{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 1, "text": "MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING\nTUESDAY--AUGUST 8, 2016--7:00 P.M.\nActing Mayor Matarrese convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of\nAllegiance.\nROLL CALL -\nPresent:\nCouncilmembers Daysog, Ezzy Ashcraft, Matarrese,\nOddie and Mayor Spencer - 5.\n[Note: Mayor Spencer was present via teleconference from Coast\nBellevue Hotel, 625 116th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004]\nAbsent:\nNone.\nAGENDA CHANGES\nNone.\nPROCLAMATIONS, SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY AND ANNOUNCEMENTS\nNone.\nORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA\n(16-391) Glenn Steiger, General Manager Alameda Municipal Power (AMP), made brief\ncomments regarding AMP which he observed during the two years he managed AMP;\nannounced he would be retiring.\nCouncilmembers made brief comments thanking Mr. Steiger for his service.\n(16-392) Bill Rowen, Alameda, stated that he previously suggested the City have a\npolicy regarding late meetings, which did not receive a response; he spoke to\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft and she indicated there will not be any more meetings\nuntil 3:00 or 4:00 a.m.; suggested the Council put the matter on the agenda.\n(16-393) Chuck Phillips, Alameda, submitted a photo and discussed 1929 Webster\nStreet.\nCONSENT CALENDAR\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft moved approval of the Consent Calendar.\nCouncilmember Oddie seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmember Daysog: Ayes; Councilmember Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye; Councilmember\nOddie: Aye; Vice Mayor Matarrese: Aye; Mayor Spencer: Aye. Ayes: 5. [Items so\nenacted or adopted are indicated by an asterisk preceding the paragraph number.]\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 2, "text": "(*16-394) Ordinance No. 3160, \"Approving Two Leases and Authorizing the City\nManager to Execute Documents Necessary to Implement the Terms of Leases with\nNational Response Corporation, Environmental Services (NRC) for Building 15 Located\nat 1605 Ferry Point and Building 616 Located at 1750 Orion Street at Alameda Point for\nFive and Two Years, Respectively.' Finally passed.\n(*16-395) Ordinance No. 3161, \"Approving a Lease and Authorizing the City Manager\nto Execute Documents Necessary to Implement the Terms of Lease with Wonky\nKitchen LLC for Ten Years in Building 44 Located at 2400 Monarch Street at Alameda\nPoint.\" Finally passed.\nREGULAR AGENDA ITEMS\n(16-396) Resolution No. 15190, \"Calling an Election to be Consolidated with the City's\nNext General Municipal Election on November 8, 2016, and Submitting to the Voters at\nThat Election a Measure, the Rent Stabilization Act, that Proposes to Have the Voters\nConfirm Ordinance 3148, which Amended the Alameda Municipal Code by (a) Adding\nArticle XV to Chapter VI concerning (1) Review of Rent Increases Applicable to Certain\nRental Units and (2) Limitations on Evictions and the Payment of Relocation Assistance\nApplicable to All Rental Units; (B) Amending Section 2-23.4 Concerning the Duties of\nthe Rent Review Advisory Committee and (c) Suspending Article XIV of Chapter VI in\nIts Entirety.\" Adopted; and\n(16-396A) Consider Authoring a Direct and Possible Rebuttal Argument.\nThe City Clerk gave a Power Point presentation.\nThe City Manager made brief comments.\nCouncilmember Daysog inquired if all 5 Councilmembers could be included as the\nsignatories on the ballot arguments.\nThe City Clerk responded in the affirmative; stated that if Council decides to author the\nargument, a subcommittee of two would write it, then all 5 Councilmembers can sign it;\nonly two Councilmembers can write the argument, otherwise it has to be written in open\nsession.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the signatories is one of four options to\ndecide upon.\nThe City Clerk responded in the affirmative; stated there could be a mix of\nCouncilmembers and other people that sign the argument.\nCouncilmember Oddie inquired if the City Clerk could recap the changes with the\nproposals since the last Council meeting.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n2\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 3, "text": "The City Clerk responded at the July 19th meeting, the Clerk's office was still waiting to\nsee if the landlord initiative met the signature requirement; the petition was found\ninsufficient by several hundred signatures; the landlord petition did not qualify and will\nnot go on the ballot.\nMayor Spencer inquired if the ballot question is currently at 68 words; stated that she\nreceived an email question about modifying the ballot question; inquired how many\nwords are currently in the ballot question.\nThe City Clerk stated she will count and get back to Mayor Spencer.\nMayor Spencer stated if the limit is 75 words, she would like clarification on the current\nword count to address the public's email regarding modifying the ballot question.\nActing Mayor Matarrese clarified there are two parts to Mayor Spencer's question: is the\nword limit 75 words and can the ballot question be modified.