Tom Bates

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf endorsed Laurie Capitelli in the Berkeley mayoral race last week, joining several East Bay elected officials who have rallied behind the council member ahead of the November election.

Berkeley City Council unanimously passed a new law raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2018 at a special meeting Friday, as well as an ordinance to increase paid sick leave to 72 hours.

The Berkeley Rental Housing Coalition — the political action committee of the Berkeley Property Owners Association — filed a lawsuit against the city Wednesday over a city-sponsored measure’s deceptive ballot language that allegedly overstates the projected city revenue for the tax increase.

According to recently released campaign financial statements, Berkeley mayoral candidate and current City Councilmember Laurie Capitelli raised $67,135 during the first six months of 2016 — significantly more than the amount raised during that span by fellow candidate and City Councilmember Jesse Arreguin.

With recent scrutiny placed on the nation’s police, Berkeley City Council will hold a special meeting and regular meeting Tuesday to discuss updating Berkeley Police Department practices.

At its regular meeting Tuesday, Berkeley City Council voted unanimously to oppose the closure of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley and increase housing development in the Telegraph Commercial District.

At a special meeting Thursday, Berkeley City Council will discuss a short-term rental ordinance that would legalize and regulate short-term rentals — a dwelling used for less than 14 days and popularized by services such as Airbnb — which are currently illegal in the city.

City Council convened Tuesday in a special meeting to discuss economic development on Telegraph Avenue and was met with resistance from attendees after a misunderstanding led many to believe there were plans to remove People’s Park.

Following closely behind the anniversary of the balcony collapse last June, a Senate bill advanced past the state Assembly on Tuesday, mandating that licensed contractors report any convictions of felonies or other crimes to the Contractors’ State License Board.

David Maldonado stood above the crowd that had packed into Anna Head Alumnae Hall — a crowd that included the mayor of Berkeley, a former campus chancellor, a California state senator, Maldonado’s smiling wife and kids and his fellow graduates — and changed the song. On top of everything else, he was the graduation DJ.