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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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..
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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Baumb, Nelly
From:Lama Rimawi <lrimawi1@gmail.com>
Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:35 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Teen Mental Health services
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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
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Baumb, Nelly
From:Carol A. Munch <camunch@comcast.net>
Sent:Wednesday, May 13, 2020 1:38 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Upcoming budget thoughts
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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
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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
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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
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attachments and clicking on links.
with Tom. Please read my earlier email.
S. Keehn
94306
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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links.
________________________________
Please support activities that are important to the community. Ignore real estate interests who have their own
resources.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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!
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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
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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.