The record-union., 1895-05-14
CHARGES MADE AGAINST OFFICIALS.
The Police Committee VIII Investi-
gate Them.

Contract for BituminizIng ] Street
Let-Also for Repairing the
Twelfth-street Bridge.
The City Board of Trustees held its
weekly meeting last night. Trustees Law
ton. Wachhorst, Davis. Kent, Bragg. De-
vine, Leonard, Tozer and Pennish being
present.
Bragg in the chair.
Messages from the Mayor were received
as follows:
CONTRACT DIsAPPRovED.
To the Board of Trustees: I herewith
return to your honorable body, with my
disapproval indorsed thereon. the con-
tract dated May 3, 1895, between the CITY
of Sacramento. the party of the first part,
and ]. K. Gilman, the party of the second
part, for the establishing of dumping
ground on the block between Fourteenth
and Fifteenth and U and Y streets.
The contract provides that the party OF
the second part, in consideration of the
city agreeing to establish said block as a
mping-ground, shall pay to the city
the sum of $50 per year, for each and
y
as dumping-ground. The contract
meets with my approval in all particulars
except one, and that is in the matter IN
which the sum of SS5, above referred TO,
shall be paid. In my judgment IL should
be paid in advance at the commencement
of each year, or at least In quarterly IN
stailments.
Deemng it best that the contract should
be amended in this particular, L have &C,
a M
that an amendment be inserted covering
the above objection. Respectfully SUBJ
mitted, B. u. STEINMAN, Mayor.
NO BANKING OF CITY FUNDS.
To the Board of Trustees: Some time
ago l called your attention to Sec
ton IL of the charter which requires the
Board of Trustees to provide suitable
vault and safes for the safe keeping OF the
city money, and recommended that steps
be taken to comply with this mandatory
provision of the charter.
Some time since James n. Porter. City
Treasurer, and myself. referred the mat
ter TO Corporation Counsel Robert l..
Devlin for his opinion, and we have re-
ceived an opinion from him in which he
states that the deposit of city money
with bank is unlawful, the exact Ques-
ton having been decided by our Su-
preme Court in the case of Yarneli VS..
the City of Los Angeles (S7 Cal. 6O3.)
The law, in my judgment, contem-
plates that the money of the city should
be kept separate, and should always be
in the possession of the Treasurer, and
that the identical money collected by the
different departments of the city
should be paid into the City Treasury,
and the warrants drawn thereupon
should be paid with the same money.
In support of this view, | will state that
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felony for any officer of any city. charged
with the safe-keeping or disbursement of
public moneys, who fails to keep the
same in his possession until dlsbursed, or
paid out by authority of law. or who
deposits the same with any bank or
banker.
In view of this opinion it becomes the
imperative duty of your board to take at
once the steps required by law to provide
the proper vault and safes for the keep
ing of the city money by the Treasurer.
aud until this can be done it will be
necessary for the Treasurer to rent some
suitable vault for this purpose.
| therefore recommend that the neces-
sarv steps be taken at once to rent a suit
able vault from some bank, and that the
office OF the City Treasurer be established
at said bank, and that he be required to
devote his entire time to the duties OF his
office in pursuance ofthe provisions ofthe
charter The money of the city should
be kept separate in said vault, and should
not be mingled with other moneys. BY
so doing the provisions OF law will be
complied with.
No time, however, should be lost in
providing the proper vault and sales for
keeping the city money. The charter
contem plates this. and the Constitution
and law of this State require it. As this
is very important matter you should
not delay it, but should act at once. Re-
specttully submitted.
b. u. STEINMAN, Mayor.
no SPECIAL PRIVILEGES.
To the Board Of Trustees: My attention
has been called TO the fact that, at your
last meeting, one Of the members of your
board stated that permission had been
granted to the proprietor of the City Hotel
for the maintenance OF an obstruction on
the sidewalk, and that /, as Mayor of the
city. had ordered its removal. Assuming
that | am correctly informed as to the
statement made, l desire to call you at
tention again, as l have done in the past
to the fact that special privileges cannot
be granted by your board, or by any
member thereof, to any citizen or class of
citizens.
AS the ordinance now stands, it is un-
lawful to place any post of any kind upon
the sidewalk, except for the purpose of
supporting electric lights in front OF stores
and for the purpose of supporting bill
boards in front of theaters and news
bulletins in front of newspaper offices.
All other poles on the sidewalks are OBJ
structions.
The Chief of Police has been notified
to order the removal of these obstruc-
tions, and in case of failure to do SO to ar
rest the guilty parties for maintaining
them. The police are not authorized to
make any exceptions, and none will be
permitted.
On several occasions in the enforcement
of the sidewalk ordinance l have been
told that extensions of time have been
granted by some of the mem bers OF your
board. These matters hinder the enforce
ment of the ordinance and promotes dis
satisfaction among our citizens. and
brings about contempt for our whole
city government. If the ordinances in
force are not satisfactory they should be
changed, but as long as they are In force
they must be obeyed. Your board, and
the members thereof, will greatly oolige
the head of the executive department II
you will refrain from giving. or attempt
Ing 10 give. any special privilege or ex-
emption TO any citizen or citizens TO ylo-
late any ordinance. 1t is not right for
one person to obey the law and another
TO violate it.
In conclusion ! will state that the OBJ
struction referred TO has been removed.
All others having like obstructions must
remove, or cause them to be removed, or
suffer arrest. Respectfully submitted,
b. L. STEINMAN, Mayor.
FIRE HOSE PURCHASE.
To the Board Of Trustees: I herewith
transmit to your honorable body. with
my approval indorsed thereon, the con-
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