Jenny Wong, City Auditor
Promoting transparency and accountability in Berkeley government.
Audit News
from the City Auditor
July 2021
Financial Readiness Series with State Controller Betty Yee
State Controller Betty Yee has launched a series of events on financial readiness and I was honored to join her for her first event on June 30. The event was recorded and is on the State Controller’s Facebook page, facebook.com/CA Controller. Be on the look out for future financial readiness events there.

During the event, Controller Yee shared a resource that if you’re not aware of already, you may have dollars waiting for you: the unclaimed property website. https://www.sco.ca.gov/upd_msg.html California’s Unclaimed Property Law requires banks, insurance companies, corporations, and certain other entities to report and submit their customers’ property to the State Controller’s Office when there has been no activity for a period of time (generally three years). Common types of unclaimed property are bank accounts, stocks, bonds, uncashed checks, insurance benefits, wages, and safe deposit box contents. The Controller safeguards this lost or forgotten property. It is easy to find out if the Controller is protecting property in your name and it’s also easy to claim it if you are the rightful owner. 
Police Audit: Corrections
We discovered some errors in the programming that we used to sort some of the data in the police audit and have revised the report to reflect the correct data. The corrections do not affect the topline findings, conclusions, recommendations, or the section on officer-initiated stops and searches.

The two significant impacts stem from parking enforcement officers being incorrectly coded as sworn officers and an error in the script used to determine the median time officers spend on events. The result is that parking violations are no longer a top call type (though they are for parking enforcement officers of course) and the median time calculations for each call type have changed. As a result, the percent of time for the largest categories of calls have changed. In order, of police time spent responding to calls, the top categories are: community 30%, FBI part II crimes 21%, and traffic 18%. There were also some less significant adjustments to the tables related to events that resulted in UCR reports being filed.

When we discovered an error, we immediately went to work rechecking all the data and calculations in the report. Our office is committed to accuracy and transparency and we wanted to get the corrected information out to you. Here is a link to our updated report. 
July 4th: Marina Waterfront and Grizzly Peak 
Please note that this year on July 4th, there will be no special event or fireworks at the Berkeley Waterfront. Fireworks and alcohol will continue to be prohibited. The Waterfront will be closed to unauthorized vehicle traffic on Sunday, July 4, 2021, from 5 pm to midnight. In addition, starting 5am July 4, Grizzly Peak Blvd. will be closed between Centennial Drive and Skyline Boulevard to all traffic except residents traveling to their homes in the area. The closure will last through 6am July 5.

Please keep our community safe this holiday weekend by avoiding any use of fireworks within the city. When fireworks are not handled professionally, there can be risk especially to the Berkeley hills, where fires can ignite and spread quickly, which is heightened this year due to severe drought conditions in California. 
July 10th: Redistricting Public Hearing
On July 10, there will be a meeting where you can participate in the redistricting process in Berkeley. At the event, you'll meet the Independent Redistricting Commission who will administer the redrawing of Council districts following the 2020 Census.

Saturday, July 10, 10:00 am 
Participate by phone: (669) 900-9128; Meeting ID: 820 5563 4140
Vaccinations are open to all Alameda County residents age 12 and over.
 
Drop-in COVID-19 vaccinations are available Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm at the Berkeley Public Health’s mass vaccination site in West Berkeley at the Berkeley Adult School and other clinics around the city. 

There are additional ways to get vaccinated, and the City recommends that Berkeley residents sign up for:
 
Resources For COVID-19 Information and Updates
Berkeley City Auditor | Website