HomeMy Public PortalAbout20200608plCC7701-32
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: 06/08/2020
Document dates: 5/13/2020 – 5/20/2020
Set 7 of 10
Note: Documents for every category may not have been received for packet
reproduction in a given week.
58
Baumb, Nelly
From:Guy Gur-Ari <guy@gurari.net>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:03 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:In support of closing University Ave to car traffic
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Hi,
I am writing in support of a proposal by Cafe Venetia to close down the commercial section of University Ave for car
traffic, and allow restaurants to use the space for additional seating while maintaining social distancing. This will help
our beloved local restaurants and businesses survive the crisis.
Best,
Guy
59
Baumb, Nelly
From:M. Dimitry Auerbach <streek23@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:05 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:University Ave as Promenade
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Dear Councilors,
Many of us Palo Altans are gravely concerned for the future of commerce and dining on University Ave.
If you care about keeping Cafe Venetia and other restaurants in downtown Palo Alto, we the citizens ask that you close
down University Ave for the foreseeable future. We envision a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where all
visitors can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We envision an outdoor dining space, similar
to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that would make social distancing possible, while allowing
all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity.
Please, let us not lose this chance to save University Ave and, perhaps, make it even better.
Best,
The Auerbach Family
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Redacted
60
Baumb, Nelly
From:Nanou <cnanou@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:07 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Zones piétonnes - Pedestrian Only
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello,
First, let me thank you for the newsletter you published to keep us up to date. It has been a fantastic resource in this difficult time. I'm also impressed by the kindness of the employees that I met around the city, whether they work in the Baylands or manage the streets. They are always very polite and kind, and I try my best to greet them too.
In the city of Grenoble, France, where I'm from, in the 80s, a visionary mayor decided to close the whole downtown (2 km square as least) and allowed only the tramway to go through and walking people. We call it "zones piétonnes". It was not an easy decision at that time, and he experienced strong resistance. In a couple of months, everyone was happier, and Grenoble's downtown is well known to locals as well as tourists. Other cities followed the same path.
When I moved to Palo Alto, 22 years ago, my favorite place was Cafe Borrone, in Menlo Park, as I found a taste of
Europe in the way it has an open space. It's still great, but usually packed, and farther from home.
Indeed, I leave in Midtown Palo Alto, and strongly support that the city closes both California and University Ave to make it a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the
annoyance of cars.
To Access Stanford Emergency hospital, Everett could become, like in Barcelona, or not so far, in San Mateo, a one-way road toward Stanford Campus, and Hamilton a one-way road toward Middlefield/101. It would help traffic tremendously, and allow emergency vehicles quicker and safer access to the campus.
Thank you for taking my ideas into considerations.
Best regards,
Anne
61
Baumb, Nelly
From:jean Kim <jinjukim2008@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:11 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:University Ave
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council Members,
I'd like to express my support of closing University Ave. to car traffic in order to enable the street space to be used as a
promenade for dining and services from downtown PA businesses.
Thank you,
Jean Kim
1
Baumb, Nelly
From:Patti Andrews <pandrewscfi@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:13 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Fwd: THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
I LOVE this idea. The traffic on university ave is annoying when you’re trying to enjoy the outdoor spaces. I would much
rather park and drive on the side streets and make university ave a walking space that can accommodate social
distancing.
Patricia Andrews
Easy Palo Alto
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Cafe Venetia <messages@squaremktg.com>
Date: May 21, 2020 at 3:14:31 PM PDT
To: pandrewscfi@yahoo.com
Subject: THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS
Reply‐To: Cafe Venetia
<CAESKhIAGhxvX2tpeWhpcjN6bmJpdHMzdGJqemR4ZTV0YmtlIghkaWFsb2d1ZSIgi5LOeedJO7DhbJsTOiq
1g3ptKmyQk341yf5Ljcjn35Y=@reply2.squareup.com>
Have questions? Reply to this email and we’ll respond as soon as possible.
Cafe Venetia
Please email
city.council@cityofpaloalto.org today
Redacted
2
Many of you have inquired about how you can best help us get through these
tough times. If you care about keeping Cafe Venetia and other restaurants in
downtown Palo Alto, we ask that you support us in persuading the City of Palo
Alto to close down University Ave for the foreseeable future. We envision a
promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the
outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We envision an outdoor dining
space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that
would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue
operating at greater capacity.
Call-to-Action
Please email the city.council@cityofpaloalto.org expressing your position. They do
read emails and everyone's voice does help. We are in this together and without
community support and participation, we stand to lose what we have worked so
hard to build. Please email the City Council today. Feel free to copy and paste our
words to make the effort go faster.
--and thank you from all of us at Cafe Venetia.
SUPPORT US ONLINE
3
Cafe Venetia
419 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301
Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences
4
Baumb, Nelly
From:Bel V. Diriazs <hola@belvid.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:17 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Close down University Avenue
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hi,
I will copy/paste the words from the owners of Cafe Venetia, I feel this could be a good idea for the people who work and live around the area. Not only for the pandemic situation, but I can see this happening even when the pandemic is controlled and gone.
Here: Many of you have inquired about how you can best help us get through these tough times. If you care about keeping Cafe Venetia and other restaurants in downtown Palo Alto, we ask that you support us in persuading the City of Palo Alto to close down University Ave for the foreseeable future. We envision a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We
envision an outdoor dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that would
make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity.
Cheers, Anabel Diaz A.
Visual Artist (650) 954-0473
5
Baumb, Nelly
From:Jane Seck <janeaseck@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:19 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:University Avenue downtown
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Please consider closing University Avenue downtown to automobile traffic in order to create a safe open space for
people to enjoy outdoor dining and support local businesses while practicing social distancing. This is a unique
opportunity for Palo Alto to do something new and positive for our community and to help our local businesses get
going again.
Jane Seck
Palo Alto
Redacted
6
Baumb, Nelly
From:Michał Cierniak <cierniak@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:30 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please close down University Ave and California Ave to car traffic
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello,
Other cities (like Berkeley) have already done it and I wanted to urge you to close University Ave and California Ave to
car traffic and allow restaurants to put tables on the sidewalk and the street. I have been to many European cities that
have closed some parts of downtown to traffic and I have always loved the experience of walking on these promenades.
Best Regards,
Michal Cierniak, a resident of Palo Alto
7
Baumb, Nelly
From:Angie Weinberger <angieweinberger@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:31 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Closing of University Avenue to traffic
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
For years I have been thinking about how wonderful it would be to have University Avenue as a pedestrian area only so
that the restaurants can open up outside. I'm hoping with the current situation of less traffic and more need for outside
dining that will finally happen.
Thanks for your consideration.
Best regards,
Angie Weinberger
8
Baumb, Nelly
From:Bracken Darrell <bdarrell@logitech.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:35 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:I believe in the Opening Up of university
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
I believe this could be the most important step the city takes in the next decade. A summertime fast move that is
temporary to try it out with surveys before, during and after could enable you to assess a longer term solution. I have
lived all over the world. The best cities in the world all have walkable protected areas. And I believe this could vault
Palo Alto in to one of the top Three small cities in the world.
9
Baumb, Nelly
From:Kristine Zavoli <kzavoli@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:34 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please Close UNIVERSITY Ave
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
We wholeheartedly agree that University should become pedestrians only. This will allow restaurants to put tables
outside.
It will help our local economy, our mental health during SIP and allow social distancing for walking downtown and
shopping SAFELY.
Please change the ordinance that seems to be preventing you from approving .
Thank you for your consideration during this most difficult time for all of us.
Kristine Zavoli
Old Palo Alto
Resident 48 years!
10
Baumb, Nelly
From:Sarah Gibbs <sarahanngibbs@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:40 PM
To:Council, City
Cc:Pat Gibbs
Subject:Outdoor Re-Opening of Palo Alto Restaurants
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council Members,
We are residents of Palo Alto and live on University Avenue. We understand that Palo Alto is approaching a phased re-opening of certain
downtown businesses after the COVID-19 shut down this spring. As you make your plans to re-open the city, we hope that you will
consider both the health of the people in our community, as well as the needs of our small businesses - specifically, restaurants - and their
owners and employees, as well. We have read various reports and spoken to many restaurant owners - whom we consider to be friends
and valued members of our community - and we are very concerned about the struggles these restaurants and their employees are facing
right now and the struggles they will continue to face in the coming months to years as the re-opening is phased in.
Our view is that outdoor dining areas will be much safer for all of us for the near term - and perhaps the long term, as well. Palo Alto has a
nearly perfect climate for outdoor dining and socializing, as well as a remarkable number of streets that are safely walkable or
bikeable. Based on these unique and wonderful attributes, we believe our restaurants could start to recover more quickly and offer safer
dining if they are allowed to offer expanded outdoor dining areas. To this end, we sincerely hope that Palo Alto will permit the use of
parking spaces or lots for "parklets" for restaurant dining, as well as considering closing portions of streets to vehicular traffic to encourage
socially distanced dining.
We are frequent patrons of many restaurants which do not have the indoor capacity to reopen while honoring the social distancing
requirements. We believe that these restaurants could reopen more quickly, more profitably and, most importantly, more safely, if these
restaurants could obtain additional outdoor spaces in which to provide their services. Many of these restaurants are well-located on side
streets or near other street-parking areas which could be closed to traffic, thereby allowing them to serve customers seated at safe distances
in a comfortable outdoor environment.
As residents of University Avenue, we have often been lucky enough to be able to walk or bike to restaurants in downtown Palo Alto. We
believe that Palo Alto's restaurants make our city special - and make our city a better place to live. These restaurants have helped us
celebrate countless birthdays and anniversaries, have welcomed our children, our parents and our friends, have given us a place to relax
after a long week and have become a special part of our lives here in Palo Alto. Seeing friends, neighbors and community members at
these restaurants - while appropriately and safely distanced - is one of the things we are missing most right now.
We support our local Palo Alto businesses and we are concerned about their future. We fully support closing down portions of University
Avenue to vehicular traffic, as well as some of its side streets, even if only a temporary basis. Further, it is our belief that streets such as
Bryant Avenue or Emerson Street, both of which have many restaurants with small indoor dining spaces, could be easily closed during
certain months or certain hours to allow for these restaurants to reopen to serve customers safely again.
We encourage Council to act quickly. We trust that you will balance the needs of all of our citizens and businesses, particularly the most
vulnerable among us, and that you will be mindful of the County and State orders and guidelines.
Thank you,
Sarah and Patrick Gibbs
11
Baumb, Nelly
From:R. Pickart <rpickart1@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:56 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Outdoor dining in Palo Alto
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council-members,
The Covid19 Pandemic has been devastating for many in our communities. I am a
resident of nearby Menlo Park and will urge our City Council with this same message. My
friends and family are very concerned for the future of our downtown shops and
(especially) restaurants. Palo Alto has a wide variety of wonderful restaurants, serving
all sorts of food in all price ranges. They employ all sorts of people, especially young
folks. They draw in Silicon Valley executives, local families and students alike. People go
to restaurants to eat, of course, but also to celebrate, to fall in love, to pitch deals, even
to propose marriage. We must do everything we can to help them continue, through this
rough patch, so that they can rebound when we (hopefully) go back to normal.
Please allow restaurants to have outdoor tables in the areas in front of their restaurants.
These small areas will provide the additional buffers needed to keep customers and staff
at the proscribed distance and, with luck, translate into returns for owners, chefs, cooks
and waitstaff who need to earn a living.
In a small way, this experiment has already been tried and been popular and successful.
During the annual summer art and food festivals diners spill out onto our downtown
streets, with obvious enjoyment. For those familiar with European cities, outdoor dining
is a mainstay of cities and villages both large and small. Some European cities go so far
as to restrict traffic and designate pedestrian zones, with great success.
Please work with our local restaurant owners and give them the breathing space they
need to "work the problem" in true Silicon Valley fashion. And may we all enjoy the
coming warmer days and nights, with a little less traffic, and a little more al fresco
dining.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Pickart
Menlo Park
650-380-0642
12
Baumb, Nelly
From:Shaya Fathali <shaya_f@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:02 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:University Ave. Closure to Cars for Easy and Open Foot Traffic
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
City of Palo Alto,
I would like to claim my support for closure of University Ave for the foreseeable future. We envision a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We envision an outdoor dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity. Shaya Resident of Palo Alto
13
Baumb, Nelly
From:Beatrice Bienaime <bbienaime@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:06 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Parklets for restaurants
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Dear city council members,
Palo Alto lost its soul in the coronavirus crisis and we would love to see the city coming back to life, for the business
owners as well as for the residents! It used to be bustling with charm, open shops, restaurants, there was a treat for
everyone!
It would be lovely to see parklets being used by the restaurants owners to set tables and attract patrons, while
respecting social distancing, and for everyone to enjoy a lively downtown!
Thank you for your hard work and for considering this option! It would bring great joy to our families!
Beatrice Bienaime
Palo Alto resident since 1987
14
Baumb, Nelly
From:Yoanna Gerwel Federici <ygfederici@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:08 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:University Avenue closure
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Good afternoon,
I would like to express my support for the closure of University Avenue to cats. This would be a fantastic addition to our
community!!
Best,
Yoanna Gerwel Federici
Sent from my iPhone
Redacted
15
Baumb, Nelly
From:karen edwards <karene@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:16 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Parklets
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
City of Palo Alto: Please, please allow parklets for outside dinning. I’ve already bought gift cards and take out. Parklets
are LONG overdue from a lifestyle standpoint, and now it’s critical for our local restaurants to survive.
For installation, we should prioritize our locally‐owned restaurants, not the chains. Palo Alto’s one‐of‐a‐kind
restaurants make it an attractive place to do business.
That being said, the city should require chains to help fund parklets, based on their revenue rate.
Thank you!
Karen Edwards
Palo Alto resident since 1996
Redacted
16
Baumb, Nelly
From:Kathy Feshbach <kathyfeshbach@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:24 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Downtown
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Members,
We have vacationed in Palo Alto the last 25 years. PLEASE BLOCK OFF DOWNTOWN and have it a walking street. WE
LOVE PALO ALTO!!!
Kathy Feshbach
kathyfeshbach@gmail.com
727‐946‐1514 (C)
http://www.kathyfeshbach.com
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=nf
http://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_tab_home
17
Baumb, Nelly
From:Alice Kozar <alicekozar@mac.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:24 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Future of University Avenue and our beloved businesses
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello everyone,
Please consider closing University Ave downtown to create a pedestrian mall for all the positives this will bring to
patrons, visitors and merchants.
University Avenue has retained its unique and very special charm despite the endless traffic, construction and
unavoidable pollution.
For those of us who have lived here a long time, this brings tears to our eyes and frustration to our attempts to park and
visit our favorite venues.
Now, with the prolonged pandemic, economic challenges threaten the survival of one of the most appealing downtowns
in America!!!
Last, but not least, Stanford Students deserve to enjoy their special College Town!!
THANKS for making the right choice for all of us!!!!
Your neighbor,
Alice
24
Baumb, Nelly
From:Matthew Feshbach <mattfeshbach@me.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:29 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please make University Avenue a promenade
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
I am 66 years old. My family moved to Palo Alto in 1954. My earliest memories were riding my bike to University Ave.
