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2026-05-12 - City Council (regular)

Summary

Built from the official approved minutes of the May 12, 2026 regular meeting (approved on the May 19, 2026 Consent Calendar). No video or transcript is posted, so there is no timing.

  • Roll call 6:08 p.m.; all members present except Bartlett, who arrived at 6:25 p.m. Adjourned 7:00 p.m. on a motion by Taplin, seconded by Tregub, all ayes.
  • Ceremonial recognitions: Jewish-American Heritage Month, Affordable Housing Month (May 2026) and the Muslim holidays Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha. City Manager comments: none.
  • Public comment: 10 speakers on non-agenda matters, 0 from employee unions, 4 on the Consent Calendar and information items.
  • Consent Calendar adopted in one motion (Tregub/Humbert), all ayes: items 1 to 16 (see below). It included the $750,000 sale of City property on Fifth Street, the state-law zoning code update, and a rezoning of Fifth Street parcels.
  • Council Consent Item 16 (Juneteenth Festival pre-planning funds) adopted as revised, with eight members adding contributions to Bartlett's $2,500.
  • One public hearing: the waterfront office lease at 125-127 University Avenue; 0 speakers; first reading of Ordinance No. 8,009-N.S. adopted, all ayes; second reading set for June 9, 2026.
  • Public comment on items not on the agenda: 1 speaker. Certified by City Clerk Numainville.

Fifth Street Property Sale

  • Item 1: second reading of Ordinance No. 8,006-N.S. approving the sale of City property at Fifth Street for $750,000. Adopted on consent.

Zoning Code State Law Consistency Update

  • Item 2: second reading of Ordinance No. 8,007-N.S. amending Title 23 (Zoning) for consistency with state law and technical edits. Adopted on consent.

Fifth Street Mixed Use Rezoning

  • Item 3: second reading of Ordinance No. 8,008-N.S. rezoning portions of two Fifth Street parcels from MU-LI to MU-R. Adopted on consent.

Police Accountability Board appointment

  • Item 4: Resolution No. 72,255-N.S. appointing a new Police Accountability Board member nominated by Tregub. Adopted on consent. The minutes do not name the appointee. Related: Police Accountability Director Hiring.

Special Events Permitting Software Contract

  • Item 5: Resolution No. 72,256-N.S. adding a Special Event permitting module to the Clariti contract, up to $121,000, total not to exceed $5,480,128.

Bid solicitations

  • Item 6: formal bid solicitations and requests for proposals scheduled for possible issuance, $1,700,000 from various funds. Approved. Contracts over the City Manager's threshold return to Council for final approval.

Public Health Grant Agreements

  • Item 7: JotForm HIPAA platform amendment, plus $39,832, total not to exceed $149,050, through May 13, 2028 (Resolution 72,257).
  • Item 11: Essential Access Health grant, projected $120,000 (Resolution 72,261).
  • Item 12: tuberculosis prevention grant, $16,361 (Resolution 72,262), and Public Health Infrastructure Program, $32,080 (Resolution 72,263).

Housing Consulting Contract Amendment

  • Item 8: Street Level Advisors, LLC fifth amendment, plus $146,310, total not to exceed $562,260, ending September 30, 2027 (Resolution 72,258).

Senior Ride Program Contracts

  • Item 9: Easy Does It wheelchair van service, plus $57,000, total not to exceed $232,000 (Resolution 72,259).
  • Item 10: GoGo Technologies, Inc. concierge rides, plus $500,000, total not to exceed $1,000,000 (Resolution 72,260).

Tree Services Contracts

  • Item 13: four as-needed tree service contracts, each up to $1,050,000 for May 29, 2026 to May 28, 2029 (Resolutions 72,264 to 72,267).

Marina Electric Vessel Charging License

  • Item 14: 12-year license to Aqua SuperPower, Inc. for a marine electric vessel charging station at K Dock, Berkeley Marina (Resolution 72,268).

Vulnerable Homeowners Exploitation Referral

  • Items 15a and 15b: referred to the Commission on Aging as recommended by the Land Use, Housing and Economic Development Committee.

Council Discretionary Fund Grants

  • Item 16, Berkeley Juneteenth Festival (author Bartlett, co-sponsor Mayor Ishii; Taplin and Blackaby added as co-sponsors): Resolution No. 72,269-N.S. adopted, revised to include contributions up to these amounts: Kesarwani $100, Blackaby $500, Lunaparra $200, Tregub $200, Humbert $250, Taplin $250, O'Keefe $250 and Ishii $250. The original recommendation was $2,500 from Bartlett for pre-planning, organized by the Berkeley Juneteenth Association, Inc. One supplemental letter on the item came from the Berkeley Juneteenth Cultural Celebrations.

Waterfront Office Lease Agreement

  • Item 17 (public hearing): lease with Patpatia & Associates, Inc., 125-127 University Avenue. Hearing closed (Kesarwani/Humbert), all ayes; first reading of Ordinance 8,009-N.S. (Blackaby/Kesarwani), all ayes.

Communications

  • The minutes list 124 communications, grouped by topic. The largest groups were budget concerns (16 letters, including from the Homeless Services Panel of Experts), the Hopkins Street project (31 letters, see Hopkins Street Bikeway Referral) and zoning (8 letters). Smaller groups covered repaving requests, renaming a City park, EMBER and Zone Zero, Gabe Catalfo fields, street sweeping, the ferry project and its draft environmental report, parking meters, eScooters and other topics. The minutes list names only, not positions. Letters about the budget relate to Biennial Budget Adoption and about parking meters to Parking Meter Program Changes.

Sources