New Homeless Shelter, COVID-19 Updates, Community Events and More Berkeley News

Horizon Transitional Village Opens Providing Hope and Housing

This month, the City of Berkeley, in partnership with Dorothy Day House, opened the Horizon Transitional Village, a new shelter in Southwest Berkeley that can accommodate 50 people at a time. In addition to a place to live, this facility will provide meals, workshops, services and more to Berkeley’s most vulnerable neighbors.

Proposals to open a new outdoor shelter have been around for some time. For over a year, City Staff searched for a viable location, a difficult task given Berkeley’s limited space, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic reprioritizing staff work. Ultimately, while no outdoor location could be established, the City executed an agreement to lease an expansive warehouse with ample space. In April 2021, the City approved a contract with Dorothy Day House to operate the shelter for an annual amount of $783,192. Funds will be provided by Measure P, a transfer tax increase approved by Berkeley voters in 2018 to provide ~$7 million annually for homeless services.

Dorothy Day House is no stranger to operating shelters, having operated the Berkeley Emergency Storm Shelter for over 15 years, an operation that has significantly expanded in recent years. Dorothy Day House understands the needs of the unhoused population as well as the resources and systems that are available to build and foster connections that will ultimately work towards providing positive long-term solutions.

City Council Approves Historic Agreement with UC Berkeley

Last week, the Berkeley City Council voted to authorize a historic agreement governing future growth, city services and more with the University of California at Berkeley. The agreement represents one of the largest financial settlements a UC campus has provided to a host city and paves the way for expanded educational opportunities while balancing community concerns and prospective impacts on City services. More importantly, the agreement assures a voice for the City and Berkeley community in the University’s future development.

The tentative agreement approved by the City Council calls for the University to provide annual payments to the city for a total amount of $82.64 million over the next 16 years. The funding will support fire and city services, and projects supporting residents within a half mile of the UC main campus and Clark Kerr Campus. In addition to the annual payment, the agreement calls for a stronger cooperative relationship including: voluntarily honoring the City’s zoning standards in the design of off-campus projects, creating a collaborative planning process for projects in the City Environs, meeting and conferring around suspending master leasing of private housing, a commitment to work with the City around the closure of Alta Bates Hospital, and a willingness to work with the city to require commercial tenants to obtain permits and pay city impact fees.

This week, the University of California Board of Regents will discuss and potentially vote on final approval of this tentative agreement. The final language of the agreement will be available after final adoption and execution by the parties. Stay tuned for additional details.

Increased Investment, Coordination for Wildfire Safety

As a result of voter approved Measure FF, Berkeley will invest $12.75 million to address the city’s approach to fire safety. Specific initiatives include the expansion of vegetation clearing efforts, installation of a new evacuation warning system, the purchase of additional emergency vehicles, neighborhood evacuation drills, developing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the construction of larger training facilities. In addition, Berkeley is joining forces with local partners including UC Berkeley, the City of Oakland and the East Bay Regional Parks District as part of a collaborative regional effort to confront the regional threat posed by wildfires.

Improved coordination between overlapping jurisdictions along the East Bay Hills (City of Berkeley, City of Oakland, UC Berkeley, East Bay Regional Park District), has been pledged, which will improve efforts in responding to drills and emergencies. This comes at a critical time, as there have already been more fires and acreage burned this year compared to this time last year, which was the most destructive year for wildfires in California’s history. Extreme drought conditions and the likelihood of heatwaves in the weeks and months to come are of concern that cannot be ignored. For additional details on what you can do to prepare, visit the City’s wildfire page. Watch the full press conference of the Measure FF investment announcement here.

New Mask Recommendation and other COVID-19 Updates

The City of Berkeley, along with Alameda County and health officers from most Bay Area counties issued a recommendation for everyone to wear masks in indoor public places. This announcement comes as cases and hospitalizations have increased over the last month, primarily caused by the spreading of the highly transmissible Delta variant. In Berkeley, we are averaging 10 cases a day, the highest rate since February 2021.

