Changes to City Administration Leadership |
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Dee Williams-Ridley joined the City of Berkeley as Deputy City Manager in 2015, becoming Interim City Manager later that year. |
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Last month, City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley announced she will be stepping down from her position after nine years. The resignation will go into effect on July 10.
We are grateful for Dee Williams-Ridley’s tenure of exceptional service to the City of Berkeley. Under her leadership, she oversaw the transformation of our city organization, focusing on technological innovation, improved customer service, and innovative policies and programs. She also led our City through some of its most challenging times, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Her leadership during COVID helped save thousands of lives and protected our businesses and residents from displacement. Through it all, she has led with great skill, compassion, and vision. Ms. Williams-Ridley’s guidance also resulted in the City hiring great staff who serve our community every day. The City Council has been lucky to work with such an exceptional leader and we wish her the very best in her future endeavors. Berkeley is a better place because of her. The City is grateful for her dedicated service and wishes her the best.
At tonight’s City Council meeting, votes will take place to appoint a temporary and a permanent City Manager. If approved, LaTanya Bellow, who is currently one of two Deputy City Managers, will be appointed as Interim City Manager starting on July 11. Starting on September 16, Paul Buddenhagen will begin as City Manager. Buddenhagen has around 25 years of public service and is currently Emeryville’s City Manager since 2022. Before then, he was Berkeley’s Deputy City Manager for several years after being the Director of Berkeley’s Health, Housing, and Community Services Department.
Advancing the Just Transition Pilot Program |
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The Just Transition Pilot Program will help low-income residents with sustainability improvements to their homes. |
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The establishment of a Pilot Climate Equity Fund in 2021 has allowed the City to pursue various programs that provide climate and resilience benefits to low-income residents. This includes supporting building and transportation electrification, providing community access to resilience measures, and electrification engagement with historically marginalized communities. One of the programs under this pilot is Just Transition, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for low-to-moderate income households through installation of building electrification, energy efficiency, and weatherization measures.
To implement this program, the City has partnered with Rebuilding Together East Bay Network. Last month, training sessions began for Climate Coaches, who will be tasked with outreach. This includes 1-on-1 visits where Coaches assess homeowner energy efficiency and affordability measures for income-qualified residents. Outreach will begin soon, helping provide repairs and renovations to bring people on the path to electrification and resiliency.
Summer Movies in the Park |
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Starting on June 14, the City will be hosting a series of movie screeningsthroughout parks in Berkeley. The ten-movie series will provide all-ages entertainment across neighborhoods throughout the city. The movies will be screened on a 20-foot by 12-foot inflatable movie screen with premium outdoor audio-visual equipment.
The full list is below, with a link to more details for each event:
- June 14, 8:35pm at San Pablo Park: The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- June 28, 8:35pm at Live Oak Park: Top Gun: Maverick
- July 12, 8:35pm at Strawberry Creek Park: Trolls Band Together
- July 26, 8:35pm at Glendale La Loma Park: How to Train Your Dragon 2
- August 16, 8:15pm at Cedar Rose Park: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
- August 23, 8pm at West Campus Pool: The Little Mermaid
- August 30, 8pm at James Kenney Park: Elemental
- September 13, 7:30pm at Grove Park: A Million Miles Away
- September 27, 7:15pm at Codornices Park: Kung Fu Panda 4
- September 28, 7:15pm at Shorebird Park: Bears
Plan to arrive 30 minutes before the start of the screening. For comfort, bring blankets, sleeping bags, or low-back beach chairs (max height: 9 inches) to avoid blocking the view of others. A flashlight or headlamp will be helpful when leaving at night. For more details, click here.
Council to Vote on Whistleblower Program |
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At tonight’s Council meeting, the Council will debate and vote on a proposal by the City Auditor to establish a whistleblower program. Currently, there is no formal way for Berkeley residents to report concerns, and while employees are able to file complaints, such a process is not fully independent. The City Auditor, who is elected and is independent of the Council or City Administration, would be given the authority to receive reports regarding fraud, waste, or abuse and investigate those reports. Last year, the Council adopted a resolution in support of the proposal and to provide the Auditor’s Office the resources needed to implement the program.
The creation of the whistleblower program is an important step in improving transparency and open government. It will also increase accountability while potentially reducing fiscal impacts of the City by identifying waste in City resources.
Upcoming City, Council, and Commission Meetings |
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Below is a list of City meetings over the next week. Check the City’s Events webpage for a full list of meetings and for any changes to meetings.
City Council:
Commissions:
Other Meetings:
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