. Resolution No. 72,305-N.S. Added: Kesarwani $100, Humbert $100, Bartlett $200, Lunaparra $200, Tregub $150, Taplin $1,000, O'Keefe $200, Blackaby $500.
  • Item 20, Chavez/Huerta Tribute Site maintenance via the fiscal sponsor, Kala Art Institute (Ishii, co-sponsor Kesarwani): up to $2,500 per Councilmember, $2,500 from Ishii and $500 from Kesarwani. Resolution No. 72,306-N.S. Added: Humbert $100, Bartlett $200, Lunaparra $200, Tregub $150, Taplin $250, O'Keefe $200, Blackaby $500.
  • Item 21, 2027 Holocaust Remembrance Day Program, the 24th annual (Ishii, co-sponsor Tregub, Taplin added): up to $3,500 per Councilmember, $3,500 from Ishii and $500 from Tregub. Resolution No. 72,307-N.S. Added: Kesarwani $100, Humbert $500, Bartlett $200, Lunaparra $200, Taplin $500, O'Keefe $200, Blackaby $1,500.

June 16 (Council Consent Items 31 and 33, adopted with the Consent Calendar, Humbert/Taplin, all ayes):

  • Item 31, Resorcery Org's mural reveal and food drive (Bartlett; Humbert added as co-sponsor): $500 from Bartlett. Resolution No. 72,332-N.S. Added: Humbert $250, Lunaparra $200, Blackaby $250, Tregub $150, Taplin $150, O'Keefe $200, Kesarwani $100, Ishii $250.
  • Item 33, United for Health's Moffitt Library Clinic for UC Berkeley students (Lunaparra): up to $500 per Councilmember, $500 from Lunaparra. Resolution No. 72,333-N.S. Added: Humbert $150, Blackaby $250, Tregub $150, Taplin $150, Bartlett $200, O'Keefe $200, Kesarwani $100, Ishii $250.
  • Council Consent Item 16, Berkeley Juneteenth Festival pre-planning, organized by the Berkeley Juneteenth Association, Inc. (Bartlett, author; Mayor Ishii, co-sponsor; Taplin and Blackaby added as co-sponsors). The original recommendation was $2,500 from Bartlett's discretionary budget, relinquished to the General Fund, plus contributions from any other members. Resolution No. 72,269-N.S. adopted as revised, with contributions up to: Kesarwani $100, Blackaby $500, Lunaparra $200, Tregub $200, Humbert $250, Taplin $250, O'Keefe $250, Ishii $250. Adopted with the Consent Calendar (Tregub/Humbert), all ayes. A supplemental letter came from Delores Nochi Cooper for Berkeley Juneteenth Cultural Celebrations.

Four Council Consent Items (16 to 19) were adopted in the Consent Calendar motion (Taplin/Tregub, all ayes), each revised to add contributions "up to the amounts listed":

  • Item 16, Berkeley Humane's 12th Annual Pints for Paws (Taplin; co-sponsors Humbert, Ishii, Blackaby): up to $500 per member, $500 from Taplin. Resolution No. 72,281-N.S. Added: Tregub $100, O'Keefe $250, Humbert $250, Blackaby $250, Lunaparra $200, Kesarwani $100, Bartlett $200, Ishii $250.
  • Item 17, 100 Black Men of the Bay Area's Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet (Taplin; co-sponsors Bartlett, Lunaparra, Blackaby): Resolution No. 72,282-N.S. Added: Tregub $100, O'Keefe $250, Humbert $100, Blackaby $500, Lunaparra $200, Kesarwani $100, Bartlett $250, Ishii $250.
  • Item 18, Grand Opening of the South Berkeley Flea Market at Ashby BART, organized by Community Services United (Bartlett, $1,000): Resolution No. 72,283-N.S. Added: Tregub $100, O'Keefe $250, Humbert $100, Blackaby $250, Lunaparra $200, Kesarwani $100, Taplin $500, Ishii $250.
  • Item 19, Berkeley Rotary Endowment (Tregub; co-sponsors Ishii, O'Keefe, Taplin; $250 each from Ishii, O'Keefe, Taplin and Tregub): Resolution No. 72,284-N.S. Added: Humbert $100, Blackaby $250, Lunaparra $200, Kesarwani $100, Bartlett $150.

Sources

Log

2026-04-28 - City Council (regular)

Item 10 (Luna's May Day Gathering and Bazaar) adopted on consent as amended with added member contributions (Resolution No. 72,249).

2026-06-30 - City Council (regular)

Items 37, 38, 39, 41 and 42 adopted on consent as amended with added member contributions (Resolutions 72,362 to 72,366).

2026-07-14 - City Council (regular)

Consent items 18 (Bertha Brown memorial) and 20 (RISE program) adopted as amended with added member contributions.

2026-07-28 - City Council (regular)

Consent items 22 and 25 adopted as revised with the Consent Calendar; item 23 withdrawn by its author.

2026-06-16 - City Council (regular)

Items 31 (Resorcery Org) and 33 (Moffitt Library Clinic) adopted on consent as amended (Resolutions 72,332 and 72,333).

2026-06-09 - City Council (regular)

Items 19, 20 and 21 (Poet Laureate, Chavez/Huerta Tribute Site, Holocaust Remembrance Day) adopted on consent as amended (Resolutions 72,305 to 72,307).

2026-05-19 - City Council (regular)

Items 16 to 19 (Pints for Paws, Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet, South Berkeley Flea Market, Berkeley Rotary Endowment) adopted on consent as amended (Resolutions 72,281 to 72,284).

2026-05-12 - City Council (regular)

Item 16 (Berkeley Juneteenth Festival pre-planning) adopted on consent as amended with added member contributions (Resolution 72,269).