Two important updates — new encampment news, and where things stand with city leaders

A couple of developments worth knowing about:

1. Displacement is now hitting another area. The Harrison Street closure pushed residents elsewhere, and new tents have appeared on Camelia Street in northwest Berkeley, near two preschools and a school bus stop. Other former residents of the Harrison encampment have moved to Allston Way and Dwight Way in Southwest Berkeley. About 60 parents and residents have mobilized, and roughly 90 people packed a community meeting this week demanding action. Three councilmembers — Kesarwani, Blackaby, and Taplin — have now proposed a 600-foot buffer zone banning encampments near preschools and daycares. The city also acknowledged it currently lacks the staff and resources to enforce a broader camping ban. This response is insufficient — there should be a full ban on encampments.  Full story: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/10/07/community/berkeley-encampments-ban-preschools/

2. District 1's five council candidates are starting to stake out positions. Of the field — Laura Babitt, Ross Bernet, Moni Gangopadhyay, Steve Kromer, and Daria Wrubel — Laura Babitt has officially endorsed our petition and Steve Kromer has said he wants Berkeley to ban homeless encampments outright. Wrubel and Bernet both placed significant blame for the Harrison situation on the federal judge's orders rather than city policy. Full story: https://www.berkeleyside.org/2026/10/07/berkeley-city-council-district-1-ross-bernet-laura-babitt-daria-wrubel-moni-gangopadhyay-steve-kromer

Where things stand with outreach:

So far, the only official response we've received has been from Terry Taplin, whom I contacted directly. He said he would look at the model legislation we included with the petition. That's a positive sign, but it's one response out of a Mayor, eight Councilmembers, and more than a dozen candidates.

On the candidate side, as previously mentioned, Laura Babitt has officially endorsed the petition, and Steve Kromer has spoken generally in favor of its underlying concepts.

That's real progress, but we need more than one councilmember and two candidates to hear from us. If you haven't personally contacted a city official yet, now is the time. This includes not just the Mayor and Council, but also senior city staff — in particular City Manager Paul Buddenhagen, who plays a central role in how the city responds to encampments day to day.

A short, personal email from a constituent makes a real difference. Let them know this matters to you and ask directly where they stand.

Mayor, City Council, and City Manager:

Mayor Adena Ishii — mayor@berkeleyca.gov
District 1, Rashi Kesarwani — rkesarwani@berkeleyca.gov
District 2, Terry Taplin — ttaplin@berkeleyca.gov
District 3, Ben Bartlett — bbartlett@berkeleyca.gov
District 4, Igor Tregub — itregub@berkeleyca.gov
District 5, Shoshana O'Keefe — sokeefe@berkeleyca.gov
District 6, Brent Blackaby — bblackaby@berkeleyca.gov
District 7, Cecilia Lunaparra — clunaparra@berkeleyca.gov
District 8, Mark Humbert — mhumbert@berkeleyca.gov
City Manager, Paul Buddenhagen — PBuddenhagen@berkeleyca.gov
To reach the entire Council and Mayor at once: council@berkeleyca.gov

Thank you again for staying engaged on this.