A Call to End Gun Violence

Words cannot describe the shock and sadness our community is feeling in the aftermath of a heinous shooting on Wednesday night that left a young pregnant woman dead. My heart goes out to Sereinat’e Henderson’s family. Shootings have been all too common this year, with an alarming number of incidents. This marks the fourth homicide by gunfire in Berkeley this year. This is unacceptable and has to stop.

I thank the Berkeley Police Department for their quick response. They are working diligently on this case and have offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to a suspect’s arrest and conviction. Anyone with information can call the BPD Homicide Unit at (510) 981-5741 or BPD’s 24-hour Non-Emergency number at (510) 981-5900.

I am committed to working with the Police Department and everyone in the community to develop immediate measures to prevent gun violence, and invest in long-term solutions like violence prevention programs and resources for our at-risk youth. We need to get guns off our streets, and make sure our young people don’t end up in this tragic cycle of violence.

Forecasted Major Wind Event Leads to Another Red Flag Warning, Public Safety Power Shutoff on Sunday

The PSPS event is expected to impact Claremont, Panoramic Hill, and areas east of Wildcat Canyon Road. A Community Resource Center will be set up at Clark Kerr Campus.

Starting on Sunday morning, another Red Flag Warning will be issued for the entire Bay Area, with intense winds expected, specifically Sunday night through Monday morning. This wind event will be the strongest event we have experienced this year, with the possibility that this will be as strong or worse than the 2017 wind event that led to the Tubbs fire that destroyed thousands of homes in Santa Rosa. PG&E has issued a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) alert that will impact 1,571 customers in parts of the Berkeley Hills from 8pm on Sunday, 10/25 through 10pm on Monday, 10/26. To see if you are impacted, visit PG&E’s PSPS events page.

In recent years we have increased our investment in wildfire preparedness and emergency services. This weekend our Fire Department will be partnering with Alameda County in patrolling the hills with strike teams totalling 10 engines and will be ready in the event of a wildfire sparking. For more info on the work we have done and what you can do to prepare, watch my interview with KTVU on Thursday about wildfires, and be sure to visit the City’s wildfire evacuation page.

New COVID-19 Health Order Further Relaxes Activities

This week's Blueprint for a Safer Economy update saw further relaxations in San Francisco and Napa Counties.

As new case rates and hospitalizations from COVID-19 continue to decline across Berkeley and Alameda County, our Health Officer has released an updated Health Order that allows further relaxations of various activities. This order went into effect this morning. Highlights include:

The following activities are allowed at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less:
Indoor dining
Indoor worship services
Indoor movie theaters
Indoor family entertainment centers
Indoor gyms and fitness
Indoor wedding and funeral services
Expansion of indoor retail and malls at up to 50% of capacity and permitting food courts
Outdoor non-contact fitness classes up to 20 students and two instructors
Live-streamed or recorded performances without an audience, previously permitted outdoors only, will also now be allowed indoors, with restrictions

While case rates continue to fall in Berkeley and Alameda County thanks to your commitment to follow social distancing guidelines, the threat of a second wave does remain a serious possibility. Cases are increasing throughout the country, with over 83,000 new cases reported today, the highest total recorded in a single day in the United States. Vigilance and compliance will be as important as ever as we continue to relax restrictions, especially as we head towards the holiday season.

Community Input Sought for Bayer Development Agreement

The proposed plan would add an additional 651,000 square feet of work space on the Bayer campus and an additional 1,000 jobs.

Bayer is in the process of updating its Development Agreement with the City of Berkeley. There is an upcoming opportunity to learn more about their long-range plans for their 46-acre campus in West Berkeley. An overview of their application to extend the Development Agreement will be provided. You can RSVP to the meeting, which will take place on Thursday, October 29 from 6pm-7:30 by clicking this link.

For more than a quarter century, commercial manufacturing of therapies to treat hemophilia have been at the heart of Bayer’s Berkeley site. Here, they have researched, developed and launched four products that have helped to transform how the hemophilia community manages this difficult disorder. Bayer is strengthening its pipeline of new approaches to harness biotechnology to improve patient outcomes. These therapies hold tremendous promise to treat diseases. Building on its foundation of biotech manufacturing excellence, the Berkeley site is positioned to broaden its capacities to serve as a hub of biotechnology innovation. In addition to hemophilia, they are focusing their research and development efforts on other conditions in hematology, cardiology and oncology.

Berkeley Business Bootcamp Series

The Berkeley Public Library is partnering with the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce to present Berkeley Business Bootcamp, a free, six-part series of online classes for the small business community and anyone interested in learning small business skills. The will be a total of six sessions that take place monthly. The first session already took place, but the second session, on marketing on social media, will take place on Thursday, November 12th at 10am-11am. You can RSVP to that event here.

Since March, many Library staff have been deployed as disaster service workers which has included supporting the City of Berkeley’s Office of Economic Development (OED) outreach to small businesses during the pandemic. Library staff offered businesses information about time-sensitive grant opportunities, reviewed grant requests, and disseminated information to small businesses to support effective compliance with health orders. Through this work with the OED, and in discussions with the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, Library staff learned more about the needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Berkeley.

Have You Made Your Voting Plans Yet?

Berkeley voters are currently filling in their ballots, with over 35% of registered Berkeley voters having already submitted their ballots. Most polling locations will be closed due to COVID-19, but there are other options to vote beyond mailing your ballot through the USPS.

Ballot drop boxes are available at the following locations in Berkeley. For a map of the locations, visit the Registrar’s webpage on drop boxes.

Berkeley City Hall, 2180 Milvia St
Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue Ave
Frances Albrier Community Center, 2800 Park St
North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda
UC Berkeley, Sproul Plaza between Sather Gate and Sproul Hall
West Branch Library, 1125 University Ave

Accessible Voting Locations (AVLs) will be at the following locations in Berkeley. For a map and status of the locations, visit the Registrar’s webpage on AVLs.

Berkeley High School, 1980 Allston Way
City of Berkeley Building (formerly Premier Cru), 1011 University Ave
Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Ave
Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St
Lawerence Hall of Science, 1 Centennial Dr
Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby St
MLK Student Union, Pauley Ballroom, 2455 Bancroft Way, 3rd Floor
Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda
Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart St

AVLs will open beginning on Saturday, October 31. They will generally be open from 9am-5pm on Saturday 10/31, Sunday 11/1, and Monday 11/2, and 7am-8pm on Election Day, 11/3.