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Councilmember Susan Wengraf
Newsletter #56
March, 2017
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Please join me in welcoming Kate Harrison to the Berkeley City Council! Kate recently won the Council District 4 seat and was sworn in on Wednesday. I look forward to working with Kate on issues of mutual concern and interest.
The Council has been very busy exploring what it means to be a sanctuary city. The mayor's office formed the "Sanctuary City Task Force" and the first meeting was attended by many community members. Two working groups were established: one to explore sanctuary places. and the other to develop a response plan. As information becomes available and policies are created, I will be sure to communicate them to you.
The Council is also working on the development of a strategic plan that articulates the City's long term goals and the specific shorter term projects designed to advance those goals. In my last newsletter, I asked you to participate in a survey to help the city understand what is important to you. Thank you! I was told that more than a thousand citizens responded city-wide. Staff will be evaluating the results and once again, I will make that information available to you when I receive it.
Happy Spring! Happy Daylight Savings!
My best regards,
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Susan Wengraf
Included in this newsletter is information about:
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 MEASURE T1 WORKSHOPS
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WORKSHOPS on $100 Million MEASURE T1 BOND MEASURE
This past November, voters approved a 100 million dollar infrastructure bond, Measure T1, by more than 80%.
You have an opportunity to share your ideas at three upcoming workshops about how that money should be allocated. City staff, with their extensive knowledge of the city's infrastructure needs, have used criteria to propose projects for the first phase, approximately $32 million. Those criteria include safety; infrastructure whose life cycle has expired; equitable distribution of resources; advancing environmental sustainability; contributing to disaster preparedness; and projects that can maximize City dollars by leveraging potential outside funding.
Are there other projects that the City should prioritize? How can we advance these projects so that they provide multiple benefits - environmental, social, or economic?
Measure T1 Workshop #1
Focus: parks and general City facilities
Saturday, March 18, 2017, 10am - 12pm
Frances Albrier Community Center
2800 Park St.
Measure T1 Workshop #2
Focus: streets and storm water infrastructure
Saturday, March 25, 2017, 12 - 2pm
Live Oak Community Center
301 Shattuck Ave.
Measure T1 Workshop #3
Focus: gathering additional input on City staff recommendations and summarizing input gathered to date
Saturday, April 8, 10am - 12pm
Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch Library
1910 Russell St.
Additional information about the bond and existing and past infrastructure upgrade efforts is also available
here. You can also read
a
staff memo to Council about the recommendations for the first phase.
For more information about the workshops or if you have questions about the Measure T1 bond, please contact Timothy Burroughs (Assistant to the City Manager) at
tburroughs@cityofberkeley.info.
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INCREASE IN CRIME
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Over the past weeks, I have had several discussions with residents about crime in north Berkeley. If your neighborhood is interested in a meeting with an officer from the Police Department, please call my office at 981-7160.
As a first step in addressing crime, I am putting forward an item to create a voluntary database of private security cameras throughout Berkeley. BPD has informed us that a database like this would greatly assist them in apprehending repeat perpetrators and has been successful in other cities.
Keep in mind that the City maintains an active crime prevention webpage which you can access here. In addition, Berkeley Police offers the following services:
Finally, please program Berkeley Police Department's emergency number into your mobile phone: 510-981-5911.
At the council meeting on Tuesday night we received the Berkeley Crime Report for 2016.
- Violent crime increased by 17.9%
- Property crime decreased by 9.1%
The complete report can be read here.
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AIRPLANE NOISE
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The North Berkeley Hills have been experiencing increased aircraft noise. This is because aircraft have been redirected by the FAA into a concentrated flight track. This track was previously more scattered, but it is now restricted to a ½ mile wide single track over over residential neighborhoods in the North Berkeley Hills, rather than just a bit east or west over a less populated area.
If this is of concern to you, it might make a difference if you file a noise complaint here.
In the maps below, you can see the change in flight patterns (the wider path preceded the change; the concentrated path is what we are experiencing now). These maps were provided by Oakland Airport's Senior Noise Abatement Specialist, Jessee Richardson, Jr. (510)563-3349, jrichardson@portoakland.com.
Mr. Richardson recommended that concerned residents who want to change the current flight pattern should definitely file online complaints, and, if possible, attend the next Airport-Community Noise Forum, because the FAA will be in attendance. The Airport-Community Noise Forum Subcommittee is preparing a proposal for the FAA to change the flight pattern. The proposal may be discussed at the next Airport-Community Noise Forum Meeting:
WHEN: April 19th. 6:30 PM
WHERE: 530 Water Street,
2nd Floor Board Room
Oakland, CA 9460
Arrival Flight Tracks previously (wide track)
Arrival flight Tracks now (narrow track)
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FUNDING FOR ARTISTS
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ARE YOU AN ARTIST IN NEED OF FUNDING?
Application Deadline is April 21, 2017
Artists and art nonprofits based in Berkeley should consider applying for a Civic Arts Grant, which provides funding to enrich Berkeley's arts and culture.
Large organizations can receive up to $12,000, while mid-size organizations
can receive up to $8,000. These local government grants play an important role in allowing organizations to leverage more outside funding. The City of Berkeley's Civic Arts grants have supported organizations ranging from Freight & Salvage and the Aurora Theater to the Kala Arts Institute, helping build a thriving base of arts and culture for the region.
This year, the grants also have an increased focus on individual artists, who can receive up to $3,000. Those grants to individuals come with a stipulation that the produced work provide Berkeleyans an opportunity to view the work for free - be it through a gallery showing, reading or performance.
Applications are due April 21, 2017.
Download guidelines, applications, and more
here.
The grants program is one piece of the City of Berkeley's Civic Arts Program, which encourages cultural enrichment programs, makes city resources available to cultural groups, and coordinates and strengthens existing arts organizations.
For information on how to apply, click
here.
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311
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Need a new refuse can?? Have a favorite pothole you want filled? Want to report illegal dumping?
CALL 311.
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Susan Wengraf
Berkeley City Council District 6
510-981-7160 |
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