Meeting Overview
The Berkeley City Council met on July 28, 2026, beginning at 6:03 p.m. Much of the meeting focused on Hopkins Street, where the council debated how to combine long-delayed paving work with safety improvements for people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving. The discussion drew extensive public comment, especially from nearby residents, business owners, parents, cyclists, and people concerned about disability access and parking.
Before the main agenda, the council accepted an urgent item onto the consent calendar: a resolution supporting workers at the Graduate Hotel as they prepared to vote on unionizing with Unite Here Local 2. Several hotel workers spoke about heavy workloads and asked for council support.
The meeting also included a public hearing on changes to Berkeley’s inclusionary housing fee for large single-family homes.
Main Agenda Items
Urgent labor resolution for Graduate Hotel workers: The council added to the agenda a resolution expressing support for workers seeking to unionize.
Consent calendar: The council handled routine items in a single batch vote. One item on adult-oriented business rules was moved to consent specifically so it could be sent back to the Land Use, Housing and Economic Development Committee. One funding item for a downtown outreach coordinator was withdrawn from the agenda. Councilmembers also announced donations from their office budgets for a school supply fair and for Russell Street Halloween festivities.
Inclusionary housing fee update (public hearing): The council considered and approved a change to the affordable housing fee structure for very large single-family homes. Councilmembers said the change would require oversized homes to contribute more toward affordable housing.
Hopkins Street paving and safety improvements: This was the meeting’s main debate. The adopted proposal directs staff to move ahead with planning for repaving Hopkins from Sutter to San Pablo with added safety features, including protected bike lanes on part of the corridor, painted buffered bike lanes on another segment, traffic calming west of Peralta, a raised intersection at Hopkins and Monterey, bus boarding islands, and a curb management plan for parking, loading, ADA spaces, and trash pickup. Competing substitute motions sought either a different design with less parking loss or further study of alternatives such as Rose or Ada Streets, but both failed.
Decisions Made
Approved unanimously, 9-0: Added an urgent resolution supporting Graduate Hotel workers’ unionization effort to the consent calendar.
Referred, not a final decision: Item 28, on updating definitions in the commercial district mixed-use zone and reviewing restrictions on adult-oriented businesses, was moved to consent and sent back to the Land Use, Housing and Economic Development Committee.
Withdrawn, not a final decision: Item 23, funding for a Downtown Berkeley Association social service outreach coordinator, was withdrawn from the agenda.
Approved unanimously, 9-0: Closed the public hearing on the inclusionary housing fee item.
Approved unanimously, 9-0: Amended the inclusionary housing fee for large single-family homes.
Failed, 3-6: Substitute motion from Councilmember O’Keefe on Hopkins Street. Yes: Bartlett, O’Keefe, Blackaby. No: Kesarwani, Taplin, Tregub, Lunaparra, Humbert, Mayor Ishii.
Failed, 5-4: Substitute motion from Councilmember Blackaby on Hopkins Street. Yes: Bartlett, Tregub, O’Keefe, Lunaparra, Humbert. No: Kesarwani, Taplin, Blackaby, Mayor Ishii.
Approved, 7-2: Main motion on Hopkins Street paving and safety improvements. Yes: Kesarwani, Taplin, Bartlett, Tregub, Lunaparra, Humbert, Mayor Ishii. No: O’Keefe, Blackaby.