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Minutes - San Leandro City Council Meeting - October 25, 1993 Page - 3 - PUBLIC COMMENTS (continued) D. Karen Hale, submitted the signatures of 491 people who are concerned about the safety of children. She said, although they recognize it is a parent's responsibility to get their children to school safely, some of the intersections have heavy traffic that is dangerous to both children and the parents. E. Esther Holcomb, spoke regarding the Resolution opposing Proposition 174. She said she is a member of the California State PTA Board of Managers as well as the California School Board Association. She asked the City Council to oppose Proposition 174. She said, if this Proposition is approved, in one year the School District would have to make more cuts than they have in the past three years, and this will mean larger class sizes, etc. F. James Driver, 16273 Galway Court, in the Ashland Area, commended the five-minute, public-comments rule but said he was concerned that some people might want to speak on more than one item. Mr. Driver expressed concerns regarding the Ashland area and said the area does not have a strong political or administrative infrastructure. He requested that the public be permitted to speak on all Redevelopment Agenda items. The City Clerk indicated the wording on the Agenda had been modified so the public could speak on Redevelopment Agency items under the Public Comments portion of the City Council Meeting. Mr. Driver also requested that the City work with the County to encourage the County to appoint an advisory group for the unincorporated area by December 31 . G. Susan Riskind-Poulsen, 182 Sunnyside Drive, Head of the North Area Business Development Task Force, spoke regarding the aggressive- panhandling ordinance. She said there are excellent facilities in this County for people in need, and there are places for them to go and sources of help. She said aggressive panhandling can have a negative impact on business, as evidenced by the businesses leaving Berkeley, San Francisco, and Oakland. She said an advantage for San Leandro in attracting businesses is that there are no panhandlers on the streets. She said that, although she believes in people' s freedom of speech and right to receive help, she also believes there are limits and people need to be protected. H. Rose Johnson, 1558 Sagewood Avenue, also spoke regarding the panhandling ordinance from the social service agency perspective. She said the City does not need aggressive panhandlers but needs to make sure the members of the community feel comfortable. She said she asked both volunteers and clients in her organization about the ordinance. All of the volunteers supported it and so did most of the clients. She said, although the clients are in need, they live here; and they also want to feel secure and safe in their community and maintain their standard of living.