June 24, 2026 · Disaster and Fire Safety Commission
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REGULAR AGENDA MATTERS All Regular Agenda Matters are for discussion and possible action. 6/24/26 AGENDA Page 1 Internal
Recommendation: Approve the Draft Minutes of April 22, 2026, Regular Meeting. Written Material: DFSC May 20, 2026 Draft Minutes
Recommendation: Finalize Work Plan Written Material: 2026-2027 DFSC Work Plan
Response (BEAR) Program: DFSC Ad-Hoc Committee and Request for Council Support (Herzer-Baptiste) Recommendation: Request Approval for Continuation of the BEAR Ad Hoc Sub-Committee Written Material: Draft Recommendation To Council
Receive reporting on recent activities by the following work groups: • Plan & Budget Oversight • Neighborhood Fire Resiliency • Safe Passages • Community Outreach • Street Trauma Prevention Program Future Agenda Items and Next Steps • Adjournment This meeting will be conducted in accordance with the Brown Act, Government Code Section 54953. Any member of the public may attend this meeting. Questions regarding this matter may be addressed 6/24/26 AGENDA Page 2 Internal to Keith May, kmay@berkeleyca.gov 510-981-5508. Communications to Berkeley boards, commissions or committees are public record and will become part of the City’s electronic records, which are accessible through the City’s website. Please note: E-mail addresses, names, addresses, and other contact information are not required but, if included in any communication to a City board, commission, or committee, will become part of the public record. If you do not want your e-mail address or any other contact information to be made public, you may deliver communications via U.S. Postal Service or in person to the secretary of the relevant board, commission, or committee. If you do not want your contact information included in the public record, please do not include that information in your communication. Please contact the secretary to the relevant board, commission, or committee for further information. Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the commission regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection at Berkeley Fire Department located at 2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way Berkeley, CA. COMMUNICATION ACCESS INFORMATION: This meeting is being held in a wheelchair-accessible location. To request a disability-related accommodation(s) to participate in the meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact the Disability Services specialist at 981-6418 (V) or 981-6347 (TDD) at least three business days before the meeting date. Please refrain from wearing scented products to this meeting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I hereby certify that the agenda for this regular/special meeting of the Berkeley City’s Disaster and Fire Safety Commission was posted at the front of the Division of Training, 997 Cedar Street, as well as on the City’s website, three days prior to the scheduled Commission meeting. SECRETARY SIGNATURE 6/18/2026 6/24/26 AGENDA Page 3 DFSC Chair Report 6/24/26 Based on recent submissions for Workgroups and Referrals to Council, it seems to me that many of the commissioners do not fully understand the role of the commission along with the rules and regulations regarding the commission’s authority. I have included specific excerpts for the Commissioner’s manual and the mission statement of the DFSC for reference. Highlighted text is what I consider to be the most salient: Disaster and Fire Safety Commission Mission Advis es the City Council on all matters affecting fire s afety and/ or dis as ter res ilience within Berkeley. The Disaster and Fire Safety Commission serves as the public oversight body for Berkeley’s Measure GG and Measure FF funds, charged with reviewing the budget on a regular basis to ensure that the funds are spent in accordance with the intent of the voter approved measures, recommending the appropriate annual increase to the tax rate, and recommending new programs and policy positions requiring Measure GG and Measure FF funding. The ultimate goal of the Commission is to increase community safety, resilience, and education for community disaster preparedness. The Commission also reviews and makes recommendations on items referred by the City Council or other Commissions. From the Commissioner’s Manual (2019) DFSC is a “Advisory” Commission: Those are “commissions that advise the City Council concerning policies and programs, within the limitations of their enabling legislation. Commissioner’s Manual re: Workplans A commission work plan should contain the commission’s mission statement, goals, resources, activities, outputs, and desired outcomes. This planning document specifies how and when the commission plans to accomplish its objectives (by specifying outcomes) during the fiscal year. Goal statements explain the nature and scope of the work to be performed and the time needed to accomplish the goal. Designing yearly work plans or goal statements may be done in conjunction with the development of the relevant departmental work plan so that the work of the department and the commission will complement each other throughout the year. When developing a work plan, commissions should take special care to ensure that they remain within the subject area purview of their enabling legislation. Commissioner’s Manual re: Communication with Outside Agencies Commissions function in an advisory capacity and, in the absence of an explicit delegation of the role to act on the City's behalf by the Council on a particular issue, they may not directly communicate with outside agencies. Unless specifically authorized by the Council, commissions may not represent the City or its policies or positions to outside agencies either on their own behalf or on behalf of the City. If a commission wishes to support or object to a particular policy or program run by an outside agency, it should frame this action as a motion and a recommendation to the City Council. If adopted, the communication to the outside agency will be from the City Council. Furthermore, commissions may not take any action that commits or indicates an intention to commit the City without authorization by the Council and coordination with the City Manager, such as endorsing grant applications, receiving donations and gifts, sponsoring community events, or approving use of City property, facilities, or other resources. The commission may not act as a sponsor of or participate in (such as having an information booth) community events without the authorization of the City Council. Commissions cannot hold a joint meeting or joint event with an outside agency. If information from an outside agency is desired, the commission may request that the secretary invite the outside agency to make a presentation and field questions at a regular commission meeting. Commissions may not, without approval of Council, represent City policy or communicate in an official manner outside of Commission meetings. A commission may authorize one of its members to appear before another City commission without Council approval. Any time a commissioner uses their commission title or references their membership on a city commission when speaking publicly, they must state the following: “I am speaking in an individual capacity and not representing the [Commission Name] or the City of Berkeley. When considering the appropriateness of communicating publicly as a commissioner, remember these simple guidelines. • The City Council speaks for the City • Commissions speak to the Council • Commissioners speak as private individuals Public DFSC Staff Report June 24, 2026