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Public safety building contract tops agenda
By John Geluardi
Daily Planet Staff
The City Council will be considering a recommendation to contract with a engineering company to design the second phase of the Public Safety Building project, which includes the demolition of the old Hall of Justice and Fire Administration building to develop a parking lot.
According to the council report, the city manager is asking for approval to enter into an $80,000 contract with PERMCO Engineering and Management of Clayton for design and construction support services.
PERMCO was one of two engineering firms that responded to the city’s request for bids on the project and the other withdrew before a final decision was made.
Sunshine ordinance
Councilmember Kriss Worthington is
asking the city manager to study a Berkeley Sunshine Ordinance, which would make it easier for the public to obtain public information.
According to Worthington’s council report, access to public documents is the core of the democratic process.
“Adoption of a Sunshine Ordinance in Berkeley would create a friendlier environment for the public during meetings, and make it easier for all citizens to access a wider array of public information to become better informed about their government,” according to the report.
The ordinance will address a number of areas of public information including City Council, commission agendas that more accurately describe what issues are to be considered. It would also encourage law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the public and press in making police records, logs and other information available.
If approved Worthington would like to see it include a provision that “all public records, documents and digital e-mails and files” be available on the web.
Reporting lost firearms
The city manager is asking the council to adopt a new ordinance that will require gun owners to report their lost or stolen guns to the police.
The council requested the city attorney create the ordinance in February 2000 because there is no state law that requires citizens to report lost or stolen firearms. There is, however, a state law that requires licensed firearms dealers and gun manufacturers to report missing weapons.
According to the proposed ordinance the purpose is to facilitate the arrest of criminals who commit crimes with stolen weapons and deter the use of stolen and lost weapons. The ordinance is also designed to deter gun owners who illegally sell a firearm from claiming the weapon was lost or stolen to avoid punishment for an illegal firearm transfer.
Gun owners will be required to report missing firearms within 48 hours of discovery of the loss.
Public hearing on permit parking
There will also be a public hearing on a proposal to expand residential permit parking to the west side of Milvia Street between Russell and Oregon streets.
According to the council report, 75 percent of the residents of the area have petitioned to “opt into the Residential Permit Parking Program.”
The regular meeting is preceded by a meeting of the Housing Authority, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Among other subjects, the authority will discuss the budget for 14 units of rental housing.
