Tonight's City Council meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall at 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. You can also watch the meetings on KTOP (local channel 10) and streaming online.

Here are our top five to watch tonight:

17: Call for 2011 Special Election

Will the city hold a special election this fall?

It may be required to do so, unless the City Council can agree to appoint a new City Attorney to replace John Russo, who is City Manager for the City of Alameda.

That would be good news for Mayor Jean Quan, who has pushed for a new $80 per parcel tax since entering office earlier this year. Any new tax requires support from a referendum, and a special election is the only assured way to consider such a measure before late 2012.

“I want to give the community a chance,” Quan said about the parcel tax earlier this year. “The community may turn this down. They may say, ‘No, don’t just slash $20-$26 million, slash $36-$37 million out of services in the city.’ But, I think not, I think people will look at it and look at the policing levels, look at service levels that people will give us this five-year, temporary amount.”

If the Council agrees tonight to hold a special election, it won't be able to be held earlier than October of this year. Still, the revenue would be a welcome contribution to the budget passed last week - which still cut 200 jobs and further reduced public services.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Matthai Kuruvila, five Council members appear to support putting the parcel to a vote.

7.19 Stop I-9 Audits at Various Companies

U.S. immigration policy continues to be a mess. While Alabama and Georgia are passing strict and controversial laws to supplement federal immigration policy, Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente proposed this resolution to project Oakland's immigrant workers under the city's Sanctuary policy.

To prevent the hiring of undocumented citizens, the 1986 U.S. Immigration Reform and Control Act requires employers to require their employees to fill out and submit an Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. Increased inspection or "audits" of employers for their I-9 forms is part of the immigration enforcement strategy initiated by President Barack Obama.

During an audit, undocumented workers are fired and employers caught employing an undocumented citizen risk substantial fines and criminal prosecution. As the resolution states, these audits disrupt the lives of undocumented works and their families, while forcing workers into an underground economy where they become even more exploitable.

Berkeley's Pacific Steel Casting Company, the fourth largest steel foundry in the nation, is currently undergoing an I-9 audit.

“These individuals are an integral part of our community, and Berkeley needs to send a message that this shouldn’t happen in our borders,” Berkeley City Councilman Jesse Arreguín said. “We should fight for workers and their jobs from being attacked by the audit.”

Generally, supporters of stricter immigration policy argue that undocumented workers take jobs from documented citizens by working for lower wages and in less desirable conditions. As the resolution points out, Pacific Steel's employees are skilled an earn well-paying union jobs.

"The firing of these workers will not create a single job," the resolution argues. "The firing of so many union members will weaken the ability of the union to adequately represent its members and continue to protect fair wages, benefits and working conditions."

By passing this resolution, the Oakland City Council would join the Berkeley in expressing its solidarity with the workers of the Pacific Steel foundry and urge the Department of Homeland Security to stop the audit.

When passed, the city will send copies to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano; ICE Director John Morton; the San Francisco U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office; and Congresswomen Barbara Lee.

7.20 Pay by Phone Pilot Program

Have you ever realized your parking meter was about to expire, but couldn't get to the street quickly enough to avoid a ticket? Did you wish there was a way to pop more quarters from the comfort of a cafe?

This item could make that a reality. With this resolution, the City Council authorizes the city to host a year-long trial with Atlanta, Georgia-based Parkmobile.

According to Parkmobile's website, their service allows people to add time to their parking meter with a simple cell phone. Users can use a mobile app or phone call to enter the parking space number and pay with a credit card linked to an account. Parkmobile charges $0.35 per transaction, on top of the parking fee. Users also can receive phone calls or text messages when their parking is about to expire.

After the one-year trial, the city of Oakland will accept bids from other companies interested in providing mobile parking service. Parkmobile is so confident they'll beat out competitors like Zipidy, Park-by-Phone and Verrus that they're offering to run this program at no cost to the city for the entire trial period. Washington, D.C., is rolling out Parkmobile this month, and Long Beach, Sausalito and Santa Cruz already use the service.

Parkmobile estimates that their services could help Oakland capture another $250,000 in additional parking revenue because of higher compliance and longer use of metered spaces.

The downside, of course, of helping people stay in parking spaces longer is that it will get even harder to find a parking space.

15: Oakland Police Department reorganization

Since 2008, budget trouble have shrunk Oakland Police Department from 832 to 638 sworn officers. Typically, 3.5-4 officers leave the force each month, but the rate over the last nine months climbed to six.

Last July, 80 officers were laid off when the department fell before the Measure Y minimum requirement, before Measure Y's requirement was removed last fall by Measure BB. Due to this reshuffling, enough officers were reassigned to cripple the community policing beat.

As the police department shrinks, it shrinks unevenly. This resolution redeploys the department with a new structure to make better use of Oakland's limited police officers.

The redeployment works by first splitting the Bureau of Field Operations - BFO - into two BFOs, each led by a Deputy Chief. Each BFO 1, in the west, would consist of three patrol districts and 21 beats. BFO 2, in the east, could consistent of three patrol districts and 14 beats. These changes would not change officer's schedules, but would share the workload more evenly.

In addition, the Bureau of Services and Bureau of Investigation would be replied with a Bureau of Fiscal and Support Services and the Criminal Investigation Division.

These changes could go into affect as soon as July 9, this upcoming Saturday. A more efficient officer work schedule would be drawn in October and implemented in November.

7.14 Safe Routes to Schools Contract Award

Walking just got a little bit safer near six Oakland elementary schools.

This resolution authorizes the city to use a grant from Caltrans, the state transportation department, to hire AJW Construction to build seven sidewalk "bulb-outs" and pedestrian crossing islands in these intersections:

• Foothill Boulevard/62nd Avenue near Frick Junior High School
• Foothill Boulevard/63rd Avenue near Frick Junior High School
• San Pablo Avenue/Brockhurst Street near Hoover Elementary
• E. 15th Street/Ninth Avenue near Franklin Elementary
• Telegraph Avenue/63th Street near Peralta Elementary
• Grand Avenue/MacArthur Boulevard near Lakeview Elementary
• Market Street/18th Street near Lafayette Elementary

Construction should be completed between October and December 2011, weather permitting.

The entirety of the $424,679.50 price tag will be covered by a grant from Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation.

Visit the National Center for Safe Routes to Schools for more information on this and similar programs.