Making this wonderful street a promenade would help the restaurants and retailers flourish in a post‐Covid world.
This concept has been successful from Italy to Santa Monica.
Best Regards,
MLF
727 743 1510
25
Baumb, Nelly
From:David Phillips <electrum@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:36 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Close down University Avenue
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Please consider closing University Avenue and creating an outdoor space similar to Santana Row where we can enjoy
restaurants and other establishments.
26
Baumb, Nelly
From:Lauren Savage <lauren.kay.savage@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:54 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:In support of closing University Ave to car traffic
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello Palo Alto City Council,
I work in downtown Palo Alto, off of University Ave. I used to be a frequent patron of businesses along University before
the shelter‐in‐place orders. As the Bay Area relaxes restrictions, I think it's important that we figure out how to safely get
back to the new normal with measures like mask‐wearing and social distancing. One of the most important measures
might be figuring out how businesses can reopen outdoors.
Many studies have shown that being indoors for an extended time with recirculating air is one of the worst settings for
transmitting Covid‐19. For example, in this case study posted by the CDC, 1 asympomatic carrier infected 9 restaurant
patrons at 3 tables within the airflow of a single air conditioner unit. I personally will not feel safe eating at indoor
restaurants anytime soon. However, the risk outdoors is much lower because virus particles can dissipate into the open
air.
To that end, I strongly support closing down University Ave to car traffic so that restaurants and businesses can use this
outdoor space. Patrons can practice better social distancing and the risk of catching Covid‐19 will be much lower
outside.
Please consider this proposal so that we can support our local businesses.
Thank you,
Lauren Savage
27
Baumb, Nelly
From:asharpe@andrewsharpe.com
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:57 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Re: Support for a trial of a walkable University Ave
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Please do not use the last email I forwarded to the city council with other members of the communitys' opinions. I did
not ask for their permission to do so, and it was an unintentional mistake. This email has all that information stripped
off. These are my comments, and mine alone.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Andrew
On May 21, 2020, at 6:28 PM, asharpe@andrewsharpe.com wrote:
+city.council@cityofpaloalto.org
On May 21, 2020, at 6:27 PM, asharpe@andrewsharpe.com wrote:
A “parklet” will not give enough space for what is needed. If they were good enough,
Menlo Park wouldn’t be calling for the closure of Santa Cruz Ave., because they already
have them. That’s nonsense, where did that idea come from? And *closing* parking
lots? Why is there this incredible resistance from closing University Ave and California
Ave from the city council? It seems that they are the only ones who are trying
everything in their power to avoid it. Why? What is so heinous about this that they
cannot stomach it? Who is so powerful in this city that they can ignore the simplest and
easiest solution that obviously everyone wants?
Andrew
Re: City of Palo Alto <news@cityofpaloalto.org>
Coronavirus Daily Report - May 21, 2020
"Recent Community Ideas on Parklets and Other Ways to Support
Our Businesses as we Reopen Together Thank you to the many people who wrote in today with feedback in
support of our business community, especially in business districts like the
Downtown core and California Avenue. We love your ideas! In partnership with our local restaurants and retail stores, we are exploring these and
28
other options, such as expanding outdoor seating through parklets and temporary closures of parking lots,”
29
Baumb, Nelly
From:Sonja Swenson <swensonsonja@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 7:01 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please make University Ave a pedestrian promenade
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
I am writing in support of closing down University Ave for the foreseeable future. Along with
Cafe Venetia, I envision a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all,
can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We envision an outdoor
dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that would
make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater
capacity.
Thank you for considering the input of Palo Alto residents!
Sonja Swenson
Palo Alto, CA
94306
650-862-1573
Redacted
30
Baumb, Nelly
From:Thanasis Pashalidis <thanasis@tavernarestaurant.net>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 7:51 PM
To:Fine, Adrian; Council, City; tomforcouncil@gmail.com
Cc:Danielle Pashalidis; David Fischer; Drew Maran; Elena Kadvany; Gina Bianchini; Hakan Bala; Kelly Bala;
Kerstin Rosen; Michael Harbour; Renu Nanda; Sanchez, Kris (NBCUniversal, KNTV); Stephen Reller;
William Roberts; aegermain@gmail.com; patrickedwardgibbs@yahoo.com;
rachelthomasesq@gmail.com; sarahanngibbs@yahoo.com; tim@bacchusmanagement.com
Subject:TAVERNA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Attachments:20200514_152923.jpg
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 Thanasis Pashalidis. My business partner Hakan Bala, and I founded TAVERNA two years ago and have since
been gratefully well received by our local and neighboring communities.
We're a small family run business that along with our fellow industry professionals are faced with the challenges that
have been presented with the current pandemic.
As Gov. Newson stated, there is no "one size fits all" solution for the salvation of the restaurants in our city and nation,
and we as owners, are willing to comply with and advocate for whatever measures are instilled upon us in order to keep
our community safe.
In order to provide the hospitality service that is the cultural fabric of our community, to proudly employ and generate
business, we ask that we are provided with additional space outdoors.
We occupy the spaces of 800 & 806 Emerson St.
We request that the City of Palo Alto allows the use of the four parking spaces adjacent to our establishment's
storefront to become "parklets".
The use of "parklets" will enable TAVERNA and other local restaurants to reopen more quickly, more profitably, and
most importantly, more safely.
We thank you for the safety measures that have been implemented thus far and look forward to collectively reviving our
beautiful city.
‐‐
Warm regards,
Thanasis Pashalidis
TAVERNA
Palo Alto, CA 94301
6503043840
4155037083
tavernarestaurant.net
Redacted
31
‐‐
Warm regards,
Thanasis Pashalidis
TAVERNA
.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
6503043840
4155037083
tavernarestaurant.net
Redacted
32
Baumb, Nelly
From:Fernando Pereira <fernando.pereira@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 8:11 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Closing University Avenue to vehicular traffic
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
We have been Downtown North home owners for over 7 years. One big reason we moved to this neighborhood is to
walk to shops, cafés, and restaurants on University Avenue and its side streets. However, until COVID‐19 is totally
controlled, most of those small venues will be unviable because of distancing requirements. There is a proposal to close
the commercial blocks of University Avenue to vehicular traffic so that businesses could have safer open space seating.
Although any diverted traffic would increase traffic noise on Lytton close to our home, we support the closing so that
the neighborhood can start to revive and local businesses can have a chance at what will still be a long, difficult
recovery. Please give this proposal your consideration, and we hope, your support.
Thank you
‐‐ Ana Carvalho & Fernando Pereira
33
Baumb, Nelly
From:Diana Starr <diana.starr@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 8:15 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Pedestrian university avenue?
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
I heard today from one of my favorite restaurants on University Avenue, that the city Council is considering making
University Avenue a pedestrian area so that restaurants can have street outdoor seating so that the restaurants can
open more tables during this pandemic. I think it is a fabulous idea, I would certainly bring my family to these
restaurants if university were a pedestrian zone.
Best wishes
Diana Starr
Emerald Hills, 94062
34
Baumb, Nelly
From:Paolo <bananaadam4@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 8:46 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Fwd: THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
I think closing off University Avenue to cars is a great idea that I wish were to be made permanent even.
I have been wishing for this for years, this email finally gave me an excuse to write you about it.
Businesses will flourish, thrive, and people will love it. Europe is full of examples of this.
Please take this into serious consideration.
Thank you,
Paolo
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Forwarded message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
From: Cafe Venetia <messages@squaremktg.com>
Date: Thu, May 21, 2020 at 3:13 PM
Subject: THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS
To: <bananaadam4@gmail.com>
Have questions? Reply to this email and we’ll respond as soon as possible.
