Here are the things that might be interesting on this week’s agenda:
Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19.
Always interesting. Things may be getting worse elsewhere in the USA, but we’ve had a few days now with no new reported cases and no new deaths from the virus. It’s now even OK to remove the masks outside if you can keep your distance. Meanwhile, the three new "shared streets" are now in place – and largely vacant so far.
Charter Right #1. That the Cambridge City Council go on record in support of including a two-track Grand Junction railway crossing in MassDOT’s Allston Multimodal Improvement Project plans and urges the FMCB to vote in favor of this inclusion. [Order #7 of June 22; Charter Right – Toomey]
Light Rail or Bus Rapid Transit only, please.
Charter Right #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to obtain an itemized statement of all materials, tools, and property owned by the Cambridge Police Department. [Order #9 of June 22; Charter Right – Simmons]
In addition to a complete accounting of all stationary supplies and toilet paper, I demand to know if the Cambridge Police Department possesses any specialized secret agent equipment from MI6.
Charter Right #4. Alternative Policing PO. [Order #12 of June 22; Charter Right – Zondervan]
In a nutshell, this Order asks that various unarmed alternative emergency response programs be considered in addition to whatever CPD is already doing in this regard.
Order #1. That the City Council go on record in full support of the state legislation “An Act relative to saving black lives and transforming public safety” as a first step in changing law enforcement standards, use of force, and reporting in Massachusetts. Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
This Order recommends that the State legislature endorse the same law enforcement standards that Cambridge now uses. I can’t argue with that.
Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the appropriate City personnel to establish a plan designed to provide a thorough, system-wide review of the entire municipal government to identify and remove any vestiges of systemic racism and/or racial bias in any and all City departments, to establish clear, transparent metrics that will help further this critical endeavor, and to report back to the City Council on this matter no later than Sept 14, 2020. Councillor Simmons
Charter Right #6. That the City Manager be and hereby is directed to provide the City Council with an update on the formal Anti-bias / Cultural Competency Strategic Plan. [Order #14 of June 22; Charter Right – Zondervan]
Order #4. That the Chair of the Civic Unity Committee schedule hearings to discuss how to best incorporate language into the City Council’s rules that will call for anti-bias, anti-racist, and cultural sensitivity trainings to be held on a yearly basis. Councillor Simmons
For a long time and especially during recent "Defund the Police" and "Abolish the Police" campaigns I have heard it stated how ineffective such trainings are. I’m inclined to agree, but it does create jobs for those people doing the trainings.
Order #5. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Assistant City Manager of Community Development to determine how to best protect and preserve our commercial spaces that support our small business operators and maintain continuity in our commercial districts, and report back to the City Council with recommendations at the September 14th City Council meeting. Councillor Toomey
This is one of the Orders I find most interesting and important. A lot of retail in Cambridge has been dying on the vine even before the coronavirus came to town. Montessori schools, Rock & Roll Daycare and similar facilities and, more recently, cannabis-related operations have rushed in to fill the void. With the constraints imposed by public health standards it’s not at all clear what can survive to next year. Some residential conversions may follow, but I suspect the only real solution will be a lot of renegotiation of leases and finding a new equilibrium between what rents can be afforded and the sustainability of many Cambridge businesses at least in the near term.
Charter Right #7. That the City Manager confer with the City’s Housing Liaison and Multi Service Center to discuss a variety of long-term housing solutions and tenant protections and report back to the City Council on July 27, 2020. [Order #15 of June 22; Charter Right – Zondervan]
I suspect any discussion of this will dovetail into the discussion of Order #6 below.
Order #6. That the City Council go on record in support of H.3924, An Act Enabling Local Options for Tenant Protections, which is currently under consideration before the Massachusetts State Legislature. Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Carlone
One point is clear: Any city councillor who votes to support this Order is voting in support of bringing back full throttle rent control to Cambridge. The referenced bill is interesting in that it would allow any city or town in the Commonwealth to create its own version of rent regulation ranging from benign to draconian (and you know full well that Cambridge would eventually go full draconian). It is my understanding that even though there may currently be some greater degree of support for such regulation due to the pandemic, this is not a bill that will likely make it through the legislative process, and it’s even less likely that Governor Baker would ever sign it. There have been bills proposed that might actually have sufficient support (one proposal would simply put a cap on exhorbitant – and I do mean exhorbitant – rent increases for continuing tenants), but this is not such a bill. This bill is primarily about control – and only to a lesser degree about rent.
Order #8. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the City Manager’s Housing Liaison and Multi Service Center on implementing a Tenants Rights and Resource Notification Act that would require owners and management companies to include tenant rights and resource information when issuing eviction notifications including at the initial Notice to Quit stage and report back to the City Council on July 27, 2020. Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor McGovern
This is a far more tame Order than the above referenced Order #6.
