2011-04-19 Regular CC MinutesMINUTS OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY- -APRIL 19. 2011- -7:00 P.M.
Mayor Gilmore convened the meeting at 7:16 p.m. Councilmember Tam led the Pledge
of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL - Present: Councilmembers deHaan, Johnson, Tam, and Mayor
Gilmore — 4.
Absent: Councilmember Bonta — 1.
AGENDA CHANGES
None.
PROCLAMATIONS, SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY & ANNOUNCEMENTS
(11 -190) Proclamation Declaring April, 2011, as Fair Housing Month.
Mayor Gilmore read and presented the proclamation to Angie - Watson Hajjem, Echo
Fair Housing.
(11 -191) Proclamation Honoring Rahim Seyedein of Golden Pin Donuts, 1353 Park
Street.
Mayor Gilmore read and presented the proclamation to Rahim Seyedein.
Speaker: Robb Ratto, Park Street Business Association.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON - AGENDA
(11 -192) Red Wetherill, Alameda, discussed negotiations.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Councilmember Tam moved approval of the Consent Calendar.
Councilmember deHaan seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote -
4. [Absent: Councilmember Bonta — 1.] [Items so enacted or adopted are indicated by
an asterisk preceding the paragraph number.]
( *11 -193) Minutes of the Special City Council Meetings held on March 29, 2011; the
Special and Regular City Council Meetings held on April 5, 2011; and the Special City
Council Meeting held on April 6, 2011. Approved.
( *11 -194) Ratified bills in the amount of $3,261,432.69.
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April 19, 2011
( *11 -195) Ordinance No. 3030, "Amending Section 30 -7 of the Alameda Municipal Code
Related to the Off - Street Parking and Loading Space Regulations." Finally passed.
REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
None.
CITY MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS
(11 -196) Report from the Fire Department Regarding Disaster Preparedness in
Alameda.
The Fire Division Chief gave a Power Point presentation.
Mayor Gilmore inquired whether anyone focuses on business continuity planning for the
City, to which the Fire Division Chief responded Captain Oliver is responsible.
Mayor Gilmore stated Information Technology (IT) is a very important part of
infrastructure but has been neglected over the years.
Councilmember Tam inquired whether digital off -site storage funding has been
explored.
The Fire Division Chief responded in the affirmative; stated grants have not been
explored but could be; the Fire Department has been very successful in obtaining other
grants; National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance is very important.
Mayor Gilmore stated grants might not be available purely from an IT standpoint;
approaching grants from a disaster preparedness and public safety standpoint might be
more fruitful.
The Fire Division Chief noted the federal government prefers to provide grants for
regional solutions.
Councilmember Tam stated the community has concerns regarding calling departments
and not having employees know what is going on; inquired whether there is a way to
help improve internal communications.
The Fire Division Chief responded the Fire Department has initiated a comprehensive
communications plan; stated one element is developing a cross department work group;
staff has contacted the Police Department, Hospital, and School District.
Councilmember deHaan stated citizens were very concerned after the earthquake
occurred in Japan; communications are very important, inquired whether the seventeen
Citizen Emergency Response Teams (CERT) are located throughout the City.
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April 19, 2011
The Fire Division Chief responded in the affirmative; stated that he would be happy to
provide a map showing the various locations.
Councilmember deHaan stated the relying on CERT could make the public vulnerable
because of the members' availability; inquired about the preparedness of CERT.
The Fire Division Chief responded some teams are better prepared than others; stated
CERT exercises regularly and has a voluntary management team.
Councilmember deHaan stated the community wants to know how to get involved; all
communications should be directed back to the Fire Department.
The Fire Division Chief stated the community can get involved in the Map Your
Neighborhood Project first and then expand to CERT.
The Fire Captain stated that she would provide Council with information on the Map
Your Neighborhood Project.
Councilmember deHaan stated that he would like to receive a progress report within six
months to a year; major fires occur when earthquakes happen; water supplies could be
limited; inquired whether salt water pumping is viable; stated Berkeley has salt water
pumping capabilities.
The Fire Division Chief responded salt water pumping equipment costs run between
$500,000 to $3 million; stated salt water pumping is still very viable and is the top
solution; another solution is tankers; the Fire Department has used tankers for mutual
aid situations; communication is key; a year ago, the Fire Department took a giant step
by implementing the Code Red program.
Councilmember Johnson stated having the public prepared is important; the public
cannot deal with fires or broken gas lines; the City needs to have emergency personnel
on the Island.
Councilmember Tam inquired what is the participation level for the Code Red program,
to which the Fire Division Chief responded minor; stated the Fire Department is trying to
market the program.
Councilmember Tam stated the Code Red program should be marketed again;
information is kept private; Berkeley passed Measure H, an emergency response parcel
tax; a line item pays for equipment to pump water from the Bay; equipment requires on-
going maintenance because salt water is highly corrosive.
Councilmember deHaan inquired whether different groups within the City get together to
offer input and go through lessons learned.
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April 19, 2011
The Fire Division Chief responded the disaster work group gets together to discuss
issues; stated internally, the Police and Fire Departments hold a quarterly briefing to
discuss areas of interest.
Mayor Gilmore thanked the Fire Division Chief for the update, stated Council looks
forward to regular updates; residents need to be prepared for a disaster, not just public
safety; each family should have a contact out of State and an evacuation plan for
getting out of the house in case of a fire; people need to be individually responsible.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS. NON - AGENDA
(11 -197) Nancy Hird, Alameda Citizens Task Force, discussed the budget and public
input.
Mayor Gilmore stated the Council encourages public participation and listens to
speakers; not agreeing should not be confused with not listening.
COUNCIL REFERRALS
None.
COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
(11 -198) Councilmember deHaan stated that he and Councilmember Tam attended the
Mastick Senior Center Volunteer lunch.
(11 -199) Councilmember deHaan stated the Council should keep its mind and ears
open to the community; Council has to seek input.
(11 -200) Councilmember Tam announced that she attended the League of California
Cities Policy Committee meeting.
(11 -201) Mayor Gilmore announced that she attended the Alameda County Mayor's
Conference and Association of Bay Area Government's Spring Assembly.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Mayor Gilmore adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lara Weisiger
City Clerk
The agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
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April 19, 2011