Meeting Overview

The Berkeley City Council met on June 16, 2026, with all councilmembers present. Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani participated remotely due to a child care need. The meeting opened with a proclamation honoring former city employee Bertha Brown for more than 30 years of service in Parks, Recreation and Waterfront, followed by remarks from her family.

The council also received a required disclosure training ahead of planned bond issuances later in June. Bond counsel explained that when the city issues bonds, federal securities laws require accurate and complete information for investors, and elected officials must not ignore material facts that could make disclosures misleading.

During public comment, speakers raised concerns about public comment rules, parking policies, disability impacts, and upcoming budget cuts. Several speakers also voiced support for the city’s violence prevention program and for affordable housing funding through the Small Sites program.

Main Agenda Items

The council approved a consent calendar that included, among other items, a citywide bicycle plan update. Councilmembers spoke in support of the bike plan, while some public speakers praised it and others raised concerns about disability access and fire safety review. The mayor said future street designs under the plan would still require Fire Department review.

In a public hearing, the council considered a residential preferential parking permit expansion for the south side of the 1500 block of Delaware Street. Staff said the request met the city’s thresholds: 9 of 11 residential addresses signed the petition, and occupancy surveys found the block more than 75% occupied during the day.

The council also considered a new policy required by state law for what happens if remote public participation is disrupted during a meeting. The policy says the city must recess, try in good faith to restore service for at least one hour, and then either reconvene or adjourn.

Two November 2026 ballot measures were advanced. One would ask voters to approve a general obligation bond for public infrastructure and facilities. The other would ask voters to approve a transactions and use tax, a type of local sales tax. Council discussion on the sales tax noted both the city’s structural budget deficit and concerns about regressive impacts on lower-income residents.

The meeting then turned to the city’s five-year capital improvement plan and proposed two-year budget. Staff outlined major infrastructure work in parks, streets, sewers, stormwater, transportation, fleet, and IT, while also reporting roughly $2.2 billion in unfunded capital needs citywide. Budget staff and the City Manager described a structural deficit of roughly $30 million and said the proposed budget would eliminate 183 positions overall, though many layoffs may be reduced through attrition and reassignment into vacant jobs. The mayor presented proposed budget amendments, including support for several council priorities using non-general-fund sources and limited general-fund reallocations.

Decisions Made

• Consent calendar approved. The transcript excerpt does not state the roll call vote.
• Residential preferential parking approved for the south side of the 1500 block of Delaware Street. Passed unanimously, 9-0.
• Policy for disruption of remote participation during council meetings approved. This sets rules for recessing and attempting to restore remote access during outages. Passed unanimously, 9-0.
• General obligation bond measure placed on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The council also added language stating that exceptions to electrification requirements are discretionary and added a severability clause. Passed unanimously, 9-0.
• Transactions and use sales tax measure placed on the November 3, 2026 ballot, along with a first reading of the ordinance proposing the tax. Passed unanimously, 9-0.
• No action taken on the Solano Stroll budget referral (item 40B). Passed unanimously, 9-0.
• Budget and capital improvement plan discussion continued. No final budget adoption occurred during this portion of the meeting shown here.