Tallahassee Tent City to Serve as Home Base for Hurricane Relief Efforts
A damaged home stands in the background as soldiers with Florida National Guard's Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, load food and water for the public at an aid distribution point in the wake of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla. David Goldman / AP Photo
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Portland mayor’s proposed emergency ordinance … state Supreme Court blocks Florida governor … and Chicago mayoral candidate targets Gary’s airport.
Good morning, it’s Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018. Disaster recovery news leads Route Fifty’s state and local government news roundup but scroll down for more stories from places like San Diego, California (where the city council passed a styrofoam ban) … Gary, Indiana (where the local airport is feeling the heat of a Chicago mayoral candidate) … and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (which may pursue a “secure scheduling” law).
DISASTER RECOVERY | A tent city at Tallahassee International Airport will house relief workers and serve as a home base for National Guardsman, Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel and others responding to Hurricane Michael’s destruction in Florida’s panhandle. [Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee.com] … The North Carolina General Assembly on Monday approved nearly $800 million in disaster recovery funding for areas hit by Hurricane Florence. [WRAL / @NCCapitol] … It’s been a year since the Tubbs Fire burned through neighborhoods in and around Santa Rosa, California but the recovery is incredibly uneven for those who lost their homes. They're “encountering very different challenges based on class, location and fate.” More than 5,500 homes were lost in the Tubbs Fire. Of the 2,700 destroyed in Santa Rosa, 1,200 are somewhere in the process of being rebuilt—only 26 have been completed. [Los Angeles Times]
PUBLIC SAFETY | Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler has proposed an emergency ordinance that would allow “police to separate dueling protest groups that have turned the streets of downtown Portland into battlegrounds.” [Willamette Week] … New York Police Department commanders said Monday that they are seeking nine people affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys group following brawls recently outside the Republican Club. [The New York Times] … Pacific Gas and Electric announced Monday that it would preemptively cut electricity to more than 87,000 customers in 12 California counties to reduce the risk of wildfires sparked by power lines ahead of gusty winds in parts of the state. [KPCC; KQED]
STATE GOVERNMENT | The Florida Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state’s next governor will select three new justices for the high court, denying Gov. Rick Scott the power to shape the court’s makeup as he’s leaving office in January. [News Service of Florida] … Meanwhile, the unending internecine conflicts over the West Virginia Supreme Court continues to rage in Charleston. [Beckley Register Herald] … A report released by Louisiana’s legislative auditor found that the number of state boards and commissions is the highest its been since 2014. [The Times-Picayune / NOLA.com]
CITY HALLS | Gary, Indiana Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson says that a Chicago mayoral candidate’s call for his city to pull out of a 1995 agreement with Gary over funding for the Gary / Chicago International Airport is “political posturing.” [The Times of Northwest Indiana / NWITimes.com] … Leaders in Philadelphia are looking at adopting a version of Seattle’s “secure scheduling” law, which requires employers to pay an employee extra if a shift is cut without at least two weeks notice. [The Inquirer / WHYY] … The San Diego City Council passed an ordinance Monday that bans the use of styrofoam in products like restaurant take-out containers. [KNSD / NBC San Diego] … San Antonio unveiled a new Spanish-language city website last week. [SanAntonio.gov/Espanol via Rivard Report]
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive's Route Fifty and is based in Seattle.
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