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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20200601plCC1701-32 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: 06/01/2020 Document dates: 5/13/2020 – 5/20/2020 Set 1 of 3 Note: Documents for every category may not have been received for packet reproduction in a given week. 1 Baumb, Nelly From:Keith Bennett <pagroundwater@luxsci.net> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 2:42 PM To:Council, City Subject:2353 Webster, Save Palo Alto's Groundwater Comments Attachments:Council_Letter_2353_Webster_Save_Palo_Alto's_Groundwater.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    To the Honorable Members of the Palo Alto City Council    Save Palo Alto's Groundwater asks you to pull item #5, Quasi‐Judicial,  2353 Webster St. from the Consent Calendar for tonight's meeting.  Please see the attached letter.    Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.  If any council members have questions, I can be reached by reply e‐ mail.    ‐‐  Keith Bennett  http://savepaloaltosgroundwater.org    To: Honorable Members of the Palo Alto City Council From: Keith Bennett / Save Palo Alto’s Groundwater May 18, 2020 Re: Consent Calendar Item 5 (May 18) Quasi-Judicial: 2353 Webster St. We request this item be removed from the Consent Calendar and re- approve the project only after incorporating sufficient conditions to greatly reduce the risk of death or damage to the 300 year old Heritage Oak Tree. Ask yourselves these questions: 1. Should the City of Palo Alto protect this heritage tree? 2. Do the City’s current regulations for dewatering adequately protect this tree? 3. Who will be held responsible if the tree dies? Figure 1: 300+ year old Heritage Oak at 2353 Webster St. (subject property) This letter is to provide information on the impacts of dewatering in support of the comments of many neighbors on Webster St. who feel the presence of this tree adds significant values to the neighborhood and their properties. Save Palo Alto’s Groundwater is particularly concerned about the underground construction for the proposed basement and the dewatering likely required. The Palo Alto City regulations for dewatering do not take into account the specific requirements to protect this tree. Dewatering should be explicitly prohibited at this site. Dewatering causes “local drought,” even if the tree trunk and canopy are physically protected. a) Our strongly preferred alternative is to eliminate the basement (providing the greatest protection for the tree), as cutting into the existing root system will be required for the basement construction, risking reduced support for the tree and other adverse impacts. b) If, considering the impacts on the tree root system, it is decided to permit the construction of a basement, the basement should be designed so that neither dewatering nor a cut-off wall are required during construction. This is a practical and feasible solution. 1995 Webster, 704 Moreno and 846 E. Greenwich are examples of homes recently constructed with basements at locations with similar groundwater levels: Figure 2: Locations of subject property (4) relative to homes with basements recently constructed without dewatering: (1) 1995 Webster, (2) 704 Moreno, and (3) 846 E. Greenwich a) While cut-off walls are very effective at controlling groundwater, installation of the cutoff walls involves the use of heavy equipment, generally rising over 30 feet above ground surface. While we generally support the use of cutoff walls, for this project installation of the cutoff walls is likely not consistent with the recommendation of Dave Dockter of Canopy's Advocacy Committee and with Canopy's Executive Director, as use of such heavy equipment will damage both the tree roots and canopy. Save Palo Alto’s Groundwater has detailed data available on the effects of basement construction dewatering on groundwater levels in the area, and is happy to provide it upon request. In summary, to protect this oak tree any permit including a basement for this project must include sufficient detailed and strict specifications for underground construction, including dewatering. The existing permit does not, and this item should be pulled from the Consent Calendar. 1 Baumb, Nelly From:Lori Khoury <khoury7eleven@sbcglobal.net> Sent:Wednesday, May 6, 2020 10:11 PM To:Council, City Subject:Mac's Smoke Shop - Tobacco Retail Ordinance CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  May 6, 2020 Dear Mayor Fine and City Council Members, We are Mac’s Smoke Shop, a Palo Alto institution for over 85 years. We are not your traditional 21 and over smoke shop and should be recognized as distinct from traditional smoke shops. We don’t cater to the younger clientele like some of the other convenience stores. Our customer IS the 21 and over. We are writing to you regarding the new proposed smoking ordinance language and would like to request a meeting to discuss our concerns. We feel change can occur with a scalpel, rather than a sledgehammer and want to work with you on a reasonable outcome. We have taken the time to read through the comments received from several people in relation to adopting the ordinance. In reference to comments made about businesses in San Francisco, that is incorrect. We understand the importance of keeping vaping products away from teens. We have been and will continue to ensure these products aren’t being sold to minors. We need to get to the heart of the issue – keeping these types of products out of the hands of minors. There is a specific reason we received a 21 and older designation, we ONLY ALLOW PEOPLE OVER 21 INTO OUR STORE AND YOU MUST BE 21 TO PURCHASE TOBACCO PRODUCTS. That is exactly what we do every day, we abide by the rules. We have a 100% compliance record and passed several stings testing whether we sell to people under 21. We will continue our diligent efforts to ensure only people of legal age can purchase tobacco products. We fully support the Staff Members 3 new recommendation for more stringent requirements as listed in the new proposed ordinance and recommend an additional requirement of raising the annual permit fee to $500, with additional fees being designated 100% toward tobacco education. We already follow the new ordinance as written, for example: We have the following signs in place: 1) At the entrance to the store a sign is posted you MUST be 21 or older to enter 2) We have a highlighted sign at the point-of-sale indicating you must show your ID EVERY TIME you purchase a tobacco product. 3) We went beyond the new proposed ordinance: We installed a machine that allows us to scan ids to verify a person’s age and also to determine the legitimacy of the ID. 2 There are only two other smaller cities considering adopting the County Ordinance and neither city has an adult-only store. Our neighboring city has not considered adopting such an ordinance, therefore a large percentage of our clientele will go 5 minutes down the street to shop. If Palo Alto adopts this new prohibitive ordinance it will be an outlier in the County. Taking away the right of the law-abiding retailer, like Mac’s Smoke Shop, from selling certain tobacco products won’t solve the teen vaping problem, but it certainly will devastate the livelihood of good upstanding people who aren’t responsible for tobacco getting into the hands of teens. If Mac’s Smoke Shop doesn’t receive an exemption from this ordinance, this 85 year old Palo Alto institution, which has survived World War II, the Vietnam War the dot-com bust, recessions, etc., will not survive. Sincerely Mac’s Smoke Shop – Neil and Lori Khoury 1 Baumb, Nelly From:Amar Johal <amarjohal@gmail.com> Sent:Thursday, May 14, 2020 11:44 AM To:Council, City; Fine, Adrian Cc:Cormack, Alison; Kou, Lydia; DuBois, Tom; Filseth, Eric (Internal); Tanaka, Greg; Kniss, Liz (internal) Subject:Stand up! Vaping Ban/Flavor Tobacco Ban CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Hello,     My name is Amar, I'm a local business owner in downtown Palo Alto (7‐Eleven), I've spoken to several of you and would  love to speak to the remaining few still.    This vaping ban/flavor directly impacts my business and I am ok with this ban AS LONG as this ban is pulled off the shelf  and re‐introduced including the removal of adult only stores as an exception for not only vaping products but flavored  tobacco as well.    The agreement is that flavored tobacco and vaping is a health pandemic especially with youth, then why are you  allowing this product to still be purchased at another business in town? Not only are you taking away my sales by not  giving customers a chance to switch over to a less addictive product at my business, you are sending them to another  business for purchase instead.    Palo Alto is diverting sales of flavored tobacco and vaping product both deemed a health issue to a handful of 21+  retailers, and this is a big issue. Make this a level playing field, include these locations into the flavored tobacco AND  vaping ban, make a point that the city of Palo Alto is making a difference by introducing an all out ban on flavored  tobacco and vaping like many of our neighboring cities. Please reach out to me at 925‐699‐3399 if you'd like to discuss.    Thank you,    Amar    2 Baumb, Nelly From:Lori Khoury <khoury7eleven@sbcglobal.net> Sent:Friday, May 15, 2020 1:44 PM To:Council, City Cc:Weiss, Julie; Bobel, Phil Subject:Amendments to Retail Tobacco Ordinance - Mac's Smoke Shop CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Hello, We are writing to you again regarding the Amendments to the Retail Tobacco Ordinance and the upcoming discussion at the May 18th City Council Meeting. We installed an id checker a few weeks ago and have found it to be a successful tool and the customers actually appreciate us taking extra steps to ensure people are of age to purchase tobacco products. We wanted to tell you we recommend and fully support the Ordinance as written, but we suggest that you also require all stores selling tobacco products to install an id checker that 1) confirms the purchaser is 21 and over, and 2) confirms the legitimacy of the id. Thank you again for your consideration. Mac's Smoke Shop Neil and Lori Khoury 3 Baumb, Nelly From:bhupinder rihal <bobbyrihal@yahoo.com> Sent:Friday, May 15, 2020 2:15 PM To:Council, City Subject:Vaping Ban & Flavor Tobacco Ban CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    Hi, I am Bhupinder (Bobby) Rihal. I am the owner of the 7‐Eleven store in midtown Palo Alto and have owned it for the  last 18 yrs.      I would love to share my thought about this Vaping ban. I AM NOT AGAINST THE BAN AT ALL but it doesn’t seems like a  ban. It seems like Vaping and Flavor Tobacco business is being given to the smokes shops from other retailer in Palo Alto.  If the ban goes into affect then the product should not be available at all in Palo Alto. It will impact my business and  some of the other retailer in town.    Vaping and Tobacco is health issue then it should not be allowed at all. Customers can also go to neighboring cities like  Mountain View, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park and buy the same product. In my opinion if city wants to ban it then it  should be ban through out the city not for certain retailers.    In my opinion people should be educated about the side affect of the Vaping and Tobacco.    I can be reached at 408‐242‐2395 for any discussion.      Bobby Rihal  408‐242‐2395  4 Baumb, Nelly From:Sally-Ann Rudd <sallyann_r@yahoo.com> Sent:Saturday, May 16, 2020 2:41 PM To:Council, City Subject:Item #6 restrictions on sale of Vaping products in Palo Alto CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council -- Please restrict the 6 "adult-only" smoke shops in Palo Alto that wish to continue selling vaping products. On Monday May 11 at 7.10pm my daughter, who has just turned 16 years old and is a sophomore at Paly, spent $68 on vaping products at Mac's Smoke Shop in Palo Alto. She was with her friend who is also 16. They used a debit card belonging to my daughter (that is monitored by me and how I found out). We have played a cat and mouse game with her over vaping for months. I know she can also buy these products online. It would help if she couldn't just walk down the street and buy whatever she wanted at Mac's. Mac's isn't paying attention to who is buying these products. Please ban them from selling these items. Thank you Sally-Ann Rudd Palo Alto CA 94301 Redacte d 5 Baumb, Nelly From:V.H. Stinger <vhs101@yahoo.com> Sent:Saturday, May 16, 2020 3:29 PM To:Council, City; Shikada, Ed Cc:Van Der Zwaag, Minka; PTAC President; Daryl Savage; Gabriel Kralik Subject:Tobacco Retail Permit on Council May 18 Agenda CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Mayor Fine and City Coucil: We are writing to reiterate our respect for the diligence and advocacy of Palo Alto youth, our Youth Council, Adolescent Counseling Services and PTA Council. We ask that Council recognize the vulnerability of youth, prioritize their well-being and strictly regulate retail access, enforcement, and consequences. We write as three individuals, who were the Youth Vaping subcommittee of the HRC. The Human Relations Commission (HRC) has not met during the COVID-19 restrictions on meetings. As a result, the full Commission has not made a formal comment on the amendments proposed to the Tobacco Retail Permit. The vote taken at the September 12, 2019 HRC meeting and the body of the letter sent to Council follow. Regards, Gabriel Kralik Daryl Savage Valerie Stinger The Commission voted on September, 12 2019: The City of Palo Alto Human Relations Commission (“Commission”) believes that teen vaping constitutes an emergency public health epidemic affecting Palo Alto youth which requires immediate and broad support and action from the City. Therefore the Commission formally asks the City Council to immediately direct Staff to work with the Commission, Youth Council, PAUSD and community partners to address this epidemic in a comprehensive and timely manner that explores changes to laws, regulations and enforcement; to explore preventative, educational & outreach efforts; and explores additional funding for treatment and other related services. The Commission authorizes Commissioners Lee, Savage and Stinger to draft a letter on behalf of the Commission and signed by the Chair that cites as much data as possible. The Commission further authorizes an ad hoc committee consisting of Commissioners Kralik, Savage, and Stinger to interview stakeholders and learn more about this issue. The body of the letter, sent on October 10, 2019 is repeated here. Dear Mayor Filseth and Members of the Palo Alto City Council: The City of Palo Alto Human Relations Commission (“Commission”) believes that teen vaping is a public health crisis affecting Palo Alto youth. At its September 12, 2019 meeting, the Commission heard testimony from Adolescent Counseling Service Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment team, a member of the Palo Alto Youth Council, concerned parents and other 6 community members on the teen vaping crisis impacting our local Palo Alto community and communities across the country. The Commission believes that vulnerable youth are subject to vaping commercials, ads, and promotions which are manipulative and lead to behaviors with serious, long-term health consequences. The Commission has authorized an ad hoc committee to do further study of current legislation and work on-going at the City and County levels. It is our intent to complement the work of staff, PAUSD, Youth Council and other community partners and return to Council. In the meantime, we encourage the Council to continue to consider youth vaping as a serious problem and, as appropriate, dedicate any resources necessary for legislation and enforcement; education and outreach; treatment and related services. __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 7 Baumb, Nelly From:Nancy Krop <nancypta@kroplaw.com> Sent:Saturday, May 16, 2020 9:52 PM To:Council, City Subject:Vaping Ordinance CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council,     I understand you vote this coming Monday on a city vaping ordinance. I request Palo Alto council protect our youth and  teens by adopting a complete flavored tobacco ban with no exceptions, as was passed in Santa Clara County, Alameda  County, and the cities of Oakland, Fremont, Los Gatos, Cupertino, Saratoga and Menlo Park.    The tobacco industry uses fun flavors to attract our teenagers and youth to vaping. Why kids? A developing brain is  easier to addict. I’m told we even have reports of elementary school students vaping.     I’m looking to you for leadership in protecting our teens and youth from vaping, which can lead to severe health issues  for our youth.     