Section 1. The City of Visalia, a municipal corporation, shall after the adoption of this charter, continue its existence as such municipal corporation, and under the corporate name, City of Visalia, shall have possess, and exercise all powers and rights vested in said City of Visalia, under this charter, and the Constitution of California and the laws of the state, and all powers which a municipal corporation may lawfully possess or exercise under the Constitution of this state. The City of Visalia shall have the right and power to make and enforce all laws and regulations in respect to municipal affairs, subjected only to the restrictions and limitations provided in this charter; provided that nothing herein shall be construed to prevent or restrict the City from exercising or consenting to, and the City is hereby authorized to exercise any and all rights, powers and privileges heretofore or hereafter granted or prescribed by the general laws of the state; provided also, that where the general laws of the state provide a procedure for the carrying out and enforcement of any rights or powers belonging to the City, said procedure shall control and be followed unless a different procedure shall have been provided in this charter or by ordinance.
Section 2. Without in any way or to any extent limiting or curtailing the powers hereinbefore conferred or mentioned, and for the purpose only of removing all doubt concerning the exercise of powers hereinafter expressly mentioned, the City of Visalia shall have power:
(1) To have and use a corporate seal;
(2) To sue or be sued in all courts in all actions and proceedings;
(3) To levy and collect taxes, and to levy and collect license taxes for both regulation and revenue;
(4) To borrow money, incur municipal indebtedness, and issue bonds or other evidence of such indebtedness;
(5) To acquire by purchase, bequest, devise, gift, condemnation or other manner sanctioned by law, within and without the limits of said City, property of every kind and nature for all purposes;
(6) To acquire by said means and to establish, maintain, equip, own and operate, either within or outside of the City, telephone and telegraph systems, street railways, or other means of transportation, warehouses, free markets, waterworks, filtration plants, gas works, electric light, heat and power works, underground or overhead conduit systems or any other works necessary to a public utility; and to join with any other city or cities or county in the acquisition, construction and maintenance of same;
(7) To improve the streams and channels flowing through the City or adjoining the same, to widen, straighten and deepen the channels thereof, and remove obstructions therefrom, to construct and maintain embankment and other works to protect the City from overflow and storm waters;
(8) To furnish the City or its inhabitants or persons without the City, and public utility service or commodity whatsoever;
(9) To lease, sell, convey and dispose of any and all property herein mentioned for the common benefit;
(10) To acquire, construct, operate and maintain parks, playgrounds, markets, baths, public halls, auditoriums, libraries, museums, art galleries, gymnasiums, mausoleum and any and all buildings, establishments, institutions, and places whether situated inside or outside of the City limits, which are necessary or convenient for the transaction of public business or for promoting the health, morals, education, care of the indigent or welfare of the inhabitants of the City or for their amusement, recreation, entertainment, or benefit;
(11) To acquire, construct and maintain all works necessary for the disposition of sewage, garbage and waste, to construct, own, maintain and operate incinerating or garbage reduction plants, and to join with any other city or cities or county in the acquisition, construction and maintenance of any such works or plant;
(12) To define and abate nuisances;
(13) To provide for the care of the indigent;
(14) To establish boulevards and regulate traffic thereon;
(15) To equip and maintain a fire department and to make all necessary regulations for the prevention of fires;
(16) To grant permits to use the streets or public property revocable at any time without notice;
(17) To regulate and establish rates and charges to be imposed and collected by any person or corporation for commodities or services rendered under or in connection with any franchise, permit, or license heretofore or hereafter granted by the City, or other authority, provided, that the same is not inconsistent with the Constitution of the State of California;
(18) To receive devises, bequests, gifts and donations of all kinds of property, in fee simple, or in trust, for charitable or other purposes and to do all acts necessary to carry out the purposes of such devises, bequests, gifts and donations with power to manage, sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of the same in accordance with the terms of the devise, bequest, gift or donation or absolutely in case such devise, bequest or trust be unconditional;
(19) To regulate and limit the height and bulk of buildings hereafter erected, and to regulate and determine the area of yards, courts and other open spaces and for said purpose to divide the City into districts. Such regulations shall be uniform for each class of buildings throughout any district, but the regulations in one or more districts may differ from those in other districts. Such regulations shall be designed to secure safety from fire and other dangers, and to promote the public health and welfare, including, so far as conditions may permit, provisions for adequate light, air and convenience of access, and shall be made with reasonable regard to the character of the buildings erected in each district, the value of land and the use to which it may be put, to the end that such regulations may promote the public health, safety and welfare;
(20) To regulate and restrict the location of trades and industries and the location of buildings designed for specified uses, and for said purposes to divide the City into districts and to specify for each such district the trades and industries which shall be excluded or subjected to special regulations and the uses for which buildings may not be erected or altered. Such regulations shall be designed to promote the public health, safety and welfare and shall be made with reasonable consideration, among other things, to the character of the district and to its peculiar suitability for particular uses.
(21) Emergency Powers. Notwithstanding any general or special provision of this Charter, the Council, in order to insure continuity of governmental operations in periods of emergency resulting from disasters of whatever nature, shall have the power and immediate duty:
(a) To provide for prompt and temporary succession to the powers and duties of all City officers, of whatever nature and whether filled by election or appointment, the incumbents of which may become unavailable for carrying on the powers and duties of such offices, and
(b) To adopt such other measures as may be necessary and proper for insuring the continuity of City operations, including, but not limited to, the financing thereof. In the exercise of the powers hereby conferred, the Council in all respects shall conform to the requirements of this Charter except to the extent that in the judgment of the Council so to do would be impractical or would admit of an undue delay.