Berkeley City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday limiting the use of militarized equipment, which can be utilized for the purpose of crowd control.
The legislation will set parameters for when equipment of a military nature can be used, according to Councilmember Kate Harrison. The measure would also require police to report whenever these weapons are used or deployed.
“Right now we don’t have information or data on the use of these weapons,” Harrison said at the meeting. “The ordinance, in a nutshell, is that we set the general use parameters and we get an annual report on how the equipment was used and in what neighborhoods.”
Berkeley City Councilmember Susan Wengraf has not left her home in a year. Councilmember Sophie Hahn worries about her aging mother and three children. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín wrestles with fear and uncertainty every day, personally and for the city of Berkeley.
The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched for more than a year, and it has not been easy on anyone. In addition to the personal complications of adapting to a pandemic, city council members have also had the state of the city weighing on them.
“It’s no secret that this crisis is bigger than any of us,” said Councilmember Rigel Robinson in an email. “Families and small businesses are hurting, and the city doesn’t have all the solutions. That keeps me up at night.”
Grocery store workers in Berkeley will now receive an additional $5 of hazard pay per hour after Berkeley City Council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance regarding the pay Tuesday.
The extra pay aims to compensate essential workers for the “clear and present dangers” of working in a public service setting during a pandemic, according to the ordinance. The mandatory hazard pay is set to last for 120 days or until Berkeley enters the yellow tier of COVID-19 risk.
“(I thought about) the kinds of risks our essential frontline workers are taking, showing up to work every day, and wanting to move beyond symbolic appreciation of our frontline workers and wanting to step up for them,” said Councilmember Terry Taplin, who introduced the ordinance. “I learned that other cities were also pursuing it, so I wanted Berkeley to join that movement.”
Berkeley overhauls off-street parking with an eye toward greener future
“I know this is scary for people,” said Councilmember Kate Harrison. “It’s a change. But it’s a change I feel we have to make.”
Berkeley says the new rules will reduce the amount of unneeded off-street parking in the city. Photo: John Matychuk on Unsplash
Most new housing projects in Berkeley will no longer have to build off-street parking, a move the city hopes will “more aggressively promote” alternative modes of transportation, such as walking and biking, and advance the city’s climate goals.
Berkeley officials voted unanimously Tuesday night to eliminate the city’s age-old parking requirements which, in many areas of town, required the creation of one off-street parking spot for each new housing unit.