District 5 August Newsletter

• Opposes Hopkins Street bike lane design due to parking loss and cost
• Supports balanced approach preserving parking and safety
• Advocates for District 5 street improvements in 5-Year Paving Plan
• Promotes wildfire preparedness and emergency alert sign-ups

• Hopkins Street repaving project with protected bike lanes
• City’s 5-Year Paving Plan adoption
• City budget deficit and 10% departmental cuts

• City Council meeting on July 28
• National Night Out events
• City Council recess until September 15

Email from Shoshana O'Keefe Hello Civic, Earlier this week, my staff and I attended nearly 15 National Night Out events! Thank you to everyone who came out to connect with neighbors, first responders, and City staff. I had a wonderful time meeting so many of you, hearing your ideas and concerns, and seeing the strong sense of community that makes our neighborhoods so special. I was encouraged to see how well-prepared many neighborhoods are for the current fire season, with residents sharing resources, reviewing emergency plans, and looking out for one another. Last week, we held our final City Council meeting before summer recess. Those who tuned in know that we concluded this legislative session with one of the most closely watched and debated issues of the year: the future of Hopkins Street. While the outcome was disappointing to the many District 5 residents who advocated for a different approach, I remain committed to representing our community’s needs and priorities going forward. While the City Council will not meet again until September 15, work at City Hall continues. My office remains available to answer questions, assist with city services, and connect residents with resources. In the coming weeks, members of my staff will be taking some much-deserved time off so we appreciate your patience if responses take a little longer than usual. As always, we’ll do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer! Warmly, Thank You, Rheegan! Before we jump into Council-related items, I wanted to express my deepest gratitude to my Legislative Aide, Rheegan, for her outstanding work in my office over the last year and a half. We all have Rheegan to thank for our newsletter, which so many of you have spoken highly of, as well as legislative research, constituent services, and all things graphic design. As many of you know, the City faced a significant budget deficit this year and every Department was asked to reduce their budget by 10%. This meant losing valued employees across the organization, including Rheegan. While I’m deeply saddened to see her leave, I’m grateful for her creativity, dedication, and contributions to our team and community. Please join me in thanking Rheegan for her service and wishing her the best in her future endeavors! In this issue: Council Recap Wildfire Safety This Summer Are You In A Neighborhood Group? Let's Connect. Intrested in Serving on a City Commission? The Solano Stroll is ON! Library Events City Events Council Recap Hopkins On July 28, City Council voted 7-2 to approve the Hopkins Street repaving project with protected bike lanes, which will require the removal of nearly all the parking along the commercial strip centered at California St. Following the failure of my original proposal to pave the street with pedestrian safety improvements only, Councilmember Blackaby and I each offered alternative proposals aimed at preserving more parking while still improving pedestrian and cyclist safety. After hearing from hundreds of residents – many of whom live in the surrounding neighborhoods and will experience the project’s impacts firsthand – the Council ultimately approved Councilmember Kesarwani’s proposal which includes: Class II (painted) bike lanes from Sutter to The Alameda Class IV protected bike lanes from The Alameda to the Ohlone Greenway/Peralta I am deeply disappointed by the outcome, particularly because so many neighbors, business owners, and community members asked Council for a more balanced approach. At an estimated cost of $20 million, I believe this project should have better reflected the priorities of merchants and of residents who visit, work, and rely on the amenities along Hopkins every day. Instead, Council has approved a bike lane design, at a price tag of an additional $5 million, that many neighborhood residents opposed, directing limited paving funds away from other parts of the city that also urgently need repairs and safety improvements. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who wrote letters, attended meetings, spoke during public comment, reached out to present alternatives, and stayed engaged throughout this process. Your advocacy was thoughtful, respectful, and deeply meaningful. With the project now approved, residents should know what to expect. According to Public Works estimates, approximately 145 on-street parking spaces will be removed along the corridor. For those in our community who rely on cars, this will mean more difficulty accessing King Pool, the track, Monterey Market, Gioia Pizzeria, Hopkins Cafe (formerly Espresso Roma), Berkeley Horticultural Nursery, and many locally owned businesses, preschools, and places of worship that make Hopkins so special. The neighborhoods surrounding Hopkins are home to many older adults and long-time residents, and access to parking is not simply a matter of convenience – it is an important accessibility tool for seniors, people with disabilities, families with young children, and those traveling from neighboring communities. As this project moves forward, I will continue advocating for a measured approach that helps preserve access to our neighborhood amenities, services, and businesses. If you are interested in staying involved, please connect with the Save Hopkins Street group and keep an eye on our newsletter. 5-Year Paving Plan On July 7, Council adopted the city’s next 5-Year Paving Plan, a roadmap and schedule for street paving across the city. I am thrilled to see that so many District 5 streets will be receiving improvements over the next couple of years. I am particularly happy to see that McGee Avenue has been included in this cycle of paving. Last year, I met with neighbors who walked me, my staff, and the Deputy Public Works Director down their crumbling block. Short-term fixes no more! The street will officially be repaved in FY 2027. For more information visit the City’s official landing page here.You can find a close up of the map here and a full list of streets here. Wildfire Safety This Summer As we approach peak wildfire season, my office is working closely with the Berkeley Fire Department to make sure you are prepared. Read on for the latest guidance and new preparedness tools. Download New Evacuation Planning Worksheets Download Berkeley’s new Evacuation Planning Worksheets. They will guide you through important decisions, including what to pack, where to go, which routes to take, and how to help children, pets, older adults, or anyone who may need assistance. Making these decisions now will help you get on the road faster in an evacuation. Sign up for Emergency Alerts Sign up for emergency alerts so you can act quickly in fire weather and evacuations: Sign up for evacuation alerts at ACAlert.org. Download the Genasys Protect App for real-time smartphone alerts. Extreme Fire Weather: Some hills residents should leave early. When dangerous fire weather is expected, the National Weather Service will issue a Red Flag Warning. When exceptionally dangerous conditions are forecast, the Berkeley Fire Department will declare Extreme Fire Weather. If a fire starts during Extreme Fire Weather, it may spread faster than people can safely evacuate from the Berkeley hills. Residents in designated Leave Early Zones will be advised to leave before a fire starts and stay elsewhere. Get Ready Now Enter your address on the High-Risk Wildfire Evacuation Zones map to see whether you are in a Leave Early Zone, Get Ready Zone, or neither. Download Berkeley’s Evacuation Planning Worksheets to make evacuation and fire weather decisions now. Sign up for emergency Alerts at ACAlert.org and download the Genasys Protect App. Learn More Review fire weather and evacuation guidance at BerkeleyCA.gov/Wildfire. Dig into Berkeley’s evacuation and fire spread research, including the science behind the recommendations, with Berkeley’s Evacuation Storymaps. Updated Extreme Fire Weather Recommendations You may notice that the guidance for your neighborhood has changed. Berkeley will now use a much higher threshold before declaring Extreme Fire Weather, and will target Leave Early recommendations more narrowly. Why did the City make these changes? Berkeley introduced Leave Early guidance in 2019 following the Camp Fire in Paradise and the 2017 North Bay fires. Those disasters showed that, under extreme conditions, wildfire can spread faster than residents can evacuate. Berkeley Fire recognized the need to identify the most dangerous weather patterns and alert residents in high-risk areas to leave before a fire starts. Narrowing the Leave Early Area Since then, Berkeley’s Evacuation Time Study and additional fire-spread modeling have helped the City better understand evacuation challenges and focus on