COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. The Housing Committee held a public hearing on Oct 1, 2026 to have a roundtable discussion with several arts and cultural institutions in Central Square on planning and cultural preservation in Central Square. [text of report]
Present: Al-Zubi, McGovern, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zusy
Remote Present: Azeem

TEXT OF ORDERS
O-1     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY
WHEREAS: A number of residents have raised concerns regarding traffic safety at the intersection of Western Avenue and Kinnaird Street, including reports of near-miss traffic incidents and concerns about the potential for a serious collision; and
WHEREAS: Residents have expressed particular interest in whether a traffic signal or other traffic-calming and safety measures could improve conditions at this intersection and reduce the likelihood of future incidents; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Department of Transportation to evaluate traffic and safety conditions at the intersection of Western Avenue and Kinnaird Street and explore the feasibility of installing a traffic signal or implementing other appropriate traffic-calming or safety measures; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council with the Department of Transportation’s recommendations in a timely manner.

O-2     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
MAYOR SIDDIQUI
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY
WHEREAS: The Harvard Square Kiosk, opened in January 1928 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 30, 1978, has served for nearly a century as one of Harvard Square’s most recognizable civic landmarks; and
WHEREAS: Ownership of the Kiosk was transferred from the MBTA to the City of Cambridge in 1983, and the following year Out of Town News, founded by Sheldon Cohen in 1955, relocated there, remaining until October 31, 2019, and becoming closely identified with the history, character, and daily life of Harvard Square; and
WHEREAS: Following extended renovation, the Kiosk reopened on May 30, 2025, under an operating model centered principally on visitor information and programmed public use; and
WHEREAS: More than a year of operation since the Kiosk’s reopening has provided the City with an opportunity to assess how the current operating model functions in practice, and whether it fully advances the civic, cultural, and economic potential of this prominent public asset; and
WHEREAS: Visitor information remains an important public function, but the Kiosk’s location, history, and prominence provide an opportunity for a broader role encompassing cultural programming, artistic expression, public performance, community gathering, and other activities that contribute to the vitality and distinctive character of Harvard Square; and
WHEREAS: The City has a substantial interest in maintaining Harvard Square as a vibrant commercial, cultural, and civic district, and the Kiosk is uniquely situated to advance that goal by welcoming visitors, engaging residents and students, showcasing artists and performers, supporting local businesses and restoring the historic Out of Town News identity as part of a renewed and expanded public purpose would be an important step in that process; and
WHEREAS: Effective stewardship of a prominent public space benefits from clear accountability, a unified vision, sustained relationships with surrounding businesses and institutions, responsive maintenance, and coordinated year-round programming; and
WHEREAS: Based upon the City’s experience since the Kiosk reopened, the City Council believes there is an opportunity to reconsider its stewardship model in the public interest and more fully integrate this City-owned asset into the daily commercial, cultural, artistic, and community life of Harvard Square through stronger local partnerships, active programming, flexible public use, and consistent activation of the space; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to review the City’s current operating and contractual arrangements for the Harvard Square Kiosk, including the extent to which the existing model is achieving the City’s goals for year-round activation, public use, local partnership, cultural programming, economic vitality, maintenance, and stewardship of the space; and be it further
ORDERED: That, as part of this review, the City Manager be and hereby is requested to identify the City’s contractual options, including any authority to modify, conclude, or replace existing arrangements, should a different stewardship model better advance the objectives set forth herein; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to develop a transition plan for a long-term stewardship model that establishes clear and unified responsibility for the Kiosk’s programming, maintenance, beautification, activation, partnerships, and public use; and be it further
ORDERED: That any future stewardship arrangement provides for sufficient and dedicated resources to support year-round maintenance, beautification, programming, and activation of the Kiosk and surrounding public space, including partnerships with Cambridge businesses, cultural and educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, residents, artists, and performers; and be it further
ORDERED: That any future stewardship arrangement include clear measures of performance, including accessibility, cleanliness, frequency and diversity of programming, public participation, community feedback, use of the space throughout the day and year, engagement with local stakeholders, and contribution to the vitality of the surrounding district; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to arrange for the return and installation of the restored historic Out of Town News neon signage and to restore the official name Out of Town News Kiosk, preserving this landmark’s historic identity while establishing its renewed role as an active public gathering place in Harvard Square; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager report back to the City Council on the findings of this review within 60 days, including the performance of the current operating model, available contractual options, a proposed long-term stewardship structure, funding requirements, and an anticipated implementation schedule.

O-3     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
COUNCILLOR AL-ZUBI
MAYOR SIDDIQUI
WHEREAS: Massachusetts citizens will be voting on nine ballot questions in November, including Question 5 to institute a state revenue limit; and
WHEREAS: The proposal would have major consequences to municipal budgets, including that of the City of Cambridge, which rely on state funds to provide quality education, affordable housing, and other resident services, particularly to low- and middle-income families, requiring higher local tax increases or budget cuts to make up the difference should the law pass; and
WHEREAS: The proposed law would also limit contributions to the Commonwealth’s “rainy day” fund, meaning state legislators would need to increase income taxes and fees or slash budgets during economic downturns or emergencies, gravely impacting roads, parks, healthcare, transit services, and other amenities that make Massachusetts a great place to live and work, while already facing deep cuts from federal spending; and
WHEREAS: Because Question 5 includes revenues from the Fair Share Amendment in the calculation to the limit, the wealthiest Bay Staters would see a disproportionate number of rebates while working class taxpayers would see their relative tax burden increase; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That this City Council go on record opposing Massachusetts’ 2026 ballot question 5 on limiting state revenue due to the consequences this would have for the City of Cambridge and other municipalities across the Commonwealth.

O-4     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR NOLAN
COUNCILLOR ZUSY
MAYOR SIDDIQUI
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: In most of Massachusetts, ballots will include not only regular state and federal elections, but also 9 statewide ballot questions; and
WHEREAS: In much of Cambridge, an additional ballot question will be present as a non-binding referendum on legislative leadership stipends; and
WHEREAS: This additional information on local ballots can be confusing or new information to many voters in Cambridge and the City should do all it can to publicize the information and prepare for additional time needed for individual voters; and
WHEREAS: Voters may need additional time to fill out the ballots this year, which could add demands on poll workers and lengthen lines which could adversely affect voters; and
WHEREAS: State law expanded voting access by requiring multiple ways to vote to meet the needs of all voters and Cambridge offers extensive options for early voting and vote by mail options that provide electoral access for residents and encourage more voters to participate and information for all those options can be found on the Election Commission website: https://www.cambridgema.gov/departments/electioncommission; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Election Commission, Communications staff, and other relevant departments to encourage residents to utilize the early voting sites or vote by mail and to prioritize communication of the need for voters to plan for enough time to vote, given the complexity of the ballots.

O-5     Oct 19, 2026
MAYOR SIDDIQUI
VICE MAYOR AZEEM
ORDERED: That the regular City Council meeting scheduled for Monday, December 14, 2026, be and hereby is canceled.

O-6     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR AL-ZUBI
VICE MAYOR AZEEM
COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
WHEREAS: The MBTA Route 1 bus runs along Massachusetts Avenue between Harvard Square in Cambridge and Nubian Station in Boston, connecting a diverse group of residents, workers and students in both cities; and
WHEREAS: Route 1 carries more than 10,000 riders on an average weekday and in October 2025 was the second slowest and third most bunched MBTA bus route, the third straight year it has ranked among both the slowest and the most bunched, according to TransitMatters’ 2026 Pokey/Schleppie Awards, and Routes 47 and 66, which also serve Cambridge at Central Square, Cambridgeport and Harvard Square, ranked fourth and seventh slowest; and
WHEREAS: In the City’s 2025 Resident Opinion Survey, 55 percent of residents rated the quality of the transportation system as extremely important while only 27 percent rated the City’s performance on it as excellent, Cambridge ranked first among 316 communities nationally in the importance residents place on the quality of their transportation system, and residents named public transit as the transportation option they most want the City to improve; and
WHEREAS: In March 2024 the City Council unanimously adopted a policy order asking the City Manager to work with the MBTA and the City of Boston toward a fare-free Route 1, and on April 29, 2024, the City Manager reported to the Council in City Manager’s Agenda 2024 #88 that a fare-free Route 1 would cost the two cities at least $2.3 million to $3.2 million per year, of which Cambridge’s share would be at least $1.0 million to $1.3 million, and recommended reconsidering the proposal in a later budget cycle; and
WHEREAS: The City of Boston has made MBTA Routes 23, 28 and 29 fare-free since 2022 by reimbursing the MBTA, those routes now carry about 23,000 fare-free trips each weekday, and all-door boarding on them has cut time spent at stops by about 20 percent, according to the City of Boston; and
WHEREAS: Boston’s fare-free program is funded through December 31, 2026, and the City of Boston has said it is developing options for the program in 2027; and
WHEREAS: The MBTA’s March 2025 Fare-Free Bus Report to the Legislature, House Document 4638, found that fare-free bus service can improve transit access, increase ridership and reduce congestion, and described how municipalities that share a route crossing their boundaries could each pay for the trips that begin within their borders; and
WHEREAS: Senator Edward J. Markey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley have filed the Freedom to Move Act (S. 2478 and H.R. 4719), which would create a federal grant program to help states and cities fund fare-free transit, and whose sponsors have pointed to Boston’s fare-free routes as evidence that such programs work, but the bill has remained in committee since July 2025, and riders in Cambridge and Boston should not have to wait for federal action to benefit; and
WHEREAS: Under federal civil rights requirements applied by the MBTA, Federal Transit Administration Circular 4702.1B, a fare change lasting more than six months requires an equity analysis showing that riders of color and low-income riders do not benefit materially less than riders as a whole, a test that a shared program pairing Route 1 with one or more of Boston’s existing fare-free routes is better placed to meet than Route 1 alone; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record in support of a fare-free MBTA Route 1, developed jointly with the City of Boston as part of a shared fare-free bus program that includes Route 1 and one or more of Boston’s existing fare-free Routes 23, 28 and 29, in 2027 and beyond; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council supports exploring MBTA Routes 47 and 66, which also serve Cambridge, as candidates for a fare-free pilot, developed with Harvard University and other institutions along those routes, so that riders, the MBTA and both cities can see the effect on ridership, speed and cost before any longer-term commitment; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council urges Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston City Council to continue Boston’s fare-free bus program in 2027 and to work with the City of Cambridge and the MBTA to add Route 1 to that program; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council urges the MBTA to work with the City Manager and the City of Boston to provide the cost, service and fare equity information requested below on a fare-free Route 1; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council urges Senator Edward J. Markey, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and the Massachusetts congressional delegation to continue to advance the Freedom to Move Act, so that local programs such as a fare-free Route 1 can move to sustainable federal funding; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Community Development Department and the Transportation Department to request from the MBTA the municipality-specific boarding and RIDE data described in House Document 4638, and to update the April 2024 cost estimate for a fare-free Route 1 to current ridership and fares, itemized by bus fare revenue, RIDE fare revenue, induced RIDE operating cost and administration, and apportioned between Cambridge and Boston by where trips begin; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to include MBTA Routes 47 and 66 in the data request above, including the number of weekday boardings that begin in Cambridge on each route, so that the Council can consider whether either route could support a fare-free pilot of six months or less or join a future shared fare-free program; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to ask the MBTA what additional buses, operators and RIDE service a fare-free Route 1 would require to avoid crowding and pass-ups, and what that service would cost; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to assess, using the MBTA’s Rider Census and any analysis the MBTA can provide, whether a fare-free Route 1, on its own or as part of a joint program with the City of Boston’s fare-free routes, would be expected to meet the fare equity requirements of Federal Transit Administration Circular 4702.1B; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the City of Boston on whether Route 1 can be considered as part of its development of fare-free bus options for 2027, and on what a joint cost-sharing agreement with the MBTA would require of each city; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council within ninety (90) days of adoption of this Order, and in time for development of the Fiscal Year 2028 budget, with the updated and apportioned cost estimate, the MBTA’s response on bus, operator and RIDE capacity, the fare equity assessment, the outcome of consultation with the City of Boston, and any further steps the City Manager recommends; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this order to Mayor Michelle Wu, the Boston City Council, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng, the MBTA Board of Directors, City Manager Yi-An Huang, Senator Edward J. Markey, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and the Cambridge State House delegation.

O-7     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR AL-ZUBI
COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge is a welcoming community that does not support discrimination or violence anywhere in the world; and

WHEREAS: The State of Israel is committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians according to Palestinian human rights groups and civil society, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, among other organizations and experts; and

WHEREAS: The State of Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip according to the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch; and

WHEREAS: Israel’s military occupation of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice; and

WHEREAS: There are over 700,000 Israeli settlers across 371 illegal Jewish-only settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Relief; and

WHEREAS: The City Council unequivocally condemns antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, hatred, and discrimination, and affirms that declining to do business with companies that are complicit in genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation is a response to those companies’ actions, not hostility toward any people because of their ethnicity, religion, or national origin; and

WHEREAS: The City’s investment decisions should reflect our residents’ values and our values on human rights; and

WHEREAS: Cambridge residents should have the right to know that their city’s funds are not being placed in companies complicit in genocide, apartheid, and occupation; and

WHEREAS: The City has already enacted policy orders to divest public funds from the fossil fuel sector and private prisons, identify City contracts with vendors whose products are used to perpetuate violations of International Human Rights Laws, and divested from financial institutions doing business with the apartheid government of South Africa, yet has no policy on avoiding companies complicit in the genocide, apartheid and occupation of Palestinians; and

WHEREAS: The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a highly respected international human rights organization, which won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 for relief work including aid to Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, was actively providing relief to Palestinian refugees forcibly displaced by Israel in 1948, is an institutional partner of the United Nations, and even formed part of the Cambridge Anti-Apartheid Coalition that fought to divest from Apartheid South Africa; and

WHEREAS: According to Cambridge for Palestine’s divestment report, the City Pension Fund includes $2.6M invested in Palantir, a data analytics and AI firm enabling Israeli military targeting operations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) surveillance and deportation infrastructure, in addition to $18.2M invested in weapons manufacturers such as Elbit Systems, military contractors such as Lockheed Martin and other companies identified by the AFSC Divestment Shortlist as having severe and consistent involvement directly contributing to genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestinians; and

WHEREAS: The City’s Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Trust Fund includes $3M directly invested in GE Aerospace, one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers. GE Aerospace produces engines for bombers, attack helicopters, and surveillance aircraft routinely implicated in attacks on Palestinian civilians. Cambridge’s own FY25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (p. 42) flags this position as a concentration risk, meaning the city is overexposed to this single investment to a degree that it may introduce financial risk to public funds; and

WHEREAS: The Massachusetts Municipal Depository Trust (MMDT) offers municipalities pools of investment that are also allowed by the State, yet includes investments in Boeing, which manufactures weapon systems routinely used in war crimes against Palestinian civilians; and

WHEREAS: The companies identified by the AFSC Divestment Shortlist as having severe and consistent involvement directly contributing to genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestinians represent a very small percentage of the overall Pension Fund (approximately 1%); and

WHEREAS: Divestment from a portfolio position representing approximately 1% of total fund assets does not constitute a material deviation from the Fund’s overall investment strategy, asset allocation, or risk profile; and

WHEREAS: Companies implicated in gross human rights violations, war crimes, or violations of international law carry elevated legal, regulatory, reputational, and litigation risk that may itself constitute a material financial risk to long-term shareholder value, independent of any ethical considerations; and

WHEREAS: The Board’s primary duty is to act solely in the financial interest of its beneficiaries, and nothing in this policy directs trustees to accept a lower rate of return or greater risk in service of any non-financial objective; and

WHEREAS: The City’s OPEB Trust Fund (see FY25 Annual Comprehensive Report, p. 39) is subject to State laws (see MGL c. 44, s. 54) that allow for local discretion in investments made; and

WHEREAS: Municipalities’ direct investment funds are subject to MGL c. 44, s. 55, which sets out which investments are permitted, pursuant to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ list of acceptable investments; and

WHEREAS: The Budget Department already seeks to use only local banks when investing in certificates of deposits (CDs) and other funds (as referenced in POR 2021 #81); now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the Cambridge Retirement Board be requested to divest from, and refrain from future investments in, companies with severe and consistent involvement directly contributing to genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestinians, as defined by the AFSC Divestment Shortlist and Israel Bonds; and be it further

ORDERED: That the OPEB Fund trustee be requested to divest the OPEB Trust Fund from, and refrain from future investments in, companies with severe and consistent involvement directly contributing to genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestinians, as defined by the AFSC Divestment Shortlist and Israel Bonds; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to add the following to the City of Cambridge Budget Book Investment Policy:

The City will work to ensure that no investment of City funds shall be made in investment portfolios that have any exposure to companies with severe and consistent involvement directly contributing to genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestinians, where a permitted alternative is available.

For any municipal funds that are invested directly, the Auditor shall use the AFSC Divestment Shortlist to evaluate whether a company has severe and consistent involvement directly contributing to genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestinians, and as such any investment in said company would be prohibited under this budget policy; and be it further

ORDERED: In the event that the AFSC is no longer maintaining a current Divestment Shortlist, the Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs and Public Investments be requested to maintain an alternative list to serve as the Divestment List for purposes of this Order. This list should be consistent with the findings, determinations, listings, or formal conclusions of international legal or human rights bodies, including without limitation: (1) The International Court of Justice, (2) The International Criminal Court, (3) The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, (4) Commissions of inquiry established by the United Nations Human Rights Council, and (5) United Nations Human Rights Council Resolutions 31/36 and 53/25; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council during the FY 2028 budget process with the feasibility of and a timeline on implementation that shall be no more than six months from the enactment of this Policy Order; and be it further

ORDERED: If a provision of this policy order or its application is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect another provision or application of this section that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.

O-8     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR AL-ZUBI
COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge is a welcoming community that does not support discrimination or violence anywhere in the world; and
WHEREAS: The State of Israel is committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians according to Palestinian human rights groups and civil society, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, among other organizations and experts; and
WHEREAS: The State of Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip according to the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch; and
WHEREAS: Israel’s military occupation of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice; and
WHEREAS: There are over 700,000 Israeli settlers across 371 illegal Jewish-only settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Relief; and
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has engaged in municipal boycotting activity for human rights purposes in the past, including boycotts of companies doing business with South Africa under the former apartheid regime; and
WHEREAS: The City Council unequivocally condemns antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, hatred, and discrimination, and affirms that declining to do business with companies that are complicit in genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation is a response to those companies’ actions, not hostility toward any people because of their ethnicity, religion, or national origin; and
WHEREAS: The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a highly respected international human rights organization, which won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 for relief work including aid to Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, was actively providing relief to Palestinian refugees forcibly displaced by Israel in 1948, is an institutional partner of the United Nations, and even formed part of the Cambridge Anti-Apartheid Coalition that fought to divest from Apartheid South Africa; and
WHEREAS: Concerned Cambridge community members have brought it to the attention of the City that the City of Cambridge has contracts with companies who sustain Israel’s apartheid, genocide, and illegal occupation of Palestine according to the AFSC including contracts 30566, 30556, 30169, 30171, 30474 with Motorola Solutions, who supply essential infrastructure used in illegal Israeli settlements and prisons, and also provide facial recognition, tracking and surveillance under their subsidiary Vigilant Solutions to I.C.E.; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Council refer the following proposed amendment to Title 2 of the Municipal Code, adding Chapter 2.132, to the Ordinance Committee for a hearing:

This Chapter shall be known as the “Ordinance to Boycott Companies Complicit in Israel’s Apartheid, Genocide, and Illegal Occupation of Palestine.”

2.132.010 - Purpose.

It is the purpose of this Chapter to ensure that Cambridge does not contract with and thereby spend taxpayer dollars on companies that are complicit in Israel’s apartheid, genocide, and illegal occupation in Palestine.

2.132.020 - Definitions.

Unless another meaning is clearly apparent from the context, the following words as used in this Chapter shall have the following meanings:

“Comparable low bid or offer,” a responsive and responsible bid or offer which is no more than ten percent greater than the lowest bid or offer submitted for goods or a service;

“Complicit in Israel’s apartheid, genocide, and illegal occupation of Palestine”, companies identified by the AFSC as having severe, consistent, and direct involvement in the genocide, apartheid, and occupation of Palestine, as defined by their divestment shortlist (see: https://investigate.info/divest).

