HomeMy Public PortalAbout20200525plCC3 701-32
DOCUMENTS IN THIS PACKET INCLUDE:
LETTERS FROM CITIZENS TO THE
MAYOR OR CITY COUNCIL RESPONSES FROM STAFF TO LETTERS FROM CITIZENS
ITEMS FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
ITEMS FROM OTHER COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES
ITEMS FROM CITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND REGIONAL AGENCIES
Prepared for: 05/25/2020
Document dates: 5/6/2020 – 5/13/2020
Set 3 of 5
Note: Documents for every category may not have been received for packet
reproduction in a given week.
11
Baumb, Nelly
From:Meilani Hendrawidjaja <hendrawidjaja_m@yahoo.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 9:07 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:SRT and Crossing Guards
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________________________________
Dear City Council,
I know you are facing tough decisions on what to cut from our budget.
In making these cuts, please protect public safety, and in particular, the safety of our children as they travel twice daily
to our schools, crossing major city thoroughfares.
1. Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS)
The two SRTS staff are critical to ensure our children’s safety. PTA volunteers constantly turn over as their children move
through the system. We need SRTS staff to ensure continuity of knowledge and expertise where our children’s safety is
concerned traveling to and from school.
2. Crossing Guards
Crossing guards are fundamental to ensure children do not attempt a crossing until drivers stop. The guards ensure no
drivers start up again too early. Crossing guards are only at studied, city‐warranted locations, including major
thoroughfares (six school crossings are across El Camino; two are across Alma Expressway). Another ten crossings are on
major streets like Arastradero, Charleston, Middlefield and Embarcadero.
When you’re looking to cut costs, the $500,000 annual crossing guard will not create even a dent in a budget exceeding
$800 million a year, and is simply the WRONG place to even look at cutting costs. None of you, I’m sure, wants to be the
city council member to tell a grieving Palo Alto parent no one on city council valued their child’s life worth the $500,000
annual crossing guard cost.
Thank you for all of your hard work. This is a tough job.
Regards,
Meilani Hendrawidjaja
Hoover Parent
Sent from my iPhone
12
Baumb, Nelly
From:Benjamin Papp <benjamin.papp@sbcglobal.net>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 7:30 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Renewed funding for YCS YCI
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To whomever this may concern,
My name is Benjamin Papp, presently a junior at Palo Alto Senior Highschool, and a peer leader for the YCS
Youth Connectedness Initiative (YCI). To preface, our goal at YCI is to connect isolated students and share
information about dealing with depression, anxiety, and various other issues common students may face.
Throughout the regular school year, we planned and put on community events and projects to help bring
people together in exciting yet informative ways. Two examples of which include Bands and Brew, an open mic
hosted at the Stanford CoHo right after the Stanford-Cal, and more recently a community movie night where
we openly discussed the process and feelings of coming out as a gay person in modern times. We also pride
ourselves on working with other organizations within the community, such as the wellness centers featured at
PALY and Gunn, Project Safety Net, Allcove, Stanford professors like Dr. Shashank Joshi, and more. At all of
our events we regularly saw students from different grades, schools(in and out of the district), and friend
groups come together and connect over common issues and struggles we face.
Currently, we’re using Zoom, videos, and social media to reach students over the shutdown. While our output
isn’t quite at the level we want to be right now, we’re still trying our best to provide regular content and events
during this trying time. Our current project for example is a three phase plan built to bring students from all
different backgrounds together and connect by slowly merging the friend groups of different members
together.
With this being said, myself and the rest of the group would be greatly thankful if you decided to not cut our
funding. I personally appreciate your consideration of this request, and will be happy to provide any additional
information or answer and questions you may need.
Thank you,
Benjamin Papp
13
Baumb, Nelly
From:Sonam Soni <sonam.ss.soni@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 7:16 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Budget
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________________________________
I read something in the newspaper today about how you are going to work on the budget and I thought it was not the
right move. Perhaps I’m not understanding it right but are you seriously going to cut fire and police services as well as
recreation, library and park services instead of cutting salaries? My suggestion would be to cut salaries. Do it based on
how much someone makes. So the city manager who makes a lot of money, can have a 25% cut in salary and someone
who makes $60,000 a year can have a 5% cut in their salary.
This is a more sensible approach during a pandemic.
Thank you,
Sonam
14
Baumb, Nelly
From:Amber Li <amberleysgarden@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 7:05 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace Library
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________________________________
Dear Council Member,
Very unhappy to hear the city plans closing the oldest library in Palo Alto, the College Terrace Library. I’ve lived in the
community since the 1980s. It is a big draw to families and those in transition from one job to another. We should
expect more demand from both sectors post‐Covid. I suggest you consider cutting the administrative and community
services budgets instead as they have more flexibility than the oldest community in town.
Please kindly consider these issues carefully. Education, learning and reading are fundamental to society getting back off
the ground. Thank you.
Amber Li
15
Baumb, Nelly
From:Madison Sites <madison.sites@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 6:38 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Keep College Terrace Library Open
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As the ONLY library this side of Alma, closing this library location would cut off services to a huge portion of residents. It
is a shame to even consider it given how many of the city services (other library branches, pools, children’s museum,
gardens, etc.) we pay for are concentrated in just a few areas ‐ all on the other side of Alma.
I see we’re making NO budget cuts to the golf course.
How are we okay with prioritizing the staffing of the entry to a “private” park like Foothills over keeping a library branch
open where there aren’t good alternatives around?
Madison
16
Baumb, Nelly
From:Richard Such <wrichardsuch@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 6:15 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace Library
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We, residents of College Terrace for 50 years, strongly oppose the idea of closing our branch library for 2 years or any
length of time. We believe that savings can be made in other budget items without impacting so severely so many
of our neighbors. We realize that every resident of the city will feel the pinch of the coronavirus crisis, but believe that
the pain can and should be spread more fairly. "We're all in this together," including city employees whose raises might
have to be reduced or delayed.
The branch library is a cultural institution that we have treasured and used, it seems at least once a week, except for the
couple of painful years during which it was closed for renovation. Over the years we have resisted suggestions
for closing it by persons who did not appreciate its importance to residents of College Terrace and surrounding
neighborhoods. The alternatives for us are car rides across town to Rinconada and Mitchell Park libraries, which are
increasingly difficult for seniors like ourselves. Parents of young children also depend on the children’s section and the
reading‐aloud sessions there, including recent, English‐learning immigrants and visitors. Please do not close it, not even
temporarily. The closure for the pandemic has been hard enough.
Richard and Jane Such, Redacted
17
Baumb, Nelly
From:Robert Neff <rmrneff@sonic.net>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 5:54 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:New fee for first response considered.
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________________________________
Dear City Council,
Thank you for your hard work on the budget. I am sorry to send in this message so late.
The budget proposal includes a new fee to be assessed for first response to medical emergencies. In other words, if 911
is called, there will be a fee, even if the treated party does not need transport.
I think this is a really bad idea. I think many people who should call
911 to get the expertise of our EMTs in person will choose to wait, instead of calling 911 at the first sign of trouble. I
know, as a Medical Emergency Response Team member at my workplace, or as a member of my church, or when a
friend shows up at the bus stop with blood all over his face, I don't want to have to second guess myself on an
emergency response because I am worried about cost to bring in an EMT from the fire station.
This is the sort of service that I expect our taxes to cover. Though the line suggests that it would be covered by insurance
companies, I find that with my health plan, it usually comes back to me!
This fee is projected to bring in $1.8 million every year. I recognize that not adding this fee would require savings
elsewhere, and I do not have a recommendation for an offset.
‐‐
‐‐ Robert Neff
robert@neffs.net
18
Baumb, Nelly
From:john@kovalfamily.com
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 5:22 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Budget Problem Input
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Council Members,
I am writing to provide another citizens input into your process. This is not going to be as simple as turning an economic
switch back on. Many companies are closing for the rest of the summer if not end of the year. Your estimated shortfall is
probably on the low side.
1. Priority should be given to maintaining city services in as close to the current level as possible.
a. This would require an across the board pay cut, until the jobless rate has returned to the 4‐5% range.
b. Rescission of the pay increase given a couple weeks ago. You knew this problems was happening then,
why on earth did you go through with it?
c. Layoff union employees across the board to close the budget gap.
d. Discontinue work on the new police station until the economy rebounds, this is a non‐essential expense
at this time.
2. Curtail redundant city services.
a. Eliminate non‐essential services.
i. Closure of schools that can be combined to fill up classrooms to maximum capacity.
ii. Closure of most of the libraries. Our libraries are lightly used and residents could easily go a mile
or two extra to get to another.
iii. Cut any mass transit projects for the time being. No one is going to get on a bus with other
possible Covid carriers.
b. Resume full time working 8‐5 M‐F every week to fulfil the community needs. The current 9‐80 setup is
inefficient resulting in less productivity for the same $$.
I am sure you have many suggestions, but unemotional objectivity would be the best course of action in the current
predicament. We are all hurting from this shutdown of our economy.
Sincerely,
John Koval
Palo Alto
Redacted
19
Baumb, Nelly
From:Gabrielle Conway <gabrielleconway12345@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 5:20 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Budget: Please keep SRTS staff and crossing guards!!
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Dear City Council,
I know you are facing tough decisions on what to cut from our budget.
In making these cuts, please protect public safety, and in particular, the safety of our children as they
travel twice daily to our schools, crossing major city thoroughfares.
1. Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS)
The two SRTS staff are critical to ensure our children’s safety. PTA volunteers constantly turn over as
their children move through the system. We need SRTS staff to ensure continuity of knowledge and
expertise where our children’s safety is concerned traveling to and from school.
2. Crossing Guards
Crossing guards are fundamental to ensure children do not attempt a crossing until drivers stop. The
guards ensure no drivers start up again too early. Crossing guards are only at studied, city‐warranted
locations, including major thoroughfares (six school crossings are across El Camino; two are across Alma
Expressway). Another ten crossings are on major streets like Arastradero, Charleston, Middlefield and
Embarcadero.
When you’re looking to cut costs, the $500,000 annual crossing guard will not create even a dent in a
budget exceeding $800 million a year, and is simply the WRONG place to even look at cutting costs.
None of you, I’m sure, wants to be the city council member to tell a grieving Palo Alto parent no one on
city council valued their child’s life worth the $500,000 annual crossing guard cost.
Thank you for all of your hard work. This is a tough job.
Gabrielle Conway
PAUSD Parent
Palo Altan of 23 years
20
Baumb, Nelly
From:Martha Hauser <marthahauser@sbcglobal.net>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 5:02 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Keep College Terrace Library Open
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I have been a resident of College Terrace for 65 years. I am dismayed by the thought of closing College Terrace
Library as a budget cutting action. The cost of operating this library is so small compared to the community
benefit. It is a library that brings multigenerational members of the community together, provides computer access
to those without computers at home, and has kept books alive for readers of all ages. Once you dissolve libraries,
they do not come back and the harm to the community is great. Parks and libraries are center gathering points that
build a sense of community, connect people to each other in our culture of growing isolation, and represent the
value of what makes Palo Alto a great community.
Please keep College Terrace Library open.
Thanks,
Martha Hauser
Palo Alto CA 94306
Redacted
21
Baumb, Nelly
From:Nancy Krop <nancypta@kroplaw.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 4:57 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Budget Cuts: Prioritize the safety of our children
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Dear City Council,
I know you are facing tough decisions on what to cut from our budget.
In making these cuts, please protect public safety, and in particular, the safety of our children as they travel twice daily
to our schools, crossing major city thoroughfares.
1. Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS)
The two SRTS staff are critical to ensure our children’s safety. PTA volunteers constantly turn over as their children move
through the system. We need SRTS staff to ensure continuity of knowledge and expertise where our children’s safety is
concerned traveling to and from school.
2. Crossing Guards
Crossing guards are fundamental to ensure children do not attempt a crossing until drivers stop. The guards ensure no
drivers start up again too early. Crossing guards are only at studied, city‐warranted locations, including major
thoroughfares (six school crossings are across El Camino; two are across Alma Expressway). Another ten crossings are on
major streets like Arastradero, Charleston, Middlefield and Embarcadero.
When you’re looking to cut costs, the $500,000 annual crossing guard will not create even a dent in a budget exceeding
$800 million a year, and is simply the WRONG place to even look at cutting costs. None of you, I’m sure, wants to be the
city council member to tell a grieving Palo Alto parent no one on city council valued their child’s life worth the $500,000
annual crossing guard cost.
Thank you for considering my input.
Nancy Krop
PAUSD parent
22
Baumb, Nelly
From:Pat Burt <patburt11@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 1:42 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:May 11 Staff Report on FY 2021 Revised Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets
Attachments:City Budget Guiding Principles.docx
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Dear Council Members,
As you face the very difficult budget considerations before you, please consider the following recommendations.
Guiding Principles
Such challenging decisions are best considered if you first attempt to agree on Guiding Principles for your decision
making. The staff report refers to ‘Budget Priorities’:
• Support Economic Recovery through changes to our policies and programs.
• Focus on resiliency over the long‐term while making service reductions and changes, ensuring that any services
eliminated can be restored in future years.
• Seek new ways to conduct our work through efficiencies and a learning environment.
Additional consideration should be made as to whether these the right or highest priorities. The following alternatives
may offer a sounder framework for your deliberations:
1. Maximized Transparency. About economic realities, fiscal implications of budget changes, and labor negotiation
constraints.
2. Timeframe of Impacts and Actions. Plan for this downturn to be a multi‐year impact with a two‐year minimum
of severe impact before recovery begins, then fuller recovery over multiple years.
3. Sharing of Burdens. Staff, residents, and businesses all need to share the difficult burdens.
4. Deferrable Expenses. A focus should be made on deferring capital projects 2 years. Projects should be rebid over
the next two years to take advantage of likely recession‐based cost reductions compared to currently inflated
rates.
5. Use of Reserves. Budget reserves exist to respond to emergencies. They should be used judiciously under the
assumption that the recovery will be prolonged.
6. Efficiencies. Opportunities to restructure operations should include broader outsourcing or consolidations (e.g.
consolidation of IT departments among neighboring cities).
7. Longterm Changes to Services and Policies. The focus should be on resiliency over the long‐term when making
service reductions and changes, ensuring that any services eliminated or policies changed will not result in
irreversible impacts. The emergency should not be a rationalization for changes to longterm commercial
development policies nor policies promoting housing for all income levels.
Budget Considerations
Reductions in the Capital Improvement Fund (CIF), outside Contracts/Consultants, and in the Budget Stabilization
Reserve can be the primary drivers in determining the necessary cuts to operations and services. The General
Fund (GF) Capital Improvement Fund (CIF) has been built to historically high levels in recent years through TOT
23
increases and other measures. Those investments address necessary longterm investments, but they are not
generally critical in the short term.
The Capital Plan table shows a $7.6M GF transfer for FY21 (pg45), along with a $6.5M TOT related transfer.
The Infrastructure Reserve has a beginning balance of $38.3M (declining to decline to $16M in FY22 and down
from $51.4M in FY20) with a transfer from the GF of $7.6M in FY21 plus the TOT based transfer. The GF transfer
could be suspended, along with the portion of the TOT transfer that is not obligated for infrastructure under the
TOT rate ballot measures.
Major Deferrable Capital Projects
o Public Safety Building. The proposed budget includes spending $102,800,000 in FY21 toward the
new PSB. The project will be funded through bonds, but the debt service is $7.3M/yr beginning in
FY22.
o The Municipal Services Center has over $8M budgeted for major maintenance. By comparison, just
spreading that over two years would provide FY21 savings comparable to all of the proposed
Community services cuts.
o Fire Station #4 ‐ ~$10M over the next three years.
o Other CIP Projects. Projects, such as The $400K replacement cost of seats at the Lucie Stern Theatre,
can be deferred without any significant impact.
During the Great Recession, the costs of public works projects were reduced drastically from previous project
estimates. Projects that had been consistently coming in at over previous estimates instead received bids at far below
staff estimates. By deferring certain projects, the city can likely reduce the capital project costs while mitigating the most
dire cuts to a broad range of critical and highly valued services.
Best regards,
Pat Burt
City Budget Guiding Principles
May 11 Staff Report: Budget and Fiscal Priorities
• Support Economic Recovery through changes to our policies and programs. Why is this the number
foremost role of the city government and what policy and program changes are being proposed
to achieve this priority?
• Focus on resiliency over the long-term while making service reductions and changes, ensuring that
any services eliminated can be restored in future years. Do staff proposals reflect this priority?
• Seek new ways to conduct our work through efficiencies and a learning environment. Do the
budget proposals reflect this goal?
Recommended Guiding Principles
• Maximize Transparency. About economic realities, fiscal implications of budget changes,
and labor negotiation constraints.
• Timeframe of Impacts and Actions. Plan for this downturn to be a multi-year impact
with a two-year minimum severe impact before recovery begins to resemble “normal”
then fuller recovery over multiple years. The depth and length of the recession will only
be driven in part by the SIP duration.
• Sharing of Burdens. Staff, residents, and businesses will all need to share the burdens.
• Deferrable Expenses. During the emergency, a focus should be made on deferring
capital projects for 1-2 years. Projects should be rebid over the next two years to take
advantage of recession based cost reductions compared to currently inflated rates.
• Use of Reserves. Budget reserves exist to respond to emergencies. They should be used
judiciously under the assumptions that the recovery will be prolonged.
• Efficiencies. Opportunities to restructure operations should include broader outsourcing
or consolidations (e.g. consolidation of IT departments among neighboring cities).
• Longterm Changes to Services and Policies. The focus should be on resiliency over the
long-term while making service reductions and changes, ensuring that any services
eliminated or policies changed will not result in irreversible impacts. The emergency
should not be a rationalization for changes to longterm commercial development
policies nor policies promoting housing for all income levels.
24
Baumb, Nelly
From:Pat Burt <patburtcc@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 11, 2020 4:23 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Teen programs and the Bryant Street Garage Fund
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I know you have tough choices to make in the next few weeks on the budget. As a former business owner, I have
experienced firsthand the difficulty of making budget cuts that have direct impacts on people’s lives. It will be extremely
difficult to weigh through the judgment calls on what is vital for our community. I hope you can find room in the budget
to continue to support our youth at a time when they are under increasing pressure and so much is being taken away
from them.
Many of you know that as a parent and community volunteer I have a long history of working with youth. I was active
with Project Safety Net during the 2010‐2014 suicide contagion. I worry about our youth and how they are coping during
the pandemic. I was concerned to see the staff proposal with a recommendation to cut all teen services. I hope that with
other adjustments you can find room to preserve some of the more essential youth services, especially those that are
creating connections of peer to peer and adult to youth such as the Palo Alto Youth Council, Teen Advisory Board, and
Teen Arts Council. As far as I know, these programs are all continuing via Zoom and other online services. I participated
in a Zoom meeting with a panel discussion on vaping run by the Teen Arts Council a few weeks ago and was notified of a
virtual open mic sponsored by the Teen Arts Council last week. These interactions are vital to the health of our youth
and even more important with school closures.
As to a funding source for these and other essential youth programs, I noticed that the proposal also seems to remove
the Bryant Street Garage Fund from funding for youth programs. The revenue stream, 75% of the rental income
generated by the current tenant Form Fitness, was dedicated to teen programs in 2001 by a council vote when the teens
gave up their downtown teen center in favor of funding for teen activities. In 2017 it was anticipated there would be an
accumulated fund of $325,000 and an annual revenue stream of $109,000. It appears from the staff report that for fiscal
2021 the income for this fund is projected to be $123,000. I have not been able to locate information on where the fund
balance stands today. For the history of the Bryant Street Garage Fund including council actions see this staff report:
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/49639
I also serve on the Youth Community Service Board and in addition to preserving city programs I hope you can continue
the Santa Clara County match program of $50k for the Youth Connectedness Initiative run by Youth Community Service
https://youthcommunityservice.org/yci/. This is an evidence‐based youth mental health program informed by the
Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships. Youth Community Service has continued to meet with youth via Zoom
meetings during the shelter in place orders. This is a valuable resource for teens and parents under normal
circumstances but even more important now to help teens and parents navigate during the pandemic.
Thank you for your consideration and I would be happy to answer any questions.
Sincerely,
Sally Bemus
1
Baumb, Nelly
From:Laura Bajuk <lsb417@aol.com>
Sent:Wednesday, May 6, 2020 4:11 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:I Support the Palo Alto Museum
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________________________________
Dear Palo Alto City Council Members:
I am writing to you today to urge you to continue supporting the Palo Alto Museum’s use of the Roth Building.
The Museum is a worthwhile, vital asset urgently needed in our community. Palo Alto’s history is at once local and
global. Its nurturing community, creativity, innovation, and leadership have helped so many Palo Altans invent the
modern world. The Museum will bring our untold stories to light for generations to come. Those stories deserve a
proper home.
I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum and its use and preservation of the historic Roth Building.
I urge you to join me and thousands of friends and neighbors in supporting our community’s advancement, goodwill,
culture, and pride through the Palo Alto Museum.
Sincerely,
Insert Name
Insert Address
Laura Bajuk
1
Baumb, Nelly
From:Dr. Nancy E. Wang <ewen@stanford.edu>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 11:44 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:College terrace library
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links.
________________________________
Hello,
The college terrace library has been a foundation of our life in college terrace, bringing up our children and even now.
We are aware of the budget cuts and the huge economic hardship in these times.
We would love to be part of the solution to help figure out how to keep the library open.
Best
Nancy Wan g
(650) 856‐2553
2
Baumb, Nelly
From:Stefania Pomponi <msstefaniapomponi@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 11:59 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please keep funding for our fire fighters
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Dear Council Members,
I know you are faced with making very tough budget cut decisions. Please keep funding for our fire department. It
makes more sense to me to adjust funding for any activity which requires public gatherings‐‐May Fete Parade, Chili
Cook‐Off, library hours etc.‐‐before cutting funding for first responders. Especially now. It's all gut‐wrenching, I know.I
have very personal reasons for making this request. I have seen first hand how our firefighters and paramedics can
affect a family for the better, and I have friends and loved ones who are firefighters in and around Palo Alto. I know how
hard they work and how much they sacrifice for our community.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Stefania Pomponi
‐‐
-Stefania
Stefania Pomponi
Redacted
3
Baumb, Nelly
From:Lisa Collings <lisacollings89@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:06 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Firefighters
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links.
________________________________
Please do not cut funding for our firefighters. They are critical to our safety!
Thanks,
Lisa Collings
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Sent from my iPhone
Redacted
4
Baumb, Nelly
From:Wati Grossman <watigrossman@icloud.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:11 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Do not cut funding for PAFD
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________________________________
Dear Sir/Madam,
Please do not cut funding for the PAFD.
A concerned Citizen,
Wati Grossman
Wati Grossman
www.watidesign.com
@watidesign
650‐224‐7478
Sent from my iPhone
5
Baumb, Nelly
From:JoAnn Pottberg <joannpottberg@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:14 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please do not cut budget for fire department
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links.
________________________________
They not only put out fires but rescue people and are there when there is an emergency health call. We need our fire
department to be well funded.
Jo Ann Choi Pottberg
Reply to joannpottberg@gmail.com
Sent from my iPhone
6
Baumb, Nelly
From:Pamela Weiss <pamelaweiss@hotmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:19 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please do not cut PAFD
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links.
________________________________
Dear Council members – I’m writing to ask you to please not cut Palo Alto fire department funding at this time. There
are other gathering oriented things being funded in our city that because of our unpredictable future do not make sense
to find those in advance of our present day and continue need to have fire department safety at its best during this time.
Thank you. Pamela Weiss, , Palo Alto resident since 1995.
Sent from my iPhone
Redacted
7
Baumb, Nelly
From:Bob Moss <bmoss33@att.net>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:20 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Budget Hearings
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attachments and clicking on links.
Palo Alto City Council Budget Hearings May 12, 2020
Dear Council Members;
I wanted to hear staff reports, public comments and your questions and concerns before suggesting
how to approach this major and unprecedented problem. The comments, discussions, and public
statements were very helpful and informative. As a result I want to make my suggestions on how to
address the huge funding shortfall that we are facing.
All of the reductions in service should be for this fiscal year or at most this calendar year, not for 2
years as is proposed.
Cut funding for capital projects before cutting the operating budget. Most capital projects can survive
a delay of a few months or a year with little impact, but that is not true when services, programs and
staff are cut. Those cuts should be as minimal as possible.
I agree with the public objections to closing College Terrace library, especially for 2 years. The library
should be kept open, but it could be closed for 1 or 2 days/week. Operating hour reductions for other
branches should be minimal whenever possible. Children's library should not be closed 3 days/week
although closing Rinconada and Children's 1 or 2 hours earlier is reasonable, but not for a full day.
Reducing contributions to the pension fund is acceptable and should be approved. So should
reducing contributions to the reserve funds. Teen and youth service programs should be reduced,
not eliminated. The reductions in operating hours at the community centers and Art Center should be
shorter days, not closed for a full day and only for months or until the end of this year, not for 2
years. Reducing police patrol positions and fire department fire prevention staffing should be minimal
as these are important functions. Funds for police engagement and support and records
management should be reduced as little as possible if at all as these also are important
functions. Should the Cross-town and Embarcadero shuttles be eliminated or maybe just reduced in
service frequency in mid-day? Any staffing level reductions in Planning and Transportation should be
minimal as service time responses already are rather slow, and some things like code enforcement
have been less than desirable levels for years. Eliminating some but not all the unfilled positions is
allowable. Eliminating an Emergency Services staff position is not a good idea as El Grande is
coming and responding to emergencies is vital to protect public safety and health.
I agree that the other reductions and eliminations of services are reasonable although not
desirable. When the threat of the corona-19 virus ends, probably from a combination of successful
stay-in-place rrequirements and creation of a vaccine, we can return to most if not all of the services
8
that will be stopped or reduced. An unintended benefit of this reduction of activities and services
maybe that it identifies activities that did not need the levels of funding or staffing they had in order to
still function effectively and provide benefits to the community, in which case the cuts can be retained.
Yours, sincerely, Bob Moss
9
Baumb, Nelly
From:Filseth, Eric (Internal)
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:25 PM
To:Council, City
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Nose, Kiely
Subject:Updated: Palo Alto General Fund vs 7 Other Local Cities
Sorry, couldn’t leave it with a known error. Update with 2 changes: corrected treatment of Stanford and San Carlos Fire
contracts in the Revenues sheet; also added 5‐year growth trends (from FY2016 Actuals).
Eric
10
Data source: Revenues
11
Data source: Expenses
12
Baumb, Nelly
From:Sally Bemus <sbemused@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:35 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Community Service Budget Discussion: Teen programs and the Bryant Street Garage Fund
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attachments and clicking on links.
I know you have tough choices to make in the next few weeks on the budget. As a former business owner, I have
experienced firsthand the difficulty of making budget cuts that have direct impacts on people’s lives. It will be extremely
difficult to weigh through the judgment calls on what is vital for our community. I hope you can find room in the budget
to continue to support our youth at a time when they are under increasing pressure and so much is being taken away
from them.
Many of you know that as a parent and community volunteer I have a long history of working with youth. I was active
with Project Safety Net during the 2010‐2014 suicide contagion. I worry about our youth and how they are coping during
the pandemic. I was concerned to see the staff proposal with a recommendation to cut all teen services. I hope that with
other adjustments you can find room to preserve some of the more essential youth services, especially those that are
creating connections of peer to peer and adult to youth such as the Palo Alto Youth Council, Teen Advisory Board, and
Teen Arts Council. As far as I know, these programs are all continuing via Zoom and other online services. I participated
in a Zoom meeting with a panel discussion on vaping run by the Teen Arts Council a few weeks ago and was notified of a
virtual open mic sponsored by the Teen Arts Council last week. These interactions are vital to the health of our youth
and even more important with school closures.
As to a funding source for these and other essential youth programs, I noticed that the proposal also seems to remove
the Bryant Street Garage Fund from funding for youth programs. The revenue stream, 75% of the rental income
generated by the current tenant Form Fitness, was dedicated to teen programs in 2001 by a council vote when the teens
gave up their downtown teen center in favor of funding for teen activities. In 2017 it was anticipated there would be an
accumulated fund of $325,000 and an annual revenue stream of $109,000. I have not been able to locate information on
the city website as to how much revenue is currently being generated or where the fund balance stands today. For the
history of the Bryant Street Garage Fund including council actions to establish and preserve this fund see this staff
report: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/49639
I also serve on the Youth Community Service board and in addition to preserving city programs I hope you can continue
the Santa Clara County match program of $50k for the Youth Connectedness Initiative run by Youth Community Service
https://youthcommunityservice.org/yci/. This is an evidence‐based youth mental health program informed by the
Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships. Youth Community Service has continued to meet with youth via Zoom
meetings during the shelter in place orders. This is a valuable resource for teens and parents under normal
circumstances but even more important now to help teens and parents navigate during the pandemic.
Thank you for your consideration and I would be happy to answer any questions.
Sincerely,
Sally Bemus
Board Vice‐President
13
Youth Community Service
15
Baumb, Nelly
From:Leah Russin <leah.russin@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 1:07 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College terrace library
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links.
________________________________
I write regarding the proposed closing of the College Terrace, Library. Please keep it open.
The library is an integral part of the neighborhood, and provides the only library resource west of the train tracks.
Families meet for story time, teens have a safe quiet space for studying or meet ups, and adults have a quiet place to
work outside of their home. My family has used it regularly and we love it. I think my son checked out every dinosaur‐
related book they had multiple times, and we made friends there with other families that we might not have otherwise
met. I spent hours there multiple times a week with my son during his preschool years. The librarians were wonderful.
The selection of children’s books were wonderful. The toys were wonderful. Storytime was wonderful. If we had had to
drive across town or bike across the train tracks for a library experience, we wouldn’t have spent nearly as much time in
the library as we did. My teenager regularly went to the College Terrace library for a quiet place to do her homework
and also to meet with the younger children she volunteer tutored. I hope to build the same connection to books,
learning, and neighbors with my youngest child by continuing to visit the College Terrace Library for years to come.
Local libraries provide invaluable opportunities to kickstart a lifelong love of books and learning, as well as community
connections. Now that the College Terrace Market has closed, we need our library to be the focal point and strengthen
our community more than ever.
Please continue to support neighborhood libraries and, in particular, the College Terrace Library.
Thank you.
Leah Russin
(Former College Terrace resident, now in Barron Park and eager to continue using the CT library).
16
Baumb, Nelly
From:Gary Fine <gary@finepoquet.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 1:27 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:college terrace library - silence does not imply support
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attachments and clicking on links.
Hi
I am a 40 year resident of college terrace. Have walked by the library 100s of
times. Have been inside quite a few times but not frequently.
Of course we would all like it to survive (and thrive) but i can NOT justify the
expense of keeping it open. If it costs even 1/2 the budget of a fire/police
person then it is NOT a meaningful expenditure of our $$.
I assume you are getting 100s of letters from local residents supporting the
library, but your job is to make rational choices, listen to all, but also
to discount the squeaky wheels, please. Acknowledge that the less active
residents, who are in the majority, may be speaking "lack of support" in their
silence.
We really dont need 5 libraries in Palo Alto - even the cute one in my
neighbourhood.
....gary
21
Baumb, Nelly
From:ROBERT/NANCY SMITH <rlsmithjr@comcast.net>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 1:37 PM
To:Council, City
Cc:Nancy Smith
Subject:Budget review
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attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Mayor and Council,
This concerns the budget discussions in the light of the pandemic.
I suggest that you think about budget adjustments the way that businesses normally do when
confronted with a financial crisis. Many businesses are having these problems right now.
First, you avoid actions that could harm or annoy your customers. You make it clear that you are
working to restructure the company to meet customer expectations more efficiently.
Then, you review the obligations, organizational structure, and staffing of the company. Group heads
are directed to come up with new plans including staffing and other resource reductions while still
meeting group and corporate goals.
The City has been blessed with large resources for many decades. Head counts have increased
remarkably while salaries and benefits have increased a lot. Given this, it is difficult to believe that
you do not have many redundancies and inefficiencies in what has become a large bureaucracy. The
City has too many managers and too large a staff in many areas. The residents know this.
I simply refuse to believe that the list of things you have identified for cuts (for example, the libraries
and traffic control team) are the least important things in the City's budget. This list is an insult to the
community.
It is time to take a measured and professional approach to the problems we face. The community will
support you but is likely not to favor cuts to services that we depend upon and love in order to
preserve positions that we don't think we need.
Thanks for listening.
Robert Smith
Redacted
22
Baumb, Nelly
From:George Emig <geoemig@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 1:38 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace Library
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attachments and clicking on links.
Hello,
My son and I are residents of College Terrace and have frequented this wonderful community treasure for many
years. It is a wonderful public resource that should be reopened after the pandemic restrictions have subsided and for
all the others who have appreciated it as well.
Sincerely,
George Emig
23
Baumb, Nelly
From:Laura Attardi <attardi@stanford.edu>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 1:38 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:We love the College Terrace library
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attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
I am writing to voice the importance of this library to our community. It is a treasure, which members of our local
community highly value. Since my son was 3 years old, we have visited it regularly, on walks in our neighborhood. We
see many happy adults and children there and it is a very special place. We really appreciate having this in our
community!
Thank you!
Best regards,
Laura Attardi
Laura D. Attardi, Ph.D., Professor
Departments of Radiation Oncology and Genetics
Co-Director, Cancer Biology Program
CCSR-South, Room 1255, 269 Campus Drive
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, CA 94305-5152
Phone: 650-725-8424
Fax: 650-723-7382
http://www.med.stanford.edu/attardilab.html
24
Baumb, Nelly
From:ntmntm <ntmntm@aol.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 1:55 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace Library--PLEASE DON'T CLOSE!
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links.
