Cold Comfort – February 9, 2026 Cambridge City Council meeting
It didn’t take long for things to get weird. Featured this week are: (a) a proposal to practice job discrimination against anyone who chose to work for ICE or a similar federal agency; (b) a proposal to more than double the Resident Permit Parking fee and to eliminate the senior exemption; and (c) in spite of last week’s Finance Committee hearing detailing the need to curtail spending, fresh new proposals to expand the costly pre-K program and other child care programs. There’s also a pseudo-scholarly report on the erstwhile Rise Up Cambridge initiative that comes to the shocking conclusion that getting free money enables people to buy more stuff.
Here are a few notables on this week’s agenda:
Fighting the Feds
Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a federal update including an update on relevant court cases. [text of report]
pulled by Siddiqui; comments by Yi-An Huang, Nolan, Megan Bayer, Flaherty; Placed on File 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #2. Transmitting communication from Police Commissioner, Christine Elow, regarding a Federal immigration enforcement tracker. [text of report]
pulled by Al-Zubi; comments by Nolan, Christine Elow; Referred to Public Safety 9-0
Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the relevant City staff and departments to examine if and how the City may prevent the hiring by the Cambridge Police Department of any sworn officer who was hired on or after January 20, 2025 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, or Customs and Border Patrol, and report back to the City Council in a timely manner. Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor McGovern, Al-Zubi
pulled by Sobrinho-Wheeler; speech by Sobrinho-Wheeler; comments by McGovern, Al-Zubi (w/amendment), Flaherty, Nolan (who thinks that if you’re trained in one way, that cannot be changed), Azeem, Zusy; explanations by City Solicitor Megan Bayer and Asst. City Solicitor Kate Kleimola re: conflict w/state law and civil service system; Amended 9-0 to delete date of hire, add Al-Zubi as sponsor; Adopted 9-0 as Amended
Any other brilliant ideas of jobs, hobbies, beliefs, or other activities that should permanently disqualify people from employment opportunities? Have these councillors considered the possibility that someone just needed a job and this was an available opportunity?
Order #2. Protecting Academic Freedom and Condemning Attacks on Higher Education. Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Al-Zubi, Vice Mayor Azeem
pulled by Nolan; comments by Nolan; speech by Al-Zubi; Order Adopted 9-0
Order #4. That the City Manager is hereby requested to direct the Law Department to draft ordinance language restricting the use of City-owned or City-controlled property, facilities, resources, and personnel for the purposes of federal civil immigration enforcement, and that the Law Department evaluate whether these protections should be adopted as an amendment to the Welcoming Community Ordinance. Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan
pulled by Al-Zubi; comments by Siddiqui, McGovern, Nolan, Al-Zubi (w/amendments), Sobrinho-Wheeler, Megan Bayer, Azeem, Zusy; Al-Zubi amendments Adopted 9-0; add Al-Zubi, Azeem, Zusy as sponsors 9-0; Order Adopted as Amended 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #5. Transmitting a Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to proposed changes to Cambridge Municipal Code Chapter 8.28, Regulation on Youth Access and Sale of Tobacco Products and on Smoking (“Chapter 8.28”). [text of report]
pulled by Nolan; comments by Nolan; Referred to Health & Environment 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Violence Prevention Recommendations Report from the Community Safety Department. [text of report]
pulled by Al-Zubi; comments by Al-Zubi, Marie Mathieu, Zusy, Siddiqui, Nico Emack, Flaherty, Yi-An Huang, McGovern, Nolan; Referred to Public Safety 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a plan to align all housing and homeless services and programs into a unified Housing Department. [text of report]
pulled by Siddiqui; comments by Siddiqui, Simmons; Tabled 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #11. A communication was received from City Manager, Yi-An Huang, transmitting Planning Board recommendations on the Institutional Use Zoning Petition. [text of report]
pulled by Zusy; comments by Zusy, Nolan, McGovern; Referred to Petition 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #12. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the final research report on Rise Up Cambridge, the City’s citywide cash assistance program. [text of report]
pulled by McGovern; comments by McGovern, Siddiqui; Referred to Human Services & Veterans 9-0
Free money enables people to buy more stuff. Some of us already knew that.
