Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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ATTACHMENT B M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber—Eugene City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon March 8, 2010 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Alan Zelenka. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Solomon, moved to change the order of the agenda so that the Public Forum would occur after the action items. Councilor Poling stated that it was important that the council get to the action items and he wished to insure that the body did so by reordering the agenda. Councilor Zelenka could not support the motion because there was a possibility that a member of the public might wish to speak to one of the action items. Roll call vote; the motion failed, 6:2; councilors Poling and Solomon voting in favor. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Diego Hernandez , 1722 Hilyard Street, stated that he was a senior at the University of Oregon in ethnic studies and political science. He was also a part of the United States Student Association, serving as a first generation student on its board, as well as being a part of student government at the University and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), which was a Chicano student union. He said there were many people in the Council Chamber who were present in support of the Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. He asked them to stand and show their support. A great number of people stood. Mr. Hernandez said the week from February 22 to February 27 had been the DREAM Act Week of Action and universities, high schools, and communities all over the country had been engaged in related activities. He said that four young immigrants walked 1,500 miles from Miami, Florida to Washington, D.C., which was one of over 70 actions held across the country. He said the grassroots movement sought to send the message to the Legislature to pass the legislation. He thought it would take a lot of courage and humility to pass the act, given the animosity that some people felt toward immigrants, but it was a priority to give the young people access to higher education. Mary Gent , 2090 Floral Hill Drive, Councilor Zelenka’s ward, urged the council to support Resolution 5002, a statement of support for the establishment of marine reserves. She loved the Oregon coast and considered it dear to all Oregonians. She felt that everyone had an interest in environmental health and sustainability. She had been impressed by the marine reserves in California and Washington and wondered why Oregon was “dragging its feet.” She was gratified that the state was “finally” addressing this, though she thought the two reserve areas were not enough. She noted that she owned a vacation property in Yachats and related that people from all over the country MINUTES—Eugene City Council March 8, 2010 Page 1 Regular Meeting