________________________________
Dear Council Members,
Please add my voice to the myriad of College Terrace (and other) residents who request that the library remain open.
The benefits the library provides far outweigh the paltry monetary “savings” which would result. The library is a vital
part of College Terrace, and is a resource for every demographic—old or young, rich or poor, part of a family or alone,
immigrant or native, healthy or disabled, a place to go for solitude, or community...
Closing the College Terrace Library would be false economy and overall a big step backwards. Please keep it open.
Respectfully,
Kristen Anderson
. Redacted
25
Baumb, Nelly
From:Teceta Tormala <teceta@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 2:08 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please save the College Terrace Library
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attachments and clicking on links.
May 12, 2020
Dear City Council,
I want to express my deep concern about the proposal to close the College Terrace Library.
This jewel of a community resource serves College Terrace and the Stanford community, and has been a source of
reading material and programming across generations. My two brothers and I used the library often in our youth, and as
a current resident of Olmsted Terrace, my two daughters‐ aged 9 and 11‐ have been going to the library since they were
infants.
The College Terrace Library is a wonderful resource for the College Terrace and Stanford communities, and its closing
would be a tremendous loss for the residents. As we move cautiously out of the shadow of Covid‐19 in the coming
months, having the library as a community resource will be sorely needed. Please keep this branch open.
Best regards,
Teceta and Zak Tormala
26
Baumb, Nelly
From:Helen Yeni-Komshian, MD <helen@dryeni.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 2:13 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Save the College Terrace Library
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attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
I am writing to ask that you please reconsider the plan to close the College Terrace Library. As a College Terrace resident
for the past 15 years, I have treasured having the library in the neighborhood. Before the shelter‐in‐place, I went at least
once per week. I love having a library within walking distance to my home. And, judging by the number of people who
are in the library whenever I go, other community members do also.
The CT library is the only library branch west of El Camino Real. Having a branch on this side of El Camino Real supports
the literacy of children in this part of Palo Alto. My own two daughters, ages 14 and 12, often go to the library by
themselves to check out books. Even though the library is small, any book in the Palo Alto collection can be obtained
with the hold system. If a library branch must be closed, why not close the Downtown branch, which has similar
statistics in terms of items checked out, but is very close to the Rinconada library.
Thank you for your consideration,
‐‐
Helen Yeni‐Komshian, MD
www.dryeni.com
650‐223‐3336
27
Baumb, Nelly
From:Sreenidhi Sreesha <sreenidhi.sreesha@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 2:43 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Concern for reducing funding for fire and ems services
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attachments and clicking on links.
Hi,
I work in research park area and im concerned the palo alto city council is reducing funding for fire and ems response. In
light of the pandemic and upcoming fire season, its critical we preserve current resource levels. Please consider cutting
other areas and preserving fire and medical response services.
Thank you
Sreenidhi.
28
Baumb, Nelly
From:SUSAN THOMAS <susan.s.thomas@icloud.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 3:05 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Save College Terrace Library
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links.
________________________________
Please save this beloved neighborhood library. It is a lovely old building and one of the few remaining icons showing
what Palo Alto used to be. My children, now in their 40s and 50s, and I, now 78, spent many, many happy hours there
when they were growing up. I would like other children to have the same opportunity.
With the traffic nightmare Palo Alto now endures, it is more important than ever to have libraries within walking
distance of users. Even though the on‐site collection of this library is smaller than those of the larger ones, users can
easily ask the librarians to get something from another library.
The College Terrace Library is a wonderful place. Please don’t give it up.
Susan Stuermer Thomas
Sent from my iPad
29
Baumb, Nelly
From:Meghan Moura <meghanmoura@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 3:45 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Save the College Terrace Library
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attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
Our family has reviewed the May 7 City Council City Staff report outlining amendments to the proposed FY 2021 budget,
and we urge the Council to reject the proposal to close the College Terrace Library.
The College Terrace Library is a true gem, and as the City’s only community center located west of El Camino Real, it is a
vital resource for residents on this side of the city. The College Terrace Library is a central hub for civic life in College
Terrace, and the neighborhood would not be the same without it. This library branch played a large role in our decision
to pick the College Terrace neighborhood over others as our place to live and raise a family.
Our family lives on Wellesley Street, and we use the College Terrace Library two to three times per week. We often walk
in to browse the library’s selection of books and movies, and love running into other community‐members there. Our
elementary‐school aged daughter loves to use the reading room to read or do homework, especially on hot summer‐
days. She also meets her neighborhood friends there. The College Terrace Library Lucky‐Day Shelf is the best in the city,
allowing residents to quickly access new and sought‐after titles. We also rely heavily on the hold‐shelf at this branch to
access titles from the entire city library catalog, without having to drive to other branches. Lastly, we love to see little
ones flock to the College Terrace Library branch for story time on Tuesday afternoons.
As our community begins to slowly emerge from the isolation of shelter‐in‐place, we will need more places to gather
and reconnect, not fewer. It would be incredibly heartbreaking to lose our beloved College Terrace Library at the very
time when we need it the most. We implore you to keep the College Terrace Library open and explore other avenues for
cost‐saving.
Sincerely,
Meghan Moura
Palo Alto Resident
30
Baumb, Nelly
From:Susan C <teachinator@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 4:02 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Keep the College Terrace Library
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attachments and clicking on links.
Dear city council members,
I am writing to urge you not to close the College Terrace branch of the city library. From Ventura Avenue to Churchill and
from Alma Street on west, this is the closest library branch for hundreds of families. It is not only the most convenient
branch for us, but for non‐drivers it is the only library branch many of can easily access. It’s the only one on a quiet
neighborhood location. Please look to other cuts rather than taking the modest budget of this valuable resource.
Regards,
Susan Cole
, Palo Alto, CA 94306
(Evergreen Park)
Redacted
31
Baumb, Nelly
From:Michele Wang <meeshwang@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 4:09 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Thank you for Supporting The Palo Alto Children's Theatre!!!
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links.
________________________________
Dear City Council,
My name is Michele Wang and I have been a resident of Palo Alto since 2000. I love living in this community and have
raised my 2 children here. As you look at program cuts over the next few weeks, I wanted to let you know how much
our family has treasured the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre. Our daughter has been acting in plays there since 2013. It’s
an amazing resource for children interested in performing arts. It has not only provided her with a great, rich learning
environment, but also a home away from home. She met her best friends there and often goes there to pop in to say
“Hi” to Judge Luckey, Patricia Montenegro or Marieke Gaboury. All wonderful and inspiring adult influences in her life.
There seems to be a lot of sports opportunities around Palo Alto, but few places for kids that have different interests. I
appreciate that Palo Alto provides a breadth of activities to engage our youth.
Thank you for continuing to support the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre.
Warmly,
Michele Wang
Palo Alto Resident
32
Baumb, Nelly
From:Katie <mightypasta@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 4:30 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace Library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hi,
My family has lived in College Terrace for over 50 years. My three brothers and I grew up going to the library. It has
been a huge part of our lives. I still live in CT and I use the library all the time. I read there. I do work on the computer
there. I check out books, dvds and sometimes other materials. I get to see and catch up with neighbors and friends. It is
my HOME.
The College Terrace Library is a very valuable to our community. It is a meeting place for families, friends and
neighbors. It is an important refuge for our elders. It provides shelter to those experiencing homelessness.
‐‐
~Katie Haskin
Stanford Avenue
33
Baumb, Nelly
From:Geraldine Maro <geraldinemaro@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 5:00 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:CT Library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
To whom it may concern,
I learned this week about a potential plan to close our beloved College Terrace library, and wanted to express my
concern and opposition. As a 15+ year resident of College Terrace I have used this library almost once a week, and my
middle‐ and elementary‐school age children are now able to walk there and pick up books independently. This library is
a great asset for our neighborhood, but it is also the most accessible for a number of residents living between
Embarcadero and Loma Verde, and it would be a shame to see it closed.
I hope and trust you will reconsider this plan.
Best,
Geraldine
34
Baumb, Nelly
From:anna saccheri <annarama@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 5:21 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please keep the College Terrace Library open!
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attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council Members,
Please reject the proposal to close the College Terrace Library. It is a wonderful library branch, truly a hidden gem, that
is enjoyed, used and needed by many. When I first moved to College Terrace in 2004, I worked in the CT Library, and I
was able to see and appreciate how necessary the branch was. Now, as a parent, I have seen how important the library
is to my children. When they were young, they loved to visit the library and pick out their own books. When they were
old enough to make the bike ride to the Library on their own, the independence they gained from the experience filled
them (and me) with pride. It is a safe place they can go, if they need to. To build strong communities and raise our kids
to be independent, we need places they can go to, like the CT library. Please keep the College Terrace Library open!
Thank you,
Anna Saccheri
35
Baumb, Nelly
From:Valerie Frankel <valeriefrankel1@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 5:40 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:don't cut our kids programs!
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attachments and clicking on links.
Libraries, teen centers, children's theater? Please don't cut these ‐‐ they're so important for the next generation!
36
Baumb, Nelly
From:Jessica Stark <jessica.stark12@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 6:01 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please don't close the College Terrace library!
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attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
I'm a new resident of College Terrace (as of Oct 2019) and was devastated to hear about the proposal to close the
College Terrace library. Before the shelter in place order, I visited the library weekly to check out books. One of my first
fond memories after moving to College Terrace was the friendly staff members' help in obtaining a library card and
teaching me how to request and check out books. The library is a true bright spot in the neighborhood that encourages
residents to unplug and reconnect with literature and each other ‐ sorely needed in the heart of Silicon Valley. I urge you
to reject the proposal to close College Terrace library.
Best,
Jessica Stark
Redacted
37
Baumb, Nelly
From:Anne Trela <trelaanne@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 6:24 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace Library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council members,
Thank you for tackling the very difficult budget decisions the City of Palo Alto is facing. I am a 13‐year resident
of College Terrace and can attest to the fact that the library is a center for our community. It serves a diverse
and close knit community, serving families, young professionals and older people. It is easily reached by bike
or by walking for a wide variety of residents. In this time of increasing alienation and fractured community, the
college terrace library is a treasure that is irreplaceable. Even a short‐term closure until revenues come back
would be better than taking away this library.
Please also consider the private support from Friends of the Library and others that you will like get for the
library and other Palo Alto services.
Thank you,
Anne Trela
Redacted
38
Baumb, Nelly
From:Annie Aronson (Hobbyhorse) <thismusicisreal@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 6:27 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please save the college terrace library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
This little library adds so much to our neighborhood. We have lost so much in recent years including the Y and
bookstores on Cal Ave. It is the only thing resembling a community center that we can walk to. Please keep it and help
retain the character of this area of Palo Alto.
Annie Aronson
Sent from my iPad
39
Baumb, Nelly
From:Gail A. Klein <gklein1@stanford.edu>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 6:35 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Save the College Terrace Library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
When we moved to here over 20 yrs ago, it welcomed me — small, multipurpose, friendly.Even had a few places to sit
and read and greet people! I know it’s changed since then, but there is NO other library available to serve this west part
of PA.!
Please consider keeping it in a multi‐use form.
All the neighbors love it.
Gail Klein
40
Baumb, Nelly
From:Sue W. Chan <schan@sloan.mit.edu>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 6:40 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:In Support of the Art Center
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Palo Alto City Council,
My name is Sue Chan, I'm a newly minted board member of the Palo Alto Art Center, and a Menlo Park resident.
While I am very aware that it is a reality that we are in completely abnormal times where budget cuts are necessary and
the responsible decision, I wanted to make a personal and impassioned plea on behalf of the Palo Alto Art Center.
The Art Center has inspired my daughter Sevi 6) to find her voice via art. She is a brave but sensitive child, and comes
across loudest when she is expressing herself in a space where there are no rules, there is no wrong, there are no limits ‐
‐ and she found this at the Art Center. We were blessed to enroll her in after school classes, 2 summer camps, Secret
Saturdays, Family Days ‐‐ and this was all before I became a board member. It is an incredible resource to the
community, and part of why I joined the board was because I saw the very simple and real magic there.
I believe in the Art Center's mission unequivocally and know that it has become the center of creativity for Palo Alto‐‐
and I truly hope the city of Palo Alto sees how deeply it is valued. As a board, we are prepared to increase our budget to
ensure the Art Center programs remain supported. We have a board that is dedicated to this cause and will drive
campaign and donor contributions, as evidenced from our recent Spring Campaign results.
Ending the Art Center as a service will come at the expense of the fabric of the community, its children and neighboring
residents (like myself) and are a reason that Palo Alto itself stands apart with its resources and dedication as a beacon in
the Bay Area. Parents participating in Summer Camp focus groups also indicated strong interest in sending their children
back into learning and enriching environments at the Art Center for the summer ‐‐ including myself. The reach is wide ‐‐
with the Art Center serving over 150,000 between July 2018‐June 2019.
Thank you for taking my comments.
Respectfully,
Sue Chan
Menlo Park Resident, Palo Alto Art Center Board Member, Mom of 2 girls who love art and draw chalk drawings for
essential workers on our driveway
41
Baumb, Nelly
From:Carol Ruth <carolruth1@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 7:18 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace Library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Members of the City Council,
We am writing to express my dismay at the prospect of closing the College Terrace Library. It is a vital source of books,
media, community info as well as a cozy neighborhood gathering place that serves thousands of residents. The College
Terrace library allows many of us to visit a library without going across El Camino Real and through downtown. Without
this location, we will not be using the library nearly as much. It is bad enough that this library is only open several days a
week, but to close it all together would be too much of a loss to the Palo Alto community on the west side of town. The
amount saved in its closure would make little difference in the overall city budget.
Thank you for reconsidering this proposal.
Respectfully,
Carol and Ron Ruth
42
Baumb, Nelly
From:Arnout Boelens <a.m.p.boelens@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 7:58 PM
To:Council, City
Cc:Nicole Zoeller Boelens
Subject:Budget priorities
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear members of the city council:
If there has been one silver lining from the current pandemic, it is that we see so many more of our neighbors walking
and biking on our street. Considering severe budget cuts are currently needed, we would like to encourage you
to continue to invest in cycling an walking in Palo Alto. Fortunately, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure can be very
cheap compared to other modes of transport. Traffic diversions are a cheap way to build a bike boulevard, and
one parking spot for a car can easily fit 10 bikes. Below are a number of suggestions that we feel would help in the
current situation.
We think the shared streets program is a great initiative and very much enjoy walking on Ross Road. This could
be extended to University Avenue and California Avenue, once restaurants are allowed to open again. This way
they can place seating outside at a safe distance. Having more diners would increase the tax income of the city.
Because the capacity of public transport is greatly reduced due to social distancing, many cities all over the
world have installed (temporary) bike lanes. This would be a great time to install temporary bike lanes on el
camino for people who are currently not comfortable riding on Caltrain, and allow people to go to work.
Lastly, considering the budgets cuts, we think it is a good time to stop spending money on the downtown
parking garage, and completely cancel this project. Considering the economic downturn, this extra capacity
won't be needed and would be a waste of precious resources.
Thank you for your work in these difficult circumstances.
Kind regards,
Nicole, Arnout, and Ava Zoeller Boelens
43
Baumb, Nelly
From:dedra <dedra@pacbell.net>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 8:00 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Why do you always target the College Terrace Library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Dear City Council members,
I remember some years back when the economy tanked and the City wanted to close College Terrace Library.
Supporters like myself objected strongly and the City eventually just closed it on Mondays and Thursdays. Why is College
Terrace Library, the city resource my family and I use above all others, always the first target of budget cutting?
As I said in the questionnaire you sent out to get citizen input, please find another way to save money. One place to
start is the huge salaries enjoyed by top administrators, and there is usually a lot of bloat and inefficiency in operations
that should be pursued before you take away the things that make this city so great.
Thanks.
Dedra Hauser
44
Baumb, Nelly
From:Melissa Leary <melissa.leary4566@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 8:19 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Please keep the college terrace library. I have stage 4 non small cell lung cancer. Due to my medication I have made the
decision not to drive. This is for the safety of myself and other drivers on the road. College Terrace is the only library I
have the ability to walk to. My cancer is being controlled by medication, but there is no cure. I have no idea how long
before my cancer mutates and I will have to switch drugs. I am on drug number 4 between immune suppression, chemo
and targeted therapy. Currently I understand I have 3 potential drugs to try before I have palliative care. Having a library
I can walk to is a blessing. I don't know how many seniors and how many with young children that it serves besides high
school students, but I know it is a blessing for me.
Thank you for your consideration,
Melissa Leary
1
Baumb, Nelly
From:Elizabeth May <elizabethmay@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 11:39 AM
To:Council, City; City Mgr
Subject:Safe Routes to School and Crossing Guards
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
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attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
Undoubtedly we are facing challenging financial decisions for all our city and its residents. A few weeks
ago I wrote to the Council regarding the discussion of street closures. My concern at that time and
again today was not about spending our resources on street closures but maintaining a focus on
safety. Speeding, traffic, distracted drivers are present in our city and put all of us but especially our
school age children at greatest risk. Biking in Palo Alto is one of our blessings, but doing it safely can be
very hard.
In making cuts, please protect public safety, and in particular, the safety of our children as they travel to
our neighborhood schools, crossing major city thoroughfares as well as on streets usually highly
transited by workers entering Palo Alto each day.
1. Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS)
The SRTS staff are critical to ensure our children’s safety. Dedicated PTA volunteers help support this
committee, but are only a piece of its success. The SRTS staff is an important consistent piece of this
partnership having knowledge of the administration and historical knowledge of this group. This
Committee is the best example of a City/School/Community partnership I have seen in Palo Alto.
2. Crossing Guards
The $500,000 annual crossing guard is modest and is invaluable for providing student safety. The lack of
traffic police staff in recent years and the increase of traffic into Palo Alto makes many of the major
thoroughfares unsafe for cyclists. Without the guards crossing El Camino, Middlefield and
Embarcadero would be extremely hazardous for students during the morning rush hour and after
school.
Clearly there are many hard decisions to make for the health and welfare of our citizens. I hope you will
be thoughtful to making sure we keep our students safe.
Thanks,
Elizabeth May
2
Baumb, Nelly
From:unclehalpaloalto@gmail.com
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 1:42 PM
To:Council, City; Shikada, Ed
Cc:Baumb, Nelly; Brettle, Jessica; Holman, Karen (external); karen@karenholman.org; 'Laura Bajuk'; 'Rich
Green'; 'Nelson Ng'; 'Sergio Mello'; 'John Northway'; 'Douglas Kreitz'; 'Loquist, Kristina';
unclehalpaloalto@gmail.com
Subject:Oral Communication to Council on May 12 by H Mickelson re Roth Building/ Palo Alto Museum
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
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attachments and clicking on links.
Presentation on May 12 during Oral Communications on behalf of Palo Alto Museum:
I’m Hal Mickelson, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood. I’m speaking
today on behalf of the Palo Alto History Museum.
I have good news on two points relating to rehabilitation of the Roth
Building. I’ll explain why it’s good news.
My objective is to ask you to put this matter in what you figuratively call “the
parking lot” for discussion at the appropriate time.
It’s good news because it relates to potential ways of meeting the urgent need
to rescue and stabilize the Roth Building at a smaller cost than you might expect
and with no impact on general funds that can be used for other purposes.
First point: We’ve talked with Vance Brown, the construction company that
would handle rehabilitation of the Roth Building, and they’re telling us it may be
possible to break the project down into phases that would cost less money
initially and push other expenses out into the future. The initial phase of
construction would stabilize the building and create what the builders call either
a “cold shell” or a “warm shell” as a base for future work when more funds are
available.
Second point: Please look at the e-mail message that most of you received
Sunday and yesterday from the Museum’s president, Rich Green. If you don’t
have a copy, Rich also sent it to the City Manager. Please look at the
attachments. There are “impact fee” funds that can be used to stabilize the Roth
Building without drawing on general funds that surely are needed for other
purposes. Specifically, there are unexpended Library Impact Fees of $1.15M that
can be used for a Palo Alto Museum at the Roth Building because the Museum
would house the City Archives. Of the total Library Impact Fee amount, $940,00
would relate to the square footage needed for the Archives. There are also Park
3
Impact Fees that could fund $350,000 worth of construction because the
Museum would provide a public restroom for adjoining park facilities. In
addition, there are Community Center Impact Fees that might be available
because the Museum will have a community meeting room and serve in other
ways as a gathering place.
Again, you can find details in Rich Green’s letter; the City Manager has a
copy. The issue for today is “parking” the matter for future discussion.
Best regards,
Hal M. Mickelson
Resident of Greenmeadow Neighborhood
Post Office Box 20062
Stanford, California 94309
4
Baumb, Nelly
From:Ken Joye <kmjoye@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 2:14 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:discipline
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Councilmember Tanaka stated just now that this budget cycle requires discipline, as we are living in unprecedented
times.
I would urge the City Council to not be swayed by any particular constituency about a budget line item which is being
discussed. You are looking at the budget as a whole, please be disciplined in your approach.
I do not mean to suggest that you should ignore input from residents, but simply that you not be overly swayed by any
particular group.
thank you for your service,
Ken Joye
Ventura neighborhood
5
Baumb, Nelly
From:Ken Joye <kmjoye@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 3:30 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:PL-14000Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
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attachments and clicking on links.
I was not able to make public comment regarding Capital Budget use of funds (could not call the designated number in
time)
I typically speak in favor of bicycle infrastructure, so this proposal will be a departure: can PL-14000 Churchill
Avenue Enhanced Bikeway be deferred from the FY21 capital budget and the transfer from the general fund
be reduced accordingly?
I hasten to add that I am unfamiliar on the linkages between the operating budget and the Capital Improvement
Fund, so this question may be unfitting.
I do not believe that the PL-14000 Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway project should be considered
“essential”
thanks for your consideration
Ken Joye
PABAC chair
6
Baumb, Nelly
From:Michael Eager <eager@eagercon.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 5:45 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:May 13 City Council Meeting Parking
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
As the City Council plots a course for the future and a gradual ending of the Shelter‐in‐Place orders, there are issues
which I believe should be addressed.
As businesses resume operation, it is important that the City resume enforcement of parking permits and time limits in
the areas covered by Residential Parking Permit programs. These neighborhoods are not free or overflow commercial
parking areas.
The Sherman Avenue garage is the first major improvement in parking in the California Avenue area in decades, adding a
significant number of spaces. When the garage is opened, the number of non‐resident parking permits in the Evergreen
Park/Mayfield RPP area should be reduced. I recommend a reduction of 50% when existing permits expire, followed by
an additional 10% reduction each subsequent year. This will benefit the residential neighborhoods and insure that the
garage is fully utilized.
Establish parking permit pricing for the Sherman Avenue garage which incentivizes its usage. Prices for non‐resident
permits in adjacent RPP neighborhoods should be significantly higher than garage permits.
Commercial parking permits in the RPP areas should be reserved for neighborhood‐serving business, especially those
distant from parking garages and lots. Non‐resident parking permits should be allocated on a need basis, not on a first‐
come first‐served basis.
Employee parking permits should be allocated to businesses, not individual employees, which will allow the permits to
be transferred when an employee leaves or shared between part‐time employees. This reduces the number of
employee permits needed.
Many properties have inadequate parking, obtained by paying in lieu fees. These one‐time fees do not adequately cover
the ongoing costs of inadequate parking and should be increased or replaced with an annual fee which can be adjusted
based on current costs.
Other properties have inadequate parking, obtained by the creation of Traffic Demand Management programs. The City
should maintain records of each TDM and require each property with a TDM to submit an annual certification that the
plan is being followed and that it is effective.
Penalties should be assessed against properties which have TDMs which are not being followed or which are ineffective.
Traffic Demand Management programs and Residential Parking Permit programs are two orthogonal methods of
addressing inadequate parking in the City. If a property is covered by a TDM, occupants should not be eligible for RPP
7
permits. Allowing occupants in a property with a TDM to purchase RPP permits undermines the intent of the TDM and
increases the burden on neighborhood parking.
As the City Council faces significant budget issues with the prospect of staff reductions, there is an opportunity to
improve efficiency and preserve the quality of life in Palo Alto.
‐‐
Michael Eager
1
Baumb, Nelly
From:Elizabeth May <elizabethmay@gmail.com>
Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 10:57 AM
To:board@pausd.org; Council, City
Subject:Mental Health for Children
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
PAUSD Board and Palo Alto City Council,
In this challenging climate, as you face the reality of making decisions about cutting programs, please keep the mental
health and wellbeing of children as paramount importance. The isolation, the drain of virtual living and the depressing
prognosis is tremendously challenging for an adult, but I am finding it is overwhelming to my children. And once
overwhelmed, the struggle to engage and continue participating is even greater hurdle.
Our children are flexible and being incredibly resilient. They are being asked to adapt and evolve with haste. Do not
discount the need to support this change and give them the space to recover.
As the District and the City are often partners on many programs for youth, please make these decisions together and
continue to support, where possible ,the existing organizations that have demonstrated they can help our children.
Thanks,
Elizabeth May
2
Baumb, Nelly
From:Hamilton Hitchings <hitchingsh@yahoo.com>
Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 10:18 AM
To:Council, City
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad
Subject:Short Delays in CIP to Save Sworn Officers
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
As you know I'm a huge advocate for our PSB & New Fire Station Building. However, losing the
sworn officers is very expensive and painful and the current plan would cut 14 sworn officers. A 6
month or 1 year delay of either of the PBS or Fire Station Building projects would be ok if it resulted in
not firing sworn officers. I checked with Chief Jonsen on his take before advocating for this and his
preference was bodies over buildings. Note, I'm part of the Chief's Citizen Advisory Group. Also, I
personally would rather see the firestation delayed a year (since we just completed one) and a
temporary delay in bike infrastructure construction. I'm just sharing my opinion and there are a lot of
moving parts but do consider this.
Also, note the Newell Bridge Replacement for Flood Control & Pedestrian/Bike access is 100% paid
for by CalTrans & SCWVD so the savings would only be some staff project management so its a
much higher benefit vs cost.
Lastly, Brad Eggleston is doing a great job delivering infrastructure projects and I've been very
impressed with his successful completion of the Newell Firestation, progress on Cal Ave Garage and
PSB design so I do think we want to continue to move forward with these projects as fast as possible
while not cutting sworn officers that have already been hired. It's with reluctance and only due to the
dire circumstances that I advocate for a short delay on the infrastructure projects not started.
Hamilton
3
Baumb, Nelly
From:Catherine Martineau <catherine@canopy.org>
Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 9:30 AM
To:Council, City; Clerk, City
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Passmore, Walter
Subject:Canopy's Letter for Public Works Budget Hearing
Attachments:Canopy Letter to Council - City of PA Budget Hearing 5-12-20.pdf
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Please find Canopy's letter in attachment and below.
You'll see that we are supportive of the staff's recommendation regarding the street tree pruning contract, as long as full
funding for urban forestry programs resume at the first opportunity.
Thank you,
Catherine
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Catherine Martineau
Executive Director
www.canopy.org
Mobile: 650‐575‐5310
Office: 650‐964‐6110 ext. 2 (you can still leave a message, I will get it via email.)
Ways to Find Peace in the Urban Forest
Dear Mayor Fine, Vice‐Mayor DuBois, and members of the City Council,
In this very difficult budgeting context, Canopy wishes to:
1. Express support for the proposed adjustments to the Public Works Urban Forestry tree pruning budget.
2. Request a firm commitment that Urban Forestry programs will be fully funded at the first opportunity, to ensure the
return to optimal tree‐pruning cycles and the resumption of other Urban Forest Master Plan projects.
Since the adoption of the Urban Forest Master Plan in 2015, and thanks to the support of the Council and community
advocates, the Palo Alto urban forest is in very good shape. Inventory and performance records indicate that the forest
has largely recovered from losses caused by the prolonged drought. In the last few years, the actual pruning cycle has
been shorter than the 7‐year target. On average, the return frequency has been about 6 years.
4
In an effort to contribute to the budgetary efforts the situation demands from all, we support the City staff’s proposal
to save money by decreasing the street tree pruning contract temporarily (two years). Although delay is not preferred,
trees are generally resilient. The resulting pruning cycle is estimated to lengthen by one year.
As you all understand and appreciate, the Palo Alto urban forest plays a crucial role in achieving the City's public health,
sustainability, and economic vitality goals. Trees are Palo Alto’s greatest natural resource and prominent, much‐loved
features of the city’s natural and urban environments. This is why you adopted the City's ambitious Urban Forest Master
Plan and its 2019 revision.
It is imperative that the Council make a firm commitment to fully fund Urban Forestry programs. To date,
implementation of the Urban Forest Master Plan has been severely underfunded. Unlike many other programs, tree
care, planting, and other projects can be safely conducted during the current public health emergency.
We are fortunate that the City's Urban Forester and his staff are dedicated, eminently skilled, and creative professionals
and that Canopy is in a position to assist the City, especially to achieve tree planting goals in a safe manner. Palo Alto’s
urban forest, however, cannot be taken for granted. Without robust funding for tree maintenance and other projects,
the forest will deteriorate and not deliver the ecosystem services we depend on, especially to combat and mitigate
climate change.
.
Thank you for all the careful attention you are giving to this budget. In the words of Councilmember Cormack, it is truly a
heart breaking process.
Catherine Martineau
Executive Director
5
Baumb, Nelly
From:Eve V Clark <eclark@stanford.edu>
Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 8:33 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:College Terrace Library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
dear Palo Alto Council,
I’d urge you to keep this branch of the public library open. It’s an important
resource for College Terrace and the surrounding neighborhoods. I have lived
on the Stanford campus since 1970, and I go to that library at least once a week:
it’s been invaluable, including when my son was small. We got innumerable books
out for him to read and have read. Please find a way to keep this local library open.
Yours sincerely,
Eve Clark
Eve V Clark
R. W. Lyman Professor in Humanities, Emerita
Professor of Linguistics & Symbolic Systems
Stanford University
www.stanford.edu/~eclark
6
Baumb, Nelly
From:Melanie Grondel <mel.grondel@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 11:54 PM
To:Council, City
Cc:Melanie Grondel
Subject:College Terrace Library
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
With sadness I learned of the Staff recommendation to close the College Terrace Library.
The College Terrace Library is in the heart of College Terrace and is the focal point for our community.
Families meet for the story hour,
students come in to study, neighbors gather for a chat to catch up and all are checking out books.
Our Library is much loved and very much needed here in College Terrace. It will again be the soul of the neighborhood as
we emerge from isolation.
Please keep our Library open, it is the one focal point we have left.
Sincerely,
Melanie Grondel
Palo Alto, Ca
Redacted
7
Baumb, Nelly
From:Peter Broadwell <peter@plasm.com>
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 11:19 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please keep the College Terrace Library open
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Dear City Council folks ‐
I live in college Terrace and make extensive use of the library.
I'm old enough I would probably survive without getting more books from the library.
The same can not be said for many of the users who's young minds need the exposure to the wealth of information the
books contain.
A library is more than just book too ‐ there are other media (CD's, DVD's, BlueRay's) of course but also less tangible
elements like "community", "quietness", "variety"
that make
for a richer experience that benefits everyone.
I understand there is a budget issue making you consider the closing, but the eventual of closing it will probably be much
higher than any money you might save in the short term.
Please find some other way to get us past this fiscal shortfall.
;;peter ‐ Peter Broadwell, , Palo Alto Redacted
17
Baumb, Nelly
From:Clerk, City
Sent:Tuesday, May 12, 2020 1:36 PM
To:Crystal Taylor; Clerk, City; Council, City
Cc:Nelson Ng; Holman, Karen (external); Laura Bajuk; Rich Green
Subject:RE: Letters of Support for the Palo Alto Museum
Hi Crystal, Got them. Thank you.
Thanks and have a great day.
B‐
Beth Minor, City Clerk
City of Palo Alto
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650)329‐2379
From: Crystal Taylor <ctaylor@paloaltomuseum.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:46 PM
To: Clerk, City <city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org>; Council, City <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org>
Cc: Nelson Ng <lofujai@ymail.com>; Holman, Karen (external) <kcholman@sbcglobal.net>; Laura Bajuk
<lbajuk@paloaltomuseum.org>; Rich Green <rich@richgreenink.com>
Subject: Letters of Support for the Palo Alto Museum
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello Beth,
Thank you for your guidance earlier today.
Attached you will find a packet of 30 letters in support of the Palo
Alto Museum for the City Council's consideration.
Warm regards,
18
‐‐
Redacted
Redacted
GLEIMTnEJEWELER J£ST. 1931
To the Honorable City Council
I am on the board of the Palo Alto Historical Association. I am also both a long-time business owner and
resident of Palo Alto. As such, I appreciate Palo Alto's unique history, both local and global, and the
importance of having a place to share and preserve that history for the education and enjoyment of
future generations.
I would like to urge you to reconsider soliciting an additional RFP for uses of the city-owned Roth
Building other than a Palo Alto History Museum. As the historic birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto
deserves a museum to serve as a place to preserve, document, and share our contributions to the area
in areas far broader than the existing area museums. Plans and permits are ready, as are staffing plans,
exhibit plans, collections and the city archives. The current plan includes space-sharing with the city in
that it will house the city archives and provide a community room for events. Requesting additional
Rf Ps at this date makes it much more difficult for the museum supporters to raise the additional funds
needed to begin.
The museum is ready to begin construction. The longer it is put off, the more expensive it becomes as
the structure needs reinforcing and preservation. It is a shame that we could end up being the only city
in the area without a worthy history museum when we have the perfect location and a dedicated board
who has been working for a long time to make it happen. It would also be a shame to allow a building
significant to the city's history to fall into complete disrepair.
Please continue to support the Museum; we are so very nearly there!
Thank you for your time.
Georgie Gleim
President, Gleim the Jeweler
111 Stanford Shopping Center Palo Alto, California 94304
540 University Avenue Palo Alto, California 94301
'ifiJJ> /\Mcl<ICIIN GEM ----S O C I E T Y •
( OIIIUIIU'f l'r,)I(;( {lt•tl , Jiff,-J!J_l,I•
Redacted
May 10, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine and Council Members Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Kniss, Kou, and Tanaka:
I am writing to you today to encourage you to continue to support the Palo Alto
Museum's use of the Roth Building.
I have a heartfelt personal interest in the museum. As you know, my late husband, Gary Fazzino (Two time former Mayor and longtime member of the City Council) was an ardent supporter of this project. He contributed his leadership and passion for the
project and we contributed together financially, as well. I continue to support the
museum in this way, in his memory and for the benefit of our children. Gary and I always felt that understanding history makes us better. History inspires the present and the future. We learn what makes our community special and what brings us all together. This project remains close to my heart and the hearts of my children.
Palo Alto's history is rich and diverse. For a city of merely +/-65,000 people, our home town is known throughout the world. And, why? It's because of our innovative and creative roots and lasting worldwide leadership. From Stanford University to launching Silicon Valley, Palo Alto is a mecca for many. People want to visit, to live, and to be
inspired here. If our stories are not preserved, they will die quietly and anonymously.
We need to share with our citizens, children, and visitors all of the wonderful things that have happened here. By sharing our history, we build our community and share the path for the next generation to continue to be leaders and innovators.
The Roth Building is the perfect place to share our history. It's surrounded by Heritage Park and the building itself is historic. Please support the Palo Alto Museum and its use and preservation of the historic Roth Building. Let the Palo Alto Museum's presence in its rightful place in the Roth Building be a light and beacon to the community. Let it inspire, nurture, and educate our youth, citizens, and visitors. Doing so will build
community, goodwill, culture, and pride in Palo Alto.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Annette Evans Fazzino (650) 799-7414
From: "Ralph Britton" <ralphbritton@comcast.net>
Subject: Palo Alto History Museum
Date: March 27, 2020 at 12:51:09 PM PDT
To: "'Liz Kniss'" <kniss2008@yahoo.com>
Cc: Rich Green <rich@richgreenink.com>, Steve Staiger <steve.staiger@cityofpaloalto.org>,
'Karen Holman' <kcholman@sbcglobal.net>
Dear Liz,
I have been informed that the City Council has become concerned, or perhaps remained
concerned about the slow pace of fund raising for the Palo Alto History Museum.
I retired as the Palo Alto Historical Association President when I moved to a retirement
community in San Diego. But almost 85 years living in Palo Alto have given me a historical
interest and perspective. I think that the History Museum is potentially one of the threads that
can weave a tapestry that will inform present and future citizens of the events and efforts that
have created the city as it now stands.
We know that a city is more than just buildings and related infrastructure—it’s the soul of the
place which is the sum of all that dedicated citizens have given to it for over 100 years. Sadly
our newest and wealthiest citizens have not shown sufficient interest in local history to provide
the share of funding that they could have so easily. Perhaps that will change as the project
progresses toward reality.
From a practical standpoint one can ask what is to become of a historic building, owned by the
city and located in part of a city park? Dedication and hard work have created plans and
considerable funds raised by relatively small donations to move thus far forward on the History
Museum. If it’s not going to sit idle for years into the future, something must be done now to
augment and realize the project.
The City has, through philanthropy and civic commitment, created a formidable array of cultural
and recreational venues which have made the city much more than simply a dot on a map. It’s
appropriate for the City Council to fund a major part of the remaining cost in order for this
educational and cultural asset to become reality, as it has for other public facilities such as the
Junior Museum.
Respectfully yours,
Ralph Britton
STEPHEN W. PLAYER
Palo Alto, California 94303
(650) 328-0279
May 8, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Re: Palo Alto Museum
Dear Mayor Fine and Members of the City Council:
As a former Board Member and present member of the Advisory Board of the Palo Alto Museum, I
am writing to urge your ongoing support of the use of the Roth Building for the home of the Museum.
Palo Alto is a unique community with a story that deserves to be told. I have lived and worked in
Palo Alto for over 50 years, and have had the opportunity to meet personally many of the outstanding
individuals who have made Palo Alto what it is today. Unfortunately, we do not have a place in the
City to honor those individuals and tell their stories. The Roth Building provides the ideal place for a
museum, and it should be restored for this purpose. The building has a history all its own which will
be displayed in the Museum. Dr. Lee and Dr. Clark were leaders in the medical field and created one
of the first clinics of its type which has served this community so well. Surrounded by Heritage Park,
it will be a landmark drawing people to the museum to learn about the story of Palo Alto.
Many people have chosen to support the Museum effort, both financially and as volunteers, because
they believe that Palo Alto needs and deserves a museum. One of the highlights of the museum will be
the William Miller Room where visitors can see and hear from his video tapes the stories of the many
people he interviewed over the years on community television. Bill believed in creating a living
history of the City and felt strongly that these stories should be heard. These voices will be preserved
for future Palo Altans in the Museum.
It is important that the City and the Museum continue to work in partnership to make the Roth
Building the special home to display the history of this creative, innovative, and wonderful place in
which we all live.
I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum, and its use and preservation of the Roth Building.
I hope you will join me, and the numerous supporters of this effort, in leaving a legacy for future
generations to enjoy and learn about our outstanding City.
Thank you for your support and for your service to Palo Alto.
Very truly yours,
(signed original w/Bajuk)
Stephen W. Player
Redacted
Greg Schmid Janice Way
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor Fine, Vice Mayor DuBois and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I am writing to you today to urge your support for a community project that delivers on many fronts not otherwise available in Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Museum at the Roth Building brings
educational, research, archives, exhibits and, frankly, necessary focus that the City must support to show our values. And what better place to locate a Palo Alto Museum than in the Roth Building right there at Heritage Park.
In supporting the Museum, I and so many others recognize that our current times quickly
become our history, times that we must record and make available for the learnings that examination provide.
Palo Alto has long been the leader on many fronts. It has nurtured innovation and creativity including on environmental fronts. For decades we have taken initiatives that have helped make our city and this region a continuing leader in providing a mobile, well-educated labor force that
has made critical contributions to path-breaking enterprises while at the same time pushing to be a leader in a range of environmental endeavors: Earth Day, curbside recycling, protected open spaces to name a few. It is prudent to make available important documents that describe
how our community has supported these innovations. We cannot assume reliance on word of mouth or lore to help forward the tradition that Palo Alto has fostered. We need the Palo Alto Museum to provide assurance.
I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum and the restoration of the historic Roth Building for the Museum.
As an economist and former council member, I understand too well the strain of budget constraints. But I urge you to find the funds to join me, my friends and neighbors in supporting this community’s culture and pride through the Palo Alto Museum at the Roth Building. It is a project ready to go. It is a project whose potential will not be likely otherwise. Let’s go!
Most sincerely,
Greg Schmid Former Vice Mayor and City Council member
Cupertino, CA 05014
March 9, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Council Members:
As a former mayor and long-time champion of Palo Alto, I urge you to pursue parts
B and D of the Council’s motion concerning the Roth building to ensure that Palo
Alto has a home to celebrate its past and explore its future.
Way back in the 50s when I was in high school in Oak Park, Illinois I heard about
the outstanding schools of Palo Alto. About the same time the first steps were
occurring which resulted in the City’s developing as the heart of Silicon Valley.
These are but two of the areas for which Palo Alto is known nationally and
internationally.
Actually the exceptional achievements for which the City is known go back to its
early days when the municipal water system was established. In the next few
decades many other unique institutions followed such as the first municipally
owned community theater, children’s library, and children’s museum.
To capture this exceptionally rich history the museum is planning dynamic,
participatory exhibits. But that is not the only goal. The stories will be presented in
a way that provides background and inspiration for exploring and managing the
next new things.
Since 2007 seven City Councils as well as numerous, dedicated members of the
community have made a significant investment of time and funds to provide a
home for this endeavor. I implore you to push the project over the finish line.
Sincerely,
Gail Woolley
Redacted
May 8, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor Fine & Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I am writing to you today to urge you to continue supporting the creation of a Palo
Alto History Museum in the Roth Building.
I have supported a History Museum in the Roth Building since the concept was
first raised and I have financially supported it along with hundreds of others in
Palo Alto and beyond. Its location along historic Homer Avenue and adjacent to
Heritage Park is perfect for allowing Palo Alto families to celebrate our town’s
history. This location also provides a perfect transition from our very busy and
congested downtown to our wonderful Professorville historic neighborhood.
The Palo Alto Medical Clinic was a ground-breaking and innovative medical
provider and is just a few blocks away from the garage where William Hewlett and
David Packard founded their namesake company. This area is ground zero for
Silicon Valley and should be used for a Museum to showcase the many innovators
who have comprised this phenomenal economic engine from Hewlett & Packard,
Dr. Russell V. Lee, & Russell Varian to Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs & Steve
Wozniak.
I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum and its use and preservation of the
historic Roth Building. Please support this visionary Museum.
Sincerely,
Emily M. Renzel, Councilmember 1979-92
Palo Alto, CA. 94301
Redacted
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I urge you to continue to support the Palo Alto Museum's use of the Roth Building.
Palo Alto has a long and unique history that is both local and global. Our history, since its
beginning has been the center of innovation, creation, and leadership. This history needs
to be preserved now and for the future. We need a Palo Alto Museum to showcase our
rich unique history. There are hundreds of untold stories that only a museum can
preserve for use by future generations.
The Roth Building itself is history of a certain Palo Alto era and deserves to be preserved.
What better way than as our own Palo Alto Museum? The building is saved, the museum
is institutionalized and Palo Alto's history, both the past and the future is saved and en-
hanced.
My friends and I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum and its use and preserva-
tion of the Roth Building. Let's get our Museum opened, even as a first phase project,
this year.
With great eagerness!
Enid Pearson, Councilmember (1965-75)
Dear City Council Members,
Here we are in a tough spot not of our making – brought low by a virus and the
response may seem to need more fingers than we have to put in the dike. I
appreciate each of you for being our fingers in the dike.
I write to ask that you support the whole of our City. It’s past, present, and
future. Only by understanding its entire span can we understand who and what
we are civically, culturally and politically right now and in future “right nows”
to help us make more informed decisions, to better understand our town’s
identity and understand our achievements and shortcomings.
To foster excellently Palo Alto’s past, there is no better space than the historic
Ross building located perfectly in Heritage Park near Downtown. No other use
could fit so perfectly – it is as if the Ross building dreamed up the History
Museum to inhabit it. A bit like Cinderella’s glass slipper it fits perfectly – but
midnight must not shatter the future of the Museum – instead the City must
support it.
Several years ago I decided to launch my own oral history project titled, Six
Environmentalists Who Change Palo Alto in the Last Half of the 20th Century. I had
never taken oral histories before, so I turned to those who knew how – they
happened to be organizers for the History Museum. They became my tutors and
supplied written cribs sheets so I could proceed with my project. The result was
12 hours of professionally shot and edited video interviews. I donated copies to
what will become the Oral History Library at the Museum, if allowed to be
completed, where a space will be set aside for oral histories to be taken.
Think about who may walk in those doors to give those histories - who lives here
and at Stanford - it is mind-boggling to think of the invaluable treasure that
would be collected, shared and preserved. Workers on lunch hours could
wander in to see an exhibit or catch a video lecture or event. And what a
destination for families – go to the Museum then play in the Park.
I watched all your hearings on the budget situation and understand the
seriousness we are facing – it is daunting. But we cannot do irrevocable harm in
this instance by not supporting the Palo Alto History Museum. That would not
be putting fingers in the dike - that would be when the dike is breached.
Thank you as ever for your service to our City.
Winter Dellenbach
Barron Park, Palo Alto
May 11, 2020
Palo Alto City Council,
I have been the historian for the Palo Alto Historical Association for more than 35 years, helping
thousands of people with their questions about Palo Alto history. Many have asked why Palo Alto does not have a history museum of some kind, considering the rich and varied history that
has been experienced by their community.
Residents have talked about the need or desire of establishing a local history museum in Palo
Alto for years, even decades. At the time the City issue the RFP for the Roth Building, a number of us in the Palo Alto history community banded together to form the Palo Alto History Museum, with the goal of transforming the lovely old (and historic) medical building on Homer
Avenue into a museum that could showcase the unique history of this community.
Plumas County in northern California with a population of around 20,000 residents, and only one incorporated city (with less than 2000 residents) has nine museums spread throughout the
county. None of the museums are grand, but all are open to visitors and residents showcasing the
contributions of the residents of Plumas County, past and present.
The Palo Alto community (including Stanford) needs to find a way to make this history museum
a reality, and that effort includes significant support from Council.
Sincerely,
Steven Staiger
Bell’s Books
Fine New, Used, & Rare Books since 1935
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-323-7822
bellsbooks.com
May 7, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
Perhaps now, more than ever, as we face the current epidemic, we need a sense of
historical perspective. Our business was founded in the depths of the Great
Depression of the 1930’s, and now, as here we are, eighty-five years later, celebrating
our longevity in this town we love, I ask you to have the insight to recognize the need
for a dedicated Palo Alto Museum, with eager and generous City support,
unencumbered by requirements to share the space with other renters. Please withdraw
the RFP to solicit other uses for the Roth Building. The museum’s appropriate
willingness to house the city’s archives, to provide educational opportunities to our
schools, residents, and visitors, to provide Community space and to design cutting
edge displays, provides the perfect uses for this historic building which will glow again
under the attention. The opportunity to create a lasting legacy is now. Think big!
I have served on the board of the Palo Alto Historical Association and on the founding
board of the Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Organization (the BID) ,
currently serve on the advisory board of the Palo Alto Museum, and am owner of Palo
Alto’s oldest independent, family-owned bookstore. My family has seen many changes
here over the years, and through the interweaving of our lives with literature, historical
texts (and events), as well as, academically, with the Stanford community, we have
learned to appreciate the value of a careful examination and documentation of those
changing times. They slip away so quickly, as does each day as we cope with Covid-19.
What did we learn? What will we remember? How will it be preserved?
Redacted
I have travelled throughout California enjoying history museums of many small and
large towns, most with a minute portion of the resources available to us here, and yet
the pride they show in sharing their town’s history is palpable, admirable, and
touching: How can we do less? With our bookstore location downtown, we are asked
repeatedly every day by visitors if there is somewhere they can learn more about why
our town has become such an internationally renowned hub of technology and world
culture: What is the magic that has created this place? Let’s explore it together.
Wishing you and all your families good health-
Sincerely and appreciatively yours,
Faith Bell
May 11, 2020 Palo Alto City Council, 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council, While I serve on the Historical Heritage Commission in Santa Clara County, and on the Historic Resources Board in Palo Alto, I am writing as a private individual and resident of Palo Alto to urge you to continue supporting the Palo Alto Museum’s use of the Roth Building. Uncertainty in the museum’s partnership with the City at this critical juncture undermines the campaign for the museum. During the Pandemic my husband and I have been walking the streets of Palo Alto and reading up on our remarkable history, which ranges from the Wild West, agriculture, manufacturing, and the creation of Stanford University, to Rock and Roll and innovation in electronics, medicine, computer science, engineering, big data and defense/security. These stories will inspire newcomers as well as long time residents, and encourage future innovation, pride and investment in our community. Architect Birge Clark is internationally recognized and the defining architect of Palo Alto. The Roth Building is one of his most important achievements, in addition to having been a key part of the history of the practice of medicine here. The County has already made a significant investment in repairs to the historic red tile roof. The County and thousands of friends and neighbors have already stepped up to support the formation of the Palo Alto Museum. Now is not the time for the City to abandon the effort. I urge you to reconsider your direction to issue an RFP. The potential market for any other user has likely disappeared in this tragic downtown. The museum already planned a space-sharing arrangement with the Archives and Heritage Park (restroom and Community Room) and this could be extended to a City department. The museum is by far the most appropriate adaptive reuse of this important and historic building. The City Finance Committee should consider possible funding for the gap to construction (currently estimate at $3.7 m). A good faith and impressive effort has been made on many fronts to raise funds to date. There could be savings as the cost of materials comes down. The City has invested in similar capital projects in City-owned buildings like the Junior Museum and Zoo, Avenidas, and the Art Center and now is the time for the Palo Alto Museum. Sincerely, Deborah F. Shepherd Palo Alto, CA 94301 Redacted
May 11, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Nelson Ng
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor Fine and Members of the Palo Alto City Council,
I am writing to urge you to continue support for the Palo Alto Museum's use of the Roth
Building and to provide additional funding for the building's rehabilitation. In 2019, I
joined the Palo Alto Museum Board to make the museum a reality, working with a
dedicated group of board members, staff, and volunteers. We all shared a vision to build
a world-class museum, showcasing the rich history of our community.
Palo Alto is the epicenter of innovation. Back in 1983, I started my first job as a software
engineer in Xerox, Palo Alto, where I was exposed to mouse, bitmap display, windowing
system, and the internet, which are still the foundational technologies in our current
computers. The origin of the many technologies that are part of our daily life can be
traced back to the Palo Alto of that time. It is important for us to preserve these
histories for future generations to come. But beyond the technological advancements,
citizens and visitors in the Palo Alto Museum will witness the pioneer spirit and
creativity, the real-life stories born from our community, that inspired many to stretch
even further and envision ideas that would change the world.
I understand we are in a very challenging time right now. At a time like this, it is even
more important to examine and honor our past to determine how we will invest in our
future. Having a hands-on visual center that explains the history, right in the center of
town, will provide an inspiring touchstone for our community youth and citizens, as well
as for visitors at large.
Sincerely,
Nelson Ng
Palo Alto Museum
Board of Director
Redacted
May 11, 2020
Mayor Fine and Council members Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Kniss, Kou, and Tanaka
I write in support of the Palo Alto History Museum.
Please reverse your direction to issue a new RFP.
Please fund the gap of funds for construction so that the Palo Alto History Museum may open in
the historic Roth Building,.
As a resident of Palo Alto, as a retired teacher in the Palo Alto Unified School District, and as a
donor to the museum, I feel it will be an enormous asset to our community, students of local
history in particular, to have a place where the long and interesting history of Palo Alto can be
seen and absorbed. I have lived here since 1953, and the changes that have occurred over that
time period have been extraordinary, and much important growth occurred before that
time. Residents and visitors would benefit from knowing how all those changes occurred,.
‘Our community needs this museum. I urge you to give it your full support.
Elizabeth Lillard Bernal
Palo Alto 94303
Redacted
7 May 2020
Raehua M. Pan
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I am writing to you today to urge you to strengthen your support for the Palo Alto
Museum's use of the Roth Building. Thirty-five years ago, we used to bring our
children to see doctors at the Roth Building, and we'd visit the Arnautoff murals
from the Depression era as a part of Palo Alto's history. The Birge Clark buildings
define Palo Alto's Spanish.heritage style and are an important part of our local
legacy.
As residents of over 40 years, it seems to us more than appropriate for our trul
unique city that serves as a pivot in moment of history to be showcased in this
particular building. Not just are we the birthplace of Silicon Valley, the home of
Shockley Labs and the HP garage, but the place where innovation in multiple
disciplines (iDEO, Theatreworks, Waymo, etc.) says there is something different
here. Palo Alto has changed the world not only with the silicon chip but with its
culture of trying things out from ground level and recognizing that innovation is
an essential building block in modern society.
In particular, the Museum offers an opportunity to look at this phenomenon in an
historic context telling the stories of real people of different backgrounds,
individuals and groups of people often unknown, who contributed in some way to
this world change. When we came to Palo Alto in 1977 to attend the Stanford
Business School, we were discouraged from looking at houses north of Oregon
Expressway since I was Chinese. Redlining was the unofficial policy. And yet even
as policies changed, Asians and other immigrants were and continue to be an
integral part of building Palo Alto and California. That's why the many
Redacted
...
contributions of people who built Palo Alto but may not have even lived here,
should be part of our story context. The fact that this proposed Museum will
include references to this and other contributors showcases the richness of our
history. In addition, the proximity of the Roth building to the Museum of
American Heritage, Professorville and the downtown area helps also to build a
concentration of the historic district, which with good signage, creates an
attractive draw .
As a supporter and ex-Director and Board member of various local non-profits, I
urge you to join our friends and neighbors in supporting our community's sense of
self through the Palo Alto Museum in this location.
Sincerely,
Raehua Pan
May 11, 2020
Dear City Council Members,
I'm writing to give my whole-hearted support to the Palo Alto History Museum. The
outreach from the Museum developers made me aware just how rich and multi-faceted
and intriguing Palo Alto's history is -- its individuals, its communities, its businesses, its
streets and architecture and public events. People want to know about their hometowns
and they want their kids to know, and they're excited to learn how places grow. And in
PA's case, newcomers and visitors will want to know as well. In this, of all times, we
should not throw away our access either to a source of knowledge or to the connections
that give the city its strength.
The city should go the whole nine yards and make it happen. I didn't like the movie, but
this is without doubt a case of "if you build it, they will come."
I lived in PA for years and years but am not currently resident there. I still have family
there, however, and hope to return before long. Of course, PA's City Council represents
PA residents, but I will just add that while the Museum is of critical importance to the
community, its value would reach far beyond PA itself.
Yours sincerely,
Louisa Rubinfien
Friday, May 8, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
Jeanese Snyder
Palo Alto, CA 94301
I support the Palo Alto Museum's use of the Roth Building and I hope you continue to advocate for this vital resource.
Palo Alto has a unique place in history from its origins as a college-town to its impacts on creating an entire new industry that has influenced the global economy. I support the Museum because it is
important to capture our rich history for current and future generations. The Roth Building is a perfect use for this vibrant museum, with history painted on its walls and its convenient location to Heritage
park and the Museum of American Heritage. With the continued loss in family activities (bowling alleys, miniature golf courses, toy stores, etc.}, the Palo Alto Museum is a needed community gathering place
that will provide not only educational but also entertainment value.
As a fourth generation Palo Altan living in the same house my great-grandparents owned, I have a special attachment to the town and its legacy. My great-grandfather worked for Leland Stanford and lived at Cedro Cottage (my great-grandparents even celebrated their 50 th wedding anniversary there in 1923} and eventually settled in what is now Downtown North. My grandfather was a local businessman,
operating several markets within the downtown area. My mother was an unofficial local historian, who enjoyed giving tours throughout the area to friends, family and out-of-town guests, while sharing stories
of Palo Alto then and now. It is important to capture those types of stories and preserve the artifacts of Palo Alto's evolving history in a dedicated location, for which the Roth Building is well-suited.
I urge you to join me and thousands of friends and neighbors in supporting our community's advancement, goodwill, culture, and pride through the Palo Alto Museum.
Sincerely,
Jea se Snyder
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Redacted
Redacted
Honorable City Council Members
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
RE: Letter of Support for the Palo Alto History Museum
To the Honorable Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I am writing to you today in support of the Palo Alto History Museum and the need to keep the
future museum housed in the historic Roth Building.
George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher, may be most well-known for his often-
repeated quote, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” However,
another quote from Santayana is more apt for this moment, “A country without a memory is a
country of madmen.” So, too, must cities without a memory.
My name is Greer Stone. I teach history at Gunn High School, vice-chair the Santa Clara County
Human Rights Commission, and chair the Palo Alto Midtown Residents Association, but my
advocacy in this letter is strictly my own and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the
aforementioned organizations. However, my belief in the importance of the Palo Alto History
Museum is informed, in part, due to my work in those various roles.
All communities have a history but a history without a storyteller is like a bird without wings. Palo
Alto’s rich history deserves a building to house our story in which is equally steeped in the past.
As a history teacher in Palo Alto, I lament the lack of historical education provided to our city’s
youth regarding our city’s history. This is no critique of our school district, but rather the
limitations on the State’s history curriculum. For students to learn our city’s history, they must
be encouraged to independently study it. The best way to encourage this education is to have an
engaging, exciting, and beautiful history museum that the city supports and celebrates.
This museum will be a gift for us all, including future generations of Palo Altans. Our history, both
the good and the bad, must be seen and understood. This museum will ensure our city’s story is
told and that is a gift worth giving to our future.
Thank you,
Greer Stone
9 May 2020 Wyn Wachhorst
Atherton, CA 94027
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
To the Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
This letter is to offer thoughts and reminders in the hope that the Council will
continue its support of both a local history museum and its housing in the Roth building.
I am currently contracted to write a book of vignettes on significant people and
events in Palo Alto history to be put together in a book and a documentary film, all
proceeds to support the museum (my bio at wynwachhorst.com).
Nearly every town in America has a local history project, a great many have a local
history publication, and very often a local history museum. At least 46 towns in
California list a local history museum, while many more house a local history display
without terming it a museum. Every community has a story, but Palo Alto’s, as you
know, is more significant than most. In a sentence: Palo Altans have historically
transformed the fabric of modern life.
Cyril Elwell, an early Palo Alto pioneer in wireless telegraphy, once noted that what
Edison’s Menlo Park, New Jersey, was to sound and light in the nineteenth century, Palo
Alto was to electronics in the twentieth. Palo Alto’s role as the birthplace of Silicon
Valley began decades before Steve Jobs moved to Waverly Street, before the
development of William Shockley’s transistor on San Antonio Road or Robert Noyce’s
integrated circuit on East Charleston, even before Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard’s
Addison Avenue garage. It dates from 1912, when Lee de Forest, developed the first
practicable radio tube in a small house on Emerson Street and launched the electronic
age. In the first half of the 20th century, manufactures at Federal Telegraph put Palo Alto
at the electronic center of the world, while MacKay Radio launched communication
across the Pacific.
But Palo Alto’s extraordinary history extends well beyond electronics. With a
prehistory of exploration and settlement dating from the 18th century, a symbiotic
connection to Stanford, and a remarkably long list of notable musicians, artists, writers,
scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs, politicians, actors, and athletes, many of them world
renown,* Palo Alto cries out for a state-of-the-art museum of local history.
Redacted
A local history museum is to the community what a scrapbook or photo album is to
the family. History, individual or communal, is a sense of self through time, the
continuity that makes us who we are, a source of meaning and identity. The present is all
process. We are the sum of our memories. A community is defined by its past.
Having the museum in the Roth building, itself an historic landmark in the center of
town, seems ideal. While the building itself warrants restoration, the museum has already
raised much of that cost, conditional on occupying at least part of the building. Nor is
the cost excessive, given the option of far more expensive projects, many of which
simply enrich individuals while deteriorating our quality of life.
There is wide support in the community for both the museum and its locus in the
colorfully historic Roth building. My hope is that the Council will support the project,
recognizing the importance of exhibiting Palo Alto’s pivotal and kaleidoscopic past in a
setting not only engaging and educational, but conspicuously appropriate as well.
Sincerely,
(signed original being mailed)
Wyn Wachhorst
_____
*Omitting Stanford faculty, a far from complete list of prominent people would still include well over 100
names: At least 13 scientists and inventors, 17 writers, 23 business leaders and entrepreneurs, 8
politicians and civil servants, 12 musicians, 14 actors, 9 artists and designers, and 26 athletes.
May 11, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine and Council Members Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Kniss, Kou, and Tanaka,
I ask you to count me among the donors and supporters of the Palo Alto History Museum who advocate a second life for the City-owned Roth Building as the home of the future Museum.
— Please reverse the March 2 directive to Staff to move forward with options for an RFP. — Please weigh the benefits of City capital funding to accelerate rehabilitation of the Roth Building and prevent further deterioration by neglect of this valuable architectural asset.
Palo Alto is singular in many ways, among them the fact that we have no museum to illustrate the stories that give our city global significance beyond its size. My husband and I are among the community supporters pledged to opening a museum that will spotlight the people and the forward-looking energy that has always distinguished Palo Alto. Though we are retired now, our own histories as students and employees (Stanford, HP, Apple) span a fascinating period of invention and growth. My family took root here in 1895, early in the town’s development. I am a former teacher of young children and a civic volunteer, recently retired from the boards of the Palo Alto Historical Association, which manages the City-owned Guy Miller Archives, and the Palo Alto History Museum. For over a decade it has been my privilege to work with people committed to bringing the archives and a participatory museum to the Roth Building.
The pandemic of 2020 has delivered unforeseen challenges that unsettle your management of civic assets and opportunities. I don’t envy the Council’s budgetary choices. Still, I am convinced that a museum illuminating a distinctive past will strengthen community identity among today’s diverse Palo Altans and inspire young people to imagine futures of their own.
The City, the Roth Building, and the Museum have come a long way together. I think of our civic forbears
who conceived and built unique educational and cultural resources that serve us today. I urge you to consider the lasting value to the City of a modern museum in a historic building.
Please continue substantive City support for keeping the future Museum in the Roth Building.
With thanks for your thoughtful attention.
Sincerely,
Barbara Wallace
Redacted
May 11, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine, Vice Mayor DuBois, and Councilmembers Cormack, Filseth, Kniss,
Kou and Tanaka:
I support the establishment of the Palo Alto History Museum in the historic Roth Building. Please reinstate the lease option agreement and make a place in the city’s budget for the funds necessary to start the rehabilitation of the Roth Building.
Having a local, accessible history museum would add to the richness that is Palo Alto.
Knowing the past of a place helps to understand how the place got to where it is today
and provides a grounding which allows thoughtful movement towards tomorrow. Palo Alto needs a place where all residents can see the history of the city and see themselves both in that history and as part of creating a desirable future for the city.
In my almost 32 years here, my involvement with PTAs in Palo Alto, the Girl Scouts of
Palo Alto, the Junior League of Palo Alto-Midpeninsula, the YWCA of the Mid-Peninsula
Donor Advised Fund, Abilities United and other non-profits has made me keenly aware of the depth of caring in the community. Having a museum that shares that with the community and the world is an undeniably good thing.
The city has had many partnerships (Avenidas, the Junior Museum and Zoo and the Art
Center, for example) over the years that serve the residents so well. The PAHM would be a fine addition to the list, adding a new thread to the beautiful tapestry that is Palo Alto.
The many hundreds of donors and supporters of the PAHM have shown by their actions that Palo Alto should have a museum. Please work with them to complete the reality
and fund the shortfall that would bring the Museum in the historic Roth Building to
fruition. Having the Palo Alto History Museum will allow us all to be our best selves.
Thank you for your consideration,
Marcie Brown
May 11, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine and Council Members:
I urge Council to reverse their previous decision to offer a new RFP for the Roth Building. Please vote to supply the necessary funds to bring that historic building up to
code and open it as the Palo Alto History Museum. That is in the City's interest.
As a longtime resident, I regret that I cannot take visitors, or my grandchildren, to a place where they can learn about the rich history of Palo Alto.
As founder of AAUW Tech Trek STEM Camps for Girls, I assure you that young people
are interested in history. In 22 years, we have hosted, on college campuses, 17,000 rising 8th grade young women on full scholarships. A portion of the program is instruction about the history of women in math and science. It ignites a spark of excitement when they learn that significant discoveries have been made by women
since at least 1900 BCE. The girls of Palo Alto should have one destination where they
can be inspired by the accomplishments of Palo Alto’s women.
Throughout our city's history, many women and men have made important contributions. With additional funding from the City, and the already
committed funds from private donors, we will provide a place where all our students and
citizens can learn those stories.
Thank you. Marie Wolbach
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Redacted
May 9, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I am writing to you today to encourage you to support a museum dedicated to Palo Alto history. And
for their residency in the city owned Roth Building. A city that is as important as Palo Alto should
have a museum that showcases its important history and contributions to not just the Bay Area but the
world at large.
In the immediate Bay Area there are over 20 city museums. Each one, either focused on, or
entirely dedicated to, the history and evolution of the city and surrounding area they
represent. And while not disparaging any other city, it would be difficult to find a city with a
richer, more significant, history than that of Palo Alto.
A city history museum will provide numerous benefits to the city. It will be a destination for
every family living in the immediate area, an outing for school groups of all ages, and a must
visit location for visitors to our community. But in addition to being a destination, it also
provides a concise organization responsible for the preservation, and display, of community
historic documents, photographs, and artifacts.
And I consider the historic Roth Building as an excellent match for a museum. Its
architectural style is quite compatible with the appearance of a museum, and it has a perfect
location to attract downtown visitors. In my opinion, using that property for just a
government office, or leasing it out to a commercial business is not the optimal use of this
valuable asset of the city.
I urge you to find a solution that will result in the Palo Alto Museum being able to reside in the Roth
Building.
Sincerely,
Jim Wall
Board President
Museum of American Heritage
May 11, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine, Vice Mayor du Bois and Council,
I am writing in support of the Palo Alto History Museum. As an artist and retired teacher in the PAUSD, I feel it is imperative we have an appropriate venue to share and showcase the stories of this city. My late husband, Greg Brown, felt strongly that our
"hometown" have a special place where generations might come to appreciate our
unique history. He planned to paint a mural celebrating Palo Alto's Culture at the site.
The remodeled Art Center and the Junior Museum serve to entertain and educate both our citizens and visitors alike. It is time for the Palo Alto History Museum to take its
rightful place beside them.
Thank you, Julie Brown
GLEIMTnEJEWELER J£ST. 1931
To the Honorable City Council
I am on the board of the Palo Alto Historical Association. I am also both a long-time business owner and
resident of Palo Alto. As such, I appreciate Palo Alto's unique history, both local and global, and the
importance of having a place to share and preserve that history for the education and enjoyment of
future generations.
I would like to urge you to reconsider soliciting an additional RFP for uses of the city-owned Roth
Building other than a Palo Alto History Museum. As the historic birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto
deserves a museum to serve as a place to preserve, document, and share our contributions to the area
in areas far broader than the existing area museums. Plans and permits are ready, as are staffing plans,
exhibit plans, collections and the city archives. The current plan includes space-sharing with the city in
that it will house the city archives and provide a community room for events. Requesting additional
Rf Ps at this date makes it much more difficult for the museum supporters to raise the additional funds
needed to begin.
The museum is ready to begin construction. The longer it is put off, the more expensive it becomes as
the structure needs reinforcing and preservation. It is a shame that we could end up being the only city
in the area without a worthy history museum when we have the perfect location and a dedicated board
who has been working for a long time to make it happen. It would also be a shame to allow a building
significant to the city's history to fall into complete disrepair.
Please continue to support the Museum; we are so very nearly there!
Thank you for your time.
Georgie Gleim
President, Gleim the Jeweler
111 Stanford Shopping Center Palo Alto, California 94304
540 University Avenue Palo Alto, California 94301
'ifiJJ> /\Mcl<ICIIN GEM ----S O C I E T Y •
( OIIIUIIU'f l'r,)I(;( {lt•tl , Jiff,-J!J_l,I•
May 10, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine and Council Members Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Kniss, Kou, and Tanaka:
I am writing to you today to encourage you to continue to support the Palo Alto
Museum's use of the Roth Building.
I have a heartfelt personal interest in the museum. As you know, my late husband, Gary Fazzino (Two time former Mayor and longtime member of the City Council) was an ardent supporter of this project. He contributed his leadership and passion for the
project and we contributed together financially, as well. I continue to support the
museum in this way, in his memory and for the benefit of our children. Gary and I always felt that understanding history makes us better. History inspires the present and the future. We learn what makes our community special and what brings us all together. This project remains close to my heart and the hearts of my children.
Palo Alto's history is rich and diverse. For a city of merely +/-65,000 people, our home town is known throughout the world. And, why? It's because of our innovative and creative roots and lasting worldwide leadership. From Stanford University to launching Silicon Valley, Palo Alto is a mecca for many. People want to visit, to live, and to be
inspired here. If our stories are not preserved, they will die quietly and anonymously.
We need to share with our citizens, children, and visitors all of the wonderful things that have happened here. By sharing our history, we build our community and share the path for the next generation to continue to be leaders and innovators.
The Roth Building is the perfect place to share our history. It's surrounded by Heritage Park and the building itself is historic. Please support the Palo Alto Museum and its use and preservation of the historic Roth Building. Let the Palo Alto Museum's presence in its rightful place in the Roth Building be a light and beacon to the community. Let it inspire, nurture, and educate our youth, citizens, and visitors. Doing so will build
community, goodwill, culture, and pride in Palo Alto.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Annette Evans Fazzino (650) 799-7414
From: "Ralph Britton" <ralphbritton@comcast.net>
Subject: Palo Alto History Museum
Date: March 27, 2020 at 12:51:09 PM PDT
To: "'Liz Kniss'" <kniss2008@yahoo.com>
Cc: Rich Green <rich@richgreenink.com>, Steve Staiger <steve.staiger@cityofpaloalto.org>,
'Karen Holman' <kcholman@sbcglobal.net>
Dear Liz,
I have been informed that the City Council has become concerned, or perhaps remained
concerned about the slow pace of fund raising for the Palo Alto History Museum.
I retired as the Palo Alto Historical Association President when I moved to a retirement
community in San Diego. But almost 85 years living in Palo Alto have given me a historical
interest and perspective. I think that the History Museum is potentially one of the threads that
can weave a tapestry that will inform present and future citizens of the events and efforts that
have created the city as it now stands.
We know that a city is more than just buildings and related infrastructure—it’s the soul of the
place which is the sum of all that dedicated citizens have given to it for over 100 years. Sadly
our newest and wealthiest citizens have not shown sufficient interest in local history to provide
the share of funding that they could have so easily. Perhaps that will change as the project
progresses toward reality.
From a practical standpoint one can ask what is to become of a historic building, owned by the
city and located in part of a city park? Dedication and hard work have created plans and
considerable funds raised by relatively small donations to move thus far forward on the History
Museum. If it’s not going to sit idle for years into the future, something must be done now to
augment and realize the project.
The City has, through philanthropy and civic commitment, created a formidable array of cultural
and recreational venues which have made the city much more than simply a dot on a map. It’s
appropriate for the City Council to fund a major part of the remaining cost in order for this
educational and cultural asset to become reality, as it has for other public facilities such as the
Junior Museum.
Respectfully yours,
Ralph Britton
STEPHEN W. PLAYER
1874 Guinda St.
Palo Alto, California 94303
(650) 328-0279
May 8, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Re: Palo Alto Museum
Dear Mayor Fine and Members of the City Council:
As a former Board Member and present member of the Advisory Board of the Palo Alto Museum, I
am writing to urge your ongoing support of the use of the Roth Building for the home of the Museum.
Palo Alto is a unique community with a story that deserves to be told. I have lived and worked in
Palo Alto for over 50 years, and have had the opportunity to meet personally many of the outstanding
individuals who have made Palo Alto what it is today. Unfortunately, we do not have a place in the
City to honor those individuals and tell their stories. The Roth Building provides the ideal place for a
museum, and it should be restored for this purpose. The building has a history all its own which will
be displayed in the Museum. Dr. Lee and Dr. Clark were leaders in the medical field and created one
of the first clinics of its type which has served this community so well. Surrounded by Heritage Park,
it will be a landmark drawing people to the museum to learn about the story of Palo Alto.
Many people have chosen to support the Museum effort, both financially and as volunteers, because
they believe that Palo Alto needs and deserves a museum. One of the highlights of the museum will be
the William Miller Room where visitors can see and hear from his video tapes the stories of the many
people he interviewed over the years on community television. Bill believed in creating a living
history of the City and felt strongly that these stories should be heard. These voices will be preserved
for future Palo Altans in the Museum.
It is important that the City and the Museum continue to work in partnership to make the Roth
Building the special home to display the history of this creative, innovative, and wonderful place in
which we all live.
I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum, and its use and preservation of the Roth Building.
I hope you will join me, and the numerous supporters of this effort, in leaving a legacy for future
generations to enjoy and learn about our outstanding City.
Thank you for your support and for your service to Palo Alto.
Very truly yours,
(signed original w/Bajuk)
Stephen W. Player
Greg Schmid Janice Way
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor Fine, Vice Mayor DuBois and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I am writing to you today to urge your support for a community project that delivers on many fronts not otherwise available in Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Museum at the Roth Building brings
educational, research, archives, exhibits and, frankly, necessary focus that the City must support to show our values. And what better place to locate a Palo Alto Museum than in the Roth Building right there at Heritage Park.
In supporting the Museum, I and so many others recognize that our current times quickly
become our history, times that we must record and make available for the learnings that examination provide.
Palo Alto has long been the leader on many fronts. It has nurtured innovation and creativity including on environmental fronts. For decades we have taken initiatives that have helped make our city and this region a continuing leader in providing a mobile, well-educated labor force that
has made critical contributions to path-breaking enterprises while at the same time pushing to be a leader in a range of environmental endeavors: Earth Day, curbside recycling, protected open spaces to name a few. It is prudent to make available important documents that describe
how our community has supported these innovations. We cannot assume reliance on word of mouth or lore to help forward the tradition that Palo Alto has fostered. We need the Palo Alto Museum to provide assurance.
I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum and the restoration of the historic Roth Building for the Museum.
As an economist and former council member, I understand too well the strain of budget constraints. But I urge you to find the funds to join me, my friends and neighbors in supporting this community’s culture and pride through the Palo Alto Museum at the Roth Building. It is a project ready to go. It is a project whose potential will not be likely otherwise. Let’s go!
Most sincerely,
Greg Schmid Former Vice Mayor and City Council member
23500 Cristo Rey Drive
Cupertino, CA 05014
March 9, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Council Members:
As a former mayor and long-time champion of Palo Alto, I urge you to pursue parts
B and D of the Council’s motion concerning the Roth building to ensure that Palo
Alto has a home to celebrate its past and explore its future.
Way back in the 50s when I was in high school in Oak Park, Illinois I heard about
the outstanding schools of Palo Alto. About the same time the first steps were
occurring which resulted in the City’s developing as the heart of Silicon Valley.
These are but two of the areas for which Palo Alto is known nationally and
internationally.
Actually the exceptional achievements for which the City is known go back to its
early days when the municipal water system was established. In the next few
decades many other unique institutions followed such as the first municipally
owned community theater, children’s library, and children’s museum.
To capture this exceptionally rich history the museum is planning dynamic,
participatory exhibits. But that is not the only goal. The stories will be presented in
a way that provides background and inspiration for exploring and managing the
next new things.
Since 2007 seven City Councils as well as numerous, dedicated members of the
community have made a significant investment of time and funds to provide a
home for this endeavor. I implore you to push the project over the finish line.
Sincerely,
Gail Woolley
May 8, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor Fine & Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I am writing to you today to urge you to continue supporting the creation of a Palo
Alto History Museum in the Roth Building.
I have supported a History Museum in the Roth Building since the concept was
first raised and I have financially supported it along with hundreds of others in
Palo Alto and beyond. Its location along historic Homer Avenue and adjacent to
Heritage Park is perfect for allowing Palo Alto families to celebrate our town’s
history. This location also provides a perfect transition from our very busy and
congested downtown to our wonderful Professorville historic neighborhood.
The Palo Alto Medical Clinic was a ground-breaking and innovative medical
provider and is just a few blocks away from the garage where William Hewlett and
David Packard founded their namesake company. This area is ground zero for
Silicon Valley and should be used for a Museum to showcase the many innovators
who have comprised this phenomenal economic engine from Hewlett & Packard,
Dr. Russell V. Lee, & Russell Varian to Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs & Steve
Wozniak.
I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum and its use and preservation of the
historic Roth Building. Please support this visionary Museum.
Sincerely,
Emily M. Renzel, Councilmember 1979-92
1056 Forest Avenue
Palo Alto, CA. 94301
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I urge you to continue to support the Palo Alto Museum's use of the Roth Building.
Palo Alto has a long and unique history that is both local and global. Our history, since its
beginning has been the center of innovation, creation, and leadership. This history needs
to be preserved now and for the future. We need a Palo Alto Museum to showcase our
rich unique history. There are hundreds of untold stories that only a museum can
preserve for use by future generations.
The Roth Building itself is history of a certain Palo Alto era and deserves to be preserved.
What better way than as our own Palo Alto Museum? The building is saved, the museum
is institutionalized and Palo Alto's history, both the past and the future is saved and en-
hanced.
My friends and I enthusiastically support the Palo Alto Museum and its use and preserva-
tion of the Roth Building. Let's get our Museum opened, even as a first phase project,
this year.
With great eagerness!
Enid Pearson, Councilmember (1965-75)
Dear City Council Members,
Here we are in a tough spot not of our making – brought low by a virus and the
response may seem to need more fingers than we have to put in the dike. I
appreciate each of you for being our fingers in the dike.
I write to ask that you support the whole of our City. It’s past, present, and
future. Only by understanding its entire span can we understand who and what
we are civically, culturally and politically right now and in future “right nows”
to help us make more informed decisions, to better understand our town’s
identity and understand our achievements and shortcomings.
To foster excellently Palo Alto’s past, there is no better space than the historic
Ross building located perfectly in Heritage Park near Downtown. No other use
could fit so perfectly – it is as if the Ross building dreamed up the History
Museum to inhabit it. A bit like Cinderella’s glass slipper it fits perfectly – but
midnight must not shatter the future of the Museum – instead the City must
support it.
Several years ago I decided to launch my own oral history project titled, Six
Environmentalists Who Change Palo Alto in the Last Half of the 20th Century. I had
never taken oral histories before, so I turned to those who knew how – they
happened to be organizers for the History Museum. They became my tutors and
supplied written cribs sheets so I could proceed with my project. The result was
12 hours of professionally shot and edited video interviews. I donated copies to
what will become the Oral History Library at the Museum, if allowed to be
completed, where a space will be set aside for oral histories to be taken.
Think about who may walk in those doors to give those histories - who lives here
and at Stanford - it is mind-boggling to think of the invaluable treasure that
would be collected, shared and preserved. Workers on lunch hours could
wander in to see an exhibit or catch a video lecture or event. And what a
destination for families – go to the Museum then play in the Park.
I watched all your hearings on the budget situation and understand the
seriousness we are facing – it is daunting. But we cannot do irrevocable harm in
this instance by not supporting the Palo Alto History Museum. That would not
be putting fingers in the dike - that would be when the dike is breached.
Thank you as ever for your service to our City.
Winter Dellenbach
Barron Park, Palo Alto
May 11, 2020
Palo Alto City Council,
I have been the historian for the Palo Alto Historical Association for more than 35 years, helping
thousands of people with their questions about Palo Alto history. Many have asked why Palo Alto does not have a history museum of some kind, considering the rich and varied history that
has been experienced by their community.
Residents have talked about the need or desire of establishing a local history museum in Palo
Alto for years, even decades. At the time the City issue the RFP for the Roth Building, a number of us in the Palo Alto history community banded together to form the Palo Alto History Museum, with the goal of transforming the lovely old (and historic) medical building on Homer
Avenue into a museum that could showcase the unique history of this community.
Plumas County in northern California with a population of around 20,000 residents, and only one incorporated city (with less than 2000 residents) has nine museums spread throughout the
county. None of the museums are grand, but all are open to visitors and residents showcasing the
contributions of the residents of Plumas County, past and present.
The Palo Alto community (including Stanford) needs to find a way to make this history museum
a reality, and that effort includes significant support from Council.
Sincerely,
Steven Staiger
Bell’s Books
Fine New, Used, & Rare Books since 1935
536 Emerson Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-323-7822
bellsbooks.com
May 7, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
Perhaps now, more than ever, as we face the current epidemic, we need a sense of
historical perspective. Our business was founded in the depths of the Great
Depression of the 1930’s, and now, as here we are, eighty-five years later, celebrating
our longevity in this town we love, I ask you to have the insight to recognize the need
for a dedicated Palo Alto Museum, with eager and generous City support,
unencumbered by requirements to share the space with other renters. Please withdraw
the RFP to solicit other uses for the Roth Building. The museum’s appropriate
willingness to house the city’s archives, to provide educational opportunities to our
schools, residents, and visitors, to provide Community space and to design cutting
edge displays, provides the perfect uses for this historic building which will glow again
under the attention. The opportunity to create a lasting legacy is now. Think big!
I have served on the board of the Palo Alto Historical Association and on the founding
board of the Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Organization (the BID) ,
currently serve on the advisory board of the Palo Alto Museum, and am owner of Palo
Alto’s oldest independent, family-owned bookstore. My family has seen many changes
here over the years, and through the interweaving of our lives with literature, historical
texts (and events), as well as, academically, with the Stanford community, we have
learned to appreciate the value of a careful examination and documentation of those
changing times. They slip away so quickly, as does each day as we cope with Covid-19.
What did we learn? What will we remember? How will it be preserved?
I have travelled throughout California enjoying history museums of many small and
large towns, most with a minute portion of the resources available to us here, and yet
the pride they show in sharing their town’s history is palpable, admirable, and
touching: How can we do less? With our bookstore location downtown, we are asked
repeatedly every day by visitors if there is somewhere they can learn more about why
our town has become such an internationally renowned hub of technology and world
culture: What is the magic that has created this place? Let’s explore it together.
Wishing you and all your families good health-
Sincerely and appreciatively yours,
Faith Bell
May 11, 2020 Palo Alto City Council, 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council, While I serve on the Historical Heritage Commission in Santa Clara County, and on the Historic Resources Board in Palo Alto, I am writing as a private individual and resident of Palo Alto to urge you to continue supporting the Palo Alto Museum’s use of the Roth Building. Uncertainty in the museum’s partnership with the City at this critical juncture undermines the campaign for the museum. During the Pandemic my husband and I have been walking the streets of Palo Alto and reading up on our remarkable history, which ranges from the Wild West, agriculture, manufacturing, and the creation of Stanford University, to Rock and Roll and innovation in electronics, medicine, computer science, engineering, big data and defense/security. These stories will inspire newcomers as well as long time residents, and encourage future innovation, pride and investment in our community. Architect Birge Clark is internationally recognized and the defining architect of Palo Alto. The Roth Building is one of his most important achievements, in addition to having been a key part of the history of the practice of medicine here. The County has already made a significant investment in repairs to the historic red tile roof. The County and thousands of friends and neighbors have already stepped up to support the formation of the Palo Alto Museum. Now is not the time for the City to abandon the effort. I urge you to reconsider your direction to issue an RFP. The potential market for any other user has likely disappeared in this tragic downtown. The museum already planned a space-sharing arrangement with the Archives and Heritage Park (restroom and Community Room) and this could be extended to a City department. The museum is by far the most appropriate adaptive reuse of this important and historic building. The City Finance Committee should consider possible funding for the gap to construction (currently estimate at $3.7 m). A good faith and impressive effort has been made on many fronts to raise funds to date. There could be savings as the cost of materials comes down. The City has invested in similar capital projects in City-owned buildings like the Junior Museum and Zoo, Avenidas, and the Art Center and now is the time for the Palo Alto Museum. Sincerely, Deborah F. Shepherd 567 Hale Street Palo Alto, CA 94301
May 11, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Nelson Ng
1260 Emerson St
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor Fine and Members of the Palo Alto City Council,
I am writing to urge you to continue support for the Palo Alto Museum's use of the Roth
Building and to provide additional funding for the building's rehabilitation. In 2019, I
joined the Palo Alto Museum Board to make the museum a reality, working with a
dedicated group of board members, staff, and volunteers. We all shared a vision to build
a world-class museum, showcasing the rich history of our community.
Palo Alto is the epicenter of innovation. Back in 1983, I started my first job as a software
engineer in Xerox, Palo Alto, where I was exposed to mouse, bitmap display, windowing
system, and the internet, which are still the foundational technologies in our current
computers. The origin of the many technologies that are part of our daily life can be
traced back to the Palo Alto of that time. It is important for us to preserve these
histories for future generations to come. But beyond the technological advancements,
citizens and visitors in the Palo Alto Museum will witness the pioneer spirit and
creativity, the real-life stories born from our community, that inspired many to stretch
even further and envision ideas that would change the world.
I understand we are in a very challenging time right now. At a time like this, it is even
more important to examine and honor our past to determine how we will invest in our
future. Having a hands-on visual center that explains the history, right in the center of
town, will provide an inspiring touchstone for our community youth and citizens, as well
as for visitors at large.
Sincerely,
Nelson Ng
Palo Alto Museum
Board of Director
May 11, 2020
Mayor Fine and Council members Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Kniss, Kou, and Tanaka
I write in support of the Palo Alto History Museum.
Please reverse your direction to issue a new RFP.
Please fund the gap of funds for construction so that the Palo Alto History Museum may open in
the historic Roth Building,.
As a resident of Palo Alto, as a retired teacher in the Palo Alto Unified School District, and as a
donor to the museum, I feel it will be an enormous asset to our community, students of local
history in particular, to have a place where the long and interesting history of Palo Alto can be
seen and absorbed. I have lived here since 1953, and the changes that have occurred over that
time period have been extraordinary, and much important growth occurred before that
time. Residents and visitors would benefit from knowing how all those changes occurred,.
‘Our community needs this museum. I urge you to give it your full support.
Elizabeth Lillard Bernal
938 N. California Ave
Palo Alto 94303
7 May 2020
Raehua M. Pan
334 Whitman Ct.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I am writing to you today to urge you to strengthen your support for the Palo Alto
Museum's use of the Roth Building. Thirty-five years ago, we used to bring our
children to see doctors at the Roth Building, and we'd visit the Arnautoff murals
from the Depression era as a part of Palo Alto's history. The Birge Clark buildings
define Palo Alto's Spanish.heritage style and are an important part of our local
legacy.
As residents of over 40 years, it seems to us more than appropriate for our trul
unique city that serves as a pivot in moment of history to be showcased in this
particular building. Not just are we the birthplace of Silicon Valley, the home of
Shockley Labs and the HP garage, but the place where innovation in multiple
disciplines (iDEO, Theatreworks, Waymo, etc.) says there is something different
here. Palo Alto has changed the world not only with the silicon chip but with its
culture of trying things out from ground level and recognizing that innovation is
an essential building block in modern society.
In particular, the Museum offers an opportunity to look at this phenomenon in an
historic context telling the stories of real people of different backgrounds,
individuals and groups of people often unknown, who contributed in some way to
this world change. When we came to Palo Alto in 1977 to attend the Stanford
Business School, we were discouraged from looking at houses north of Oregon
Expressway since I was Chinese. Redlining was the unofficial policy. And yet even
as policies changed, Asians and other immigrants were and continue to be an
integral part of building Palo Alto and California. That's why the many
...
contributions of people who built Palo Alto but may not have even lived here,
should be part of our story context. The fact that this proposed Museum will
include references to this and other contributors showcases the richness of our
history. In addition, the proximity of the Roth building to the Museum of
American Heritage, Professorville and the downtown area helps also to build a
concentration of the historic district, which with good signage, creates an
attractive draw .
As a supporter and ex-Director and Board member of various local non-profits, I
urge you to join our friends and neighbors in supporting our community's sense of
self through the Palo Alto Museum in this location.
Sincerely,
Raehua Pan
May 11, 2020
Dear City Council Members,
I'm writing to give my whole-hearted support to the Palo Alto History Museum. The
outreach from the Museum developers made me aware just how rich and multi-faceted
and intriguing Palo Alto's history is -- its individuals, its communities, its businesses, its
streets and architecture and public events. People want to know about their hometowns
and they want their kids to know, and they're excited to learn how places grow. And in
PA's case, newcomers and visitors will want to know as well. In this, of all times, we
should not throw away our access either to a source of knowledge or to the connections
that give the city its strength.
The city should go the whole nine yards and make it happen. I didn't like the movie, but
this is without doubt a case of "if you build it, they will come."
I lived in PA for years and years but am not currently resident there. I still have family
there, however, and hope to return before long. Of course, PA's City Council represents
PA residents, but I will just add that while the Museum is of critical importance to the
community, its value would reach far beyond PA itself.
Yours sincerely,
Louisa Rubinfien
Friday, May 8, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
Jeanese Snyder
380 Palo Alto Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301
I support the Palo Alto Museum's use of the Roth Building and I hope you continue to advocate for this vital resource.
Palo Alto has a unique place in history from its origins as a college-town to its impacts on creating an entire new industry that has influenced the global economy. I support the Museum because it is
important to capture our rich history for current and future generations. The Roth Building is a perfect use for this vibrant museum, with history painted on its walls and its convenient location to Heritage
park and the Museum of American Heritage. With the continued loss in family activities (bowling alleys, miniature golf courses, toy stores, etc.}, the Palo Alto Museum is a needed community gathering place
that will provide not only educational but also entertainment value.
As a fourth generation Palo Altan living in the same house my great-grandparents owned, I have a special attachment to the town and its legacy. My great-grandfather worked for Leland Stanford and lived at Cedro Cottage (my great-grandparents even celebrated their 50 th wedding anniversary there in 1923} and eventually settled in what is now Downtown North. My grandfather was a local businessman,
operating several markets within the downtown area. My mother was an unofficial local historian, who enjoyed giving tours throughout the area to friends, family and out-of-town guests, while sharing stories
of Palo Alto then and now. It is important to capture those types of stories and preserve the artifacts of Palo Alto's evolving history in a dedicated location, for which the Roth Building is well-suited.
I urge you to join me and thousands of friends and neighbors in supporting our community's advancement, goodwill, culture, and pride through the Palo Alto Museum.
Sincerely,
Jea se Snyder
380 Palo Alto Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301
Honorable City Council Members
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
RE: Letter of Support for the Palo Alto History Museum
To the Honorable Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
I am writing to you today in support of the Palo Alto History Museum and the need to keep the
future museum housed in the historic Roth Building.
George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher, may be most well-known for his often-
repeated quote, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” However,
another quote from Santayana is more apt for this moment, “A country without a memory is a
country of madmen.” So, too, must cities without a memory.
My name is Greer Stone. I teach history at Gunn High School, vice-chair the Santa Clara County
Human Rights Commission, and chair the Palo Alto Midtown Residents Association, but my
advocacy in this letter is strictly my own and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the
aforementioned organizations. However, my belief in the importance of the Palo Alto History
Museum is informed, in part, due to my work in those various roles.
All communities have a history but a history without a storyteller is like a bird without wings. Palo
Alto’s rich history deserves a building to house our story in which is equally steeped in the past.
As a history teacher in Palo Alto, I lament the lack of historical education provided to our city’s
youth regarding our city’s history. This is no critique of our school district, but rather the
limitations on the State’s history curriculum. For students to learn our city’s history, they must
be encouraged to independently study it. The best way to encourage this education is to have an
engaging, exciting, and beautiful history museum that the city supports and celebrates.
This museum will be a gift for us all, including future generations of Palo Altans. Our history, both
the good and the bad, must be seen and understood. This museum will ensure our city’s story is
told and that is a gift worth giving to our future.
Thank you,
Greer Stone
9 May 2020 Wyn Wachhorst
298 Park Lane
Atherton, CA 94027
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
To the Mayor and Members of the Palo Alto City Council:
This letter is to offer thoughts and reminders in the hope that the Council will
continue its support of both a local history museum and its housing in the Roth building.
I am currently contracted to write a book of vignettes on significant people and
events in Palo Alto history to be put together in a book and a documentary film, all
proceeds to support the museum (my bio at wynwachhorst.com).
Nearly every town in America has a local history project, a great many have a local
history publication, and very often a local history museum. At least 46 towns in
California list a local history museum, while many more house a local history display
without terming it a museum. Every community has a story, but Palo Alto’s, as you
know, is more significant than most. In a sentence: Palo Altans have historically
transformed the fabric of modern life.
Cyril Elwell, an early Palo Alto pioneer in wireless telegraphy, once noted that what
Edison’s Menlo Park, New Jersey, was to sound and light in the nineteenth century, Palo
Alto was to electronics in the twentieth. Palo Alto’s role as the birthplace of Silicon
Valley began decades before Steve Jobs moved to Waverly Street, before the
development of William Shockley’s transistor on San Antonio Road or Robert Noyce’s
integrated circuit on East Charleston, even before Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard’s
Addison Avenue garage. It dates from 1912, when Lee de Forest, developed the first
practicable radio tube in a small house on Emerson Street and launched the electronic
age. In the first half of the 20th century, manufactures at Federal Telegraph put Palo Alto
at the electronic center of the world, while MacKay Radio launched communication
across the Pacific.
But Palo Alto’s extraordinary history extends well beyond electronics. With a
prehistory of exploration and settlement dating from the 18th century, a symbiotic
connection to Stanford, and a remarkably long list of notable musicians, artists, writers,
scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs, politicians, actors, and athletes, many of them world
renown,* Palo Alto cries out for a state-of-the-art museum of local history.
A local history museum is to the community what a scrapbook or photo album is to
the family. History, individual or communal, is a sense of self through time, the
continuity that makes us who we are, a source of meaning and identity. The present is all
process. We are the sum of our memories. A community is defined by its past.
Having the museum in the Roth building, itself an historic landmark in the center of
town, seems ideal. While the building itself warrants restoration, the museum has already
raised much of that cost, conditional on occupying at least part of the building. Nor is
the cost excessive, given the option of far more expensive projects, many of which
simply enrich individuals while deteriorating our quality of life.
There is wide support in the community for both the museum and its locus in the
colorfully historic Roth building. My hope is that the Council will support the project,
recognizing the importance of exhibiting Palo Alto’s pivotal and kaleidoscopic past in a
setting not only engaging and educational, but conspicuously appropriate as well.
Sincerely,
(signed original being mailed)
Wyn Wachhorst
_____
*Omitting Stanford faculty, a far from complete list of prominent people would still include well over 100
names: At least 13 scientists and inventors, 17 writers, 23 business leaders and entrepreneurs, 8
politicians and civil servants, 12 musicians, 14 actors, 9 artists and designers, and 26 athletes.
May 11, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine and Council Members Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Kniss, Kou, and Tanaka,
I ask you to count me among the donors and supporters of the Palo Alto History Museum who advocate a second life for the City-owned Roth Building as the home of the future Museum.
— Please reverse the March 2 directive to Staff to move forward with options for an RFP. — Please weigh the benefits of City capital funding to accelerate rehabilitation of the Roth Building and prevent further deterioration by neglect of this valuable architectural asset.
Palo Alto is singular in many ways, among them the fact that we have no museum to illustrate the stories that give our city global significance beyond its size. My husband and I are among the community supporters pledged to opening a museum that will spotlight the people and the forward-looking energy that has always distinguished Palo Alto. Though we are retired now, our own histories as students and employees (Stanford, HP, Apple) span a fascinating period of invention and growth. My family took root here in 1895, early in the town’s development. I am a former teacher of young children and a civic volunteer, recently retired from the boards of the Palo Alto Historical Association, which manages the City-owned Guy Miller Archives, and the Palo Alto History Museum. For over a decade it has been my privilege to work with people committed to bringing the archives and a participatory museum to the Roth Building.
The pandemic of 2020 has delivered unforeseen challenges that unsettle your management of civic assets and opportunities. I don’t envy the Council’s budgetary choices. Still, I am convinced that a museum illuminating a distinctive past will strengthen community identity among today’s diverse Palo Altans and inspire young people to imagine futures of their own.
The City, the Roth Building, and the Museum have come a long way together. I think of our civic forbears
who conceived and built unique educational and cultural resources that serve us today. I urge you to consider the lasting value to the City of a modern museum in a historic building.
Please continue substantive City support for keeping the future Museum in the Roth Building.
With thanks for your thoughtful attention.
Sincerely,
Barbara Wallace
May 11, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine, Vice Mayor DuBois, and Councilmembers Cormack, Filseth, Kniss,
Kou and Tanaka:
I support the establishment of the Palo Alto History Museum in the historic Roth Building. Please reinstate the lease option agreement and make a place in the city’s budget for the funds necessary to start the rehabilitation of the Roth Building.
Having a local, accessible history museum would add to the richness that is Palo Alto.
Knowing the past of a place helps to understand how the place got to where it is today
and provides a grounding which allows thoughtful movement towards tomorrow. Palo Alto needs a place where all residents can see the history of the city and see themselves both in that history and as part of creating a desirable future for the city.
In my almost 32 years here, my involvement with PTAs in Palo Alto, the Girl Scouts of
Palo Alto, the Junior League of Palo Alto-Midpeninsula, the YWCA of the Mid-Peninsula
Donor Advised Fund, Abilities United and other non-profits has made me keenly aware of the depth of caring in the community. Having a museum that shares that with the community and the world is an undeniably good thing.
The city has had many partnerships (Avenidas, the Junior Museum and Zoo and the Art
Center, for example) over the years that serve the residents so well. The PAHM would be a fine addition to the list, adding a new thread to the beautiful tapestry that is Palo Alto.
The many hundreds of donors and supporters of the PAHM have shown by their actions that Palo Alto should have a museum. Please work with them to complete the reality
and fund the shortfall that would bring the Museum in the historic Roth Building to
fruition. Having the Palo Alto History Museum will allow us all to be our best selves.
Thank you for your consideration,
Marcie Brown
May 11, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine and Council Members:
I urge Council to reverse their previous decision to offer a new RFP for the Roth Building. Please vote to supply the necessary funds to bring that historic building up to
code and open it as the Palo Alto History Museum. That is in the City's interest.
As a longtime resident, I regret that I cannot take visitors, or my grandchildren, to a place where they can learn about the rich history of Palo Alto.
As founder of AAUW Tech Trek STEM Camps for Girls, I assure you that young people
are interested in history. In 22 years, we have hosted, on college campuses, 17,000 rising 8th grade young women on full scholarships. A portion of the program is instruction about the history of women in math and science. It ignites a spark of excitement when they learn that significant discoveries have been made by women
since at least 1900 BCE. The girls of Palo Alto should have one destination where they
can be inspired by the accomplishments of Palo Alto’s women.
Throughout our city's history, many women and men have made important contributions. With additional funding from the City, and the already
committed funds from private donors, we will provide a place where all our students and
citizens can learn those stories.
Thank you. Marie Wolbach
3427 Greer Rd. Palo Alto, CA 94303
May 9, 2020
Palo Alto City Council
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I am writing to you today to encourage you to support a museum dedicated to Palo Alto history. And
for their residency in the city owned Roth Building. A city that is as important as Palo Alto should
have a museum that showcases its important history and contributions to not just the Bay Area but the
world at large.
In the immediate Bay Area there are over 20 city museums. Each one, either focused on, or
entirely dedicated to, the history and evolution of the city and surrounding area they
represent. And while not disparaging any other city, it would be difficult to find a city with a
richer, more significant, history than that of Palo Alto.
A city history museum will provide numerous benefits to the city. It will be a destination for
every family living in the immediate area, an outing for school groups of all ages, and a must
visit location for visitors to our community. But in addition to being a destination, it also
provides a concise organization responsible for the preservation, and display, of community
historic documents, photographs, and artifacts.
And I consider the historic Roth Building as an excellent match for a museum. Its
architectural style is quite compatible with the appearance of a museum, and it has a perfect
location to attract downtown visitors. In my opinion, using that property for just a
government office, or leasing it out to a commercial business is not the optimal use of this
valuable asset of the city.
I urge you to find a solution that will result in the Palo Alto Museum being able to reside in the Roth
Building.
Sincerely,
Jim Wall
Board President
Museum of American Heritage
May 11, 2020
Dear Mayor Fine, Vice Mayor du Bois and Council,
I am writing in support of the Palo Alto History Museum. As an artist and retired teacher in the PAUSD, I feel it is imperative we have an appropriate venue to share and showcase the stories of this city. My late husband, Greg Brown, felt strongly that our
"hometown" have a special place where generations might come to appreciate our
unique history. He planned to paint a mural celebrating Palo Alto's Culture at the site.
The remodeled Art Center and the Junior Museum serve to entertain and educate both our citizens and visitors alike. It is time for the Palo Alto History Museum to take its
rightful place beside them.
Thank you, Julie Brown