Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Councilor Bettman wanted to keep the CCIGR position of Priority 3 Oppose. She felt this was more likely to influence the process. Councilor Solomon thought opposition to the bill was premature. She was willing to support the bill until the amendments were available for review. Councilor Solomon, seconded by Councilor Pryor, moved to adopt a Priority 2 Support stance on HB 2134. Roll call vote; the vote was a tie, 4:4; councilors Pryor, Clark, Solo- mon, and Poling voting in favor and councilors Bettman, Taylor, Zelenka, and Ortiz voting in opposition. Mayor Piercy voted in opposition to the amendment and the motion failed on a final vote of 5:4. Mayor Piercy indicated she would support changing the stance to Monitor. Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Zelenka, moved to change the stance on HB 2134 to Monitor. Councilor Bettman indicated she would oppose the motion. She thought monitoring the bill would preempt any opportunity the City would have to influence the bill. Councilor Poling averred that if the defense lawyers and the ACLU were working on it, the City of Eugene would have little influence on the outcome. Councilor Pryor supported a Monitor stance as it would allow the City’s lobbying resources to be spent on other bills that needed attention. He added that he did not believe the bill would compromise civil liberties to the extent that some people might worry it would. Councilor Zelenka asked Mayor Piercy to explain her position. Mayor Piercy understood the bill to be limited to crimes involving death, serious injury, and sexual assault specifically. She believed the people who were reviewing it were trying to tighten it up in order to preserve the rights of people involved. Ms. Wilson said the bill had been introduced on behalf of the Attorney General and sought to provide officers the ability to intercept communications where a threat of immediate serious bodily injury or sexual assault was involved. She related that because the CCIGR voted to oppose the bill she had already relayed that position to the ACLU. She stated that the Attorney General indicated a willingness to work to find a middle ground. Roll call vote; the vote was a tie, 4:4; councilors Pryor, Clark, Solomon, and Poling voting in favor and councilors Bettman, Taylor, Zelenka, and Ortiz voting in opposition. Mayor Piercy voted in favor of the motion and it passed on a final vote of 5:4. Mr. Pryor stated that HB 2370 was the “short version.” He related that the Governor requested that emergency operation functions be moved from the oversight of the Oregon State Police to the National Guard. He explained that HB 2370-A included an amendment that prohibited a unit of government from seizing firearms from individuals during a declared emergency. He noted that at times certain civil rights were suspended in an emergency. MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 9, 2007 Page 10 Regular Meeting