\nThe City Clerk responded the limit is 75 words and the wording can be changed.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft requested clarification on Mayor Spencer's comment that\nthe Council received one email regarding the modification of the ballot question, not an\naudience question; she is not sure if that forms the basis for changing the ballot\nquestion.\nStated that he wrote a letter asking the Council to put the City's ordinance on the ballot;\nthe City's ordinance can be amended as opposed to the Alameda Renter's Coalition\n(ARC) initiative; the ordinance needs to be constantly monitored and improved; urged\nCouncil to put the City's ordinance on the ballot: Paul Foreman, Alameda Citizen's\nTaskforce.\nUrged Council to let the ballot process work; stated negligent landlords or tenants are\nthe cause of buildings deteriorating, not rent control; urged Council to not place the\nCity's ordinance on the ballot: Eric Strimling, ARC.\nStated the residents from Bay View Apartments are facing a no-cause eviction; housing\nis a basic, fundamental right for all people: Sister Pat Nagle.\nStated ARC does not want the City's ordinance placed on the ballot; voters will be\nconfused and might vote for both initiatives: Bill Rowen, ARC.\nStated that she does not support the City's ordinance going on the ballot; her income\ndoes not increase 5% each year; if rent increases 5% each year, she will not be able to\nafford to live in Alameda; she supports the ARC initiative: Beth Allen, ARC.\nStated that he supports the ARC initiative; putting the City's ordinance on the ballot will\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 4, "text": "only confuse voters: Monty Heying, Alameda.\nStated the City's ordinance only provides some protections, but allows no-fault and no-\ncause evictions; the City is putting a second ballot measure on the ballot to cause\nconfusion among voters: Catherine Pauling, ARC;\nStated middle-class residents cannot afford to live in Alameda; urged moving forward\nand making Alameda a place for everyone, not just a few: Mari Perez-Ruiz, Alameda.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated that he is very proud of the City's ordinance; the landlords\nand renters do not want to compromise; the City Council should be devoting its time and\nenergy to the Utility Modernization Act (UMA); he will not be voting to put the City's\nordinance on the November ballot.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft stated the City Council worked hard to put the City\nordinance together to protect residents; she strongly supports the City's ordinance; she\nhas concerns with the flexibility of a Charter amendment versus an ordinance; inquired\nif the City is going to provide educational material outreach similar to the UMA to\neducate the electorate about the City's ordinance.\nThe City Clerk responded in the affirmative; stated the City will simply present facts and\neducate people, not advocate a position.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft stated if the ARC measure does not pass in November,\nshe is ready to sit down with the members of ARC and see what can be done to make\nthe City ordinance better; she feels the City ordinance does not necessarily need to go\non the November ballot, but she strongly supports the ordinance.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated that he strongly supports the City's ordinance and\nplacing the ordinance on the ballot; the ARC initiative is Berkeley style rent control;\nmany cases that have come to the RRAC have been settled; the City ordinance\nrepresents the Alameda way of doing things.\nActing Mayor Matarrese stated the electorate being exposed to two campaigns is very\nimportant; an informed vote is better than a vote of frustration.\nMayor Spencer stated the City's ordinance is a result of the hard work of the Council\nlistening to the community and is a reasonable solution to a very serious problem; she\nagrees with Acting Mayor Matarrese's comment to have both initiatives on the ballot.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft inquired how the process works if there are two actions:\n1) place the measure on the ballot, and 2) decide who would author the direct and\nrebuttal arguments.\nThe City Attorney responded to put the measure on the ballot, Council would have to\nadopt the resolution; then, decide whether Council wants to draft an argument for the\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n4\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 5, "text": "measure; a committee of two needs to be appointed similar to the UMA.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft stated Vice Mayor Matarrese voted against the City's\nordinance in the beginning.\nActing Mayor Matarrese stated he would have liked to have the relocation fees be\nsubject to mediation, but he is supportive of the other measures; the serious flaw is that\none standard is applied to the back end of the process; both measures not passing\nwould be an opportunity to open up a discussion and modify the City's ordinance; he\nsuggests placing the City's ordinance on the ballot as one motion and the argument as\na second motion.