Berkeley approves budget that cuts $1.4M from affordable housing program

Berkeley approves budget that cuts $1.4M from affordable housing program

The City Council balanced a $26.8 million budget deficit without widespread layoffs or service cuts. But its moves drew warnings from finance staff and criticism from affordable housing advocates.

Council approves fee hikes to address $18M-plus budget deficit, strains city community

The Berkeley City Council approved a broad set of fee changes within the last week in response to growing operational costs and a projected budget deficit. The fees will impact businesses, residents, homeowners, developers and more.

Berkeley approves balanced budget in split vote

The Berkeley City Council approved a balanced budget early Wednesday morning — agreeing on most things, but ultimately failing to reach consensus.In recent months, the city has been working to close a projected $29 million budget deficit through a hiring freeze and a series of mostly one-time strategies that allowed Berkeley to avoid "mass layoffs" in what officials called "a huge win."Berkeley's overall budget is nearly $830 million, with gener…

Vallejo approves tighter spending plan without mayor’s approval

VALLEJO – The Vallejo City Council approved a budget for the coming year which freezes 12 city positions from the city manager’s office, the economic development and finance departments and human resources. The council approved its new budget 5-1 on Tuesday with Vice Mayor Peter Bregenzer absent and Mayor Andrea Sorce voting no. The $323 million spending plan makes several cuts but contains new funding in some areas, including $500,000 for dredg…