Order #3. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department (CDD) to examine the feasibility, legal considerations, and administrative requirements of permitting qualified third-party guarantors or co-signers for applicants to Inclusionary Housing units and provide recommendations as to whether such a policy could responsibly expand access to these units. Vice Mayor Azeem, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Simmons
pulled by Zusy; comments by Azeem, Zusy; Order Adopted 8-0-0-1 (Zusy – Present)
They really do hate car owners – no matter what their age
Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant City departments to raise the fee of the parking permit program for all residents to $75, consider how to include a self-identified check off option so as not to increase administrative costs for a subsidized fee of $25 for residents who live in affordable housing, are enrolled in a program such as SNAP or are low income, remove the senior exemption for the residential parking permit program and lower the number of cars that individual residents are allowed to get a residential parking permit for from four to two. Councillor Nolan, Councillor Zusy, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor McGovern
pulled by Al-Zubi; comments by Nolan (who wants the fee to be even higher), McGovern, Zusy, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Al-Zubi (who wants the fee to be $0 for low-income), Simmons; Charter Right – Simmons
Responding to decreased revenue by proposing expanded programs and more spending
Order #6. That the City Manager is requested to work with the City Council and relevant City departments on the process by which Cambridge can expand free early child care offerings, including models for means-tested programming, and exploration of non-City funding sources, from the state or foundations. Councillor Nolan, Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui
pulled by Zusy; comments by Nolan, McGovern, Zusy, Al-Zubi, Azeem; Charter Right – Simmons
Order #7. That the City Manager is requested to begin discussions with MIT, CASPAR, the co-chairs of the Human Services and Veterans Committee, all relevant city departments and the shelter residents to develop a plan to renovate and expand 240 Albany Street in order to provide additional low threshold shelter, housing and day time services, while accommodating shelter residents impacted by the construction closure with housing and support, including low threshold options. Councillor McGovern, Councillor Al-Zubi, Councillor Zusy, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
pulled by McGovern; comments by McGovern, Al-Zubi, Zusy, Simmons, McGovern; Order Adopted 9-0
I remember when the CASPAR “wet shelter” consisted of trailers which were upgraded to a permanent structure by MIT in exchange for several streets in Kendall Square. The alternative proposal at that time was to move the facility to 380 Green St. in the heart of Central Square.
Charter Right #1. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 25-69, regarding a review of the previous home rule petition and prepare a new petition that would allow Cambridge to enact a Real Estate Transfer Fee to be sent to the state legislature. [Charter Right – Nolan, Jan 26, 2026]
Comments by Nolan (w/amendment), Megan Bayer, Azeem, Al-Zubi, Flaherty (wants to change so that fee charged to buyer rather than to seller), Chris Cotter, Zusy, Siddiqui; Amended 8-0-0-1 (Al-Zubi – Present) to change “equal to 2%” to “up to 2%”; Tabled 6-3 (Al-Zubi, Nolan, Sobrinho-Wheeler – No)
See my comments from the previous meeting.
Charter Right #2. That the City Manager ask the appropriate departments to review the city’s digital equity work to date, including the study’s recommendations and all steps taken since the study conclusion in order to update the evaluation of existing internet access programs, assessing whether residents’ digital needs are or could be better provided for and to propose how we can better meet their needs and to report back to the Council by June 2026 on internet access programs. [Charter Right – Al-Zubi, Jan 26, 2026]
Comments and amendments by Al-Zubi; Amendments Adopted 9-0; Add Al-Zubi as sponsor; Order Adopted as Amended 9-0
Resolution #2. Condolences on the passing of Robert K. Patterson, Sr. Councillor Flaherty
Comments by Flaherty
Resolution #3. Resolution on the Retirement of Kate Joyce. Councillor Simmons, Mayor Siddiqui
Comments by Simmons, Siddiqui, McGovern, Flaherty, Nolan, Naomie Stephen
Resolution #9. Resolution in Recognition of Michael J. Johnston, Esq., on his Retirement. Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons
Add Simmons as sponsor
Communications & Reports #2. Announcement of appointments to the City Clerk Preliminary Screening Committee. (COF26#10) [text of report]
Appointed: Councillor Marc McGovern; Councillor E. Denise Simmons; Councillor Catherine Zusy; Megan Bayer, City Solicitor; Raecia Catchings, Chief People Officer; Matt Nelson, Director of Administration & Operations, Executive Office; Melissa Peters, Assistant City Manager for Community Development; Naomie Stephen, Executive Assistant to the City Council
Placed on File 9-0
Communications & Reports #3. City Council Value Statement and Priority Areas for the 2026-2027 term (COF26#11) [text of report]
Placed on File 9-0
Thus begins the last month of the current City Council term, and the open question is whether the new City Council will outdo the current City Council in sheer arrogance and unwillingness to actually listen to the residents of Cambridge. There’s also that whole Mayoral Election thing going on behind the scenes. In the meantime, here are a few notable items on this week’s agenda:
