Oakland to pay for limiting seats in council chambers

The Oakland city government limited seating at the council chambers after a contentious meeting in May. The Oakland city government limited seating at the council chambers after a contentious meeting in May. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez - San Fran, The Chronicle Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez - San Fran, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Oakland to pay for limiting seats in council chambers 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Oakland will pay $37,000 to settle a lawsuit over the administration’s May decision to close off seats during City Council meetings, a measure that infuriated free speech activists and caused some officials to question whether they had violated state law.

Council members voted Tuesday to approve a settlement that would cover legal fees for the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, the union that filed a court complaint against Oakland for limiting access to public meetings.

As part of the agreement, City Attorney Barbara Parker has also pledged to keep the floors and galleries open at their legal capacity: 212 people on the main floor and 49 people per gallery. In exchange, she asked that Local 21 withdraw its lawsuit.

City officials closed the balcony seats inside Oakland’s council chambers for much of May and June after a May 5 meeting ended in chaos, when housing activists stormed the dais to protest a controversial development deal.

That flare-up prompted officials to beef up security at City Hall, doing bag searches at the door, asking members of the public to sign their names, and shuttering the balcony areas for much of May and June.

Local 21 filed a court complaint on June 26, claiming that Oakland officials had violated the state’s Ralph M. Brown Act and the city’s Sunshine Ordinance, which both protect the public’s right to an open government.

An Alameda County Superior Court Judge ordered Oakland officials to open both the upper and lower galleries on June 29, a day before the council voted on its 2-year city budget.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan