HomeMy Public PortalAboutJanuary 9, 2023 City Council Emails701-32
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: 1/9/2023
Document dates: 1/3/2022 – 1/9/2023
Note: Documents for every category may not have been received for packet reproduction
in a given week.
From:Aram James
To:Lydia Kou; Tanaka, Greg; Julie Lythcott-Haims; vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Greer Stone; Pat Burt; Ed Lauing;Shikada, Ed; Council, City; Rebecca Eisenberg
Subject:Re: Who should be our next Vice Mayor?
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 12:47:46 PM
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Monday, January 9, 2023
Re: Who should be our next Vice Mayor?
Hi Council-member Lydia Kou:
I hope you and your family are doing well. I’m pulling for you to be
our next mayor and look forward to supporting you in
that role in 2023. You have worked hard & tirelessly for the
community members of Palo Alto for many years. I will
advocate for you this coming year even when we disagree or even
strongly disagree on an issue as we did over the role of America’s
greatest civil rights organization the NAACP during the issues
surrounding Foothills Park.
I write you also on another critical issue the selection of our next
vice mayor. There is no doubt that both Greg Tanaka & Greer Stone
are worthy candidates for the position. But for now, one of these
candidates stands head and shoulders
above the other. Both Greg and Greer have visited me at my home
met my wife and been gracious to my family.
Greer has served in many high-profile positions including on our
Human Relations Commission and a similar position on the county
level. He is a fine lawyer and no doubt an excellent schoolteacher.
And he has served well during his first two years on the city council.
Greg served for four years as the president of the College Terrance
Residents Association a community of very high-energy individuals.
When Karen Holman stepped down from
her position on the Planning and Transportation Commission (PTC)
to take a seat on the city council Greg was unanimously selected by
our then-city council to replace Karen Holman on the PTC. Greg
served honorably on the PTC for six years including a year as the
chair.
All along the path, Greg has honed his leadership skills. Next, Greg
was twice elected to our city council and has now served six years on
the council including a year as the chair of the critically important
finance committee.
I admire Greg immensely. He is like you a tireless worker on behalf
of all members of our community. Greg holds endless
office meetings with community members on a wide variety of
issues inviting community members from all perspectives and all
backgrounds.
I have discussed many issues with Greg at his Sunday office
meetings. We have talked about Tasers, police canines, the hiring
process for our police chief, and reparations for African Americans,
all of which discussions Greg has made available by video and
YouTube for the public at large to view.
Greg understands racism and he and his family have suffered the
indignity and sting of hate and racism personally. His
father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all incarcerated in
American concentration camps during World War 2. Hisfamily’s property was confiscated by our government. The
generational trauma to Greg and his family cannot be easily
measured.
Despite the odds and obstacles faced by Greg, he has prevailed. He is
a graduate of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a
successful businessman. He is a family man and father of two
wonderful children both attending Palo Alto High School. As you
know Greg has attended many rallies against despicable hate
directed at Asian Americans and has organized a rally on the issue
here in Palo Alto. Greg is a remarkably authentic, accountable,
accessible, and accomplished individual.
I would like to ask you to please unambiguously and wholeheartedly
support Greg Tanaka as our next vice mayor.
Greer Stone will no doubt have an opportunity to serve as Palo
Alto’s vice mayor in the future. But now is Greg Tanaka’s time to
serve as our vice mayor. He has more than earned the opportunity to
serve in this capacity.
Best regards,
Aram B. James
Attorney & Community Activist
415-370-5056
Attachment available until Feb 8, 2023
From:Anne Taylor
To:Tom C. Rindfleisch
Cc:CPNA; Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Rebecca Eisenberg; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:Re: [CPNA] SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go - IMPORTANT UPDATE #4
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 10:18:32 AM
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This was Pope/Chaucer Bridge at 9:33am today. It was not getting worse in the next 15minutes we were there.
Anne Taylor
Click to Download
IMG_3886.MOV
39.8 MB
On Jan 9, 2023, at 9:54 AM, Thomas Rindfleisch <tcr@stanford.edu> wrote:
Friends, one more positive sign is from the NOAA GOES-West CONUS satellitevideo (this link). It looks like we are nearing the end of the main storm system
passing over the bay area. Remember though, it takes on the order of an hour forthe last vestiges of rainfall in the watershed to get down to the USGS gauge and
another 45 minutes for what the USGS SFC gauge shows to reach the Pope-Chaucer bridge. The latest gauge readings are 3560 cfs and 9.6 ft stage (see plot
below) so I'm more hopeful that we can squeak by...
Tom R.
<5cLhXvTdlGlfwO9I.png>
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From:Maurice L DruzinTo:Thomas C Rindfleisch; CPNA
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Rebecca Eisenberg; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:Re: [CPNA] SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go - IMPORTANT UPDATE #4
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 10:01:09 AM
Attachments:5cLhXvTdlGlfwO9I.png
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Thank you Tom, Master of the Stream gage Universe!
We are all so grateful for your flow of information!
Maurice
From: crescent-park-pa@googlegroups.com <crescent-park-pa@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Thomas Rindfleisch
<tcr@stanford.edu>
Date: Monday, January 9, 2023 at 9:55 AM
To: CPNA <crescent-park-pa@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Ed Shikada <ed.shikada@cityofpaloalto.org>, Brad Eggleston <brad.eggleston@cityofpaloalto.org>, Rebecca Eisenberg
<reisenberg@valleywater.org>, Margaret Bruce <mbruce@sfcjpa.org>, Kevin Murray <kmurray@sfcjpa.org>, Palo Alto City
Council <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org>
Subject: [CPNA] SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go - IMPORTANT UPDATE #4
Friends, one more positive sign is from the NOAA GOES-West CONUS satellite video (this link). It looks like we arenearing the end of the main storm system passing over the bay area. Remember though, it takes on the order of an hour forthe last vestiges of rainfall in the watershed to get down to the USGS gauge and another 45 minutes for what the USGSSFC gauge shows to reach the Pope-Chaucer bridge. The latest gauge readings are 3560 cfs and 9.6 ft stage (see plotbelow) so I'm more hopeful that we can squeak by...
Tom R.
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321f41f77235%40stanford.edu.
From:Thomas Rindfleisch
To:CPNA
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Rebecca Eisenberg; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go - IMPORTANT UPDATE #4
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 9:55:05 AMAttachments:5cLhXvTdlGlfwO9I.png
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Friends, one more positive sign is from the NOAA GOES-West CONUS satellite video (this link). It looks like we arenearing the end of the main storm system passing over the bay area. Remember though, it takes on the order of an hour forthe last vestiges of rainfall in the watershed to get down to the USGS gauge and another 45 minutes for what the USGSSFC gauge shows to reach the Pope-Chaucer bridge. The latest gauge readings are 3560 cfs and 9.6 ft stage (see plot below)so I'm more hopeful that we can squeak by...
Tom R.
From:egas1044@aol.com
To:Council, City; Transportation
Cc:crescent-park-pa@googlegroups.com
Subject:Suspend Parking Restrictions for Monday and Tuesday"s storm impact
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 9:35:10 AM
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Today's creek situation cries for another suspension of timed parking restrictions to give residents a
chance to move vehicles from areas likely to be affected.
Please issue another proclamation, thank you.
Eileen Skrabutenas650-224-6402
1044 Hamilton Avenue
From:JORDAN BAJOR
To:Thomas Rindfleisch
Cc:CPNA; Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Rebecca Eisenberg; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:Re: [CPNA] SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go - IMPORTANT UPDATE #3
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 9:34:09 AM
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Tom,
as always, your exceptional data analysis is so appreciated. That said, we stand at the ready!
Cheers!
Jordan
On Jan 9, 2023, at 9:30 AM, Thomas Rindfleisch <tcr@stanford.edu> wrote:
Friends, CNRFC computers have finally caught up with the real-time data -- they are trying tocompute predictions for dozens of rivers and streams and are swamped! Their latest plot below
gives some hope that we can squeak by, but I would not trust its predictions very strongly atthis point given the precarious situation we are in. Focus on what is actually happening in the
creek from the USGS and Palo Alto Creek monitors. On the bright side, the latest USGS plot(9:15 AM, see second plot below) shows some lessening of the rate of increase (currently
3650 cfs and stage of 9.7 ft). This is beguiling but look at the New Years Even peaks and don'tlet down your guard...
Tom R.
<pRrJXs0Zx0NPwU8c.png>
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From:Thomas Rindfleisch
To:CPNA
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Rebecca Eisenberg; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go - IMPORTANT UPDATE #3
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 9:30:34 AMAttachments:pRrJXs0Zx0NPwU8c.pngGwPpmm921sDQ6hYl.png
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Friends, CNRFC computers have finally caught up with the real-time data -- they are trying to compute predictions fordozens of rivers and streams and are swamped! Their latest plot below gives some hope that we can squeak by, but I wouldnot trust its predictions very strongly at this point given the precarious situation we are in. Focus on what is actuallyhappening in the creek from the USGS and Palo Alto Creek monitors. On the bright side, the latest USGS plot (9:15 AM,see second plot below) shows some lessening of the rate of increase (currently 3650 cfs and stage of 9.7 ft). This isbeguiling but look at the New Years Even peaks and don't let down your guard...
Tom R.
From:Thomas RindfleischTo:CPNA
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Rebecca Eisenberg; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go - IMPORTANT UPDATE #2
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 9:03:02 AM
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Friends, the SFC surge for Monday (9th) continues to be of concern. Unfortunately the prediction by the CNRFC appearsto be well short of the mark and I am afraid it cannot be trusted. Their current prediction plot (see below) shows badlyinconsistent results -- a real-time river stage of 9 feet and a prediction of 6.8 ft. This means we will have to focus on thePalo Alto Creek Monitor and the USGS SFC stream gauge that have only limited prediction value -- the trend and slope ofthe flow record. The USGS gauge updates every 15 minutes and currently (8:45 AM, see second plot below) shows a watersurface height of 9.5 ft corresponding to a flow of 3510 cfs. The point where Pope-Chaucer will overflow is a stage ofabout 12.5 ft which corresponds to its capacity of 5500 cfs. There is some indication that the rate of increase of the flow ismoderating slightly but, as you can see from the New Years Eve event peaks, it is very hard to predict how the rain willcome and go. The NOAA GOES-West CONUS satellite video (see this link) shows the storm coming squarely over ourarea with hours to go before it passes.
This is going to be very close and I cannot predict at this point what the likelihood of P-C overflow is. I think residentsshould be ready for something similar to New Years Eve at this point. The web locations you might want to visit include:
Palo Alto creek monitor: this linkUSGS creek gauge: this linkNOAA CNRFC hydrograph forecast: this linkNOAA GOES-West CONUS satellite video: this link
I will continue to check the objective data and update this message as appropriate.
Very best wishes and stay safe, Tom R.
From:Bharath Ram
To:Council, City
Subject:Palo Alto Residents object to utilities rate hike
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 6:49:38 AM
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________________________________
Hello Palo Alto city council,
I am a technology and business professional resident of Palo Alto (PA) and it’s come to the notice of our Palo Alto
resident community that utility rate hikes estimated at 20% or higher fare are being proposed.
On behalf of several concerned PA residents who have voiced their strongest objections in our Nextdoor
neighborhood online forum, I am writing to convey to the council that this rate hike be taken off the table.
We are informed that the hikes were necessary in view of the hydroelectric drought premium being necessary. With
recent incessant rains and indications of water storage reservoirs being replenished this drought premium should
now be off the table.
The other argument made was rise in natural gas prices. We would urge the council to prevail on your city utility
operating to find ways to reduce costs and maybe take the step of perhaps controlling other costs that are in your
control - labor costs is perhaps one such lever along with other overheads.
At a time when residents are already facing the brutal effects of double digit inflation, imposing this rate hike is
totally unnecessary. Do prevail on your utilities staff to go back to the drawing board and undertake a zero based
budgeting approach to eliminating or deferring unnecessary costs and not take the lazy way out by imposing rate
hikes without seeking equivalent cost decrease elsewhere. Rate hikes should be the last resort and only after a
detailed public comment or review process.
We the residents did not vote for a council that does not look out for interests of residents first and foremost.
Comparing PA hikes to other cities also doesn’t hold water since PA manages its own utility unlike other cities who
are subject to PG&E or other supplier price gouging.
I would request that this input from residents be considered in the city council deliberations and hoping you will do
the right thing.
Sincerely,
Kuskoor Bharath Ram
4208 Rickey’s Way Unit G
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Sent from my iPhone
From:John Mark Agosta
To:Council, City
Subject:Support for Tanaka as Vice-Mayor
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 6:19:55 AM
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Dear City Council Members,
I am writing in support for Councilmember Tanaka as the next vice mayor of PaloAlto. His serviceto the community is exemplary, both as a member of the City Council, and previously,in various offices in the city that he has held. His current position chairing the FinanceCommittee evidences his ability to run fair and efficient meetings. I worked with himwhen he served as President of the College Terrace Residents Association and Irespect his judgment and commitment to the needs of the community. His weeklyoutreach sessions are an example of his personal touch to service.
Greg has widespread support in the community as past election results show. He isinvolved raising a family, and running a local start-up. His roots run deep in thecommunity, and his record of leadership is clear.
I urge you to vote for Greg and to support him in this role. Thank you for your timeand consideration.
Sincerely,
John Mark Agosta______________John Mark AgostaPalo Alto, CAjohnmark.agosta@gmail.com
From:Loran Harding
To:Loran Harding; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; David Balakian; boardmembers; bballpod; beachrides;bearwithme1016@att.net; fred beyerlein; Leodies Buchanan; Cathy Lewis; Council, City; Chris Field; DougVagim; dallen1212@gmail.com; Dan Richard; Daniel Zack; david pomaville; eappel@stanford.edu; ScottWilkinson; Gabriel.Ramirez@fresno.gov; George.Rutherford@ucsf.edu; huidentalsanmateo; hennessy; IrvWeissman; Sally Thiessen; Joel Stiner; jerry ruopoli; kfsndesk; karkazianjewelers@gmail.com; leager; MarkStandriff; Mayor; margaret-sasaki@live.com; merazroofinginc@att.net; newsdesk; news@fresnobee.com; nickyovino; russ@topperjewelers.com; Steve Wayte; tsheehan; terry; vallesR1969@att.net
Subject:Fwd: Dan Crenshaw- Biden forgot we had a border
Date:Monday, January 9, 2023 1:35:21 AM
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>Date: Mon, Jan 9, 2023 at 12:49 AM
Subject: Dan Crenshaw- Biden forgot we had a borderTo: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>
On Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023
Dan Crenshaw calls out Biden: ‘He forgot we had a border’ - YouTube
Listen to this "parole" business. They apprehend the illegals crossing the border, chargethem with a crime, I guess, then immediately "parole" them, give them a court date years in
the future, put them on nice buses and send them to whatever part of the United States theywould like to live it. Try that in N. Korea.
They are now going to limit these illegal entries to 30,000 a month when the ports of
entry are in no way set up to handle that. So now we will have "only" 30,000 per monthcoming in, a big reduction. All of them immediately eligible for rich Nazi affirmative action
jobs because they are minorities, jobs that white American men cannot have. Fair is fair, Iguess.
L. William Harding
Fresno, Ca.
From:Thomas RindfleischTo:CPNA
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Rebecca Eisenberg; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go - IMPORTANT UPDATE
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 11:40:56 PM
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Friends, the SFC surge prediction for Monday (9th) has changed significantly:
The most likely deterministic forecast is that the peak stage has increased back to 9.6 ft from the earlier 7.5 ft. Thisnew stage corresponds to a flow of 4320 cfs under the old USGS rating curve or 3550 cfs under the new rating curveThe 95th percentile range for the forecast uncertainty runs from a lower stage of 4.7 ft to an upper stage of 12.5 ft.This upper stage corresponds to a possible high flow of 6477 cfs under the old USGS rating curve or 5470 cfs underthe new rating curveThe time of the expected surge maximum is earlier, 12:00 PM instead of 5:00 PM
The NOAA GOES-West CONUS satellite video (see this link) now shows the storm body reconcentrating with a pathheaded directly over the bay area. Recall that the maximum capacity of the Pope-Chaucer bridge is ~5500 cfs. These newdata indicate that the Pope-Chaucer bridge will hold under the deterministic forecast, but may overtop again if the surgeestimate is off by as much as the upper error bound.
The projected peak surge time is now ~12 hours away and things may change significantly over time. It is all the moreimportant to check the indicator web sites often and to note that should the storm stall to any degree over the peninsula, thepossibility of a P-C overflow increases. Take this uncertainty into account as you decide what precautions to take --deploying strategic sand bags, moving important objects to higher locations, having a go kit ready.
The web locations you might want to visit include:
Palo Alto creek monitor: this linkUSGS creek gauge: this linkNOAA CNRFC hydrograph forecast: this linkNOAA GOES-West CONUS satellite video: this link
I will check the objective data in the morning and update this message as appropriate before the storm hits.
Very best wishes and stay safe, Tom R.
From:Katherine Causey
To:Council, City
Subject:Selecting Mayor & Vice Mayor
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 10:10:56 PM
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Hello Palo Alto City Councilmembers,
I am writing in support of two issues -
First, I strongly believe that in the future how our city selects a mayor, should be decided in a
separate election by the voters, I recognize that this would be a significant change - potentially to our city
charter, but it's also far enough from the next election cycle that this should be considered
being implemented for 2024 or 2026. I have worked for local campaigns 3 cycles now and I have
overwhelmingly heard this from the community each election cycle.
Second, I do believe Councilmember Stone should be our next Vice Mayor. I may not always agree with
Councilmember Stone, but I do believe he is a very effective councilmember - he thoroughly reviews the
council packet and comes prepared to meetings. I think he has been very effective at bringing both sides
to the table on a lot of divisive issues, finding common ground, and making progress. Most importantly he
is our only renter on council, despite about half our population being renters - the pandemic has
massively impacted renters in Palo Alto and as we go forward with working on the housing element and
implementing our rental registry - I believe having Councilmember Stone's perspective will be critical.
Thank you!
Katie Causey
From:Mary Sylvester
To:Council, City
Subject:Lydia Kou for Mayor
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 4:48:34 PM
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January 8, 2022
Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to endorse City Council member Lydia Kou for Mayor. I got to know
Lydia in her first term on Council and have worked with her since on a number of local
political issues. During this time, I have been impressed with how much she
contributes to any project, leadership skills, knowledge from her diverse work andvolunteer experiences as well as her sense of personal and professional ethics.
Since Lydia’s election to City Council, she has been a strong and independent voice
on behalf of Palo Alto’s residents, renters and homeowners alike. She has providedeffective leadership on measures to: limit nonresidential growth; ensure renter
protections and housing for low-income and unhoused residents: and, protect our
natural environment from further harm (e.g. trees, groundwater, air).
Lydia has been a long-time Emergency Preparedness volunteer in Palo Alto and
since being elected to Council has continued her advocacy on behalf of this critical
community issue, no more so than right now. This last week’s storm system has
seen her providing leadership as well as active involvement in ensuring residentsreceive needed services, including filling sandbags herself and helping to disseminate
them throughout the community.
Since Lydia was first elected, I have been impressed with how hard she works inpreparing for Council meetings, coming to sessions knowledgeable about the facts at
hand as well as pertinent laws and policies that impact City decision-making. In all
my interactions with her on local issues, I have found her to be well-informed, highly
ethical and dedicated to the well-being of Palo Alto residents and our environment!
I hope that you will consider casting your vote for Lydia Kou to be Palo Alto’s next
Mayor!
Appreciatively,
Mary Sylvester
From:Aram James
To:Sean Allen; Binder, Andrew; Jethroe Moore; Jeff Rosen; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Shikada, Ed; Rebecca Eisenberg;Ed Lauing; Reifschneider, James; Lydia Kou; Greer Stone; vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Winter Dellenbach; Council,City; Wagner, April; Tannock, Julie; Barberini, Christopher; Joe Simitian; Josh Becker; Jay Boyarsky; chuckjagoda; Human Relations Commission; Enberg, Nicholas; Pat Burt; Shana Segal; Angie Evans
Subject:NYPD Knocks Girl To Ground & Assaults Her For No Reason - Earning The Hate - YouTube
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 4:31:55 PM
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on links.
________________________________
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oU0pmPxIhD8
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
From:Thomas Rindfleisch
To:CPNA
Cc:Shikada, Ed; Eggleston, Brad; Rebecca Eisenberg; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:SFC Status -- One Down, One to Go
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 4:17:50 PM
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Friends, the creek surge this morning (Sun, 1/8, ~6:45 AM) peaked at 211 cfs on the USGS San Francisquito Creek gauge-- pretty much a non-event. The next storm is bigger and trickier though.
As of this writing, the CA/NV River Forecast Center is predicting a surge Monday (1/9) at about 5:00 PM with a peakwater level at the USGS gauge of 7.5 ft or a flow of ~2870 cfs (recall the Pope-Chaucer maximum capacity is ~5500 cfs).The CNRFC prediction chart is shown below with the Monday peak circled in red and the 95th percentile uncertaintiesnoted in magenta. Also recall that the CNRFC peak water surface elevation prediction for Monday has been decreasingfrom ~9.4 ft yesterday to 7.5 ft today. That may be supported by the NOAA GOES-West CONUS satellite video (see thislink) showing the storm body splitting with a large mass moving south. The actual landfall is a day away though so muchcan happen between now and then. Also it is possible that the storm could stall over the peninsula watershed and increasethe total precipitation as happened in the New Years Eve event.
Now there is a complication that I want you to be aware of so you can exercise your judgement about what to believe.Recall that on New Years Eve we had a stalled storm and an unexpectedly large surge in the creek -- USGS reported apeak water surface level of ~13.9 ft at their gauge. This was initially reported by USGS as corresponding to a 7400 cfsflow. This was corrected within hours down to ~6340 cfs. The USGS was taken by surprise and was initially using an oldrating curve for the SFC gauge -- the function that relates water level (stage) to flow level. The reduction in estimated flowcame from a recalibration of the gauge rating curve by noon on the 31st. This recalibration has been incorporated intoUSGS gauge measurements since then, but it is still in the process of being incorporated into the CNRFC site predictions.The 2870 cfs estimate above for Monday's peak is based on the old USGS SFC rating curve. Using the new USGS ratingcurve, the 7.5 ft stage would correspond to a (smaller) peak flow of 2360 cfs. Both are within the flow capacity of thePope-Chaucer bridge (43% and 52% respectively) and would nominally not cause an overflow. (Note these rating curveissues do not affect the CNRFC tools to predict precipitation levels from storm data, just how that precipitation isconverted into stream stage and flow levels.)
You should take this uncertainty into account as you decide what precautions to take. Also remember that nature may bringunpredictable changes to the coming event that could affect outcomes. I will continue to watch the objective data availablein the next day and update this message as appropriate before the storm hits.
Very best wishes and stay safe, Tom R.
From:vshi95@yahoo.com
To:Council, City
Subject:Tanaka as Vice Mayor
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 1:44:06 PM
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Dear Palo Alto City Council,
I am writing to express my strong endorsement of Councilman Greg Lin Tanaka for theposition of vice mayor. As someone who has lived in Palo Alto for many years, I have been
consistently impressed by Councilman Tanaka's leadership and dedication to our community.
One of the issues that I believe sets Councilman Tanaka apart is his commitment to combatinganti-Asian violence and hate. In recent times, we have seen a disturbing increase in attacks
against Asian Americans, and Councilman Tanaka has been a vocal advocate for addressingthis issue. He has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the impact of hate crimes, and
helped organize the community to demonstrate resolve and solidarity.
In addition to his leadership on this issue, Councilman Tanaka has also demonstrated a deepunderstanding of the many other challenges facing our city. He is a thoughtful and
compassionate leader who is always willing to listen to the concerns of his constituents andwork towards solutions. I believe he would be an excellent choice for vice mayor and would
be a strong asset to our city council.
I urge you to consider Councilman Greg Tanaka for the vice mayor role and I have everyconfidence that he will serve our community with distinction.
Victor Shi
From:Lin Sun-Hoffman
To:Council, City
Subject:Vice Mayor
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 11:37:48 AM
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on links.
________________________________
Honorable City Council,
I am a resident of 15 years living in 739 De Soto Dr. and raised both kids, now grow up in Palo Alto. I used to be
on PAUSD PTA executive committee (2015-2017).
I am here to endorse Greg Tanaka. Councilmember Tanaka should be the next vice mayor of Palo Alto. I appreciate
the leadership he has shown in in Stopping Asian Hate.
In addition to his leadership on this issue, Councilman Tanaka has also demonstrated a deep understanding of the
many other challenges facing our city. He is a thoughtful and compassionate leader who is always willing to listen to
the concerns of his constituents and work towards solutions. I believe he would be an excellent choice for vice
mayor and would be a strong asset to our city council.
I urge you to consider Councilman Greg Tanaka for this important role and I have every confidence that he will
serve our community with distinction.
Thank you.
Regards,
Lin
From:Terry Martin
To:Council, City
Subject:Public Comment for the 1/9/23 Palo Alto city council meeting
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 11:24:56 AM
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I wish to offer a public comment for the 1/9/23 Palo Alto city council meeting
As I read the agenda, I see you are electing the mayor and vice mayor for "2022".
Assuming the agenda is incorrect, and you are electing a mayor and vice mayor for 2023, I
would like to offer my strong recommendation for Greg Tanaka as mayor, or at least vice
mayor.
I have been a Palo Alto resident for 54 years and home owner for 46 years, and thus have
some perspective of the development of our city. Also, I have spent 19 years as a Stanford
physicist, where technical excellence is the key to success, and then 15 years in the private
sector where leadership and getting results were paramount.
City government was once efficient and effective, but after the installation of a former city
manager years ago, I observed the decay of quality service and numerous technical blunders
throughout city departments.
I found it disappointing to follow city government over the last few decades, but now I feel
some urgency to pay more attention ... hence this comment.
I appreciate everyone who volunteers their time and energy to serve city government, but I
believe the city urgently needs experienced leadership to correct the decay of technical
performance of city services.
From personal experience, I could lecture for hours on the blunders and incompetence of city
departments from utilities to the attorney's office. And these blunders cost the city an
enormous amount of money.
I don't agree with Greg Tanaka on some issues, but given the experience of the current
council, I strongly feel that Greg Tanaka is the best qualified to restore quality performance to
the city.
Dr. Terry Martin
3616 Evergreen Dr.
From:Aram James
To:Rebecca Eisenberg; Council, City; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Tanaka, Greg; Lydia Kou; Pat Burt; Shikada, Ed; EdLauing; Greer Stone; vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Binder, Andrew
Subject:From The Mercury News e-edition - Low, high tech behind lifesaving flood alerts
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 9:57:43 AM
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on links.
________________________________
I saw this The Mercury News e-edition article on the The Mercury News e-edition app and thought you’d be
interested.
Low, high tech behind lifesaving flood alerts
https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?guid=789cb551-d030-449b-9a08-
5a90f05a6a66&appcode=SAN252&eguid=6b17efe3-fa3b-4ecf-b5ba-e3b8578c0741&pnum=3#
For more great content like this subscribe to the The Mercury News e-edition app here:
Sent from my iPhone
From:Loran Harding
To:Loran Harding; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; David Balakian; boardmembers; bballpod; beachrides;bearwithme1016@att.net; fred beyerlein; Cathy Lewis; Council, City; Chris Field; Doug Vagim;dallen1212@gmail.com; Dan Richard; Daniel Zack; david pomaville; eappel@stanford.edu; Scott Wilkinson;Gabriel.Ramirez@fresno.gov; George.Rutherford@ucsf.edu; huidentalsanmateo; hennessy; Irv Weissman; SallyThiessen; Joel Stiner; jerry ruopoli; kfsndesk; karkazianjewelers@gmail.com; Leodies Buchanan;lalws4@gmail.com; leager; Mark Standriff; Mayor; margaret-sasaki@live.com; merazroofinginc@att.net;russ@topperjewelers.com; Steve Wayte; tsheehan; antonia.tinoco@hsr.ca.gov; terry; vallesR1969@att.net; nickyovino; newsdesk
Subject:Fwd: Thurs. 1-5-23
Date:Sunday, January 8, 2023 1:22:33 AM
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>Date: Sun, Jan 8, 2023 at 12:56 AM
Subject: Fwd: Thurs. 1-5-23To: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>
Thursday, January 5, 2023
To all-
We have to help the illegal migrants. They will go right to the head of the line in terms ofhiring and promotion in the American workplace. With the Nazi Nuremburg laws in place in
the United States, you can potentiate them by allowing huge numbers of illegal minorities tocross the border and enter the US workforce. If you are a white man working in the United
States, don't expect to keep your job or even get promoted. 350,000 federal employees of theEENazi will make damn sure of that. In the 19th c. and well into the 20th, people left Europe
to build a life in the land of opportunity, the USA. That is all over. It is the offical policy of theUnited States government to ruin the life of any white man living in the US if he needs to
work for a living. I urge white men here to study German in HS and college. Try to spendsome summers in Germany if you have to live on PB&J sandwiches to do it. Marry a German
woman there. When you get your big education here, put it to use in Germany and drop a lineto Congress and the WH now and then and tell them how well you are doing there. If enough
white American men do this, the corporations here will scream to Congress because it is whitemen who have the talent, education and work ethic to get the job done.
Now every ad on television portrays white American men as a bunch of crooks, liars,
loafers, bums, trouble makers, as a bunch of scum, and they do that because that is officialpolicy of our government. Kick them around. You want to fall right in line with the Nazi
government because they favor companies who do that. One good response white men canmake is to not buy their shit products.
The anchor of CBS Evening News is a rabid sexist, and I have pointed out that she is
helping to gin up a genocide against white American men. Any story about women is about
WO-MIN, but if it about men, they are just "men". We are heavily armed and we have a longhistory of getting even with people who try to ruin our lives as, for instance, in an attempted
genocide against us. The scum who run CBS News keep her in that job. They are taking on agroup with a long history of fighting back with spectacular success when attacked, and white
men in the United States are under attack.
Watch the video in this link. See Biden and Harris try to defend all the illegal immigrationon their watch. Huge increase of that in Texas since Biden took office. You can make the Nazi
Nuremburg laws airmed at white American men even more damaging by allowing hugenumbers of illegal minorities to enter the country. Do we re-elect traitors in the United States?
Vote them out before you re-locate to Germany. Let the world know what they are doing here.They don't wear Nazi armbands, but that's what they are.
New Biden "border plan" White House releases new border plan with goal to helpmigrants, detract smugglers | KMPH
Protests erupt in El Paso re Biden's visit Sunday, Jan. 10, 2023: He's not letting them pour
in fast enough. He says here that Title 42 should end before the Supreme Court ends it in June.I favor impeaching Biden and Harris for treason.
Protests Erupt In El Paso Ahead Of The Visit Of US President Joe Biden | US News |Englishb News LIVE - YouTube
L.William Harding
Fresno, Ca.
From:Max Rayner
To:Council, City
Subject:Annual selection of city council leadership
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 10:58:53 PM
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Dear members of the Palo Alto city council,
As a Palo Alto homeowner and voter, I'm writing to express my strong
encouragement for you to select councilman Greg Tanaka as vice mayor for this
coming year.
I've been impressed by Mr. Tanaka's work as a member of the planning and
transportation commission and as chair of the finance committee. In both roles, he's
demonstrated a strong commitment to serving the needs of our community andmaking thoughtful, informed decisions.
I particularly appreciate councilman Tanaka's attention to fiscal responsibility and
his efforts to ensure that our city's financial resources are used wisely andeffectively. His leadership on the finance committee has been invaluable, and I haveno doubt that he will continue to serve our city well in this new role.
His dedication to the community's welfare has also been evident in hisinvolvement as President of the College Terrace Residents Association, andalthough only one of my children is still in the Palo Alto school system, I appreciate
his perspective as a working parent in our community.
I believe that councilman Tanaka is an excellent choice for vice mayor, and Iencourage you to give him your full support.
With many thanks for your attention,Maximillian Rayner+1-650-619-4787
From:Rosalinda Quintanar
To:Katherine Pompili; marni barnes
Cc:TC Rindfleisch; crescent-park-pa@googlegroups.com; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Rebecca Eisenberg;
Council, City
Subject:Re: [CPNA] SFC: What"s Coming Down the Pipe
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 5:34:49 PM
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Thanks for the update and all your recommendations.
Rosalinda Quintanar, Ph. D.Professor, Teacher Education & Masters Programs
On Friday, January 6, 2023 at 04:54:38 PM PST, marni barnes <purplebeachcow@gmail.com> wrote:
Ditto Kathy’s remarks below
Marni
On Jan 6, 2023, at 1:03 PM, Katherine Pompili <kpompili@pacbell.net> wrote:
Tom,
You are a scholar and a gentleman. Thank you for continuing to provide our community with this
important, updated information with honesty and clarity. We appreciate you so very much!
Happy New Year,
Kathy
On Jan 6, 2023, at 12:43 PM, Thomas Rindfleisch <tcr@stanford.edu> wrote:
Friends, we dodged a bullet Thursday morning (5th) when the main part of the storm system was pullednorth of us. The USGS gauge for San Francisquito Creek peaked at about 909 cfs around 1:30 AM andthere was a secondary peak somewhat smaller (~825 cfs) at around 3:15 PM (see gauge plot below).The difference between what the NOAA River Forecast folks predicted and what the USGS measuredwas within +/- 100 cfs. They are not always this accurate though, given the vagaries of precipitationforecasting.
Anyway, I'm glad we have a few days to clean up, let things settle, and dry out. However, we have
another couple of storms coming early next week that will swell SFC again. The first is a weak one (~900
cfs) on Sunday (8th) ~7:00 AM and the second is a considerably stronger one (~3400 cfs -- 62% of P-C
overflow capacity) on Monday (9th) at about 5:00 PM. The precipitation forecasters' models do not agree
yet on the strength of these events and there are significant uncertainties. In the second CNRFC plot
below, I show the current hydrograph forecast with red bars at the upcoming peaks illustrating the
uncertainties (95th percentile) in the estimates. In the next days the models should converge better on the
precipitation predictions and thus the SFC stream flow estimates. Stay tuned (and safe!).
Regards, Tom R.
USGS SFC Gauge Record to 1/6/23
<Tv5DhAwlh5HKNJIO.png>
CA/NV River Forecast Center Flow Estimates for SFC
<bjx0oOb4oddovCAR.png>
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From:Stephen Smith
To:Council, City
Subject:support for Greg Tanaka as Vice Mayor of Palo Alto
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 4:59:39 PM
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As council is expected to select a Vice Mayor this coming session, I want to take the opportunity to
support Greg Tanaka for that position.
From my perspective, Greg is a voice of reason. Greg understands that the complex problems of thetwenty-first century require rational, evidence-based, and data-driven decisions that are made in the bestinterest of the constituents. Greg brings that mindset to his role as council member, and would be anexcellent choice for Vice Mayor. best regards, steve smith
From:Maggie Maese
To:Council, City
Subject:Vice Mayor Vote
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 4:51:43 PM
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Please consider Greg Tanaka as Vice Mayor for the following reasons:
He has more experience (CEO vs teacher, was chair of the Planning and Transportation commission
and finance committee) and more seniority.
Sincerely,
Maggie Maese
Sent from Mail for Windows
From:Aram James
To:Sean Allen; Binder, Andrew; Jethroe Moore; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Reifschneider, James; Dennis Upton; Tanaka,Greg; Kou, Lydia; Pat Burt; Greer Stone; Council, City; vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Shikada, Ed; Ed Lauing; WinterDellenbach; Josh Becker; Jay Boyarsky; Joe Simitian; Wagner, April; Human Relations Commission; chuckjagoda; Enberg, Nicholas; GRP-City Council
Subject:WATCH: Cop Chokeslams Young Complying Black Man
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 4:08:45 PM
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________________________________
https://youtu.be/I7KiPUXouQk
Sent from my iPhone
From:Jennifer Landesmann
To:Sherry Scott
Cc:Deborah Wexler; amy kacher; egas1044@aol.com; Council, City; crescent-park-pa@googlegroups.com
Subject:Re: [CPNA] for those who have a clean up day on Monday Jan 9
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 3:08:23 PM
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I'm afraid it's still on for those with the January 9 date because there was no notice that it has changed, andwhen I check my address it still has January 9.
Am keeping things away from the curb until just before the pick up
Jennifer
On Sat, Jan 7, 2023 at 2:59 PM Sherry Scott <sherrysco@gmail.com> wrote:That’s strange. I’m on your same block but closer to Lincoln and my date is the 16th. I wonder if they havedifferent days for different sides of the street?Probably best to check for specific addresses.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 7, 2023, at 2:50 PM, Deborah Wexler <drkwexler@gmail.com> wrote:
Looks like the 1000 block of Forest still scheduled for 1/9/23. I agree, ti should be rescheduled.
Deborah Wexler
On Jan 7, 2023, at 1:26 PM, amy kacher <amykacher1@gmail.com> wrote:
I just checked and I think my clean up date for Dana Ave was supposed to be 1/9also, but I looked at the site and its now 2/6 so glad I double checked...maybe I wasmistaken in the first place but maybe they've changed some dates because of thestorm. https://www.greenwasteofpaloalto.com/?account=30025850&s=1324+dana+ave+palo+alto+&post_type=cleaning_day&go=Search
Amy
On Fri, Jan 6, 2023 at 5:12 PM egas1044 via Crescent Park PA <crescent-park-pa@googlegroups.com> wrote:City Clean up date with Greenwaste occurs on Monday January 9 for areas in Crescent
Park likely to impacted if the creek again overflows.
Can this be suspended so that we don't have streets littered with junk that is likely to
exacerbate flooding/overflow problems?
Respectfully,
Eileen Skrabutenas1044 Hamilton Avenue
-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer Landesmann <jlandesmann@gmail.com>To: crescent-park-pa@googlegroups.com
Sent: Fri, Jan 6, 2023 5:04 pm
Subject: [CPNA] for those who have a clean up day on Monday Jan 9
Hi neighbors,
One of the two annual prized City clean up days is on January 9 for my block. My two most
anticipated days of the year - I'm on Fife Ave, you can check your day on the site.
I called Greenwaste to see if there are any changes due to the storm, there are no
changes.
Also - if possible use clear or labeled bags for recycling as well as labels for donations, so
that they are not confused with garbage. Any hazardous materials should go to
the household hazardous waste program.
Jennifer
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From:Jeff Hoel
To:Council, City; UAC
Cc:Hoel, Jeff (external)
Subject:COMMENTS -- 12-19-22 AT-PLACES staff memo -- FTTP
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 12:02:33 PM
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Council members and UAC commissioners,
Below the "######" line, please find a copy of staff's 12-19-22 AT-PLACES memo regarding FTTP, with my COMMENTS (paragraphs inred beginning with "###").https://www.cityofpaloalto.org//files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/at-places-memo/item-20-at-places-memo.pdf
Ideally, this information would have been available with the Council's 12-19-22 packet, so that the public could have considered it before the 12-19-22
Council meeting.
Thanks.
Jeff
Jeff Hoel
731 Colorado AvenuePalo Alto, CA 94303
########################################################################################################################
--- page 1 ---
City of Palo Alto
City Council(ID # 15049)
At Places Memo Item #20Meeting Date: 12/19/2022
Report Type: AT PLACESTitle: AT-Places Memo Regarding the Updates Related to Financing Options for Federal Tax Issues Raised by City of Palo Alto Dark Fiber Network
Expansion and Fiber to the PremisesFrom: City ManagerLead Department: Utilities
This memorandum provides additional information for Council to consider regarding the potential issuance of debt financing to fund the City of Palo
Alto’s dark fiber optic backbone expansion and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP). In addition, staff is responding to questions from CouncilmemberDuBois.
Staff have continued to refine financing options with the City’s legal counsel and financial advisors regarding this project. Based on this evaluation, we
have been advised that if the City elects to launch a FTTP line of business using either a hybrid or fully outsourced organizational structure, tax-exempt bonds may not be feasible. Federal tax law imposes numerous constraints on property financed using tax-exempt bonds. These constraintswould limit the terms and conditions the City would be able to negotiate in any contract between the City and a prospective service provider/franchiseoperator, most notably regarding compensation structure and the degree of oversight and control over FTTP business decisions retained by the City.The City will need to decide how it wants to balance the cost advantage of tax-exempt bonds against the potential disadvantages in decreasedflexibility in management and business decisions while the bonds are outstanding.
Should the City lose its federal tax exemption status, interest from the bonds will no longer be exempt from federal income taxation, which couldgreatly impact the cost estimates in Table 1 of the staff report. Below is a high-level summary demonstrating the greatest range in difference between
taxable and tax- exempt outcomes as of Dec 2, 2022 evaluations for a utility bond based on $98M project funds.
--- page 2 ---
Table 1 Tax-Exempt vs Taxable Debt Service
Bonds Rated Tax Status Project Issuance Debt All-In Average Total
Secured Funds Costs and Service True Annual Debt
By 3-year Reserve Interest Aggregate Service
Capitalized Fund Rate Debt
Interest Service
General Fund AA+ Tax-Exempt $98.0 M $17.3 M None 4.4% $7.2 M $198.9 M
Fiber Fund Unrated Taxable $98.0 M $30.0 M $13.3 M 6.7% $11.2 M $297.5 M
### Does the second item mean the bonds would be secured by dark fiber revenues? Or by a combination of dark fiber revenues and FTTPrevenues?
### The reason staff gave for bonding $98 million, rather than $85 million, was that if the Electric Utility was associated with borrowing $13 million forits share of the dark fiber backbone extension (even though it could pay cash via the Electric Special Projects Reserve Fund), it might be possible to
get a lower interest rate. Is that assumption built into item 1? Or could the City get an all-in true interest rate of 4.4 percent just because the bondswere backed by the General Fund?
Compared to the scenarios modeled in August, rates mostly rose at the short-end of the curve due to the Federal Reserve raising its Federal Fundsrate (which is the short-term loan of last resort for banks); so because of the 3-year Capitalized Interest period we are using (no bond maturities infirst 3 years, interest-only paid by borrowed bond proceeds) these short-term rate increases largely do not affect the financing scenarios in Figure 1.By contrast, medium and longer term rates (maturities of 5+ years) have not risen nearly as much and have been trending downwards recently,
resulting in an inverted yield curve (e.g. 1-yr rate higher than 2-yr rate) in Figure 2.
### I won't try to reproduce (or comment on) Figure 1.
Figure 1. Tax-Exempt Yield Curve
--- page 3 ---
### I won't try to reproduce (or comment on) Figure 2.
Figure 2. Taxable Yield Curve
In addition, please find below the staff response to questions from Councilmember DuBois on agenda item 20: Staff and the Utilities Advisory
Commission (UAC) Recommend the City Council Approve Option 2 for Building Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) Under a Phased Approach.
1. The UAC report on 11/2/2022 said there was no city doing what Palo Alto is doing. However there are at least 28 cities in California providing someform of fiber broadband service to at least some residential customers or are building out in phases. Can staff update the report to acknowledge theseother cities providing residential service?
Response: Although a lot of cities are offering fiber services, either the fiber infrastructure is not city-owned, or the services are limited by
area/customer type. For example, most services are limited to only commercial customers and others are limited to only new developmental areas. Ofthose which provide fiber to residential areas, these build outs are incremental (Rancho Cucamonga, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica).
2. There appear to be 83 citywide muni networks in the US and more than 315 publicly owned networks provide at least some form of 1GB or higher
service.
### "1 GB" means one gigabyte. But I think Council Member DuBois meant 1 Gbps, i.e., one gigabit per second.
Why is the report focused only on California? Is there something unique about CA vs other states?
Response: The State of California does not have any laws or regulations that prohibit or restrict municipal broadband networks. Common approaches
to preempting municipal broadband networks in other states range from straightforward bans to confusing financial restrictions and complicated legalrequirements. With limited resources to
--- page 4 ---
verify the business models of each municipal network, staff focused on well-known municipal networks or municipal networks with easily accessiblepublic information in California since unique legal conditions in each state substantially impact the deployment of broadband networks state to state.We have added some non-California municipal utilities in the comparison table.
3. Microtrenching was stated to reduce construction costs by 40-50% and time by a factor of 3-4 X. The staff report to UAC said it is notrecommended. Can we get a more nuanced consideration since the savings are so great? Are there no streets throughout the city where it would
work? Perhaps very quiet cul-de-sacs? What if it was used on local streets only but not arteries for example? The savings are so high, more detail isneeded here.
Response: The cost savings and efficiency gained by using micro trenching, is achieved when it is used in large volume. To realize the full savings ofmicro-trench, the City would have to utilize micro-trenching for largest part of underground construction. One of the advantages that allows microtrenching to be less costly is the depth placement of conduit, which is also a disadvantage to operating and maintaining the network. The conduit isplaced at is 12-18” when micro trenching as compared to the 36” depth when bored. This would place the fiber at risk of being compromised or hit by
other construction or paving work. The City does not recommend using micro-trench for the fiber backbone or FTTP distribution network because ofthe risk associated with a shallow network.
### This sounds like staff would be more willing to consider taking the risk for fiber that is not the backbone or FTTP distribution network. I don't
understand why.
The cost to mobilize equipment and crew to micro-trench small segments and/or service laterals would potentially outweigh construction cost savingscombined with high risk of future outages. In regard to horizontal boring, there is minimal cost differential to increase the depth from 24” to 36”. Thecost from the contractor is based on time and material.
4. Magellan has designed a large portion of the network but there are few details shared. Some details about the number, size and location of huts
would be helpful.
a. Is the architecture proposed Active Ethernet or PON?
Response: The architecture proposed is PON. 99% of all fiber to the home networks are designed using PON architecture
### Is this statistic (99%) documented somewhere?
### This survey (03-30-22) found that, worldwide, for service providers interested in upgrading to 10 Gbps technology, 23 percent preferred AE and
the rest preferred some kind of PON. (In the Americas, 25 percent preferred AE.)https://www.lightwaveonline.com/fttx/pon-systems/article/14223850/theres-a-lot-of-10g-pon-on-the-horizon(The survey didn't discuss how the providers' existing fiber infrastructures affected their preferences.)
as it is the most efficient and economical technology.
### One way PON is more economical than AE is that the number of strands in the cable going from the splitter cabinet to the hut is a fraction ofwhat AE requires. (For a split ratio of 32:1, PON requires only 1/32 the number of strands, compared to AE.) This is more important in low-density(e.g., rural) environments than in high-density (e.g., urban) environments (because distances between the splitter cabinet and the hut are longer forlow-density environments.) Did staff and consultant quantify this savings in the case of Palo Alto?
### For a given transmission speed, AE can deliver higher bandwidth, lower latency, and better security than PON.
### I assume staff is planning to deploy 10 Gbps symmetrical electronics. This 01-27-22 says, "From a cost perspective, we’re not seeing anypractical difference between the price of XGS-PON that offers a 10-gigabit data path and traditional GPON."
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2022/01/27/deploying-10-gigabit-pon/(This article doesn't talk about AE.)
### Historically, it's been hard to find PON equipment from different manufacturers that's interoperable.
b. What choices were made?
Response: PON is utilized by all major carriers and nearly all municipal FTTP networks.
### Comcast's FTTP internet service product, Gigabit Pro, is AE.https://networkshardware.com/providers/xfinity/gigabit-pro/(Maybe Comcast is not considered a "major" FTTP carrier?)
### Many major carriers deploy AE for businesses.
### Broadband Communities used to list municipal networks annually. This October 2017 article is the most recent.
http://www.bbpmag.com/Features/1017-Muni-Census.phpOf 216 municipal networks, it says 56 are AE (47 "active Ethernet" + 10 "carrier Ethernet" minus one that listed both terms), 60 are PON (48 GPON, 9
EPON, 2 NG-PON2, 5 BPON minus 5 that listed two kinds), and 110 didn't identify a technology. 14 listed both an AE and a PON technology. So,it's not true that "nearly all" municipal FTTP networks were PON in 2017. I don't know about more recently.
### Here are some examples of AE and PON:AE -- private sector* US Internet https://usinternet.com/
* Comcast (Gigabit Pro) https://networkshardware.com/providers/xfinity/gigabit-pro/* Next Level Networks (which provides service to FTTP co-ops in Woodside, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, ...)
* Cox (business) https://www.cox.com/business/internet/dedicated-internet.html* AT&T (business) https://www.business.att.com/products/att-dedicated-internet.html?tabs=ae868958-95e6-40c8-af6f-d3ab5ec74764
AE -- municipal* UTOPIA* Clarksville, TN* Ammon, ID
* Santa Monica, CAPON - private sector* AT&T
* Verizon (FiOS)* Frontier* Charter/Spectrum* CenturyLink* Cox
* Google FiberPON -- municipal* Chattanooga, TN
* Longmont, CO* Loveland, CO* Fort Collins, CO* Wilson, NC* Fairlawn, OH
c. Can some of the design be shared with the council, perhaps the logical layer?
### I don't really understand the point about the "logical layer." Isn't PON vs. AE (at least mostly) a physical layer issue?
Response: Magellan can share both logical and physical diagrams if needed.
### The public hasn't seen this yet.
### What split ratio is proposed? (That is, how many premises might a PON net serve?)
### How many extra strands should be deployed in the cables between splitter cabinets and huts, to accommodate future a) reduced split ratio, b)AE customers, c) dark fiber applications, d) etc.?
--- page 5 ---
5. In the UAC options 1, 2, 3 and what is assumed in terms of pole replacement? If Council goes with option 3, would the Electric Utility need toreplace poles as part of grid modernization?
Response: Yes, Electric will need to replace some poles for the grid modernization project. The City will need to conduct a comprehensiveengineering to design to quantify the number of poles that need to be replaced and heightened. If a pole is in poor condition and does not meetGeneral Order 95 rules for Overhead Electric Line Construction, the electric utility is responsible for 100% of the pole replacement. Based on the joint
pole agreement, AT&T is responsible for about one-third of the cost because Electric has control of majority of the usable space on the pole. AT&Tcontrols only three feet of the pole in the communication space.
6. How many poles need to be replaced based on Magellan's survey and the age/condition of poles regardless of this project?
Response: Magellan has surveyed approximately 90% (5,400 of 5,900) of the poles. They need to obtain access or re-survey 500 poles. Magellan isestimating 5% - 10% or 300 - 600 poles will need be replaced.
7. How long does it take from council approval of a bond to having the financing available? If Council concurs with the UAC on Option 2 and early
data is positive so that Council desires to continue/accelerate the buildout, how long would it take to bond to have construction funds to continue?
Response: Typically, bond issuance takes three to four months to process. Sometimes it takes longer when tied to a main construction contractInvitation for Bid (IFB) being issued, receiving proposals, and evaluating bids to determine the lowest responsible bidder. The IFB process needs tobe substantially completed to determine the final amount of the bond issuance since this result can substantially differ from the Engineer project cost
estimate. If Council approves option 2, it will take about two months to complete financing for the remainder of the project because an IFB andfinancing documents for subsequent phases will be prepared and near completion.
8. Could the bond be a different length of time, and what impact does it have on the project? Say a 30 yr. bond vs a 15-year bond?
Response: Yes, bond duration can be different, however, to significantly differ from a 30 year standard structure may complicate the bond issuancewhich could lead to higher issuance and potential (interest rate) borrowing cost. A 15-year bond duration will result in higher annual debt payments(e.g. from $6 million to $12 million annual debt
--- page 6 ---
service payments). The fiber utility may need a loan or subsidy from the General Fund in the early years to fulfill the 15-year debt obligation.
9. In Option 3,a. Why is expansion of the dark fiber backbone needed if there is no FTTP?
b. Is there a business plan to expand the dark fiber business?c. What drives this large expense if there is no FTTP?
Response:a. The existing fiber backbone is approaching 30 years and will require more maintenance and repair to continue providing existing and new dark
fiber services. There are segments in the fiber backbone that have either reached or is approaching maximum capacity, thus we cannot serve Citydepartments or new customers in those areas.
b. Palo Alto is a unique hub for technological and business innovation. Dark Fiber is a niche business which requires specialized IT resources and
equipment to light the fiber. The City plans to expand the dark fiber business with the addition of a dedicated fiber market analyst and fiber engineer.The forecasted growth rate is 5- 10% per year.
c. Below is a breakdown of the new 44 miles backbone including contingency.
UNDERGROUND - BURIED LABOR 74.6% $19,395,319.74
AERIAL -STRAND/LASH LABOR 2.2% $577,833.23
SPLICING LABOR 3.7% $951,107.93
PATCH PANELS/CABINET LABOR 0.0% $2,914.31
GENERAL LABOR 1.9% $481,953.79
FIBER MATERIAL 7.9% $2,054,144.16
UNDERGROUND MATERIAL 8.9% $2,324,161.10
CLOSURES MATERIAL 0.4% $101,942.52
PATCH PANELS/CABINETS 0.2% $61,783.34
AERIAL MATERIAL 0.1% $15,933.98
AERIAL - STRAND/LASH 0.1% $32,905.90
GRAND TOTAL $26,000,000.00
### How many miles is aerial and how many miles is undergrounded? How many miles is undergrounded in neighborhoods where the electric isaerial?
10. In other cities with municipal fiber networks to some residential neighborhoods, how have incumbent providers responded? In CA or outside CA?Please provide some examples.
Response: Common incumbent responses to municipal broadband networks include:
• Network upgrades that enhance existing services and facilitate new service offerings. For example, Comcast’s migration from DOCSIS 3.1 to
DOCSIS 4.0 to
--- page 7 ---
offer 1-Gig and multi-Gigabit symmetrical speeds.
### Is this something Comcast has already done (in response to municipal competition), or something it could do at some future time?
https://www.telecompetitor.com/whats-missing-from-comcast-symmetrical-multi-gigabit-live-connection-announcement/
Both AT&T and Comcast expediting deploying more fiber in their networks. AT&T incentivizing existing DSL customers to switch to AT&T Fiberthrough discounted long-term promotional offerings.
• Improved customer service response times (e.g., expedited installation and service appointments, improved phone response times, improved
network maintenance to mitigate outages.
• Customer retention programs that include short-term promotional pricing, service upgrade promotions, new service offerings such as a cellularproduct, door-to-door sales campaigns, increased advertising and marketing campaigns.
Most municipal networks face strong opposition and competitive responses from the incumbent providers. An example of a city in California wherethe incumbents strongly responded to a municipal network is Alameda Power & Telecom’s (now Alameda Municipal Power) Hybrid Fiber/Coax
network launched in 2001. The HFC network was sold by the city to Comcast in 2009.
11. A UAC member proposed the city offer charter member pricing deals, perhaps 3 months free. Other network build outs have offered special ratesif you sign up while construction is occurring. Please include a discussion about a rollout plan to optimize adoption and construction.
Response: Yes, we can include some strategies on how the City can optimize adoption during the build out. For example, free installation, freeequipment rental for x years, no contract term, free speed upgrade for x months, and/or promotional pricing for one year.
12. In prior discussions over the years, Council has been told that fiber funds are not restricted by any utility ordinances and money can be
transferred to the general fund as desired. Lately, legal staff have said it is unclear. This is a huge area to understand - with potentially millions ofdollars accumulating as free cash flow within 10 years, Council needs to understand whether those funds must stay within a new fiber utility or will be
considered general fund dollars. Can staff provide more clear guidance on this question of how fiber revenue can be used under the laws today? Andsteps Council might want to take to ensure transfers can be made to the general fund in the future.
Response: The existing dark fiber reserves may be used for capital expenditures related to the fiber network, including the FTTP buildout, or asunrestricted funds. However, potential uses for future surpluses—particularly from a FTTP line of business—are less clear. The legal landscape forlocal government revenues, especially revenue contemplated for expenditure on general municipal services, is complex and frequently changingeither through ballot initiatives or litigation over the meaning and application of existing laws.
--- page 8 ---
13. Can staff look at potential community benefits from cost savings of having multiple providers - perhaps from other cities offering residential service
where private providers also exist.a. Does that drive prices down for all users?b. Does it slow rate increases?c. Does Magellan have any data on this?
Response: Municipal providers try to provide service at the lowest cost possible. This generally has the net effect of driving down the competition’sprices as well. A good example from Longmont NextLight in Colorado (population of 100,000). As of January 1st, standard residential gigabit Internet
access rates dropped from $99.95 per month to $69.95 per month.
### That price reduction occurred on 01-01-18.https://muninetworks.org/content/longmont-reduces-rate-residential-gighttps://www.timescall.com/2018/01/04/longmonts-nextlight-cuts-monthly-gigabit-internet-subscriber-rate/
In addition to this most recent price reduction, NextLight offers a loyalty bonus for subscribers who obtain service for 12 continuous months. Gigabitsubscribers who qualify have rates reduced to $59.95 per month. Charter Members — residents who subscribe for services within three months thatservice is available within their area — are able to receive gigabit connectivity for $49.95 per month as long as they keep their
services. https://muninetworks.org/content/longmont-reduces-rate-residential-gig
Some other examples from studies: https://www.techdirt.com/2020/07/21/study-community-broadband-drives-competition-lowering-costs/
From:Aram James
To:Lydia Kou; Tanaka, Greg; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Pat Burt; vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Shikada, Ed; Ed Lauing;Greer Stone; Human Relations Commission; Rebecca Eisenberg; Roberta Ahlquist; chuck jagoda; Dave Price;Emily Mibach; Braden Cartwright; Council, City; Jethroe Moore; Sean Allen; Joe Simitian; Jay Boyarsky; JeffRosen; Winter Dellenbach; Josh Becker
Subject:From The Mercury News e-edition - Newsom admonishes Republicans
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 9:48:52 AM
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on links.
________________________________
I saw this The Mercury News e-edition article on the The Mercury News e-edition app and thought you’d be
interested.
Newsom admonishes Republicans
https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?guid=a247011d-5dc2-47a0-8423-
4408c84d3605&appcode=SAN252&eguid=c51af79c-c4dc-4431-9d32-201048c2d1a2&pnum=2#
For more great content like this subscribe to the The Mercury News e-edition app here:
Sent from my iPhone
From:Aram James
To:Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore; Binder, Andrew; Jeff Rosen; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Tanaka, Greg; Lydia Kou;vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Greer Stone; Ed Lauing; Rebecca Eisenberg; Council, City; Joe Simitian; Josh Becker;Winter Dellenbach
Subject:How two states differ on the injustice of non-unanimous juries
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 9:36:00 AM
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>Closing Argument
This week's art is by ConorBroderick. Full work below.
DONATE
BY JAMILES LARTEY
If you took a break from the news over the holidays, there’s a good
chance you missed a ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court that all
state prisoners convicted by non-unanimous juries are entitled to
have their cases reconsidered. In practical terms, it means that
hundreds of felony convictions are now invalid, and those cases
will either need to be retried, dropped or resolved with a new plea
deal.
It’s a big win for progressive advocates, and comes just a few
months after the Louisiana Supreme Court reached the opposite
conclusion in a similar case this past fall.
For decades, the two states were the only ones that allowed for a
defendant to be found guilty of certain crimes, even if one or two
of the 12 jurors in the trial voted not guilty. First adopted by
Louisiana in 1898, these non-unanimous verdicts were explicitly
designed to rig the legal system against Black defendants. Since
the state was constitutionally barred from excluding Black people
from juries outright, the rule ensured that a mostly White jury
would be able to convict a Black defendant of a crime over the
objections of one, two, or, at that time, even three Black jurors
voting to acquit. (Check out this compelling documentary from Al
Jazeera’s Fault Lines for a video about the Jim Crow-era practice.)
Oregon adopted a similar rule in 1933, after a Jewish immigrant
was acquitted of a high profile murder (but convicted of
manslaughter) due to a single holdout juror. In an editorial that
year, The Morning Oregonian opined that “vast immigration into
America from southern and eastern Europe… have combined to
make the jury of twelve increasingly unwieldy and unsatisfactory.”
In the ruling last week, Justice Pro Tempore Richard Baldwin
added a concurring opinion to the majority ruling, solely to
elaborate on the state’s “history of racial exclusion.”
Despite the undeniable white supremacist and nativist roots of
these laws, they survived multiple legal challenges and endured
for nearly 90 years in Oregon, and for 120 in Louisiana. Voters in
Louisiana finally abolished non-unanimous juries in 2018. Two
years later, the U.S. Supreme Court declared them
unconstitutional in Ramos v. Louisiana, which also brought the
practice to an end in Oregon.
At that time, the justices did not weigh in on whether the Ramos
ruling should also prompt a case review for people behind bars
who had already exhausted their appeals. The following year, the
court’s conservative majority ruled that the decision did not
automatically extend retroactively.
Legislative efforts to sort these questions in both states failed last
year, before their respective Supreme Courts weighed in.
Pushback largely came from elected prosecutors, along with some
victims’ advocacy groups, who argued that undoing convictions
would retraumatize victims.
One Oregonian, a relative of two people who were murdered,
described it as a tension between “two unthinkable options:
forcing victims to relive the most traumatic events of their lives, or
allowing hundreds of people to remain in prison despite
unconstitutional convictions.”
In Louisiana, the proposed law would have allowed a five-member
review panel to offer parole to people convicted by a non-
unanimous jury. Ironically, talks collapsed — at least in part —
because of disagreement on whether the panel’s decision would
need to be unanimous or not. Some of the advocates who have
sought to free people convicted by non-unanimous juries are now
hoping that the Oregon decision will push Louisiana lawmakers to
pick up the question again this year.
Relief for people who’ve been convicted by non-unanimous juries
is not as simple as getting a supreme court ruling in their favor. In
hundreds of Louisiana cases, there is no record whatsoever of how
jurors voted, making it difficult to sort out who was affected by
these unconstitutional verdicts. Civil rights lawyers have routinely
resorted to hiring investigators to track down jurors individually
and ask them if they remembered details of the deliberations. In
2018, one woman described to our colleague Maurice Chammah
her regret after she voted to convict during a deliberation where
two jurors voted no. The convicted man, Kia Stewart, was
ultimately freed after nearly 10 years in prison behind a wrongful
conviction.
It’s also virtually impossible to unwind all the downstream effects
of non-unanimous juries. Aliza Kaplan, director of the Criminal
Justice Reform Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School in Oregon, said
she’s heard countless stories of people “who took plea deals
because their lawyer said ‘We have non-unanimous juries, and
you're a Black man — you'll never win.’”
Kaplan said it will be extremely difficult for people incarcerated
under circumstances like that to get out of prison.
Release from prison isn’t the end of the story. Terrence Hayes
spent nearly 13 years incarcerated on a 10-2 jury conviction in
Oregon and wrote about the collateral impact, even now that he’s
free. “I am still bound by the chains of an unconstitutional
conviction on my record,” Hayes wrote in 2021. “This impacts my
employment, housing opportunities, my reputation and so many
other aspects of my life.”
THE BEST OF THE MARSHALL PROJECT
A portrait in numbers. In Cleveland, most of the people
cycling through courts are accused of non-violent crimes linked to
untreated drug addiction or mental illness. Here’s what the data
actually looks like.
Each week we highlight the work of an artist interested in the criminal justice system. Thispiece is by Conor Broderick.
Jamiles Lartey is a New Orleans-based staff writer for The MarshallProject. Previously, he worked as a reporter for the Guardian coveringissues of criminal justice, race and policing. Jamiles was a member of theteam behind the award-winning online database “The Counted,” trackingpolice violence in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, He was named “Michael J.Feeney Emerging Journalist of the Year” by the National Association ofBlack Journalists.
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The Marshall Project · 156 West 56th Street · Studio, 3rd Floor · New York, NY 10019 · USA
From:Aram James
To:Pat Burt; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Tanaka, Greg; Lydia Kou; vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Shikada, Ed; Ed Lauing;Greer Stone; Jason Green; Diana Diamond; Gennady Sheyner; Rebecca Eisenberg; Human RelationsCommission; Binder, Andrew; Josh Becker; Assemblymember.Berman@assembly.ca.gov; Braden Cartwright;Council, City; Joe Simitian; Lewis. james
Subject:Why two troublesome bridges haven’t been replaced 25 years after the last flood
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 8:51:55 AM
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NewsBreakUsed by over 45 million people Open APP
Why two troublesome bridges haven’t been replaced 25
years after the last flood
padailypost.com
I found this on NewsBreak: Why two troublesome bridges haven’t been replaced 25
years after the last flood
Click to read the full story
Sent from my iPhone
From:Aram James
To:Pat Burt; Shikada, Ed; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Tanaka, Greg; Lydia Kou; vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Council, City;Greer Stone; Jethroe Moore; Binder, Andrew; Jeff Rosen; Rebecca Eisenberg; Winter Dellenbach; Joe Simitian;Josh Becker; Jay Boyarsky; Assemblymember.Berman@assembly.ca.gov
Subject:Marcy Kaptur breaks new record in Congress with a familiar warning for the Democratic Party
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 8:43:29 AM
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NewsBreakUsed by over 45 million people Open APP
Marcy Kaptur breaks new record in Congress with a familiar
warning for the Democratic Party
CNN
I found this on NewsBreak: Marcy Kaptur breaks new record in Congress with a
familiar warning for the Democratic Party
Click to read the full story
Sent from my iPhone
From:Darlene Yaplee
To:Council, City
Cc:Darlene E. Yaplee
Subject:Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor
Date:Saturday, January 7, 2023 6:55:44 AM
Some people who received this message don't often get email from darlene.yaplee@gmail.com. Learn why this isimportant
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links.
Honorable Council Members,
I am writing to endorse the election of Vice Mayor Kou to Mayor and Council Member Stone to Vice Mayor.
Vice Mayor Kou to Mayor
Mayorship represents the diversity in the Palo Alto community.
Proven leadership: dedication, understanding, and problem solving for complex topics within and
outside of Palo Alto.
Engaged with and respected by residents.
Council Member Stone to Vice Mayor
Vice Mayorship represents next generation Palo Alto leadership.
Demonstrated performance: agile learner, hard working, and engagement with residents.
Principled leadership on important issues.
Respectfully,
Darlene Yaplee
From:Aram James
To:Sean Allen; Binder, Andrew; Jethroe Moore; Jeff Rosen; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Council, City; Lydia Kou; Tanaka, Greg;
vicki@vickiforcouncil.com; Shikada, Ed
Subject:Year in Review
Date:Friday, January 6, 2023 6:10:32 PM
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FYI: Dr. Shirley Weber is a superstar!!! Before becoming our amazing Secretary Of State Dr.Weber was responsible for California being the first state in the nation to have a reparationscommission. Palo Alto must have their own reparations commission to determine Palo Alto’sresponsibility for racist exclusionary housing practices, racially discriminatory policing practicesnow and historically, racially discriminatory hiring practices by the city of Palo Alto….to mentionjust a few of the institutional racially discriminatory practices that must be discussed and whereappropriate reparations paid to those impacted by Palo Alto’s long standing pattern of governmentsponsored racially discriminatory practices.
Aram
On Jan 6, 2023, at 5:00 PM, Dr. Weber <info@drshirleyweber.com> wrote:
Dr. Shirley Weber, Secretary of State
Aram,
As we prepare for my swearing in on Monday, I wanted to share a few of
our biggest accomplishments over the last two years:
We helped make it easier than ever to vote by instituting permanent vote
by mail, expanding the number of Voter Choice Act counties, and
continued the state’s push to make it easier to register to vote.
The past two midterm elections have featured the two highest turnout
rates in state history. California voter registration is up nearly 25% since
2014, and in 2022 we saw 47% of eligible voters cast a ballot compared
to 31% in 2014.
We expanded the franchise to formerly incarcerated individuals on parole,
and we passed legislation to protect poll workers from harassment in
response to growing threats of violence.
With your help, we’ve won four more years to fight for every Californian's
right to vote. I promise to do everything in my power to make it easy and
safe to cast a ballot, to run elections fairly and efficiently, and to protect
our democratic processes.
Thank you for your trust, and the honor of representing you for four more
years.
Onward,
Dr. Weber
Paid for by Shirley Weber for Secretary of State 2026. FPPC # 1456661
Shirley Weber for Secretary of State 2026
1017 L Street, #903
Sacramento, CA 95814
United States
Click here to unsubscribe.
From:Aram James
To:Jethroe Moore; Human Relations Commission; Binder, Andrew; Shikada, Ed; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Kou, Lydia;Tanaka, Greg; Council, City; Sean Allen; Jeff Rosen; Rebecca Eisenberg; Jay Boyarsky; Raj; Winter Dellenbach;Greer Stone; Joe Simitian; Josh Becker; chuck jagoda; Otto Lee; Javier Ortega; Cindy Chavez; ladoris cordell;Wagner, April; Reifschneider, James; Ed Lauing; Barberini, Christopher; Enberg, Nicholas; Lydia Kou; Pat Burt;Shana Segal
Subject:San Jose police under fire for excessive police canine bites —article now has 46 comments -see comment # 46
by Reverend Jethroe Moore -extraordinary quote by Malcolm X
Date:Friday, January 6, 2023 4:10:15 PM
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https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-police-department-dogs-under-fire-canine-unit-k9-bites-
sjpd/
Shared via the Google app
Sent from my iPhone
From:Erwin Morton
To:Council, City
Subject:SAVE THE DATE: Thu Jan 26, PTA Council Community Breakfast on Teen Health and Flavored Tobacco
Date:Friday, January 6, 2023 3:04:54 PM
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Dear Mayor Burt and City Council Members --
As many of you know, Palo Alto PTA Council has been active on the vaping problem forseveral years, at multiple levels: working within our schools, and also working with the
School Board, the city councils for Palo Alto and other local cities, the Santa Clara CountyBoard of Supervisors, the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health, State and National
PTA, and our state legislators.
We are grateful to City Council (and other local governments) for making vaping materialsand flavored tobaccos less accessible to our community's teens. And of course we are grateful
to the legislators who passed SB 793 and to the voters who recently affirmed it by supportingProp 31.
In January 2020, in conjunction with PAMF, we held a Community Breakfast to inform the
community, and especially community leaders, about the vaping epidemic and the work thatwas being done to protect our community's kids.
It is time now to bring the community together again, to bring ourselves up to date on three
years of changes in policy, enforcement, and technology; and in general, on how the landscapehas evolved.
*******
On Thursday, January 26, 2023, we are holding another community breakfast on the
subject.
The event will run from 8:30 to (about) 11:15 a.m., at the Mitchell Park Community Center. Thanks to generous support from the City of Palo Alto and the County Board of Supervisors,
the event is free and open to all. More details, and registration information, will be availablesoon, but we wanted to encourage people to mark this on their calendars.
We will have a number of excellent speakers from the California Department of Public Health
and the County Department of Public Health, as well as Stanford and UCLA -- and somePAUSD students. It will be informative and engaging, and we hope that several of you will be
able to join us.
We feel it is important for policymakers and other community leaders to come together aroundthis topic. Santa Clara County, and Palo Alto in particular, have been leaders in fighting this
scourge. Our goal here is to bring together the leaders, to review the progress that has beenmade and to discuss the challenges ahead.
So please consider this a personal invitation. Please save the date. Hope to see you there!
Thank you!
Best --
-- Erwin Morton
Deputy VP Advocacy, Palo Alto PTA Council650-224-0425
erwin@morton.net
From:Thomas Rindfleisch
To:CPNA
Cc:Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Rebecca Eisenberg; Council, City
Subject:SFC: What"s Coming Down the Pipe
Date:Friday, January 6, 2023 12:43:41 PM
Attachments:Tv5DhAwlh5HKNJIO.pngbjx0oOb4oddovCAR.png
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Friends, we dodged a bullet Thursday morning (5th) when the main part of the storm system was pulled north of us. TheUSGS gauge for San Francisquito Creek peaked at about 909 cfs around 1:30 AM and there was a secondary peaksomewhat smaller (~825 cfs) at around 3:15 PM (see gauge plot below). The difference between what the NOAA RiverForecast folks predicted and what the USGS measured was within +/- 100 cfs. They are not always this accurate though,given the vagaries of precipitation forecasting.
Anyway, I'm glad we have a few days to clean up, let things settle, and dry out. However, we have another couple ofstorms coming early next week that will swell SFC again. The first is a weak one (~900 cfs) on Sunday (8th) ~7:00 AMand the second is a considerably stronger one (~3400 cfs -- 62% of P-C overflow capacity) on Monday (9th) at about 5:00PM. The precipitation forecasters' models do not agree yet on the strength of these events and there are significantuncertainties. In the second CNRFC plot below, I show the current hydrograph forecast with red bars at the upcomingpeaks illustrating the uncertainties (95th percentile) in the estimates. In the next days the models should converge better onthe precipitation predictions and thus the SFC stream flow estimates. Stay tuned (and safe!).
Regards, Tom R.
USGS SFC Gauge Record to 1/6/23
CA/NV River Forecast Center Flow Estimates for SFC
From:Aram James
To:Binder, Andrew; Sean Allen; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Jethroe Moore; Jeff Rosen; Shikada, Ed; Ed Lauing; Lydia Kou;Tanaka, Greg; Council, City; Rebecca Eisenberg; Greer Stone; Joe Simitian; Josh Becker; Winter Dellenbach; JayBoyarsky; Wagner, April; chuck jagoda; Human Relations Commission; Reifschneider, James; Enberg, Nicholas;Tannock, Julie; Figueroa, Eric
Subject:Phoenix PD handcuffed, detained Wall Street Journal reporter - YouTube
Date:Friday, January 6, 2023 11:47:57 AM
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on links.
________________________________
>
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U0MCWpqRzWg
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
From:Charlie Weidanz
To:Council, City
Subject:ACTERRA INTRODUCES CLIMATE FRIENDLY KITCHENS
Date:Friday, January 6, 2023 11:40:18 AM
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ACTERRA INTRODUCES CLIMATE FRIENDLY KITCHENS
Climate Friendly Kitchens is a free sustainability hospitality program focused on working directly with
Bay Area restaurants through personalized on-site consultations and training.
Acterra provides support to our local restaurant community by helping them develop plant-based menus
and prevent wasted food in the kitchen and dining space. Participating restaurants reap the rewards of
expanded clientele, better waste management, improved marketing tactics, and from demonstrating
environmental leadership in their community. List of services:
Plant-based recipe development
Menu evaluation, menu writing, and labeling
Marketing and website assessments and recommendations
Food waste evaluation and prevention tactics
Kitchen and service training pertaining to plant-based cooking, diets, and dietary restrictions
Supermarket tours to identify plant-based ingredients
Planning menu launch events
About Us:
Acterra is a San Francisco Bay Area 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Palo Alto that brings people together
to create local solutions for a healthy planet.
For more information ;
Climate Friendly Kitchens
watch for details on upcoming Acterra Climate Friendly Kitchens webinar in January
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe clickhere. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email atinfo@paloaltochamber.com.
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe clickhere. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email atinfo@paloaltochamber.com.
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe clickhere. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email at
info@paloaltochamber.com.
From:Aram James
To:Council, City; Human Relations Commission; Rebecca Eisenberg; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Kou, Lydia; Greg Tanaka;Vicki Veenker; Greer Stone; Shikada, Ed; Ed Lauing; Lait, Jonathan; Josh Becker;Assemblymember.Berman@assembly.ca.gov
Subject:Heavy storms, flood risks renew sense of urgency over delayed San Francisquito Creek projects | News | Palo
Alto Online |
Date:Thursday, January 5, 2023 3:01:59 PM
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on links.
________________________________
https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2023/01/04/flood-anxieties-renew-sense-of-urgency-for-delayed-san-
francisquito-creek-projects?utm_source=express-2023-01-05&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=express
Sent from my iPhone
From:Charlie Weidanz
To:Council, City
Subject:The 43rd Annual Tall Tree Awards - Accepting Nominations thru January 15th
Date:Thursday, January 5, 2023 11:30:31 AM
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Mark Your Calendar
The 43rd Annual Tall Tree Awards
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Oshman Family JCC | 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
Recognizing our Outstanding:
Business, Professional Businessperson, Citizen Volunteer, Non Profit
Organization
Event Info
Nomination Form
Tickets Available Soon
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe clickhere. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email atinfo@paloaltochamber.com.
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe clickhere. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email at
info@paloaltochamber.com.
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe click
here. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email atinfo@paloaltochamber.com.
From:egas1044@aol.com
To:Council, City
Subject:City Storm Response
Date:Thursday, January 5, 2023 10:13:08 AM
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Dear Mayor Burt, and fellow Council Members -
I want to thank the city council and city work crews who have been working to keep us safe during the
recent batch of storms. We're not out of the woods, but it is reassuring to this resident that you have been
diligent and understanding of what needs to be done and doing it quickly.
I also want to offer a shout-out to the many residents who have been assisting others to prepare, from the
YCS teams filling sandbags to neighbors looking after each other. This is the true measure of a
community.
Gratefully,
Eileen Skrabutenas
1044 Hamilton Avenue
From:Loran Harding
To:Loran Harding; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; antonia.tinoco@hsr.ca.gov; David Balakian; boardmembers;bballpod; beachrides; bearwithme1016@att.net; fred beyerlein; Cathy Lewis; Council, City; Chris Field; DougVagim; dallen1212@gmail.com; Daniel Zack; Scott Wilkinson; Gabriel.Ramirez@fresno.gov;George.Rutherford@ucsf.edu; huidentalsanmateo; hennessy; Irv Weissman; Sally Thiessen; Joel Stiner; jerryruopoli; kfsndesk; karkazianjewelers@gmail.com; Leodies Buchanan; lalws4@gmail.com; Mark Standriff; Mayor;margaret-sasaki@live.com; merazroofinginc@att.net; newsdesk; news@fresnobee.com; nick yovino; davidpomaville; russ@topperjewelers.com; Steve Wayte; tsheehan; terry; vallesR1969@att.net
Subject:Fwd: Flooding in B.A. Sat into Sunday 1-1-23
Date:Thursday, January 5, 2023 2:27:00 AM
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>Date: Thu, Jan 5, 2023 at 1:24 AM
Subject: Flooding in B.A. Sat into Sunday 1-1-23To: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>
Late on Wed. 1-4-23
This was extremely hard to find. It is usually people standing at maps. SF, Woodside, PaloAlto, Oakland, Castro Valley. Worth seeing. ~8 minutes. The storm on Sat. into Sunday, 1-
1-23:
San Francisco TODAY! Crazy Flash Flooding in Bay Area, California, US - YouTube
Sure glad I went from Fresno to my dentista in San Mateo on Friday, Dec. 2 and Dec. 16,2022! The issue there was fog east of Los Banos. So I got those trips in about 15 days ahead
of real trouble. I always tell them when they schedule apptments "I want to try to avoid therainy season".
One time going over there was a Chevy SUV sitting on its roof on 152 right at the summit
of Pacheco Pass and another overturned SUV that day on 280 near Page Mill Rd. in Palo Alto.Both had wheels facing straight up. Rescuers were down on the ground talking to the
occupants who were hanging upside down on 280.
Now late Wed. night in 1-4-23. I think Fresno has escaped most of it up to now. Somerain tonight in NW Fresno. Hope our luck holds. 1:54 AM- Now we have real rain, heavy, in
NW Fresno. Steady, heavy.
BTW, now trillions of gallons of precious water will flow down the Sacramento and SanJoaquin Rivers to the Delta and out to the sea from these storms. Researchers at Stanford 10
years ago proposed building berms on farmland, maybe marginal farmland, around maybe 100acres at a time and impounding water in those in heavy rain years. Canals would bring the
water from the two rivers, so build these near the rivers. That way, the water could rechargeour aquifer instead of going straight to the Pacific. It has not been done to my knowledge. We
have a crisis with our vast aquifer under the San Joaquin Valley with over pumping andresulting ground subsidence. Even with some of that, many crops are being cancelled here for
lack of water! This fiscal year the US will spend $856 billion to defend the whole world. $1billion would probably build a lot of these berms to recharge our aquifer. But the rest of the
world comes first, and the American people can go hang.
L. William Harding Fresno, Ca.
From:Jeff Hoel
To:Council, City; UACCc:Hoel, Jeff (external)
Subject:TRANSCRIPT & COMMENTS -- 12-19-22 -- FTTP itemDate:Wednesday, January 4, 2023 5:30:57 PM
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Council members and UAC commissioners,
Below the "######" line, please find a TRANSCRIPT of Item 20 of Council's 12-19-22 meeting (about FTTP), with my COMMENTS (paragraphs in red beginning with"###").
Video:https://midpenmedia.org/city-council-152-12192022/
Agenda and staff report:https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/city-council-agendas-minutes/2022/20221219/20221219pccsm-
amendedtime.pdfPresentation slides:https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/item-presentations/2022/20221219/20221219pptccsm-item-20.pdf
High-level comments:
1. Thanks for taking a step forward toward citywide municipal FTTP, by voting for Option 2. (I would still have preferred Option 1.)
2. Thanks for asking for a plan to accelerate deployment beyond Option 2, Phase 1, if Phase 1 seems to be going well.
Thanks.
Jeff
-------------------Jeff Hoel731 Colorado AvenuePalo Alto, CA 94303-------------------
#########################################################################################################################
TRANSCRIPT:
3:16:23:
Mayor Burt: So, we're moving on to Item number 20, which is: "The Utilities Advisory Commission and Staff Recommendation the City Council approve Option 2 forBuilding Fiber to the Premises Under a Phased Approach."
3:16:40:
### Slide 1 -- Options for Fiber-to-the-Premises
Director Batchelor: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Council members. Dean Batchelor, Director of Utilities. Yes. Tonight, we wanted to give you some different -- additionalinformation to all of you that would be considering this potential Option number 2, that we went to the UAC with. And, unfortunately, Mr. John Honker, who is our -- fromMagellan is -- actually has COVID, and he won't be here tonight, unfortunately. But he's online. We'll be able to answer any of your questions. We have staff here. So,with that, I'm going to turn it over to Dave Yuan, our Strategic Manager to start the presentation.
3:17:22:
Dave Yuan: Good evening, Council members. Tonight, we're going to present three options for your consideration regarding fiber to the premises. And improving internet
service in Palo Alto. Staff is requesting for Council's direction on how to proceed.
3:17:36:
### Slide 2 -- AGENDA
As Dean mentioned earlier, we do have some additional information that Council requested from the joint session, back in September. Comparisons to other municipalitiesthat offer services. Potential cost savings using microtrenching for underground construction. Use of existing dark fiber reserve and future FTTP reserves, or "surplus." And, finally, projection of customer take rates and debt service costs. John Honker, from Magellan, will be presenting the three options, down later in the presentation. AsDean mentioned, Option 1 is to build a citywide fiber to the premise network with debt financing of $98 million. Option number 2 is a phased buildout of the fiber to thepremise network, with existing fiber reserves and future fiber revenues, but without any debt financing. During or after Phase 1 of construction, Council can decide whetherthe City should adjust the buildout timeline, by either accelerating or pausing construction. And then, under Option 3, staff is recommending only building only a fiberbackbone, to support City departments and dark fiber customers, since the existing backbone is reaching capacity in certain areas. And we also recommend pausing fiberto the premise efforts under this option. And at the end, John will also present some fiber zone maps, showing areas of lowest construction costs, highest density, leastcompetition with AT&T Fiber, highest number of Palo Alto deposits showing interest, and then, also, broadband speed.
3:19:11:
### Slide 3 -- Comparison to Other California Municipalities
### The comparison in the staff report included six municipalities not in California.
According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which is a nonprofit organization, an advocacy group for community development, there are 315 communities in theUnited States offering at least 1 gigabit service.
### Community Network Map (September 2021):https://muninetworks.org/communitymap
### I counted the gigabit symbols on the map, and found that there are 121 citywide municipal FTTP networks that offer gigabit service, and 151 less-than-citywidemunicipal FTTP networks that offer gigabit service. I ignored the gigabit symbols for dark fiber networks, cable networks, cooperative networks, and tribal networks.
The majority of these communities are located on the East Coast.
### Not exactly. For citywide networks, 48 are east of the Mississippi River and 73 are west of it. For less-than-citywide networks, 95 are east of the Mississippi and 55
are west of it. Combining citywide and less-than-citywide, 143 are east of the Mississippi, and 128 are west of it. Keep in mind that most of what's east of the Mississippi isnot considered to be on the East Coast. Anyhow, I don't think networks on the East Coast are less relevant than other networks.
### MuniNetworks plans to update its Community Network Map sometime in 2023, and include a tabular presentation of the data. See 13:38-14:50 on this audio:https://muninetworks.org/content/year-review-2022-episode-532-community-broadband-bits-podcast
But there are a few in California that are offering limited gigabit-speed service. Such as Santa Monica, Los Altos Hills, and Rancho Cucamonga.
### Los Altos Hills is served by Los Altos Hills Community Fiber (LAHCF), which is a cooperative, not a municipality.https://lahcommunityfiber.org/LAHCF plans to deploy citywide if enough people sign up.
We researched primarily California municipalities, because we're governed by the same state laws. But, in general, most municipalities in California are either exploring orproviding limited fiber broadband service, under an incremental approach.
### I suppose this means that of the California municipalities that are looking into providing municipal FTTP at all, most are using or considering an incremental approach.
3:19:55:
### Slide 4 -- Micro-trenching for Fiber
Council also asked staff to evaluate whether microtrenching is a viable construction method, to reduce costs. Microtrenching is a construction method for deploying fiberinfrastructure, with shallower cuts, of 8-16 inches,
### SB 378 says the depth of the cut is 12-26 inches.
compared to the regular traditional boring of 24-36 inches. Microtrenching works well in rural areas where there's no conflicting underground facilities. And out of the 108miles of underground construction that is needed for this network, we could potentially microtrench 52 miles of it. Excluding the backbone and feeders,
### Why exclude the backbone and feeders? If staff is proposing that the backbone and feeders ought to less vulnerable to dig-ups than other undergrounded fiber, staff
should present this idea Council in detail.
which could result in a cost savings of up to $10-15 million. However, staff is concerned with the long-term risks of microtrenching, because of the cost to repair dig-ups,system outages, and streets, while also protecting tree roots. Since microtrench is performed along the side of the -- in the street, along the sidewalk, these costs willpartially offset some of the savings. Staff will evaluate this further, and possibly pilot for a proof of concept during the first phase, if approved.
3:21:09:
### Slide 5 -- Use of Fiber Fund Reserves or Surplus
In regards to fiber reserves, the existing $34 million in fiber reserves, or surplus, can likely be used for capital expenditures related to the fiber network, including the FTTPbuildout, or treated as unrestricted funds, because the City has not modified the dark fiber rates since 2006.
### The City's EDF-3 fiber rateshttps://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/utilities/rates-schedules-for-utilities/commercial-utility-rates/edf-3-effective-9-18-2006.pdf
have not changed since 09-18-06. But the City's EDF-1 fiber rates, a promotional rate for early customers, has risen each year by the cost of living, most recently on 07-01-22.
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/utilities/rates-schedules-for-utilities/commercial-utility-rates/edf-1-effective-2022-07-01.pdfThe intent is to switch all customers to EDF-3 eventually.
However, recent litigation regarding Prop 26 on local government fees, which was adopted in 2010, would likely apply to future FTTP utility rates. Therefore, the potentialuse of future fiber revenues would depend on the rate structures, or require voters approval to become unrestricted funds. The law on this issue is still evolving, and Legalwill continue to monitor these developments.
3:21:58:
### Slide 6 -- Take Rate and Debt Service
Finally, Council also had questions regarding the take rate and debt financing. So, based on the citywide internet survey that we launched back in the summer, Magellan isprojecting a take rate of between 37 to 42 percent. Of the 3,300 responses we received, about 30 percent of the customers are currently dissatisfied with their internet
service, and another 14 percent are neither satisfied or dissatisfied. The City also requested outside bond counsel to run a best and worst case scenario of debt financing. Under the best case scenario, the debt would be secured by the General Fund. With a tax-exempt AA bond rating
### Slide 6 says this case assumes a AA+ bond rating (which is higher than AA).
of 4.4 percent.
### UTOPIA recently refinanced some of its old debt on existing facilities, with tax-exempt bonds backed by sales tax revenue. They got a rate of 4.17 percent. See thisvideo, at 8:55 (4.17 percent) and 12:27 (backed by sales tax revenue).https://muninetworks.org/content/mapping-challenge-process-pon-vs-active-ethernet-and-market-pricing-episode-59-connect-show
Which would translate to an annual debt repayment of about $7.2 million. And a total debt service of $200 million over 30 years. And this would require about a 25 to 30percent take rate to break even. Under the worst case scenario, the debt would be secured by the Fiber Fund. With an "unrated" rating, since the annual repayment
amount exceeds existing dark fiber revenues. Or revenues. Resulting in a taxable bond of 6.7 percent, with an annual debt repayment of $11.2 million, and a total debtservice cost of about $300 million. And this would require about a 30 to 35 percent take rate to keep the business viable.
3:23:26:
Next, I would like to turn it over -- the remaining presentation -- to John Honker, to go over the three options, and also go over those fiber maps. John.
3:23:34:
John Honker: OK. Thank you, Dave. And good evening, members of Council and Mayor.
2:23:37:
### Slide 7 -- FIBER BACKBONE EXPANSION
What we'd like to now is walk you through the analysis that you had asked staff to prepare. Looking at the deeper dive into the options. You know, the full buildout option,which we're calling, you know, Option 1. Where the City is building out the entire fiber to the home network. Meaning that every resident and business gets service.
### That is, every residence and business gets access to service.
Option 3, which is, you know, pausing FTTP. And a new option, Option 2, which is an option that doesn't require any bond financing, and allows the City to move into thefirst phase of deployment, utilizing the Fiber Fund. So, as a precursor to that, most importantly, the fiber backbone is really recommended under, you know, any of theoptions. The cost of this backbone expansion, which will deliver, you know, a lot more capacity to the City's existing network, is about $25.6 million. Which will be co-funded between Electric and the Fiber Fund. And the reason for that it because the Electric Utility will be using a portion of this network for its own purposes. And, thus, aportion of the cost is going to be allocated. So, they're going to -- Electric will pay a portion. The Fiber Fund will pay the other portion, for the $25 million.
3:25:12:
So, why do we need the fiber backbone? Why is it really sort of a necessity for Palo Alto? You know, your fiber backbone now is really, you know, almost 30 years old. And out of capacity. Right? We've worked with to audit the backbone. The existing fiber out there. And really help you understand what you have. In the -- you know, inthe ground. And on the poles. And, you know, as we looked at that analysis, you know, we found -- you know, working with your staff -- found that almost the entire fibernetwork is completed.
### By "completed," I assume he means that almost all the strands in a fiber cable are being used. I'd be interested in seeing a map of the dark fiber network that shows,cable segment by cable segment, how many strands are being used and how many strands remain available for use.
And now it's becoming very difficult for the City to, you know, connect more devices. Connect more business customers. And so, the fiber -- Think of the fiber as really sortof being end-of-life. Meaning you guys have had a great, you know, 20+ years of owning that fiber network. It's time to upgrade now, so that you can continue to innovate,continue to serve the community with more fiber. And support the City and the Electric needs, as well as dark fiber needs. Right? Because the City will have ample morefiber that it can use to connect more business customers with this backbone. So, the goal is, you know, you've got through the first 30 years -- or 20 to 30 years -- with theexisting network. Think of this as a refresh and an upgrade to the existing fiber backbone, to give it more horsepower and a lot more capacity for the next 30 [years]. Nextslide, please.
3:26:46:
### Slide 8 -- OPTION 1: FULL DEPLOYMENT
So, again, as you think about this, that fiber backbone becomes the foundation for anything else you do with fiber to the home. And on top of the fiber backbone, you have
a couple of options. Option 1, which we mentioned is considered a full deployment, where we're building about $100 million worth of fiber to the home infrastructure, and --to provide internet service to every home and business in Palo Alto.
### Again, to provide access to internet service to every home and business in Palo Alto. Not every home and business will take advantage of this access.
And make that -- And make it available for every business. Again, $98 million in new -- in total new debt finance. So, that would -- you know, it would use the Fiber Fund,contributions from Electric, but it would require an additional $98 million in debt to build the network.
3:27:42:
The pros of this are really, you know, making a ubiquitous service available for every resident and business. We know from the survey and the market research that wasconducted that today, some consumers -- some citizens -- have access to, you know, 2-3 providers, others 1-2. Right?
### It depends on what internet service you think is adequate. For example, if you want wired service and at least 1000 Mbps down and 100 Mbps up, then, in Palo Alto,only AT&T provides it at the moment.
Differing speeds, differing types of services, depending on 1) where you are in the community. This would, you know, make one service ubiquitous for all cus- -- all Palo
Alto residents and businesses. It would provide the opportunity to provide higher speeds and more reliability, through a pure fiber network, which is not available in themajority of Palo Alto today. It allows the City, also, to control its own destiny in terms of internet. You've heard a lot about net neutrality. You've heard about data caps,
and the things that, you know, limit internet connectivity and the things that people can do with it. In this case, a locally-owned system becomes an opportunity to, youknow, pave your own path. And, you know, put the policies in place that the community wants. The -- Another major opportunity and benefit of the network is, you know,in addition to the fiber backbone, you're also getting the benefit of fiber practically to every doorstep. And that means that anything in the City that needs to be connected --whether it's a street light, whether it's a, you know, meter, whether it's a recloser bank, whether it's a transformer, whether it's new Wi-Fi services -- any of those devicescan now be connected. Because you basically have fiber running throughout the entire City, and any of the streets. So, you know, as more things are connected -- andyou've seen this over the past 20 years with the existing fiber network. Right? You guys have hundreds of devices connected. And that pace is slowly increasing. You'llsee that as a resource to continue to improve service. And finally, really, the total cost of ownership. As we think about the opportunity for the City to own the infrastructurefor its own needs to reduce costs in the future and drive more capabilities, but also have a positive impact on consumers and what they pay. You have some control overwhat over what consumers DO pay for service. And if you can reduce those costs, it impacts all the customers in Palo Alto, not just the ones using the network but theones using other providers in Palo Alto which the City is potentially competing against. Right? Because price competition is a price impact for all customers, if those pricescan be lowered.
3:30:45:
Some of the cons, of course. We've talked about these in the past. They still exist. Broadband is a competitive business. And the City would -- will be competing with the
exiting providers. Construction risk is out there. We've seen significant increases in construction costs. We are seeing some tapering since the last time we spoke withyou. Right? So, we've seen some pullback is some of the really long lead times for materials. We've seen labor flatten a bit. You know, whether that's temporary orwhether that will go up again is unclear. That market is always changing. So, again, it's another risk that the City has to be thinking about, as you're moving into theconstruction project itself. And there are those risks of construction overruns and labor overruns. The learning curve, and the operating committed business -- we've talkedabout that. Right? What is the -- What are the issues, and what are the competitive factors the City has to become an expert on, to drive business, to drive take rates, andrun a successful broadband ISP. Of course, related to that, you know, a less successful project, if the City weren't successful, would require more capital. Right? And inthe case of a rising interest rate environment -- Right? -- our debt service cost service costs are high. So, as we saw in the prior slide, that Dave presented, you know, ourbreak-even take rates, you know, are a bit higher, because of the higher costs we have to cover for debt service. So, it's even more important that the City's, you know,successful at executing the project, and is running a successful ISP. And, again, related to this is just the interest rate risk, which is, you know, not only in this industry butin every capital project that's happening right now. And we have to be very sensitive to -- very careful with that, making sure that there's a good plan to finance thenetwork. Next slide, please.
3:32:53:
### Slide 9 -- OPTION 2 -- PHASED DEPLOYMENT
So, really think about that as the all-in, you know, single turnkey approach to build the entire network. An alternative to that is what we've, you know, deemed as sort ofOption 2. And which is more of a phased deployment, that allows the City to really take baby steps into the project, to run -- think of it as -- It's more than a pilot, becauseyou're putting real money up. But it's less than the full buildout, because you're not financing a full, you know, $98 million. So, Phase 2
### That is, Option 2.
really looks at utilizing an allocation of $20 million of capital from the Fiber Fund to start building fiber to the home, in some of the highest-priority areas. The goal herewould be to, you know, again, minimize any new debt taken on by the City, utilizing existing Fiber Fund surpluses, and invest those in a buildout. Which means about 20
percent of the community will have service available in this phase. So, we get to a position where there's, you know, a good amount of -- a good chunk of the communitythat's covered, for a reasonable amount of capital. And it gives you an opportunity to truly test this first phase before committing to a future phase. So -- And then, youknow, once this is sustainable, which, you know, you can measure within a period of 12-18 months, then, if everything looks good and everybody's committed to it, then,
you know, additional funding, and additional buildout, can be applied to the project, and you can, you know, start moving faster.
3:34:43:
So, some of the pros are, again, you know, providing, you know, partial service across the City. Sort of a test pilot. Large test pilot. Right? 'Cause you're getting 20 to 30percent of homes and businesses in this phase. And build the expertise, monitor the progress, monitor the success of it, before committing to the full buildout.
3:35:06
So, there are some cons to this. They're not as significant. You know, we don't quite get the economies of scale with our suppliers, and with construction vendors,because it's a smaller project. That's not going to have a significant impact on overall costs, but it will create some, you know, slightly less volume purchasingopportunities. So costs may be slightly higher. We do see, you know, a first-mover issue. So, for example, if the City is building out in these first areas, the existingproviders will likely try to retrench in the other areas, to protect their turf. And they'll have more time to do that, as the City contemplates moving forward with the nextphase.
3:36:04:
If the City were to stop, and not move forward, you know, again, a good chunk of the community would have service. The remainder wouldn't. So, it would limit someaccess. And there would be some residents who have it, some residents who don't. And also, some applications -- some City applications that will have access to fiberand others that won't. So, it will minimize -- or reduce -- the overall support for smart city applications, Electric, and so on. But in that area of buildout, it will provide thoseopportunities for the City. Next slide, please.
3:36:42:
### Slide 10 -- OPTION 3: PAUSE FTTP
And Option 3 is really to pause fiber to the home. And only build out the fiber backbone. Right?
The pros of that, of course: The City isn't investing any new capital into fiber to the home. It doesn't have the competitive risks. The opportunity costs for the Fiber Fund iseliminated, because you have other opportunities to use that funding elsewhere. Instead of sinking it into fiber to the home.
Some of the cons, of course. As we've seen in the past, the City has very limited access -- or influence over broadband in general, in the City. Right? From a policy
perspective, it's really business as usual, as far as the providers go. So -- And then, the fiber to the premise network. Because, you know, it's not being built, the Citydoesn't really get the benefit for all those future applications that could utilize fiber to the home. Or just the fiber to the home network.
In this case, we still recommend building fiber to the backbone, because that's just a necessity for the City. But this would really put a pause on fiber to the home. And not,you know, allocate any new funding to it.
3:38:06:
### Slide 11 -- COST COMPARISONS (In Millions)
So, as we look at the cost comparison between the three, in Option 1, we're looking at total costs of about $143 million. Again, the fiber backbone -- In all scenarios, $25.6million across the three. We have $102 million for fiber to the premise. And we have $15 million in working capital that's set aside for start up of the City's fiber business. Of the ISP. So, that gives us about $143 million. There are some joint savings if the fiber backbone and fiber to the home are being built at the same time. It gives us
about $11 million of synergy between the two projects that reduces the overall cost. $34 million would be put forth by the Fiber Fund. And -- For a total savings of about$45 million out of the $143 [million]. Which means we need about $98 million in new funding. So, that would be $98 million in new debt service originate by the City.
3:29:24:
Option 2 requires no funding.
### That is, no debt financing.
So, you'll see the fiber backbone in the same amount. Fiber to the premise is allocated $20 million out of the Fiber Fund. And then, a smaller amount of working capital isallocated. Because you'll still have some start up expenses for building that first phase of $20 million. But it will be substantially less than if you were building the entirenetwork. So, our total costs: $48.6 million. We do realize some savings, by building phase 1 and the backbone together: about $1.7 million.
### But we fail to save the remaining $9.3 million of "synergy" identified for Option 1, because most of the FTTP network won't be built at the same time as the backbone. Perhaps staff could revisit this issue, looking for more synergy.
Again, the Fiber Fund is contributing $34 [million]. Electric is contributing about $13 [million]. For a total funding of $48.6 million. So, this would exhaust the Fiber Fund.
And the contribution from Electric. Meaning that no new funding is required for Option 2.
3:40:24:
And in Option 3, again, the $25.6 million. Half of it is funded by the Fiber Fund. Half is funded by the Electric Fund. No allocation of capital for fiber toward the premise. No new funding required. Or, no new debt origination required.
3:40:43:
### Slide 12 -- UAC & STAFF RECOMMENDATION
So, you know, in terms of recommendations, you know, the UAC recommended Option 2, out of the three options. And staff recommended Option 2 as well. Build out thefiber to the backbone. And the first phase of the fiber to the home buildout, without any debt financing. So, no -- So, again, $20 million in capital, allocated to the first
phase of fiber to the home. That gets service out to 20 to 30 percent of households and businesses in the City. Requires no new debt service. And is sort of a -- Think ofit as more of a risk-adjusted option. Right? It allows the City to eliminate 1) the interest rate risk that we know is out there, 2) the debt -- just the general debt service risk.
Because, since the City isn't financing anything new, we have no debt service annually. So, it creates a better opportunity for the City to be successful. And a much moresustainable financial model. It also allows you, after the first year or two, to really become sort of a going concern as a fiber ISP. And then, you know, things become
easier, potentially, to finance, to expand, to build community support, once that first phase is built. So, for those reasons, Option 2 has really been recommended by staff,and sort of supported by the UAC.
3:42:14:
### Slide 13 -- PALO ALTO FIBER -- PRIORITY MAP
To give you a sense of the maps, and how phase 2
### That is, Option 2. or Phase 1 of Option 2.
was actually created, this shows a map of Palo Alto, with all of the fiber zones located on the map. And those fiber zones are areas -- neighborhoods, business districts --
where fiber is build, and would be, potentially, available. Think of it as just neighborhood by neighborhood look at fiber to the home. We do that because it allows us tounderstand costs and density and take rates better. So, in this map, you can see -- areas in sort of a dark blue are areas where AT&T
### That is, AT&T Fiber.
currently has service. The areas in green represent those areas that are the lowest cost and highest density to build. Right?
### The map has some light green areas and some darker green areas. Do they mean different things?
So, when we look at phase 2,
### That is, Option 2.
we want to think about the best places to build. And where can you the most bang for your buck, for the neighborhoods in Palo Alto. And those green areas give you thebest opportunity to connect as many households and businesses as you can with that $20 million. Now, as we look at those, there is some overlap between AT&T
### That is, AT&T Fiber.
and the areas that are, you know, the best places to build. And those are shown in pink. Right? So, we want to potentially avoid those, if -- you know, because there couldbe significant competition with AT&T.
### That is, AT&T Fiber.
And there also could be, you know, just more competitive -- there could be -- resulting in lower take rate in those areas. And finally, we also looked at the deposits, andwhere most deposits were received by the City. And you can see in the aqua color. These are the neighborhoods -- or the fiber zones -- where those deposits werereceived. Which also give us an indication of, you know, where demand could be the greatest, and where people are signing up for service. So, all of this information wasassimilated to create the maps you'll see on the next page. Next slide, please.
3:44:31:
### Slide 14 -- BROADBAND SPEED HEATMAP
### This map shows that most of the AT&T Fiber areas are NOT rated as having the highest speed (> 1 Gig). Odd. But it wasn't discussed.
Let's go one more.
3:44:35:
### Slide 15 -- Proposed Phase 1 Map: Lower Cost, Higher Density, Less Competition, Higher Customer
Yup. Thanks. These really show us where the best places to build in Palo Alto would be, for the $20 million in capital. So, this combines, you know, the lowest costhighest density neighborhoods -- again, where we can get the most bang for the buck -- where AT&T
### That is, AT&T Fiber.
is not reporting service today, based on what the residents have said. Where they subscribed to. Where the most deposits have been received. And also where the best -- the lowest cost neighborhoods would be, to potentially build. So, if we look at this as potentially that first phase of the buildout, you know, you're looking at about 3,800
homes that would have access -- single-family. You're looking at about 3,180 MDUs -- multi-family -- multi-dwelling units -- apartment complexes, townhomes, etc. Whichgives us about 7,100 total homes that would have access in the first phase. As well as 875 businesses. So, it's a pretty significant impact for a $20 million spend, for this
first phase of service. Right? That's about 20 -- you know, 23, 24 percent of the overall housing stock within the City. Next slide, please.
3:46:16:
### Slide 16 -- FIBER HUT & CABINET
So, what would the buildout look like? This just gives you a visualization of really what -- you know, the initial phase would be. So, in this case, for those 7,100 customers,there would be one fiber hut, which you can see here on the left. You know, located on City property. Fenced. You know, this one is not hedged or beautified. But, youknow, you would put, you know, hedging, landscaping, and beautification around it.
### The upper left and upper right hut photos are of different huts. How big will our huts be?
That provides the nerve center for the network. The interior of the fiber hut you can see here, which is basically where all the equipment is housed. And all of the
electronics are installed. Within the neighborhoods themselves, you would have fiber cabinets. And the fiber cabinets on the left side here, you can see. This one actuallyis mounted underground. And it pops up, out of a vault. And the one on the right is basically a fiber cabinet that would sit at grade, you know, concealed somewhere, you
know, either on public property or in the right-of-way. You know. This is a large one. You know, you would probably have some large ones like this, as well as some thatare about half the size. Typically, these are, you know, four feet tall by, you know, two feet deep. And then, finally, what would, you know, the side of the home look like? So, each home would potentially have a -- what we call an ONT -- an optical network terminal -- on the side, where fiber -- you can see the fiber being spliced here, youknow, by a fiber technician. That would sit on the side of the house. It would be serviced by a fiber installer. And each house would get one of these. As well as MDUsand townhomes would get something that looks very similar. But that's the size. That's the footprint of typically what they look like. And, you know, most of these areoutdoor, but they also come with an indoor version.
### Has staff thought about the tradeoffs? Indoors is less expensive and more protected from the weather. Outdoors is easier to service without an appointment.
So, this is going to be a glimpse of what some of the equipment and facilities look like in the fiber network. Next slide, please.
3:48:43:
Slide 17 -- Q&A
So, that really covers our presentation. We'd love to answer some questions, either generally or specifically, on, you know, the phasing. Happy to open it up for questions.
3:49:01:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. I think, at this time, let's go to members of the public first, then return to the Council for questions and discussion. And [pause] OK. We have eightspeakers. Our first speaker is Hamilton Hitchings, speaking on behalf of four additional people. So, you will have up to 10 minutes to speak. And our following speaker isJeff Hoel. Welcome.
3:49:40:
Hamilton Hitchings: Thank you. I want to thank Annette Glankopf, Jeff Levinsky, Andie Reed, and Becky Sanders for gifting me their public speaking time, and forsupporting my following comments.
The Utilities Advisory Commission voted 6-0 for Option 2, to proceed with building a partial fiber network without incurring debt. The reasons they did not vote for Option 1included concerns about the risk of low take rate and the current high interest rates. I support Option 3, enhancing existing infrastructure and encouraging a residentialfiber partner. However, at least Option 2 does not involve borrowing money, and expands access to fiber more quickly. Unfortunately, it leaves the door open for futurebond financing, which I think is problematic. I think Option 1, which is to borrow $100 million up front, to build the City fiber network, is too financially risky.
According to a U. Penn law study which analyzed 20 municipalities that were willing to break out their fiber financials from the rest of the utilities, 11 were cash flownegative, another 5 will require over 100 years to pay back the amount they borrowed, and only the remaining 2 would pay back on time. One of those two was essentiallya business-only offering and not representative. This project covers from 2010 to 2014, when municipalities were without competition from private fiber providers.
Chattanooga has since turned a profit. But they received a $110 million grant from the federal government. These authors have since published an update, in 2021, whichaddresses some of the concerns and criticisms of the initial study. And that, too, found similar bleak, dismal financial from most of the municipalities studied. For the
original study, the 11 utilities that were cash flow negative meant they were not able to pay back one dollar of the original debt from their fiber revenue. If Palo Alto werecash flow negative, that would mean we would need to pay back $200 million including interest from our General Fund. At the cost of services such public safety,affordable housing, climate initiatives, library hours, South Palo Alto rail crossing, and Cubberley modernization.
When utilities have had to sell their money-losing fiber assets, it's typically been at a dramatic loss. Such as Provo, Utah; Marietta, Georgia; Quincy, Florida; Salisbury,North Carolina; Bristol, Virginia; Burlington, Vermont; Groton, Connecticut; and Cross Lake, Minnesota. And all of them were left to pay their bond obligations from theGeneral Fund. Despite these many examples of failed municipal fiber services, our consultant, Magellan, refused to name a single failed fiber utility when asked directly byCouncil. He also failed to mention that his examples of profitable fiber utilities, like Longmont, Colorado, were established when they had no existing fiber competitor. Unlike here in Palo Alto.
Before I talk specifically about AT&T Fiber, two quick disclosures. First, I have AT&T Fiber. It works great. And many of my neighbors are also very satisfied with it. Secondly, I do own AT&T stock. As do millions of Americans, in one way or another. And Palo Alto Fiber is only a miniscule portion of AT&T's overall business. So, withthat out of the way, AT&T has been providing, for the past two years, almost exactly the service that Palo Alto municipal fiber plans to offer, in terms of speed and price. If
you're unhappy with AT&T Fiber, you can get Sonic, which has great service according to many of the people I've talked to. There is essentially no value-add for Palo Altomunicipal fiber over AT&T Fiber. Furthermore, in neighborhoods where AT&T is first to market, or a close second, there will be very low take rates for Palo Alto Fiber.
Thus, for those areas we will be cash flow negative, and have to repay all the debt that we borrowed up-front for those areas out of the General Fund.
In terms of take rates, AT&T already covers 30 percent, before recently expanding into Greenmeadow. If we assume AT&T beats Palo Alto Fiber to market for 60 percentof the residents, that leaves a potential market of 40 percent of households. If we optimistically assume that Palo Alto Fiber gets half of that, we get a 20 percent take rate,which, according to our consultant, would mean we'd be losing substantial money every year. The bottom line is, a citywide offering is very likely to lose money, and costtens of millions -- up to $200 million -- from our General Fund. Especially in areas where AT&T Fiber is first to market, or a close second.
Palo Alto Fiber is a nice-to-have offering. Not worth betting our City finances on, and the quality of our existing services for. Please do not vote for Option 1. Thank you.
3:55:06:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. Our next speaker is Jeff Hoel. To be followed by Bob Smith. Welcome.
3:55:14:
Jeff Hoel: Thanks. I find myself disagreeing with much of what Hitchings said. But I can't rebut it all here in real time. I will note that the Christopher Yoo study that hecites, that says none of the 20 municipalities can repay their debts in anything like a reasonable amount of time -- That was specifically rebutted by a MuniNetworks
document that I provided the information to look up and check yourselves. One of the things the Yoo study said was that Chattanooga would take 412 years, I think, torepay its debt. And Chattanooga has already repaid its debt. So that gives you an idea of the credibility of that particular document.
I think you should go ahead and do Option 1. I think you understood during the pandemic that the City didn't have an adequate citywide service provider. I think youunderstand now that the private sector is never going to deliver fiber to the home citywide, because it's never going to be economic in all of those places, according to theprivate sector's idea of what's economic. However, there's scads of cities throughout this country that find that it's economic enough for the municipality to do it. Thatthey're not losing money. And so, I think the City should do it.
One of the major goals of the City doing it is so that everybody can have the service. I think the City can do speeds like 1 gigabit per second symmetrical, which is more orless the standard these days. I mean, you can get by with less, but if you want to do what 21st century people do, you need that speed. It can also do ten times that much,for people who want to get a little bit ahead of the curve. And, finally, it can do faster than that, which, sometime in the next 50 years, the City's going to want to do.
Fiber is a lot more reliable than copper or wireless. So, we're not really talking about that alternative. It's just something that's futureproof. And we ought to do it.
3:58:09:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. Our next speaker is Bob Smith, to be followed by Herb Borock. Welcome.
3:58:17:
Bob Smith: Mayor and Council, good evening. This feels like about the hundredth time I've been to one of these meetings. I don't even recognize any of you people. Where did they all go? No, that's not the case. I do know who you are. But I'm pointing out how long this process has gone on. And how much money you must havespent, and time you must have spent. And to be honest with you, going back to 1998, 2000, 2003, and tracing forward, every time we have a discussion about fiber to thehome -- or fiber to the premises, or whatever -- it's less sensible than it was the time before. It's riskier than it was the time before. And this is where we keep going.
By the way, the first speaker tonight said a lot of the things that I would have liked to have said, and have probably said at some point in the past. He hit a lot of excellent
points. I won't repeat him. Let me repeat myself on something I've said in virtually every meeting here, is: why don't you work with the incumbents? They're not yourenemies. AT&T could work with you. They've got trucks running around the City all the time now. They could work with you to build the information gathering and control
system that you want. They could work with you to help make sure you get the kind of coverage that you want. If you worked with the incumbents. I've never heard of anyeffort to sit down with them and actually work with them.
### But see Council Member DuBois' comment at 4:38:02.
It's always just, we're going to take their business away from them. We're going to shut them down. And that's been 40 years that I've been hearing that. 40 years that I'vebeen hearing, the goal here is to have a City-owned system. And I don't know why you're doing it anymore.
Listening tonight -- By the way, Mr. Mayor, you did a wonderful job with your presentation tonight. I really liked it. And it made me feel very positive about some of thethings the City is doing. But I realized, listening to it, that a lot of it was about money. And where was the money going to come from to do these things. And it has tocome from someplace. So, it is remarkable to me that you're looking at Option 1 here. $200 million, total cost, someone is saying. Option 2 -- where does that lead you? What happens with it? I don't know. And Option 3 makes a little sense, actually. My recommendation: Option 4. Talk to the incumbents. Thank you.
4:01:07:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. Our next speaker is Herb Borock. To be followed by Loren Smith. Welcome.
4:01:18:
Herb Borock: Microtrenching is a bad idea, as stated in the staff report.
Mr. Honker has provided you some information based upon the responses to the survey. But that survey -- the responses have a self-selection bias. And that's a form ofnon-probability sampling, And you can't infer from that what the population in general is. So, all of these charts that are dependent on the -- that self-selected sample are --
don't mean anything. The one that surprises me is where AT&T is. Because staff seemed to know, four years ago, when it was meeting with the Citizens AdvisoryCommittee, that AT&T had already modified four of its areas to be the path for fiber to the premises, and that it would do 25 by the next 6 months. I suspect that staff
knows exactly where AT&T is right now. And you don't have to rely upon -- and refer to -- the self-selected bias in the sample.
The Option 2 that was presented to the Utilities Advisory Commission included which version of -- the 20 percent, or however many should be done. But that was deletedin the motion made by Scharff. The construction map, which was shown to you, which I have is called Attachment C.
### In the REVISED agenda and staff report for 12-19-22,https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/city-council-agendas-minutes/2022/20221219/20221219pccsm-amendedtime.pdfthe staff report (packet page 277) refers to "a construction map for phase 1" as Attachment D, but the attachment itself (PDF page 284) inadvertently calls itself AttachmentC.
And I was concerned that there might be a problem of conflict, because it might include areas where Council Members Filseth and DuBois are, but it appears, by theamount of 7,100 residences in it, that it covers the public-generally exception, so that they don't have a conflict in that case.
Whereas, I noted, I do believe that Council Member Cormack and Utilities Commissioner Johnston have a conflict due to their investments in -- that are noted, in the one
case, for Comcast, in the other for AT&T, based upon the amounts of money shown on the spreadsheets -- of millions of dollars -- that would be taken away from theincumbents.
### It's easy to find out whether a public official has reported on his/her Form 700 owning a particular stock worth more than $2,000.https://public.netfile.com/pub/?aid=CPAIt's harder to figure out whether the public official actually has a conflict of interest. https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/TAD/Campaign%20Documents/Conflicts%20Guide%202022.pdf
Because most people have access to the internet. And not just now, but a number of years ago. Jeff Hoel and I show up here, because we don't have internet at home.
### I show up here because I want the whole City to have access to municipal FTTP. It would be OK with me if my house were the last in the City to have access.
But the reason you don't have a lot of other people showing up is that they have it. And essentially it would be taking us away from the incumbents.
There's funding from two funds. The Fiber Fund -- and our Palo Alto Charter says you can't use it for some other fund. But here, you're mixing two funds. And I would
think that the proper way to do fiber to the home would be as a customer of the dark fiber. And to do the drop cables and the optronics separately. So you don't run intoany legal problems with state law. Thank you.
4:04:33:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. Our next speaker is Loren Smith, to be followed by Daniel Dulitz. Welcome.
4:04:47:
Loren Smith: Thank you, Mayor Burt. And thank you, City Council, for allowing me to speak. I appreciate that. My name is Loren Smith. I'm a member of the UAC. I'mactually a UAC commissioner, where I have been for the last three years. Prior to that, I served several years under the CAC, where, amongst other things, we debatedfiber to the home in very, very nauseating details, if you will, including conversations with AT&T. So, I'm very familiar with this subject matter. I'm looking forward to sharingwith you my thoughts. Not only about the UAC's deliberations over the last 4 years, but where we are in terms of the -- if you will, the "story of fiber" in the City of Palo Alto.
So, let me commence immediately with why Option 2, recommended by UAC overwhelmingly. And you've heard this from my fellow Palo Alto neighbors. We were very
concerned about the interest rate. The interest rate. And the -- obviously, the rising interest rate environment that we're currently living in. Keep in mind that when wewere debating the bulk of fiber to the home, we were at zero, or really one percent federal interest rates. So, quite frankly, money was far more manageable. Or, at leastthe costs associated with borrowing money was far more manageable. So, that is an alarming concern. Especially now. Even if you look at forecasts of 5.5 percent. That's a little bit larger. And perhaps that was a risk that we took on board. So, Option 2 became a sensible way forward, simply because we could use that Fiber Fundthat was in existence -- $34 million is highlighted. As well as contributions from the Electric Fund, to pay for the Electric contribution to the build.
We were also very keen to see the fiber to the premise as a going concern, and use that as an argument for, obviously, for continued operations of the business, assumingthat we were successful. I think the take rates that have been shared with you and with the public is actually a very conservative take rate, based upon statistical analysis. Our anticipated take rate for the network is going to be significantly larger. So, I remain positive regarding fiber to the premise, but I think a conservative approach, namely,Option 2, reflects not only UAC's but certainly my personal opinion.
Finally, in terms of the history of fiber, for 40 years, we've developed and built out a dark fiber network
### Council approved building a dark fiber network in 1996. So, 26 years.
for fiber and high-broadband services across the City of Palo Alto. And been very successful now, to the tune of $34 million. It's really now to take a look at the future. And what we can do with $34 million. Plus the additional $13 [million]. And what we can provide for our future generations, namely, our children. Mayor Pat Burt, youhighlighted the experience that our children faced during the COVID crisis. And I agree with you 100 percent. That is not the experience that we had when we were theirage. And we owe it to ourselves to ensure that their future, and their children's future, are taken care of in the best possible light. And that includes fiber to the home. Thank you very much.
4:08:11:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. Our next speaker is Daniel Dulitz, to be followed by Bob Moss. Welcome.
4:08:18:
Daniel Dulitz: Thank you, Mayor Burt. Vice Mayor Kou. Council and staff. I am Daniel Dulitz, President of Adobe Creek Networks, as I mentioned earlier in the meeting.
### Dulitz spoke at Oral Communications (0:42:24) to announce that Adobe Creek Networks will be deploying FTTP in his Palo Alto neighborhood.
https://adobecreek.net/(Apparently he thought that this wasn't within the scope of Item 20, the FTTP item.)
I would like to bring our attention back to why fiber to the premises is a good thing to do in Palo Alto. If the incumbent providers were anywhere near -- anywhere close -- toproviding high-quality internet service -- fiber-like, or even, you know, approximately as good as fiber-like service -- across the City of Palo Alto, we would not be herehaving this discussion. And I and my neighbors would not be devoting, you know, enormous amounts of our own time to essentially do this for ourselves in our ownneighborhood. And they're not. We -- our first turn as a neighborhood was to AT&T and Comcast. Of course. Because they are the utilities. It's their job to provide high-quality internet. Even, like, you know, we don't have DSL in our neighborhood. You know, we barely have working copper phone lines from AT&T. I will tell you, it --they've been down for a month at a time before they repair our copper phone lines. Regulated phone lines. The incumbent providers are failing to do the job. And I am
very happy for the people in parts of Palo Alto who have high-quality service from those incumbent providers. And I think it is very wise of the Utilities Advisory Commissionto have suggested Option 2, which does not commit the City to providing fiber service in those areas where incumbent providers are already doing their jobs.
### I think Option 2 is actually a little different from this.
It seems very wise to me. But for the folks in the other parts of the City, where the incumbent providers are not doing their jobs, you can make a huge difference to them,by allocating funds in a wise way to the areas, you know, where you are likely to get the highest take rates. And I think, you know, I would hope that the Council woulddirect the very -- the excellent staff members to, you know, identify and focus on those areas.
I do want to say one thing about, you know, that staff cannot be expected to know where these incumbent providers already provide service, because the incumbentproviders don't know.
### The FCC recently published a broadband map that purports so show, premises by premises, who can get internet service for any particular technology and speed, andwho can't.https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/location-summary/fixed?lon=-122.16003&lat=37.444405&addr_full=250+Hamilton+Avenue%2C+Palo+Alto%2C+California+94301%2C+United+States&zoom=15.00&br=r&speed=1000_100&tech=3I'm told that there are many mistakes. But it's a start. If you spot a mistake, you can send a challenge to the FCC.
They will leaflet your door in an area that they themselves cannot serve. And you call them up and they say, sure, we'll serve you. And then, you know, a few weeks later,they, you know, come back to you and say no, actually, we can't serve you. So, you know, no one knows. They're not able to partner in these detailed ways until you get
to someone at a really high level. Thank you.
4:11:17:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. Our next speaker is Bob Moss, to be followed by our final speaker, Jonathan Erman. Welcome.
4:11:27:
Bob Moss: Thank you, Mayor Burt. Let me review some history. Decades ago, I was on the Board of Directors of Cable Co-op. We ran the cable system for Palo Alto.
### Cable Co-op also served Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, and some unincorporated areas.
We were quite successful. We were quite profitable. And we had excellent response from the community we served. In the 1980s and '90s, we wanted to expand to fiber
to the home.
### No. Cable Co-op wanted to upgrade its all-coax network infrastructure to hybrid fiber coax (HFC) -- not to fiber to the home.
Fiber to the premises. And so we went around looking for money. At that time, it would have cost almost $40 million to expand the system.
### According to Bob's 02-02-15 public comments (pages 21-22 here)https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/city-council-agendas-minutes/00-archive/2015/doc-letters-2-23-15-set-2.pdfit would have cost Cable Co-op an estimated $25.4 million to upgrade its entire franchise area (about 55,000 homes) from all-coax to HFC with "100-home nodes," meaningthat each coax segment would serve up to 100 premises.
Nobody would lend to us. And we decided that the best approach, since we couldn't expand the system, would be to sell it. By the way, we had our offices in what isknown now as the Fry's site. The offices and a studio. And, as I said, we were quite successful, and made money. So, we sold the business to AT&T. Made tens of
millions of dollars, which were distributed to our customers.
Fiber to the home is an essential option, in order to provide the services that people need. And, as City Manager Ed Shikada pointed out, we have tens of thousands ofpeople who work from home. Giving them the kind of internet access and data services connectivity that fiber to the premises will provide is essential. So, one of the
systems which is proposed should be adopted. Personally, I would go with Option 1, because that was what Cable Co-op wanted to do. But there were some problems interms of financing that, just as we had problems with financing.
### The problems Cable Co-op had in the 1990s trying to finance an upgrade from all-coax to HFC (100-home nodes) are completely different from the problems the Cityshould expect in the 2020s trying to finance a deployment of FTTP.
So, unfortunately, I think the best option is Option 2, which will eventually build out fiber to almost all of the City. But it will do it slowly. And one of the problems we havewith both Options 1 and 2 is, the City has no experience running a fiber or cable system.
### During the City's FTTH Trial (2001-2005), the City outsourced operation to ViaNet, a small Mountain View ISP.
So, it would take you some time to build the expertise you needed to really run it effectively. That doesn't mean you couldn't do it. After all, we have all of our other utilities,run by the City. But it would take a little bit longer, and cost a little more. So, you have to think about that's one of the -- where you want to spend your resources. All
things considered, I think probably Option 2 is the better thing to do -- to be adopting. Although I really would have personally preferred Option 1.
4:14:19:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. And our final speaker is Jonathan Erman.
4:14:25:
Jonathan Erman: Hi. Good evening. So, I guess the issue under discussion really is, should the City create a fiber utility. But I feel like the discussion sometimes gets alittle confused because we talk about it -- like we talk about bringing internet to everybody. And we talk about that as if that and a fiber utility are the same thing. And thoseare two different things, because providing internet via the fiber utility -- There's different ways. Not everybody may need the fiber, or the speed of that. If your goal is toprovide internet to everybody, and for people who may not have internet. Because there are people, perhaps, who don't. Or don't have reliable internet. The idea of nointernet versus fiber as the only alternative -- that's not necessarily the case. And if your goal is to provide a public service, there may be other options that you should be -
- You shouldn't kid yourself that what you're doing is simply providing a public service. Because you're talking about a utility, that people have to pay into. There's acertain cost. And I don't know what the lowest end of the cost is. But there households or people who -- if internet is a necessity that they don't have, they may need
something that costs less. And they may not need the speeds that you're talking about for fiber, that seem so important and required for you. That may not be necessary. So, those are two different -- two different issues.
But it does -- See, this kind of balances with -- The City always seems to be interested -- really interested in, you know, higher technologies. And they always want tospend money on those. I mean, you already spent -- The amount of time and money you've already spent, even just talking about this issue, when there are, you know,infrastructures in the City that it seems you won't pay for. I mean, the Community Theater has, you know, has electrical issues. We have a professional theater company,and they're doing shows with a pre-show announcement that says you may -- we may have trouble with our lights during the show. The City can't even make sure that thewiring its Community Theater works. But you're like let's spend all this money on consultants and looking into fiber for everybody, because it's the highest technology thatwe can think of.
I mean, look at the lobby of City Hall, where it used to be you came in and there was a little TV, and you could see what was going on in the Council Chamber, and seethings were going on in the meeting, and see where you were. But when you redid the lobby of City Hall -- for huge amounts of money -- you got rid of that old-fashionedTV, but you put in this giant flat-screen artwork. Because that's higher technology. And that's exciting. And that's cool. But it's actually not -- But the little TV that showed
you what was going on in here was much more useful. I mean, look in here right now. I mean, when you showed -- You got these two flat screens here, which, you know,are replacing -- you would show stuff on the drop-down screen there. Well, on the drop-down screen, when we had a chance of actually reading it from back here. Butthese screens, you pretty much have to get on top of them to really read almost anything that's written them, other than the titles. But that's an example of, we're going to
use higher technology, because we think that's really exciting. And it's much better to use a flat screen than a drop-down monitor. But the fact is, we can't read it anymore.
So, you know, there are times when we need to actually look at the things we have, and make sure they work, before going let's build something else.
4:17:32:
Mayor Burt: Thank you. And thank you to all the members of the public for your comments. And let's now return to the Council for discussion. Council Member Cormack.
4:17:49:
Council Member Cormack: Thank you, Mayor Burt. And welcome back on this topic, Mr. Honker. I'm sorry you're not feeling well. I hope you recover quickly.
I have a few questions I want to start with. OK. So, the cost estimates for Option 1. It looks like they're dated August 22nd. Is that when they were created? Does staffhave any updates? You know, we've seen some alarming cost increases lately. Here in Council in the last couple months.
4:18:26:
John Honker: I can take that question, Council Member Cormack. Yeah. The cost estimates we -- from August are still valid. Based on looking at the, you know,construction. Actual costs from contractors.
### That is, actual cost estimates from contractors.
So, we haven't seen any fluctuation since August. Right? Basically through -- you know, when the numbers were put together here in, you know, mid-November.
4:18:49:
Council Member Cormack: OK. Great. On slide 11, why is the Electric Utility not making any contribution under Option 1? It's listed on Options 2 and 3, but not on Option1.
### Great question.
4:19:00:
Dave Yuan: I think for that one, the original plan was to have a joint financing between Electric and Fiber. So, if we're going to finance all of -- the majority of the fiber, wethought we might as well finance the Electric portion as well. Just to see if we could get better rates. At least that was the thought plan.
### The down side is, it made citywide FTTP appear to be $13 million more expensive than it really was. If the table had said Option 1 would require borrowing $85million, instead of $98 million, would that have made Option 1 look more attractive?
4:19:16:
Council Member Cormack: Oh, I see. Because Electric Utility will qualify for a lower rate? That will reduce the LARGE interest rate cost for Option 1?
4:19:26:
Dave Yuan: Um hum.
4:19:27:
Council Member Cormack: Ah. Interesting. OK. And because we're not using debt finance, that's why you have it in Option 2 and 3.
4:19:34:
Dave Yuan: Right.
4:19:34:
Council Member Cormack: OK. All right. Thanks for that. Um. You know, hypothetically speaking, if someone had trouble with their router today, and needed to replaceit, and had to go, you know, to a local provider, we've never talked about what it would look like. Does the business plan contemplate having a physical store, here in PaloAlto, where you could get new equipment, you know, promptly?
4:19:56:
John Honker: You would. So, typically, you would have a store front that would have -- you know, be staffed locally. Contractors at the store front could either be
effectively outsourced. Or could be City employees. We typically see the front end be outsourced. Because of learning curves. So, the City would, you know, potentiallyin-source those over time. But mostly in the first 12-24 months. You know, a lot of those functions could be handled by a strategic vendor, for the City.
4:20:32:
Council Member Cormack: OK. That was just something I hadn't thought about before. And I don't know that we had discussed it before. We talked a lot about customerservice representatives, and providing support, but we hadn't talked about the need for a physical location. So, would that be on City -- Is that included in the costs thatwe're seeing today? Or would that be an additional cost?
4:20:50:
John Honker: It's in the existing cost structure. So, we allocated -- You know, depending on what the City would like to do, we allocated it enough in the capital budget tosupport that. Typically, most utilities will utilize some of their existing office space. Either a retrofit or, you know, partitioning, versus renting, you know, new office space.
So -- But both options were built in. So, the higher cost was built into the budget. So, we're just being a little more conservative. Depending on which way the City goes. Whether you use existing space or rent new.
4:21:27:
Council Member Cormack: OK. Thanks. Um. So, a few other thoughts I just want to get it out there, as -- and I'm sure this is going to be a robust discussion. It'ssignificant, and I appreciate that we're finally getting more details on the interest rates. And -- Which is floated by which, you know, current or hypothetical utility. 'Cause,you know, we've certainly been asking that question at UAC for some time. So, we just got that information today. But I think it's really relevant. And, hopefully, membersof the public has had a chance to look at the at-places memo that staff has provided a few hours ago.
### Thanks for this thought. But I did not see the at-places memo before attending the 12-19-22 meeting. I think the clickable link to the at-places memo was not added
to the REVISED agenda until 12-20-22.https://www.cityofpaloalto.org//files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/at-places-memo/item-20-at-places-memo.pdfPaper copies of the at-places memo were not made available to the public at the desk one walks past when entering Council Chambers.
I think -- um -- I want to ask about grid modernization. Because the staff report suggests that Option 2 is the best to align with grid modernization. And would staff care to
expand on that?
4:22:27:
Director Batchelor: Sure. So, the reason why we chose and looked at some of the areas when we talked about at the UAC meetings, we talked about where's the bestopportunity for us to kind of blend when we do the grid modernization. And where do we start with the fiber portion of it. And so, when we looked at some of the southarea, there's some trans- -- there's some substations that need to be upgraded for grid modernization. So, we thought that that would probably be a good place for us tostart. And there could be some synergies and some savings around doing both of these projects in the same areas.
4:23:06:
Council Member Cormack: OK. Um. I have more. Would the Mayor like me to proceed? OK. Great. Thank you.
We talked a little bit about a -- what I'll call a hypothetical eventual surplus. And one of the things I've reflected on since we last had that conversation is, in the event we dothis, and we have a surplus, I think when that arrives, we should be using that to reduce rates. And the reason I think that is that, you know, from an adoption cycle
standpoint, we talked a lot about, in the prior -- you know, the data that we got about cost, and then reliability and speed being the three different things that are going tomotivate people. And I think that if we reduce the rates over time -- whatever time we end up having a surplus, then I think that might really get our cost-sensitive folks tojoin. Albeit later in the process.
4:24:07:
Reliability. I'm sure I've asked this question before, but I just want to get it on the record again. Do we anticipate that fiber will be more reliable than, for example, whatComcast provides over cable?
4:24:24:
Director Batchelor: We do. One of the main reasons is is that, you know, it is going to be brand new. It's going to be state-of-the-art. We've looked where these fiber hubsare going to go. We're not going to over-saturate the areas where there's going to be -- see speed decrease because there's so many people on in one area.
### This sounds like Director Batchelor thinks reliability is related to how many premises are sharing a net. In the case of HFC, hundreds of premises could be sharing a
coax segment. Staff is proposing to use a PON (passive optical network) technology for the City's FTTP network. (I think active Ethernet technology would be better.) Staff hasn't said how many premises might share a PON net. Some PON technologies can support up to 128 premises per net. But maybe 32 premises per net would bemore prudent.
And so, with this fiber network, we are not going to see that. And we're going to have better reliability than our competitors.
### This July 2020 article explains why FTTP is more reliable (and less costly to operate) than HFC.https://www.bbcmag.com/broadband-applications/to-reduce-network-operating-expenses-choose-ftth
4:24:58:
Council Member Cormack: OK. That's really important, as we think about what is a utility. What has changed over the past 20 years. And then, my final question has todo with -- let me see -- it's the proposed Phase 1 map. Um. I mean, we could probably talk for a long time -- and we shouldn't tonight -- about the various weightings for
the three things, and which colors are where, etc. I guess one overall question is, does it make sense to build in small parts? Or should we be building continuously, so wearen't confusing folks in neighborhoods? There's sections in there where neighborhoods are basically checkerboard. One group has it, the next doesn't, the next does.
How do we balance, you know, all of the factors here versus what is going to be explicable to folks.
4:25:43:
John Honker: Yeah. And think of these maps as sort of [not?] very specific. So, the actual build could be a little bit more -- could push out a little bit more, so these areasare contiguous. And that's typically what you would want to do. So, on that map, you know, you're seeing sort of the central corridor, where Palo Alto is -- where most ofthe build would happen. And then, you'll fill in the rest of that. So, you know, these would be the areas that would be really sort of started. But, you know, if you're on oneside of the street and the other side of the street wants service, typically, you're going to extend service to the other side of the street. So, don't think of these boundaries --the red boundaries -- as hard and fast. The network will eventually look like sort of a -- sort of a -- a round sort of area. Or in that downtown corridor.
4:26:47:
### Slide 15 again -- Proposed Phase 1 Map
So, you know, you'll have service extending outside of those boundaries. But for planning purposes, you know, we want to identify sort of the center points of where the
build should start. And that will always be a little bit organic. Meaning that once you get on the ground, once you see where customers are signing up -- You know, youmay have a whole neighborhood that wants to sign up, that isn't in one of these red areas, but it's right next to it. You're typically going to go ahead and build that also. Right? As part of the overall Phase 1 development. So -- Now, that may take more capital. So, if that happens, at that point, then, you know, it's really a decision to say,hey, we see great interest here. You know, we've already seen great momentum. We need another $2 million to build out in the neighborhood next door. We alreadyhave, you know, 20-30 percent of the population that's signed up. So -- Yeah. So, think of these as sort of, rather than hard and fast boundaries, sort of center points ofthe demand.
### Fine, although it may take some time to line up the additional funding at the best rates.
4:57:51:
Council Member Cormack: OK. With holes in between them. So, who's going to make that decision? Who exactly is going to make that decision? Are we making thattonight with this map? Will it be Council? Will it be Dean? Will it be someone we hire?
4:28:07:
Director Batchelor: I don't think we're asking Council tonight to get that far into what this map looks like tonight. I think it was just, these are the areas that we believewould be the best places to build in. But I think the thing is is that I think we can all debate which areas should go, which areas shouldn't go. But I think the thoughtprocess is, once get somewhat -- some type of recommendation, then we'll dive a little further into these maps, and then bring them back to the Council, to let them -- let allof you know where this is actually going to start, and where we're going to go.
4:28:44:
Council Member Cormack: Doesn't answer my question. Who will eventually decide?
4:28:49:
City Manager Shikada: I think it's a conversation to be had with the Council. As a starting point. As to how specifically the Council would be involved, the role of the UAC,and what's delegated to staff.
4:29:01:
Council Member Cormack: OK. Thank you.
4:29:02:
Mayor Burt: Council Member Stone.
4:29:09:
Council Member Stone: Yes, Mayor. So, a few questions. And first, thanks to staff for all this work, and the UAC as well. So, I assume with the phased approach -- Imean, if the take rate from customers is greater than we anticipate, not only does that show viability, maybe an increased demand to speed this up, but does this alsomean, then, that we would have more money flowing through this program? And then would be able to continue to finance without the need for bonding in the future?
4:29:41:
Dave Yuan: Yeah. Depending on the take rate, we would reinvest those revenues to expand more of the network. So, the higher the take rate, the faster we could build itout. And whether or not we would need debt financing would depend on how fast Council wants to build it out completely. But, yes, we can definitely reinvest those fiberrevenues to build out for more.
4;29:59:
Council Member Stone: Great. Thank you. And will there be -- and I'm sure this might be premature, but kind of following off an idea that came to me when Council
Member Cormack was asking some questions, is it -- We're going to have some sort of simple user -- some kind of simple user interface for potential customers to be ableto input their address onto a website, see if they qualify? If they don't, they can express interest through that? 'Cause I do think, I don't like this idea that potential
customers are just out there, not sure if they're going to qualify or not. And I think that could ...
4:30:37:
Director Batchelor: I think that, you know, we can enhance what we have now when we were looking at -- from the survey, as well as what we've put into the fiber hub. Wecan actually start putting that, and show where this fiber will actually be. And then, customers will be able to sign up. And, as you mentioned, if it's not in that area, then itwill tell them that it will be coming, possibly soon. Depending, you know, on what those take rates are.
4:31:04:
Council Member Stone: Great. That would be helpful. And then, the staff report mentioned that I guess staff will be bringing forward two new job classifications, if we dochoose to proceed with Option 1 or Option 2. Would those new job classifications be full-time, permanent employees? Is that just for the construction phase of thisproject?
4:31:30:
Dave Yuan: I think we're in balance with the original plan if we choose Option 2. I think we would recommend like an Assistant Director to run the business overall. And to
also have a Sales and Marketing Manager, as well. I think with the overall plan, I think, was to have maybe 5 full FTEs, to manage the contractors, if we choose theoutsource model. But I think, in the beginning, we'll definitely have to hire two new bodies. Full time.
4:31:53:
Council Member Stone: OK. And that's regardless of whether -- 'Cause I know we're still going to have to discuss this idea, are we going to kind of contract this out in thebeginning or run it in-house? Does it depend on that?
4:32:05:
Dave Yuan: Yeah. That's correct. But we'll still need an internal staff to manage these contractors, as well. So, if we were to keep doing it in-house, we'd have to hire a
lot more FTEs than just the two. But right now, I think, we're doing the outsource model. I think we hire up to 5 FTEs. And for the insource model, it's closer to -- I want tosay 30.
4:32:26:
Council Member Stone: And ...
4:32:28:
Dave Yuan. Sorry. John, did you have something to add?
4:32:29:
John Honker: No. It was around 26, Dave.
4:32:32:
Dave Yuan: 26.
4:32:35:
Council Member Stone: 26.
4:32:36:
Dave Yuan: For in-house model.
4:32:38:
Council Member Stone: Ah. OK. And, sorry, I can't recall. Is staff recommending at this point one or the other?
4:32:43:
Dave Yuan: No. We are not recommending either of those right now.
4:32:47:
Council Member Stone: OK. Would that recommendation, I guess, be coming later in this process? Or there's just no recommendation?
4:32:53:
Director Batchelor: [unamplified] ... was 2 bodies.
4:32:54:
Dave Yuan: Yeah. I think we'll probably recommend 2 bodies. And then we'll probably issue some RFPs, to see what is out there for vendor selection.
4:33:00:
Council Member Stone: OK. That makes sense. Yeah, I think -- If I was leaning one way, I think, definitely partnering with an ISP service doing it -- trying to usecontractors for it -- makes the most sense. At first, I think, we're going to do this phased approach, it's so critical that it's seamless. And we just don't have the expertise in-house at the moment. Seems incredibly expensive to do it, as well. And just, I don't see the benefit from it. If -- I think we're going to -- If this all relies on a take rate, andpeople getting excited about this, and knowing that it's a good product, that's then going to then spur more customer interest, and more acquisition. And so -- So, I do think
it's really important to do that in the first -- especially the first few years, until we can build up that in-house expertise.
4:33:52:
I am -- I'm also a little bit concerned about some equity impacts on Option 2. Not having this in all parts of the community receiving the buildout at the same time.
### Both Option 1 and Option 2 would not have built out every neighborhood at the same time. But Option 1 would have built out the last neighborhood sooner.
I appreciate that the -- kind of the map that you're showing now seems to kind of balance North Palo Alto, South Palo Alto. A lot really focused in the middle. But would liketo see opportunities to be able to expand that, if not immediate, then in the first couple of phases. 'Cause I think that's going to be really important. And also, I think,neighbors gotta congregate and talk a little more within their regions. And also, as well, within various residents' associations, as well. And so, if we can start kind ofgetting pockets into different neighborhoods, different residents' associations, I think that's also just going to expand interest. And if our goal is to get this moving as quicklyas possible, and expanded throughout the City, I think that's going to be really helpful. But I think, for the initial phase, the plan you've put forth makes a lot of sense. And Iappreciate all the work done.
4:34:58:
Mayor Burt: Council Member DuBois.
4:32:02:
Council Member DuBois: Yeah. So, following up on some of the questions about construction costs. What are some of the things we could do to minimize constructioncosts?
4:35:16:
Director Batchelor: So, I think that, you know, we talked about a couple things. One is is looking at if there's possibilities that we can get some synergy around the gridmodernization. As you saw on the report portion is that there's about 59- -- we'll just say 6,000 poles -- wood poles. You know. And the thing is that estimation could beup to 5 to 10 percent of those poles need to be replaced. Those costs will not be put onto the fiber costs. Because they are electric poles. And with the joint agreementthat we have with AT&T, that's about a third of their costs as well. So, I think that --
4:35:55:
Looking at, also, this microtrench -- that we would pilot this microtrench portion of it. We did talk about, with John, that we think that we could do probably about 50 miles of
microtrenching. There could be savings, anywhere between $7 [million] to $10 million in that -- in the microtrenching aspect of it. And then, looking at other ways that wecould do -- use some other -- some of those inside resources, so we don't have to hire those people up-front. There are -- You know, we have fiber techs now already, thatare fully trained to work on our traffic signals and fiber port6ions of it. So, you know, we don't really need to support a third party contractor, or hire some additional bodiesright now, since -- depending on what Council's desire is tonight -- that we would be able to save some dollars there as well. From personnel.
3:36:56:
Council Member DuBois: And -- I don't know -- John, and Magellan, is there anything else, in terms of like supply chain that you see people doing?
4:37:04:
John Honker: We think so. I mean, there are definitely some opportunities to get ahead of the materials, and to lock those in, that -- you know, as early as possible. Right? Right now, we see about a 6-month lead time -- 6-9 month lead time on fiber. You know, vaults and splice cases and other specific materials that are -- that have
really shot up. So, you know, getting a handle on those early, and getting a procurement together on those early, to, you know, reduce the impact of any future costincreases is a big thing. I think getting a handle on the labor as well. Right? Looking at, you know, how we can partition labor out for, you know, work that does not require
qualified electric workers, versus telecom workers. That will -- you know, it will help us keep -- manage the labor costs more easily than -- But, you know, a couple ofopportunities there.
4:38:02:
Council Member DuBois: OK.. Thanks. Yeah. I - A couple of the speakers mentioned -- We did reach out, I think, to AT&T and Comcast 3 or 4 years ago. They weren'tinterested in working with us. They didn't want to use our network. I think they also said they wanted to build and own their own network. I did listen to the last UACmeeting, you know, and it was a 6-0 vote, after a pretty good debate, in favor of Option 2. And I agree with that recommendation. I think we are in a period of economicuncertainty. Of high interest rates. And, you know, what the UAC voted for was to start the program, but without the bond financing. And I think it's a good opportunity forus to learn. To get feedback. Hopefully, we wait and the interest rates drop.
4:38:49:
You know, there's a lot of support for fiber to the premise, as evidenced by the people who -- Again, just to remind people, 700 people put down $50.
### 743, at last count, as reported here.https://fiber-palo-alto.hub.arcgis.com/
Which I've never seen people do in this City before.
### In 2000, a group of municipal FTTP enthusiasts in the Community Center neighborhood, organized by Marvin Lee, sent checks to the City -- $1,200 if they wanted 10-Mbps service and $2,000 if they wanted 100-Mbps service. (Because CPAU had made a back-of-the-envelope estimate that that's what it would cost to deploy municipalFTTP there.) The City decided to send the checks back uncashed. The City did deploy the FTTH Trial in the Community Center neighborhood, but with differentperformance goals, and with the expectation that it would be terminated after the trial was over.
### But, yes, the 2022 FTTP deposit campaign might be the first example initiated by the City.
And, again, it was a self-selected survey. But over 3,000 completed it. And a 14 percent response rate, which is also, I think, very encouraging. I do think, you know, whatI've seen is, I think we're being pretty conservative with our numbers. Even the take rate was in the 40-60 percent range. We're discounting it to the low end. And it seemslike the financial model is pretty rigorous
4:39:34:
And, again, I think it's important to also go back and think about like why are we doing this. And, you know, the survey did show that there's a big portion of the populationthat's concerned with unreliable connectivity, reduced speeds, poor customer service. About a third of the households said they were dissatisfied. And there was -- Wegot a copy of the whole presentation, and there was a backup slide -- I think it was slide 34 -- I don't know if you could pull that up. I'm sorry, could I get a few extra
minutes, Mayor? So, slide 34 was really about the value prop.
4:40:35:
### Slide 34 -- VALUE PROPOSITION OF CITY-OWNED FIBER
Yeah. So, you know, again, sometimes we talk about speed. And it's not really just about speed. It's really reliability. The opportunity to really reduce what the entirecommunity spends on internet services, whether people are customers of the City or not. I think having a reliable service will hold down costs. There is this issue aboutequal access for all. And then, I was also encouraged by the survey that people were interested in supporting a local service. And, you know, as we think about this initialphased roll-out, I hope we will do some overlap with AT&T and the incumbents, because I think, with the right marketing, people would actually switch to a local service tosupport the City. I mean, we've seen that in other programs that we've run. You know, more control, more choice. So -- And I just wanted to kind of bring us back to kindof some of these core values.
4:41:39:
You know, there's also been some discussion online -- PaloAltoOnline and stuff -- about whether the City can do this. I have a lot of faith in our Utilities staff. I think we rungreat utilities. I think we have great customer service. I think the biggest question is just take rate. And I think the other thing that Option 2 does is, it really lets us get
some data on that.
4:42:03:
So, I do want us to think a little bit about how do we prepare for success? So, if we go with Option 2 -- And I really wanted to kind of touch on three different areas.
4:42:15:
The first was making sure the City is prepared to have some promotional flexibility. I think we need to be able to have flexible plans to get that early adoption -- that takerate. And I've heard different ideas. A lot of cities, when they do buildouts, they offer a discount if you sign up while construction is happening. It's more efficient. Thecrews are out on the streets. People can lock in a rate -- a lower rate. And they're more likely to sign up. But I think there's a lot of different options. So, I really want tosee Council kind of empower the fiber group to be able to come up with these promotions.
4:43:03:
And, two, I think we need to decide kind of what level of data do we need to make a decision. I don't want to see us get stuck in analysis paralysis after this first phase. So,you know, I think if we were seeing requests for installs that are well above our break-even rate that we should begin a bonding process even while we're in Phase 1, rather
than wait two years or something before be roll on. So, I'd really like us to think about what's the data we need? How do we collect it? You know, how do we make ago/no-go decision?
4:43:43:
And then, the third thought is that there are a lot of cities, across the country and in California, that are building -- starting to build fiber networks. And we should really thinkabout, in the longer term, how this could be an asset for the City. How the City can charge in a way that will benefit all the residents. And, again, just the benefit of being toown this network. And what would it mean even for people that aren't customers of the City, in terms of holding down internet rates.
4:44:16:
So, you know, what I'm thinking when I see Option 2 is that we use it as a way to get data, to learn, but that we're prepared to accelerate if things are looking good, andwe're not like locked into a 10-year schedule, or some really long schedule. I know we're not talking about where to build the map tonight. But, for me, I'd really like to see
this initial phase pass as many homes as possible. The staff report, you know, on page 277, it had three different scenarios, you know. The scenario with the lowest costhighest density was 11,500 businesses and homes. A third of the City for $20 million. I'd really like to see us maximize those number of homes passed. The map shown
tonight was like a fourth scenario. A different number. But -- So, again, I think we should think about that. I don't think we should completely avoid AT&T. I think it wouldbe really useful to get some data on, you know, how do we compete in an area where they already are, as part of the initial phase.
4:45:31:
So, I'll stop there. I've gone over my time. But I am ready to make a motion when it's time to make motions.
4:45:39:
Mayor Burt: Council Member Filseth.
4:45:41:
Council Member Filseth: Yes. Yes. So, thanks very much for this. I think -- I want to ask a question. So, on Option 2 -- is roughly $45 million, $25 [million] is roughlyupgrading the fiber backbone, and then $20 [million] is fiber to the premises. So, just really coarsely, the $20 [million] that's the fiber to the premises, what do we spend
that on? That is, how much of it actually, for example, putting fiber in the ground,
### I assume he's willing to consider fiber infrastructure generally, whether it's in the ground or on poles.
versus buying equipment, versus setting up an ISP? How does that break down? One level?
4:45:26:
John Honker: So, at a coarse level, you're looking at about $14 million in fiber construction. Right? Building the plant itself. About $2 million in equipment and facilities. Another $1 million in home equipment. And then the remainder in working capital -- about $3 million.
4:46:51:
Council Member Filseth: OK. So, about two-thirds is actually putting glass in the ground.
### Or on poles?
4:46:59:
John Honker: Correct.
4:47:00;
Council Member Filseth: OK. So, it seems to me that one way to look at this is, the whole premise of this is that AT&T -- The goal is to get fiber to homes in Palo Alto.
### I disagree. The goal is to get fiber to homes and businesses in Palo Alto that is operated by an entity (the City) that is motivated to provide great service at reasonableprices.
The whole premise is that AT&T and Comcast either won't or can't -- offer that service. Right? I feel uncomfortable betting $100 million on that one. But I might bet a fewmillion from the Fiber Fund on it. OK? And if two-thirds of the $20 million is glass in the ground, presumably that -- you know, there's a scenario in which that's amarketable asset. Right?
### The conventional wisdom is that if the City had to sell its FTTP infrastructure because it couldn't operate the network without losing money, it would be for pennies onthe dollar.
So, that makes -- That's a considerably different picture, I think, than, you know, let's bet the $100 million. Thanks.
4:48:11:
Mayor Burt: Council Member Tanaka.
4:48:14:
Council Member Tanaka: Yeah. Thank you guys for putting this together. I was looking at the -- kind of the offerings that you guys were showing on slide 33. And, youknow, I think a few years ago, I would have been simply excited by them. I would have been like wow. You know, gigabit Ethernet, $80 a month. You know, symmetricspeeds, all that kind of stuff. But, you know, as of a couple of weeks ago -- Well, first of all, I've had Comcast now for over a year, and they offer gigabit Ethernet. But notsymmetric. You know, it's only about 10-15 [Mbps] up. But AT&T, a couple of weeks ago, offered in my -- at least on my street -- gigabit. Right? Symmetric. I can evengo up to, I think, 2 [Gbps] or perhaps even 3 [Gbps]. I forgot how high. And the prices were about the same. Perhaps even better than what you guys show here. And thisis what you have now. And I'm thinking, if I play this forward, by the time this is developed, how will -- where will they be? Because generally the prices keep going down.
### Not everyone thinks so.
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2022/09/26/whats-the-trend-for-broadband-prices/https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2022/05/10/is-your-broadband-getting-cheaper/
And the speeds tend to go up. In fact, Comcast upgraded my speed without me even asking. They said, hey, we're going to give you faster speed. I said, OK, great. Actually, I have both services right now. And so, I'm still very concerned. I mentioned last time that I'm still very concerned now. Maybe even more so now about are weable to sufficiently differentiate from the incumbents? And, you know, I think that, you know, the City is not -- You know, we don't necessarily have the customer serviceorganization. Right? I've been trying to push for promoter scores, and it's been super-hard to get that going. You know. So, I've just been thinking about how do we --how do we handle that aspect? I realize we have contractors, and this and that. But I'm just sure we can provide that superior customer service. ** gets mad when AT&Tor Comcast goes down, but we don't realize how hard it is. And all of the flak that they take. And, you know, we get that also when we have our power outages. Right? You know. Sometimes people can't get through to our call centers. And I -- To me, it just doesn't seem that this is a game we should be playing. As a City. I don't knowhow we win. At least from the offering, I don't know how we win here. Because the competition is a moving target. They only get better and better and better. And we,inherent as a government, move slower, because we're more cautious. Right? We're trying to take everyone's input in. And so, I just don't know whether kind of a head-on like this makes a lot of sense. Or if we could win here.
4:50:50:
Had we done this maybe 5 years ago -- 10 years ago -- slam dunk yes.
### On 09-28-15 (i.e., 7 years ago), Council considered the citywide municipal FTTP opportunity, and didn't find it to be a slam dunk then. The staff report said citywidemunicipal FTTP was infeasible because the take rate would have to be 72 percent to break even. (Or 57.6 percent if $20 million from the Fiber Fund were used).https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-cmrs/year-archive/2015/id-6104-fttp.pdfCouncil rejected the staff report (which it called the consultant's report) "as is" and asked for more information. See the City's transcript here (page 46).https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/city-council-agendas-minutes/00-archive/2015/09-28-15-ccm-final-transcript.pdfStaff later returned to Council saying the consultant was unwilling to provide more detail in public about its cost estimates. Council decided that it didn't have the data itneeded to move forward.
But now, I think it's increasingly less and less obvious. And so, I think what we should be doing is, try to work with incumbents. I think the idea of open access. I actuallyliked the idea of laying fiber, but -- One thing I heard, and I want to ask staff about this, is, you know, someone said that the incumbents refused to use our fiber. Is that
true? Like they don't use our dark fiber? Like AT&T and Comcast doesn't use fiber? They don't use our dark fiber?
4:51:23:
Dave Yuan: That's correct. They prefer to own the whole network. Also, they have ...
4:51:27:
Council Member Tanaka: So, they will not use --
4:51:29:
Dave Yuan: We've asked them ...
4:51:29:
Council Member Tanaka: And why is that?
4:51:31:
Dave Yuan: Because they want total control. We've asked them to lease sort of -- sorry -- We've asked them to lease, or whatnot, and they've always turned us down.
4:51:41:
Council Member Tanaka: OK. So, that makes me even less ** of Option 3. Because I was hoping we could go for an open access model, where, instead of everyonelaying their own fiber, we could share it. Right? And so that it's only paid for once. It's only done once. And if there could be a marketplace.
### Different people mean different things by the term "open access," but Council Member Tanaka apparently means that one entity (e.g., the City) deploys the fiber
infrastructure and electronics, and provides a wholesale bit-moving service, and then retail ISPs use the wholesale bit-moving service to provide retail services. TheUTOPIA network is an example of this kind of open access.
### Magellan has explained that if the City built a FTTP network, it would be more difficult financially to offer open access to competing ISPs, rather than being the onlyISP. See my TRANSCRIPT of Council's 05-24-21 meeting.
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/utilities-advisory-commission/archived-agenda-and-minutes/agendas-and-minutes-2021/07-07-2021-special/public-letters-to-uac.pdf
### If the City wanted to deploy citywide municipal FTTP first as the sole ISP, and get it to be financially successful, and then consider allowing open access to competingISPs, I'd be OK with that.
Because some cities have done this. Some cities have an open access -- I mean, probably the most famous city is like Seoul, Korea. Where it's by mandate. You have tohave open access.
### This source seems to say that in South Korea, each provider has a separate wire going to a premises, and that "supreme grade" premises have four or more wires. So that's not UTOPIA-style open access.https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/9789264251823-7-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/9789264251823-7-en
### In the U.S., some municipal entities have deployed open access FTTP networks, but those networks tend to be in states that forbid municipal systems to offer theirown retail services.
And you have these ultra-low prices. In fact, when I say ultra-low, we're talking about less than $10 a month for gigabit.
### Are we talking about introductory offers or everyday prices?
### This source says 300 Mbps costs $27 per month in Seoul.https://www.expatistan.com/price/internet-connection/seoul/USD
### Ammon has an open access FTTP network. (It's not yet available citywide.) Here's a FAQ.https://www.ammonfiber.com/faq.htmlPricing consists of three parts: 1) installation ($3,200-$3,600, either up-front or in monthly installments), 2) bit-moving fee ($16.50 per month), and 3) ISP service ($10-$25
per month, depending on the ISP). The FAQ gives an example: 1 Gbps symmetrical service for $23 (installation) + $16.50 (bit-moving) + $10 (ISP) = $49.50 per month.
So, just crazy, crazy pricing.
And so -- Yeah. So, I'm -- from business-model-wise, I just don't see -- I don't see the -- I don't see how this works right now. Because as a government we're going tomove slower. And the lower offering -- what we're showing to offer today is, I think, barely competitive to what the incumbents will offer. And we'll move a lot slower. And Idon't think we have the customer service infrastructure, like the other incumbents. I actually liked the comment that Council Member Cormack made, which is, you know,we should do some of the fiber, to reduce our rates. I think that's actually a good thing. But in terms of trying to take AT&T and Comcast head-on, I think we're just yearstoo late, unfortunately.
4:53:02:
Unless we could somehow -- we make our offering -- like perhaps, like I said last time, maybe we focus on latency. Right? Latency is becoming increasingly important forgaming, for VR, AR. So, maybe if we could say, hey, maybe we're not going to win the speed-price war. Right? Because that's super hard. Maybe if we focus on, we'regoing to have, you know, 10 millisecond latency. Right? So we can be the best for gamers. Right? And best for, like, you know, modern VR-AR applications. And maybethat makes sense. But I don't see like that here. I don't see the differentiation here. I don't see the business model and plan that will allow us to win here. I only see,there's a lot of risk. Right? Especially Option 1. Like, $100 million. Like a tremendous amount of risk here. And, you know, I've been bugging AT&T on my street to get
me fiber. Like a failure to get me AT&T fiber, for that gigabit up. And, actually, they had it right next to my house for a long, long time. They just were missing a part. Theywere just missing a line card, or something like that. But they had the fiber there for like a long time. But they didn't have the part, because of supply chain issues. And so,
I wonder if, you know, as the supply chain things become loosened, and, you know, if there's other places in the City that are actually like mine, where they just have to lightit up, whether we will get crushed here. Because I just -- Yeah. Anyways, I would -- I'd love for this to happen, because I think competition's good. But I just don't see uswinning here. So, I have a hard time supporting these ideas. Thank you.
4:54:40:
Mayor Burt: Vice Mayor Kou.
4:54:42:
Vice Mayor Kou: So, what is the cost difference between the green areas and the aqua areas?
4:54:54:
John Honker: John. Could we go back to that slide? It'd be slide number 13.
4:55:09:
### Slide 13 again -- PALO ALTO FIBER -- PRIORITY MAP
4:55:12:
Council Member Kou: That's a map.
4:55:14:
John Honker: And I'm sorry, Council Member. Your question was, what is the difference between the green areas and the blue areas?
4:55:19:
Council Member Kou: Aqua. Which is where you -- where we have received the highest number of deposits.
4:55:26:
John Honker: Right. So, the areas -- They're all discrete on the map. So, basically, the areas in aqua are where the deposits were received. The areas in green are theareas of lowest cost highest opportunity to build. And then, areas in red are the combination, on the next map,
### I think he's referring to Slides 15 and 17.
the areas in red that are combining those, to show where we have the most deposits, where we have the lowest cost to build, and where we're potentially avoiding AT&T.
4:56:05:
Council Member Kou: Right, Mr. Honker. So, I'm just trying to understand, you know. So, we received the highest number of deposits. That indicates to us the people
who would love to have fiber. Right? So, I'm just kind of trying to figure out what is the cost difference -- the construction difference to build in the aqua locations. Because...
4:56:30:
John Honker: Oh, yeah. I see what you're saying. So, we ran that analysis. And we found that some of the areas in aqua, even though they were higher, because of thedemand was higher, it made sense to build in those areas. In other areas, it didn't. So, for example, in some parts of the City, where we had -- for example, in the very farnorth here, like on University Avenue, at the very top of that aqua area, all the way at the top, you know, construction costs were very, very high there. But demand washigh. But in that case, demand -- the additional take rate, or the additional customers, didn't offset the overall -- the higher construction costs. So, we didn't select thatarea.
4:57:15:
Vice Mayor Kou: Thank you.
4:57:15:
John Honker: So, you know, it's really a correspondence between, you know, if the demand was high enough, it would offset those higher construction costs. In someareas, it did. In other areas, it didn't.
4:57:28:
Vice Mayor Kou: And right now, while you did propose all the green areas, it's not stuck. We're not fixed on that yet.
4:57:38:
John Honker: No. No. We really think that there's -- You know, there should be a final analysis of, you know, out of everything that has been looked at, what are those --what are the best areas, again. You know, do some ride-outs in the streets, look at the -- look at some of the infrastructure, make sure the design is optimized, and then,you know, create a final set of maps for those areas where the build would happen.
4:58:05:
Vice Mayor Kou: Thank you. Because I think that, you know, this was a new way of serving, which actually asks for deposits if they were serious about this, and they wantfiber. So, if they've made that attempt to provide a deposit, I think that we should acknowledge them, so take that into consideration as well. Thank you.
4:58:32:
Mayor Burt: Well, I'll say that I'm also inclined to support Option number 2. I did want to make a couple comments and questions.
4:58:44:
First, it does seem that, if at some future date we decided -- we found success in Option 2, in the fiber to the premise aspect of it, we're more likely to be out of what is anexceptionally high interest rate period. Not necessarily back to what was the former exceptionally low period, but somewhere in between. Which would help the debtfinancing.
4:59:12:
I also saw from the staff memo that it appears that under Prop 26, that we'd be in jeopardy -- or, open to a legal challenge -- ...
4:59:28:
City Attorney Stump: So, Mr. Mayor, just -- I hate to interrupt you, but that was a confidential memo that we sent you ...
4:59:32:
Mayor Burt: OK.
4:59:32:
City Attorney Stump: ... so we want you to be careful about ...
4:59:35:
Mayor Burt: OK. Thank you.
4:59:35:
City Attorney Stump: ... how you talk about that. Thanks.
4:59:38:
Mayor Burt: All right. And then, could -- there was a reference to improved security. Can you explain a little bit on the security benefit for -- that was for our utility, per se. How will that security be improved? Through the fiber?
5:00:05:
Dave Yuan: I think that -- Go ahead, John.
5:00:06:
John Honker: Go ahead, Dean.
5:00:10:
Dave Yuan: I guess with the two separate networks -- with the backbone and then the FTTP network -- we keep the two systems isolated. So then, people working on thefiber to the premise side won't have any access to our backbone, which actually is the control and SCADA system for all of our critical utility systems and public works aswell, in all our buildings.
5:00:30:
Mayor Burt: OK. Thanks. And then, you had also -- when there was a question about whether the backbone would increase revenue, if I understood your response right,
you explained that we're seeing some actually deterioration on our revenue on our commercial fiber today. But it wasn't clear on whether the projection is that, with theinvestment in the new backbone, we would see a decline in that deterioration, or a leveling off, or a growth. Do we have -- are we -- do we have a projection on which of
those would result?
### Good question. The Utilities Quarterly Update for 3Q22 (08-03-22) says, "As of March 2022, fiber revenues for FY 2022 are projected to be $3.8 million, which is $0.5million or 12% below FY 2022 revenue forecast of $4.3 million."https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/uac-informational-reports/2022-informational-reports/08-03-2022-id-14461-q3.pdfHowever, this report does not provide statistics like how many dark fiber customers there are, or how many active connections there are.
### Here's an example of a Utilities Quarterly Update (4Q21) that does show these statistics: 94 commercial accounts, 201 active connections.https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-cmrs/attachments/id-11733-attachment-a.pdf
### I looked for the Utilities Quarterly Update for 4Q22 but didn't find it. It's named as an informational report in the 10-12-22 UAC agenda, but the link is non-functional.https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/utilities-advisory-commission/archived-agenda-and-minutes/agendas-and-minutes-2022/10-12-2022/10-12-2022-uac-agenda.pdf
### On 04-03-13, staff provided a projection of dark fiber financials out to FY2018.
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/utilities-advisory-commission/archived-agenda-and-minutes/agendas-and-minutes-2013/04-03-2013-meeting/item-3_fiber-financial-projections-fy-2014-fy-2018.pdfMayor Burt seems to be requesting an update. Maybe it should look like this.
5:01:09:
Dave Yuan: Yeah. Mayor, you were right. There was a decline in the last couple years, from the COVID. There were a lot of businesses that were shuttered, ormove/relocated. We are seeing more volume now. There are more applicants in the queue, asking for fiber connections. So, depending on if we build the backbone ornot, if we only have one cyclic network, then the dark fiber customers will also fall on the fiber backbone. But our goal is to move those customers to the fiber to thepremise network. And keep the fiber backbone separate.
### What does this mean? Offer these customers dark fiber services using strands in the FTTP network? Or offer these customers FTTP services? Either way, Option 2is a slow way to achieve coverage for these services.
5:01:39:
Mayor Burt: So, if we're seeing recovery in demand, but we have a limited capacity, then -- Is that correct, currently?
### Good question, but not answered (audibly).
So, if we increase that capacity, and modernize it, if there are any advances of the rebuild of the backbone over the current one,
### As I understand it, the new fiber backbone would offer more strands than the current backbone, but the strands would be functionally equivalent. Also, as I understandit, the new fiber backbone would go to more places. But I haven't seen a map.
are we saying that we think we may see a growth in that revenue over a historic baseline? Or a return to our historic baseline? Do we have an estimate there?
5:02:10:
Dave Yuan: I think it is very mixed business. We do see a small growth. Maybe 5 percent a year. And we are adding more staff to -- in that area, to support that area as
well.
### Does this mean staff thinks adding more dark fiber staff would improve dark fiber revenues? Elsewhere, staff is saying dark fiber revenues are limited by a scarcity ofunused fiber strands in the right places of the existing dark fiber network.
5:02:19:
Mayor Burt: And these 5 FTEs, when we look at the business model under Option 2, they're already baked into that, correct?
5:02:27:
Dave Yuan: Yes.
5:02:28:
Mayor Burt: OK. I did see that the estimated cost for the buildout and the funds we would have available were the same. So, we're basically saying that we build it out asmuch as we would have funds to do. But that doesn't -- didn't include any contingencies. I have heard that, you know, we've seen costs level off. And that, DirectorBatchelor, you were talking about several areas where we may see cost reductions in construction, versus what we built in here. Normally, we have a contingency. Are webasically thinking that the conservatively high costs of construction that we have are themselves essentially a contingency? Or is there some other way that we we'rebuilding it -- or that we would scale back the roll-out some? How do we make sure that we aren't going to come up short in Option 2?
5:03:33:
Dave Yuan: John, can you correct me? I think we did build in a 20 percent contingency.
5:03:39:
John Honker: Yeah. On the major cost categories, Mayor -- construction, labor, materials, equipment -- we've got like a 20 percent construction contingency across board
built into the numbers.
5:03:53:
Mayor Burt: OK. That's good. It wasn't spelled out in the table on page 11.
### Slide11.
But that's just included in there. Great. OK. And then, the timeline. I'm trying to remember which page. Oh, slide number 22. It looks pretty aggressive. Is that reallyrealistic? And not that we would have to hit this timeline for this program to happen. I just don't want us to put out there a timeline that is overly optimistic.
5:04:36:
### Slide 22 -- NEXT STEPS FOR OPTIONS 1 OR 2
5:04:38:
Dave Yuan: Yes. This is an aggressive timeline. I agree. [laughs] Ambitious.
5:04:44:
Mayor Burt: Yeah. I haven't seen us do too many things on this aggressive of a timeline. So, I'd encourage a review of that, so that we -- It's better to beat your goal thanto fall short. And I'd encourage us to re-look at that.
5:05:03:
OK. So those are -- I'm done there. Council Member DuBois.
5:05:09:
Council Member DuBois: Yeah. I do think speed is of the essence. So, if it's a question of working to the timeline, then let's keep it aggressive. [laughs] Um. So, just
thinking about the promotions a little bit. You know, one thing, I'm curious if Magellan has seen -- or if staff has thought about -- is, even kind of slower-speed, lower-cost. And what I'm thinking about is, you know, if we had 100 megabit per second service for $10 a month, I might be tempted to buy that even if I have an incumbent provider,
just to have a backup service.
### I think this particular service (100 Mbps symmetrical for $10 per month) would lose money, so I'm not in favor.
So, I don't know if that's something valuable to us. But, again, I think getting creative around these promotional rates is just something to think about.
5:05:56:
Certainly, I've seen cities offer like a lifetime discount if you're an initial subscriber. I don't know if we need to go there. But even just 6 or 12 months, you know, if you signup right away, you get this promotional rate.
### So far, Longmont is honoring its lifetime discount rate of $49.95 month for 1 Gbps symmetrical service for "charter members" who signed up within 3 months of theservice being available in their neighborhoods. It motivated people to sign up in clusters, which saved money on installation costs. This kind of lifetime discount is "sticky."
If you switch, you lose your lifetime discount, so people don't want to switch.
5:06:12:
On packet page 272, you said that the state law allowed microtrenching as of January of this year. I was a little bit surprised about that. So, if a private company comeshere and says they want to microtrench, do we have to let them?
5:06:29:
Dave Yuan: Yeah. I think we are still putting together the standards on how -- what we would allow for microtrenching. Yeah, there was a state law passed in, I think,January of 2022 that says we have to allow them, unless -- there's a reason now why they shouldn't do it. So we are working with Public Works on that.
5:06:43:
Council Member DuBois: So, we don't have standards now. So, if somebody came, and they said they wanted to, would ...
5:06:48:
Dave Yuan: Yeah. We would have to review their plans, to see if there's any conflicts within our infrastructure.
5:06:56:
Council Member DuBois: Yeah. That was interesting. So, just to recap my thoughts. Again, I support Option 2. I'd like to see us maximize the homes passed. Really,like, I want us to think about the Marketing team can design promotions to increase the take rate. Which I think is the biggest question mark. I want to see us define keymetrics that determine success. And then be prepared to accelerate if we're doing well.
### Magellan has said the network will at least break even financially if we can achieve a take rate of at least 25 to 30 percent within 5 years. But ideally we'd like tomeasure the success of Phase 1 earlier than that. What should the take rate be, say, after 1 year?
5:07:23:
So, I tried to capture all of that in a MOTION, which I'll make at this time. So, my MOTION is that we would [1)] Move forward with Option 2, to build the first phase of fiber-
to-the--Premises [FTTP], without a revenue bond. That we would 2) maximize the number of homes and businesses passed, 3) as part of the marketing plan, we woulddesign promotional rates, to increase the take rate. And, number 4), we would define leading indicators and metrics that would determine early success. And then, number
5) -- if you can scroll down a little bit, so it's showing on my screen -- there we go -- if metrics are positive, start the bonding process at the proper point in time, in order tostreamline construction and compress the overall construction time.
5:08:14:
So, again, I was trying to keep it high-level. I hope the -- you know, the general point is made there. I'm not really setting a timeline, but just saying if it looks like things aregoing well, we have a high adoption rate, let's be prepared to expand. You know, I'd prefer Option 1, but I understand the risk concerns. So, I do support Option 2. But I'dlike to keep the option to kind of build on success if we can.
5:08:44:
Mayor Burt: And do we have a second?
5:08:46:
Vice Mayor Kou: I'll second.
5:08:47:
Mayor Burt: OK. Did you want to speak further to your motion?
5:08:49:
Council Member DuBois: Ah, no.
5:08:51:
Mayor Burt: Vice Mayor Kou, did you want to speak to your second?
5:08:54:
Vice Mayor Kou: Just a little bit. I do think that, you know, we should be providing a competitive edge. And, in a way, I kind of think of the incumbents as monopolies, andwe can provide something similar, or even better. And I want to make certain that everybody has some connectivity. Right? And it is an essential service that people doneed.
5:09:24:
I do have a question, Council Member DuBois. Your number 5, if metrics are positive, start the bonding process. So, I think it's important to know, metrics is positive. But
then, I also want to be certain that when we're doing such a thing, that all the other -- interest rates, etc. -- all that is also positive. Or am I understanding that wrong?
5:09:55:
Council Member DuBois: Say that again. I'm sorry.
5:09:56:
Vice Mayor Kou: The bonding process, does that mean you're saying to -- at the right time, to get bonds?
5:10:04:
Council Member DuBois: Yeah. I understood it could take 12 months or more to do a bond. So, I'm just saying that like we would start that process. We don't have to sign
the paperwork until we're ready to go.
5:10:19:
Vice Mayor Kou: Until the situation is there. OK.
5:10:21:
Council Member DuBois: Yeah. But it's more like anticipate, and try not to, you know, stretch it out.
5:10:26:
Vice Mayor Kou: OK. Thank you for the explanation.
5:10:29:
Mayor Burt: Council Member Cormack.
5:10:31:
Council Member Cormack: Thank you, Mayor Burt. And thank you, Council Member DuBois, for advocating for this for so long.
### Yes!
I guess one way -- one advantage of being a little late to the game, and having our commercial dark fiber, is, we now have money to invest. And so, I'm very comfortablewith item 1. We can view that as sort of a consolation prize. I also agree with number 2, actually. I didn't address in my earlier comments, but I do think there are a lot ofdifferent ways you could slice this, and we saw a few of them tonight, but I think the principle of maximizing the number of homes and corollary businesses makes sense. [I'm] less comfortable with 3 and 4. So, I'm -- maybe as part of 3, rather than saying "design," could we say "consider"? I think -- You know, I heard people talking, youknow, about giving them flexibility. So, I just hate to be ...
5:11:27:
Council Member DuBois: I'm fine with "consider."
5:11:28:
Council Member Cormack: OK. And, Vice Mayor Kou, would that be OK?
5:11:34:
Vice Mayor Kou: Yes.
5:11:34:
Council Member Cormack: OK. Well, let's change "design" to "consider." And maybe we can just combine 3 and 4? So, "consider promotional rates to increase take rate,
and define leading indicators and metrics." And I'm not even sure I would say "early" success. I would just say, you know, define leading indic- -- I would actually just say -- what do you usually say -- key performance indicators. Right? KPIs?
5:12:00:
Council Member DuBois: I didn't want to sound overly wordy. I'd like to keep it separate, ...
5:12:03:
Council Member Cormack: OK.
5:12:03
Council Member DuBois: ... but you could just say "to determine success." If you wanted to delete "early."
5:12:06:
Council Member Cormack: Yeah. I think the "early success" is what's -- If the Clerk could just put it back, so they're not separate. I mean, so they are separate.
5:12:19:
Council Member DuBois: So, I didn't want to combine 3 and 4,
5:12:21:
Council Member Cormack: Yeah, she's **.
5:12;21:
Council Member DuBois: ... so if you could -- thanks. And you could delete "early" at the end of 4. If that's OK.
5:12:27:
Council Member Cormack: Yeah. Great. And then, 5 makes me uncomfortable, because I don't think we can tell staff, you know, to do this. I think the future Council willhave to decide if that's appropriate. So, if it stays as is, then I'm going to ask the Mayor to split it. If the maker and the seconder are amenable, I think another way tophrase the intention would be "be prepared" you know "to recommend expansion, including a potential bond" "If" -- do you have this in there -- "if metrics are positive."
5:13:09:
Council Member DuBois: How about "if metrics are positive, recommend Council accelerate expansion, including a potential bond"?
5:13:19:
Council Member Cormack: That's fine.
5:13:25:
Council Member DuBois: "At the proper point in time," blah blah blah.
5:13:27:
Council Member Cormack: I'm not even sure we need "the proper point in time." I'm pretty sure staff will do it at the right time.
5:13:30:
Council Member DuBois: Yup. Did you capture that, Lesley? Number 5? [pause] Yeah.
5:14:16:
Council Member Cormack: Sorry. "If metrics are positive, recommend...."
5:14:17:
Vice Mayor Kou: "recommend TO Council"?
5:14:21;
Council Member Cormack: "recommend THAT Council"? [pause] OK. That's fine. Thank you very much.
5:14:37:
Mayor Burt: All right. I see no more lights. Nope. OK. Council Member Filseth.
5:14:48:
Council Member Filseth: Yeah. So, just briefly. I -- You know, I think this is a step forward. I -- My reaction was -- to the MOTION was kind of like Council MemberCormack's on number 5. You know, the big risk here is that this ends up sucking money out of the General Fund, which would otherwise go towards public safety, libraries,and all the other stuff -- Right? -- that we do. I think -- So, I trust future Councils -- you know [laughs] -- Right? -- not to get us into that circumstance. So that's fine. Iguess what I would say is that, you know, there's clearly demand for this in the community. OK? The real risk is, are we going to end up, you know, head-to-head in apitched fight against, you know, serious commer- -- serious, you know, private sector companies, that are going to, you know, be really good at this? Right? And youknow. And I think that's a real risk. Right? On the other hand, as Option 2 is structured here, I think, you know, the -- you know, our risk is limited. OK? I mean, I thinkwhat we're -- at stake here is not -- I think what's at stake here is maybe $5 [million] or $10 million, out of the dedicated Fiber Fund, which can't be used on public safety orlibraries or anything else like that anyway. So, yeah, I think this is a reasonable shot to take, and I hope it works well, and I think the down side is limited. So --
5:16:22:
Mayor Burt: And I'll just say that I think this is a prudent and yet forward approach. We're going to make some progress that will serve the City well. We have a Fiber Fund
accumulation of dollars that we're going to reinvest in expansion of a successful program that we've had over 20 years. And it gives us a foundation that if we aresuccessful we can grow it. So I think it's a good move.
### At this point, the MOTION reads (per the video):1. Move forward with Option 2 to build the First phase of Fiber-to-the premises (FTTP) without a revenue bond2. Maximize number of homes and businesses passed3. As part of the marketing plan, consider promotional rates to increase take rate4. Define leading indicators and metrics to determine success5. If metrics are positive, recommend that Council accelerate expansion, including a potential bond in order to streamline construction and compress the overallconstruction time as much as feasible
5:16:57:
All right. Would the Clerk please call the roll?
5:17:02:
City Clerk Milton: Council Member Stone.
5:17:04:
Council Member Stone: Yes.
5:17:06:
City Clerk Milton: Council Member Tanaka.
5:17:07:
Council Member Tanaka: No.
5:17:09:
City Clerk Milton: Council Member Filseth.
5:17:10:
Council Member Filseth: Yes.
5:17:12:
City Clerk Milton: Council Member Cormack.
5:17:13:
Council Member Cormack: Yes.
5:17:16:
City Clerk Milton: Vice Mayor Kou.
5:17:17:
Vice Mayor Kou: Yes.
5:17:18:
City Clerk Milton: Mayor Burt.
5:17:19:
Mayor Burt: Yes.
5:17:20:
City Clerk Milton: And Council Member DuBois.
5:17:21:
Council Member DuBois: Yes.
5:17:22:
City Clerk Milton: The MOTION passes 6-1.
5:17:24:
Mayor Burt: All right, Thank you. That concludes this item. After many years.
5:17:31:
[laughter]
5:17:34:
Dave Yuan: Thank you, John, and your team.
5:17:38:
John Honker: Thank you, everyone.
5:17:39:
Mayor Burt: Can I pull up my earlier slides
### At MAYOR'S END OF YEAR COMMENTS (1:14:19)
and add this as another accomplishment of our year?
5:17:47
From:Laura Granka
To:Transportation; Council, City
Subject:Inquiry and feedback: Status of Churchill Crossing
Date:Wednesday, January 4, 2023 3:34:38 PM
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Dear Palo Alto Council and Staff,
I would like to inquire as to the status of the Churchill crossing (closure or grade
separation) as part of the Connecting Palo Alto initiative. I am aware that City Council
voted the partial underpass option as the primary option, pending additional review,
and closure (with pedestrian /cyclist underpass) as the backup option. Is this still
your recommendation, now that you’ve done additional due diligence?
I’m inquiring as enabling safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists is paramount
—and time-sensitive—and does not yet seem to be appropriately prioritized. I’d
like to volunteer to help and be involved, and also advocate for those who navigate
Palo Alto without a car.
Churchill crossing was intended to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists.
According to initial planning documents, a solution for the Churchill crossing should
prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, as opposed to Palo Alto’s other crossings (at
Charleston, Meadow, and Alma), which would prioritize vehicular traffic. The partial
underpass, which would cost 3x as much as a closure with pedestrian/cyclist access,
is a confusing choice, especially when the closure with pedestrian underpass is
significantly better for our children and high school students, and more aligned with
the spirit of “Connecting Palo Alto,” a city which prides itself on walkability. Council’s
vote here is counter to the thoughtful and meticulously researched XCAP
recommendation for closure with pedestrian tunnel and traffic mitigations.
Safety concerns at Churchill. Seeing the crossing on a daily basis, there is always
a pedestrian or cyclist waiting to cross, even when no vehicular traffic is present. This
is especially true on weekends. Enabling passage for pedestrians and bikes is
imperative, and a swift decision to improve the safety of this crossing even more so.
The longer we wait, the longer we endanger high school students and others at the
crossing. If you watch the crossing in a morning or afternoon, as school is about to
begin, or as it lets out, you’ll see hundreds of students on bikes, waiting atop the train
tracks, spilling out onto Alma, and struggling to find safe ground if a train comes while
they are waiting to cross. Further, there are frequently more students waiting to cross
than can safely get across Alma in a single traffic cycle, and instead of waiting, many
will cross anyway, despite green lights for oncoming cars.
Kellogg undercrossing. The planned underpass at Kellogg avenue may be
workable, but is rife with uncertainty. Bike lanes will need to be established on
Kellogg, at the very least from Bryant St to Alma St. No parking, at least along one
side of Kellogg St, will need to be enforced to make room for these bike lanes, as is
done along Churchill Ave. We need to assess the safety of using this alternative
route, as Churchill is currently the main thoroughfare for cyclists, and the most
convenient choice for those on foot or bike.
I gather that an underpass near Seale was discussed, and this would be a nice
additive solution—in addition to a pedestrian tunnel at Churchill or Kellogg—but would
be an unequivocally terrible solution if no other passage for pedestrians was made at
Churchill or Kellogg. Having an underpass so far away from the high school is
troublesome, potentially dangerous, and these students would again need to cross
over Churchill after cycling through Southgate, both of these things increasing hazard
and risk. Finally a Seale location renders the heavily used bicycle path completely
useless to anyone attempting to enter or leave Old Palo Alto from the high school
without a car. This would be devastating to the many children who live in the
community, and would force people (like me) who prefer to walk or bike to instead
drive.
Partial underpass. While this may be workable, it will be devastating if it prioritizes a
small amount of vehicular traffic above the many cyclists and pedestrians needing
safe passage. A partial underpass does not further the spirit of ‘connecting Palo Alto’
for those on foot or bike; it primarily serves Southgate vehicular traffic, surely a critical
neighborhood in Palo Alto, but one that still does not trump the safety and
accessibility of our pedestrians and cyclists coming from all areas of the city. Instead,
closing Churchill to vehicles to create a pedestrian tunnel would also not require 2+
years of closing Churchill Ave to our high school students, who rely daily on the
Churchill intersection. And a two-year detour would invariably train our drivers to take
the alternative routes of Embarcadero and Oregon anyway.
My suggestions would be to:
Immediately: Increase the cycle time available to walk/cycle across Alma at the
crosswalk, especially in the mornings and afternoons so that students are not
stuck on the trains for an approaching train.
Immediately: Prioritize work on safe passage for pedestrian crossing. This
would be useful regardless of the choice made regarding Churchill crossing,
and should 100% be in place if and before work begins on a partial underpass.
We need a way for children to continue to cross Alma near Churchill St before
any construction begins.
Investigate options for a partial underpass that would allow right turns onto Alma
from the west side of Churchill, but not left (northbound vehicular traffic could
take Embarcadero). This may afford the room for a bike /pedestrian tunnel, so
that Churchill crossing could also remain accessible to those on bike or foot.
In investigating the Kellogg underpass, ensure we can establish clear bike lanes
along Kellogg and eliminate vehicular parking on at least one side of the street.
Revisit the Churchill closure with mitigations. The benefits of this solution still
outweigh the costs (literal and figurative) of a partial underpass. The risks are
not severe, and perhaps additional roads could be opened on Southgate to
minimize concerns from those residents.
Finally, the noise. Both the crossing and bike path along the train tracks are heavily
used, and the noise pollution from oncoming trains is tremendous for those
pedestrians and cyclists, and distracting for the high school, athletics, residents, and
broader community. Research shows that quiet zones are equally safe, and in 2015,
City Council green-lit looking into quiet zones. If the city is not yet ready to move
forward with grade separation /closure, we should at least start by installing a four-
quadrant gate system to allow for approval for a quiet zone at the Churchill crossing
(or at all Palo Alto crossings for that matter).
I love living in Palo Alto (since 2008), taking advantage of her walkability with my
children to parks, libraries, shops, restaurants, the zoo, and more. We have a
beautiful community here, and I’m committed to helping it remain a safe and desirable
place to live, and am happy to offer any help that I can. Improving our train crossings
for pedestrians and cyclists will be an important step, and I would love to stay
involved.
Thank you for your time.
All the best, and happy new year,
Laura Granka
From:Dhruv Khanna
To:Board of Directors; Council, City
Subject:Re: Newell bridge debris
Date:Wednesday, January 4, 2023 1:31:40 PM
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Sorry for the typos: Efforts at keeping our creeks clear of debris are woefully
inadequate.
Dhruv
On Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 01:28:45 PM PST, Dhruv Khanna <dhruvkhanna2002@yahoo.com>
wrote:
Efforts are keeping our creeks clear of debris and woefully inadequate.
Dhruv Khanna
----- Forwarded Message -----From: Dhruv Khanna <dhruvkhanna2002@yahoo.com>To: San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority <mbruce@sfcjpa.org>Sent: Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 10:27:21 AM PSTSubject: Newell bridge debris
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
From:Dhruv Khanna
To:Board of Directors; Council, City
Subject:Fw: Tree at Chaucer
Date:Wednesday, January 4, 2023 1:30:02 PM
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Yesterday's fallen tree at the mouth of the Chaucer Bridge remain unremoved as of
10 a.m. this morning.
Dhruv Khanna
----- Forwarded Message -----From: Dhruv Khanna <dhruvkhanna2002@yahoo.com>To: Dhruv Khanna <dhruvkhanna2002@yahoo.com>Sent: Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 08:12:23 AM PSTSubject: Tree at Chaucer
Sent from my iPhone
From:Charlie Weidanz
To:Council, City
Subject:Palo Alto Automated License Plate Recognition discussion / Q&A
Date:Wednesday, January 4, 2023 11:39:34 AM
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Palo Alto Police Department - Automated License Plate Recognition Q&A
January 10, 2023
12:15pm - 1:00pm
The Palo Alto Police Department is exploring the possibility of deploying Automated License Plate
Recognition cameras (ALPR) in 2023.
Please join Captain James Reifschneider for an informational discussion
January 10, 2023 - 12:15pm - 1:00pm
Captain Reifschneider will explain what ALPR is (and isn’t), what it does (and doesn’t) do, and how it
might aid police in preventing and investigating criminal activity in Palo Alto.
He will also discuss applicable law, as well as policy and privacy considerations if the Department begins
using ALPR.
Captain Reifschneider is eager to answer your questions and hear your concerns and feedback.
Please RSVP to Charlie Weidanz - charlie@paloaltochamber.com to get the ZOOM link
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe click
here. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email atinfo@paloaltochamber.com.
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe clickhere. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email atinfo@paloaltochamber.com.
This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe clickhere. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email atinfo@paloaltochamber.com.
From:Aram James
To:Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore; Binder, Andrew; Jeff Rosen; Shikada, Ed; Council, City; vicki@vickiforcouncil.com;Rebecca Eisenberg; Lydia Kou; Winter Dellenbach; ladoris cordell; Joe Simitian; Reifschneider, James; Tanaka,Greg; Josh Becker; Jay Boyarsky; chuck jagoda; Human Relations Commission; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco;Enberg, Nicholas; Greer Stone
Subject:For sixth straight year, California police stopped and searched far more Black drivers, report shows
Date:Wednesday, January 4, 2023 10:53:37 AM
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on links.
________________________________
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/For-sixth-straight-year-California-police-17692715.php
Sent from my iPhone
From:Loran Harding
To:Loran Harding; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; antonia.tinoco@hsr.ca.gov; David Balakian; boardmembers;bballpod; beachrides; bearwithme1016@att.net; fred beyerlein; Cathy Lewis; Council, City; Chris Field; Lewis,Cathy; Doug Vagim; dallen1212@gmail.com; Dan Richard; Daniel Zack; david pomaville; eappel@stanford.edu;Scott Wilkinson; Gabriel.Ramirez@fresno.gov; George.Rutherford@ucsf.edu; huidentalsanmateo; hennessy; IrvWeissman; Sally Thiessen; Joel Stiner; jerry ruopoli; kfsndesk; karkazianjewelers@gmail.com; Leodies Buchanan;lalws4@gmail.com; leager; Mark Standriff; Mayor; margaret-sasaki@live.com; merazroofinginc@att.net;newsdesk; news@fresnobee.com; nick yovino; russ@topperjewelers.com; Steve Wayte; tsheehan; terry;vallesR1969@att.net
Subject:Fwd: Very good weather forcst from Sacto
Date:Wednesday, January 4, 2023 4:15:55 AM
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>Date: Wed, Jan 4, 2023 at 3:56 AM
Subject: Very good weather forcst from SactoTo: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>
Late on Tues. January 3 2022- Very complete weather forecast here. Maybe 25 min.
He focuses on a line from SF over to Modesto and NORTH, but Fresno can get a good ideaof what is coming here too. We are fortunate that these systems move from SF to the NE. This
report is praised in the comments. Longish forecast here.
California Winter Storm: Pineapple Express bringing heavy rain, snow, winds - YouTube
We will get southerly wind in Fresno and rain. It is the duration of this storm that is
unusual. This week and all next week Wow. Strong winds at least in Sacto. It is going to bewindy and rainy in Fresno through next week! We'll get a break on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, so
get stuff done on Friday. Want to cross the Sierra? I'd fly or stay home and do it in April.
And we hope to hell that it continues until the end of March! Lots of trees down, lotsof flooding. lots of mud slides. Tough medicine, but climate expert Noah Diffenbaugh at
Stanford said on KCBS yesterday that if you don't get a paycheck for 3 months, one checkwon't make you whole. He called what we have "a severe drought".
LWH
From:Madhuri Chattopadhyay
To:Thomas Rindfleisch
Cc:CPNA; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:Re: [CPNA] SFC Forecast Uncertain -- A Note of Explanation
Date:Tuesday, January 3, 2023 8:48:20 PM
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Hi Tom,
I am very, very grateful for the timely warnings and information you shared with us on
Saturday regarding the storm gauge status and water rise in the San Francisquito creek. Also,very grateful for all the work you and other neighbors have done behind the scenes over the
last twenty five years to develop a viable, practical solution to mitigate creek flooding risk thatis acceptable to all the stakeholders (except, perhaps, Peter Joshua of Menlo Park). It would
have taken a lot of patience and persistence to get to the point we are at. We hope you will continue to share important and relevant information in the coming hours
and days.
Gratefully,Madhuri
Addison Ave
On Tue, Jan 3, 2023 at 5:17 PM Thomas Rindfleisch <tcr@stanford.edu> wrote:On 1/3/2023 4:27 PM, Thomas Rindfleisch wrote:
> the mid-afternoon NOAA River Forecast estimate of the USGS stream > gauge hydrograph for San Francisquito Creek is looking promising (see
> below).
Friends, I know you are getting conflicting information and warnings about the coming storm that are likely confusing. One reason is that
different notes of warning are aimed at different regions, some covering the effects of the entire storm wherever they occur and some more local.
Another reason is that different sources have different criteria for risk vs impact thresholds -- some emphasizing the most dire outcomes
possible however low the probability and others choosing some more moderate scenarios.
I want to emphasize that I and my colleagues ARE NOT OFFICIAL SOURCES OF
WARNINGS OR RECOMMENDATIONS. We are focused on the primary source of flooding in Crescent Park -- San Francisquito Creek -- and its
likelihood of overflowing and causing damage. We have been flooded ourselves and have been studying the creek for decades. We are trying to
integrate diverse sources of information available from official agencies and offer those to members of the community with explanations
and the hope that you can better understand and assess the risks you are facing.
If at any time the community would like us to stop offering these data please let us know and we'll comply.
Regards, Tom R and Colleagues
--
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From:Loran Harding
To:Loran Harding; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; antonia.tinoco@hsr.ca.gov; David Balakian; boardmembers;bballpod; beachrides; bearwithme1016@att.net; fred beyerlein; Cathy Lewis; Council, City; Chris Field; DanRichard; jerry ruopoli; russ@topperjewelers.com; Gabriel.Ramirez@fresno.gov; George.Rutherford@ucsf.edu;Sally Thiessen; Mark Standriff; margaret-sasaki@live.com; Scott Wilkinson; Steve Wayte; Joel Stiner; tsheehan;terry; Doug Vagim; VT3126782@gmail.com; vallesR1969@att.net; Irv Weissman; nick yovino; Daniel Zack;Mayor; dallen1212@gmail.com
Subject:Fwd: News from BA. Merc.
Date:Tuesday, January 3, 2023 5:48:55 PM
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---------- Forwarded message ---------From: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>
Date: Mon, Jan 2, 2023 at 5:52 PMSubject: News from BA. Merc.
To: Loran Harding <loran.harding@stanfordalumni.org>
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
To all-
Most of this won't open unless you pay up, but you still get a feel of news in the BayArea. They have been hit pretty hard by the atmospheric river of Sat. 12-31-22. A second one
comes through on Wed. 1-4-23. I think they are harder hit than Fresno.
The Mercury News - Bay Area news, sports, business, entertainment, lifestyle andcommentary
A Tesla went 250 ft. down the cliff on Hyw 1, 2 adults, 2 kids. This tv report says the kids
have minor to moderate injuries. The 2 adults are critical. They got them all out. One witnesssaid the car was traveling at high speed when it went over.
Tesla plunges off cliff in CA; 2 adults and 2 children critically injured - YouTube
A woman drowned trapped in a car in deep water in Sacto.
Santa Cruz mtns hit hard with mudslides. Heavy warnings issued to them for Wednesday,
Jan. 4, 2023 when the next storm comes through.
A neighborhood BELOW SEA LEVEL in SF got flooded. KCBS interviewed a man whose
business was ruined. The sand bags were working and then they ran buses through and that put1.5 ft. of water over the bags. Thanks. They are supposed to put up some flood barriers in that
area but did not. Not a single word from the City of SF. Nobody has shown up. Sweet. USDef. budget was $813 billion but now raised by $45 more billion, so now $858 billion to
defend the whole world. I'll bet somebody with a rich Nazi affirmative action job sent thebuses through. Somebody stupid.
Biden is moving heaven and earth to get Title 42 repealed so those thousands of deserving
illegals can pour over the border. When they are 18, they can get good Nazi affirmative actionjobs with all the money and benes that that entails, and they'll get to kick the white male
Yankees around who do the work- the people who built and defended this country. Whyisn't that treason?
Educated white American male? Move to Germany. The Nazis are out of power there.
L. William Harding
Fresno, Ca.
From:John Livingston
To:Stephen G Monismith
Cc:Thomas C Rindfleisch; CPNA; Margaret Bruce; Murray, Kevin; Council, City
Subject:Re: [CPNA] SFC Forecast Uncertain
Date:Tuesday, January 3, 2023 4:52:37 PM
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Thanks, Stephen. This is very useful.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 3, 2023, at 4:39 PM, Stephen G Monismith <monismith@stanford.edu>
wrote: NOAA also publishes an ‘ensemble forecast”(https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/ensembleProduct.php?id=SFCC1&prodID=3) which
uses multiple models to get an idea of the uncertainty in their prediction based onuncertainty in the weather forecast. The highest outlier for flow that they show,
the one with a 5% probability of occurrence, is now given to be about 2200 cfs,i.e., something much smaller than what was observed on the 31st.
Stephen<SFCC1_shortRangeEnsemble.png>
On Jan 3, 2023, at 4:27 PM, Thomas Rindfleisch <tcr@stanford.edu>wrote:
On 1/3/2023 3:46 PM, Bob Wenzlau wrote:
I am noticing an updated forecast that still shows asmaller crest - how might I judge this?
Friends, the mid-afternoon NOAA River Forecast estimate of theUSGS stream gauge hydrograph for San Francisquito Creek is
looking promising (see below). Their prediction of the Wed/Thunight peak is down from 4.7 ft to 4.5 ft. I think the NOAA folks are
working very hard to pin down a best estimate of what will happen. Itake the qualitative similarity of their latest forecast (even a 2.5 inch
reduction) over what they showed early today to be very good news.Also, if you look at the latest satellite data (this link) you can clearly
now see the cold low pressure center that is steering things. It seemsto be taking hold of the upper part of the approaching storm and
pulling it north, while the southern branch of the river seems headingfurther south. This can, of course, change with nature's whim, but
maybe we're not looking at a repeat of the New Years Eve storm.
Hang in there... Tom R.
<y9FTIc0PyJ03Mr2U.png>
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Stephen Monismith
Obayashi Professor in the School of EngineeringDept of Civil and Env. Eng.
Director, Environmental Fluid Mechanics LaboratoryStanford University
473 Via Ortega, rm 183Stanford, Ca. 94305-4020
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From:Mike Graglia
To:Dale, Dorothy
Cc:Dawn Macurdy Billman; Council, City
Subject:1500 Universtiy
Date:Tuesday, January 3, 2023 2:54:48 PM
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Dear Dorothy,
As described in this twitter thread, I spent time and money doing clean up yesterday that you
should have done at Lincoln and University which was a total mes..
Today, you sent a huge team who did nothing and ignored my requests to please clean up theparts my team and hoses could not.
The 1500 block of university sidewalk is dangerous and I hope my public concerns help
whomever needs to sue the city for the total failure to help clean up.
https://twitter.com/JMGraglia/status/1610408449158021121?s=20&t=Th72pcD4JzomioUrL4i3tw
Mike
(650) 441.4191