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Berkeley council adds urgent letters backing state wildfire mitigation bills and transit loan support
Summary
Councilmembers added two urgent items to the consent calendar on Sept. 9: a letter backing three state wildfire mitigation bills and a letter urging the governor and legislative leaders to finalize a large loan for Bay Area transit agencies; both items were added by roll call.
The Berkeley City Council voted on Sept. 9 to add two urgent items to the consent calendar: (1) a letter urging support for three state bills the council said would advance wildfire risk mitigation (bills referenced in staff remarks as SB 326, AB 1143 and a third referenced as '88 88' in the materials), and (2) a letter to the governor and legislative leaders urging timely finalization of a reported loan to Bay Area public transit agencies to prevent service cuts.
Councilmember Blackaby said the wildfire-mitigation package would help focus state investments, including homeowner assistance funds and a home-hardening certification program designed to support local EMBER (fire risk) implementation. Councilmember Luna Parra introduced the transit loan-support letter, noting the Department of Finance had reported a delay in finalizing the loan agreement and that transit agencies needed a bridge to avoid cuts.
Ryan Lau, external affairs representative at AC Transit, addressed the council during public comment and described the loan as a critical bridging mechanism. "This $750,000,000 loan is critical to bridge that gap, to a potential revenue measure," he said, urging continued communication between the governor's office and transit agencies to finalize details.
The clerk conducted a roll call to meet Brown Act requirements and the council voted to add both items to the consent calendar; they were subsequently approved as part of consent.