Thank you,  Nancy Krop  Barron Park neighborhood resident    Palo Alto PTA Council Advocacy Consultant    "Unless.  Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not."    Dr. Seuss, The Lorax                8 Baumb, Nelly From:PTAC President <president@paloaltopta.org> Sent:Sunday, May 17, 2020 11:00 PM To:Council, City Subject:City of Palo Alto Tobacco E-cigarette Ordinance - NO EXEMPTIONS please - HELP OUR KIDS Attachments:image2.jpeg; image0.jpeg; image1.jpeg; image3.jpeg CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council Members:    Happy Sunday. I hope this email finds you and your family doing OK.     Thank you for all that you are managing during this moment (COVID, Budget). It is truly the best of times for some and  the worst of times for many.     I am writing on behalf of the Palo Alto Council of PTAs expressing our grave concern of the tobacco ordinance that is  coming before you tomorrow.      Please do away with the adult only store exemption.     DO YOUR PART: The Ordinance Is A Community Wide Message    Nothing has changed from our (PTA) point of view since we met with some  of you before Shelter‐in‐Place, except the Palo Alto ordinance is not what was promised to be.     With the school year ending soon and summer arriving in no time, Palo Alto households with parents and grandparents  need you to take action to make vape products unavailable to youth in Palo Alto.     Please help us parents, teachers, and especially our young people who reside and work in Palo Alto. We are pleading  with you to send a clear message despite the tobacco industry’s systematic manipulation of teens on social media  platforms. Here, I am also copying our student leaders, Divya (Palo Alto Youth Council), Ben (PALY), and Claire (GUNN).     We look to your leadership to get this ordinance passed without exception in Palo Alto.     Can we count on your vote NOT to exempt the adult only stores In Palo Alto?    PA Adult Only Vape Shops & Photos  Additionally, it simply is not true that these adult only vape stores are abiding by the rules to not sell to youth.     On Monday May 11th between 5‐6 pm, I witnessed two adult only smoke shops engaging in business (while the current  Shelter In Place Order is still in effect) and one of them was selling to youth (guy in baseball hat). That is why I took the  below pictures and sent them right away to Julie Weiss.     The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been mov ed, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.     The linked be displayehave been ren amed, oVerify that to the corrlocation. The linked be displayehave been ren amed, oVerify that to the corrlocation. The linked be displayehave been ren amed, oVerify that to the corrlocation.   9   VAPE IS AN ADDICTIVE TOBACCO PRODUCT and NOT A SMOKING CESSATION DEVICE    The tobacco industry leaders have in the past, and will do so again, attempt to market a highly addictive drug. Only now,  the drug comes in the form of a concentrated nicotine salt product, using youth attractive flavors such as cotton candy,  bubble gum, and menthol to disguise its deleterious health effects.     As you may know, other Bay Area jurisdictions (most recently Oakland) and California State legislators are attacking this  problem. Everyone is saying the same thing. This is an addictive product hooking our youth unless we all act to stop it.    We would like to be able to sing your praises at our final PTA Council’s May 27th General Association Meeting. We  would love to be able to let our parents, teachers and students know you have done an amazing job protecting our city  and fighting for our youth.    Thank you!  Jade    Jade Chao  President | Palo Alto PTA Council    Palo Alto, CA 94306  www.paloaltopta.org  Redacted " 5 CALL/TEXT 408 508·8918 T o .. 10 Baumb, Nelly From:Steve Joh <steve.joh@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 10:56 AM To:Council, City Subject:close the loophole for vape shops CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  seriously. there's no reason to allow vape shops which target kids.  people who really want vape stuff can get it  elsewhere.  we don't need it available to kids. please consider. I'm a parent with  PAUSD students and this is a real  threat.      ‐stevej  11 Baumb, Nelly From:CarolIne Baker <cbaker8942@icloud.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 12:13 PM To:Council, City Subject:Item 6, Flavored Tobacco Ordinance CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  To the members of the Palo Alto City Council, We are sending this email on behalf of the Tobacco Free Coalition of Santa Clara County, a coalition of more than 26 organizations interested in protecting the public from the dangers of tobacco use and addiction. When you consider the proposed flavored tobacco ordinance, (Item #6 in the May 18th Council meeting,) we hope you will include language, such as that used by the county and nearby cities, that fully protects the youth of your city without giving unfair advantage to just a few certain retailers. You have read testimony by one of your residents that some young people in her area congregate near a tobacco shop and ask passersby to purchase flavored tobacco products for them. The tobacco companies have added childish flavors to their products in order to entice young people to try them. With the unregulated chemicals and additives in the products they are almost assured of finding new addicts. The newly added exceptions for a few tobacco shops proposed for your ordinance take away much of the protection for your youth and will cause resentment from non-exempted retailers. Please correct the language that provides these small, but significant loopholes. Thank you for considering these very important amendments to the ordinance. Vanessa Marvin, Co-Chair vmarvin@me.com Carol Baker, Co-Chair carol@carolandcharliebaker.com Santa Clara County Tobacco Free Coalition 12 Baumb, Nelly From:Audrey Gold <audreygold@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 12:28 PM To:Council, City Subject:Vaping Ordinance Question CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.    Dear City Council and Mayor Fine,    We should be trying to leverage all possible resources to reduce teens exposure to addictive nicotine products.    Why did the City Staff recommend exemptions to the County tobacco Ordinance?    I am concerned that the exceptions will make it more difficult to enforce, as I understand  "For the County to continue to provide support with enforcement and permitting, the City of Palo Alto's ordinance has the mirror the County’s Ordinance 100%. No exceptions, exemptions, or modifications of any kind.....if Palo Alto decides to pursue the recommendations as outlined, due to the exemptions and provisions outlined, the County would not continue to provide support with the retail permitting and compliance. The City of Palo Alto would have to implement their own TRP program for the 22 retailers."    Since the Palo Alto Police department is facing a reduction in staff we should be working in conjunction with County  recommendations as much as possible.    Thank you,  Audrey Gold  parent of three teenagers    1 Baumb, Nelly From:Jen Grand-Lejano <jen.grandlejano@cancer.org> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 1:48 PM To:Council, City Cc:Tricia Barr; Susie Brain; carol@carolandcharliebaker.com; Mary Kemp Subject:Remove adult only store exemptions from tobacco ordinance Attachments:Palo Alto consent_tobacco shop exemption_5-4-20 CR.pdf Importance:High CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Mayor Fine and Palo Alto City Councilmembers,     Although we notice and appreciate the amendments made to strengthen TRL enforcement and limit to no NEW adult‐ only stores, we cannot support an ordinance that continues to exempt any stores from the flavored tobacco ordinance  and urge you to remove these exemptions for adult only tobacco shops. The proposed ordinance does not go far enough  and will not until it removes all flavored tobacco products from all stores in Palo Alto. Time and time again, we’ve seen  these well‐intended loopholes leave flavored tobacco products in the community where they easily get into the hands of  kids. We  urge to you put the health of our kids over the profit of a few retailers, and become part of the solution, not  enable a new generation of tobacco addicted kids. We ask you to remove exemptions for any retailers, and oppose any  ordinance that includes these exemptions.     Regards,    Jen Grand-Lejano Northern California Government Relations Director (510) 464.8107 | m: (925) 639.9130  American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc. 1001 Marina Village Parkway Suite 300 Alameda, CA 94501 fightcancer.org | 1.800.227.2345   This message (including any attachments) is intended exclusively for the individual to whom it is addressed and may contain proprietary, protected, or confidential information. If you are not the named addressee, you are not authorized to read, print, copy, or disseminate this message or any part of it. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately.  May 4, 2020 The Honorable Adrian Fine Members of the Palo Alto City Council 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA Dear Mayor Fine and Members of the Palo Alto City Council: We are deeply concerned about the epidemic of teenage e-cigarette use fueled by the availability of flavored tobacco products. By moving this issue forward to consent calendar tonight, you have made it clear that you are concerned, too. While most of what is proposed to amend your current tobacco retailer license (TRL) is supported by best practice, the exemption of adult only stores is absolutely not. The consensus of the public health community is that it is flavors that are driving the epidemic of e- cigarette use among teenagers and the best way to address that epidemic is to remove flavors from all retail tobacco sellers with no exemptions. We urge you tonight to remove the proposed exemption for adult only tobacco stores. We support the other pieces of the ordinance to end the sale of flavored tobacco citywide and strengthen enforcement language in the TRL. We’ve learned from experience that exempting adult-only stores is problematic and weakens what could be a strong policy. Exemptions of some retailers complicates enforcement and creates resentment among retailers. Most importantly, if flavored tobacco products remain in the community, they will find their way into the hands of youth. The California Department of Public Health found that “vape” shops and tobacco stores had much higher violation rates for selling to youth when compared to every other category of tobacco retailer—30% and 36% respectively, compared to the state average of 19% for all types of tobacco retailers. All places where tobacco is sold, including adult-only tobacco shops, should be required to have a TRL with the same requirements as other tobacco retailers. We cannot put the profit of a few retailers over the health of our kids. We know through best practice in policies like this across the country, the tobacco industry always finds a way to take advantage of these loopholes. As a national organization working at the local level, we’ve seen exemptions like this go sideways time and time again despite the best intentions of thoughtful policy makers like yourselves, and we’d hate to see this happen in Palo Alto. Making exceptions for some tobacco stores leaves a way for big tobacco to continue to outsmart public health policy and get around the definitions some may believe to be airtight. This loophole leaves flavored products available in the community and sets a bad precedent for other jurisdictions considering similar policy Santa Clara County recently updated their policy to remove adult only store exemptions to strengthen their ordinance, and Oakland is now proposing to remove their exemption as well after it was tried and failed. To keep this exemption in Palo Alto would be to regress and weaken protections for our kids. We urge you to remove adult only store exemptions from the ordinance before you tonight. Sincerely, Jen Grand-Lejano Government Relations Director, Northern California American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network 1 Baumb, Nelly From:Amar Johal <amarjohal@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:33 PM To:Fine, Adrian Cc:Council, City Subject:Vaping and Flavor Ban - remove them exemption!! CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Hello,     My name is Amar, I'm a local business owner in downtown Palo Alto (7‐Eleven).    This vaping ban/flavor directly impacts my business and I am ok with this ban AS LONG as this ban is pulled off the shelf  and re‐introduced including the removal of adult only stores as an exception for not only vaping products but flavored  tobacco as well.     You say this exception is to protect the 5 adult only stores form severe economic hardships, but what about us? You are  taking sales away that would have switched to a less addictive alternative at our store and since they can still  buy flavor  and vapes elsewhere they are leaving us and going there.    Palo Alto is diverting sales of flavored tobacco and vaping product both deemed a health issue to a handful of 21+  retailers, and this is a big issue. Make this a level playing field, include these locations into the flavored tobacco AND  vaping ban, make a point that the city of Palo Alto is making a difference by introducing an all out ban on flavored  tobacco and vaping like many of our neighboring cities. Please reach out to me at 925‐699‐3399 if you'd like to discuss.    Thank you,    Amar  2 Baumb, Nelly From:Margo Sidener <margo@lungsrus.org> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:53 PM To:Council, City Subject:Comments on Proposed Amendment to Tobacco Retailer License Attachments:Palo Alto Breathe CA Letter 5-20.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Mayor Fine and Council Members,      Please find attached our agency’s comments regarding the proposed changes to the Tobacco Retailer License  ordinance.      Thanks for the Opportunity to Provide Input, Margo Sidener    Margo Leathers Sidener, MS, CHES  Chief Executive Officer       of the Bay Area, Golden Gate, and Central Coast    1469 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126 Phone: (408) 998‐5865 | Web: www.lungsrus.org  Breathe California is dedicated to fighting lung disease, advocating for clean air and promoting public health in our local communities.    [Type here] Breathe California of the Bay Area, Golden Gate, and Central Coast 1469 Park Avenue San Jose, CA 95126 Phone: (408) 998-5865 Toll-Free: 1-877-3-BREATHE Fax: (408) 998-0578 www.breathebayarea.org info@lungsrus.org Tax ID#: 94-1156307 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairperson Amresh Prasad Secretary Sulochina Lulla, MD Treasurer Justin Henry Directors Roslyn Bienenstock, RRT, MPH Thomas M. Dailey, MD, FCCP Frank DeBiaso Tony Delas Sogol Karkouti Ray Mendoza Rohan Shamapant Richard Steadman Abhay Tewari Chief Executive Officer Margo Sidener, MS, CHES A member of the Breathe America ™ Alliance May 18, 2020 The Honorables Adrian Fine, Mayor And City Council Members Alison Cormack, Tom DuBois, Eric Filseth, Liz Kniss, Lydia Kou, and Greg Tanaka City of Palo Alto 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 Via e-mail: city.council@cityofpaloalto.org RE: Comments Regarding Proposed Changes to Palo Alto Tobacco Retail License Ordinance Dear Mayor Fine and Council Members: Although Palo Alto’s 2017 Tobacco Retail License Ordinance was truly a ground-breaking public health measure, I am writing on behalf of Breathe California to question some of the proposed amendments to the ordinance. Breathe California, serving the Bay Area since 1908, has a mission to fight lung disease in all its forms and works with its communities to promote lung health. Thus, our organization is dedicated to working to eliminate the negative impacts caused by tobacco use, to prevent initiation to tobacco, and to seek protections from secondhand smoke. We are especially interested in tobacco retail license ordinances. We have considered the amendment, your list of public comments to date, and the Council’s/staff’s answers. We applaud the requirement for exempted retailers to station personnel at the entrances of facilities to ensure that youth do not find their way into the shop. However, some sections of the proposed clarifications/amendments were not considered, and we want to bring those to your attention. We especially urge Palo Alto to reconsider the following provisions which have been clarified in the proposed ordinance: 1) End the “grandfathered-in” exemption for adult-only facility stores that are sold. If there is an intent to address the many public health tenets that were addressed so comprehensively and eloquently in the introduction to the ordinance, why would you want to allow “new” tobacco retailers to be exempted? Why should new businesses be provided this unfair advantage of “exempt businesses” rather than allowing the number of exempted businesses to naturally decrease? 