==BART is in a planning process for building housing at the BART stations in Berkeley. The problem of parking for commuters and other BART users is an important issue that needs your input, as options are being considered.

==This Thursday, April 29th, from 6-9PM, the BART Community Advisory Group (CAG) will have its sixth meeting. The focus will be on how riders get to the BART station, or what the planners call "station access". This includes the major issue of parking. You can comment by attending the meeting (public comment starts around 8PM) and/or emailing City officials and BART.

==Currently, there are about 800 parking spaces for commuters at North Berkeley BART. We don't know how many spaces BART plans to retain or replace. If you park at the North Berkeley BART station to commute into SF, you may have an interest in expressing your opinion at tonight's meeting.

==You can send emails to:

==To join Thursday's meeting:

====Zoom link

==Call-in: 669 900-6833

==Meeting ID: 925 6408 6391

==Meeting Passcode is 254 963

=1,300+ appointments at Buchanan St. site Wed-Sat

==We've opened over 1,300 first-dose appointments for Pfizer vaccine at Berkeley Public Health's mass vaccination site, located at the foot of Buchanan Street in Albany.

==Everyone over the age of 16 who lives or works in Alameda County is eligible for these appointments. 16 and 17 year olds need parental consent, and must be accompanied to the vaccination site by a parent or guardian.

==You can use MyTurn to schedule vaccine appointments at many locations. To register for appointments at the Buchanan St. site:

==Scroll down for more information about sign-up assistance, parental accompaniment requirements for 16 & 17 year olds, and transportation assistance for senior or disabled residents.

Save the Date - May 12 5:30pm TOPA Forum

Community Forum to learn about TOPA

(Tenant's Opportunity to Purchase Act)

==What is it? How does it Work?

==May 12^th 5:30 pm via ZOOM

==The Berkeley City Council will be considering legislation, introduced by Mayor Arreguin, to give Berkeley tenants the right of first refusal on the purchase of the rental property that they are living in. You can read the item here. As currently drafted, the ordinance includes single family homes that are rentals as well as multi-unit properties. This legislation is currently under consideration and will be discussed at the Land Use Policy Committee Zoom meeting on May 6th.

==Join us in this outreach effort to inform and educate the community on the TOPA proposal.

==Details to come shortly.

==The month of May is National Wildfire Prevention Month. It's that time of year when we all need to turn our attention to the risks of wildfire in our area and focus on prevention and preparedness.

==Every year for the past many years I have hosted a community town hall on Fire Safety. This year, due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, we will host a Fire Safety Town Hall via Zoom, with capacity for 500 attendees, on May 19^th at 7pm.

==While wildfires are a natural part of California’s landscape, Climate Change is driving longer fire seasons in California, starting earlier and ending later. The length of fire season is estimated to have increased by almost three months. Drought conditions are contributing to dire predictions about what to expect this year.

==Our Fire safety Zoomposium panel will focus on Prevention and Preparedness and how Berkeley is working to keep you safe during Fire Season. We will learn about our new Evacuation Plan and other strategies for early notification, vegetation management, and the Safe Passages program. We will also learn about how to organize your block or neighborhood as a FireWise group.

==I have put together a great panel that I think you will find interesting, informative, and inspirational.

==Due to the limitations of the webinar format, we are requesting that questions be submitted by Monday, May 10^th at 5pm to: firesafeberkeley@gmail.com.

==I will make sure that answers to your questions are incorporated in the presentations during the program.

==Stay tuned for a link for the zoomposium.

==Get organized and schedule your tree work and yard clean-up now! The Fire Fuel Chipper program is starting the first week in June. Now is the time to plan to take advantage of this program to clean up your property and create defensible space.

==Every area in the hills district will get two opportunities to use the Fire Fuel Chipper Program. You will be receiving a brochure in the mail shortly.

==NALCO is a local Ham radio group that supports an amateur radio Fire Patrol during fire season each year. Patrols consist of driving predetermined routes in or near the Berkeley Hills and reporting any hazardous conditions by radio to our central (net) control, who in turn communicates with the Berkeley Fire Department (BFD).

==Participants in the Fire Patrol receive annual training, are asked to take part in three scheduled responses (Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day), and to do patrols on high fire danger days when NALCO is activated by the BFD. There are never any patrols during active fires.

==The annual Fire Patrol training is about to begin, and anyone with an active Technician radio license or above who has a portable Ham radio (hand-held or vehicle mounted) and is interested in taking part in the Fire Patrols this year is invited to participate. According to the FCC, there are over 800 operators with active licenses in Berkeley.

==If you are interested in this important volunteer effort in Fire Patrol, please contact cullanderc@gmail.com).

==Starting in April 15, 2021, AC Alert will no longer use text messaging or voice calls as a means of providing non-emergency notifications, such as red flag warnings and local traffic alerts.  Henceforth all non-emergency AC Alert notifications will be sent to subscribers via email and the Everbridge app only.

==These changes are being implemented due to recent increases in the fees associated with mass texting and voice calling, which have made it cost prohibitive to continue using them as a means of delivering non-emergency information to AC Alert subscribers. 

==These changes will not apply to emergency alerts. In the event of an emergency, AC Alert will continue to use all available contact paths in our efforts to alert those who may be impacted.

==If you want to receive non-emergency notifications from AC Alert, and you don’t have the Everbridge app and/or an email address attached to your AC Alert profile, please do the following:

To download the Everbridge App:

==For tips on using the app or registering an email address, click here. Under “Resources” you will find these clickable links: “Other AC Alert Materials” and “How to Find AC Alert in the Everbridge App”.

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