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft stated the good thing about an ordinance is that it has\nthe flexibility to add other provisions; inquired if anyone could sign the argument.\nMayor Spencer stated she has some proposed changes to the ballot question.\nThe City Clerk responded that the adoption of the resolution includes the ballot\nquestion; if Council is adopting the resolution, then they are approving the language of\nthe ballot question; the ballot question is currently 73 words.\nMayor Spencer suggested the following changes: \"shall the voters adopt the City\nCouncil's March 31st \" she would like to add the word \"Council\" to help people\nunderstand it; change: \"(b) requires mediation review... add the word \"review,\" and\nchange: \"(c) restricts reasons for evictions.. \" read, \"limits and conditions evictions;\"\nsaid changes do not change the number of words, yet are more forthcoming with what\nCouncil is proposing; lastly change to: \"(b) including binding decisions on rent increases\nabove 5%;\" said changes would make the question more clear.\nActing Mayor Matarrese requested clarification about whether the word Council would\nbe added after City to read \"adopted by the City Council's,\" to which Mayor Spencer\nresponded in the affirmative.\nActing Mayor Matarrese inquired whether the next change requested by Mayor Spencer\nis changing to \"requires review,\" instead of \"mediation of all residential rent increases\nabove 5%,\" to which Mayor Spencer responded in the affirmative; stated the wording\nwould be more clear by adding the word review and the second part of the phrase\nwould be: including binding decisions on rent increases above 5%.\nActing Mayor Matarrese stated the Council does not have the capability to reconstruct\nthe whole ballot question; inquired whether the last change is \"limit and conditions\nreasons for evictions.\"\nMayor Spencer responded that she believes limits and conditions is more clear about\nwhat the Council is doing.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 6, "text": "Acting Mayor Matarrese inquired how Council feels about changing \"adopt the City's\" to\n\"adopt the City Council's\".\nCouncilmember Oddie stated he is not agreeable because he is not voting for the ballot\nmeasure.\nThe City Attorney stated City Council adopted the ordinance, but the City's ordinance is\nwhat is in the Alameda Municipal Code.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated he will defer to the City Attorney and the City Manager\non the ballot question.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft agreed.\nActing Mayor Matarrese stated not hearing a majority he suggested a motion to approve\nthe wording as written.\nCouncilmember Daysog moved adoption of the resolution as written.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the motion is to put the measure on the\nballot, to which Acting Mayor Matarrese responded in the affirmative.\nMayor Spencer seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmember Daysog: Aye; Councilmember Ezzy Ashcraft: No; Councilmember\nOddie: No; Vice Mayor Matarrese: Aye; Mayor Spencer: Aye. Ayes: 3; Noes: 2.\nActing Mayor Matarrese stated the Council needs to address the question of authoring\narguments.\nMayor Spencer stated that she would be interested in authoring the arguments.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she objects to the Mayor participating in\ndrafting the argument because the Mayor the authored an argument against the\nCouncil's act, UMA, and the Mayor authored an argument opposing the renters'\ninitiative, which has substandard reasoning and poor writing; it is time for other people\nto step up to the task.\nMayor Spencer stated having her author the argument is very appropriate because she\nhas been part of the process from the beginning, she is the Mayor and the measure is\nCouncil's work; she would like to be part of it; inquired whether anyone else is interested\nin participating.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated that he was involved in the UMA and joined residents in\nraising concerns in the argument against the renters' initiative; he is happy to be\ninvolved, but does not have to be involved; he would like to sign the argument; he has\nconfidence that whoever authors the argument will write something persuasive.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n6\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 7, "text": "Councilmember Oddie stated there is value in having argument authors other than\nthose who authored the argument opposing the ARC initiative.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft stated a couple of Councilmembers have not stepped up\nto the plate; she and Councilmember Oddie could author the arguments; she would like\nto highlight the strength of the City's ordinance rather than attacking anyone; thanked\nCouncilmember Daysog and Vice Mayor Matarrese for doing a great job writing the\nUMA arguments.\nActing Mayor Matarrese outlined the process of working with staff on the UMA\nargument; stated Council needs to decide whether the same process will be followed.\nMayor Spencer stated that she does not have a problem working with staff.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft moved approval of having herself and Councilmember\nOddie author the argument.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated that he would like to sign one of the arguments, either\nthe direct or rebuttal.\nCouncilmember Oddie suggested an option from the staff report be selected.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft responded staff report Option 4 [authorize no more than\ntwo Councilmembers to draft an argument and sign and have up to three/four other\neligible voters sign].\nCouncilmember Daysog seconded the motion.\nUnder discussion, Mayor Spencer inquired whether Councilmembers Ezzy Ashcraft and\nOddie voted against placing the measure on the ballot and are now asking to author the\nargument in favor.\nActing Mayor Matarrese responded in the affirmative.\nMayor Spencer stated that she is concerned about having two Councilmembers, who\nvoted against placing the measure on the ballot, write the argument in favor; however, if\nthe Council is in agreement to do so, the argument should be reviewed by the majority\nof Council before it is submitted; she does not think it is appropriate to have the two\nCouncilmembers, who voted against placing the measure on the ballot, be the only two\nCouncilmembers involved in writing the argument; someone who voted to place the\nmeasure on the ballot should be involved in writing the argument.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated Mayor Spencer raises a good point; given the\nmagnitude of the impact of the question before the City, he would hope Council would\nbe united in expressing support for the ordinance.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 8, "text": "Councilmember Oddie stated one thing some Councilmembers take seriously is\nrespecting the will of the Council when the Council makes a decision, even if the\nCouncilmember is on the losing side; if tasked with drafting the argument, he would\nrespect the will of the Council; offered a friendly amendment to the motion; suggested\nOption 3, which allows some Councilmembers to sign.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she accepts the amendment.\nActing Mayor Matarrese requested the Clerk to repeat the motion amendment.\nThe City Clerk stated the motion amendment is: to authorize no more than two\nCouncilmembers to draft an argument and have a combination of Councilmembers and\nother eligible voters sign.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated that he would like it clear that two Councilmembers\nwould author the argument and all five Councilmembers would be able to sign if they\nchoose.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft stated said suggestion would be Option 2.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated Option 2 is to have all Councilmembers sign the\nargument; suggested modifying the language in Option 3 to say that up to all\nCouncilmembers council sign and others could sign if a Councilmember declines to\nsign.\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft agreed.\nMayor Spencer stated all Councilmembers being allowed to sign the argument is\nimperative.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated the language allows doing so.\nOn the call for the question, the motion carried by unanimous roll call vote:\nCouncilmember Daysog: Aye; Councilmember Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye; Acting Mayor\nMatarrese: Aye: Councilmember Oddie: Aye; Mayor Spencer: Aye. Ayes - 5.\nMayor Spencer inquired about the rebuttal.\nActing Mayor Matarrese inquired whether the same subcommittee would write the\nrebuttal, just like the UMA.\nThe City Attorney responded in the affirmative.\nCITY MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n8\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2016-08-08", "page": 9, "text": "(16-397) The City Manager thanked the AMP General Manager for his service; stated\nthe Assistant City Manager will be the Interim Part Time General Manager and previous\nAMP employee, Julie Ann Boyer, will assist; stated the Human Resources department\nhas started the search process for the next General Manager.\nORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA\n(16-398) Maria Dominguez, ARC, stated there is a housing crisis in Alameda; she is\nencouraging people to vote.\nCOUNCIL REFERRALS\nNone.\nCOUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS\n(16-399) Councilmember Oddie stated he, Councilmember Daysog and Mayor Spencer\nhad a chance to attend the Seaplane Lagoon event, seeing people using the Seaplane\nLagoon was great.\n(16-400) Councilmember Daysog stated he, along with the City Manager and\nCouncilmember Ezzy Ashcraft, attended an East Bay Division League of Cities event\nwhich summarized issues that will come before the voters in November.\nADJOURNMENT\nThere being no further business, Acting Mayor Matarrese adjourned the meeting at 8:35\np.m.\nRespectfully submitted,\nLara Weisiger\nCity Clerk\nThe agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nAugust 8, 2016", "path": "CityCouncil/2016-08-08.pdf"}