TBS Today, June 4

The latest election results are in for District 4, the downtown Berkeley City Council seat.

As of about 3:40 p.m., the current standings show Igor Tregub with 51% of the vote and Rubén Hernández Story with 49% after today’s ranked-choice results were tallied.

The ROV says there may still be more ballots to count — but Tregub has declared victory.

"With today’s update from the County Registrar, it is clear that I will have the honor of serving as Berkeley’s next City Councilmember representing District 4," he said in a prepared statement. "This tremendous victory was only made possible with the help of hundreds of grassroots supporters who know my life’s work and know my values."

The first round of ballots released today had Tregub with 663 votes and Hernández Story with 654. But because Tregub did not secure more than 50% of the vote, the ranked-choice calculation came into play.

That gave Tregub 1,045 votes to Hernández Story's 997.

Our other stories today focus on tonight's City Council meeting.

Berkeley fire chief asks for urgent action to snag new HQ

The monthly rent for the 55,000-square-foot facility in West Berkeley is projected to reach about $121,000.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Berkeley may have 9 new city security cameras by June 30

That would bring the number of locations where the city has surveillance cameras to 11, with 18 more in the pipeline pending further review.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Note: We learned this afternoon that city staff plans to pull the security camera item "to provide greater clarity." The plan is to bring it back June 25.

We also shared links to a number of other notable council items on the agenda tonight.

• Contract: Evacuation and emergency response analysis for BFD (not to exceed $600,000)
• Contract: Specialized Care Unit grant funding of $500,000 (for a total contract amount not to exceed $5.346 million)
• 2023 Police Equipment & Community Safety Ordinance annual report
• Purchase order: 20 new replacement vehicles for Berkeley police ($1.27 million)
• Appointment of LaTanya Bellow as interim city manager, effective July 11 to Sept. 15, with an annual salary of $401,722.10 and additional employee benefits
• Appointment of Paul Buddenhagen as new city manager, effective Sept. 16, with a salary of $401,722.10 and additional employee benefits

Paul Buddenhagen set to return as Berkeley city manager

Buddenhagen was a top deputy in Berkeley before he left to become Emeryville city manager in January 2023.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

• Also up: A zoning appeal about an 18-story building where the California Theatre was located, and a presentation on the proposed city budget (See Items 45 and 46 for agenda materials)

We'll be covering tonight's City Council meeting live on X. It starts at 6 p.m.

In case you missed it

UC Berkeley police car burned, possibly in support of Palestine

UC Berkeley officials declined to comment on the matter and referred all inquiries to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso

Help Berkeley prepare for natural hazards and disasters

The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies hazards Berkeley faces and prioritizes actions that reduce risks. Find out how to get involved.

The Berkeley ScannerCity of Berkeley

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