Irvine City Council edges toward approving hazard pay for grocery store workers
The ordinance would require large drug and grocery stores to pay employees an extra $4 per hour for the next four months.
(Google)
Feb. 10, 2021 7:29 PM PT
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Irvine City Council on Tuesday edged toward temporarily raising grocery workers’ salaries by $4 per hour, following in the footsteps of progressive California cities that champion so-called hero pay.
The ordinance, introduced by newly elected Mayor Farrah Kahn, would apply to large supermarkets and drug stores. Council members Tuesday agreed to modify the stores that would be affected.
Now, qualifying stores must have at least 20 employees and their parent company must employ at least 500 workers nationally, according to Kristina Perrigoue, a spokeswoman for the council. Stores of less than 15,000 square feet are exempt.
City Officials Ramp Up Effort to End Short-Term Rentals in Irvine
The City of Irvine has taken an extra step to reduce short-term rentals on properties in the Southern California city.
The City Council unanimously passed a zoning code amendment to prohibit online platforms such as Airbnb and Homeshare from allowing transactions within city limits. According to the ordinance, the platforms must prevent anyone seeking to rent an Irvine property for less than 30 consecutive days or face litigation.
“Our job is to protect the people of Irvine, it’s to protect neighborhoods, it’s to protect the quality of life that Irvine has become known for,” Councilmember Anthony Kuo said at the Jan. 12 meeting.
Irvine investigating factory for potentially toxic fumes after pressure from residents and UCI advisors
A photo of the All American Asphalt factory in Irvine.
(Courtesy of Kim Konte)
Dec. 16, 2020 12:42 PM PT
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After facing pressure from north Irvine residents and a group of UC Irvine advisors, the city has hired a contractor to investigate whether an asphalt factory is spewing out toxic fumes.
For months, residents have been contacting the city and regional air regulators to force All American Asphalt to cease production and relocate. They say they have felt like their voices are falling on deaf ears.
The community group, Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, has been leading the effort through organizing residents, stationing lawn signs throughout the city and partnering with UC Irvine professors. More than 2,100 people have signed an online petition.
Irvine City Council Limits Agenda Items to Those With Support by 2 Members
The freshly minted city council in Irvine, California, voted 4–1 on Dec. 8 to permanently extend a policy that requires two council members to support an item before it can be put on the agenda.
The idea is to efficiently limit council discussion to items that more than one member feels are of importance. However, opponents of the policy argue that an item may be of interest to only one member, but even so may be of interest to the thousands of residents that one member represents.
The limitation has been scrutinized by the public, both last year when it was first adopted and in recent months when the council was considering whether to let the rule expire (it was set to expire at the end of 2020). The topic received 91 electronic comments that were read aloud during the meeting. Many commenters voiced opposition.