Berkeley has a council/manager form of government, as opposed to a “strong mayor” government as bigger cities like Oakland and San Francisco have. This means that power is divided between the city council, which includes the mayor, and the city…
This post was written by Tracy Rosenberg. Tracy Rosenberg is the executive director of Media Alliance, a Northern CA democratic communications advocate and Advocacy Director at Oakland Privacy, a citizens coalition that protects privacy rights. She can be reached at…
How the BPD fails to oversee problem officers On November 10, 2022, the Berkeley Police Department’s Bike Team was implicated by a former member of the team in a pattern of bias-related misconduct. The whistleblower revealed multiple text messages within…
Consider the Homeless (CTH) stands tall amongst our providers. With a budget under $65,000 from private donations, the work they do with our unhoused population and with the various city departments and communitybased organizations in our city would cost any…
BERKELEY, CA – The City of Berkeley Department of Health, Housing, and Community Services (HHCS) recently submitted an Affordable Housing Preference Policy (HPP) document to City Council that is focused on both preventing displacement in Berkeley and responding to displacement…
As Spring 2023 approaches, how goes the process of putting Reimagining public safety into practice? In our last issue (November 2022), we explained the landscape of change that emerged from the Reimagining process. In this issue we report on the…
Reduce Police Footprint in delivering mental health crises and other services. Berkeley has granted $4.5 million to Bonita House Inc. (an Alameda County provider of mental health and housing services ) to operate Creating a Specialized Care Unit. The SCU …
An experienced provider will be sought in the very near future, with expertise in serving the encampment community and those sleeping in our streets for a Mobile Wellness Center will serve the target population with a menu of customizable support…
Have Mental Health Services Improved? $350K – City of Berkeley allocated for additional Mental Health services sits unspent. The reason given by BHS and City of Berkeley states that it is very difficult to hire people in the mental health…
The Berkeley High School Health Center was created in order to sponsor a healthier educational environment. It provides first aid, mental health services, and sexual health education. BY CHARLIE TAMAGNO JANUARY 14, 2023 The Berkeley High School Health Center was created in…