Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Meeting Agenda: 05/28/2026

Rent Stabilization board
Regular Meeting 
Thursday, May 28, 2026 – 7:00 p.m.
School District Board Room – 1231 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94702
Teleconference Location – 2010 Fifth Street, Apt. 260, Berkeley, CA 94710 and
2719 k street, sacramento, ca 95816

 

Public participation

This meeting will be conducted in a hybrid model with both in-person and remote participation, and in accordance with Government Code Section 54953 and all current state and local requirements allowing public participation in meetings of legislative bodies. Any member of the public may attend this meeting at the posted location(s). Questions regarding this matter may be addressed to DéSeana Williams, Executive Director of the Rent Board, at 510-981-7368 (981-RENT). The Board may take action related to any subject listed on the Agenda.

To access this meeting by Zoom 

Join the meeting from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device. If you do not want your name to appear on the screen, use the drop-down menu and click on "Rename" to rename yourself to be anonymous. To request to speak, use the “Raise Hand” icon by rolling over the bottom of the screen.

To join by phone 

Dial 1-669-444-9171, enter Webinar ID: 820 9135 5216 and Passcode: 505132. To comment during the public comment part of the agenda, Press *9 and wait to be recognized by the Chair.

Email comments 

Email comments must be submitted to amueller@berkeleyca.gov by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting in order to be considered by the Board and included in the public record. Format your subject line: “RENT BOARD MEETING PUBLIC COMMENT ITEM.” Please observe a 150-word limit. Time limits on public comments will apply.

Decorum 

All rules of procedure and decorum apply for both in-person attendees and those participating remotely. Attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various scents. Please help the City respect these needs.

Communications access information 

This meeting is being held in a wheelchair accessible location. To request disability-related accommodation(s) to participate in the meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact the Disability Services Specialist at (510) 981-6418 (voice) or (510) 981-6347 (TDD) at least three (3) business days before the meeting date.
 

RENT STABILIZATION BOARD
Regular Meeting 
Thursday, May 28, 2026 – 7:00 p.m.
School District Board Room – 1231 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94702
Teleconference Location – 2010 Fifth Street, Apt. 260, Berkeley, CA 94710 and
2719 k street, sacramento, ca 95816

Live Webcast 

AGENDA

1. Roll call 
2. Approval of Agenda 
3. 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. 
4. Public Comment for Unions representing Rent Board staff
5. Public Comment
6. Consent Items 
   1. Approval of the April 16^th regular meeting minutes
   2. Request to restore the stipend deduction for Commissioner Marrero’s absence from the March 13, 2026, meeting of the Climate Resilience & Habitability Committee (Commissioner Marrero)
   3. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 26-19 to modify the contract with QuickCaption, Inc. by an amount not to exceed $12,000 for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 (Executive Director)
   4. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 26-20 amending the Rent Board’s Records Retention Schedule to include updated retention code descriptions and periods for enhanced records management (Executive Director)
   5. Proposal to approve staff recommendations on requests for waivers of late registration penalties (Executive Director/Registration Unit Manager) – Please see attachment 6.e. for a list of all addresses with discretionary waivers that will be considered by the Board. 
7. Special Presentation: Rent Board Research Project Final Recommendations by the Student Policy Institute at Berkeley
   Presenter: Sanjna Shah
8. Special Presentation: City of Berkeley Auditor’s Office – Introductions and information
   Presenters: Katie Wysong and Caitlin Palmer
9. Special Presentation: Legislative Update (Board action may be taken)
   Presenter: Rent Board Legislative Advocate Brian Augusta
   1. Possible action to adopt Resolution 26-21 and Report Board Action on Legislated Bills (Chair Alpert and Commissioner Twu)
   2. Recommendation to support Senate Bill 868 (Wiener) Electricity: Portable solar generation devices (Climate Resilience & Habitability Committee)
10. Staff Presentation: Petitions & Mediations Statistical Report 2025
    Presenter: Senior Hearing Examiner Omar Calimbas  
11. Staff Presentation: Demolition Application Update 
    Presenter: Associate Planner Katrina Lapira
12. Appeal in Case No. T-6133 (2414 Dwight Way, Unit 3) – This appeal will not be heard before 8:00 p.m. but may be heard anytime thereafter. Please see attachment 12. for case description and legal staff recommendation. 
13. Action Items
    1. Chair Update (Chair Alpert) 
    2. Recommendation to adopt Resolution 26-22 extending the amnesty period to allow for the automatic waiver of penalties of Measure BB government-subsidized non-profit affordable properties (Executive Director)  
    3. Recommendation to adopt amendments to the Right to Organize eligibility language (Chair Alpert & General Counsel Brown)
14. Information, Announcements and Articles/Media
    NOTE:  The Board may vote to move Information Items to the Action calendar.
    1. Copy of May 15, 2026, letter to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors conveying the Board’s support for expanding Alameda County’s investment in critical housing services in the upcoming budget cycle (Chair Alpert)
    2. Deadline to submit agenda items/topics for the June regular Rent Board meeting: Friday, June 5^th by 5:00 p.m. (Board Secretary)
15. Committee/Board Meeting Updates and Announcements
    1. Budget & Personnel Committee (Vice-Chair Walker, Chair)
    2. Climate Resilience & Habitability Committee (Commissioner Martinac, Chair)
    3. Eviction/Section 8/Foreclosure Committee (Commissioner Elgstrand, Chair)
    4. Legislation, IRA/AGA & Registration Committee (LIRA Committee) (Chair Alpert, Chair)
    5. Outreach & Accessibility Committee (Commissioner Kelley, Chair)
    6. 2 x 2 Committee on Housing: Rent Board/Berkeley Unified School District (Commissioner Marrero, Chair)
    7. 4 x 4 Joint Task Force Committee on Housing: City Council/Rent Board (Councilmember Lunaparra & Chair Alpert, Co-Chairs)
    8. Updates and Announcements
    9. Discussion of items for possible placement on future agenda
16. Adjournment