The Lowdown: Berkeley council on Telegraph Avenue, minimum wage, budget, elections

The 30th Annual Telegraph Avenue Holiday Fair opened this weekend under rainy skies. Photo: Ted Friedman — The city made a concerted effort over the past year to address key issues on Telegraph Avenue. Photo: Ted Friedman

On June 10, the Berkeley City Council is set to talk about the budget (again), vote on the new minimum wage ordinance and deal with two election-related items. There’s also a 5:30 p.m. special session on Telegraph Avenue projects that have taken place over the past year or so.

On the action calendar

Council is set to approve on first reading a new minimum wage plan, which was discussed at length at its May 20 meeting. At that time, council agreed on a proposal, and planned to vote to adopt the new ordinance tonight. Many business owners have said they are concerned about whether they will be able to survive the increase, while labor advocates say it’s long overdue and hasn’t gone far enough. Berkeleyside has covered the topic thoroughly and will continue to follow the issue.

The Berkeley city budget has been a hot topic recently, and council is set to talk about it again Tuesday night. City staff will solicit comments from council members, and the public will have a chance to weigh in. See the staff report here. Council is set to approve the budget later this month after at least one more chance for community members to speak out.

Election items regarding ballot measures and the proposed creation of a redistricting commission were carried over from the prior meeting. They appear in the “continued business” section of the agenda. See more Berkeley 2014 elections coverage on Berkeleyside.

One special session: Telegraph Avenue

At 5:30 p.m., council will hold a special session on work the city has done on Telegraph Avenue in the past year or so. According to the staff report, the city identified 14 projects and completed 10 of them, with substantial advancements in the rest. Zoning changes, a quota review and new LED streetlights were all on the list. Read more in the staff report.

Other items of interest

There’s an information report about public health priorities and hard financial realities, and two action items related to local greening efforts, one aimed at Sacramento Street and a broader item regarding urban farming.

Meeting details

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The Berkeley City Council meets Tuesday nights at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Special sessions generally take place at 5:30 p.m. and regular meetings begin at 7 p.m. Council agendas are available online here. Watch the meetings online here.

Berkeleyside often covers council meetings live on Twitter. Others sometimes do the same and the discussion can get spirited. Follow council coverage on Twitter via hashtag #berkmtg. Follow along in real-time here, and tag your tweets with #berkmtg to join in. You do not need a Twitter account to follow along. Just click here.

Council-related Twitter handles:
@MayorTomBates
@LindaMaio (District 1)
Darryl Moore @BerkCouncil (District 2)
@JesseArreguin (District 4)
Laurie Capitelli @berkcap (District 5)
Kriss Worthington @k__worthington (District 7)
Gordon Wozniak @Gordon_Wozniak (District 8)

Learn more about the Berkeley City Council and how to connect with local representatives via the city website.

Has something else on the agenda caught your interest? Let us know in the comments.

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