the neighborhoods at greatest risk. The updated Leave Early recommendation now applies to the Upper Berkeley Hills and Panoramic Hill, including areas east of Piedmont Avenue. Previously, it applied more broadly across the hills, extending almost to Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley and Claremont Avenue in South Berkeley. Raising the forecast threshold The City also learned from Extreme Fire Weather declarations in 2019, 2020, and 2024 that the previous forecast threshold was too easy to meet. The National Weather Service has since introduced the Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warning, which is reserved for forecasts with very high confidence in exceptionally dangerous fire weather (PDS Weather Occurred during: 1991 Oakland/Berkeley Hills Fire, 2025 L.A. Fires, and 2017, 2019 and 2020 North Bay fires.). Berkeley Fire is now aligning its Extreme Fire Weather declarations with this higher standard. According to National Weather Service partners, these declarations are expected to be very rare in Alameda County, occurring every 20 years on average. Are You In A Neighborhood Group? Let's Connect. What I enjoy most about this job is the opportunity to personally connect with constituents. Some of the most productive conversations happen in small group settings – in backyards and living rooms. I am interested in connecting with more neighborhood groups to hear directly from residents about their priorities, concerns, and ideas for our community. If you are already part of an organized community group and are interested in hosting a small gathering with me and your neighbors, please reach out to my office at sokeefe@berkeleyca.gov. Interested in Serving on a City Commission? We have vacancies! Consider applying for one of these Commissions: Elmwood Business Improvement District Advisory Board, the Homeless Services Panel of Experts, and the Transportation and Infrastructure Commission. Serving on a Commission can be a fulfilling way to learn more about City government, influence policy, and connect with other civic-minded people in your community. Please reach out to my office at sokeefe@berkeleyca.gov or fill out our Commissioner Interest Form here. The Solano Stroll is ON! Date: September 13, 2026 | 10:00am - 5:00pm After much uncertainty, I’m proud to announce that we have successfully saved the Solano Stroll! This year, we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Stroll. Join me, your neighbors, and thousands of visitors for this beloved community tradition. Each year, more than 100,000 people gather to enjoy a mile of small businesses, entertainers, food vendors, and community organizations. It’s one of my favorite events of the year, and I look forward to seeing many of you there! You can read more about the event on the Solano Avenue Association website. Library Events Don’t forget to check out the Berkeley Public Library’s events calendar. Our libraries host hundreds of events a month. You can check out the full list of offerings here. City Events Free Fatherhood Initiative Support Group (Multiple Days) Address: 1900 Sixth St, Berkeley CA 94710 Dates: Saturday, August 8, 2026 | 10:30am - 12:30pm Saturday, August 15, 2026 | 10:30am - 12:30pm Saturday, August 22, 2026 | 10:30am - 12:30pm Saturday, August 29, 2026 | 10:30 - 12:30pm Free Back-to-School Vaccine Clinics (Multiple Days) Address: 1900 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA 94710 Dates: Tuesday, August 11, 2026 | 9:00am - 3:00pm Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | 9:00am - 3:00pm Thursday, August 12, 2026 | 9:00am - 3:00pm WIC-nic: Free Family-Friendly Picnic Address: 2121 Tenth St, Berkeley, CA 94710 Date: Friday, August 7, 2026 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm Movies in the Park - The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Address: Grove Park, 1730 Oregon St, Berkeley CA 94703 Date: Friday, August 7, 2026 | 8:15pm - 10:45pm Free Gardening Workshop Series Address: 1900 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA 94710 Date: Friday, August 14, 2026 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm 3rd Saturday Shoreline Cleanup - August Address: Shorebird Nature Center; 1600 University Ave Berkeley CA 94710 Date: Saturday, August 15, 2026 | 9:00am - 11:00am Movies in the Park - The Spongebob Movie: The Search for Squarepants Address: Codornices Park, 1201 Euclid Ave, Berkeley CA 94708 Date: Friday, August 21, 2026 | 8:00pm - 10:00pm sokeefe@berkeleyca.gov | (510) 981-7150 Shoshana O'Keefe | 1320 Spruce St. | Berkeley, CA 94709 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice