The Office of Vital Statistics is not where anyone wants to spend her free time. But if your baby…read moreis born in Berkeley and you want a birth certificate, this is where you come to get it. I am happy to report that my trip here was painless. I encountered no line just after 09:00 on a Thursday morning. I was pleased to discover that they take credit cards (in addition to cash and check). I am also happy to report that the staff here are knowledgeable and nice. After submitting my paperwork in the morning, I had my daughter's birth certificate later that afternoon. (If you arrive before 11:00, you can pick up your birth certificate that same afternoon between 14:00 and 16:00.)

For an office that issues government documents, it could be a whole lot worse. I had lamented that…read moreI had forgotten to bring my things to do while waiting, but turns out that they weren't necessary. I walked in around 10am on a Monday morning to put in a request for Jenbert Jr.'s birth certificate and walked out around 10:15. Then, had to go back in the afternoon to pick it up, but there's no wait for that. The hardest part is finding the parking.

I went to get my business license today. I was kind of disappointed to find that I have to wait…read moresix weeks to receive it. I'm an instant gratification kind of gal. All I got from this visit to the Tax Collector's Office was an empty wallet and a photocopy of my application. BORING. This was a very quick process, though. It literally took me 2 minutes. Well, 10 minutes if you include the 8 minutes it took me to find the damn office. This building is looks like an old high school but feels more like a maze--l really had a hard time finding the right door. But whatever, I found it eventually. The parking lot is metered, and that sucks, but the good news is that a quarter will buy you a half an hour, and you really don't need that half an hour. Plus the lady inside is really nice. She wished me luck. I liked that. NOTE: This will cost you $30. And 25 cents if you count the meter.

I expected this to be as painful as working with the DMV, but was pleasantly surprised at how…read morehelpful and thoughtful my experience was. I had goofed a few things up and Andrew kindly offered me direction. I'm very grateful for his assistance.

My father lost very important documents awhile back that he would have to fly back to France to get…read moreauthorized copies of. I kept checking lost and found but no luck. To my surprise I got a call from Raquel 2 months later and she remembered me. Turns out they had it but they were all in a sealed envelope that only had a number and the word "private" on it, which my father failed to tell me about and why they weren't able to locate it. She told me she was in the process of shredding things that have reached their time limit at Bart, opened it and recognized his name. She was even so helpful to let me come by after their closing time to pick them up. I am very thankful and she was extremely apologetic but it was my father's mistake for not mentioning the envelope. Raquel if you ever see this just know we are super grateful. My father is elderly and sick so traveling would have been a real hardship. You are truly a delight.

I need theese ppl work schedule, beat work schedule ever , been here twice in the past week and…read morenobody is ever working. Awesome

So, I came by here the other day for a friend who had an upcoming citizenship interview wanting a…read morecopy of the Citizenship book that has all kinds of facts about U.S. history. I was greeted by the security guard who told me that the office only gives out one book per registered candidate. I politely asked if I could request another one, or if he could ask someone there if there was a copy on-line I could download. So he goes in the back and takes a while, then comes back out and says that I could not obtain one for another person in their absence and he wasn't sure if there were on-line exams or practice tests - best of luck to me and my friend in other words. And I thought to myself, if its this difficult getting information as a citizen from people who actually work for the US government and probably will for the rest of their lives, how hard is it for permanent residents going through the process themselves? Especially when I saw a stack of books containing the information I needed just sitting over at this booth just a few feet ahead of us. If this were a normal business - this obviously wouldn't work out too well. I found what I needed for my friend on-line later that night - but that was certainly a waste of my lunch hour for sure. Must be nice to have a job everyday that is 'that' secure. Right.

Albany City Hall was located about two blocks from my apartment when I lived in Albany (2016-2019)…read more I walked past it going to the YMCA to work out, drove past it many times on my way to/from work and school, and police cars would commonly drive down our street. It provided a feeling of safety to live near the city hall and police station. My parents called the police on me one time when I was borderline suicidal. They tracked me down to the YMCA and made me come out and talk to them and the police force psychologists. Not too happy to have them disturbing my workout at the time, but I am alive and their making me talk to them helped me get out of a negative space. So I thank them for that and being kind to me even when I was a bit ornery in the moment. You could also come here and vote on Election Day. I came with one of my friends/flat mates for the 2018 elections. He had decided to vote with the ballot at the voting station, I came to drop off the ballot I had received in the mail. The drop-box for the ballot was easy to find and well displayed. Voting stations/booths and the room they were located in were well marked. The line was short and voting went quickly for him as well. An all around enjoyable experience.

This is a review of Albany, California and how poorly it is managed by city officials. I've been…read morehere since Clinton was president so I can say that things in Albany has certainly gone downhill for some time. For a one square mile town squeezed between the Bay & the regional park, it isn't much of a town. I've talked to long time SF Bay residents who drive by Albany on the freeway, and don't even notice it. This very small town for decades hasn't changed much, and the houses are still embarrassingly tiny & very old. While SF has changed their skyline, Albany stubbornly doesn't add more housing or jobs. It isn't instantly obvious to new people but Albany caters exclusively to one particular generation: the (NIMBY) Baby Boomers. This Boomer-centric town is stuck in a rut, with only liquor stores on every block, pharmacies wherever you look, and more pet shops than fast food. It's like the city officials just don't care about anyone else, and assume Boomers are the only people here. The roadways are getting worse (especially near schools), I think Solano Ave hasn't been totally redone in decades, relying on just patch ups of potholes. Most of the main roads are uneven & takes forever to get repaired. After the 2020-21 Covid19 Lockdown, this small town lost the bowling alley, Subway, Goodwill, and 3 of the 4 corners of the San Pablo Ave & Solano Ave intersection has lost businesses. The housing market is affected by such eyesores of too many empty commercial properties! What are the Albany city council members & mayor doing for the next generations in affordable housing and bringing jobs? Or are they content with leaving this town worse than they found it with a gaping economic crater & lots of crime? These people should be fired. If they can't manage a 1 square mile town then they can't manage anything at all! Albany looks like a ghost town and desperately needs a makeover!

I am going to write an objective review about this office…read more I called today and a gentlemen picked up the telephone. He was not clear and was mumbling words. I asked "Can you please repeat yourself?". He said this is US Labor.... I said I'd like to know who can answer my questions regarding a case and was wondering if you can refer me to the right department. He said what specifically? He said I can leave a message for Sara Hawk. Subsequently, I left a voicemail and called back to clarify a few more questions. After a few rings, the line got disconnected, subsequently I called again and it was disconnected. I thought it was fraudulent office so I checked Google Review and phoned the City Hall Office. I called 20 minutes later, the same gentlemen answered my phone call said "what do you want". ... He sounded annoyed and moody and then hung upon me when I asked if he can give me the phone number or e-mail of his supervisor. This office in my opinion is not professional, the person who answered the call was not clear and it seemed like they were trying to avoid my calls. My advice for upper management is to make sure you have staff who are willing to help callers and guide them to the right department. If not, remove your office and direct callers to a different office.

I retired in 2009, and for several years my Pension Plan Administrator failed to provide documents…read moreneeded to review their determination. Finally later this year (2017) I turned for help to this DOL Regional Office for help. The response was way above my expectation. Within 4 or 5 hours I received a phone call from Christine, one of the assistants of Jean Ackerman, director of EBSA's San Francisco regional office. Within a few weeks Christine made (sort of miraculously) the unresponsive Plan Administrator to provide the documents. She even called me to make sure I received the mailed package. Great experience, and I thank you again. Kazmer

This office is near the corner of 14th and Mission, in the Goodwill Building…read more Go up a flight of stairs and see the receptionist. Show your One-Stop card or get one from her. The One-Stop computer center is straight down the hall, with about 24 computers. Fax, printing and copying are limited to 20 pages each per day. This center offers PESCO skill assessment tests (free 4 hr test, you can take in sections) and then a results class. There are also classes in basic interviewing skills. This center seems mostly geared to blue collar workers, although the job binders seemed fairly up to date. People working at Goodwill are serviced by this center, which can make the crowd a little rougher than at other places. Things were calm when I visited. Good A/C on a hot day. There's an eating area for the Goodwill workers in the atrium, which I'm sure you could use. Nice building interior. For more comprehensive services try Jewish Vocational Services.

This rating is for Redia W at Building and Safety. She has saved me on several permits where my…read morecontractor was struggling to figure out the rules and/or when I needed to update info since the system was still catching up. She is quick to respond and makes pulling a permit so much more enjoyable!

The staff is always very helpful and very thorough. They system to meet the officials is very well…read moreorganised and the waiting area is bright and welcoming. The staff is also responsive on email and I always like working with them.