Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Meeting Agenda: 03/16/2023

*Times allotted for each item are approximate and may be changed at the Board’s discretion during the course of this meeting.

1. Roll call – 1 min.*
    
2. Land Acknowledgment Statement:  The Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board recognizes that the rental housing units we regulate are built on the territory of xučyun (Huchiun-(Hooch-yoon)), the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo (Cho-chen-yo)-speaking Ohlone (Oh-low-nee) people, the ancestors and descendants of the sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County. This land was and continues to be of great importance to all of the Ohlone Tribes and descendants of the Verona Band. As we begin our meeting tonight, we acknowledge and honor the original inhabitants of Berkeley, the documented 5,000-year history of a vibrant community at the West Berkeley Shellmound, and the Ohlone people who continue to reside in the East Bay.  We recognize that Berkeley’s landlords and tenants have and continue to benefit from the use and occupation of this unceded stolen land since the City of Berkeley’s incorporation in 1878 and since the Rent Stabilization Board’s creation in 1980. As stewards of the laws regulating rental housing, it is not only vital that we recognize the history of this land, but also recognize that the Ohlone people are present members of Berkeley and other East Bay communities today.
    
3. Approval of Agenda – 1 min.*
    
4. Public Comment – 2 min. per speaker for non-agendized items*
    
5. Public Comment – 2 min. per speaker for items on the agenda*
    
6. CONSENT ITEMS – 1 min.*
   
   a. Approval of the February 16th regular meeting minutes
   
   b. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 23-04 authorizing the Executive Director to execute a contract modification with Goldfarb & Lipman LLP through June 30, 2023, in an amount not to exceed $20,000 (General Counsel)
   
   c. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 23-05 authorizing the Executive Director to execute a contract modification with Sloan Sakai Yeung & Wong LLP through June 30, 2023, in an amount not to exceed $80,000 (General Counsel)
   
   d. Proposal to approve staff recommendations on the following requests for waivers of late registration penalties (Executive Director/Registration Unit Manager) 
   
   Ministerial Waivers
   Property Address
   
   18 THE UPLANDS
   2022 VIRGINIA ST
   2915 HARPER
   2124 PRINCE
   1032 CRAGMONT
   2614 WARRING
   2237 ROOSEVELT
   939 ADDISON
   2117-2119 ASHBY
   3014 COLLEGE
   1455 GRIZZLY
   
   Discretionary Waivers
   Waiver No.     Property Address
   
   W5075            2716 DURANT
   W5076             2443 SPAULDING
   W5077             1300 DELAWARE
   W5078             1951 CHESTNUT
    
7. PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED INCREASE TO THE ANNUAL REGISTRATION FEES FOR FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2023-2024 
   
   a. Staff presentation on the proposed increase to the FY 2023-2024 Annual Registration Fees
   
   b. Public Comment 
   
   c. Comments from the Board 
    
8. ACTION ITEMS
   from Board Members, Committees, Executive Director or Staff
   
   Public comment will also be heard prior to the Board’s vote on each action item listed below – 1 min. per speaker.
   
   a. Chair Update (Chair Simon-Weisberg) – 5 min.*
   
   b. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 23-06 setting the FY 2023-2024 annual registration fee for fully-covered units (due July 3, 2023) at $290 per unit (Budget & Personnel Committee and Executive Director) – 20 min.*
   
   c. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 23-07 setting the FY 2023-2024 annual registration fee for partially-covered Measure MM units (due July 3, 2023) at $178 per unit (Budget & Personnel Committee and Executive Director) – 15 min.*
   
   d. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 23-08 setting the FY 2023-2024 annual registration fee for partially-covered Measure MM units in affordable housing projects (due July 3, 2023) at $37 per unit (Budget & Personnel Committee and Executive Director) – 15 min.*
   
   e. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 23-09 setting the Summer Rental Period registration fee for fraternities and sororities for FY 2023-2024 (due July 3, 2023) at $70 per unit (Budget & Personnel Committee and Executive Director) – 10 min.*
   
   f. Discussion and possible action to send a letter of support for Senate Bill (SB) 460 (Wahab): Fair Chance Housing (Chair Simon-Weisberg & Commissioner Johnson) – 5 min.*
   
   g. Discussion and possible action to send a letter of support for SB 466 (Wahab): Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act: rental rates (Commissioner Elgstrand, Chair Simon-Weisberg & Commissioner Kelley) – 10 min.*
    
9. INFORMATION, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ARTICLES/MEDIA
   from Board Members, Committees, Executive Director or Staff
   
   NOTE:  The Board may vote to move Information Items to the Action calendar.
   
   a. Update on Council’s recent action on the City’s Eviction Moratorium – Verbal (General Counsel) – 15 min.*
   
   b. Update on limited post-emergency options for remote participation in Board and Committee meetings (General Counsel) – 15 min.*
   
   c. Owner Move-in Eviction Tracking Report (January 2020 - December 2022) (Eviction/Section 8/Foreclosure Committee) – 3 min.*
   
   d. Date to submit agenda topics/items for April’s regular Rent Board meeting is Monday, April 10th by 5:00 p.m. (Board Secretary) – 1 min.*
    
10. COMMITTEE/BOARD MEETING UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
    
    a. Budget and Personnel Committee (Commissioner Walker, Chair) – 5 min.*
    Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Thursday, April 6th at 5:30 p.m.
    
    February 22nd agenda
    
    b. Eviction/Section 8/Foreclosure Committee (Commissioner Elgstrand, Chair) – 5 min.*
    Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Tuesday, April 11th at 6:00 p.m.
    
    March 8th agenda 
    
    c. Legislation, IRA/AGA & Registration Committee (LIRA Committee) (Commissioner Kelley, Chair) – 5 min.*
    Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  TBA
    
    d. Outreach Committee (Vice-Chair Alpert, Chair) – 5 min.*
    Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  Monday, April 10th at 5:30 p.m.
    
    March 9th agenda
    
    e. 4 x 4 Joint Task Force Committee on Housing: City Council/Rent Board – 5 min.*
    (Mayor Arreguín and Chair Simon-Weisberg, Co-Chairs) Next regularly-scheduled meeting:  TBA
    
    f. Ad Hoc Committee on Environmental Sustainability (Chair TBA) – 3 min.*
    Next meeting date:  TBA
    
    g. 2 x 2 Committee on Housing: Rent Board/Berkeley Unified School District (Chair TBA) – 1 min.*
    Regularly-scheduled meeting date:  TBA
    
    h. Updates and Announcements – 3 min.*
    
    i. Discussion of items for possible placement on future agenda – 5 min.*
     
11. ADJOURNMENT