Page One

Mayor Shirley Dean has put a new recommendation on the City Council’s agenda that asks the city manager to undertake a study of the growing number of day labors that congregate on Hearst Avenue in west Berkeley looking for short-term work. 

Dean put a similar item on the council’s June 19 agenda but it was removed by Councilmember Kriss Worthington who said he was concerned about the day laborers being treated unfairly, because the recommendation was generated by a letter written by business owners. 

Dean has since removed the original item and has submitted a second recommendation with new language.  

Dean says in her recommendation the number of day laborers is growing along Hearst Avenue where they gather in hopes of finding work from contractors and home owners who buy supplies at Truitt and White Lumber Company located at 642 Hearst Ave. 

“Many of these men seeking work may be undocumented,” Dean’s recommendation reads. “There are currently no accommodations (bathrooms, shelter, supervision) established to cope with this number of people (estimated as up to 150 in a given hour)... and many store owners and customers are reporting problems caused by the current lack of accommodations.” 

Dean asks that the city manager meet with the laborers, business owners and social agencies to gather information about the situation and that he meet with representatives from other cities that are experiencing the same phenomenon to find out which solutions have worked and which have failed. 

Dean says in her report that $8,000 is available in the Economic Development division’s budget to perform a comprehensive study. 

The North Shattuck Business Improvement District 

The council will hold a public hearing on the establishment of a business improvement district that will consist of about eight square blocks along Shattuck Avenue north of Delaware Street to Rose Street. The district will also include some properties on Delaware, Vine and Walnut streets. 

Depending on property use, there will be a varying tax assessment to provide services to the newly formed business district. Each year, retail businesses will pay about 13.5 cents per square foot, offices 10.75 cents a square foot and residencies 8 cents per square foot. 

The assessment is expected to generate $162,000 a year for the life of the organization, which is proposed for 10 years, according to a staff report from the Economic Development Division. 

Services to the district will include maintenance such as regular sidewalk sweeping, tree planting, watering and trimming and graffiti removal. There will also be increased lighting and a safety policy which is described in the Management District Plan as “dealing with homeless.”  

According to the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994, a public hearing is required before property in a proposed Business Improvement District can be assessed. If protests are received from property owners who will pay 50 percent or more of the assessment, no further action on the proposed district will be taken for a period of one year. Written protests are being accepted by the City Clerk’s Office. 

Transportation consolidation confusion 

As an example of the confusion and conflict that usually occurs in Berkeley over the traffic issues is the attempt to reorganize and consolidate transportation planning with traffic engineering. 

The council will consider several recommendations from three commissions calling for different solutions to ongoing traffic problems, including unsafe intersections, increased traffic congestion and a shortage of parking. The Transportation Commission suggests the immediate consolidation of Transportation Planning, with Traffic Engineering under the Planning and Development Department’s roof. 

But the Public Works Commission recommends holding off until a thorough study is completed that considers all potential options and the Commission on Disability recommends the consolidation of the two traffic functions take place under the Public Works Department roof. 

The city recently lost its head traffic engineer and its chief traffic planner (who quit after just three weeks). Both cited poor organization and municipal inertia as reasons for their departure. 

Other items 

The council will likely consolidate and approve two items that call for support of $12 million county pilot program that will provide all middle and high school students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program with bus passes for all AC Transit lines. 

There is also a BART to ART recommendation that will discount $2 off all theater tickets for patrons who can present a BART ticket at the box office. 

The council will also consider a Sunshine Ordinance that was first on the council’s agenda in March. The ordinance calls for increased access to all public records and better posting of all public meetings.