Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The council voted down 6 applications for medical marijuana collective permits after a split 3-3 vote, with McLaughlin, Rogers, and Ritterman opposing. The city can approve up to 4 permits total for businesses to sell medical marijuana to patients.

A proposal to end the contract with Veolia and hire engineers to evaluate wastewater treatment options also failed in a 3-3 vote. McLaughlin, Beckles, and Ritterman voted against separating from the current wastewater contractor.

The council approved 11 routine items on consent, including a $275,000 increase to a job training contract with Oakland Private Industry Council and $95,000 for hazardous materials training with EHS International. Staff will prepare ballot measures on sugary drinks for the November 2012 election after the council approved directing them to draft restrictions or taxes.

The council accepted a master plan for citywide sewer system upgrades and approved a 5% cost-of-living increase for city pension recipients. They also authorized purchasing 650 Dell desktop computers to replace aging city equipment and approved garbage collection rate increases of 3.17% based on inflation."}