Berkeley’s vaccination rate is currently at 68%. However, this number is misleading as it includes the population of students who stayed in their hometowns and got vaccinated elsewhere. So while they are counted as living here, they are not currently counted as a resident who has been vaccinated. We are working to clarify that number. All UC Berkeley students will be required vaccinations for the Fall 2021 semester.

Fully vaccinated people are well-protected from COVID-19, including the Delta variant. If you have not gotten vaccinated, you still can. Vaccines are safe, effective, free, and accessible to everyone 12 and older. Click here to find a vaccination site near you.

As of July 19th, all City offices were fully reopened to the public. Many services were moved virtually during the pandemic, and last month city buildings partially reopened. As mentioned above, masks are required when visiting.

Input Sought for BART Berkeley-El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan

BART is currently planning improvements to the El Cerrito Plaza, North Berkeley, and Ashby BART stations. The Corridor Access Plan will help BART and its partner cities ensure riders can access BART when housing, currently in the planning process, is built on the North Berkeley and Ashby BART parking lots.

An online open house has been launched to seek community feedback for access improvements. The open house provides tools similar to those used in an in-person meeting. Visitors can move between the virtual “rooms” to learn more about the goals of the plan, its process and timeline, and how BART and the cities are balancing priorities for development and access to BART. Visitors can fill out a survey and interactive map to express their feedback about their needs and preferences for station access. Feedback on the proposal is currently open and will close on August 20th.

Community Happenings

Below is a list of past and future events happening around the Berkeley community.

Berkeley Celebrates July 4th

July 4th festivities at the Claremont neighborhood brought crowds to watch a mobile band performance.

2021 marked the 245th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and was marked with vibrant festivities. While for the second year due to COVID-19, celebrations at the Marina were cancelled, multiple neighborhood gatherings and festivals took place throughout the City. One of the most popular events took place in Claremont, which has held a July 4th celebration since 1961.

National Night Out

On Tuesday, August 3, National Night Out returns, with dozens of locations already having applied. National Night Out is part of a nationwide effort to help communities build relationships with their local public safety department and raise awareness about crime prevention. In general, neighborhoods participate in National Night Out by turning on their lights and having porch or street side conversations-strengthening neighborhood bonds.

National Night Out attendees will have the opportunity to connect with their neighbors and network with city employees. Neighborhood Watch groups, community partners, and religious institutions have organized a number of neighborhood events-including block parties, cookouts, barbeques, and ice cream socials.

For more information, including finding a location near you or applying to host an event, visit the City’s National Night Out page.

Fundraiser for BUSD Families

What started off as a trip to Vital Vittles bakery inspired 14 year old Berkeley High student Anjani to start a fundraising campaign to support local businesses and BUSD families. The concept is simple - raise $3,000 to provide 600 meals a week over the summer. Local businesses that have been financially hit by the pandemic, such as Vital Vittles, would provide food for the meals. This will help fill the gap in the summer before BUSD’s food program is expanded in the fall. Thanks to the leadership and determination of Anjani, and the support of the community, the goal has been met. For more information, visit the GoFundMe page and in Berkeleyside Nosh.

Outdoor Movies in the Park

The Berkeley Parks Department is hosting a series of family friendly movie screenings across Berkeley Parks this summer. Five movies are being screened at the following times and locations:

Date: July 23rd, 8:45pm

Location: Grove Park, 1730 Oregon St

Movie: Akeelah and the Bee

Date: August 6th, 8:15pm

Location: James Kenney Park, 1720 8th St

Movie: Smallfoot

Date: August 20th, 8pm

Location: Ohlone Park Baseball Field, Sacramento St/Delaware St

Movie: Lady and the Tramp

Date: September 10, 7:30pm

Location: Grove Park, 1730 Oregon St

Movie: Soul