2) Even more serious, why would there be an exemption for businesses to be allowed to stay in business despite any future placement [Type here] of a school/youth business within the prohibited range of feet? It has been shown that just allowing tobacco retailers to be located near schools can lead to increased tobacco use by youth. It is our firm belief that if Palo Alto strengthens its Tobacco Retail License ordinance by excluding the above recommended changes, it will not affect any current businesses and will eventually make tobacco products less promoted and less accessible, resulting in better protection for all of Palo Alto’s youth. Thank you for your consideration and support of public health. Margo Sidener, MS, CHES Chief Executive Officer 1 Baumb, Nelly From:Sigrid K Pinsky <Sigridkp@yahoo.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 12:31 PM To:Council, City Subject:Tough Budget decisions CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Council Members,     Thank you for the hard work you are required to do in these difficult times.   These financial decisions are complex and I  understand it is not easy.     I am, however , writing to encourage you to keep the cuts at the level of uncomfortable and inconvenient rather than  life threatening.   The safety of our citizens is a top priority.     In my view, deep cuts into police and fire services‐especially 911 services,  are, in many cases, life threatening. Reliance on county resources which may be delayed or unavailable is dangerous;  often a few minutes can save a life, as my own family has experienced.     A second priority is protecting our most vulnerable citizens.   Our elderly, our unhoused and our youth are some of the  groups which need City support.  Youth well being has been one of Palo Alto’s top priorities for many  years.  Organizations such as YCS and Project  Safety Net have worked for years, in partnership with the City, to hear and  support our youth voice, striving to strengthen well being and mental health for our young future citizens and  leaders.   We have made progress and have many thriving and beneficial programs supporting our youth in essential  ways.  I fear that cutting these services and programs, especially in these stressful and uncertain times, is going to put  these youth more at risk.  Also, once we lose the essential space we are carving out for our youth, we will have to start  from scratch to rebuild.      Postponing construction projects, closing libraries ( which are only virtual now anyway and are very unlikely to open  soon) or eliminating programs that can be restored at a later time seems to me a reasonable approach to solving budget  issues.    Again, many thanks for the work you do.       Sigrid Pinsky      Sent from my iPhone  Redacted 2 Baumb, Nelly From:Callie Turk <callieturk@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 12:49 PM To:Council, City Subject:Please do not cut Youth Services CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  I understand that all Youth Services may be on the chopping block in the proposed budget. Please do not cut Youth  Services. Our teens have already been disproportionately harmed by the current shelter in place and likely will live  through the most disruptions in the coming year as school will look vastly different than what it has in the past. We  know that the Shelter in Place is having a tremendously negative impact on teens' mental health. See this  article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/17/us‐children‐mental‐health‐coronavirus. We must continue  to offer all the mental health services and outlets for community‐building that we can to keep this generation of teens  on track for healthy, productive, and meaningful lives. If you cut these funds now, it likely will have a deleterious impact  on teens in our community, and we know that the communal mental health of teens in Silicon Valley wasn't great to  begin with. Please keep as many funds as possible for Youth Services.     Best,  Callie Turk  Greer Road  Palo Alto    3 Baumb, Nelly From:Nat Fisher <sukiroo@hotmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:01 PM To:Shikada, Ed; Council, City Subject:budget CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  I'm against reducing the lease with the school district for Cubberley. Not only should we be supporting the school district, but reducing the lease would displace a nonprofit art community, which has no place to go. Please consider instead postponing large capital projects. Natalie Fisher  Palo Alto   4 Baumb, Nelly From:Liza Kolbasov <liza.kolbasov@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:34 PM To:Council, City; Greg Tanaka Subject:Funding for Teen Services CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Palo Alto City Council Members,     My name is Liza Kolbasov and I am a graduating senior at Gunn High School. I've recently heard that as part of the  COVID‐19‐related budget cuts, the city is considering cutting all teen services, including the Teen Arts Council, TAB,  MakeX, and others. While I understand that the city is facing difficult decisions regarding the budget, I would like to  strongly urge you to reconsider cutting these services. Although teenagers may not be the biggest constituent group in  the city, I strongly urge you to still take our interests into account; these services provide very necessary support for us.    Personally, I have taken advantage of many of these teen services. I have attended the Teen Arts Council's Point B  poetry readings, TAB events such as Boba and Brushes, and the Buoyancy festival. These events serve to connect  teenagers, giving us a much‐needed break from the stress of school and daily life. These organizations also support not  only teenagers: in these unprecedented times, MakeX has also been working to support hospitals by making face shields  (https://www.paloaltoonline.com/print/story/2020/04/10/around‐town). This is just a small portion of the wonderful  events and services these organizations provide, to the benefit of not only teenagers but also everyone in the city and  beyond.    Cutting these services will send the message that Palo Alto does not support its teens‐‐‐while I am sure that is not true, I  would urge you to reconsider your decisions. Please keep our interests in mind as you make these important decisions  about the future of our city.    Best regards,  Liza Kolbasov.  5 Baumb, Nelly From:Kathy Jordan <kjordan114wh@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:34 PM To:Clerk, City Cc:Council, City Subject:questions for budget meeting right now CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Yes, I would like to ask where are the FY 2020 actuals and forecasts for FY 2020 ‐‐‐‐ particularly for revenues, but also for  expenses?     Where are the projections for revenues for FY 2021?    Thank you.     Kathy Jordan  6 Baumb, Nelly From:Lama Rimawi <lrimawi1@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:35 PM To:Council, City Subject:Teen Mental Health services CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Hi,  I am writing to ask that City Council not cut the funds to Teen Mental Health Services. These services are vital to our  community especially in the context of a pandemic. We expect mental health issues to increase due to the stress of the  current situation. Let's be proactive and make sure our teens have the services they need.   Thank you for your time.    ‐‐     ‐‐‐  Regards,  Lama Rimawi, M.D.    Palo Alto, CA    Redacted 7 Baumb, Nelly From:Carol A. Munch <camunch@comcast.net> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:38 PM To:Council, City Subject:Upcoming budget thoughts CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council members,     Lydia Kou sent out a well thought out survey asking us to rank the cost cutting measures.  I hope that you look at the  results which show how our citizens think.  I am saddened that you began the budget process by considering cutting  salaries of safety related personnel when there are obvious nonessential costs that can and should be eliminated  first.  They are listed below.    1) Eliminate the bike bridge over 101.  While it would be nice to have a bike bridge there is already a way for cyclists to  get across the highway and the cost of the bridge is far too high.  Savings = $23 million.  That should be the first cut and  last to be reinstated once we have adequate funds.    2) Defer the construction of the Fire Station until funds are more adequate.  Savings=$10.2 million.  3) Defer bike/pedestrian transit plan until after effects of Covid‐19 on traffic are known.  Savings= $9 million.  4) Defer parking guidance system until after the effects of the Covid‐19 on changes in our way of life are  determined.  May not be necessary.  Savings= $2.9 million.  5)Defer animal shelter renovation.  Savings=$3.8 million.  6) Defer JMZ renovation since it was planned in phases this should be feasible for the renovations not already completed  or in the active phase.  Savings = $4.5 million ‐ possibly less depending on in which phase the renovation currently  stands.  7) Finish Byxbee Park.  Cost=$3.2 million.  8) Build the Public Safety Building which is long overdue! Cost: $118.1 million.  9) Build the downtown garage which has been needed for several years and would alleviate some of the downtown  employee parking in residential areas. Cost=$29.12 million    The above are the budget cuts I would make and the order in which I would make them.  By just accomplishing the first  three we would have over $40 million cost savings.      If you want buy‐in from the residents who pay the city’s taxes then you should make it very transparent that your  reasons for decreasing the members of the Police and Fire departments are to lessen the burden of their very generous  retirement packages on city finances.  Negotiation with the unions for newly hired members to come in with less  generous packages must be undertaken. (Milpitas manages with half the police budget that Palo Alto has and has about  15,000 more residents). The same is true for City employees. Do not fill vacancies as people leave.    Salary reductions should occur from the top down with elimination of positions near the top before the bottom rung of  employees.  For example cut one of the assistants to the City Manager before the parks department employee. Reducing  each of the rank and file employees' salary by the same percentage (including Police and Fire) could occur after the  reductions in salaries of top city management of a greater percentage.  Belt tightening should be felt by all, but  especially by the leaders.     As far as cutting classes and recreation programs ‐ they should be cut for adults and reduced (such as camps) for  children until city coffers are refilled.  Park maintenance should be continued, but no new park projects be begun until  funds are available.  Libraries may be more essential in the next few years if schools go to part‐time to continue social  8 distancing.  Put their potential closure lower down on the list.  The Art Center could be closed for two years far more  easily without depriving children of major educational opportunities. Maintenance of city trees and other properties  should be continued for safety reasons, but new projects, such as upgrading public areas, should be deferred.    Thank you for your consideration of the above thoughts.  People are more important than building projects and your  residents are more important than enticing new residents and more businesses to our area.    Sincerely,    Carol A. Munch        Redacted 9 Baumb, Nelly From:Clerk, City Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:42 PM To:kjordan@stanfordalumni.org; Clerk, City Cc:Council, City Subject:RE: questions for budget meeting right now Hi Kathy,  The proposed budget is linked to yesterday and today’s agendas.    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: Kathy Jordan <kjordan114wh@gmail.com>   Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:34 PM  To: Clerk, City <city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org>  Cc: Council, City <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org>  Subject: questions for budget meeting right now    CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Yes, I would like to ask where are the FY 2020 actuals and forecasts for FY 2020 ‐‐‐‐ particularly for revenues, but also for  expenses?     Where are the projections for revenues for FY 2021?    Thank you.     Kathy Jordan  10 Baumb, Nelly From:hal korol <halkorol@yahoo.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:45 PM To:Council, City Subject:Budget cuts CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  A city's primary mission is to protect its citizens. I'm dismayed at the Councils decision to place completion of physical structures above maintaining the Police and Fire departments at current levels. Harold W Korol Redacted 11 Baumb, Nelly From:Kathy Jordan <kjordan114wh@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:47 PM To:Clerk, City Cc:kjordan@stanfordalumni.org; Council, City Subject:Re: questions for budget meeting right now Thank you, but is the information I requested,   FY 2020 actuals and forecasts for revenue and expenses, and    FY 2021 forecasted revenue and expenses   available in yesterday's and today's agendas?    Thank you,    Kathy Jordan     On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 1:41 PM Clerk, City <city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org> wrote:  Hi Kathy,  The proposed budget is linked to yesterday and today’s agendas.     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     12      From: Kathy Jordan <kjordan114wh@gmail.com>   Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:34 PM  To: Clerk, City <city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org>  Cc: Council, City <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org>  Subject: questions for budget meeting right now     CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Yes, I would like to ask where are the FY 2020 actuals and forecasts for FY 2020 ‐‐‐‐ particularly for revenues, but also  for expenses?      Where are the projections for revenues for FY 2021?     Thank you.      Kathy Jordan  13 Baumb, Nelly From:Suzanne Keehn <dskeehn@pacbell.net> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 2:12 PM To:Council, City Subject:Totally agree CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  with Tom. Please read my earlier email. S. Keehn 94306 14 Baumb, Nelly From:Ardan Michael Blum <ardan.michael.blum@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 2:55 PM To:Council, City; Clerk, City; Shikada, Ed Subject:Why keeping Janine De la Vega as public-affairs manager is important. CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Warm greetings,    Please see this article:    https://www.iterate.live/post/budget‐cuts‐in‐palo‐alto‐why‐keeping‐janine‐de‐la‐vega‐as‐public‐affairs‐manager‐is‐ important             Best regards,    Ardan Michael Blum     ‐‐     CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information or may otherwise be protected by law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message and any attachment thereto.       15 Baumb, Nelly From:Dianne E. Jenett <djenett@serpentina.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 3:04 PM To:Council, City Subject:Cubberley CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council and City Manager    Besides our excellent schools, one of the reasons Palo Alto is so desirable and the property values are so high is the  availability of cultural resources for our community.  When I walk through Cubberley Center I see classes for many forms  of dance, music, martial arts, meditation, art, yoga, movement, sports who would not be able to find or afford space in a  town where almost every available nook or cranny has been turned into a tech company.     The non‐profits and arts organizations housed in Cubberley are community assets and treasures whose loss would be  deeply felt by many citizens so I urge you to consider this before consequential decisions are made which could change  the character of our town.    Sincerely,    Dianne E. Jenett      Dianne Jenett, Ph.D.    Palo Alto, CA 94301  djenett@serpentina.com      Redacted 16 Baumb, Nelly From:Nancy Krop <nancypta@kroplaw.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 3:10 PM To:Council, City Subject:Do not cut youth services CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council     I know you are facing and making difficult budget decisions.    In making those tough decisions, please protect the YCS Youth Connectedness Initiative that includes peer leaders for  mental health, and all City teen services.     I do not have to tell you our youth are a vulnerable population. The suicide clusters ‐ prior to Covid19 ‐  are a horrific,  tragic reminder our teens need community support. Treatment centers for our youth have long waitlists ‐ further  showing the stress of teens in our community.     Now our teens face all the uncertainties and anxieties of Covid19. Now more than ever our youth need City support  systems. Please protect the City Teen Services programs.    Thank you,  Nancy Krop  Barron Park resident                17 Baumb, Nelly From:Dan Mahoney <dan@mahoney.net> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 4:44 PM To:Council, City Subject:Are you guys reading any of the comments in here? CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2020/05/12/facing‐budget‐crunch‐palo‐alto‐backs‐cuts‐to‐police‐fire‐ services?utm_source=express‐2020‐05‐13&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=express        ‐‐   Dan Mahoney  dan@mahoney.net  18 Baumb, Nelly From:Carl Darling <cdarling@sbcglobal.net> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 7:08 PM To:Council, City Subject:Janine De la Vega as Public-Affairs Manager is important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  I hope to express that keeping Janine De La Vega as Public Affairs Manager is an important function for the City of PA Carl Darling NPC PA Midtown 5 Palo Alto 650-804-6263 cdarling17@gmail.com Redacted 19 Baumb, Nelly From:William R. Harrison <wrharrison614@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 7:52 PM To:Council, City Subject:Public Safety and Libraries are No. 1 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    Please support activities that are important to the community.  Ignore real estate interests who have their own  resources.  20 Baumb, Nelly From:Carl Darling <cdarling@sbcglobal.net> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 7:06 PM To:Council, City Subject:Janine De la Vega as Public-Affairs Manager is important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  I hope to express that keeping Janine De La Vega as Public Affairs Manager is an important function for the City of PA 21 Baumb, Nelly From:Richard Almond <rjalmond@stanford.edu> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 9:00 PM To:Council, City; letters@padailypost.com; editor@paweekly.com Subject:Financial deficit CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.    The current budget shortfall is generating a lot of scare tactics, such as reducing public safety and programming, and lessons like “We should have had much more development.” There are more creative ways through this. First, I’m sure that the City can be run more leanly, with staff reductions. Staff salaries can also be looked at; they are incredibly generous. Programming can be maintained with volunteer help from the community, if the Council and Staff use some creativity instead of the quick and easy, “let’s cut things.”     In this wealthy area we need to explore and lobby for ways to tap the affluence of the Palo Alto community. Whether by legislation or public spirit, it is time for those who have accumulated millions and billions living here to come to the aid of the community.    Richard Almond, MD    Palo Alto, CA 94301    Opinion pieces and other recommendations may not always be responded to quickly, due to time constraints, but they are appreciated. Redacted 22 Baumb, Nelly From:Ken Joye <kmjoye@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 9:49 PM To:Council, City Subject:Internal Services budget item CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    Mayor Fine asked how many people listen to the KZSU broadcast of the Council meetings.    I more often listen to KZSU than anything else (I more often attended in person than watched YouTube livestream prior  to this shelter‐in‐place order).    Given livestream options, I cannot say that KZSU is essential, but I appreciated it and would miss it.    thank you for your attention to the budget, Ken Joye Ventura neighborhood      23 Baumb, Nelly From:Chris Robell <chris_robell@yahoo.com> Sent:Thursday, May 14, 2020 9:42 AM To:Council, City Subject:Budget / Infrastructure Projects CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    Dear City Council,    I urge you to please NOT cut police and fire to the extent safety is jeopardized.  If there is a way to efficiently reorganize,  great.  But don’t make cuts that put residents at risk (e.g., relying on county services resulting in longer  response times  for emergencies).    Please shelve infrastructure projects such as the bike bridge and new police station (along with the $700,000 planned  artwork expense for the police station that council approved last year).    Thank you for keeping the community safe with focus on important resident services.    Chris Robell  24 Baumb, Nelly From:Barbara Spreng <bspreng@gmail.com> Sent:Thursday, May 14, 2020 11:35 AM To:Council, City Subject:Youth Community Service (YCS), 2021 Budget CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Mayor Fine, Vice Mayor DuBois and Council Members Cormack, Filseth, Kniss, Koo and Takada -- I appreciate the opportunity I had yesterday (Weds, May 13, 2020) to speak to you in support of restoring funding for teen services to the Community Services budget. ==>> IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: The continuation of the Youth Community Service contract/grant budget item is in the CSD Human Service Contracts portion of the budget that I believe was added to the 'parking lot' for future discussion (*please see below for me detail). As a result, the future of the Youth Connectedness Initiative (YCI) is still very much in doubt, with the current budget completely eliminating the $50k renewal. I'm sending this message to elaborate on my oral remarks:  Needs for youth services are on the rise, dramatically so in the pandemic era: I referred to an article just published by EdSource, STUDENT ANXIETY & DEPRESSION INCREASING DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES. It's heart-breaking and makes the case for the city maintaining crucial support for youth programs. Here is the link to the complete article: https://edsource.org/2020/student-anxiety-depression-increasing-during-school-closures-survey- finds/631224  Involving youth in our community yields extraordinary benefits for all: A great deal of research-based data proves Acts of service are a powerful antidote to loneliness. When we help other people, we establish a positive and powerful connection with them in that moment. But we also reaffirm to ourselves that we have value to add to the world and to someone else’s life. -- Dr. Vivek Murthy, former U.S. Surgeon General  Youth Community Service and the collaborative program it leads, Youth Connectedness Initiative, has been co-funded by the City of Palo Alto and Santa Clara County for the past two years. The County's funding would disappear if the City eliminates its $50k contribution, resulting in the decimation of the YCI at a time when our youth and families need it the most. I urge you to reinstate the $50k funding for the Youth Connectedness Initiative. Our community's youth - - and future leaders -- deserve a budget that shows we care about them and value them as an integral part of our community. These are undeniably difficult times and I do not envy you for the challenges you are facing; I appreciate your hard work and thoughtful consideration. Sincerely, Barbara Harriman Spreng *I cannot refer you to a 'page number,' so I'm attaching a screen shot of the budget slide I am referring to. I am truly perplexed to see increases for young children, senior adults and mediation services, and the complete elimination of the only contract that serves our emotionally-vulnerable teens and young adults. 25 26 Baumb, Nelly From:Carolyn Foss <carolynfoss@mac.com> Sent:Thursday, May 14, 2020 12:43 PM To:Council, City Cc:CC Subject:Do not cut Police and Fire CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    Dear City Council,    Residents attend council meetings to effect change, not to defend the status quo. They do not represent me, a member  of the city’s silent majority.    The lockdown has been quiet. We’ve seen less traffic and perhaps less crime. This is not a trend that will last.    We see an unprecedented economic depression looming, but we can’t imagine its effects. Many in Palo Alto and more in  surrounding cities will be desperate trying to pay rent, buy food, and care for family. And who are we? An enclave of  Tesla‐driving, biz‐class seating, fresh‐food eating, empathizing, complacent souls. We are not street smart. We count on  our police.    So please do not dismantle the police and fire departments. We cannot assume life will continue as it has since the  lockdown.    Sincerely,    Carolyn Foss  .        Redacted 27 Baumb, Nelly From:Jo Ann Mandinach <joann@needtoknow.com> Sent:Thursday, May 14, 2020 1:26 PM To:Council, City Subject:The Budget: Some no-brainers starting with rescinding the $6Million in new raises CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Hello. 1) Please rescind the $6.000,000 in raises recently awarded to city employees and please explain why this hasn't been done already. "Charity may begin at home" but home is where we the taxpayers live and where the average income is around $125,000 -- half the $240,000 AVERAGE city employee salary. We the residents are suffering and few of us garner the salaries and benefits you keep blithely awarding. 1B) Mayor Fine was quoted as saying he "can't answer" whether rescinding the raises was discussed? Can't or won't?? Either way we need answers and accountability. 2) Review and start cutting employees and their salaries, esp. for those making over $200,000. Make an effort to find and cut waste. 3) Stop the spending on big ticket cap ex projects. We're in a downturn and don't keep remodelling the kitchen when the market crashes and we're out of work. YOU start budgeting rationally. If you want a bridge over 101, use your contacts at Google etc. to get them to fund it. We don't need another new firehouse when the traffic light at Middlefield near it doesn't even work half the time! No more ridiculous spending on hated road furniture and traffic calming. ENOUGH. 4) Start taxing big businesses. 28 5) Cancel the $750,000 funding for the MTC. I'm tired of paying commuters to over-run us. At the very least cancel the payments to city employees for car pooling and/or taking public transit!! They've got more than enough benefits. 6) Start reading the community comments on Tow Square! You might learn something about community sentiment. Most sincerely. Jo Ann Mandinach Palo Alto, CA 94301 Redacted 29 Baumb, Nelly From:Chris Robell <chris_robell@yahoo.com> Sent:Friday, May 15, 2020 8:39 AM To:Council, City; Shikada, Ed Subject:Deferral of CIP Projects CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council,    As you contemplate potential CIP projects to defer (which I think is appropriate given the critical services that would  otherwise be cut), please consider the resident survey results on CIP projects.    The animal shelter came out as the top investment priority (see chart below indicating residents are least willing to defer  the animal shelter vs other projects).  Clearly our community appropriately prioritizes the public safety and welfare of all  mammals (two legged and four legged).      Please consider deferral of ALL CIP projects except the animal shelter.  Thank you for your hard work to make the tough  (and humane) choices.     Chris Robell      30 Baumb, Nelly From:Neilson Buchanan <cnsbuchanan@yahoo.com> Sent:Friday, May 15, 2020 11:58 AM To:Council, City Cc:Shikada, Ed; Nose, Kiely Subject:sales tax revenue CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  An important tax question is floating around town. Please clarify if private corporate dining in Palo Alto offices generates sales tax. Does it make difference if food is free to employees or if there are charges for food? If food is free or discounted to employees, is the employer or caterer responsible for sales taxes? Neilson Buchanan Palo Alto, CA 94301 650 329-0484 650 537-9611 cell cnsbuchanan@yahoo.com Redacted 31 Baumb, Nelly From:Carolyn Foss <carolynfoss@mac.com> Sent:Friday, May 15, 2020 2:19 PM To:Council, City Cc:CC Subject:Fund the Police and Fire departments now CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council, Our residents assume that safety and calm will continue in Palo Alto as always—business as usual. But we face a slow-moving economic catastrophe like no other. Thus, decisions should be framed as a choice between a preferred service vs. the assumed calm streets ensured by police protection. Why worry about funding police and fire when all is quiet and secure right now? The pandemic + economic depression will stress our city and we will be vulnerable. Do not take our safety as a given. Please wake up. Yours sincerely, Carolyn Foss . Palo Alto 94301 Redacted 32 Baumb, Nelly From:rogersac@aol.com Sent:Friday, May 15, 2020 3:56 PM To:Council, City Subject:Upcoming budget vote CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council Members. I know that times are hard for everyone at present and with the proposed budget cuts I would like you to consider doing nothing to cut funds for any of the first responders, fire, police, paramedics, etc. who would be answering our 911 calls for help when we need ambulance or police services. Additionally, I would like you to do nothing to cut funds for any city service that gives recreational or quality of life services to residents. Cutting things like libraries and children's theatre makes little sense when we all will need to depend on these more so in the future due to the after effects of the shelter in place. Lastly, I think it is wrong to cut the shuttle since we have lost VTA service as the result of having it. If we need to charge a fare for those who use, then so be it, although some groups would be exempt from a fare if that is what you want to do. If you would like to know where money could be saved I suggest you look at the many administrators at all city departments, particularly those administrators working in positions that did not even exist a few years ago. Those in admin could easily cover more areas of work as much of it appears to be duplicated. I would also suggest that the higher paid administrators receive a pay cut, as the State level staff are doing. Thank you for considering my email. Carol Rogers, . Redacted 33 Baumb, Nelly From:Advait Arun <advaitarun@gmail.com> Sent:Friday, May 15, 2020 4:53 PM To:Council, City Subject:Please Don't Defund MakeX CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  To the Palo Alto City Council: I'm Advait Arun, a former School Board Representative from Gunn High School. I graduated two years ago, and many of my classmates and close friends were (and many still are) mentors and leaders at MakeX. I'm not a handsy person like they are, but I've gone to MakeX tons of times just to hang out and watch them create some of the coolest things. I even had the chance to make woodprints and 3d prints there myself, with their help. I was really impressed by how my classmates and peers ran the workspace and how they made it into a welcoming environment for anyone. As someone who represented the students of an entire high school to the PAUSD School Board, I can say for a fact that MakeX was an important part of many of those students' lives. Especially for students outside the Gunn Robotics Team who were still interested in creating and being creative, MakeX was their outlet for that. My friends on Gunn's rocketry team, which could not use the Gunn Robotics makerspace, relied on MakeX as a community resource for their club. It was a place where students from both Gunn and Paly could interact together and have fun, too! Even now, in the midst of a pandemic, MakeX has been making masks for the community, for free! To defund such a productive institution so integral to the lives of many students in Palo Alto would be a really sad move by the City. Please preserve MakeX. It makes Palo Alto a better place for its youth. Feel free to keep in touch with me if you want my own testimonies of my experiences of MakeX or contacts to my friends and classmates, some of whom were MakeX mentors. Thank you so much for your time. Yours truly, Advait   ‐‐   -Advait Arun      34 Baumb, Nelly From:Stephen Rock <ser84@caa.columbia.edu> Sent:Friday, May 15, 2020 7:48 PM To:Council, City Subject:budget CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Folks,   My recommendations for the budget. I. Increase taxes. We are a very rich community. I.suspect most of us have not been too badly heart by unemployment since working from home is easier for rich people than poor people. Do not do a parcel tax which is very regressive. e.g. charge for parking downtown, employee tax, raise utility taxes.. II. Keep the Police force, especially the traffic patrol. At full employment with full roads there are many drivers who not only risk their own lives by their illegal behavior, but risk the lives of others. They are similar to people breaking the distancing rules for the corona virus. We need law enforcement to protect our lives. III. Even though I am a cyclist and live close to the long delayed Adobe Creek 101 bridge, I think it is not the highest priority now. Also delay other capital improvements. The city process usually takes 2 decades for anything to be done, adding a year or two more will not be horrible. IV. Services North of Embarcadero. A glance at the map shows that the habited part of Palo Alto (not including the open space preserves) consists of less than 1/3 N or Embarcadero and more than 2/3 South. Yet all but one of the libraries, most of the community center space, Arts Center, Children’s museum etc. are in this smallest part. If you close anything, close some things in the north.   ‐Steve      ‐‐   Stephen Rock   , Palo Alto, CA 94303    Redacted 35 Baumb, Nelly From:Deborah Simon <dsimonlurie@gmail.com> Sent:Sunday, May 17, 2020 11:33 AM To:Council, City; daustin@pausd.org; Shikada, Ed; board@pausd.org Subject:Cubberley/ Impact fees should go toward Cubberley! CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.   Palo Alto, CA 94306  May 17, 2020   Palo Alto City Council 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301    Dear City Council,    I am the chairperson of the nascent Friends of Cubberley, an organization of volunteers with a mission to “Support and advocate for the redevelopment of Cubberley for the benefit of the entire Palo Alto community.” I am also a member of the board and past president of Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and long-term resident of Greenmeadow.    We have two immediate problems we need your help with. First, if the city is unable to lease the space from the school district starting in July, we need to work with the school district to establish new leases as soon as possible. Is there a protocol and timeline for how all of us tenants should be moving forward with leases with the school district? Second, it has come to my attention that during this severe budget crisis, the Palo Alto History Museum has made a request that impact fees generated by Palo Alto residents be used for their museum. Assuming these facts are correct, I’m stunned that you would even consider this. If community center impact fees are available, they should go towards Cubberley and the tenants and families that already utilize this well-used and poorly maintained property. If there are library impact fees, what about the Friends of the Palo Alto Library who uses space at Cubberley to generate funds for our libraries?    Our organization is working on a website and a way to coordinate among all of the tenants so at this point, we do not have an exact count of the tenants and the people who use Cubberley, but we do know that there are xxx tenants and some like PACO, have been in that space for over 50 years. These organizations are the fabric of Palo Alto and in particular south Palo Alto, an area of Palo Alto that historically has not received as much funding and recognition as the northern end of Palo Alto.     To consider using impact fees to help a new museum rather than direct them to dozens of long term Palo Alto organizations and their thousands of participants is unacceptable.    Please reconsider.    Sincerely,    Deborah Simon dsimonlurie@gmail.com 415-290-5621    Cc:  Don Austin, PAUSD Superintendent Ed Shikada, Palo Alto city manager Palo Alto School Board    Redacted 36 Baumb, Nelly From:Kaela Fine <kfinebooks@gmail.com> Sent:Sunday, May 17, 2020 3:12 PM To:Council, City Subject:Support for funding for YCS Youth Connectedness and other teen wellness programs CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Support for funding for YCS Youth Connectedness and other teen wellness programs    Points to consider making:  ‐ Thank you Mayor Fine and City Council for your thoughtful budget consideration at this difficult time.  ‐ Please avoid making budget cuts that will impact our most vulnerable residents, including teen wellness  contracts in the Human Services budget.  ‐ Because County matching funds for the YCS Youth Connectedness program require equal City funding, the  loss of City funding risks eliminating the program completely.  ‐ At the May 26 Council meeting, I look forward to your positive budget decision to continue funding this  valuable program and other critical teen wellness programs.    Kaela Fine      37 Baumb, Nelly From:Charlotte Epstein <ch8r_e@yahoo.com> Sent:Sunday, May 17, 2020 5:08 PM To:Council, City; board@pausd.org Subject:Please preserve the Cubberley Community Center for the entire community CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Council and School Board Members, I have lived in Palo Alto for 40 years and during the past 10 years I have been very involved with the Friends of the Palo Alto Library at Cubberley Community Center as a Section Manager, Sorter, and Board Member. FOPAL normally had 2000 people a month come to our sales then after each sale we made materials available for free to teachers and the public. From our profits we made grants to support the libraries beyond what the city budget allowed. FOPAL is a thriving and important community asset. I attended two of the recent meetings on the redesign of Cubberley and was impressed with the great variety of groups that meet at Cubberley, many of whom might not be able to survive the closing of Cubberley. Palo Alto's community activities are one of the most desirable features of Palo Alto life and they need to be preserved so Palo Alto can continue to be the kind of city that we all cherish. The pandemic will end and we should not be left with a city that has few community activities. Coming together in community activities will be even more important in the future so please preserve Cubberley Community Center to benefit the entire community. Sincerely, Charlotte Epstein Palo Alto CA 94301 Redacted 38 Baumb, Nelly From:garywetzel@aol.com Sent:Sunday, May 17, 2020 5:23 PM To:Council, City Subject:City budget item- Sidewalk Replacement and Tree Trimming CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Council: I am writing to express disagreement with an item in the Proposed City Budget concerning transferring Sidewalk Replacement and Repair to be the property owners responsibility. On my street, Stone Lane, the city currently owns both the sidewalks and the trees planted in front of all properties. The City currently also owns the front 5 feet of all property lots on the street The sidewalks, in some cases are the original sidewalks installed in the late 1950's. The trees, also planted in that 5 foot area are owned by the City, and if not properly maintained can result in damage to persons and property. The most frequent cause of sidewalk failure is the roots from the City Owned Trees. Another of the most frequent causes of failure is the low PSI of the concrete that the city specifies for the sidewalks, along with the lack of inspection of sidewalk installation and the lack of a planned maintenance program for sidewalk maintenance. Based on the above, I and the neighbors I have talked to are not agreeable to assuming responsibility or liability for items constructed or planted on city owned property, by the City or in such a state of repair that injury and liability to the public are possible due to the lack of a planned maintenance program by the city. I am sure that the Courts would side with me on this issue. I therefore request that this item be removed from consideration during the Budget Discussions and that the City retain responsibility for sidewalk and tree maintenance, repair and replacement, in the areas they own or have easements on, along with the associated liability for any injury to the public from these items. G.M.Wetzel , PE Redacted 39 Baumb, Nelly From:Melissa Kirven-Brooks <mkirvenbrooks@gmail.com> Sent:Sunday, May 17, 2020 8:40 PM To:Council, City Subject:Support for funding for YCS Youth Connectedness and other teen wellness programs CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Mayor Fine and members of the City Council:      Thank you for your careful consideration of the City of Palo Alto during this difficult time.    I ask that as you review ways to balance the City budget that you please avoid making budget cuts that will impact our  most vulnerable residents, including teen wellness contracts in the Human Services budget.    Santa Clara County matches funds for the YCS Youth Connectedness program, requiring equal City funding, the loss of  City funding risks eliminating the program completely.    At the May 26th Council meeting, I look forward to your positive budget decision to continue funding this valuable  program and other critical teen wellness programs.    My main concerns in the City of Palo Alto are our youth,  the homeless and our seniors.     Thank you,    Melissa Kirven‐Brooks   , Palo Alto, CA 94303  650‐400‐1427  Redacted 40 Baumb, Nelly From:Bernadette Meyler <bmeyler@law.stanford.edu> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 7:56 AM To:Council, City; board@pausd.org Subject:Cubberley Lease CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Members of the City Council and School Board:                 I am writing to express my strong support for prioritizing the lease for Cubberley classroom space  despite budget constraints. At a time when our children are experiencing unprecedented disruptions of their  classrooms and lives, it is crucial that this activity space remain a refuge for them when the Covid‐19 situation  has been resolved. Many of the tenants of Cubberley provide highly valued arts activities for families with  children. Given the costs of rent in Palo Alto, there is no other location that will be able to host all these  organizations on their limited budgets. If they cannot operate in Cubberley, the result for many will be that  they will simply not continue to operate in Palo Alto, which will be a dramatic loss for the community.                  My two daughters, now 6 and 8, have been involved in activities at Cubberley since they were 2, from  theatrical and dance camps to music. The impact of Cubberley on their ability to play music has been  particularly marked. Almost every week of the school year for the past 5 years, my older daughter has  participated in a large‐scale musical activity at Cubberley, first through Magical Strings West, which meets on  Saturdays in M2, and more recently through the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, which has had a relationship  with Cubberley dating back at least to the 1970s. It is hard to overstate the significance in her life of the  relationships and connections she has been able to develop through these events in Cubberley.                  When I arrived in Palo Alto six years ago and began taking my daughter to activities at Cubberley,  Cubberley also furnished a space for me to meet other parents from the community and make connections  with neighbors from all walks of life. This kind of public space, which allows for encounters among people of  different generations and backgrounds through a shared commitment to a community, is so valuable and so  ephemeral in today’s world. It is an aspect of Palo Alto that I greatly cherish and would truly mourn if it were  taken away.                 I urge you to prioritize the lease for Cubberley in your budgetary deliberations; it is a crucial and in  many ways irreplaceable space for many in our community.     Sincerely yours,     Bernadette Meyler  Carl and Sheila Spaeth Professor of Law  Associate Dean for Research  Stanford Law School    Stanford, CA 94305     Redacted 41 Baumb, Nelly From:Christian Pease <cgpease2016@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 8:26 AM To:Council, City; City Mgr Cc:Christian Pease Subject:Fiscal Responsibility and Community Services CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear City Council and Manager,     First, I want to commend you for your hard work and heavy responsibility addressing Palo Alto’s  unprecedented fiscal crisis.     In doing so, I urge you to make key community services a priority over capital projects that can be deferred or  cancelled.     For example, children and teen programs, libraries, open spaces and parks, deserve additional funding beyond  current proposals.     In contrast, items such as the El Camino Pedestrian Plan should be cancelled, saving $1M in FY2021.     Now is the time to put our financial house in order, not to use the current a catastrophe as rational for making  big policy or code changes, or to rush into experiments in our commercial districts “to see how they work.”     We will be dealing with this crisis for some time to come. Doing so demands deliberate and open processes if  we are to get it as right as we can.     Thank you for your consideration.     Sincerely,  Christian Pease  Evergreen Park  42 Baumb, Nelly From:Pat Kinney <pkinney@ix.netcom.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 8:53 AM To:Council, City Subject:Support for funding for YCS Youth Connectedness and other teen wellness programs CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Thank you Mayor Fine and City Council for your thoughtful budget consideration at this difficult time. I urge you to avoid making budget cuts that will impact our most vulnerable residents, including teen wellness contracts in the Human Services budget. As the mother of a teen who was at-risk, I know first-hand how important support is. Because County matching funds for the YCS Youth Connectedness program require equal City funding, the loss of City funding risks eliminating the program completely. Please try to avoid letting this happen. At the May 26 Council meeting, I look forward to your positive budget decision to continue funding this valuable program and other critical teen wellness programs. Patricia Kinney Palo Alto, CA 94303 Redacted 43 Baumb, Nelly From:joseph hirsch <jihirschpa@outlook.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 9:30 AM To:Council, City Cc:joseph hirsch Subject:Budget Discussions CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  I have been watching some of your budget discussions and have been impressed with the manner in which you have  been able to deal with the variety of subjects discussed. I’m sure it has been difficult.    However, I have been disappointed that more money has not been allocated to Community Services.  As we start to  move out of the lockdown phase we have been in (Mrs. Hirsch and I have been Staying At Home for more than two  months now, outside only for daily walks and a handful of visits to various commercial places – post office, pharmacy  and grocery stores) it is imperative – more than ever ‐ that the City’s Community Services be supported to the greatest  extent possible. Capital projects are important, but nonetheless should be deferred to the greatest extent possible and  those 20‐21 “savings” allocated to those Community Service projects that serve the entire community.     I won’t get into the details of which specific Capital projects can be deferred (many of which we have lived without for  many years, so what is one more year) or which Community Service projects should be supported. But, in my opinion,  the City needs to support the Services the average resident needs NOW, particularly those residents with young  children.  I hope that as you finalize the 20‐21 Budget, you will share this opinion with me.    Thank you for your consideration of this request.    Joseph Hirsch  Georgia Avenue      P.S.  I will mention one specific item.  With so many people presently working from home, and so many companies  learning that that can be done productively, why allocate addition staff money to the Planning Department?  There is  every likelihood that many fewer new commercial buildings will be needed in the future, as there may be a glut of  commercial sf in the mid‐peninsula if, in fact, more people continue to work from home.  Allocate more money to  Community Services instead of to a Department that may not be as needed as it has in the past ‐ as we more toward a  new “normal” post COVID‐19.          Sent from Mail for Windows 10    44 Baumb, Nelly From:Gail Thompson <Gail.thompson2018@outlook.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 10:40 AM To:Council, City Subject:Support for youth wellness/mental health programs, including YCS CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  I support continued funding for youth wellness programs including YCS. The need has increased during this time of  uncertainty for youth and especially for those coping with anxiety and depression.  Thank you for your consideration  during these difficult times.  Gail Thompson RN  45 Baumb, Nelly From:Amy Keohane <amykeohane@hotmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 11:18 AM To:Council, City Subject:Proposed budget CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  I was reading the proposed budget and it seems that you are cutting out things that others may need in this  time while you are going forward with raises for city employees where I would say most people in companies  either don't have jobs, jobs freeze and no raises at all in these times.  I think cutting out 35% for our public  safety while administrative staff get 12 % makes absolutely no sense and short sighted.  If you havent read the  online comments you may like to do so.  They offer great ideas. No raises for anyone at this time, it sends all  the wrong messages    Amy Keohane  650‐346‐5306  1 Baumb, Nelly From:Paul Machado <plmachado@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 12:25 PM To:Council, City Subject:Priorities CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  During these difficult times much has been asked of residents to shelter  in place.    Now, during budget talks, perhaps City services aimed at enhancing the  lives of residents, who have sacrificed per the repeated requests of City  Officials, should be the first to be considered for funding.    Thank you    Paul Machado            2 Baumb, Nelly From:Benjamin Simon <bs1234@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 11:56 AM To:Council, City; board@pausd.org Subject:from Ben Simon, music director of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra re: Cubberley Community Center changes CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Palo Alto City Council and Palo Alto Unified School District Board, I am writing on behalf of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, a long-time tenant of Cubberley Community Center. As we plan together for our city's and our school district's future in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic, let us stop to reflect on how music and the arts have brought hope and joy around the globe during this unprecedented time. From the balcony performances that have rallied spirits in Italy to the PAUSD Choir teachers' video that brightened our day here in Palo Alto, we resonate with how music can give us a sense of togetherness and transport us out of our daily struggles and uncertainties. Our very own Cubberley Community Center is home to many music and arts groups that are a vital and essential part of life here in Palo Alto. As the president of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra's Board, I would like to tell you a little bit about our organization. We are just finishing out our 53rd season as an award-winning all-strings chamber orchestra that serves regional youth, including many from here in Palo Alto. Our orchestra began in the Palo Alto home of our first conductor and eventually moved to Cubberley, where we've had a wonderful close relationship with the City ever since. Our five ensembles (varying in size from two to three dozen members) typically have weekly rehearsals in M-2 and performances at Cubberley Theatre -- these form the rhythm of our orchestra life. Many of our PACO members begin in PACO as elementary school students and remain in PACO through high school because they find that the orchestra not only teaches them about music but also about collaboration, responsibility, and friendship. Indeed, the mission of PACO is to teach young string players to play well with others, to forge a musical community, and to make the world a better place. As some of the oldest tenants in the history of Cubberley, we would like to ask that the City and PAUSD prioritize the leases that we and other Cubberley-based organizations have in place. We are part of the cultural fabric of Palo Alto and of the neighborhood identity of South Palo Alto. As tenants, we would also like to express our support for the planned redevelopment of Cubberley and our hope that the City will choose to make community impact fees available for this long-discussed redesign. While medicine and science are saving the lives of our citizens, music and art are nurturing the spirits of our citizens. As you embark on difficult budget decisions that impact us all, please do not forget music and art. We are all in this together. Thank you. Sincerely, Benjamin Simon Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra Music Director 3 Baumb, Nelly From:Patty Irish <irishpw@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 2:07 PM To:Council, City Subject:Budget cuts and Palo Alto Shuttle Bus CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Mayor Fine and all City Council Members: I am writing as a Board member of Stevenson House, a residence for 165 Seniors with low incomes living on Charleston Road. Many of the residents use the Shuttle Bus to get to appointments and other places. The shuttle is also used by many of the Seniors who come to Stevenson House for the subsidized weekday lunches offered by the county; prepared and given out at Stevenson House. During these Shelter in Place times Seniors pick up their lunches to take home to eat. In better times they eat in the Stevenson House dining room. I know you have hard choices to make and encourage you to think of this important population in our community. We have a large senior community who live throughout town and benefit from public transportation. Thank you for your consideration of public transportation for our City senior residents. Patty Irish a Senior resident and Stevenson House Board member.   ‐‐   Pat Irish       Palo Alto, CA 94301  650‐324‐7407  650‐245‐3906 cell          Redacted 4 Baumb, Nelly From:Carol Scott <cscott@crossfieldllc.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 2:46 PM To:Council, City; Shikada, Ed Subject:Budget Adjustment Priorities CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Council Member and City Manager,    I have been following closely the ongoing budget discussions and the proposals to reduce our expenses to deal  with a large expected deficit.  I appreciate the long hours you have put in, and the myriad of complicating  factors that must be taken into account.    In revising our budget to close the gap between revenues and expenses, two principles are most important to  me.    First, community services must be maintained to the extent possible.  In any discussion, community services  should receive priority over such things as capital investments or other proposed new initiatives that require  large outlays for consultant services or other expenditures. One example would be plans for any El Camino  'grand boulevard' or El Camino pedestrian walkway.  We are in a crisis situation of unknown duration and  consequences.  These projects can be brought back at a later date as we can afford them or have more  visibility into our needs.  Once cut, community services will be much more difficult to restore.    Second, the Council should not be making budget cuts through changes to existing policies.  Deal with the  numbers as they are, and do not use short‐term budget concerns as a means to enact policy changes without  a thorough discussion and community input and debate.  I, along with many residents, will not look kindly  upon such efforts to short‐circuit community input when the election for new council members comes around  in November.      Thank you for  your efforts to create a workable budget for the coming year.      Carol Scott  Resident of Evergreen Park  ‐‐   Carol Scott  5 Baumb, Nelly From:Jill Kaplan <jilldkap@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:32 PM To:Council, City Subject:Save College Terrace Library and arts programs CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    Dear City Council members,    Please save College Terrace Library, a beloved community treasure. We in the surrounding community depend on the  easy and affordable access to books, movies, music, audiobooks and the internet, especially in these trying times. As the  only library west of El Camino Real, College Terrace provides vital access to resources that bring joy and connection,  especially for those without means of transport ‐ or the means to afford the internet, Netflix or other subscription  services. My young adult children and I continue to use College Terrace branch regularly‐‐ from the time they  participated in the beloved children’s story hour and summer reading programs to now. College Terrace is a refuge and  gathering place. Closing this branch would be a loss to young and old, families, singles and those of limited means ‐ to all  of us who dwell in the surrounding community.    The Children’s Theatre and Palo Alto Art Center help make Palo Alto a special, magical place to raise our families.To  abolish these programs is to impoverish the city. These arts programs define us and enrich all of our lives. Please  preserve these meaningful community programs.    Jill Kaplan    6 Baumb, Nelly From:Beth Rosenthal <bbr550@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:49 PM To:Council, City Subject:Budget allocations CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    Dear Mayor Fine and City Council Members;    I am writing today to ask that in your budget deliberations, you pay attention to the many emails and public expressions  of sentiment at Oral Communication regarding the allocation of funding for the FY2020/2021 Budget. It seems to me  that when you hear over and over from your constituents that they would like public services to remain as much intact  as possible, those are difficult voices to shut out and ignore. I will not tell you how to do your job. I appreciate that the  process of budgeting in the light of the current significant shortfall is extremely complex and difficult. However, when  you have run on a platform indicating that you support residents’ preferences, how can you choose to restore salaries  for long range planners and inspectors and put the College Terrace Library in the “Parking Lot” is unfathomable to me. I  hope you will hear the voices of the people and be responsive to their requests.    Sincerely,    Beth Rosenthal, Ph.D      7 Baumb, Nelly From:William Betts <Will@pacomusic.org> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:59 PM To:Council, City Subject:Cubberley 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 Will Betts, and I am writing on behalf of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, a long-time tenant of the Cubberley Community Center. I have been the manager of PACO for the last two years, and I'd like to give you some more detail about our organization. We are finishing our 53rd season as an award-winning all-strings chamber orchestra that serves regional youth, including many from right here in Palo Alto. Our orchestra began in the Palo Alto home of our first conductor and eventually moved to Cubberley, where we've been for more than 40 years. Our office is located in room M-1, our five ensembles have weekly rehearsals in room M-2, and the majority of our performances occur at Cubberley Theatre. As such, Cubberley is uniquely suited for our rental needs- it provides us a small office space, our weekly rehearsal space, enough nearby additional classrooms for when we break into small groups and need as many as five rooms simultaneously, and our regular performance venue, all in one convenient location. I fear our organization will be damaged if we are forced to find a new location, or more likely multiple locations in order to cover our needs. The Cubberley Community Center is home to many music and arts groups that are a vital part of life here in Palo Alto. As some of the oldest tenants in the history of Cubberley, we would like to ask that the City and PAUSD prioritize the leases that we and other Cubberley-based organizations have in place. We are part of the cultural fabric of Palo Alto and of the neighborhood identity of South Palo Alto. PACO has had an active presence at the community Cubberley redesign meetings that have taken place over the last nine months, and we would also like to express our support for the planned redevelopment of Cubberley and our hope that the City will choose to make community impact fees available for this long-discussed redesign. While medicine and science are saving the lives of our citizens, music and art are nurturing the spirits of our citizens. As you embark on difficult budget decisions that impact us all, please do not forget music and art. Thank you, Will   ‐‐   William Betts   Managing Director, Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra  will@pacomusic.org  650‐856‐3848    Palo Alto, CA 94303    My typical office hours are:  Sundays 2:00‐9:00pm  Mondays 2:00‐7:00pm  Tuesdays 2:00‐7:00pm  Wednesdays 2:00‐10:00pm  Redacted 8 Thursdays 2:00‐7:00pm    I may not be able to respond to messages received on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday until the following  Monday. Thank you for your patience.      Virus-free. www.avg.com   9 Baumb, Nelly From:Jeremy Erman <jeremy_erman@yahoo.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 4:00 PM To:Council, City Subject:Please support Children's Theatre, libraries, and youth programs CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    Dear City Council,    I started acting at the Children's Theatre in 1986 when I was 9 years old. When I was 17, I started helping out as a  pianist, and from 1995 to 2010 I worked as a pianist and then music director for dozens of productions, sometimes  working on four or five or more shows a summer. I also performed at special events, such as the opening of the outdoor  Magic Castle Stage in 1998.    Live performances have been the heart and soul of the Palo Alto Children's Theatre since the program started in 1932,  and since the building opened in 1937. Even during the Great Depression, arts programs flourished, and Palo Alto saw  the arts and education as key to surviving  economic turmoil.    The current proposal to cut all performances at the Children's Theatre for two years will cripple and hollow out this  program that has been one of Palo Alto's gems for over eighty years. The proposed City budget will cut much of the  Theatre's budget, and also reduce support for the companies which use the Lucie Stern Theatre: Palo Alto Players (for  whom the Lucie Stern Theatre was built), TheatreWorks (founded partly by young adults who had aged out of the  Children's Theatre), and West Bay Opera.    Such cuts would be a mistake. Thousands of children's lives have been changed by performing at the Children's Theatre  over the last 80+ years. Many  adults who have had major impacts on our society have cited the Palo Alto Children's  Theatre as a key inspiration in their youth. Don't let that stop.    In addition, the proposal to close Children's Library three days a week and cut programs and librarians will further  reduce services to Palo Alto's children. I remember city staff saying last week that Children's Library has the second  highest circulation rate of materials after Mitchell Park, yet it seems to be receiving the brunt of library cuts. During the  Recession, a similar proposal was made to close certain libraries on certain days, and it was averted by trimming  morning and evening hours at multiple libraries so that no one library would bear the the brunt of the cuts. A similar  strategy could be used here.    I am also shocked at the Council's decision to stop leasing the school district's portion of Cubberley Community Center.  Not only does this further impact Palo Alto's children by taking away money from the Palo Alto Unified School District,  but it would seem to throw out many of Cubberley's community tenants, some of whom have been there for decades,  such as the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, ANOTHER youth group that will suffer under this budget. I do not understand  how the City Council, in good conscience, can make this decision without first discussing it with the school district and  Cubberley's tenants.    And if ending the Cubberley lease is in bad conscience, then cutting Palo Alto's teen programs is unconscionable. I have  friends who are gone forever. You're worried about public safety? So am I, and it's provided by more than just police and  fire. Arts and education and mentoring programs protect and support people in ways that are hard to quantify, yet  change lives profoundly.  10   In fact, a disproportionate amount of the cuts to Community Services and Libraries seem aimed at children and  teenagers. From the Children's Theatre and Children's Library to Teen Programs, the Baylands Interpretive Center, and  the Cubberley Community Center, the proposed cuts will cripple the City's ability to provide for its youth just when they  will need these services the most.    The FY 2021 budget will go into effect on July 1, 2020, and any programs included in its cuts which have managed to  continue creatively online, such as the Children's Theatre's Teen Arts Council, will presumably cease. Don't let this  happen.    I don't know when the shelter‐in‐place will end, and all of us will be able to go out and socialize again. I don't know when  performances and plays and concerts will resume. But if the City of Palo Alto does not budget for them now, there will  be no possibility of them returning in 2021, even in a modified form.    Especially in these difficult times, the City of Palo Alto's needs arts, library and educaion programs. Please support these  important programs.    Thank you,    Jeremy Erman  11 Baumb, Nelly From:Suzanne Keehn <dskeehn@pacbell.net> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 4:39 PM To:Council, City; Shikada, Ed; Clerk, City; Planning Commission; Architectural Review Board Subject:Budget CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  To the Palo Alto City Council, I commend yo all for surviving the 3 day marathon you had last week on the budget. I'm sure you needed a couple of off days after that effort. I filled out two surveys, indicating that our community service were most important, and supportive for so many of us residents. Especially necessary is supporting creativity of our young people. I heard when listening some of the time last week, two high school students, I believe, speaking to support a program that both got so much from, creativity, community, even if on line. Plus they were learning a lot. Funding for the Children's Theater, College Terrace Library, even for 3 days a week. Nature, which has had a chance to breath during this stay in place order, is reviving. Keep the Baylands paths and interpretative center open. Nature is necessary for our health. Take care of the mental health of our teens and adults, please keep the Suicide Prevention program. My younger granddaughter, when through this recently and getting help, is very expensive. Anything we can do to support the mental health of our community is more than worth the money it takes. No one I know feels that the infrastructure planned is a current necessity. In fact we do not as yet, know how this pandemic will effect P.A. and other cities as far as needing more buildings. Most of what you've planned to include has waited for awhile, and waiting another year or so will save a lot of money. Please review the plan for street maintenance, and find some cuts that could save some money. With the changes we are experiencing, and the effects on what we will experience, we don't need an El Camino Pedestrian Plan. Can money be found in the City parking Lot Maintenance? What about staff reductions in the City Manager's office, I believe there are 10 staff at present. 12 From what I've been reading and listening to, office buildings will not be needed. Even Google is rethinking how best to use their workforce. Many are seeing that working from home is efficient, and productive, and that perhaps going to a 2 1/2 day week is better for them and their employees. One project that should be supported, going ahead with the plans, is the historic Roth Building, it has a great history and now to support a Palo Alto History Museum is a good idea, and would probably be best to continue now, before everything gets more expensive. Sincerely, Suzanne Keehn Orme St. 94306 13 Baumb, Nelly From:Alan Marcum <amm@RhinoAviation.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 5:54 PM To:Council, City; City Mgr Subject:Palo Alto Budget Thought - streetlights CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  It’s a small thing, but every little bit helps.     I don’t know how much the City pays to run the streetlights  Maybe we can save some money by turning off half of  them. Yes, there would be darker spots. In walking around the neighborhood many evenings over the past month, when  there has been so little traffic, I’ve noticed that we would have no significant problems if half the streetlights were  turned off—or even more. I recall when we had a large power outage in our neighborhood (Midtown) and there were  no streetlights: even then, it was certainly light enough to be able to walk safely.    - Alan Alan Marcum Midtown Palo Alto (pronouns: he/him/his)     14 Baumb, Nelly From:Maya Mazor-Hoofien <mhoofien@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 8:58 PM To:Council, City Subject:Teen Arts Council Budget CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Hello Council,     I spoke at the meeting tonight, and wanted to send in my speech to allow you to review it as needed. Thank you so  much for your consideration. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about our responsibilities, spending, and  attendance.    ‐‐‐    I’ve been participating in Teen Arts Council since the beginning of this year, and it has made a world of difference to my high school experience. Freshman year, I stopped singing live when I aged out of a program that I used to perform with, and found myself missing it immensely without a clear solution. I started attending TAC events and later meetings, and w hen I finally worked up the courage to sing at an Open Mic in December, I experienced everything that I had missed so much about performing live; the nerves, the tunnel vision, and the satisfaction of an audience smiling back at me. I’ve made and kept friends through TAC, and its clear to see how our events bring the teen community together, at a time we so clearly need it. In preparing for this meeting, I learned that TAC was founded in response to a teen suicide cluster, a topic our community has become so numb to it’s an afterthought. I know that our events take care of community, just as I know the meetings have taken care of me. I’ve found a voice as a leader, and learned valuable lessons about teamwork, organization, and planning that nothing in my life has ever offered me. Our adult staff are instrumental to this process, as they guide us and help us make decisions to be successful. In the coming year, our community will need a place like TAC events to shelter from the storm. We can make social distancing accommodations to our regular event set ups, and take extra care to keep everything clean and safe. I understand the responsibility we have to our teen community, and I hope you can ensure us the funding we need to fulfill it. Thank you. 15 Baumb, Nelly From:Kaui <kaui@demarzo.com> Sent:Monday, May 18, 2020 10:11 PM To:Council, City Cc:Kaui DeMarzo; Peter DeMarzo Subject:Please consider saving College Terrace Library CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  To the City Council members,    As an longtime community member, I submit a heartfelt plea on behalf of myself, my wife and my three children that  the College Terrace library remain open.     This library is the closest public library to faculty families living on campus.  It is safe for the children to bike to.  The  other two libraries, Downtown and Mitchell, are much farther and require crossing major roads like El Camino and Page  Mill.      It has been an important resource for our family. My wife has reached out on the library website to volunteer so that  the library could be open on the days has been closed: Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays.  These days have often been  when our children needed a place to study for exams and projects due the following day.    Beyond my family's needs, a neighborhood library, especially such a picturesque one as College Terrace, is an important  piece of the community fabric: a resource and a place for our neighbors and families to meet and socialize, an important  piece of childhoods, a safe place, a resource without censorship, and our librarians provide tools and education that  can't be found elsewhere.    Finally, closing the library would likely have a negative impact on surrounding property values.      In this difficult time, budget cuts are a necessity.  I know you have considered many options.  But please know this is a  treasured resource without comparable substitutes.  I hope there is an opportunity to consider alternatives, such as  volunteer support.    Thank you for your consideration.    Sincerely,  Peter DeMarzo  Kaui DeMarzo    *************   Thanks,   Kaui Chun DeMarzo  kaui@demarzo.com  (650) 454‐7355    16 Baumb, Nelly From:Patty Irish <irishpw@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:59 AM To:Council, City Subject:Support for funding for YCS Connectedness and other teen wellness programs CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Mayor Fine and all Palo Alto City Council members: Thank you Mayor and Council Members for your thoughtful budget considerations at this difficult time. Please avoid making budget cuts that will impact our most vulnerable residents including teen wellness contracts in the Human Resources Budget. Because County matching funds for the YCS Youth Connectedness program require equal City funding, the loss of City funding risks eliminating the program completely. At your May 26 Council meeting, I look forward to your positive budget decision to continue funding this valuable program and other critical teen wellness programs. Thank you, Patty Irish (longtime supporter of YCS) Palo Alto, CA 94301   ‐‐   Pat Irish       Palo Alto, CA 94301  650‐324‐7407  650‐245‐3906 cell          Redacted Redacted 17 Baumb, Nelly From:amywkuan@sbcglobal.net Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:34 AM To:board@pausd.org; Council, City Subject:Cubberley Community Center CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Palo Alto City Council and Palo Alto Unified School District Board,  I am a Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO) Board member and writing on behalf of the orchestra, a long-time tenant of Cubberley Community Center.  I can only imagine the difficulties in planning a path forward for your school district and city after the unprecedented times we are living through with this pandemic. I thank you for your time and consideration of all the members of the Palo Alto community and beyond.   PACO is just such a community that stretches beyond the borders of Palo Alto and pulls in talented kids to learn about collaboration, leadership, expression of ideas and responsibility – all through music. In turn, as part of PACO’s mission, to learn to Play Well With Others, and to make the world a better place, the orchestras perform and share their music with free concerts and small ensembles volunteer to share their music by playing at venues such as senior centers, hospitals, Palo Alto VA.  It has found its home at Cubberley Community Center for over 40 years and as the organization grew over those decades, it has become a unique organization that has been home to elementary school aged children starting out with their instruments all the way to where many graduate high school together. It’s a special organization that prioritizes the nurturing of the creative and sharing over competition – something that students find so rarely these days!  As some of the oldest tenants in the history of Cubberley, we would like to ask that the City and PAUSD prioritize the leases that we and other Cubberley-based organizations have in place. We are part of the cultural fabric of Palo Alto and of the neighborhood identity of South Palo Alto. As tenants, we would also like to express our support for the planned redevelopment of Cubberley and our hope that the City will choose to make community impact fees available for this long-discussed redesign.  Thank you for your time, work and efforts in keeping all of the communities in Palo Alto vibrant!    Sincerely,   Amy Kuan     18 Baumb, Nelly From:Ann Balin <alafargue@mac.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:32 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 Mayor Fine & Council Members,    Thank you for working to get the city manager and staff to show solidarity with the community to reduce their salaries.  As Governor Newsom set the example if was imperative for our city manager to agree.    I ask that you vote to keep the College Terrace Library in the budget as reflected by the many emails received by you to  keep this important amenity. Please heed the voice of Palo Altons who want our library system to be strong during this  pressing pandemic and at all times.    Ann Lafargue Balin  College Terrace  19 Baumb, Nelly From:Joy Sleizer <joy.sleizer142@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:05 PM To:Council, City Subject:Budget CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Thank you Mayor Fine and City Council for your thoughtful budget consideration at this difficult time. I hope the budget will continue to include funds that help our our most vulnerable residents, including teens. I'm aware that County matching funds for YCS require matching City funding. It would be a shame to lose that program. Best, Joy Sleizer 650-324-7425 Redacted 20 Baumb, Nelly From:Mark Whiteley <mark.whiteley76@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:35 PM To:Council, City Subject:College Terrace Library status CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Hello city council members,     I am writing a second time to voice my support for keeping the College Terrace Library branch open in some capacity. As  a direct neighbor of the library for over 15 years, as well as being a regular user, I was outright dismayed to learn that it  would be closed entirely, rather than simply scaled back in tandem with the other branches. It is a focal point of not only  the College Terrace neighborhood, but of other surrounding neighborhoods in our region of Palo Alto. To single it out as  the only library branch to outright close is entirely unfair to all the users and residents of this part of the city — and not  just as a resource for books and media, but as a place for those who need wi‐fi, computer access, or simply a place to  engage with neighbors and community members, all of which are increasingly important in an environment like we are  now living.     Please find a way to keep our branch operating even in some capacity so that our neighborhood and community is not  disproportionately adversely affected compared to all the other neighborhoods that are keeping their library and  community hub.    Thank you,  Mark Whiteley  21 Baumb, Nelly From:Hank Edson <hank@familytreemediation.net> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:37 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. Dear City Council, First, a note of thanks for your continued hard work in a difficult time. I know it is not easy being in your position. I note that as a city resident who attended a prior council meeting and made a statement, I did not stay for the entire meeting and later was informed of the council's actions in a way that omitted to explain the procedure the council adopted in using a "parking lot" for items possibly to be restored. I'm sure this miscommunication resulted in many upset follow-ups, like one I subsequently sent. However, I think there is also a learning to be had from this experience: When there is an outpouring of public concern, it is best for the council to proactively do outreach communicating the procedure they are adopting in response to public feedback, rather than assume that people will sit through your entire meeting and know what you've decided to do first-hand or that the adopted procedure will be communicated to the public in a complete way through the grapevine. Second, understanding the procedure you've adopted, I want to follow up to urge you not to gut a key part of a neighborhood's ecosystem with deep roots that presently gets high use, especially when there are so many far more expensive new projects in the budget that we've survived just fine without up until now. Yes, new projects are great and even important, but not at the expense of living, vital aspects of neighborhoods that have been part of the community for a long time and are well loved and serve important needs. Previously, some council members have questioned whether the city should be governed by the "loudest voices in the room" in response to the activism of the College Terrace community in seeking to preserve their library. Your prior council meeting showed that the council invested in an online survey indicating that you do care about our voices. It also showed that the disproportionate budget going to public safety over community services did not correspond with the close match of percentages between community services including libraries as the close second highest priority compared to the first priority, public safety. The 175 or so emails and many other forms of public feedback you have received, including the results of the online survey, do not constitute the "loudest" voices, but rather the "most numerous" voices. Yes, this is the basis of democracy; our numerous voices are not to be discounted because they are loud or represent a self-interest (which actually is an interest of the entire city if the value of the library is appropriately appreciated). And the upset tenor of so many voices does not make the College Terrace community a bunch of bullies in a public process, but indicates we are a unified community rightfully trying to protect something widely viewed as extremely valuable, especially when compared to it's cost and when considered in terms of its under-representation in your proposed budget compared to its public support. I have previously wondered how much the signage for the new Public Safety Building will cost. I still wonder. Council members have also cited cutbacks to staff in other areas and posed the question, which is more important, but this is a false comparison that ignores large areas of budget expenditure. As noted, there are many new projects with budgets in the millions of dollars that are not allocated to staff salaries. Also, sharing the pain through staff wage decreases rather than elimination of positions is another way to: avoid having to choose between one staffing priority and another, arguably be kindest to the greatest 22 number of employees; and still preserve a reasonable degree of service to the public in each area of priority. At the end of the day, it is just simply not a credible position to say that the elimination of a $165,000 service is going to make or break a $40M budget deficit in which there are so many multi-million dollar projects across which cuts can be made, many of which Palo Alto has not had the benefit of in the past, and which can have the runway for their achievement in the future lengthened. Again, we, your community, understand the hard work and stress being put upon you and are grateful for your service. In providing our feedback in such a unified and broad-based voice, we are trying to help you make the best choices. -- Best regards, Hank Edson Family Tree Mediation Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 762-8733 http://familytreemediation.net This email may be a privileged and confidential communication of mediation. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, do not read, copy, use, forward or disclose the email or any of its attachments to others. Instead, immediately notify the sender by replying to this email and then delete it from your system. Redacted 23 Baumb, Nelly From:Pearl D Houghteling <pearlh@stanford.edu> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:53 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,  I moved to Palo Alto and College Terrace 1 year ago. Before shelter‐in‐place, the CT library was one of my family’s and  my favorite things about our neighborhood. Yes, we also occasionally visit the children’s library, but mostly we visit the  college terrace one.  Here’s what we love about the library: the library is an ideal refuge for me and my young children to visit to check out  books, explore new puzzles, and even to have a change of scene on a day that’s rainy or too hot. Our house, like many in  college terrace and Palo Alto, is tiny for our family of 5, and we value the ability to have a gem in our community like the  library that’s also a way for adults to have a quiet work space. While there are other library branches for checking  out/dropping off books, a library is best as an in‐person experience, and we wouldn’t often be able to go to other more  distant locations given that our family has one car and my husband takes it to work at a hospital 30 miles away.  Thank you for your consideration to keep this resource open for families like ours, for whom other libraries are out of  range of walking with a stroller.  Sincerely,  Pearl Houghteling  Bowdoin St  24 Baumb, Nelly From:Clark Akatiff <cakatiff@yahoo.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:00 PM To:Council, City Subject:Are our children not important? CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  I support the budget for the Children's Theater. It may never return if you don't keep it going --even if on a reduced basis. Kathryn Akatiff Palo Alto, CA Redacted 25 Baumb, Nelly From:Nat Fisher <sukiroo@hotmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:46 PM To:Shikada, Ed; Council, City; Kou, Lydia Subject:what's open?/budget CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Are shoe stores allowed? Appliance repair shops? Clock and repair shops? If not now, then on Friday? I asked these questions on the website but answers are not forthcoming. The website is not helpful. I use email rather than phone the service. It is terrible that the free City shuttles have been cut from the budget! This is a necessity for many people, those who don't drive, seniors, disabledpeople who can't own cars. How are they to get around town? Completely cutting the lease with the school district at Cubberley is unacceptable. Not only should we support the school district but also the art community which will be displaced with nowhere to go. I urge the Council to reconsider these cuts. Natalie Fisher   Palo Alto  26 Baumb, Nelly From:Sue Chang <suechang969@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:05 PM To:Council, City Subject:Vote -Open 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,     Please vote to have College Terrace Library open, even if only for a few days a week between Down Town Library and  College Terrace Library. This will save operating expenses while continuing to serve our community. Thank you for your  consideration.     Best regards,  PA residents     27 Baumb, Nelly From:Patty Chu <patty.chu@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:50 PM To:Council, City Subject:plea to keep College Terrace Library open CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  My family has been going to the College Terrance library since we moved to Palo Alto in 2004. We continue to visit it  weekly (before the shelter‐in‐place mandate).  It's fine if you need to reduce some hours or days of the week if that  helps provide relief to the operating budget, but we urge that you keep it open, at least for one (or more) weekday days  and one weekend day (Saturdays).  Thanks!    Patty  28 Baumb, Nelly From:Bryan Chan <chan_bk@yahoo.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 4:41 PM To:CubberleyCodesign Cc:Council, City Subject:Cubberley Co-design project final plan is disappointing -- needs new ideas CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Hello, I attended all four co-design meetings and I wanted to provide some feedback on the project based on the "final" results published on the website. Specifically, it seemed like the meetings were mostly about "consensus" on "existing" programs at Cubberley and there was no forum to propose new ideas or concepts. In fact, it was impossible because the meetings were designed to have consensus by each table and there was no ability for one table to communicate ideas to the other tables. There was no forum to generate NEW ideas; only re-hashing old ones. I believe that this was a serious limitation in the co-design project and the result is that the final plan appears to be modern version of the existing facility -- a revised collection of random buildings with random classes and programs just like the ones they are replacing. This is disappointing. We should not settle for this. I believe the Cubberley site offers a unique, amazing opportunity for the City. Cubberley should be used to create "magnet" facilities for the City that other cities will envy - we need to take advantage of this space. Palo Alto is missing landmark centers that other neighborhood cities have, but now we have the opportunity to build them all on one site. First, we need to build a Tennis Center with 12 lighted courts like the hugely successful Sunnyvale Tennis Center or Cuesta Park to support tennis at all levels of play. Currently, the City has tennis courts spread all over the place, usually in pairs. While this may bring courts closer to residents, this provides many challenges to the city staff in terms of maintenance and enforcement of reservations as well as limitations in programming. City of Palo Alto has no formal tennis training program for kids unlike our adjacent cities like Mountain View, Los Altos, and Sunnyvale. While the city offers some tennis classes, they are very poorly organized and limited. In contrast, Los Altos has an amazing USTA ladder training program for kids run by one of the top tennis academies in the Bay Area. Sunnyvale too. Tennis is one of the most popular activities for kids and it shouldn't be only available to those who can afford to join the expensive local tennis clubs or private academies. A Tennis Center in Palo Alto would address this huge need and even be able to support USTA level tournaments generating income for the city. Secondly, we need a Community School of Music & Arts like that in Mountain View. Every kid takes some sort of music or dance lesson in Palo Alto. This facility would support music and performing arts instruction for residents of Palo Alto and provide a center for this community. Imagine what a great place it would be for students to perform here! It might even be able to support a local youth orchestra! Finally, we need a state-of-the-art Indoor Aquatic center like the amazing one in Newark. Currently, the City of Palo Alto has scattered swimming facilities at random schools and parks, most very dated and in need of upgrades. Unfortunately, all are outdoors -- this is a huge limitation as the pools are generally closed in the 29 evenings and totally closed in the winter. In the summer, it can be too hot for kids and adults to swim. An indoor facility would address this issue and allow maximal utilization of swimming facilities. The Newark Indoor Aquatic center includes pools for toddlers, amazing indoor water slides and lazy river for families as well as a lap pool for swimming and lessons. What an amazing facility this would be for residents of all ages. Did you know that Olympic swimmers like Simone Manual are members of swimming clubs in Palo Alto, which currently rent pool time from the city? The Newark Indoor facility even includes a fitness gym for a small monthly fee of $15 like those in San Jose. All three of these landmark centers could fit on site with room for the high school. These would add an amazing bonus to citizens of Palo Alto and invigorate the city, wouldn't it? Please do not settle for yet another revised hodge podge collection of buildings with random classes. This is the time for the city to make a statement and show everyone what Palo Alto is all about. Thanks, Bryan 30 Baumb, Nelly From:MykeGonz <mykegonzmail@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 5:18 PM To:Council, City Subject:Save College Terrace Library CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    The College Terrace Library has been a priceless resource for our children. Closing the library is removing an essential  service critical to the intellectual health of our children and to the city’s civic well‐being.  Michael Gonzalez, EdD    ◌◌ ◌ ◌ ◌  NVM Gonzalez Writers’ Workshop | San Francisco | Diliman The Hinabi Project San Francisco  31 Baumb, Nelly From:Dan Seubert <dan@sffwlaw.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 5:20 PM To:Council, City Subject:Palo Alto Art Center CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Honorable Mayor and City Council Members:    My wife and I strongly encourage the City Council to continue its financial support of the Palo Alto Art Center.  It is a  valuable benefit for the community and sets Palo Alto apart from many similarly situated cities through its support of  this great cultural asset.    Thank you.      Daniel K. Seubert  Seubert French Frimel & Warner LLP    Menlo Park CA 94025  T: (650) 322‐3049  F: (650) 322‐2976  dan@sffwlaw.com  www.sffwlaw.com     Redacted 32 Baumb, Nelly From:Anandi Krishnan <anandi.krishnan@stanford.edu> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 5:20 PM To:Council, City Subject:College Terrace Library: "Please do not close" letter from 3rd grader and family. CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Palo Alto City Council,      Please find attached an urgent letter from my family in College Terrace, Palo Alto ‐ voiced by our youngest members, a  3rd grader who loves the College Terrace library!    A library within a neighborhood is a community treasure that must be preserved ‐ especially as all the structures we rely  on are falling apart.     I trust that the City of Palo Alto has sufficient moral, ethical, community values to respect the place a small library holds  in a neighborhood ‐ how it ties together members of the community.     Please do not take that from us!    Sincerely,  Anandi        35 Baumb, Nelly From:flitter sky <flittersky6@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 5:29 PM To:Council, City Subject:Please don't close the College Terrace library! CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.  Dear Palo Alto City Council,     The College Terrace library means a lot to our neighborhood, but it will mean even more in the months to come. For us  students, much of our lives will be online even after we return to school; all of our reading ‐ textbooks, poetry, plays,  fiction, nonfiction, and more ‐ will be virtual. It might seem like physical books aren't necessary anymore, but I strongly  believe that that isn't true.     A library offers us things that we can never get from an e‐reader.  1. We share our reading experience with others. There's a community that is created when we meet others at the  library.  The library is a safe place for kids, teens and adults to connect with like‐minded people.  2. We make memories. Clicking on a book to borrow it and reading it on the computer is a memory which fades quickly.  On the other hand, trips to the library with friends and family can stay in your mind for a long time; when you read a  favorite book years later, you remember discovering it for the first time on the stripy couch in the library.  3. We touch the book. It may not seem like a big thing, but it lets us separate the reading from everything else we do on  a computer. When we read, we aren't online; it's a break from the screen, not an extension of it.     A library lets us borrow a real, complete book, read it, and bring it back. Before the lockdown, that might have seemed  like an everyday privilege. But it's actually one of the best things we can possibly do to stay in touch with real life.    We need the College Terrace library.    Sincerely,  A library lover.  36 Baumb, Nelly From:Leonor Delgado <leonor31@sbcglobal.net> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 6:48 PM To:Council, City Cc:Leonor Delgado Subject:College Park Library CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    This library is an important asset to Palo Alto that has served the community for years. It needs to be kept open, as do all  the other libraries and Cubberley Community Center.    I keep asking why the pandemic, which has affected all of us in varying degrees, has not produced a real change in the  City’s priorities to serve the larger community’s needs, to look out for the underserved among us (those who have been  most hard hit), and even more than before, support the workers who ensure our safety. Why are elements that help  people and drive community spirit being sidelined so that developers and other “fat cats” can continue to reap profits?  Doesn’t the City care about education, community services, safety issues, and animals? Why are developers and  expensive contractors always favored, even at this time?    Leonor Delgado    37 Baumb, Nelly From:Peter Mueller <pklausm@me.com> Sent:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:19 PM To:Council, City Subject:College Park library CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on  links.  ________________________________    It’s a real albeit modest asset for that section of our city. The neighborhood has lots of young families sponsoring  children’s events consistently well attended. It’s also used as a reading room by a variety of citizens as well as providing  internet services for some who need it.  For residents within a couple of miles in all directions it’s much more convenient  than Mitchell Park. Let’s not eliminate this most important civil resource.  Peter K Mueller, Baron Park resident.