EL CERRITO
The city of El Cerrito, in partnership with Related California, is pleased to announce that the El Cerrito Plaza Transit-Oriented Development Project, Parcel A-South, has been awarded $39.1 million in funding from the state of California’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program.
This funding, approved by the California Strategic Growth Council, will help finance a 70-unit affordable housing building adjacent to the El Cerrito Plaza BART station, which is part of a larger effort to provide 743 new housing units in the area. The awarded funds will contribute to the construction of 69 affordable rental units, along with essential infrastructure and transportation enhancements that will benefit the entire community.
“This grant award is a significant step forward in our commitment to creating a more equitable and sustainable El Cerrito,” said Mayor Tessa Rudnick. “The project will not only provide much-needed affordable housing but also contribute to our city’s environmental and climate goals.”
The overall transit-oriented development project includes a total of six buildings that will provide the 743 housing units, with 47% of the total units to be rented at below-market rents. It includes a total of 22,000 square feet of new public open space, including a new community plaza along Fairmount Avenue that will be about a half-acre in size with 2,100 square feet of new commercial space.
The project will also feature an opportunity to include a new 20,000-square-foot public library if the city can identify funding. This development will support the city in reaching its regional housing needs allocation for the 2023-2031 planning period of creating 1,391 new housing units with 38% earmarked as affordable housing.
The project will be developed in six phases over about four years, with construction on the first building (Parcel A South) expected to start in 2025. For more details online, visit el-cerrito.org/tod.
— city of El Cerrito
ALBANY
Apply for open tenant seat on city’s housing advisory panel
Interested in housing issues in Albany? Albany tenants/renters are encouraged to apply for the tenant seat vacancy on the city’s Housing Advisory Commission.
The commission advises the City Council on policies and strategies for implementation of state housing element programs related to tenant protections, fair and equitable access to housing, housing programs, rent review and other related programs.
The commission is comprised of five members, including a tenant/renter (for which there is a vacancy), an Albany landlord who may or may not live in town and an affiliate of a local educational institution.
Find out more and apply online at bit.ly/3TflGto or contact the Albany City Clerk’s Office at cityclerk@albanyca.org or 510-528-5710. A supplemental questionnaire must be completed with the application.
— city of Albany
BERKELEY
Legislature OKs Skinner, colleague’s ‘red flag’ gun safety bill
The Legislature on Aug. 30 unanimously approved SB 899, a bill by state Sens. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, that would bolster California’s “red flag” law and other state statutes to prevent gun violence.
SB 899 would make ensuring that people deemed a threat to themselves or others no longer have access to firearms easier for California courts. The bill would establish uniform standards for courts when issuing gun violence restraining orders (GVROs), also known as “red flag” orders, as well as the state’s other firearm restraining orders.
The new standards would conform to existing rules that govern California’s domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) law, which also requires those under such orders to relinquish their firearms.
“A decade ago, in response to a tragic mass shooting near UC Santa Barbara, I authored the nation’s first ‘red flag’ law,” Skinner said. “That law has prevented dozens of mass shootings by keeping firearms out of the hands of those threatening violence to themselves or others.
California has enacted similar laws to combat domestic violence and school and workplace violence. Yet too many people subject to these orders don’t relinquish their guns as the law intends. By giving our courts and law enforcement tools to ensure that guns are recovered, SB 899 will improve the effectiveness of our gun violence prevention laws.”
SB 899 passed the state Senate and Assembly unanimously, and the bill has gone to the governor’s desk. If signed into law, it will go into effect Jan. 1, 2026. Skinner represents the 9th Senate District and is chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Senate Housing Committee. For online information, visit bit.ly/3TkHGmH.
— state Sen. Skinner’s office
Over 200 animals to be up for adoption at Saturday event
Animal shelters are filled to critical levels, so Berkeley Humane is hosting the single largest adoption event in all of California this year with more than 20 animal rescue and shelter organizations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday to place more than 200 pets into loving homes.
“This is a great time to find a new family member, and some of these animals have traveled a long way to meet you,” said Jeffrey Zerwekh, Berkeley Humane’s executive director. “We have pets from the Park Fire in Chico, Orange County in Southern California and Kona, Hawai’i.”
This family-friendly event will include pet toymaking for kids, live music, food trucks, vendors and a beer garden sponsored by Cellarmaker Brewing Co. Berkeley Humane will waive adoption fees for this event, and many rescue partners will also waive or reduce fees.
All animals available from Berkeley Humane will have received veterinary care, vaccinations and microchips and will be ready to go home after a brief adoption counseling session.
“In addition to new adoptions, we want to ensure that families with pets who may be experiencing difficult times receive support too,” said Haley Heslip, Berkeley Humane’s volunteer committee chair who is planning the event. “For the first time, we will be offering a fee-waived microchip and vaccine clinic.”
— Berkeley Humane
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Source: www.mercurynews.com