Jenny Wong, City Auditor
Promoting transparency and accountability in Berkeley government.
Audit News
from the City Auditor
August 2021
Audit Plan for Fiscal Year 2022
We would like to share with you our Audit Plan for FY 2022. We developed this plan based in part on input about issues and risks that are most important to members of the Berkeley community. We also gathered input from community members, elected officials, department staff, and City management. In FY 2022 my office will initiate an analysis of the City’s financial condition as well as audits of employee retention, the Rent Stabilization Board, and the City’s role in addressing issues related to homelessness. We will also continue our audit of the Police Department budget focusing on overtime. We will resume our ongoing process of following up on departments’ implementation of recommendations after we put this process on pause in FY 2021 to allow the City to prioritize its response to COVID-19. Along with producing these reports, we may also conduct short-term projects in topic areas that will provide timely information to key decision makers on issues that are important to the public and the mission of our office.
Work with your medical provider to determine the need for a third dose

The City of Berkeley recommends that people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

This includes people who have:
  • Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
  • Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medication to suppress the immune system
  • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
  • Advanced or untreated HIV infection
  • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

Please see this page with more information about how to access additional doses for Berkeley residents.

Vaccines remain the most powerful tool in the fight against COVID-19, including the Delta variant. The City of Berkeley urges all unvaccinated residents 12 and older to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Berkeley, California (Tuesday, August 03, 2021) - As wildfires become more frequent and severe, Berkeley hills residents should learn key fire weather terms, sign up for emergency notifications, look up their evacuation zone, and make plans to leave during extreme fire weather.

During "Extreme Fire Weather" - rare periods of extremely low humidity and high winds defined by Berkeley Fire Department - residents living in hillside fire zones are advised to make plans to stay elsewhere. These hot and dry "Extreme Fire Conditions" allow fire to easily ignite and rapidly spread, posing particular risk to those in Berkeley fire zones 2 and 3, areas close to regional parklands.

For information about “red flag warning” versus “extreme fire weather” and when to leave the hills, steps to prepare your household for wildfires, and links to additional resources, please visit https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Wildfire.
For the September 14 recall election, all registered voters are receiving a vote-by-mail ballot. To support expanded mail voting due to COVID-19, the Registrar of Voters has opened drop boxes across Alameda County, including six locations in Berkeley. These six are the official Berkeley drop boxes:

  • Berkeley Civic Center Building, 2180 Milvia
  • University of California Berkeley, between Sather Gate and Architects & Engineers Building
  • Frances Albrier Recreation Center, 2800 Park
  • Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue
  • North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda
  • West Branch Library, 1125 University

The Registrar of Voters picks up ballots from the drop boxes every day. The last pickup will be 8pm on Tuesday, September 14. You do not need postage for ballots submitted at the drop box.

Make sure your vote is counted:
  • Use the return envelope provided
  • Sign the back of your envelope

Only use a drop box in the county in which you are registered to vote
Accessible Voting Locations

You can also turn in ballots at any of 66 secure drop boxes throughout Alameda County or at any of 100 Alameda County "Accessible Voting Locations" that will be open September 11 – September 14. Accessible Voting Locations replace neighborhood polling places in this election. These larger spaces are intended to support voters in the vote-by-mail process, and will be open for voting 9am-5pm from Saturday, September 11 through Monday, September 13. On election day, voting locations will be open 7am-8pm. There are nine accessible voting locations in Berkeley:

  • Lutheran Church of The Cross, 1980 Allston Way Berkeley
  • Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street Berkeley
  • Rosa Parks School Multi-Use Room, 920 Allston Way Berkeley
  • Longfellow School Gym, 1500 Derby Street Berkeley
  • City of Berkeley Building, 1011 University Avenue Berkeley
  • Life Adventist Church of Berkeley, 2236 Parker Street Berkeley
  • Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 401 Grizzly Peak Blvd Berkeley
  • Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins Street Berkeley
  • Willard Middle School, 2425 Stuart Street Berkeley
Track my ballot

Alameda County has an online tool for tracking your ballot's progress. Sign up at Track My Ballot to get notifications by email, text, or phone when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted. The tool is available in nine languages.
Vaccinations are open to all Alameda County residents age 12 and over.
 
Drop-in COVID-19 vaccinations are available at pop-up Berkeley Public Health 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