Cafe Venetia
Please email
city.council@cityofpaloalto.org today
37
Baumb, Nelly
From:Katy Cummings <katyrcummings@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 8:23 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:University Ave Closure
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello,
I strongly support the closure of University Ave to cars on a trial basis during the reopening of our local economy and
potentially on a more permanent basis. Please allow this experiment to go forward.
Thank you,
Katy Cummings
Home: , Palo Alto
Work: , Palo Alto
Redacted
Redacted
38
Baumb, Nelly
From:Sara Leith-Tanous <slt9@comcast.net>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 9:14 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:downtown Palo Alto
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
To whom it may concern:
I wholeheartedly support he idea of closing University Avenue, downtown Palo Alto, to vehicular traffic. Having the
main street of this city open to pedestrians only would make it much safer and more enjoyable for many to shop, dine,
stroll, and interact at a socially safe distance, i.e. 6 feet.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Sara Leith‐Tanous
39
Baumb, Nelly
From:Todd Thiemann <tathiemann@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 9:26 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Downtown & Cal Ave Outdoor Dining Space (parklets)
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Palo Alto City Council,
Thank you for the hard work you have done to keep us safe during Covid‐19. I wanted to express my hope that the city
would consider parklets in front of restaurants in downtown and on California Avenue. From what I understand, Menlo
Park is doing this. It would create outdoor dining space that would make physical distancing possible while allowing
restaurants to operate at greater (economical) capacity.
Thank you for considering.
Sincerely,
Todd Thiemann
‐‐
=========================
Todd Thiemann
Northampton Drive, Palo Alto
email: tathiemann@gmail.com
=========================
40
Baumb, Nelly
From:Ram Duriseti <ramduriseti@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 9:22 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Supporting Local Business
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
To Whom it May Concern, The ongoing shuttering of businesses in downtown PA and Cal Ave is tragic. There is a growing body of evidence that:
1) warm/sunny weather and outdoor settings create an inhospitable environment for the virus 2) states which are ending lockdown are seeing a decrease in transmission coefficients even while increasing
testing capacity (see JP Morgan study) 3) "expert" predictions have repeatedly missed for various technical reasons that are beyond the purpose of
this email If Palo Alto wants to continue with what it views as aggressive mitigation strategies, please support the
businesses with a "new normal" in so far as it is safe and possible. An outdoor promenade with streets closed off to vehicular traffic and outdoor seating for eateries is possibly a good start. Obviously, things will start slowly, but will remain cautious even while helping to mitigate the culture of fear. Thank you for your time and consideration. Ram
41
Baumb, Nelly
From:Julia Queck <julia.queck@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 9:48 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Closing University Ave
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Members of the City Council,
hope you and your families are safe and well.
I care about keeping Cafe Venetia and other restaurants in downtown Palo Alto and ask you to close down
University Ave for the foreseeable future. We envision a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children,
and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We envision an outdoor dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity.
Please consider my position.
Best regards, Julia Queck
42
Baumb, Nelly
From:Shikada, Ed
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 10:11 PM
To:Thanasis Pashalidis; Fine, Adrian; Council, City; tomforcouncil@gmail.com
Cc:Danielle Pashalidis; David Fischer; Drew Maran; Elena Kadvany; Gina Bianchini; Hakan Bala; Kelly Bala;
Kerstin Rosen; Michael Harbour; Renu Nanda; Sanchez, Kris (NBCUniversal, KNTV); Stephen Reller;
William Roberts; aegermain@gmail.com; patrickedwardgibbs@yahoo.com;
rachelthomasesq@gmail.com; sarahanngibbs@yahoo.com; tim@bacchusmanagement.com
Subject:RE: TAVERNA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Dear Thanasis –
Thank you very much for your message! We have a team set up to assist businesses such as yours move quickly on
needs such as yours. We will be in touch with you tomorrow.
Best regards,
‐‐Ed
Ed Shikada
City Manager
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 329‐2280
ed.shikada@cityofpaloalto.org
From: Thanasis Pashalidis <thanasis@tavernarestaurant.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2020 7:51 PM
To: Fine, Adrian <Adrian.Fine@CityofPaloAlto.org>; Council, City <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org>;
tomforcouncil@gmail.com
Cc: Danielle Pashalidis <daniellepashalidis@gmail.com>; David Fischer <david.fischer@gmail.com>; Drew Maran
<drew@drewmaran.com>; Elena Kadvany <ekadvany@embarcaderopublishing.com>; Gina Bianchini
<gina@bianchini.com>; Hakan Bala <hakan@tavernarestaurant.net>; Kelly Bala <kellyannbala@gmail.com>; Kerstin
Rosen <Kvrosen@sbcglobal.net>; Michael Harbour <dr.mharbour@gmail.com>; Renu Nanda <gonanda@yahoo.com>;
Sanchez, Kris (NBCUniversal, KNTV) <kris.sanchez@nbcuni.com>; Stephen Reller <sreller@randmproperties.com>;
William Roberts <william@tavernarestaurant.net>; aegermain@gmail.com; patrickedwardgibbs@yahoo.com;
rachelthomasesq@gmail.com; sarahanngibbs@yahoo.com; tim@bacchusmanagement.com
Subject: TAVERNA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
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 Thanasis Pashalidis. My business partner Hakan Bala, and I founded TAVERNA two years ago and have since
been gratefully well received by our local and neighboring communities.
44
Baumb, Nelly
From:Kerstin Rosen <kvrosen@sbcglobal.net>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 10:38 PM
To:Shikada, Ed
Cc:Thanasis Pashalidis; Fine, Adrian; Council, City; tomforcouncil@gmail.com; Danielle Pashalidis; David
Fischer; Drew Maran; Elena Kadvany; Gina Bianchini; Hakan Bala; Kelly Bala; Michael Harbour; Renu
Nanda; Sanchez, Kris (NBCUniversal, KNTV); Stephen Reller; William Roberts; aegermain@gmail.com;
patrickedwardgibbs@yahoo.com; rachelthomasesq@gmail.com; sarahanngibbs@yahoo.com;
tim@bacchusmanagement.com
Subject:Re: TAVERNA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you La Taverna again for quickly adapting to the need to delivery of food and doing that in such personal and
stellar way .
Now as you are hoping to open in a responsible way to keep safe you keep reaching out to city and us medical
professionals to do the the right thing .
That’s the way to go .
Yes , ask for part of the street on both corners .
Get some partitions you can put between tables , pull out like a drop down or from wall to keep patrons safe and
separated .
Good luck .
This is a hard one to figure out but I know you are willing to do what it takes to do the right thing and make your opening
safe to the patrons . That’s what we need .
Dr. Kerstin Rosen
On May 21, 2020, at 10:11 PM, Shikada, Ed <Ed.Shikada@cityofpaloalto.org> wrote:
Dear Thanasis –
Thank you very much for your message! We have a team set up to assist businesses such as yours move
quickly on needs such as yours. We will be in touch with you tomorrow.
Best regards,
‐‐Ed
<image003.png>
Ed Shikada
City Manager
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 329‐2280 ed.shikada@cityofpaloalto.org
From: Thanasis Pashalidis <thanasis@tavernarestaurant.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2020 7:51 PM
47
Baumb, Nelly
From:Adele Helene Faure <adfaure@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 10:46 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Adapting downtown Palo Alto to coronavirus age
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hi ‐‐ I'm a longtime Palo Alto resident (resident of Downtown North) and am writing to express my support for closing
down University Avenue to cars. I think this would be a really great way to be able to patronize businesses downtown,
given the need for extra space to avoid pedestrians and keep a social distance. I'm in favor of any such proposition and
would be more likely to go to restaurants and bars downtown if they had outdoor setups allowing people to eat outside.
Thank you,
Adele
48
Baumb, Nelly
From:Valerie Demicheva <vdemicheva@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 10:57 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Make University an outdoor restaurant area!
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hi!
I live a few blocks from downtown PA. I want to save my favorite restaurants downtown. Please shutdown university
and make more outdoor seating available so that our precious iconic businesses dont go out of business, and we can
stay healthy and safe while enjoying outdoor eateries. I live at .
Thank you!
‐Valerie
Redacted
49
Baumb, Nelly
From:Daniel Rabinowitz <dan_rabs@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 11:50 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Closing University Avenue - Palo Alto
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Dear Sir/Madam
I have long thought it would be a good idea to close University Avenue in Palo alto to make it a pedestrian thoroughfare.
The Covid crisis makes this all the more essential
thank you
Dan Rabin
50
Baumb, Nelly
From:Peter Broadwell <peter@plasm.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 12:00 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Parklets on our street, good food in our mouths, many workers safely and gainfully employed!
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Palo Alto City Council folks ‐
When I moved to Palo Alto nearly 30 years ago I heard rumor that I was in the town with the highest restaurant per
capita ratio going.
Not sure if it was true, but there continue to be many fine restaurants here and would be lovely to be able to dine at
them again.
Of course Covid19 makes that a challenge, but perhaps social distancing could be maintained if the restaurants were
allowed to make use of the streets just outside their doors as additional table space. The restaurants folks I've talked
to seem to think this might work for them. Bonus is may lead to less cars on our streets and people actually walking
more!
I hope you give the notion of parklets in front of our restaurants some serious consideration.
;;peter ‐ Peter Broadwell, College Terrace ‐ peter@plasm.com
51
Baumb, Nelly
From:Suzanne Dalcourt <sdalcourt@google.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 6:33 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Parklets
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello; please register my full support for parklets in Palo Alto. In a covid/post covid world it seems like the only safe
option for restaurants and their clients and it will make Palo Alto so much more fun and lively! S
52
Baumb, Nelly
From:Douglas Rait <drait@icloud.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 7:55 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please open up University Avenue for pedestrians only!
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Thank you,
Doug
**********************************************
Douglas Rait, Ph.D.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
650/323‐3219
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This communication and any attachments may contain confidential or privileged information
for the use by the designated recipient(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified
that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or
copying of it or the attachments is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please contact
the sender and destroy all copies of the communication and attachments. Thank you.
Redacted
53
Baumb, Nelly
From:Ryan Howat <ryan.howat@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 8:00 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Open up University Ave
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Dear PA city Council,
Please help your small businesses and work with them to close university ave to be an open walking and dinning
experience. The businesses and the citizens need more places to share in safe ways.
We need to find appropriate ways to help these businesses survive while promoting and protecting the patrons. With
out opening the streets very few of these business will survive. The city needs the tax revenue, the people need the
option, and the businesses need the opportunity!
Please work to find flexible solutions to address the needs of the businesses and the people!
Thank you!
Ryan
Sent from my iPhone
54
Baumb, Nelly
From:Pratik Jhaveri <pratikjhaveri@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 8:32 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please keep Red Brick Cafe open
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Council members,
I recently learnt about the council's decision to close down Red Brick cafe (Hookah Nites) in downtown Palo Alto. I live in
Palo Alto and am a regular customer there. I assure the council that they run a professional business that provides rest
and relaxation to it's customers (much like a bar would). I have never seen anything illegal there, nor any under‐age kids.
Taking away their right to remain open would be unfair to the owners and it's patrons. I urge you to reconsider.
Thanks
Pratik
‐‐
Pratik Jhaveri
Cell: 650‐766‐0676
55
Baumb, Nelly
From:Zenil Nasser <zenilnasser@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 8:56 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:University Avenue closure
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Please close down University Ave so that we can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We
envision an outdoor dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity.
Thank you!
56
Baumb, Nelly
From:Karla A. Kirkegaard <karlak@stanford.edu>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 9:02 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Pedestrian University Avenue
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Council Members, I am so excited to note the groundswell of support for making University Avenue a pedestrian thoroughfare. This is the best way to make our city more user-friendly to everyone, and to support our local businesses. I moved here from Boulder, Colorado more than twenty years ago, and was a bit astonished that this had not been done already! I missed the opportunity every day, especially since I had a small child at the time. These are the kinds of concerns that drive families to shopping malls, eviscerating the downtown. I live on Hamilton Avenue, so this is not a selfish request - I’m sure it will create more traffic in my neighborhood. Maybe one way to do this practically would be to couple the pedestrian-only use of University Avenue (or even the west-most part of it) with the construction needed to make the train station more accessible, maybe even with some associated lower-cost housing. Both these steps are long overdue, and that would put all the inconveniences together ( ; We have a beautiful city. Given the times, let’s make it more open and accessible to people who didn’t have the good fortune to buy their homes 20 years ago. Sincerely, Karla Kirkegaard Professor of Genetics Stanford University School of Medicine
57
Baumb, Nelly
From:Diana Darcy <ddarcy@stanfordalumni.org>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 9:53 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Create pedestrian areas from downtown streets
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
I have long hoped that the city would find a way to expand the ability to walk and dine outdoors in our downtown areas,
to take advantage of our beautiful climate. Now is the time to consider this very seriously. We need to support our
businesses, especially restaurants and cafes, that need to have open outdoor space in order to reopen successfully.
Pedestrians also need more space to walk to maintain a safe distance from others. Please strongly consider permanently
closing down portions of University Ave and California Ave to car traffic to allow for additional space for pedestrian
traffic and businesses. This would be a fabulous enhancement to our city, and it has become much more urgent to
implement this kind of solution soon. Perhaps have a summer trial while further details are being considered?
Regards,
Diana Darcy
ddarcy@stanfordalumni.org
.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Redacted
58
Baumb, Nelly
From:Melissa <mlenmark@hotmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 10:28 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Parklets
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello Palo Alto City Council members,
I have heard that the city is considering Parklets, like in Menlo Park, or closing down streets in our restaurant
areas. I am in complete favor of this idea and I hope it is enacted so that our restaurants can get back up and
running when they shelter in place is lifted.
Regards,
Missy Reller
59
Baumb, Nelly
From:Ebtisam Abbasi <ebtisam@najork.org>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 10:44 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Fwd: THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
From: Cafe Venetia <messages@squaremktg.com>
Date: May 21, 2020 at 6:13:36 PM EDT
To: kimberleyrockwell@gmail.com
Subject: THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS
Reply‐To: Cafe Venetia
<CAESKhIAGhxvX25mdHRzbXRlbXI1Zm16MmhqamV0Y25kaGdpIghkaWFsb2d1ZSIgGCVCF6Zx7DvqvL1dU
6kjIKDLTliPfxMw2BAnGP5WRYc=@reply2.squareup.com>
Have questions? Reply to this email and we’ll respond as soon as possible.
Cafe Venetia
Please email
city.council@cityofpaloalto.org today
60
Many of you have inquired about how you can best help us get through these
tough times. If you care about keeping Cafe Venetia and other restaurants in
downtown Palo Alto, we ask that you support us in persuading the City of Palo
Alto to close down University Ave for the foreseeable future. We envision a
promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the
outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We envision an outdoor dining
space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that
would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue
operating at greater capacity.
Call-to-Action
Please email the city.council@cityofpaloalto.org expressing your position. They do
read emails and everyone's voice does help. We are in this together and without
community support and participation, we stand to lose what we have worked so
hard to build. Please email the City Council today. Feel free to copy and paste our
words to make the effort go faster.
--and thank you from all of us at Cafe Venetia.