“Essential”, necessary in order that an agency or authority may perform its mission, there being no substitute, to avoid irreparable harm to agency or authority programs.

“Person”, any individual and any partnership, firm, association, corporation, or other entity, or their subsidiaries.

“Municipal agency or authority”, all awarding authorities of the City of Cambridge, including, but not limited to, all executive offices, agencies, departments, and commissions.

2.132.030 - Implementation:

a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (c) and (e), a municipal agency or a municipal authority may not procure goods or services from any person listed on the restricted purchase list maintained by the Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs and Public Investments.

b) A municipal agency or authority shall not sell, rent, or dispose of any real property including but not limited to granting the right to lay, construct, maintain, or operate pipelines through, over, across, or under land, water, park, or reservation of the City of Cambridge, its agencies or its political subdivisions, to any person complicit in Israel’s genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation of Palestine. The City Manager may sell, rent, or dispose of said property or grant said rights to said person only after certifying in writing to the City Council that such action is essential to protect the health and safety of the public.

c) A municipal agency or municipal authority may procure goods or services from a person who is on or who is so determined to meet the criteria of the restricted purchase list only after certifying in writing to the Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs and Public Investments that:

i) the procurement is essential; and

ii) compliance with subsection (a) would eliminate the only bid or offer, or would result in inadequate competition.

d) In any solicitation, a municipal agency or municipal authority shall provide ample notice of the requirements of this section. Prior to reviewing responses to bid documents for any procurements, or, if there are none, prior to entering into any contractual arrangement, the awarding authority shall obtain from such person seeking a contract a statement, under the pains and penalties of perjury, from an authorized representative of such person seeking a contract, on a form to be provided by the awarding authority, declaring the nature and extent to which said person is engaging in activities which would subject said person to inclusion on the restricted purchase list.

e) In any procurement that includes bidders or offerors who are on or meet the criteria of the restricted purchase list, the awarding authority may award the contract to a person who is on or who meets the criteria of the restricted purchase list only if there is no comparable low bid or offer by a person who is not on the restricted purchase list.

f) The Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs and Public Investments shall establish and maintain a restricted purchase list and, in doing so, shall consider the AFSC Divestment Shortlist and the findings of the bodies listed in subsection (f)(i).

i) In the event that the AFSC is no longer maintaining a current Divestment Shortlist, the Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs and Public Investments should maintain a restricted purchase list consistent with the findings, determinations, listings, or formal conclusions of international legal or human rights bodies, including without limitation: (1) The International Court of Justice, (2) The International Criminal Court, (3) The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, (4) Commissions of inquiry established by the United Nations Human Rights Council, and (5) United Nations Human Rights Council Resolutions 31/36 and 53/25.

g) The restricted purchase list shall be updated at least once every three months.

(i) The Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs and Public Investments shall provide an updated version of the restricted purchase list to all municipal agencies and authorities.

2.132.040 - Enforcement:

a) The Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs and Public Investments is hereby authorized and directed to promulgate regulations to assure the timely and effective implementation of sections 2.132.010 through 2.132.050, inclusive.

b) Any contract entered into in violation of sections 2.132.010 through 2.132.050, inclusive, shall be void.

c) Annually on or before January first, the Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs and Public Investments shall file a report with the City Manager and the City Council detailing compliance with sections 2.132.010 through 2.132.050, inclusive.

d) The provisions of this section are severable. If any subsection, provision or portion of this section is determined to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions of this section shall continue to be valid.

2.132.050 - Timeline:

The provisions of this ordinance shall apply to contracts entered into after the effective date of this ordinance. Any existing contract shall remain in full force and effect and not be subject to the provisions of this ordinance until the contract is reprocured.; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the City Solicitor to provide the Ordinance Committee, before its hearing, with an opinion on the proposed ordinance under M.G.L. c. 30B and applicable federal law.

O-9     Oct 19, 2026
MAYOR SIDDIQUI
VICE MAYOR AZEEM
COUNCILLOR NOLAN
WHEREAS: Artificial intelligence systems increasingly shape consequential decisions about employment, housing, education, health care, credit, public benefits, and public safety, often without the affected person knowing how a decision was reached; and
WHEREAS: Without appropriate safeguards, these systems can reproduce or amplify discrimination, and their complexity can make an unfair outcome difficult to identify and challenge; and
WHEREAS: The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S.3308 / H.R.6356) would prohibit discrimination by covered algorithms on the basis of protected characteristics, require evaluations before deployment, and impact assessments after deployment; and
WHEREAS: A covered algorithm means a computational process derived from machine learning, natural language processing, artificial intelligence, or other techniques that produce or facilitate the creation of a product or information; or promotes, recommends, ranks, or otherwise affects the display or delivery of information; or facilitates a decision, where the information is used as an integral part of a consequential action; and
WHEREAS: The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S.3308 / H.R.6356) calls for requirements for human alternatives in appropriate circumstances, protections against retaliation, clear notices and disclosures, and enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, and affected individuals; and
WHEREAS: The Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S.3308 / H.R.6356) has received support from organizations and advocates working across civil rights, labor, digital rights, privacy, consumer protection, economic justice, disability rights, accessibility, human rights, environmental rights, and related fields; and
WHEREAS: Federal protection should be complemented by Massachusetts law and Cambridge ordinances to ensure residents have clear civil rights safeguards as the technology is used and evolves; and
WHEREAS: When City departments or vendors use automated systems in consequential decisions affecting residents, the public should know what systems are in use, whether they have been evaluated for disparate impact, and how an affected person can seek human review; and
WHEREAS: On November 3, 2025, the Information Technologies Department released guidelines on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to ensure City employees, volunteers, contractors, vendors, and anyone representing or working on behalf of the City uses GenAI tools safely, responsibly, and effectively; and
WHEREAS: City Council voted in favor (PO26#125), on June 22, 2026, of the ability to prohibit, restrict, or otherwise regulate the use of algorithmic price fixing in our rental housing market, including the potential drafting of ordinance language that would regulate algorithmic price fixing; and
WHEREAS: City Council hosted an Artificial Intelligence Roundtable discussion on August 6, 2026, to consider artificial intelligence’s growing presence in society, including opportunities for community engagement and education, ways in which the City can remain a center of technological innovation, and the development of guidance for the City’s use of AI; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record in support of the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S.3308 / H.R.6356) and urge Congress to enact strong, enforceable civil rights protections for automated systems used in consequential decisions; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council further urges the Massachusetts General Court and the City Manager to advance complementary civil rights safeguards against algorithmic discrimination, with transparency and accountability for automated systems used in consequential decisions; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this resolution to the Cambridge state and federal legislative delegation, on behalf of the entire City Council.

O-10     Oct 19, 2026
MAYOR SIDDIQUI
VICE MAYOR AZEEM
ORDERED: That the City Council hold a Roundtable/Working Meeting on Monday, December 14, 2026, from 4:00-6:00pm, to discuss the importance of the innovation ecosystem to city economies, with a focus on its impact in Cambridge.

O-11     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR ZUSY
COUNCILLOR NOLAN
MAYOR SIDDIQUI
VICE MAYOR AZEEM
WHEREAS: Since 2010, the City of Cambridge, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the community have invested more than $10 million to revitalize Magazine Beach Park, and over $2M in the decade prior, making this 17-acre park an extraordinary recreational resource for Cambridge and beyond; and
WHEREAS: These efforts were possible through the sustained advocacy of Magazine Beach Partners, and before them, the Friends of Magazine Beach, whose extraordinary collaboration with the City and State has been recognized as a model partnership and cited in the Cambridge’s successful application for a Certified 5-Star Community Rating; and
WHEREAS: Magazine Beach, Cambridge’s second largest park, is a site for soccer, baseball, quidditch, field games, picnics, walking, running, swimming, and nature observation, and is home to a Mass Audubon Nature Center; and
WHEREAS: The City recently invested an additional $2.1M into the latest improvements at the park, turning the sunken parking lot between the pool and the river into a grassy beach, and adding a dock and outlook for greater water access; and
WHEREAS: While the City, Magazine Beach Partners, and the City Council support improving water quality in the Charles River and new combined sewer overflow (CSO) control infrastructure, the MWRA’s recommended CSO Control Plan would require permanently fencing off 2.3 acres of newly restored green space to provide security for a 10-million-gallon CSO control storage facility; and
WHEREAS: Construction of this facility would occupy an additional 8.3 acres of park area for staging for an estimated duration of 6-8 years, causing further long-term disruption; and
WHEREAS: There will be substantial disruption if 2.3 acres of this newly renovated green space is permanently fenced off to provide security for the 10-million-gallon CSO control storage facility recommended in the CSO Control Plan; and
WHEREAS: On October 9th, the City Manager publicly stated that the City does not support permanently fencing off 2.3 acres of Magazine Beach, and that the current proposal is not appropriately planned or designed; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Council go on record urging the MWRA to develop alternative plans for their proposed new facility, including:

• Considering other sites near the Cottage Farm Facility and the Charles River, including but not limited to Goose Meadow, the parking lot adjacent to the Cottage Farm Facility, and potential private-property acquisitions or co-location opportunities;

• Repurposing the existing Cottage Farm Facility to include components of the 10-million-gallon CSO storage facility;

• Re-evaluating security protocols, so the area over the 10-million-gallon CSO storage tank does not need to be fenced off; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to discuss with the MWRA about how to best improve our water quality and advance CSO infrastructure without requiring the taking of public parkland or causing prolonged disruption to Magazine Beach, and report back to the City Council; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Council go on record encouraging Cambridge residents to submit public comments to the MWRA by October 30, 2026, at the Draft Updated CSO Control Plan page or by emailing the project team at UpdatedCSOControlPlan@aecom.com.

O-12     Oct 19, 2026
COUNCILLOR AL-ZUBI
COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER
COUNCILLOR NOLAN
MAYOR SIDDIQUI
WHEREAS: Access to affordable, quality health care is a human right and a fundamental component of a decent and just society; and
WHEREAS: Lack of health insurance, and high out-of-pocket costs for residents who do have it, lead people to defer care, which can mean worse individual and public health outcomes and greater expense when lower-cost preventive care is replaced by higher-cost treatment; and
WHEREAS: The cost of health insurance for municipal employees and retirees is a large expense for the City and its workers alike, and a recurring source of difficulty in collective bargaining; and
WHEREAS: On June 24, 2024, the City Council adopted POR 2024 #89 by a vote of 8-0, going on record in strong support of H.1239/S.744, An Act establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts, in the 193rd General Court; and
WHEREAS: In the current 194th General Court, the successor bills, H.1405 and S.860, An Act establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts, were filed by Representative Lindsay Sabadosa, Representative Margaret Scarsdale, and Senator Jamie Eldridge and heard by the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing on June 18, 2025, according to the Massachusetts Legislature’s bill histories; and
WHEREAS: Formal sessions of the 194th General Court ended on July 31, 2026, and H.1405 and S.860 will need to be refiled in the 195th General Court beginning in January 2027; and
WHEREAS: Under H.1405 and S.860, employer spending on health insurance premiums would be replaced by a payroll tax of 7.5 percent on wages above the first $20,000 of payroll, plus an additional 0.5 percent for employers with 100 or more employees; and
WHEREAS: The City’s FY27 Budget sets aside $118.5 million for health insurance for City and School Department employees and retirees, along with a $2 million contribution toward retiree health benefits; and
WHEREAS: By the method of the Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care (Mass-Care), the City would pay an estimated $30 million to $52 million a year under H.1405 and S.860 in place of these costs, saving an estimated $69 million to $90 million a year; and
WHEREAS: At least 23 municipal councils across Massachusetts have passed resolutions supporting Medicare for All legislation, according to reporting in the Greenfield Recorder; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record reaffirming its commitment, first stated in POR 2024 #89, to providing high quality health care to all residents, and in strong support of H.1405 and S.860, An Act establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts, and of their prompt refiling and passage in the 195th General Court; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this order to the Cambridge State House delegation, the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, and the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing on behalf of the entire City Council.