The Oakland City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. TONIGHT, March 1, on the third floor of City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Here are Oakland Local's top five to watch for tonight.

Zoning

• 9.1 General Plan Lane Use Diagram
• 9.2 Commercial and Residential Zoning Amendments

Dozens of Oakland residents showed up at the Community and Economic Development Agency meeting to speak out on this issue. Should major corridors have buildings as high as 60 feet, or stay below 45 feet? You can already anticipate a similar display of public concern tonight, but approving these zoning and building height changes is the only item up for a vote tonight. So if you've ever wanted to learn more about zoning, tonight's Council meeting will be Land Use 101.

The non-consent calendar (items that require vote) is short, but the consent calendar (non-controversial items approved unanimously in committee) is a doozy with 26 items.

7.9 Declaring Vehicles A Public Nuisance

This item, deemed uncontroversial by the Rules Committee and scheduled to pass without a vote, will allow the Oakland policy to impound a vehicle for up to 30 days if that vehicle is involved with prostitution (including both pimps and patrons) or illegal dumping.

The city first passed an ordinance similar to this in 1997, but repealed the ordinance in 2007 when the California Supreme Court overruled a similar law in Stockton. Last year, California amended the state law to support ordinances like these, so now Oakland can reinstate the rule.

Do you think this will discourage prostitution and illegal dumping in Oakland?

7.10-7.16, 7.21-7.25 Settlement Agreements

Did you know that the City Council has to approve each settlement when someone sues the city? Ever wondered what sort of things people successfully settle with the city? There are several on this week's agenda.

• Malicious prosecution/false arrest - $300,000
• Property damage from a sewer main backing up - $8,424.95
• Collision with a city-owned vehicle - $7,000
• Property damage from a sewer main backing up - $5,500
• Damage from the roots of a city tree - $6,500
• Property damage from a sewer main backing up - $8,234
• Collision with a city-owned vehicle - $6,379.17
• A trip and fall accident at 82nd and International - $20,000
• A trip and fall accident at 4529 Martin Luther King, Jr Way - $35,000
• A trip and fall accident in a crosswalk at a highway ramp (Caltrans is contributing another $162,500) - $12,500
• A trip and fall accident at 6526 Tremont Avenue - $155,000

How do you feel about these settlements? How should the City be liable for its infrastructure?

4.1 Establishing Sister-City Relationship Status with Bauchi City, Nigeria

Bauchi City, Nigeria, will become Oakland's newest sister city.

The Sister City Program was created in 1956 as part of Dwight Eisenhower's People-to-People citizen diplomacy initiative.

The resolution, proposed by Councilwoman Desley Brooks, seeks to "carry out bilateral exchange and cooperation in the areas of culture, education, tourism, sports, public health, civics and to explore opportunities for economic trade, science, and technology, as well as other fields of mutual interest."

Oakland's current sister cities are:

• Fukuoka, Japan (1962)
• Nakhodka, Russia (1975)
• Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana (1975)
• Dalian, China (1982)
• Ocho Rios, Jamaica (1986)
• Santiago de Cuba, Cuba (2000)
• Agadir, Morocco (2004)
• Danang, Vietnam (2005)
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2006)

Judging by this list (Cuba, Russia during the Cold War), Oakland isn't afraid to make a strong declaration. How do you feel about Oakland's new official relationship with Nigeria?

7.19 Opposition to Governor's Proposal To Eliminate Senior Services Program

Given California's budget deficit, Governor Jerry Brown has proposed several steep cuts that will affect residents all over California. Oakland is leading the charge to defend redevelopment agencies and is now voicing its displeasure with the proposed elimination of the Medi-Cal Multipurpose Senior Services Program, or MSSP.

Four hundred Oakland residents benefit from this program, which provides care management, health assessment, oversight of medications, transportation and personal assistance. The resolution predicts that 72 percent of these "frail elders" will enter nursing homes within six months of MSSP's closure. 

Should Oakland be defending these programs? Will it work? Oakland has a deficit, too - how should California balance its budget?

Want to add your voice?

Show up, speak up and keep track of how your elected officials are representing you.

Oakland City Council Agenda 3/1/11