SUPPORT US ONLINE
61
Cafe Venetia
419 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301
Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences
62
Baumb, Nelly
From:Tricia Dolkas <tricia@dolkas.net>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 10:45 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Pls CLOSE University and California downtown areas for Restaurants
Importance:High
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Council Members,
We need to support all the restaurants in the University and California areas. The idea of closing streets to allow
restaurants to expand seating into the street seems a no brainer! Maybe have a rotating schedule so that all restaurants
benefit. I am very confident that you and staff can find creative solutions to this challenge.
PLEASE discuss it soon before we lose more restaurants and they can adequately prepare for when in‐restaurant dining
is allowed again.
Tricia Dolkas
650 280 0005
63
Baumb, Nelly
From:David Presotto <presotto@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 11:01 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:making university a pedestrian only street in downtown
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
I've lived here since 2004 and my wife all her life. We live only a few blocks from University and spend a lot of time in
shops, eating, and just strolling there. Sitting outdoors at cafes and restaurants is wonderful except for the constant
traffic noise, pollution, and blaring horns. We see the same cars going by over and over again looking for a parking spot
rather than hitting a garage, needlessly adding to the noise and exhaust pollution. We have often mused at how
wonderful it would be if at least the area twixt cowper and ramona were turned into a pedestrian thoroughfare during
shopping hours much as it is during the street fairs. Now that social/physical distancing has hit us would be the perfect
time to try it out. It would allow the cafes, shops, and restaurants to spread out in the open air with customers spaced
apart. These businesses are hurting right now and we should do whatever we can to keep them in business. Our
downtown establishments are the lifeblood of downtown making it an interesting place to be and without them it
would become just another start‐up/investment banker slum. Please consider this a possibility. I know that it would
cause an increase in traffic through the side streets (where we live) but that would be a small price to pay.
Thank you,
David Presotto & Caryl Carr
, Palo Alto
Redacted
64
Baumb, Nelly
From:Christy Story <christy_story@yahoo.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 11:08 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:support Downtown PA promenade
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
I want to support downtown businesses. Please consider closing down University Ave for the foreseeable future. I
support downtown businesses that envision a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. As a customer I would love to see outdoor dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity. Thank you, Christy Story
65
Baumb, Nelly
From:Lena Jabri <ljabri@my.smccd.edu>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 11:19 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Zadna
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
The restaurant Zadna is family home establishment that I have going to for many years. I heard about the possibility that
it may not continue it’s business. I was sadden you hear that because of all the great memories, friendly faces an great
service. I had attended many parties and always had a great time and I remember the day my friend graduated from
school and we had music, food family and friends were all together. Enjoying each other company and laughing with
each other, and seeing everyone who is happy really made my day. Zadna is like a home away from home to me. It
would really sadden me to see it go. From Lena
1
Baumb, Nelly
From:Andrea Lichter <andrealichter@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 12:46 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Saving Local Business
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Dear Members of the PA City Council,
As you, I am concerned about our city losing local restaurants that have enhanced living in Palo Alto over the years.
Creating “parklets” would help restaurants serve more guests, while allowing space for social distancing. Ideas about re‐
directing traffic flow and partially closing streets on certain days or during certain time periods, could also be
considered. For now, these ideas, along with a vibrant takeout culture, might help to sustain many of our restaurants.
And, importantly, it demonstrates support for our local business owners and their employees.
Thank you for your attention.
Andrea Lichter
Redacted
2
Baumb, Nelly
From:Peter O'Riordan <oriordanmeister@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 12:21 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Downtown Pedestrian Area
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
City Council ‐ I hope you will consider at least a temporary closing of downtown (University Ave and adjoining streets,
and also perhaps California Avenue) to enable restaurants and cafes to set up outdoor seating. They are in a perilous
economic position and the social distancing requirements are going to make it even harder for them. Closing downtown
would enable them to serve more customers, and would allow more of us to support them. Doing this for some months
over the summer, while social distancing is still in place and the weather is good, would be an excellent experiment and
a way for the community to get back out again.
Peter O’Riordan
Palo Alto, CA 94031
oriordanmeister@gmail.com
Redacted
3
Baumb, Nelly
From:Susan Kresek <srkresek@me.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 11:51 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Palo Alto Parklets
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
As a local resident who enjoys downtown Palo Alto I’d like to support establishing parklets to allow our wonderful
restaurants to reopen with as much space as possible. Our weather and lifestyle certainly facilitate this; we hope to see
expanded outdoor dining very soon.
Susan Kresek
4
Baumb, Nelly
From:Ivan J. Goering <ijgoering@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 11:37 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Restaurant parklets
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hi,
As a long time Palo Alto resident (Paly '03), local worker (downtown), and frequent tax paying consumer, I'm writing to
support the creation of outdoor seating parklets for Palo Alto restaurants.
When University was closed down for repairs it was an enormous missed opportunity and lack of vision to not
permanently transform the central part of downtown into a pedestrian only thoroughfare with significant outdoor
seating. Significant outdoor seating, as enjoyed by much of Castro St. in Mountain View and Santa Cruz in Menlo Park, is
perhaps one of the only ways to make downtown both vibrant and viable in a post‐pandemic world.
Palo Alto is fortunate to have world class dining options, they are an asset the City should do everything in its power to
preserve in the face of crisis.
Best,
Ivan Goering
5
Baumb, Nelly
From:tara kaplinsky <tarakaplinsky@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 11:21 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Parklets downtown?
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Hi there,
I’m writing to ask you to consider allowing parklets in front of restaurants in downtown Palo Alto, such as in front of
Zolas, so that outdoor dining spaces can be established. Its a great way to keep businesses a float and give residents a
safer option for going out when the time comes.
Thank you for your consideration,
Tara Kaplinsky
6
Baumb, Nelly
From:Jennifer Gay <jenngay26@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 9:27 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Future of restaurants
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
To whom it may concern,
Thinking towards the future and safe dining through covid I believe outdoor parklets would be an excellent addition to
the community. This could allow patrons to enjoy restaurant dining as well as support our beloved restaurant
businesses.
7
Baumb, Nelly
From:silvia ruggerone <silviaruggerone@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 1:47 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:More seating outside restaurants
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Please closed down University ave and California ave to increase outdoor seating.
Thank you!
8
Baumb, Nelly
From:Jason Titus <jason.titus@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 2:03 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Help our businesses - close University Avenue!
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Please consider closing University Avenue to traffic to allow our local businesses to operate in the open areas that are
now the street. We cannot lose the businesses on University! This would also create a much more enjoyable, pandemic
safe environment for Palo Altans to be out and about.
Thanks,
Jason Titus
, Palo Alto, CA 94301 Redacted
9
Baumb, Nelly
From:Lara Taniguchi <spotlara@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 2:06 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Supporting restaurants in downtown Palo Alto
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
To whom it may concern;
I care about keeping Cafe Venetia and other restaurants in downtown Palo Alto, and would like to support them in
persuading the City of Palo Alto to close down University Ave for the foreseeable future. We envision a promenade
similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from
cars. We envision an outdoor dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that
would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity.
Thank you!
10
Baumb, Nelly
From:richard mamelok <mamelok@pacbell.net>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 2:12 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:saving restaurants
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
When my wife and I moved to Palo Alto from San Francisco in 1979 we were surprised that downtown virtually shut
down by 6 PM. Before the covid 19 epidemic the restaurant scene downtown and along California Avenue was vibrant
and diverse. To have many of these establishments die would be a shame. So in this spirit I would encourage you to
support a way to allow more outdoor dining. Limiting automobile access and expanding outdoor space for restaurants
would be a fantastic way to help our restaurants to recover.
Richard Mamelok and Midori Aogaichi
Palo Alto, CA 94301 mobile: +1 650 924 0347 mamelok@pacbell.net
Redacted
11
Baumb, Nelly
From:Jason Titus <jason.titus@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 2:12 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Parklets
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
I would also strongly encourage allowing parklets in front of restaurants in Palo Alto. They enable safe eating out as well
as make the spaces more inviting.
