City Budget, New Evacuation Tool, and More Berkeley News

City Budget to Be Finalized on June 29th

On June 29, the City Council will be voting to approve the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. After multiple meetings of the Budget Committee and several public hearings at the full council, three more meetings remain where you will have additional opportunities to provide public input. The last two meetings of the Budget Committee will be on June 24th at 10am and June 28th at 10am, before the aforementioned council meeting on the 29th.

The Mayor’s priorities are as follows, based on consultation with a wide range of stakeholders throughout the Berkeley community:

COVID-19 response & recovery: First and foremost, we need to continue our efforts to vaccinate our population and contain COVID cases, in addition to addressing the economic impacts of the pandemic through rental, arts and small business assistance.

Fiscal Health: Replenish our General Fund Reserve which was used to balance last year’s $40 Million dollar deficit, and put aside money to fund our Section 115 Pension Trust.

Public Safety: Fund fire prevention work such as vegetation management, clearing paths, Safe Passages and an emergency warning system. Fund expanded bike patrols in high crime areas and expanded hours for mental health crisis response. Support Violence Prevention efforts and leverage new state Violence Intervention Prevention (VIP) funding. Continue the public safety reimagining process and fund the creation of a Specialized Care Unit pilot. Increase funding for traffic calming and fund Vision Zero projects throughout Berkeley to improve pedestrian/bike safety.

Homelessness Response: Continue existing emergency shelter and social services. Launch the outdoor shelter at 742 Grayson Street, provide safe parking for vehicles, fund one or more Homekey projects, expand sanitation and public health, support trash pick up around encampments, and fund rental subsidies to get people off the street. With gratitude to the voters, these programs have been funded through Measure P

Infrastructure: Invest in fixing our roads, and other public buildings and facilities including at our Waterfront, thanks to Measures M and T1, our local dollars can be leveraged with future funding through the proposed American Jobs Plan.

Zonehaven Evacuation System Now Live - Know Your Zone

On June 15, Alameda County launched a new evacuation software system, Zonehaven, to provide neighborhood-level evacuation orders in the event of an emergency such as a wildfire. Under this system, all parts of Alameda are divided into zones to improve evacuation management. The website, which is compatible with computers, smart phones, and laptops, provides real-time data in the event of an emergency such as traffic conditions, weather (including temperature, wind speeds, and humidity), and incident location.

It is highly encouraged that you look up your zone number and memorize it. Be sure to bookmark the webpage for quick access to the site.

This is a new tool that will complement existing emergency notifications, including AC Alert and Nixle. Additionally, the City is in the process of installing emergency sirens that will provide pre-recorded messages that can be localized to impacted neighborhoods. This system is expected to launch later this year.

First Public Hearing on New Independent Redistricting Process

In 2016, Berkeley voters approved Measure W1, which established an Independent Redistricting Commission. Previously, new Council districts, which are created every ten years after the US Census data is released, was decided by the City Council. The Commission consists of 13 members - one for each of the eight districts and five at large. These commissioners were chosen at random via a lottery drawing, and have been vetted to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.

Due to COVID-19, data from the US Census will not be released until the fall, creating a constricted timeline to develop and approve a new map in time for the 2022 election. The first public hearing, which will introduce the redistricting process and Commission to the public and ask for community participation, will take place on July 10th at 10am. This is part of the Commission’s mandated commitment to providing an open and transparent redistricting process that allows for public participation in the drawing of district boundaries.

WHAT: Independent Redistricting Commission Public Hearing

WHEN: Saturday, July 10th, 10am

WHERE: Zoom (link in agenda that will be posted closer to date here)

Federal Infrastructure Bill to Support Berkeley Transportation

Congresswoman Barbara Lee has submitted funding to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Appropriations for several transportation and infrastructure projects in her district. This includes several proposals that will benefit Berkeley. Specifically, $704k has been requested for the development of improving bike infrastructure and safety along Addison Street in West Berkeley. This will complete gaps in bike lanes, connecting bicyclists to Downtown Berkeley BART and Berkeley’s Amtrak station.

Other projects that would benefit Berkeley commuters include improved accessibility and reliability for public transit along the Bay Bridge ($3 million) and improvements to BART stations across Alameda County, involving lighting, wall/floor repairs, and restroom improvements ($3 million). Additional details on these projects, and all projects Congresswoman Lee has proposed, can be found here.

UC Berkeley Documentary on COVID-19

COVID-19 has transformed our daily lives. To reflect on an unprecedented year, UC Berkeley students produced a short documentary highlighting how this pandemic impacted our community. The 16 minute film includes interviews with student and community leaders as they reflect on how their lives and their communities have changed over the past year in response to the pandemic. The documentary is available on YouTube.

Not In Our Town Benefit Concert

Not In Our Town (NIOT), the organization we have partnered with for our annual United Against Hate week, is hosting a benefit concert to celebrate their 25th anniversary. This hour-long event features ARKAI, a dynamic string duo out of New York with genre-bending sounds, and includes leaders of NIOT community groups from across the country. While the event is free to attend, donations are strongly encouraged. Donations will go towards continuing NIOT’s work in stopping hate, racism and bullying, and building safe, inclusive communities for all. For more details, and to register for the event, click here.

WHAT: Not in Our Town Benefit Concert

WHEN: Friday, June 25, 4pm

WHERE: Virtual, register here.