Order #7. That the City Manager work with the Department of Human Services Recreation Division and other relevant departments to determine the feasibility of identifying one evening or day per week that the Fresh Pond Golf Course can be open to the public for general use. Councillor Nolan, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Carlone
The western parts of Cambridge are not lacking in open space assets. In truth, I have yet to see any open space in Cambridge so crowded that one might mistake it for Coney Island. I’m not so sure that there really is any demand for hanging out on the golf course grass, but it is worth mentioning that there are golf courses in the Boston metropolitan area where people do walk across parts of the golf course and have to be mindful of flying golf balls, e.g. Ponkapoag Pond in Canton and Mt. Hood Municipal Golf Course in Melrose. Even the Granite Links golf course in Quincy is supposedly open to hikers passing through, though the golfers do often object.
Committee Report #1. A communication was received from Anthony I. Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councilor Simmons, Chair of the Government Operations, Rules & Claims Committee, for a public hearing held on Feb 19, 2020.
Committee Report #2. A communication was received from Anthony I. Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councilor Simmons, Chair of the Government Operations, Rules & Claims Committee, for a public hearing held on Mar 12, 2020.
I have no idea what the Feb 19 hearing was about, but I do know that the Mar 12 meeting had to do with possible renewal of the City Manager’s contract. No details are provided in either report other than to state that these meetings took place on those dates. Perhaps we need a new Agenda section entitled "Committee Non-Reports".
Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting considerations about reopening schools this fall.
Will they re-open? Will half the students be required to stay home on any given day? Will Zoom get tenure? – Robert Winters
Episode 463 – Cambridge InsideOut: May 12, 2020 – Still Inside more than Outside
This episode was broadcast on May 12, 2020 at 6:30pm. Topics: The Empty City; closing of streets; mandatory face masks and social distancing; Coronagendas; carefully restarting construction; Catching Up with the City Council; FY2021 Budget; To Tweet or Not to Tweet – Councillors and the City Charter; access to recycling. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]
The City of Cambridge today issued an emergency order requiring that face coverings be worn in all public places, businesses and common areas of residential buildings. The order takes effect at 12:01am on Wednesday, April 29, and applies to everyone over the age of five years old, with exceptions in alignment with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control or Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Violations may be punishable by a $300 fine.
“While we are grateful to those in Cambridge who have been heeding our previous mask advisory and taking this issue seriously, we are concerned about the number of residents who continue to shop, walk, run and bike throughout the city without proper face coverings,” said Mayor Siddiqui and City Manager DePasquale in a joint statement. “We must all do our part in flattening the curve and make sure we are preventing the further spread of COVID-19. This mandate emphasizes the importance of wearing a face covering, not as an option, but as a requirement in our effort to combat this pandemic together.”
The order applies to everyone over five years old “without limitation, when on, in or about” public places, defined as:
The mask requirement also applies to anyone working in or visiting an essential business, as well as shoppers and consumers. Masks must remain on throughout shifts or visits to those businesses. The businesses covered under the order, include:
In residential buildings of two or more units, masks will be required prior to entering any common area, including:
Residents are reminded to serve as positive community role models by wearing their masks during this order. The Cambridge Police Department will be focused on educating violators and may issue warnings to those residents who do not cooperate. For those who willingly refuse to comply, they may be subject to a $300 fine.
The full text of the emergency order can be found here.
As a reminder, face covering is not a substitute for physical distancing and regular hand washing, which remain among the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19. The single most effective way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home.
The City is committed to identifying new resources to help residents and businesses navigate this difficult time. For more information and to sign up to receive updates on COVID-19, please visit the City’s dedicated information page: https://www.cambridgema.gov/covid19
While we all strive to "level the curve" and hope for the best, City Council business continues even as most other businesses do not (at least for now). Springtime is usually the season of hope and renewal and that’s rarely been more relevant than this year – at least for those of us who have not lived through World Wars or civil wars (which always struck me as a oxymoron).
Here are the items on this week’s agenda that I found most noteworthy:
Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19.
Manager’s Agenda #4. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $215,450 from Free Cash to the General Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account to support the Homeless Shelter / Local Restaurant Community Meals Program.
While people can debate whether every action has been the right choice, there is no question that the City Manager and City departments have really been responsive in dealing with this horrible crisis. I’m looking forward to how we go about the transition from crisis to manageable threat. In any case, a lot of practices adopted during this crisis will persist for a very long time. Don’t go expecting a handshake from anyone any time soon, and I expect that masks and gloves may become a regular practice on all public transportation for the foreseeable future.
Charter Right #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the relevant City departments to give the Council a financial impact summary on how the local Covid-19 response will be impacting the City’s free cash and ability to budget looking into July 1, 2021, and to report back to the City Council in a timely manner. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS ON APR 6, 2020]
Communications & Reports #5. A communication was received from Anthony Ivan Wilson, City Clerk, responding to a question regarding parliamentary procedure.
Pointless kerfuffle. The issue is whether the latter (Apr 6 Order #1 which asks about the effect on next year’s budget and free cash) duplicates the former (Mar 30 Order #5 which asks about current year’s/next year’s budget and free cash). The City Clerk is correct, but the City Council has filed repeated orders on various topics in the past regardless of what the rules may say.
Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to appoint and convene a Small Business Recovery Advisory Committee. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Mallon
Order #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to appoint and convene a COVID-19 Advisory Committee to review the impact of the pandemic on local communities of color, to propose ways to better disseminate information on Impact to Communities of Color. Councillor Simmons
I think the real distinction here has more to do with income levels and job categories than anything else. Some people can avoid public transportation and work from home and maybe have a good health plan and enough savings to ride things out. Others don’t have such luxuries.
Order #3. That in absence of revised City Council goals for the new term, the most recent approved goals are used in all Council business, particularly the budgetary process. Councillor Carlone, Councillor Simmons, Mayor Siddiqui
One would hope that they would at least pencil in the one additional goal of providing sufficient resources to continue to deal with the Covid-19 crisis and its effects on residents and businesses. I really don’t want to see a lot of resources dedicated to things that are fundamentally optional when there are necessities that have to be addressed right now.
Order #4. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Public Health Department to develop and implement stricter public health regulations to protect our grocery store workers. Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui
Absolutely, but not just because of an anecdote or two. Sometimes I think Twitter and neighborhood listservs are the primary source of Cambridge public policy.
Order #5. That the City Council go on record in full support of this petition and of Harvard graduate students as they courageously stand up for their needs in a time of crisis. Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Zondervan
Order #7. That the City Manager examine expanding the City’s jobs programs for those unemployed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone
Order #8. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to repurpose the War Memorial facility into only a COVID-19 testing and temporary quarantine site for unhoused individuals awaiting their test results. Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
One week the War Memorial facility is set aside as an emergency shelter primarily to prevent infection, and now this Order calls for it to be used only as a COVID-19 testing and temporary quarantine site. It will be interesting to hear from City Management on this, but it sure seems like a couple of city councillors are making a career out of second-guessing city management and those in charge of public health and public safety.
Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, transmitting the 2019 Annual Report.
Communications & Reports #6. A communication was received from Councillor Quinton Zondervan, transmitting thoughts on planning for the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I won’t comment on the particulars, but I do appreciate that we are at least beginning to think of next phases to this thing. Unlike some of the foolishness I hear from Washington, D.C. about "reopening the country" as though it was some kind of on-off switch, any rational person needs to understand that this will have to be an extended transition during which some aspects of normalcy will take longer than others and some things will likely change permanently. – Robert Winters
March 15, 2020 – The City of Cambridge has been deeply immersed in dealing with the containment of the Coronavirus crisis. We have closed schools, libraries, Department of Human Services Programs’ preschool and afterschool programs, youth and senior centers, and a number of other public facilities, and we have cancelled all permitted events. We will be closing City municipal buildings to the general public at 5 p.m., Monday, March 16, 2020, until further notice. City Hall will remain open for the City Council meeting, but all City departments at City Hall will be closed to the public starting at 5:00pm on Monday, March 16, 2020.
Our workforce is incredibly committed and responsive to ensuring the City can safely meet the needs of our community. We are particularly appreciative of our Public Health Department, City leadership team, and Public Safety officials in dealing with overall emergency preparedness. There have been many excellent questions raised over the last week and we wanted to address action steps we will undertake over the next week:
Aggressive social distancing is a proven public health strategy. It is the key to saving lives and resuming our lives in the future. The City has enlisted and will continue enlisting experts in matters of infectious disease, communication and emergency response and preparedness. We will communicate regularly and strongly encourage the public to regularly visit www.cambridgema.gov/covid19 for updates and resources.
We need our entire community, in collaboration with state and federal agencies, to be involved in mitigating and slowing this pandemic. We know that the current situation will worsen before it improves. We want to ensure the public that the City’s team, your elected officials, and our community partners are thoughtfully approaching this rapidly evolving pandemic. We are committed to addressing the challenges and needs of the community today and into the future. Because of careful strong City management and sound fiscal policies set by the City Council, the City is in a financial position to strategically use our free cash reserves to support our COVID-19 pandemic response. We are here for you today and we are confident the Cambridge community will, as always, rise to the occasion to respond this challenge.
This episode was broadcast on Mar 10, 2020 at 5:30pm. Topics: Covid-19, Harvard, MIT; Presidential Primaries; paper ballots & verifiable voting; voting standards – state or federal; ballot access. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]
This episode was broadcast on Mar 10, 2020 at 6:00pm. Topics: Fresh Pond Apartments affordability extended; real estate transfer tax proposals; regulating gas/electric/telecom – mandates vs. choice/rights; Broadband and Cable TV – Where’s Popeye?; dearth of local State Rep/Senate candidates. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]
This episode was broadcast on Feb 25, 2020 at 5:30pm. Topics: Goin’ to meetings; ideologues vs. practicalists; baseball makes it real; the return of the AHO; political power, nonrepresentation and ABC-CresA-CCC-ORC; tales of CCA; surveillance & laryngoscopes. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]
This episode was broadcast on Feb 25, 2020 at 6:00pm. Topics: MBTA & bikes & buses & compromise; Manager’s contract and broadband feasibility; Carlone’s billions on the table; Prop 2½ and the levy limit; tax classification; condo sweet tax deal; discontinuing library fines; garbage limits; the Forgiving & Courteous City; absentee landlords, rats and the Lechmere of the future. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]
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