Thanks,
Jason Titus
Palo Alto, CA 94301 Redacted
12
Baumb, Nelly
From:jill passalacqua <jqua8@yahoo.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 2:18 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please close down University Ave.
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Council Members,
I am writing to support the effort to close University Ave for the foreseeable future. There could be a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. With an
outdoor dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park, restaurants can create additional seating that would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity. Thank you, Jill Passalacqua
Redacted
13
Baumb, Nelly
From:Darlene Yaplee <darlene.yaplee@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 3:01 PM
To:Council, City
Cc:Darlene E. Yaplee
Subject:I support helping our restaurants reopen safely via parklets and street closures
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Palo Alto City Council Members,
I’m writing to urge you to support street/parking changes to enable our local restaurants to use these areas to provide safe,
outdoor, socially‐distanced dining.
We should do everything we can to support our local restaurants who are facing financial ruin as a result of the COVID‐19
public health crisis. Our restaurants are a very significant quality‐of‐life benefit to all Palo Altans.
Allowing “parklets” in front (and adjacent) to our restaurants would significantly help our local restaurants to provide safer
dining, and also help restaurants get closer to their former seating capacity.With the Spring, and Summer right around the
corner, the weather will be the best that it can be to make outdoor dining reasonable and comfortable.
As a more significant move, I would also encourage and support street closures (particularly in the evening) to provide even
more outdoor space for dining, shopping, etc. I’d propose closing much of University Avenue, and the first block of side
streets like Emerson, Ramona, and Bryant for the Spring/Summer, (again, perhaps after 5:30pm). California Avenue, the first
block of Birch Street off California, Emerson Street between Homer and University, and Hamilton between Emerson and
Ramona.
Given that traffic will likely not return to pre‐pandemic levels anytime soon, and the need to help our local restaurants and
shops, I can imagine that making this Summer a more relaxed, outdoor‐dining friendly experience would provide financial help
to our local restaurants, and be a safe and responsible respite for all Palo Altans.
Gratefully,
Darlene Yaplee
14
Baumb, Nelly
From:Marcelo Tallis <marcelotallis@hotmail.com>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 4:27 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Closing to traffic Downtown University Ave
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello,
I'm supporting the closing of the University Ave stretch in Palo Alto Downtown to facilitate practicing social
distancing among pedestrians and patrons in restaurants in the area.
Thanks,
Marcelo Tallis
Palo Alto, CA 94301
marcelotallis@hotmail.com
Redacted
15
Baumb, Nelly
From:John Sack <sack@highwirepress.com>
Sent:Monday, May 25, 2020 11:59 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Please: Allow street seating for restaurants
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council members,
I want to encourage you to enable sidewalk, parklet and even street seating for restaurants in certain areas ‐‐ I am
thinking of California Avenue in particular, but likely some parts of University avenue and the streets that are
perpendicular to it as well ‐‐ as the city allows these businesses to begin a new phase of opening beyond the limitations
of today's to‐go experience. Even as a temporary response, this provides them with a way to serve enough customers
to return to operation, and provides customers with a way to return to restaurants while feeling safe. It takes
advantage of our superb weather, and of the fact that some of our restaurants cluster together in a "restaurant
row". Plus, it also uses to some advantage the lower traffic we are seeing for a while, and allows experiments to be
conducted that probably can't be done at any other time in the future.
So many of Palo Alto's restaurants are small businesses, locally‐owned and I want to see them thrive, not just survive. I
look for a city like ours to be a leader in trying novel experiments that enable innovative approaches. Yes, certainly we
can study what other cities have done who are trying this approach ‐‐ but let's use any study as a quick way to find and
address problems, but not as a way to stop something that will give many community members a way to feel safe and
even a little excited about getting back out.
I also ask ‐‐ plead! ‐‐ with the Council to NOT have a "north Palo Alto" focus and NOT try this idea only on University
Avenue! If anything, California Avenue is an even better place to try this out! If we can close a street like California
Avenue for a farmers' market on Sunday because the traffic is so low then, is the traffic any higher now on
weekdays? Please give this a try on California Avenue, and on selected side streets off of University.
Let's get creative, and try some things that will make reopening safe, workable and exciting for restaurants and
customers!
John Sack
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Redacted
16
Baumb, Nelly
From:Gail Price <gail.price3@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 25, 2020 3:05 PM
To:Council, City; PlanningCommission@cityofpaloalto.org; Shikada, Ed
Cc:Lait, Jonathan; Kamhi, Philip
Subject:Shared Streets: Support
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Manager Shikada, Mayor Fine, and City Council Members,
Thank you for all your efforts to safely guide City of Palo Alto through the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of
the need for people to socially distance safely in their neighborhoods when being outdoors, it is wonderful
to see Palo Alto pilot the Shared Streets program. Palo Alto Forward has always championed walkable,
bikeable communities to provide our community with safer, more enjoyable mobility options. In the age
of COVID where we have 6' social distance thresholds but only 5' wide sidewalks, all of our streets and
neighborhoods need flexible alternatives so people can walk or bike safely. Functionally, people are
already using the blacktop of our streets to walk/run/bike, so it is nice to see the city formally encourage
it.
Palo Alto Forward strongly supports the three pilots along Bryant, Ross and Greer, but sees opportunities
to strengthen and expand this program:
Increase Signage and Marketing at existing pilot locations
o The barriers that were installed could have information to highlight the Shared Streets
program
o To make the shared streets more welcoming to modes other than pedestrians, consider
shortening the barriers to let bikes and scooters pass and use more inclusive signage
o Side streets could also use noticing so people turning onto those streets can be aware of it.
Or simple stencils in the intersections can help signal the street is part of a shared street
o More communications (digital, social, physical) to facilitate increased use and safer shared
streets
Encourage Neighborhood Ambassadors to support this program
o Many neighbors would love to see this on their street, so this is a great opportunity for the
city to connect with residents who could help the city reinforce this program
o Information and input from neighborhood ambassadors can be used to develop a future
toolkit to expand the program.
o Graduation is approaching on June 3, this day could be a good opportunity for short micro
(3-4 hours) Shared Street pilots as people come out to celebrate local graduates
Partner with Small Local Businesses as we open up our economy
o Neighborhood serving retail could use safer walk/bike routes to and from their shops.
o Businesses adjacent to commercial corridors (ie side streets to University & California
Avenues) may welcome this program and could also use shared street extensions for take
out customers, outdoor seating and/or dining.
o In the downtown area, Cafe Venetia, Philz, Verve, Sancho's, Ike's, Cream, Salt & Straw are
already using sidewalk space heavily to serve take out customers. Creating safe extensions
17
of the sidewalk on the street can encourage more people-oriented, business friendly,
shared streets.
Thank you for starting this program and we hope you can keep and improve upon this idea in future!
Sincerely.
Palo Alto Forward Board
18
Baumb, Nelly
From:sternfam1@comcast.net
Sent:Monday, May 25, 2020 3:08 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:City Parklets Please!
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
Dear Palo Alto City Council,
One silver lining for Palo Alto coming out of the Shelter In Place ordinances, has been seeing our community come
together (yet separately) outside. How wonderful to see the neighborhoods full of walkers, saying hello in the evenings.
It would be a great thing if we could further this spirit by building Parklets outside downtown restaurants. Being able to
support our businesses as best we can by spacing ourselves outdoors, without cars this summer seems like a wonderful
way to solve many local issues during this pandemic.
Thank you very much!
