Berkeley City Council meetings, made approachable.
Upcoming Meetings
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September 29, 2026 · 5:00 PM SpecialBerkeley City Council’s special meeting is focused on whether to change police crowd-control and tactical weapon policies adopted in 2020. Council is set to debate a proposal to let Berkeley police use tear gas again only in narrowly defined life-threatening emergencies, while keeping the ban on tear gas for crowd control and ending the pandemic-era moratorium on smoke and pepper spray. Council will also consider a competing recommendation from the Peace and Justice Commission to keep Berkeley’s existing bans on tear gas and pepper spray, as well as older bans on police dogs and helicopters, and to pursue an independent academic study of the health and social justice impacts of these policing tools.
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September 29, 2026 · 7:00 PM RegularBerkeley’s City Council is expected to take up several consequential land use and housing decisions, including a public hearing on adopting the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan—which would update zoning, design standards, and related planning documents along that corridor—and a bond-financing approval for the Ashby Lofts project. The council will also consider changes to the city’s affordable housing preference policy, approve rules and oversight measures related to surveillance technology including mutual-aid air support, and act on a wide range of infrastructure, transportation, public safety, and facilities contracts and grants. Other notable items include appointing a new Director of Police Accountability, advancing a long-term citywide infrastructure and asset management planning effort, and approving transportation grant applications for school safety and corridor improvement projects.
Latest Meetings
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September 15, 2026 · 7:00 PM Regular
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September 14, 2026 · 5:30 PM Closed SessionThe Berkeley City Council’s special closed-session meeting is focused entirely on legal matters. Councilmembers are expected to confer with the city attorney about four ongoing lawsuits involving the city: *Center for American Liberty v. City of Berkeley*, *Eslami v. City of Berkeley*, *Pritchard v. City of Berkeley*, and *Valladares v. City of Berkeley*, and may report any actions taken afterward.
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September 1, 2026 · 5:00 PM Closed SessionThe Berkeley City Council’s special meeting is focused entirely on closed-session legal matters. Councilmembers are expected to discuss the city’s position in ongoing federal litigation brought by the Berkeley Homeless Union and others, as well as possible new litigation over federal funding conditions.
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July 28, 2026 · 7:00 PM Regular
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July 24, 2026 · 11:00 AM Closed SessionThe council is expected to focus on hiring Berkeley’s next Director of Police Accountability. In closed session, members will consider the appointment itself and authorize Mayor Adena Ishii to negotiate the selected candidate’s employment agreement, including compensation and any contract amendments.