Community members and officials said goodbye Tuesday night to two outgoing City Council members and the city auditor — all of whom are stepping down this week after a combined 72 years of public service.
Ann-Marie Hogan
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After 24 years keeping city accountable, Berkeley auditor Ann-Marie Hogan to retire
Highly regarded by her peers, Hogan has done hundreds of audits, all aimed at making Berkeley city government function better. Her plans now include picking up jazz singing again.
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Should the University of California be more like the City of Berkeley?
Janet Napolitano is under fire for findings in the recent performance audit of her President’s Office. Maybe UC should take a leaf out of Berkeley’s auditing practices?
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Berkeley city auditor calls for better rainy day fund policy
The graph of City of Berkeley’s actual revenues and expenditures in the last six fiscal years shows revenues are less stable than expenditures. The city is forecasting costs to outstrip revenues in FY2018 and 2019 as a cyclical economic downturn hits The graph of City of Berkeley’s actual revenues and expenditures in the last six […]
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Staff: Measure M has Berkeley streets in better shape
“Microsurfacing” on Durant Avenue this year has made for a smoother ride. Photo: City of Berkeley “Microsurfacing” on Durant Avenue this year has made for a smoother ride. Photo: City of Berkeley With the help of Measure M, the city of Berkeley is making strides to repair street conditions and add innovative “green infrastructure” projects around […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: Is the city of Berkeley getting more efficient?
Maybe the headline should be “man bites dog” but there’s a bit of good news on council’s Tuesday agenda: a vast improvement in timely approval of contracts. Our performance audit “Most Contracts Executed Timely but Contract Project Managers Could Use Better Tools and Guidance” tells the story. The bigger story here, to me, is the […]
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Soda tax, school board race, open council seat bring campaign cash to Berkeley
The future of growth in downtown Berkeley is uncertain, with zoning changes on the November ballot. Photo: Louie Kablooie The future of growth in downtown Berkeley is uncertain, with zoning changes on the November ballot. Photo: Louie Kablooie The lure of an open Berkeley City Council seat has turned the race to replace Gordon Wozniak in November into a big bucks […]
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Berkeley is struggling to reach zero waste goal by 2020
Students at John Muir Elementary sort for composting and recycling, but more Berkeley residents need to recycle in order for the city to meet its 2020 zero waste goal. Photo: Green Schools Initiative A recent audit of several City of Berkeley departments has revealed that the city is in jeopardy of not meeting its zero waste goal […]
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Berkeley Council hears minimum wage increase pleas
Berkeley is looking at setting a $10.74 minimum wage (the same as San Francisco’s) for businesses with fewer than 50 employees which would affect many local businesses, including restaurants. Photo: Postcard PR Berkeley is looking at setting a $10.74 minimum wage (the same as San Francisco’s) for businesses with fewer than 50 employees which would […]
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Average Berkeley street in at-risk condition, many worse
Cracks that lead to constant potholes on Dwight Way at Telegraph. Photo: Tracey Taylor According to a report from the City Auditor presented to the City Council last night, the average Berkeley street is in “at risk” condition. As the report, “Failing Streets,” details, as street condition deteriorates, the cost of paving increases rapidly. “Berkeley […]
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Council faces tough decisions on unfunded liabilities
Mayor Bates: “People will need to start contributing.” Mayor Bates: “People will need to start contributing.” The Berkeley City Council special session on the $310 million — or higher — unfunded liability on promised employee benefits revealed the difficult choices faced by the city. A presentation by budget manager Teresa Berkeley-Simmons made the root of […]
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Problems almost solved in Berkeley police evidence room
Berkeley police department evidence room on January 17. Courtesy of Berkeley Police Department. Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan plans to tell the city council tonight that, after a five year delay, the department is working quickly to address problems in its evidence room. All the problems identified during an outside investigation in 2006 should be […]
