Monthly Newsletter from Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii
THE MAYOR'S MONTHLY
May 2025
WELCOME!
It is hard to believe that the school year is nearly over, graduation season is underway, and summer is just around the corner.
While life may be slowing down for some over the next few months, luckily, our city has no shortage of family fun to offer - especially from our amazing Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department. They have planned an incredible lineup of FREE Friday night movies under the stars (including Moana 2, Finding Dory, and Wicked) and the FREE Saturday afternoon Music in the Park series. I can't wait to take my family and dogs out for some great entertainment in our beautiful open spaces - I hope to see you there!
One of my goals when I was elected was to make sure to give all of you the opportunity to have access to my office on a regular basis and to be available to hear your concerns, new ideas, or to just be able to say hello and get to know each other. To that end, I am very excited to be hosting my first Office Hours next week - clearly, you have been excited about the opportunity to meet as well - appointment times were fully booked within 10 minutes of the announcement! However, this will be the first of many I intend to host, and I may increase the number of hours per month as we move forward. Keep a lookout for the July Office Hours announcement the week of June 9.
As always, please be in touch if my office can be of assistance.
In community,
Adena Ishii
Berkeley Mayor
IN THIS ISSUE
Measles Cases on the Rise
Connecting With Community
Small Business Spotlight: El Tiny Café
Events Around Town
Save the Date: Berkeley Pride
Resources: SUN Bucks & Berkeley Chipper Program
MEASLES CASES ON THE RISE
Not sure if you’ve had measles or received the vaccine? Berkeley’s Health Officer recommends getting the highly effective 2-dose measles vaccine to protect yourself and those around you.
Measles spreads very easily through the air and cases are on the rise across the country. People who aren’t vaccinated are especially at risk.
The good news? The measles vaccine is highly effective. When more people are vaccinated, it helps keep our whole community safer.
The State of California offers an easy online tool to check your vaccination status - your health care provider should also be able to let you know. If you are unsure of your vaccination status, there is no risk to getting additional doses.
You can receive the measles vaccine through your primary care physician. If you are uninsured or on Medi-Cal, you can get vaccinated for free at the City of Berkeley’s Immunization Clinic.
If you plan on traveling this summer, now is a particularly good time to make sure you are up-to-date on vaccines, not just for measles, but for flu and COVID-19 as well.
CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY
Highlights from some of the special events, tours, and meetings Mayor Ishii and staff recently participated in.
A fun afternoon getting to know some of the hard working staff in City Hall who keep our city running!
A proud graduate of Berkeley City College, it was a full-circle moment for Mayor Ishii to serve as keynote speaker at her alma mater's Spring Commencement.
The Mayor is pictured here with BCC President Denise Richardson.
Mayor Ishii and the BUSD community celebrated the achievements of nearly 140 high school students at the29th Annual Berkeley Mayor's Student Awards.
Mayor Ishii joined Councilmember Bartlett and other community leaders for the ribbon cutting of the new Sutter Health Adeline Care Center located at the Ed Roberts Campus. The Center will provide comprehensive outpatient OB-GYN care.
Mayor Ishii and Councilmember O'Keefe ate their way through the delicious food featured at the Taste of North Berkeley.
This annual event celebrates the small businesses that make up the diverse - and world famous - culinary enclave of North Shattuck.
Mayor Ishii and City Council passed a proclamation to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
Berkeley is home to a vibrant and diverse AAPI population whose cultural traditions, civic leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and community activism have helped shape the fabric of our city.
SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
From cafes to manufacturers, Berkeley has no shortage of creative and innovative small businesses that add to the vibrancy of our city.
Continuing to shine a spotlight on some of those businesses, this month it's District 3:
El Tiny Café
Located in the heart of South Berkeley, El Tiny Café is a family-owned business, renowned for their high-quality Mexican coffee, harvested exclusively by women in Chiapas, Mexico. It's owners are devoted to sustainability, community support, and creating a welcoming space for all.
Their space might be tiny, but there's an abundance of warmth, kindness, and delicious coffee and food!
Transmissions Quilts: A Multimedia Exhibit of Objects, Stories, and Trans Care
June 2 - 28, 2025
Central Library | 2090 Kittredge Street
View Transmissions Quilts: A Multimedia Exhibit of Objects, Stories, and Trans Care, curated by Berkeley-based artist and educator Cordy Joan. The exhibit takes place across the Central Library, with art displayed on the 1st, 2nd, and 5th floors.
Transmissions is an ongoing, multidisciplinary art and community-building project that makes quilts for trans people, primarily based in the Bay Area but with project hubs expanding across the United States. Coinciding with Pride Month 2025, this exhibit centers the creative vitality of trans and queer community, in Berkeley and beyond.
Berkeley residents have a special opportunity to tour real homes right here in the East Bay that are leading the way in sustainable, all-electric living.
The 2025 East Bay Green@Home Tour will feature neighbors who have taken steps like replacing gas appliances with electric alternatives, installing solar, and improving their home’s energy efficiency and air quality. You’ll get to hear their stories, ask questions, and walk away with ideas and resources—including details on rebates and incentives—for making similar upgrades in your own home.
For 50 years, La Peña has served as a vital space for collective joy, cultural expression, and liberation. This special milestone calls for a celebration that reflects the heart of our work and the people who make La Peña possible. Our festival will run for 12 hours and will feature a variety of activities that are open to all ages and all members of our community.
From 11:30am to 5:30pm, all activities are FREE. Our concert at 5:30pm has ticketed entry on a sliding scale —all proceeds will support our 50th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign!
You are invited to stroll and sample gourmet bites and drinks from local chefs at 13 restaurants in Downtown Berkeley while enjoying music from the Berkeley High Jazz Combo and the Bay Area Jazz Society band.
Proceeds from the event support Berkeley Rotary Club’s community programs, including scholarships for low-income youth from Berkeley High School, hygiene kits and food for people in need in our community, literacy programs in our schools, and a health clinic for uninsured residents of the East Bay.
The Solano Avenue Association invites you to come see what makes Solano Avenue a wonderful place.
Enjoy live music, entertainment, activities, vendors, and specials offered by businesses along Solano Avenue.
This event spans the one-mile stretch from The Alameda to San Pablo Avenue, encompassing Berkeley and Albany. Solano Avenue will remain open to vehicle traffic (not a closed-street festival like the Stroll) and the program is rain or shine.
Now in its 38th year, the Berkeley Juneteenth Festival celebrates community and commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Come celebrate the Black experience with a day filled with good food, vintage cars, community resources, ethnic arts & crafts, live music & entertainment, kids activities, and much more.
Collect all your household hazardous waste and bring it to our event to dispose of it safely and for free in Albany
To secure your spot, please make an appointment. The event address will be sent to you in the confirmation email. Space is limited, so we recommend registering early.
This event is open to all Alameda County residents.
California’s Summer EBT program, known as SUN Bucks, is returning in 2025. This food program provides families $40 per month for food in June, July, and August ($120 total) when children do not have access to school meals.
Most children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals through a school meal application or Universal Benefits Application, or get CalFresh, CalWORKs, and/or Medi-Cal, are automatically enrolled. Children in foster care, experiencing homelessness, attending Head Start, and/or are considered a runaway are also categorically eligible and are automatically enrolled. Some children may need to sign up. Participating in SUN Bucks does not affect a family’s immigration status.
Prepare for wildfire season by using a free City of Berkeley program that will take away shrubs, limbs, brush, and other “hard” vegetation you gather from your property.
Residents can sign up online for this service, known as the Berkeley Chipper Program, to choose neighborhood chipping events or sign up to receive an email when the next nearby event is scheduled.
In addition, those in certain higher-risk areas of the Berkeley Hills that pay a fire district surcharge can request a vegetation debris bin, which can help move even larger amounts and a greater variety of cleared vegetation.
