Councilmember Susan Wengraf
 
 
  
Newsletter #69

April, 2019 
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
 
    Berkeley is facing some very difficult challenges - Housing Costs, Homelessness, Wildfire Safety, Unfunded Liabilities, Street Conditions, and Large Infrastructure Needs. I get discouraged and overwhelmed thinking how a little city like Berkeley can possibly solve these problems on its own. Thanks to the generosity of you, the voters, Berkeley now has some resources to work on the housing affordability crisis (Measure O), the homelessness issue (Measure P), and our infrastructure (Measure T1).
 
    My particular focus in recent years has been our safety if a wildfire should occur here. The recent firestorms throughout California indicate that fires are getting hotter and more frequent, resulting in more loss of lives and property than we have ever seen before. As fire season approaches, I am trying my best to educate all of us about what we can do to protect ourselves and our property. To that end I am hosting a Fire Safety Town Hall in May. You can read more about it in this newsletter. I hope that you will all attend.
 
    I welcome the good weather and all that Spring offers!
 
My best, 
 
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Included in this newsletter is information about:
holocaust17th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day
Rememberance candle
When: Sun, Apr 28, 2019 11:30am to 1:30pm
Where: 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA

    The City of Berkeley announces the 17th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day Program honoring survivors, and remembering those who were murdered, those who resisted, and those who rescued victims of the Holocaust.

    Over 11 million people were targeted for extermination by the Nazis, including 6 million Jews, Roma people, Poles, people with mental and physical disabilities, homosexuals, political dissidents, communists, socialists, and dissenting clergy.

    The City of Berkeley has sponsored the Holocaust Memorial Program for the past 17 years, with a small group of dedicated volunteers committed to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive.

    This year, the community will honor Ralph Samuel, a survivor of the Holocaust, who at the age of 7 was sent alone to England on a Kindertransport to escape the Nazis.
 
    The program will also include UC Professor Emeritus of Architecture, Russ Ellis, and Professor Deena Aranoff, Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at GTU. Music will be provided by Jeanette Lewicki, Sheldon Brown and Richard Saunders. The Berkeley program features a unique candle lighting ceremony in memory of those murdered in the Holocaust and provides a special time for reflection.

    The community-wide event is:

Sunday, April 28th, at 11:30am
Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life
2121 Allston Way
 
Refreshments will be served.
 
    For further information, contact:
    Rita Clancy, Director of Senior and Holocaust Survivor Services,
       JFCS (925) 927-200, ext. 257
    Vice Mayor Susan Wengraf, City of Berkeley (510) 981-7160
homelessHomelessness In Berkeley
Homeless camp
    I think the most frequent question that I am asked these days is: "What is Berkeley doing about the homeless?"

    If you are interested, you can read about Berkeley's efforts here. This report, written by city staff, is the most comprehensive description of the situation and our efforts that I have seen in all my years in office.
crimeCrime in Berkeley Declined in 2018
No Crime     A summary report of crime from the Berkeley Police Department indicates that violent crime was down by 12% and property crimes decreased by 10% in 2018. These positive trends are despite low staffing levels at our Police Department. The department is doing outreach to try to hire about 30 new positions to get our staffing levels up to the authorized level of a force of 181.  In the meantime, our current Police Dept. is doing an excellent job with a barebones team. Read the full report here.

    If you are the victim of a crime, whether it be vandalism, theft from a car or in your home, please file a police report.  Gathering data and tracking crime patterns is key to catching criminals. You can file an online report here.
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bartNorth Berkeley BART
  N Berkeley BART
    In 2018, the California Legislature passed AB 2923, allowing BART to bypass local zoning and build housing on their station sites. BART has asked Berkeley what they would like to see on their North Berkeley property.

    The City Council will hold a special meeting to hear your thoughts.

When:    May 9th at 6 pm
Where:   Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby St.

    Parking is a big issue, so if you currently drive to the North Berkeley station and park in order to access BART, and you want to see parking preserved, it is very important that the City Council hear from you. Some people are advocating for the removal of all parking spaces in order to accommodate more housing. Others are advocating for some parking. What do you think?

    If you cannot attend the meeting in person, please email your thoughts to:
 
    To see the development concepts that have been proposed go here.
 
    To see the BART guidelines for development, go here.
 
mothersMother's Day at the Rose Garden
Mothers day rose garden
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wildfireWildfire Safety Town Hall
Wildfire is coming
 
Save the Date! Mark your Calendars!
 
Fire Safety Town Hall
 
When:  May 21, 2019 at 7 pm
Where: Northbrae Community Church

Agenda will include:
   New Technologies
   Notification Systems
   Vehicle Access, Egress and Evacuation Routes
   Vegetation Management
 
Is there something else you want to discuss? Send me an email and I will try to include it in our discussion.
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housingHousing Development in Berkeley
Housing construction Berkeleyside Tells the Story
 
    Emilie Raguso, a reporter at Berkeleyside, did the heavy lifting and researched all the applications for constructing housing that are currently in the pipeline.  In case you missed the story, I am including it here, so that you have an understanding of what all the construction around town is about and you can see how we are trying to meet the challenges of the housing crisis in the Bay Area.
 
ferryFerry in Berkeley?
Ferry boat    

    Do you work in San Francisco? Would you like to have a commuter ferry take you across the Bay to the Embarcadero in about 20 minutes?

    I have been working with Mayor Arreguin to study the possibility of bringing a Ferry Terminal to our Marina.  If you have any ideas, please write to me at: [email protected]. I am eager to learn if there is interest in the possibility of a commuter ferry in Berkeley.
acalertEmergency Notifications
     AC Alert will be Berkeley's primary emergency alerting system for the public. It is one of the tools the City of Berkeley uses to communicate emergency information and instructions to the community. AC Alert can send:
  • Voice alerts to phones
  • SMS text messages
  • Email
  • TTY/TDD messages
    Listed AT&T "land lines" are automatically included to receive voice messages from AC Alert for emergency warnings. Community members must sign up to receive voice or text alerts on cell phones, VoIP phones, unlisted phones, TTY/TDDs or through email.
    If you want to receive emergency alerts and updates, sign up for AC Alert.
 
three11311
  • Need a new refuse can?
  • Have a favorite pothole you want filled?
  • Want to report illegal dumping?
CALL 311
 

Susan Wengraf
Berkeley City Council District 6
(510) 981-7160
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