8B Consent 2007 0730 - Laserfiche WebLink

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DRAFT MINUTES Page 13 City of San Leandro City Council, San Leandro Hillside Geologic Hazard Abatement District, and San Leandro Redevelopment Agency Joint Meeting-July 16, 2007 Souza stated that she believed Section 11 (b) is more appropriate for a bargaining agreement than for a Living Wage Ordinance. She commented that the Living Wage Ordinance is a wonderful document and provides the City with great opportunities, but would like the City to stay focused on its goal and intent in adopting the ordinance. Councilmember Souza commented on the Chamber's concerns that its comments were not addressed in the revised draft of the ordinance and expressed uncertainty as to how the City would address the Chamber's issues. She commented on the tip issue, and asked whether the time-off issue pertained to part-time employees. Councilmember Souza asked if the matter would be revisited later in July, and stated that she feels there are still concerns that need to be addressed. Mayor Santos commented on the amount of discussion that has already taken place and stated that he saw no reason to delay the decision. Councilmember ProIa made a motion to approve the draft ordinance. Councilmember Gregory seconded the motion. Councilmember ProIa commented that the issue is near and dear to his heart. Prior to his service on the Council, Councilmember ProIa commented that residents asked him why the City did not yet have a Living Wage Ordinance. He noted that this ordinance is not one of the strongest in the area; it is a compromise. Councilmember ProIa commented that the waiver provision in Section 8 should allay concerns about the ordinance. He reiterated that this is a compromise proposal which contains ample room for the City Manager and City Council to make changes, if needed, which are in the best interests of the City. Councilmember Starosciak expressed appreciation for Councilmember ProIa's passion about this issue, and stated that the ordinance is a long time in coming. She clarified that the Finance Committee did not actually look at verbiage over the past nine months, but discussed philosophy, and compared ordinances, to provide a recommendation to the Council. Councilmember Starosciak indicated that the first time the Committee saw language was in the first Living Wage Ordinance that was presented to the Council. She stated that she was grateful that the issue of waivers has been worked out from all sides of the community to reach a position that everyone can live with. Councilmember Starosciak commented that this is a great opportunity for San Leandro to demonstrate its belief in the policy and philosophy that tax payer dollars should be spent wisely and support the types of jobs that would improve quality of life for San Leandro residents and workers. Councilmember Starosciak requested a friendly amendment to the motion, to change the wording in Section 9 of the ordinance from "license" to "license agreement," as suggested by City Attorney Williams. Councilmember Starosciak also expressed concern that the Berkeley ordinance was tested in the courts, resulting in a tip credit requirement. She requested that an exemption for tip credit be added to the Exemptions section.