Warm regards,
Andrea and Claude Stern
Palo Alto 94303
650.400.3769
Sent from my iPhone
Redacted
19
Baumb, Nelly
From:Patty Boas <pattylboas@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 25, 2020 8:32 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Help Save our Restaurants
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear Palo Alto City Council Members
I request that you support local Palo Alto restaurants by allowing parkets in front of their
establishments, similar to what one sees in Menlo Park. An outdoor dining space, would creates
additional seating and make social distancing possible for patrons while allowing restaurants to
operating at greater capacity. Please help save the restaurant business in Palo Alto.
Regards and stay safe!
Patty Boas
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Redacted
1
Baumb, Nelly
From:Daniel Armbrust <armbrustdan@gmail.com>
Sent:Sunday, May 24, 2020 12:54 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Attention PA City Council
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
I’m a resident of Palo Alto and am writing in support of the city council enacting temporary measures to support the re‐
opening of restaurants, cafes and bars in downtown (when approved by state and county health officials).
Proposals have been circulated that might permit the restaurants to expand into adjacent sidewalks or perhaps closing
some areas to vehicular traffic.
These should be viewed as temporary measures that provide special consideration to these small businesses as it is clear
that with social distancing considerations most of these establishments will need to greatly reduce seating capacity.
Further, even with these measures, many people will likely elect to not dine or relax indoors.
Thanks for your consideration.
Regards,
Daniel Armbrust
Palo Alto resident
2
Baumb, Nelly
From:Omer Malchin <omer@moxiemethod.com>
Sent:Saturday, May 23, 2020 11:01 AM
To:Council, City
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
lets make university ave a no cars promenade!!!see what san jose and menlo park is doing it wil help the cafes and restaurants stay in business and will make it more fun to come downtownomer
--
Omer Malchin, Officer of Everything
MOXIEMETHOD
omer@moxiemethod.com
O (650) 41‐Moxie M (650) 799-4745
3
Baumb, Nelly
From:klaus segbers <segbers@zedat.fu-berlin.de>
Sent:Friday, May 22, 2020 5:13 AM
To:Council, City
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on
links.
________________________________
dear council members,
not being a citizen of palo alto (but of germany), and as a guest scholar regularly visiting stanford university, and just
having spent another two months in palo alto, please allow me to make a short statement re. the future of university
ave.
being in palo alto, i always spend a lot fo time on that great street, and in the side streets ‐ in cafe venetia, in the
drugstores cvs and walgreen, in the wonderful stanford theatre, in the great bell's bookstore and in mac (for the
weekend financial times) on emerson, in the wine room on ramona, the georgian restaurant on bryant, and many other
places.
as all over the world, many businesses are struck hard by the convid 19 pandemic. one of the ideas promoted is to turn
university ave into a pedestrian zone. i understand tat there are pros and cons for such an idea. myself, i am also a bit
ambivalent. but why not giving it a try for, let's say, three month, and evaluate the effects then?
i'd like to encourage you to move in this direction and so to show your readiness to explore new terrain, but also do this
carefully.
with my best regards,
klaus segbers
professor for political science
freie universität/ free university of berlin director, center for global politics
adjunct professor
columbia university, sipa and harriman institute new york, n.y. 10027, usa
segbers@zedat.fu‐berlin.de
ks2623@columbia.edu
mail: garystr. 55, d ‐ 14195 berlin
phone: +49 (0)30 8385 2088
fax +49 (0)30 8385 3616
url http://pol.oei.fu‐berlin.de/
url http://global‐politics.org
url http://www.segbers.eu
4
Baumb, Nelly
From:jacquelynjohnstone@gmail.com
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 9:19 PM
To:Council, City
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council,
We are supportive of closing down University Ave for the foreseeable future to create a promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars and the ability for to practice social distancing.
This outdoor dining space creates additional seating that would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity. We are so fortunate to have the weather we have and welcome a way to gather as a community, safely, while supporting local business.
Sincerely
Jacquelyn Johnstone
5
Baumb, Nelly
From:Mitsy Lonie <mitsyl@aol.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 4:27 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:PA Restaurant capacity solution for COVID-19 restrictions
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
COVID-19: restaurant business impact with a solution:
In order to keep all the Palo Alto restaurants now impacted with the social/ physical distancing to continue operation with a greater capacity, create outdoor dining space as
seen in other cities and allow parklets in front/ side/ or back of their establishments where possible.
Cheers!
Mitsy Lonie
408.666.5515
6
Baumb, Nelly
From:Margot G <margotgardias@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 3:48 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Support note.
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Hello,
I support the proposal to reroute downtown traffic and close University/California streets (and selected downtown
area(s).
"I envision more outdoor dining spaces, with the additional seating that would make social distancing possible
while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at a greater capacity, so restaurants might turn several more
tables every lunch and dinner; extend sidewalks by closing streets and moving foot traffic and seating arrangements on
to the streets "
Regards,
Margot Gardias
PA Resident
7
Baumb, Nelly
From:Rosita Newman <rosita@snewman.net>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 3:19 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:In support of our community
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Please support restaurants and retail and the community by closing off University Avenue. We envision a
promenade similar to that of Santana Row where children, and all, can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of and pollution from cars. We envision an outdoor dining space, similar to what you see in Menlo Park that creates additional seating that would make social distancing possible, while allowing all restaurants to continue operating at greater capacity.
8
Baumb, Nelly
From:Nassim Usman <nassimusman@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 11:21 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:Re-opening
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
We would like to:
1. Voice our support for “parklets”, i.e. outdoor seating areas for restaurants on an interim basis to allow
restaurants to re‐open and maintain social distancing. This would allow restaurants to serve more customers
and maintain their businesses.
2. Request that Rinconada pool reopen ASAP and to mandate that your contractor provide an email or chat link for
the community to communicate with them, they currently only have a phone number that no one answers and
have not
responded to messages.
Sincerely,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nassim & Susan Usman
Palo Alto, CA 94303
E. nassimusman@gmail.com
E. susanlusman@gmail.com
C. +1.650.452.4613
F. +1.650.745.0655
The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient,
any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender by reply email and delete the message and any attachments.
Redacted
9
Baumb, Nelly
From:mcairns7@gmail.com
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 9:57 AM
To:Council, City
Subject:URGENT: Supporting, or even saving, our restaurants & cafes
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
Attention City Council,
I am writing to support whatever it would take to support our local restaurants & businesses.
Most restaurants were already likely barely getting by, with high rents & employee costs, as well forever-painful 'Palo Alto'
process slowing the start of new businesses, as well as improvements.
Now the space & costs required for social distancing, the costs to keep their places sanitized and more....as well as this massive
gap in time, when they were unable to open....combined with the reluctance of diners to return, REQUIRE our city council
to be creative, supportive and more.
We must work together.
For restaurants, allowing parklets in front of their establishments would be crucial.
Outdoor dining spaces, similar to what you see in Menlo Park, creating additional seating to allow for increased social
distancing....making it more possible for patrons to be safe & comfortable, while allowing the restaurants to continue operating
at greater capacity.
And more.
Most sincerely,
Amanda Martin, Palo Alto Home & Business owner, and resident
1
Baumb, Nelly
From:Jyotsna Venkatesh <jyotsnav@usc.edu>
Sent:Thursday, May 21, 2020 4:05 PM
To:Council, City
Subject:Fwd: THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening
attachments and clicking on links.
I support this. Please close down university Ave to support local restaurants and jobs.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Forwarded message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
From: Cafe Venetia <messages@squaremktg.com>
Date: Thu, May 21, 2020 at 3:13 PM
Subject: THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS
To: <jyotsnav@usc.edu>
Have questions? Reply to this email and we’ll respond as soon as possible.
Cafe Venetia
Please email
city.council@cityofpaloalto.org today
3
Cafe Venetia
419 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94301
Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences