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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMay 8, 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: 5/8/2023 Document dates: 5/1/2023 – 5/8/2023 Note: Documents for every category may not have been received for packet reproduction in a given week. From:Gina Dalma To:Council, City Subject:My Town - Revised Draft Housing Element Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 1:12:12 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from gina@dalma.org. Learn why this is important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council and Planning & Transportation Commissioners, Today you will vote on the revised draft Housing Element at the City Council/Planning andTransportation Commission joint meeting. I appreciate the staff's work on this. I also want to ensure a vibrant and diverse future for my town. Fulfilling our housing obligations withappropriate zoning (6,086 units for 2023-2031) provides the opportunity for this future. If you vote for anything less than that, you will be shortchanging it. I unapologetically supporthousing in our city. I support a Housing Element consistent with our state priorities - which are our priorities. We have declining economic activity, declining enrollment in our treasuredschools.....the reason is clear. We have a housing crisis in our town and young families don't see a future in it because of it. Is that the town we want? Not me. Vote for a Housing Element consistent with our State obligations! Gina Dalma Mid-town. -- Gina D. Dalma2815 South Ct Palo Alto, CA 94306e: gina@dalma.org p: (980) 722.2660 t: @ginadalmal: www.linkedin.com/pub/gina-dalma/0/53/b47/en From:Tran, Joanna To:Council, City Cc:Executive Leadership Team; Clerk, City Subject:City.Council Bundle 4/13 - 5/4 Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 12:49:29 PM Attachments:FW City Council"s decisions about parklets in front of neighboring businesses.msgFW Philz Bill"s AJ"s Silicon Valley Fine Wine and Spirits.msgRe Serious and Longstanding Need for Safety Improvements at Intersection of Middlefield Rd and LincolnAve.msgFW Palo Alto Players and Lucy Stern Community Center.msgRE El Camino Real in Palo Alto-repair plans.msgRE Tenants Resources are a Potemkin Village.msgimage001.pngimage003.pngimage004.pngimage006.pngimage007.pngimage008.pngimage009.png Dear Mayor and Councilmembers, On behalf of City Manager Ed Shikada, please see attached staff responses to emails received in the City.Council inbox from 4/13 – 5/4. A few older emails with staff responses are also included in this bundle. Those are listed below: City Council’s decision about parklets in front of neighboring businesses Philz/Bill’s/AJ’s/Silicon Valley Fine Wine and Spirits Thank you, Joanna Joanna Tran Executive Assistant to the City Manager Office of the City Manager (650) 329-2105 | joanna.tran@cityofpaloalto.org www.cityofpaloalto.org From:Rebecca Sanders To:Council, City; Planning Commission Cc:Furman, Sheri Subject:PAN Urges Adopt Housing Element Tonight Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 12:49:01 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council and Planning Commissioners: Palo Alto Neighborhoods discussed the Housing Element at our May meeting and there was a consensus of neighborhood leaders to urge the Council to adopt the Housing Element tonight. Council can always fine tune the Housing Element but the priority should be to adopt the current version now. Thank you. Sheri Furman Becky Sanders Co-Chairs, Palo Alto Neighborhoods From:Michael von Loewenfeldt To:Council, City; Kou, Lydia; Burt, Patrick; Lauing, Ed; Lythcott-Haims, Julie; Stone, Greer; Tanaka, Greg; Veenker,Vicki; Eggleston, Brad; Shikada, Ed; Clerk, City; City Attorney Subject:532-536 Ramona Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 12:21:17 PM Attachments:050823 Letter to Palo Alto re Ramona Post.pdf Some people who received this message don't often get email from mvl@wvbrlaw.com. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Please see the attached correspondence. Michael von Loewenfeldt (he/him) Certified Specialist, Appellate Law Certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization 100 Pine Street, Suite 2250 San Francisco, CA 94111 Direct: (415) 357-8909 Main: (415) 357-8900 wvbrlaw.com   May 8, 2023 VIA EMAIL City Council Members City of Palo Alto city.council@cityofpaloalto.org lydia.kou@cityofpaloalto.org pat.burt@cityofpaloalto.org ed.lauing@cityofpaloalto.org julie.lythcotthaims@cityofpaloalto.org greer.stone@cityofpaloalto.org greg.tanaka@cityofpaloalto.org vicki.veenker@cityofpaloalto.org City Clerk city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org Molly Stump, Esq. City Attorney city.attorney@cityofpaloalto.org Re: Third party parklet in front of 532-536 Ramona Dear City Councilmembers, City Clerk, and City Attorney: We represent Ramona Post LP, the owner of the building at 532-536 Ramona Street. We are writing again to address the City of Palo Alto’s continuing violation of Ramona Post’s rights by authorizing and renewing authorization for a parklet being used by a neighboring business to be placed in the street and setback directly in front of Ramona Post’s property despite Ramona Post’s objection. We have become aware of your intent to consider at a special meeting today extending the current temporary parklet program until March 31, 2024. We had previously requested that you inform this office in advance of any meeting of the City Council or any other public body where the subject of parklets is discussed, and provide the entire agenda packet for such meeting pursuant to Government Code section 54954.1. You failed to comply with that requirement, and we have received no correspondence from you. City Council City Clerk City Attorney May 8, 2023 Page 2   It now appears that the Council intends to allow “non-structure” parklets to extend beyond the establishment leasing the space without the consent of the neighboring owner or business. Our client has been advised by City staff that “non-structure” means any parklet without a roof, even if it has a permanent platform or railings, which are obviously structures and which block the rights of the neighboring owner. City staff has also stated that the language allowing “a tenant … to obtain the rights to that space” only applies if the conflicting parklet is roofed. Any use of the space in front of an adjoining business without the consent of the property owner that blocks that space or prevents the property owner or their tenant from using it is a violation of the property owners’ rights, as discussed in our prior correspondence. In addition, the City intends to keep ignoring the rights of property owners other than those who it has impermissibly favored through excessive delays. The City needs to adopt a change to the temporary parklet program to remove the unroofed parklet in front of our client’s building which has, and continues, to cause severe loss of business to my client. Ramona Post reserves the right to take all lawful measures to protect its rights. Sincerely, Michael von Loewenfeldt Partner, WVBR     Cc: brad.eggleston@cityofpaloalto.org, Public Works ed.shikada@cityofpaloalto.org, City Manager From:slevy@ccsce.com To:Council, City Cc:Lait, Jonathan; Wong, Tim Subject:follow up on office space and potential conversions Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 10:56:12 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Mayor Kou and council members, Three follow up points 1) there continues to be new office developments and new proposals in the Bay Area these are mostly intended not to add to total office space/jobs but to entice users of older less desirable office space to switch sites it is these older office spaces that in general are the candidates to conversion these are regional trends and I do not know their applicability in PA except that theyreinforce the possibility that office space could be part of mixed use proposals with lots of housing though R&D labs might be a better fit. As a side not buildings do not create new jobs, companies do. 2) whatever happens in the office market or city policies toward office development does not make housing feasible on these sites Only policies that make housing financially feasible will being new housing proposals This to me is the challenge and focus of our efforts to develop a compliant HE. With regard to conversions, as the SPUR report and their earlier webinar point out, incentives and reductions of constraints are the key to success 3)I am hopeful that council and staff can also focus increasing housing incentives on the Cal Ave and downtown area where they do triple duty--supporting local businesses and reducing the need for car trips as well as adding new housing By continuing to work with staff and HCD, I am optimistic that Palo Alto can develop asuccessful and compliant HE. Stephen Levy From:Harris, Arielle O. To:Council, City; Lait, Jonathan; Shikada, Ed; ComplianceReview@hcd.ca.gov; Irvin.Saldana@hcd.ca.gov Cc:Bradish, Margo; Jesse Nelson; Terezia Nemeth Subject:Request for Removal of ARE Property at 3350 West Bayshore from Palo Alto HEU Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 9:57:03 AM Attachments:image001.png2023-05-08- M.Bradish Letter to Palo Alto City Council re ARE Site in HEU(16730030.1)-c.pdf Some people who received this message don't often get email from aharris@coxcastle.com. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Council Members, Please find attached correspondence on behalf of ARE-San Francisco No. 18, LLC (“ARE”) regarding the City’s April 2023 Draft Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update. Please do not hesitate to contact our office should you have any questions with regard to the attached letter. Arielle O. Harris Visit the new coxcastle.com! Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP 50 California Street | Suite 3200 | San Francisco, CA 94111 direct: 415.262.5104 | main: 415.262.5100 AHarris@coxcastle.com | vcard | bio | website For more information, visit our blog Lay of the Land This communication is intended only for the exclusive use of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged or confidential. If you are not the addressee, or someone responsible for delivering this document to the addressee, you may not read, copy or distribute it. Any unauthorized dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please call us promptly and securely dispose of it. Thank you. Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP 50 California Street, Suite 3200 San Francisco, California 94111-4710 P: 415.262.5100 F: 415.262.5199 Margo N Bradish 415.262.5105 MBradish@coxcastle.com www.coxcastle.com Los Angeles | Orange County | San Francisco May 8, 2023 Palo Alto City Council City Hall 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 VIA EMAIL Re: Removal of 3350 West Bayshore Road from Palo Alto’s Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update Sites Inventory Council Members, On behalf of ARE-San Francisco No. 18, LLC (“ARE”), I am writing to again request removal of ARE’s property located at 3350 West Bayshore Road (“Property”) from the Sites Inventory included in Palo Alto’s Draft Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update (“HEU”), as revised in April 2023. ARE previously requested the removal of the Property from the December 2022 version of the draft HEU in a letter to Director Lait dated December 22, 2022. (See Attachment.) As stated in that letter, the Property is fully developed with an occupied laboratory/research and development (“R&D”) building and accompanying parking lot and is leased through at least the year 2030. ARE made a significant investment in improvements to the property within the last five years. ARE has no intent to develop the Property for residential uses during the HEU’s 2023-2031 planning period. As such, the Property is not suitable and available for residential development during the planning period, and ARE objects to the City’s continued reliance on the site to meet its Sixth Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (“RHNA”). The HEU relies on non-vacant sites to accommodate approximately 75 percent of the City’s lower income RHNA and 80 percent of its moderate and above moderate income RHNA.1 To demonstrate nonvacant sites included in the Sites Inventory are “suitable and available,” the City must consider whether existing uses on those sites could impede residential development.2 Because the HEU relies on nonvacant sites to accommodate 50 percent or more of its lower income RHNA, the Housing Element Law also requires the City to presume existing uses on nonvacant sites would impede additional residential development unless it makes findings based on substantial evidence that those existing uses are likely to be discontinued during the planning 1 April 2023 HEU, pp. 3-26, 3-27. 2 Government Code § 65583.2(g)(1). Palo Alto City Council Members May 8, 2023 Page 2 period.3 The City removed approximately 30 sites from the Sites Inventory based on comments submitted on the December 2022 draft HEU, but inexplicably continues include the Property notwithstanding evidence that existing uses are unlikely to be discontinued during the planning period.4 In an effort to substantiate the inclusion of so many other non-vacant sites, the HEU includes data regarding commercial vacancy rates.5 This analysis, however, focuses almost entirely on office space, which is a distinct market from the lab/R&D space on the Property. The City attempts to support its inclusion of so many non-vacant sites by claiming “businesses with long-term leases may be willing to relinquish those leases given recent competition with on-line retailers and office space vacancies, as part of the negotiations included in any land purchase.”6 This hopeful speculation, however, does not constitute substantial evidence to support a finding that these sites are suitable and available, particularly for lab/R&D sites like the Property where tenants and landlords make substantial investments into a building specific to each R&D use. Moreover, unlike the expressions of interest the City has received from a few owners of small sites in the ROLM zoning district, ARE is not interested in residential conversion of the Property, which is fully developed with an operating lab/R&D facility that is well maintained and leased through at least 2030. ARE has no intent to redevelop the Property for residential uses during the HEU planning period. The City Council cannot make findings supported by substantial evidence that are sufficient to overcome the statutory presumption that existing uses on the Property would impede residential development. Even without this statutory presumption, the existing long-term leases on the Property and ARE’s lack of interest in residential redevelopment would prevent the City Council from concluding the Property is suitable and available for residential development. ARE strongly objects to inclusion of 3350 West Bayshore in the HEU and again requests that the City 3 Government Code § 65583.2(g)(2); see also HCD Guidebook, p. 27 [“If a housing element relies on nonvacant sites to accommodate 50 percent or more of its RHNA for lower income households, the nonvacant site’s existing use is presumed to impede additional residential development…”] 4 April 2023 HEU, p. 3-59. 5 April 2023 HEU, pp. 3-29, 3-59—60. 6 April 2023 HEU, pp. 3-27—2-38. Palo Alto City Council Members May 8, 2023 Page 3 Council remove the Property from the Site Inventory in the HEU being considered at today’s Council meeting. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions with regard to this request. Sincerely, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP Margo N. Bradish cc: Mr. Jonathan Lait, Planning Director Mr. Ed Shikada, City Manager HCD Housing Accountability Unit, ComplianceReview@hcd.ca.gov Irvin Saldana, HCD, Irvin.Saldana@hcd.ca.gov Mr. Jesse Nelson, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Ms. Terezia Nemeth, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. 078727\16729732v1 ATTACHMENT 1 Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP 50 California Street, Suite 3200 San Francisco, California 94111-4710 P: 415.262.5100 F: 415.262.5199 Margo N Bradish 415.262.5105 MBradish@coxcastle.com www.coxcastle.com Los Angeles | Orange County | San Francisco December 22, 2022 Mr. Jonathan Lait Planning Director, City of Palo Alto City Hall 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 VIA EMAIL to Jonathan.Lait@CityofPaloAlto.org Re: Removal of 3350 West Bayshore Road from Palo Alto’s Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update Sites Inventory Dear Mr. Lait, On behalf of ARE-San Francisco No. 18, LLC (“ARE”), I am writing to request removal of ARE’s property located at 3350 West Bayshore Road (“Property”) from the Sites Inventory included in Palo Alto’s Draft Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update (“HEU”). The Property is fully developed with an occupied laboratory/research and development (“R&D”) building and accompanying parking lot and is leased through at least the year 2030. ARE has no intent to develop the Property for residential uses during the HEU’s 2023-2031 planning period. As such, the Property is not suitable and available for residential development during the planning period, and the City cannot rely on the site to meet its Sixth Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (“RHNA”). To satisfy Housing Element Law requirements, the HEU must include an inventory of land “suitable and available for residential development” sufficient to meet the City’s RHNA.1 Among other things, to demonstrate nonvacant sites included in the Sites Inventory are “suitable and available,” the City must consider whether existing uses on those sites could impede residential development.2 As described in the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Housing Element Site Inventory Guidebook (“HCD Guidebook”), the HEU’s analysis of a nonvacant site’s potential for residential development should consider whether existing leases or other contracts would perpetuate existing uses of the site or prevent redevelopment for residential uses.3 1 Government Code § 65583(a)(3). 2 Government Code § 65583.2(g)(1). 3 California Department of Housing and Community Development, Housing Element Site Inventory Guidebook (June 10, 2020), p. 25 [analysis of potential for existing uses to impede residential development on a nonvacant site should include “an analysis of any known existing leases or other contracts that would perpetuate the existing use or prevent redevelopment of the site for additional residential development.”] Mr. Jonathan Lait December 22, 2022 Page 2 Because the HEU relies on nonvacant sites to accommodate 50 percent or more of its lower income RHNA,4 the Housing Element Law also requires the City to presume existing uses on nonvacant sites would impede additional residential development unless it makes findings based on substantial evidence that those existing uses are likely to be discontinued during the planning period.5 As described in the HCD Guidebook, examples of substantial evidence that would support such a finding include a lease that expires early in the HEU planning period, evidence that existing buildings are dilapidated and likely to removed, an agreement by the owner or operator to move the existing use to another location early enough to allow for residential development within the HEU planning period, or a property owner letter of intent to develop the property with residences during the HEU planning period.6 Under these basic requirements of the Housing Element Law, the City cannot include the Property in the Sites Inventory because it is not suitable and available for residential development during the HEU planning period. The Property is a fully developed and operational lab/R&D facility that is well maintained and leased through at least 2030.7 ARE has no intent to redevelop the Property for residential uses during the HEU planning period. As such, the City would be unable to make findings supported by substantial evidence necessary to overcome the statutory presumption that existing uses on the Property would impede residential development. Even without this statutory presumption, the existing long-term lease on the Property and ARE’s lack of interest in residential redevelopment would prevent the City from concluding the Property is suitable and available for residential development. During this Housing Element Cycle, HCD is scrutinizing the realistic potential for residential development on nonvacant sites. Several jurisdictions have received comments from HCD regarding insufficient analysis on this issue, including, for example, Pleasanton, San Mateo, Foster City, and Menlo Park.8 To avoid a similar result and given that the Property is not 4 Almost all sites included in the HEU’s Sites Inventory are nonvacant. See HEU, p. 3-22 [“Due to a lack of vacant available parcels, the City relies on non-vacant sites to accommodate nearly all of its RHNA.”] 5 Government Code § 65583.2(g)(2); see also HCD Guidebook, p. 27 [“If a housing element relies on nonvacant sites to accommodate 50 percent or more of its RHNA for lower income households, the nonvacant site’s existing use is presumed to impede additional residential development…”] 6 HCD Guidebook, p. 27. 7 Contrary to the Sites Inventory’s characterization of the Property, it is not vacant. 8 Appendix to HCD Letter re: City of Pleasanton’s 6th Cycle (2023-2031) Draft Housing Element (November 14, 2022), http://weblink.cityofpleasantonca.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?dbid=0&id=304479&page=1&cr=1, at 3; HCD, Appendix to HCD Letter re: City of San Mateo’s 6th Cycle (2023-2031) Draft Housing Element (September 28, 2022), https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/89423/September-28-2022-HCD-Response- Letter, at 4 [“This alone is not adequate to demonstrate the potential for redevelopment in the planning period. The description of existing uses should be sufficiently detailed to facilitate an analysis demonstrating the potential for additional development in the planning period.”]; HCD, Appendix to HCD Letter re: City of Foster City’s 6th Cycle (2023-2031) Draft Housing Element (October 3, 2022), https://engagefostercity.org/13162/widgets/39130/documents/35836, at 5 [“In addition, some of the sites do not have expressed interest in residential development (e.g., Franciscan, Lagoons, Eaves)”]; HCD, Appendix to Letter re: City of Menlo Park’s 6th Cycle (2023-2031) Draft Housing Element (October 21, 2022), https://menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/community-development/documents/projects/housing-element- Mr. Jonathan Lait December 22, 2022 Page 3 available for residential development during the HEU planning period, we respectfully request that you remove the Property from the HEU’s Sites Inventory. We did not bring this issue to your attention sooner because ARE did not receive any notice of the proposed inclusion of the Property on the inventory and only became aware of it anecdotally through an outreach by a community member. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions with regard to this request. Sincerely, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP Margo N. Bradish MNB:srw cc: Ms. Terezia Nemeth, Executive Vice President – Regional Market Director - San Francisco, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Mr. Jesse Nelson, Senior Vice President - Real Estate, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. update/20221021hcd-review-letter-for-draft-housing-element.pdf, at 4 [“While the element includes a detailed description of existing uses, it must also demonstrate the potential for additional development in the planning period. In addition, the element must analyze the extent that existing uses may impede additional residential development.”]. HCD’s feedback led Pleasanton planning staff to recommend to removal of several nonvacant sites from its Sites Inventory. See City of Pleasanton, Planning Commission Agenda Report for Item 3 (December 4, 2022), http://weblink.cityofpleasantonca.gov/weblink/0/doc/304478/Page1.aspx, pp. 13, 16 [noting HCD inquiry regarding likelihood of redevelopment of nonvacant sites and recommending removal from Sites Inventory of several nonvacant sites questioned by HCD]. 078727\16411879v1 From:Rebecca Sanders To:Architectural Review Board; Historic Resources Board; Lait, Jonathan; Raybould, Claire; Council, City Subject:3200 Park Boulevard, 200 Portage Comments from Palo Alto Neighborhoods Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 9:55:34 AM Attachments:20230508_200 Portage Letter.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council Members, Board Members, Commissioners, Mr. Lait, and Ms. Raybould: Given that this development is one of largest in decades, we believe it is vital that the CityCouncil, Board and Commission members, and City staff address critical problems with the project previously identified with the 3200 Park Boulevard/200 Portage (Fry's site). Someproblems that the community pointed out before persist while new ones have emerged, causing us even greater concern. In general, the project: · was negotiated behind closed doors including economic considerations and site planning · destroys a major historic resource important to our cultural, business, and industrial legacies · is largely inconsistent with the NVCAP goals · fails to provide a realistic timeframe and funding plan for the affordable housing · is plagued by a lack of publicly available information · is plagued by a lack of timely notification · is plagued by irregular review processes including proceeding without benefit of DEIR comments and alternatives analysis We ask that the City please: A. Halt any further hearings/meetings on this project until the response to public comments to the DEIR is released. B. Update the project website to include all pertinent documents, including the development agreement with any changes to the development agreement clearly shown. C. Make sure that communications on this and all projects are duly noticed well in advance of the meeting to all interested parties, including those with 600 feet of a proposal as well as those who have signed up for notifications. D. Make sure that the address is consistent throughout the process. E. Address our concerns about the Secretary of Interior’s standards being ignored/avoided with regard to the historic significance of the building and its preservation F. Cease commingling staff and applicant analyses in the future to avoid work boundary issues and the confusion as to the origin of staff recommendations, Dear City Council Members, Board Members, Commissioners, Mr. Lait, and Ms. Raybould: Given that this development is one of largest in decades, we believe it is vital that the City Council, Board and Commission members, and City staff address critical problems with the project previously identified with the 3200 Park Boulevard/200 Portage (Fry's site). Some problems that the community pointed out before persist while new ones have emerged, causing us even greater concern. In general, the project: • was negotiated behind closed doors including economic considerations and site planning • destroys a major historic resource important to our cultural, business, and industrial legacies • is largely inconsistent with the NVCAP goals • fails to provide a realistic timeframe and funding plan for the affordable housing • is plagued by a lack of publicly available information • is plagued by a lack of timely notification • is plagued by irregular review processes including proceeding without benefit of DEIR comments and alternatives analysis We ask that the City please: A. Halt any further hearings/meetings on this project until the response to public comments to the DEIR is released. B. Update the project website to include all pertinent documents, including the development agreement with any changes to the development agreement clearly shown. C. Make sure that communications on this and all projects are duly noticed well in advance of the meeting to all interested parties, including those with 600 feet of a proposal as well as those who have signed up for notifications. D. Make sure that the address is consistent throughout the process. E. Address our concerns about the Secretary of Interior’s standards being ignored/avoided with regard to the historic significance of the building and its preservation F. Cease commingling staff and applicant analyses in the future to avoid work boundary issues and the confusion as to the origin of staff recommendations, To support our concerns and justify our requests, we offer the following details. Specifically: 1) The DEIR comment responses are not available. Five months have elapsed since the DEIR comments were submitted. CEQA requires consideration of reasonable alternatives to reduce or eliminate identified impacts, of which there are several. Staff has informed us that they are working on the responses, but City meetings about the project continue even though the DEIR identified significant impacts that we believe have not been addressed according to CEQA requirements. The board and commission meetings proceeding without the DEIR responses is counterproductive and highly irregular. At the last meeting of the Architectural Review Board, members were asked to review the proposals without the benefit of response to the public comments to the DEIR. We object to the ARB being denied this crucial information. We ask that no further comments or action by any board or commission take place until they and the public see the response to the DEIR. We further ask that recent comments and action by the ARB be reconsidered in light of the upcoming DEIR responses. 2) Procedural Review Irregularities The HRB recommends to the ARB. However, the ARB has been asked to comment on the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards absent HRB comments stated in motion form, a breach of prescribed protocols. The ARB is not facile with the Standards, which are the purview and expertise of the HRB. Additionally, adequate time needs to be provided between an HRB and ARB meeting so minutes can be prepared for ARB members and the public to understand what has been recommended. 3) The negotiations were held in private. The public has no access to any studies that may or may not have been provided to the Council in conducting the negotiations. For instance, what are the near-term and long-term financial benefits of the Agreement to both the City (the public) and Sobrato? Was an economic study conducted to investigate the viability of a larger amount of retail at the site, or to consider the likely success or failure of such a small (2600 sq. ft) retail space? What study was conducted to determine reuse possibilities for the Cannery Building? What advice was sought that might have led to a better site plan and circulation plan? The public deserves to see those reports and at a minimum to know what studies were provided. 4) The site planning was also done in closed session without public input, without advisory Board and Commission input. Why were the affordable housing units not included in the market rate units as is required by City code? Not planning where the affordable units will go or providing details as to mass, scale, and number of units, etc. while asking the ARB to consider other elements of the project makes no sense. There should be visuals showing the entire project. 5) Locating the affordable housing project directly in front of the Cannery presents another significant impact. Situating the affordable housing is in direct conflict with the Secretary of State standards based on what can be read into the proposed site plan and stated intentions. This impact, as we see it, has not been addressed and has been ignored by having no responses to the DEIR. 6) Notifications are not being sent in accordance with City standards Those within a 600’ radius may or may not be receiving notifications of meetings, but other interested parties, NVCAP Working Group members, and stake holders are not being notified. The notification for the ARB meeting was sent out in the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday, the day before the 8:30 am meeting on the next day. Notifications should be sent as soon as the meeting date is established along with a link to the staff report once available. In recent correspondence with staff, staff acknowledged this was a concern. How does staff propose to solve the delays in notification? We suggest that no topic be discussed until the notification criteria have been met. The planning department seems short-staffed, and we hope the Council will be addressing this soon. 7) Project notifications and website need to clearly identify the project’s location The address most commonly known to the public, such as 200 Portage needs to be included in any notifications for the public to be adequately informed. Some notifications have listed a series of addresses that were never used before to identify the project and that bear no relevance to many if not most interested people. Because the DEIR was not noticed to stakeholders and neighbors under a meaningful and relevant description/address, and because the DEIR was posted generally using unfamiliar addresses, the existence of the DEIR was not discovered until well into the comment period. 8) An applicant’s analysis should not be mingled with the City’s analysis. In the staff report for the prior ARB meeting, both the City’s and the Applicant’s analyses of whether the project satisfies the Secretary of Interior’s Standards were in the same attachment. At a glance, the document appeared to be a product of City staff only. One had to read carefully to distinguish when one analysis ended and the other began. 9) Development scenarios for the Fry’s site put forward by the NVCAP Working Group specifically recommended housing over commercial, and yet the current proposal still emphasizes commercial/office over housing and community serving retail. The preferences of the working group, community members who donated months of service are patently being ignored. 10) The Development Agreement (DA) and other relevant documents are not readily available on the project webpage. Please make all significant and relevant materials available. Public input is stymied because we don't know what the project comprises. Shouldn’t the DA be posted to inform the public? While we understand the applicant is making changes to the DA, we believe the public should have access to the original and amended DA which we believe should be provided as a redline version. The optics are very poor here. Even if obfuscation is not the intent, obfuscation is the result. • If the DA is being changed, how? If the DA is being revised, is what the ARB reviewed consistent with the original or revised DA? • Has Sobrato revised the agreement? If so, by what authority can Sobrato revise the DA without meeting again with Council? Shouldn’t additional discussion be public? Do they respond to the earlier ARB members’ comments that were critical of the site plan? Since those comments, it appears that the ARB purview does not include site planning or circulation or desire to see the Cannery building and its history respected. • Without access to the DA, we the public have no idea how much latitude there is for broader consideration including alternatives that would meet the Secretary of Interior’s standards. If Sobrato is making changes, there must be some latitude but neither the public nor reviewing bodies have been provided with what that latitude might be. Ought not broader considerations beyond what is being presented to the ARB and HRB be studied? Again, the EIR identified impacts. Alternatives that avoid and/or mitigate those impacts to less than significant are required. • If one of the goals of the Draft Agreement is, as was indicated in the initial roll out of the project on Aug 1, 2022, to avoid a lawsuit by helping the applicant achieve a given number of market units, then please acknowledge that fact and let the land use planning happen in public in accordance with our laws and processes. Why the churn to keep documents and processes hidden? Ultimately, transparency will result in a faster process and yield satisfactory outcomes because the public will have been included. The public will insist anyway, so why not be as transparent as possible? • The August 1, 2022, Council meeting announcing the Sobrato agreement made some commitments in the presentation slides. Presumably, those statements were consistent with the negotiated terms. Please confirm. For example, it was said during the meeting that the “remnant” Cannery building (that portion remaining after the proposed demolition of 40% would be rehabilitated consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. This is backward. The Secretary of Interior’s standards need to be applied when the historic resource is still intact. The loss of the historically significant Cannery has been consistently underplayed and has never been addressed head on. The Cannery qualifies for historic protection. Why have alternatives that preserve this historic resource been denied a hearing with the HRB and the ARB? Even the commitment to applying the Secretary of Interior’s Standards to the “remnant” building are not being held to as the ARB was even asked if they should be applied given the Cannery would no longer be eligible for the CA Register. 11) The review process is following a piecemeal path The project is being presented to ARB with one or two aspects of the entire proposal being considered at a time, leading to a lack of comprehensive site planning, with no cohesive end product. Please explain why this is the way the review is being put forward. And again, the ARB is being asked to perform the duties of the HRB by commenting on the Secretary of Interior’s compatibility requirements and/or impacts (although not referred to as such) of the housing with/on the Cannery building. 12) Was the PC zoning a stipulation in the Development Agreement (and negotiations)? • Given PCs offer little assurance to the community, how the property might evolve in the future upon expiration of the DA is unknown and will not be known. • We understand that the duration of the Development Agreement is only 10 years. Are there any circumstances under which the DA could be extended? What was the basis for such a short period? What governs the development after the end of 10 years? • By comparison, SOFA’s redevelopment was also complex yet provided clear zoning, development and design standards and guidelines that would govern the future during and beyond the Development Agreement. Will this current DA be adequate to address the future of the site post DA expiration? It appears unlikely, as there are no development or design standards set forth for the ARB to use in reviewing the PC housing development, PC affordable housing development or the commercial/office components of the project. If they exist in the current version of DA, surely, they should be made available for current review. We are concerned, based on what has been presented so far, that there will be little or no provision in the DA to guide the future. The SOFA Plan avoided the PC by creating specific zoning and standards particular to the area and properties. Such measures are not being attempted here even for the few parcels, and the result seems a vague, uncertain future. And we question whether better-informed site planning might avoid non-conformances that have led to application of the PC site-wide. Finally, on page 17 and other places of the draft agreement we found, Section 10.7 is mentioned, i.e., “Owner’s obligations under this Section 10.7 shall survive expiration or earlier termination of this Development Agreement.” 10.7 does not appear to exist, yet it governs some of the terms of the agreement with regard to expiration. Maybe this has already been corrected. https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas- minutes/planning-and-transportation-commission/2022/2022-10-11-wip-draft-da-ptc-clean- copy.pdf We hope that you will receive these comments in the manner in which they are intended. We support comprehensive, transparent planning that serves the City and the residents, that satisfies the developer, and that follows already clear and defined processes and adheres to established standards. Thank you. Sincerely, Sheri Furman Becky Sanders Co-Chairs, Palo Alto Neighborhoods To support our concerns and justify our requests, we offer the following details. Specifically: 1) The DEIR comment responses are not available. Five months have elapsed since the DEIR comments were submitted. CEQA requires consideration of reasonable alternatives to reduce or eliminate identified impacts, of which there are several. Staff has informed us that they are working on the responses, but City meetings about the project continue even though the DEIR identified significant impacts that we believe have not been addressed according to CEQA requirements. The board and commission meetings proceeding without the DEIR responses is counterproductive and highly irregular. At the last meeting of the Architectural Review Board, members were asked to review the proposals without the benefit of response to the public comments to the DEIR. We object to the ARB being denied this crucial information. We ask that no further comments or action by any board or commission take place until they and the public see the response to the DEIR. We further ask that recent comments and action by the ARB be reconsidered in light of the upcoming DEIR responses. 2) Procedural Review Irregularities The HRB recommends to the ARB. However, the ARB has been asked to comment on the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards absent HRB comments stated in motion form, a breach of prescribed protocols. The ARB is not facile with the Standards, which are the purview and expertise of the HRB. Additionally, adequate time needs to be provided between an HRB and ARB meeting so minutes can be prepared for ARB members and the public to understand what has been recommended. 3) The negotiations were held in private. The public has no access to any studies that may or may not have been provided to the Council in conducting the negotiations. For instance, what are the near-term and long- term financial benefits of the Agreement to both the City (the public) and Sobrato? Was an economic study conducted to investigate the viability of a larger amount of retail at the site, or to consider the likely success or failure of such a small (2600 sq. ft) retail space? What study was conducted to determine reuse possibilities for the Cannery Building? What advice was sought that might have led to a better site plan and circulation plan? The public deserves to see those reports and at a minimum to know what studies were provided. 4) The site planning was also done in closed session without public input, without advisory Board and Commission input. Why were the affordable housing units not included in the market rate units as is required by City code? Not planning where the affordable units will go or providing details as to mass, scale, and number of units, etc. while asking the ARB to consider other elements of the project makes no sense. There should be visuals showing the entire project. 5) Locating the affordable housing project directly in front of the Cannery presents another significant impact. Situating the affordable housing is in direct conflict with the Secretary of State standards based on what can be read into the proposed site plan and stated intentions. This impact, as we see it, has not been addressed and has been ignored by having no responses to the DEIR. 6) Notifications are not being sent in accordance with City standards Those within a 600’ radius may or may not be receiving notifications of meetings, but other interested parties, NVCAP Working Group members, and stake holders are not being notified. The notification for the ARB meeting was sent out in the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday, the day before the 8:30 am meeting on the next day. Notifications should be sent as soon as the meeting date is established along with a link to the staff report once available. In recent correspondence with staff, staff acknowledged this was a concern. How does staff propose to solve the delays in notification? We suggest that no topic be discussed until the notification criteria have been met. The planning department seems short-staffed, and we hope the Council will be addressing this soon. 7) Project notifications and website need to clearly identify the project’s location The address most commonly known to the public, such as 200 Portage needs to be included in any notifications for the public to be adequately informed. Some notifications have listed a series of addresses that were never used before to identify the project and that bear no relevance to many if not most interested people. Because the DEIR was not noticed to stakeholders and neighbors under a meaningful and relevant description/address, and because the DEIR was posted generally using unfamiliar addresses, the existence of the DEIR was not discovered until well into the comment period. 8) An applicant’s analysis should not be mingled with the City’s analysis. In the staff report for the prior ARB meeting, both the City’s and the Applicant’s analyses of whether the project satisfies the Secretary of Interior’s Standards were in the same attachment. At a glance, the document appeared to be a product of City staff only. One had to read carefully to distinguish when one analysis ended and the other began. 9) Development scenarios for the Fry’s site put forward by the NVCAP Working Group specifically recommended housing over commercial, and yet the current proposal still emphasizes commercial/office over housing and community serving retail. The preferences of the working group, community members who donated months of service are patently being ignored. 10) The Development Agreement (DA) and other relevant documents are not readily available on the project webpage. Please make all significant and relevant materials available. Public input is stymied because we don't know what the project comprises. Shouldn’t the DA be posted to inform the public? While we understand the applicant is making changes to the DA, we believe the public should have access to the original and amended DA which we believe should be provided as a redline version. The optics are very poor here. Even if obfuscation is not the intent, obfuscation is the result. · If the DA is being changed, how? If the DA is being revised, is what the ARB reviewed consistent with the original or revised DA? · Has Sobrato revised the agreement? If so, by what authority can Sobrato revise the DA without meeting again with Council? Shouldn’t additional discussion be public? Do they respond to the earlier ARB members’ comments that were critical of the site plan? Since those comments, it appears that the ARB purview does not include site planning or circulation or desire to see the Cannery building and its history respected. · Without access to the DA, we the public have no idea how much latitude there is for broader consideration including alternatives that would meet the Secretary ofInterior’s standards. If Sobrato is making changes, there must be some latitude but neither the public nor reviewing bodies have been provided with what that latitudemight be. Ought not broader considerations beyond what is being presented to the ARB and HRB be studied? Again, the EIR identified impacts. Alternatives thatavoid and/or mitigate those impacts to less than significant are required. · If one of the goals of the Draft Agreement is, as was indicated in the initial roll out of the project on Aug 1, 2022, to avoid a lawsuit by helping the applicant achievea given number of market units, then please acknowledge that fact and let the land use planning happen in public in accordance with our laws and processes. Why thechurn to keep documents and processes hidden? Ultimately, transparency will result in a faster process and yield satisfactory outcomes because the public willhave been included. The public will insist anyway, so why not be as transparent as possible? · The August 1, 2022, Council meeting announcing the Sobrato agreement made some commitments in the presentation slides. Presumably, those statements were consistent with the negotiated terms. Please confirm. For example, it was said during the meeting that the “remnant” Cannery building (that portion remaining after the proposed demolition of 40% would be rehabilitated consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. This is backward. The Secretary of Interior’s standards need to be applied when the historic resource is still intact. The loss of the historically significant Cannery has been consistently underplayed and has never been addressed head on. The Cannery qualifies for historic protection. Why have alternatives that preserve this historic resource been denied a hearing with the HRB and the ARB? Even the commitment to applying the Secretary of Interior’s Standards to the “remnant” building are not being held to as the ARB was even asked if they should be applied given the Cannery would no longer be eligible for the CA Register. 11) The review process is following a piecemeal path The project is being presented to ARB with one or two aspects of the entire proposal being considered at a time, leading to a lack of comprehensive site planning, with no cohesive end product. Please explain why this is the way the review is being put forward. And again, the ARB is being asked to perform the duties of the HRB by commenting on the Secretary of Interior’s compatibility requirements and/or impacts (although not referred to as such) of the housing with/on the Cannery building. 12) Was the PC zoning a stipulation in the Development Agreement (and negotiations)? · Given PCs offer little assurance to the community, how the property might evolve in the future upon expiration of the DA is unknown and will not be known. · We understand that the duration of the Development Agreement is only 10 years. Are there any circumstances under which the DA could be extended? What was the basis for such a short period? What governs the development after the end of 10 years? · By comparison, SOFA’s redevelopment was also complex yet provided clear zoning, development and design standards and guidelines that would govern thefuture during and beyond the Development Agreement. Will this current DA be adequate to address the future of the site post DA expiration? It appears unlikely,as there are no development or design standards set forth for the ARB to use in reviewing the PC housing development, PC affordable housing development or thecommercial/office components of the project. If they exist in the current version of DA, surely, they should be made available for current review. We are concerned,based on what has been presented so far, that there will be little or no provision in the DA to guide the future. The SOFA Plan avoided the PC by creating specificzoning and standards particular to the area and properties. Such measures are not being attempted here even for the few parcels, and the result seems a vague,uncertain future. And we question whether better-informed site planning might avoid non-conformances that have led to application of the PC site-wide. Finally, on page 17 and other places of the draft agreement we found, Section 10.7 is mentioned, i.e., “Owner’s obligations under this Section 10.7 shall survive expiration orearlier termination of this Development Agreement.” 10.7 does not appear to exist, yet it governs some of the terms of the agreement with regard to expiration. Maybe this hasalready been corrected. https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes- reports/agendas-minutes/planning-and-transportation-commission/2022/2022-10-11-wip-draft-da- ptc-clean-copy.pdf We hope that you will receive these comments in the manner in which they are intended. We support comprehensive, transparent planning that serves the City and the residents, that satisfies the developer, and that follows already clear and defined processes and adheres to established standards. Thank you. Sincerely, Sheri Furman Becky Sanders Co-Chairs, Palo Alto Neighborhoods From:Aram James To:Binder, Andrew; Tannock, Julie; Barberini, Christopher; Reifschneider, James; Wagner, April; Perron, Zachary;Josh Becker; Sean Allen; Human Relations Commission; Council, City; ladoris cordell; Michael Gennaco; Foley,Michael; Figueroa, Eric; Javier Ortega; Cecilia Taylor; Joe Simitian; Jeff Rosen; Shikada, Ed; chuck jagoda; JulieLythcott-Haims; Sheriff Transparency; Shana Segal; Jay Boyarsky; Enberg, Nicholas; Rebecca Eisenberg; AngieEvans; dennis burns; Kevin Jensen; DuJuan Green; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg Subject:Re: Today’s editorial cartoon from the Daily Post — ( May 8, 2023) On police canines Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 9:21:39 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ > >  > <06_DP_05-08-23.pdf> From:Aram James To:Binder, Andrew; Tannock, Julie; Barberini, Christopher; Reifschneider, James; Wagner, April; Perron, Zachary;Josh Becker; Sean Allen; Human Relations Commission; Council, City; Sean Allen; ladoris cordell; MichaelGennaco; Foley, Michael; Figueroa, Eric; Javier Ortega; Cecilia Taylor; Joe Simitian; Jeff Rosen; Shikada, Ed;chuck jagoda; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Sheriff Transparency; Shana Segal; Jay Boyarsky; Enberg, Nicholas; RebeccaEisenberg; Angie Evans; dennis burns; Kevin Jensen; DuJuan Green; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg Subject:Today’s editorial cartoon from the Daily Post — ( May 8, 2023) On police canines Date:Monday, May 8, 2023 9:14:44 AM Attachments:06_DP_05-08-23.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.________________________________ From:Aram James To:Sean Allen; Council, City; Human Relations Commission; Jethroe Moore; Josh Becker Subject:Reparations commission speaks Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 11:23:45 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/latimes/default.aspx?pubid=50435180-e58e-48b5-8e0c-236bf740270e Sent from my iPhone From:Scott O"Neil To:Council, City; Planning Commission; HeUpdate Subject:Housing Element - The Wonky Letter Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 9:56:47 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Palo Alto City Council, Planning & Transportation Commissioners, and City Staff, I’m a board member at Palo Alto Forward writing for myself. I’ve written in another letter about by-right homeless shelters in the Housing Element. This letter is about more wonky issues that I think will prevent HCD certification, and argue against adoption. Adoption Strategy & Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Outreach The city should not adopt because then the programs and policies articulated in the Housing Element are immediately subject to legal challenge. It is currently unchallengeable. While it is unchallengeable, the city should obtain HCD certification. Certification will render it essentially invulnerable, which will deter any would-be challengers. At that point, adoption is safe. Not before. Premature adoption opens up the city to legal challenges even on issues where HCD has declined to pressure the city for changes. For example, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) outreach requirements. I believe a successful challenge on these grounds could void the years of work done by the Housing Element Working Group. There are facts around its formation that would be useful to a plaintiff in not merely establishing merits, but getting a judge to want to rule against us. Another way the city could bolster the Housing Element’s resistance to an AFFH outreach challenge would be identifying specific programs and policies that made it into the Housing Element based on suggestions offered in the meetings with outside groups listed in the Housing Element. Constraints & Mitigations One outcome of the first draft is HCD seems to be pressing the city to analyze development standards and preconstruction times as constraints. The city’s strategy for this hinges on HIP for the former, and Expedited Review for the entitlement times. (I have not had time to review the audit report the city commits to implementing to address permit times and can not speak to that at this time, except to say that entitlement times are the larger problem.) HIP is a discretionary program that has existed for four years, and I do not believe any HIP waiver has ever been issued in the four years the program has existed. In the case of 800 San Antonio, that was a PHZ project. If a HIP waiver was issued, it would have been after approval of the full council. Expedited Review (ER) based on objective standards has been in existence for more than eleven months. It is not a discretionary program, but new verbiage in the Housing Element clarifies that to qualify one must satisfy development standards. This means height, FAR, and density. This makes the program impossible to use because these standards are economically (and sometimes physically) infeasible. I asked staff about use of this program earlier this year and again about a week ago, and have not been apprised of any attempted uses of it. It is not too early to tell if these programs are working, as asserted in the Housing Element for the Expedited Review program. Applications can be produced in 30-90 days. Projects in the pipeline could be pulled out of an entitlement process that takes nine months or more, and resubmitted under the new 60-day version. In general, if the city actually removes a constraint, pent-up demand should induce applications very quickly. Little use after several months should therefore lead to the conclusion that the constraint stands. The HCD letter says the city’s Housing Element must be updated to reflect local knowledge. Updating it to account for local knowledge about the actual production track records of HIP and ER would help meet this requirement. Tree Ordinance The city says that if a project can prove keeping a tree costs the project twice replacement value of the tree, then the preservation ordinance can be bypassed. The city says the twice replacement value threshold will prevent the tree ordinance from becoming a constraint. Replacement of mature trees -in contrast with merely planting a new one- involves finding a comparable tree, moving it to the location, and ensuring it survives. Accordingly, using double replacement value for the relief threshold should make it very difficult -not easy- to qualify for relief. With this offered as the main argument that the tree ordinance is not a constraint, the natural conclusion to reach is that it is. In a future draft it would be helpful to see some lots with trees in the Chapter 4 feasibility analyses. Commitments in Programs The city provides Programs to monitor and update HIP, and other programs, but the HCD letter makes very clear that the city must go beyond such activities and offer concrete commitments. Instead, this Housing Element seems to be relying on unused programs to excuse itself from producing concrete commitments. One exception is the specification of 90 du/acre in Program 1.1 for GM and ROLM sites. This is confusing because elsewhere the number seems to be 65, and the city has indicated that 90 units/acre was in error in draft 1. I believe the Programs section is binding. The city need not plan for 90 in the inventory, but if the density is 90 in Programs, then the city is committing to updating development standards to 90. More such specificity is needed for development standards in other programs. To the extent the city does not need a specific updated commitment to meet RHNA or mitigate constraints, “study” and “monitor” are fine. To the extent the city needs to change policy to mitigate constraints and meet RHNA, specific numeric commitments should be listed in Programs that credibly meet those ends. Changes necessary to achieve physical feasibility identified in Chapter 4 should be included as specific updates in the Programs section -not alluded to by reference- so it is unambiguous what is committed as opposed to illustrative. HIP cannot be used to meet RHNA for several reasons. It is discretionary, and it precludes use of State Density Bonus Law. (See the December Palo Alto Forward letter for citations to HCD guidance on those matters.) The lack of production record is also disqualifying. If the city wanted to use the program to meet any part of RHNA, it would need specific Program commitments that transform the program into one that can credibly produce RHNA. The path of least resistance lies through updating base zoning. Feasibility The HCD letter asks to analyze feasibility in all zones. The CC, CC(2), CS, CD-C, CD-N, and CD-S zones all have sites in the inventory but are not included in the physical analysis. The analysis shows physical feasibility below zoned density in most cases. IE: 18 du/acre is supported for RM-20. Many inventory sites are above the densities the city illustrates in Chapter 4. For some of these zones, the city is relying on HIP to just to reach physical feasibility. This would be easier to support if HIP had a track record of producing waivers to the required FAR levels on similar lots. Zoned FAR in many of these zones is sensitive to project size due to the thresholds specified in SB-478 which seem to have been adopted directly by the city. For example: for projects over 11 units FAR drops from the 1.0+ required in some of the examples, to .5 in RM-20, and .6 in RM-30. Many sites in the inventory are large enough to yield unit counts above 11, would be subject to the lower FAR values, and would likely become physically infeasible. The physical analysis does not address economic constraints, which -per the December Palo Alto Forward letter- will likely show much more FAR, height, and density are required to mitigate. Nonvacant Sites Perhaps the most challenging finding in the HCD letter was that the city did not present a nonvacant sites analysis in December, at all. This analysis is where the city demonstrates that existing uses do not impede conversion to housing. I believe it still has not produced a nonvacant sites analysis. HCD has essentially recognized two ways of doing an inventory. Most cities do a highly site-specific inventory that showcases the strengths of specific sites or tightly colocated groups of sites. HCD seems to allow this detailed treatment to allow the city to model these sites as converting to housing with a probability very close to one. This custom chagrins many of us advocates, and is so favorable that almost all cities seem to do this. Palo Alto still has not started. The city offers instead a holistic argument about commercial development in the city. Los Angeles is a city that has reached certification based on non-local arguments about nonvacant sites. Los Angeles’ inventory looks very different. For a RHNA of ~230k units, Los Angeles presented almost 200k sites. They use a model that showed probabilities of conversion. The precedent this sets is that to use a holistic approach to nonvacant sites, it is not the mere fact of conversions that matters, it’s what you can prove that predicts about conversion. From there, you can change the city’s aggregate zoning to make its track record meet RHNA. In principle, I would enthusiastically support the city pivoting to a more rigorous approach like this, if the challenge of determining credible production track records for zones could be overcome given lack of history of production to zoned development standards. Such a project would dovetail nicely with comprehensive land use reform and zoning rationalization. Unfortunately, the path of least resistance remains through the site-specific approach. It would be unfair for HCD to allow Palo Alto to use a single holistic argument to relieve it of the burden of examining the merits of its individual sites. Even on its own terms, the city has no track record of conversion in some parts of the inventory. Ie: SE of Charleston and San Antonio. The extensive use of spot-zoning outside the GM and ROLM areas further motivates the need to go beyond city-wide statements and establish that those specific sites will convert. Transparency The city should include complete data on the track records for all existing city programs and policies being relied upon to meet RHNA or address constraints. Recognizing Progress Analyzing physical feasibility is very helpful and an important first step in analyzing feasibility in a more comprehensive way. I look forward to seeing economic feasibility analysis in a future draft. The Missing Middle (SB-9 expansion) program is a valuable step forward, and a good example of a Program with a concrete and credible commitment. The additional specificity and clarity in much of the document is appreciated. Thank you! -Scott O'Neil From:Mark Michael To:Council, City; Lauing, Ed; Nose, Kiely; Lait, Jonathan; Neilson Buchanan Cc:Planning Commission Subject:Re: worth reading today Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 3:24:30 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from mark_d_michael@yahoo.com. Learn why thisis important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi Neilson, this is a thoughtful statement with serious suggestions. Not all of these are within the control of individual communities seeking to achieve housing goals. With respect, the question you pose may not be the ideal way to frame the debate. Rather, are Palo Alto residents serious about housing goals? Note that the Comprehensive Plan continues to stress preserving the existing character of neighborhoods. For much of Palo Alto that implies R-1 zoning with height limits and low density. Consequently, since Palo Alto is 99.9% built out, with no room to expandcity borders, increasing residential units may require a revision to the zoning map to re-allocate more residential space from R-1 to multi-family. Going through a process of a Precise Plan for Downtown and another for California Avenue might lead to modification of the height limit and approval of more mixed use development. Meanwhile, after three years of global pandemic and the explosion in remote work and hybrid schedules, reconsideration of land use policy that has resulted in excess vacant commercial space might provide further opportunities to regenerate residential optimization. And yes the Burlingame white paper has good ideas for action at theState level. Sincerely. \Mark ____________________________________ Mark Michael 1215 Parkinson Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301 650 380-1861(c) On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 12:48:12 PM PDT, Neilson Buchanan <cnsbuchanan@yahoo.com> wrote: If Californians and our legislature are serious, then what is next direction for housing policy? Neilson Buchanan 155 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 650 329-0484 650 537-9611 cell cnsbuchanan@yahoo.com From:Aram James To:Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore; Josh Becker; Human Relations Commission; Council, City; Binder, Andrew; JoeSimitian; Michael Gennaco; Wagner, April; Jeff Rosen; Shikada, Ed; Rebecca Eisenberg; Reifschneider, James;chuck jagoda; ladoris cordell; Shana Segal; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Enberg, Nicholas; Angie Evans; Javier Ortega;Perron, Zachary; Cecilia Taylor; Jay Boyarsky; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; dennis burns; Kevin Jensen; DuJuanGreen; Cindy Chavez; Bains, Paul; Molly Subject:California reparations panel approves payments of up to $1.2 million to every Black resident Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 2:32:25 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. NewsBreakUsed by over 45 million people Open APP California reparations panel approves payments of up to $1.2 million to every Black resident Fox News I found this on NewsBreak: California reparations panel approves payments of up to $1.2 million to every Black resident Click to read the full story Sent from my iPhone From:Neilson Buchanan To:Council, City; Lauing, Ed; Nose, Kiely; Lait, Jonathan Cc:Planning Commission Subject:worth reading today Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 12:48:33 PM Attachments:If the State Really Wants More Housint, Then..... Opinion Brownrigg and Colson SMDJ May 7 2023.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. If Californians and our legislature are serious, then what is next direction for housing policy? Neilson Buchanan 155 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 650 329-0484 650 537-9611 cellcnsbuchanan@yahoo.com From:slevy@ccsce.com To:Council, City Cc:Lait, Jonathan; Wong, Tim Subject:attachments left off my comment letter Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 12:35:44 PM Attachments:Community Meeting Presentation_Final for web_04-2023.pdfSPUR_Office-to-Residential_Conversion_in_SF.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. From:Robert Chun To:Council, City; Planning Commission Cc:Lait, Jonathan; Wong, Tim Subject:Palo Alto Forward"s comment on latest Housing Element draft Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 12:05:27 PM Attachments:May 8 Public Comment.pptx Some people who received this message don't often get email from rchun1@stanford.edu. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Palo Alto City Council, Planning & Transportation Commission, and City Staff: On behalf of Palo Alto Forward, I'd like to share our comment on the latest draft of the Housing Element. We have filed a request with the City Clerk to share this comment, together with the attached presentation, as a group comment during tomorrow's meeting. Please reach out with any questions. Thank you! Best, Robert ----- Thank you very much. My name is Robert Chun, and I’m a board member of Palo Alto Forward. We are a non-profit organization focused on innovating and expanding housing choices and transportation mobility for a vibrant, welcoming, and sustainablePalo Alto. We have been engaged in the Housing Element process at every stage. Our perspective on the City’s Housing Element was most comprehensively summarized ina 60+ page letter that we shared with the City and HCD in December, and which is available on our website at paloaltoforward.com. We first want to thank City staff for their hard work on this latest Housing Element revision. We know how difficult this work is, and we appreciate their willingness to meet with us and answer our questions. We’re here tonight to share four key suggestions for how to improve the draft Housing Element: I. Feasibility The first point we’d like to make is about feasibility. We understand that staff have retained consultants to study the financial feasibility of the development standards in the Housing Element, and we understand they have suggested that improvements need to be made to achieve feasibility. That is important, because our site inventory can only produce housing if the development standards support financially feasible development. We see this point acknowledged in this new draft but believe that more work needs to be done to meet HCD’s comments and requests. Palo Alto Forward conducted an analysis of market trends in our December letter to the City. Our letter compared the Housing Element’s proposed development standards to actual housing proposals in Palo Alto. And what we found is that actual housing projects have consistently required more density, height, and floor-area- ratios, as well as lower minimum parking requirements, than the City is proposinghere. For example, the left side of this table collects the housing proposals submitted to the City’s Planned Home Zone, or PHZ, process. Through the PHZ process, developersare invited to “request changes from the base zoning regulations” in exchange for providing 20% of units as deed-restricted affordable housing. The PHZ proposals are thus excellent indicators of what development standards are necessary to enable production of housing. We’ve collected data on these PHZ proposals on the left sideof the table. We’ve then compared these PHZ proposals with the base zoning proposed by the Housing Element, which is summarized on the right side of the table. So for example,we see that the typical density required by a PHZ project is 115 units per acre, but that the proposed Housing Element typically limits housing to 30-50 units per acre, or up to 65 units per acre in the GM / ROLM zone. That’s a huge gap, and it strongly suggests that the Housing Element’s proposed densities are governmentalconstraints to housing. While the PHZ projects were just proposed projects, the same analysis holds up when we consider projects that this City Council has actually approved. For example,the Alta Locale development on El Camino Real was approved in 2018 at a density of ~130 du/ac. And the development at 788 San Antonio was approved in 2020 at a density of ~102 du/ac. Neither of these projects, which constitute some of the only recent market-rate development in the City, would be permissible under any of thebase zoning of the current Housing Element. For those reasons, we urge the City to conduct a thorough and independent analysis of the financial feasibility of the zoning proposed by this Housing Element. This isimportant because the City has a statutory obligation under state law to mitigate constraints to housing. II. HIP The second point we’d like to make is that the Housing Incentive Program cannot resolve the issue of financial feasibility. For context, the Housing Incentive Program allows the Director of Planning to increase floor-area and maximum-site-coverage ratios for certain housing projects in the downtown areas and on San Antonio. The proposed Housing Element promises to study whether the geographic reach of this program should be expanded, and whether the Director should have the discretion to modify additional development standards. Those would be welcome changes. But they are not ones that fixes the core problem -- which is that, in many cases, the Housing Element’s base zoning does not enable financially feasible development. The Housing Incentive Program has been around for four years, but has unlocked virtually no new housing in the City. We cannot find a list of real projects that have utilized the Housing Incentive Program. Without more meaningful and specificreforms, it’s difficult to believe that the Housing Incentive Program will now unlock thousands of units of new development. It is also true that under state law, the Housing Incentive Program isn’t relevant todemonstrating that we can meet our RHNA goals. That’s because the Housing Incentive Program is a discretionary program, rather than one that all developers can take advantage of. It’s also because the program forbids participating developers from using the state density bonus. According to HCD, that makes the programineligible for treatment as base zoning. I’d encourage you to read page 15 of the HCD Guidebook if you want to learn more. In other words, while the expanded Housing Incentive Program is a nice addition, it can’t excuse us from demonstrating to HCD that we have compliant base zoning. III. Timelines The third point we’d like to make is that the Housing Element does not adequately address our lengthy permitting and entitlement times. The proposed Housing Element asserts that the streamlined housing development review process, which was adopted a year ago, has fixed this constraint, but that it is too early to tell if it is working. We respectfully disagree. If the constraint were satisfactorily removed, we would have seen robust interest in the program in the months after adoption. We have not. The program’s key flaw is that projects only qualify for streamlined review if they meet Palo Alto’s existing base zoning requirements. The streamlined review process will therefore expedite little, as long as housing projects require departures from our base zoning in order to pencil out. IV. Nonvacant sites The fourth and final point we’d like to make is that the City has done little to proactively engage with the property owners and tenants of nonvacant sites in its site inventory. The staff has given property owners a chance to remove their properties from the site inventory, but that is quite different from soliciting feedback on whether they plan to convert their existing uses or what it would take to incentivize such amove. The current Housing Element relies on nonvacant sites to accommodate 50% or more of its lower-income housing allocation. Under California law, this fact triggers a statutory presumption that “the nonvacant site’s existing use is presumed to impede additional residential development.” The City can only designate such lots as appropriate for lower-income housing if it makes "findings based on substantial evidence that the use will likely be discontinued during the planning process.” To clear the “substantial evidence” threshold, HCD is clear that cities must make rigorous, site-specific findings related to the intent of the current tenant, the intent of the property owner, or the physical disrepair of the building. To date, we do not seeevidence that the City has met this threshold. With the exception of a handful of landowners in the GM / ROLM area, it has not systematically asked site owners whether they have any interest in developing housing, or what it would take for them to redevelop as such. Moreover, last year, our volunteers contacted property owners at many of these sites and almost all of them said their parcels would not convert to housing during the planning period; every one of these sites remains in the Housing Element. Thisapproach does not set us up for success. Our goal is to build real units, physically, in the next eight years, for the benefit of everyone who lives, works, and studies in Palo Alto. That means we must coordinatewith site owners and tenants, as we are already required to do under California law. Conclusion In conclusion, we have concerns about the way that this Housing Element addresses key constraints on housing production, which the City has a statutory duty to mitigate. Our understanding of the HCD comment letter and their approach in other Bay Area cities is that it is not possible to have an effective or compliant Housing Element untilthey are addressed. Thank you very much. From:slevy@ccsce.com To:Council, City Cc:Lait, Jonathan; Wong, Tim Subject:comments for Monday"s review of the revised Housing Element Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 11:18:12 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Mayor Kou and council members, Staff has made progress in moving us toward a compliant Housing Element (HE) in this latest draft. Below are my comments and suggestions for finishing the job. And I am including two attachments that may be of interest--the consultant presentation on the Cal Ave/Ramona street vibrancy work and a SPUR report on converting office space to housing. 1) Submit the next version as a second draft a) HCD has informed all jurisdictions that Housing Elements are compliant based on HCD review and acceptance and that they should await HCD certification that their HE is compliant. b) Successful cities like Mountain View, Redwood City, Oakland and Berkeley have gonethrough multiple rounds of working with HCD to achieve complinace and earlier memosfrom staff set out the expectation that the same would be true for Palo Alto c) Staff has two consultant studies on key issues regarding the financial feasibility requirements for housing here and we should see their findings and recommendations even if preliminary before deciding what additional changes are needed to our HE 2) Modify our base zoning based on our experience and the feasibility findings While the site inventory may be capable of housing the required number of new units,physical capacity is not the same as economic feasibility. a) Staff has documented in the HE draft and council knows from experience that most or all large housing projects approved or proposed recently have included some of the following-- increases in density, FAR and height and decreases in parking and retail requirements. My reading of staff's table is that densities in the range of 80--100+ are usual in these projects. b) It is true that council and staff have discretionary programs like the PHZ and expanded Housing Incentive Program (HIP) but these are 1) discretionary and create uncertainty and b) the discretionary nature adds time and cost to developers in using these approaches. c) As mentioned above, it will be helpful to see what the consultants suggest re creating feasible zoning/development standards 3) Clarify the scope of mixed use projects mentioned prominently in the HE as a positiveapproach to adding housing a) For example, staff has been discussing with an interested party a possibility of adding housing in the GM/ROLM area. But their proposal to achieve possibly hundreds of new housing units will include some expansion of uses that add new jobs. b) Mixed use with job producing uses has been a prominent feature of adding housing in neighboring cities like Redwood City, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and San Jose. c) My sense as a regional economist is that adopting a no new non retail jobs approach conflicts with success in incentivizing feasible housing proposals in specific circumstances- not across the board and am interested to hear what the consultants say about the scope of mixed use projects in certain areas of town. 4) Reexamine the requirements for success and mix of uses in the GM/ROLM area a) Building on point 3 above learn from property owners what is needed to incentivize themto convert existing uses. The HE has a large number of units and an especially large number of units for low income households sited in this area with little evidence yet of interest under the existing zoning. I am confident that discussions and policy changes can lead to to mixed use/market rate housing proposals (with 15-20% BMR included). However, I do not understand how the 1,000 plus BMR deed restricted units will happen as stand alone projects. Has the staff consulted with Non-profit developers about what would be needed. 5) Expand the relaxation of the Retail Preservation Ordinance thanks to staff for the new relaxations proposed. I am in favor or expanding incentives for housing in downtown and around Cal Ave. Making housing feasible in these areas take additional incentives beyond simply making office (where there is already declining demand) less feasible. I am uncertain as to the best way to proceed but here is what I know and believe. I think there is a strong connection between the HE and the city's work on economicdevelopment and street policies primarily in downtown and around Cal Ave. I have closelyfollowed the ED and street vibrancy projects and believe further relaxation of the ordinancein these areas will have the following benefits. a) it will make it easier to fill vacant spaces and provide more customers for existing retail spaces. b) both the ED consultant and the street consultant for Cal Ave and Ramona reported that adding housing will help efforts for increased economic activity and street vibrancy. c) To the extent that housing can be added in these areas, it will make the HE more robust and minimize new housing needed in other areas. 6) Continue the work to shorten the timeline for project review and approval, study theimpact that fees and the Tree Ordinance have as constraints to housing and engageproperty owners and developers in understanding how to incentivize housing. Stephen Levy From:Adam Schwartz To:Council, City Subject:Public comment re Housing Element Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 10:25:56 AM Some people who received this message don't often get email from adamdschwartz@yahoo.com. Learn why thisis important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Greetings to the Palo Alto City Council: I write regarding Palo Alto's Housing Element, which the Council will consider at a meeting on Monday May 8. I am a resident of Palo Alto, since 2015, along with my wife and two kids. My kids, who have just startedcollege, want to stay in Palo Alto, and my mom wants to move here -- but this is very hard to plan for, because of our city's severe housing shortage. So please take strong action to change the city's zoning and other laws toallow construction of new housing. Such action is needed to satisfy our city's obligations under state law to plan for our RHNA of 6,086 new homes. The city's original draft Housing Element was not strong enough, and neither is the new draft. Most importantly, our city needs better zoning for larger, economically viable projects. This means increased height and FAR at housing sites, compared to current zoning and what is contemplated in the current draftHousing Element. Also, we should remove density limits and parking requirements. Likewise, we must simplify and shorten our project review process, which is one of the longest in the entire state. Additionally, we need more units near transit, including CalTrain and regular busses. We need this to support our climate goals, our schools, and to bolster local retail. This means we need to plan for a lot more units near California Ave and University Ave, as well as El Camino Real. Forthese same reasons, we should not pack most of our new housing into the southeast corner of city, which is far from current transit and amenities. In sum, please ensure that our city's Housing Element is strengthened, farbeyond the current draft, to ensure we meet our RHNA obligation and successfully build new housing for all income levels. Sincerely, Adam Schwartz 523 Channing Ave., Palo Alto adamdschwartz@yahoo.com From:Aram James To:Sean Allen; wilpf.peninsula.paloalto@gmail.com; Council, City; Josh Becker; Jethroe Moore; Bains, Paul; JoeSimitian; ladoris cordell; Shana Segal; Perron, Zachary; Barberini, Christopher; Figueroa, Eric; Human RelationsCommission; Tannock, Julie; Michael Gennaco; Foley, Michael; Angie Evans; Rebecca Eisenberg; Shikada, Ed Subject:"We Are Using God As A SLOGAN" Date:Sunday, May 7, 2023 8:04:01 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ https://youtu.be/LhWeEhEa_YA Sent from my iPhone From:Scott O"Neil To:Council, City; Planning Commission Subject:Housing Element - Shelters Date:Saturday, May 6, 2023 7:12:11 PM Attachments:Housing Element - Shelters .pdf Some people who received this message don't often get email from scottoneil@hotmail.com. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Palo Alto City Council, Planning & Transportation Commissioners, and City Staff, Please find attached a letter about our by-right homeless shelter policy in the Housing Element. -Scott Palo Alto City Council,Planning &Transportation Commissioners,and City Staff, I’m a board member at Palo Alto Forward,whom you’ll be hearing from separately.In this letter I am writing only for myself. I believe that when a homeless shelter or transitional housing project is advanced,it should usually be supported because proposals are rare and the service is needed.There is a different dynamic at play in the Housing Element,where the city is required to identify a location where housing shelters are legal by-right,a priori.Here,the city should attempt to find a location that is good for homeless shelters.So I was excited to see the city substantiate its claim in the latest Housing Element draft that the ROLM(e)area East of 101 is close to important amenities. It identifies a supermarket there,called "The Market at Edgewood"which seems to serve mostly clients too discerning for Whole Foods.A jug of milk will run a single mom trying to put her life back together just $9-$10 dollars.I stopped by Midtown Safeway to compare and it was $5-$6. The Housing Element says the The Market is about half a mile from the ROLM(e)zone.This is true,if you start measuring at the very edge of the zone,and take the vehicle overpass. Unfortunately,it is unlikely that a proposed shelter would land exactly on the edge of the zone closest to The Market.Even more unfortunately,this route is a pedestrian deathtrap.The sidewalk ends with no crosswalk,right as cars coming off the freeway are making a hairpin turn into any street crossers.I felt vulnerable just standing to take a picture.There is a safe route via a pedestrian overpass,but that makes the trip longer than the city claims,as the path winds through neighborhoods. Having visited the area and the amenities claimed in the Housing Element,I am concerned the ROLM(e)area may not have ever been the best location in the Palo Alto to put a homeless shelter.Even when there was a Lucky’s,the location had other problems.Today,served only by a gourmet grocer –it’s unsupportable. However,I am optimistic that we have a PTC and Council that will move to rectify.I would recommend anchoring the by-right shelter area around the Life Moves Opportunity Center on Encina.It’s a critical resource for Palo Altans interested in transitioning out of homelessness. The area is close to both the El Camino bus routes and Caltrain,making it vastly better from a transit perspective.The nearby grocery store is Trader Joe’s,which is much more affordable. Healthcare services include both pharmacies and hospitals.Banking services are also nearby. Thank you for your consideration. -Scott O’Neil From:Aram James To:Binder, Andrew; Sean Allen; Council, City; Human Relations Commission; Jethroe Moore; Josh Becker;Reifschneider, James; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco; Joe Simitian Subject:Antioch Police Officer Fired for Use of Force During 2022 Traffic Stop Date:Saturday, May 6, 2023 2:12:48 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/east-bay/antioch-police-use-of-force/3222126/ Antioch Police Officer Fired for Use of Force During 2022 Traffic Stop Sent from my iPhone From:Karen Kronick To:Council, City; board@pausd.org Subject:Asking for your support for Jewish American Heritage Month Date:Saturday, May 6, 2023 2:00:16 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from kkronick@gmail.com. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. To the members of the Palo Alto City Council and Palo Alto School Board: I'm writing as a Palo Alto resident and a member of the Board of Directors of the SanFrancisco Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). I am asking for yourtimely support for Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). Research indicates that the modern resurgence in antisemitism, at least as it'sexpressed in the Bay Area, is driven in large part by a lack of understanding aboutJewish diversity, history, and our civic contributions. As part of our efforts to addressthis, we are approaching every Bay Area county, city, town, and school district torequest that they recognize and celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM)this month. Our aim is to help lift up Jewish identity and address antisemitism alongside electedofficials and civic leaders. I very much hope that our Palo Alto City Council and SchoolBoard will publicly recognize JAHM in Palo Alto. We are pleased that to date manycities on the Peninsula have already committed to a JAHM resolution,including including Belmont, San Mateo, Foster City, Menlo Park, and Sunnyvale in our area,along with many more cities throughout the JCRC's Bay Area region, whichencomplasses the counties of San Francisco, Marin County, Napa/Sonoma, ContraCosta, Alameda, San Mateo and the northern part of San Clara County. To help our elected officials do this, we have a dedicated page on the JCRC websitewith information, resources and sample resolutions. We hope you will takeadvantage of these tools and help Palo Alto live up to its potential as a welcomingcommunity for people of all faiths and backgrounds. Please don't hesitate to be in touch with me, or with Karen Stiller, our JCRC Senior Director of Jewish Affairs at kstiller@jcrc.org, if you have any questions about this. With appreciation for your attention to this effort, and for the crucial work you do for our city, Karen KronickMember, Board of Directors of JCRC kkronick@gmail.commobile: 650 279-9698 From:Henry Etzkowitz To:teamjulieforpaloalto@gmail.com; angelahe101@gmail.com; Beckie Eveline Leigh; Khonika Gope; Marty Wasserman; JinxLobdell; daisy law; Hersh Jim; Orna Rosenfeld; Dorien jacque; Christiane Gebhardt Cc:Council, City; Roberta Ahlquist; Rebecca Eisenberg; Kristina Loquist; brennan.robins@mail.house.gov;provost@stanford.edu Subject:Re: Look At How Much We Can Do Together Date:Saturday, May 6, 2023 7:55:50 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Julie Appreciate the good work you are doing, your generous spirit and strongly oppose the effort to ineffect remove you from office by undermining your ability to support your family by subjecting youto irrelevant conflict of interest charges. However, suggest rethink your apparent support for buildinghousing in isolated areas, requiring new infrastructure, going against principles of social andenvironmental sustainability that underpin your excellent books Instead, suggest take the lead, building upon your perspicacious “third place” initiative to build onexisting infrastructure, like shopping centers and research parks, nearby transportation. Unbuilt landshould be green belted; iconic Bauhaus Eichler and oak creek apartments should be landmarked topreclude inevitable destruction to create larger structures as a recent letter to the editor noted. Rethink Palo Alto’s housing element based on principles of sustainability, social and environmental. All persons who work in Palo Alto: teachers, police, janitors, manicurists should have theopportunity to live in Palo Alto rather than commuting from more than an hour away as is often thecase. A member of the security staff that Saris-Regis, Stanford’s management agent called in a weekago to the Friday gambling night at the Oak Creek Clubhouse where representatives of theCommunity of Oak Creek Residents and Low Income Housing Organizations we exercising theirfirst amendment rights to petition for rel restoration of evening and Sunday Clubhouse hours and rentstabilization, interviewed, said he would like to live in Palo Alto, even in the housing complex hewas protecting, but could not afford Bring housing in line with jobs, eliminate the imbalance. Let’s move forward to attain housingjustice, with shelter a human right rather than viewing the house as a “wealth machine,” the practiceyou implicitly criticized, receiving sharp pushback, in positively noting a recent modest decline inhouse prices; itself vitiated by mortgage rate increases! With all best wishes,Henry Community of Oak Creek Residents, co-organizer Www.triplehelix.net Sent from my iPhony On May 5, 2023, at 6:26 PM, Julie Lythcott-Haims <teamjulieforpaloalto@gmail.com>wrote:  Climbing the Mountain of City Work If you've run into me recently, I've probably told you how much I love doing the work of the city. Every week, I get to learn about new stuff, from contracts with vendors, to labor negotiations, to individual residents' concerns over things that matter dearly to them. My brain especially lights up with the discovery of stuff I had no reason to know about or even think about before. I also look for patterns and seek logical connections between issues. And this week is prime fodder for that. We've got next year's proposed budget in front of us - which tells the narrative of what matters to the city in numerical terms. And we've got our revised Housing Element which tells the state where we reasonably plan to put 6,086 new housing units over the next eight years. Both are enormous topics. That we're confronting them simultaneously is both burdensome as a matter of workload and yet laden with potential for visionary decision-making. For example, if we're planning for approximately 2,000 housing units in South Palo Alto around San Antonio and Charleston, we need to prepare for those new neighbors: They'll need good roads, a suitable electric grid and other utilities, a tree canopy, safe routes to schools, proximity to grocery and other markets, amenities, and recreation just like any other Palo Altan. Right? All of this takes dollars. And vision. And if I can get through these documents, hopefully I'll be able to see and then address some of these higher-level synergies. It's hard work. But it's good work. And I'm honored by the faith you show in me by supporting me as an elected representative. The Kids are All Right I want to thank all of you who came out for our first ever "Young Minds Celebrated" event on Ramona Street last Friday afternoon. We had a great turnout, and we heard from eleven tremendous youth ranging in age from 11 to 18 who regaled us with their tales of what matters to them, or performed an inspiring song. (The top photo above is me thanking them all together at the end.) Feedback: "made me feel closer to Palo Alto" "seeing kids talk passionately makes me happy beyond words" "great location, variety of presenters- perfect!" "there was so much diversity in all the different acts" "young individuals were provided with a safe and welcoming setting where they could exhibit their skills before a live crowd" So y'all, I think we'll do this again. Maybe on Cal Ave? Maybe MidTown? Maybe at Mitchell Park? We'd do it in partnership with a cafe or restaurant (this time it was the amazing Coupa Cafe) so I welcome your thoughts on what locale/venue would be great! I also want to thank our many co-sponsors, without whom this event simply would not have been possible: Coupa Cafe, Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, Palo Alto Youth Council, Project Safety Net, Youth Community Service, allcove Palo Alto, and Creatrix Institute. Every kid went home with a $25 gift card courtesy of Coupa. Yay! (YCS executive director Mora Oommen and Coupa founder Nancy Coupal are pictured together above.) And Now for Even MORE Fun: May Fête is Saturday (Tomorrow)! I'm so very fond of parades. There's something innocent, precious even, and reassuring about them that brings up a lot of emotion in me. I recently wrote a piece reflecting on how I feel when a band begins to play in a parade. You can read it here. So join me tomorrow morning at our wonderful annual May Fête parade down University Avenue (Saturday, May 6) whose theme this year is "Empowering Wellness Through Community." The parade begins at 10am at the corner of Emerson St. and University Ave. and ends at Heritage Park on Waverley. See a map of the parade route here along with street closures. Fingers crossed that the rain stays away. Immediately after the parade is our community gathering at Heritage Park where you'll find more than 30 local community booths, games, food trucks, music, and more fun to be had with your Palo Alto neighbors! Read more details here. I hope you'll come out for it. It'll be my first time being in the parade since I led the Juana Briones Elementary School float effort long ago when my kids were quite young. I'll be the one wearing awe and gratitude and probably welling with tears every now and then! It's Bike Month ‍♂ And Palo Alto is Counting on YOU The world is trying to get me on a bike, yall. May is Bike Month, for starters, where local cities compete to have the most people pledging to ride a bike in the month of May, and I've made an unofficial friendly wager with the mayor of Menlo Park that we are going to beat them. I have no idea how we're going to accomplish that and I'm counting on all of you to figure it out. Lol! If you haven't already pledged to ride a bike in May, sign up here. You see, I'm not really a bike rider. Back in the day when I worked at Stanford, I would often ride to work. But that was 13 years ago. And let's just say things have changed! Including a chronic knee problem from an injury early in the pandemic when I was upping my workout game and my left knee wasn't having any of it! Still, I'm grateful to all of you who are trying to get me out on a bike, including longtime Palo Alto resident Deb Goldeen who dropped off an E bike for me to borrow this month. Who knows maybe I'll even ride it in the aforementioned May Fête parade! To get YOUR bike game on, join the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition on May 18 for the Bike Bash Palo Alto! Come as you are and enjoy food, beverages and merriment with your fellow bike commuters at the Palo Alto location. SVBC's team of bike parking professionals will be on-site providing FREE bicycle valet service there! Complimentary food and non-alcoholic beverages are sponsored by Stanford Research Park. Beer and wine available for purchase from Coupa Café at happy hour pricing. The Bike Bash party is open to any SVBC supporter — a donor during the past year or a member. If you are not yet a supporter, no worries, please donate using the ticket for non members. Any additional donations are welcome. Tickets and more information found here. What's Your Story? Believe it or not, I didn't dare to call myself a writer until I was 44. But since that time, I've managed to publish three books. Yay! (I'm 55 now.) Where are you in your writing journey? If you're thinking about maybe being a writer, or you're actively working at writing, or even publishing, I applaud you. For those who write fiction, it's time for the Palo Alto Weekly's annual short story contest which is open to teens and adults. If this feels like it's beckoning you, I encourage you to go for it. And be sure to spread the word to the fiction writers in your life! The contest is open to anyone who lives, works or attends school in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Redwood City, Stanford, Portola Valley, Woodside, Mountain View, Los Altos, or Los Altos Hills. There are cash prizes and gift certificates for1st-3rd place in both the teen and adult categories. The deadline to submit is May 10. Find out all the details on how to submit your short story here! Writing is a special kind of torture that's oh-so-worth it Love Me Some Live Music:More Goodness from Earthwise Earthwise Productions is offering a bunch of concerts in May: Thursday May 11, 8-10pm Raffi Garabedian Octet Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium FREE Sunday May 14, 7pm Laurie Lewis and Men of Note Mitchell Park Community Center $20 Sunday May 21, 7:30pm Amendola vs. Blades, JoVia Armstrong Destiny Muhammad Mitchell Park Community Center $20 Friday May 26, 8pm Sonny and the Rhinestone Sunsets Mitchell Park Community Center $20 For more information on these awesome events, check out the Earthwise website here. An Update on My Legal Battle(Whether I Can Continue to EarnMy Living From Public Speaking) Haters gonna hate, and I'm gonna keep going. If you catch flak for supporting me, or want to affirmatively counteract some of the critique being thrown around out there, you can say: Julie did the right thing and sought legal advice before running for office. The regulation wasn't meant to cover people whose legitimate business includes public speaking. Why would a speech she gives on parenting, race, or youth development in places like Minneapolis, Nashville, or Boston be considered a conflict with her work for the city? The regulation was meant to limit the extent to which people earn honoraria "in the jurisdiction" in which they serve, and Julie doesn't take money for speeches given in Palo Alto. In fact she's recently spoken to parents and/or kids at Paly, Gunn, Escondido, and Kehillah, all for free! We hope to have a hearing on the matter in June. I'm very optimistic about our chances, and I appreciate your continued support and encouragement. That's it for now, y'all. Try to stay dry in this weird May weather. Keep being awesome. And thanks for reading my stuff. xo View this email in your browser GET INVOLVED TODAY! Julie Lythcott-Haims for Palo Alto City Council 2022 julieforpaloalto@gmail.com | 3790 El Camino Real #2022 Palo Alto, CA 94306 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Some people who received this message don't often get email from reshmikad@yahoo.com. Learn why this isimportant From:Stump, Molly To:Reshmika dayal; Council, City Subject:RE: Contact with the Legal department Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 4:27:28 PM Attachments:image001.png image003.png image004.png image007.png image008.png Hello Ms. Dayal – You can send your inquiry to me, or call 650-329-2171. MOLLY S. STUMP City Attorney Office of the City Attorney (650) 329 - 2171 | Molly.Stump@cityofpaloalto.org www.cityofpaloalto.org This message contains information that may be confidential and privileged. Unless you are the addressee, you may not use, copy or disclose the message or any information contained in the message. If you received the message in error, please notify the sender and delete the message. From: Reshmika dayal <reshmikad@yahoo.com> Sent: Friday, May 5, 2023 11:06 AM To: Council, City <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org> Subject: Contact with the Legal department CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hello, Can you please let me know how to get in touch with someone from the legal department for the city? I am waiting for a letter that is awaiting approval from the legal department and I am trying to find out who to contact to talk to legal. Thanks From:Kou, LydiaTo:Winter Dellenbach; Council, City Subject:Re: For May 8 Meeting Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 2:54:42 PM Thank you Ms. Dellenbach. Get Outlook for iOS From: Winter Dellenbach <wintergery@earthlink.net> Sent: Friday, May 5, 2023 2:45:55 PM To: Council, City <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org> Subject: For May 8 Meeting CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Council Members: Please see Item 8. Information Reports in your May 8th Council meeting packet as a pdf. These two related reports could be easily overlooked. INFORMATION REPORTS8. Independent Police Auditor Special Report on Police Recruitment and Retention Attachment A: IPA Report on Recruitment and Hiring Attachment B: Police Department Responses to IPA Report on Recruitment and Hiring Background: This “ Report on Recruitment and Hiring”, Attachment A., was requested by the Council in March 2022, of our Independent Police Auditor(IPA) who accepts special assignments such as this on occasion. The Palo Alto Police Department Response to this IPA Report is included as Attachment B immediately following it. Both these Information Reports are important to our effort to increase oversight, transparency and accountability by City law enforcement. Thus your carefulreview is warranted. Council will then have an opportunity to discuss these Reports with the IPA and PAPD representative at an open meeting, apparentlybefore your June break. Also, soon the IPA’s PAPD Oversight Report, and the PAPD’s Use of Force Report, and Response to Recommendations Report [to those the IPA in hisprevious Oversight Report] will also be released to Council before the meeting, covering the last half of 2022. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Winter Dellenbach - From:Winter DellenbachTo:Council, City Subject:For May 8 Meeting Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 2:45:56 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Council Members: Please see Item 8. Information Reports in your May 8th Council meeting packet as a pdf. These two related reports could be easily overlooked. INFORMATION REPORTS8. Independent Police Auditor Special Report on Police Recruitment and Retention Attachment A: IPA Report on Recruitment and Hiring Attachment B: Police Department Responses to IPA Report on Recruitment and Hiring Background: This “ Report on Recruitment and Hiring”, Attachment A., was requested by the Council in March 2022, of our Independent Police Auditor (IPA) who accepts special assignments such as this on occasion. The Palo Alto Police Department Response to this IPA Report is included as Attachment B immediately following it. Both these Information Reports are important to our effort to increase oversight, transparency and accountability by City law enforcement. Thus your careful review is warranted. Council will then have an opportunity to discuss these Reports with the IPA and PAPD representative at an open meeting, apparently before your June break. Also, soon the IPA’s PAPD Oversight Report, and the PAPD’s Use of Force Report, and Response to Recommendations Report [to those the IPA in his previous Oversight Report] will also be released to Council before the meeting, covering the last half of 2022. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Winter Dellenbach - From:Tran, Joanna To:Council, City Cc:Executive Leadership Team; Clerk, City Subject:Council Consent Questions: Items 4 and 6 (5/8/23) Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 1:02:04 PM Attachments:image001.pngimage003.pngimage004.pngimage006.pngimage007.pngimage008.pngimage009.png Dear Mayor and Councilmembers, On behalf of City Manager Ed Shikada, please view the following links for the amended agenda and staff responses to questions from Mayor Kou and Councilmember Tanaka for Monday night’s Council Meeting: May 8 Amended Agenda Staff responses to Items 4 and 6 Thank you, Joanna Joanna Tran Executive Assistant to the City Manager Office of the City Manager (650) 329-2105 | joanna.tran@cityofpaloalto.org www.cityofpaloalto.org From:Charlie Weidanz To:Council, City Subject:Wild Onion Bistro & Bar Wine Dinner | Thursday, May 11 at 7pm Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 12:42:33 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Wild Onion Bistro & Bar Wine Dinner Wild Onion Bistro & Bar - Wine Dinner | Thursday, May 11 at 7pm Come and enjoy wine & dinner at Wild Onion Bistro & Bar750 San Antonio Rd Palo Alto, CA 94303 Thursday, May 11 at 7pm Call 650-999-7092 to make a reservation or goto https://www.hotelcitrine.com/events-calendar/maggy-hawk-wine- dinner/1683770400 to reserve online. Hotel Citrine | AC Hotels 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:Alejandra Mier To:Council, City Subject:RE: Palo Alto TMA Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 12:39:40 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from alejandra@coupacafe.com. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. To whom it may concern, My name is Alejandra and I work with Coupa Cafe. We have been utilizing the Palo AltoTMA program since the beginning. Coupa Cafe currently has two locations in downtown Palo Alto, 3 on the Stanford campus and 3 others outside of the campus. The program has helped aton of our employees get to work with little or no cost. It has helped with the parking situation, leaving more parking spaces for customers, and saving our employees money withtransportation costs such as gas and parking permits. Our employees love the free transit passes and use it all the time. The most popular form of transit for our employees are theSamTrans and VTA. Justine has made it easy for our employees to sign up for the program and has been extremely helpful with providing alternative ways to get to work instead of driving. I hope to see theprogram continue with its success for the future. Best regards, Alejandra MierCoupa Cafe From:Reshmika dayal To:Council, City Subject:Contact with the Legal department Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 11:06:01 AM Some people who received this message don't often get email from reshmikad@yahoo.com. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hello, Can you please let me know how to get in touch with someone from the legal department forthe city? I am waiting for a letter that is awaiting approval from the legal department and I am trying to find out who to contact to talk to legal. Thanks From:LWV of Palo Alto To:Council, City; HeUpdate; Irvin.Saldana@hcd.ca.gov Subject:Comment on Palo Alto"s first revision to Draft Housing Element Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 10:38:48 AM Attachments:LWVPA comments rev HE.v.3.docx CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Please find attached the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto's public comment on the city'sfirst revision to its Draft Housing Element. Sincerely,LWV of Palo Alto -- League of Women Voters of Palo Alto3921 E. Bayshore Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 Phone: (650) 903-0600Web: www.lwvpaloalto.orgFacebook: www.facebook.com/PaloAltoLeague/Twitter: www.twitter.com/lwvpaloalto 1 Date: May 5, 2023 To: Dear Mayor Kou, Vice Mayor Stone, Palo Alto City Council and City Staff Cc: Dept of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Re: Comment on First Revision to Housing Element The League of Women Voters of Palo Alto has studied the city’s revision to its Housing Element and the HCD’s letter finding the HE insufficient. These comments are directed to the issue of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. Our comments are based on our local League’s Housing policy which supports policies and actions by the City of Palo Alto towards improving the diversity of housing opportunities for all economic levels, ages and ethnicities; and ensuring that all housing is open to everyone without discrimination, and on state and national League policies: • Housing and Homelessness • Meeting Basic Human Needs The League applauds the city’s intent to use SB 9 to increase the mobility of low-moderate households into areas of concentrated affluence in the ten census tracts which currently exclude them. The Housing Element Should Adopt Concrete Goals and Actions to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing. The HCD review letter ordered Palo Alto to add goals and actions to affirmatively further fair housing. These actions, according to HCD, should include protecting existing residents from displacement. 1 The consequences of displacement are severe, forcing long-term residents out of their neighborhoods, uprooting people from their jobs, children from their schools, seniors from their long-time neighbors and family, and teachers and public employees from the community they serve. It increases homelessness in circumstances when alternative housing is unavailable or the costs of moving to less expensive areas is prohibitive. Displacement also significantly increases greenhouse gas emissions. A California Air Resources Board White Paper on Anti-Displacement Strategies concludes that preservation of housing 1 https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/affh/docs/AFFH_Document_Final_4-27- 2021.pdf#page=7 p. 13.) (AFFH Document Final) and AB 686. 2 affordable to low- and moderate-income households, along with renter protections, is key to reducing greenhouse emissions.2 Naturally occurring affordable housing stock accounts for most affordable housing in our community and its preservation is especially critical. The city has identified three census tracts at risk of displacement: one tract where 50-75% of the households are low-moderate income; and two census tracts where 10-25% of the population is below poverty level (HE, Appendix C, Fig. C-44, p. 71.) Higher cost-burdened households are also found in other parts of the city, (Appendix. C, Fig. C-37, C-38.) The Urban Displacement Project found seven census tracts where the majority of renters are cost-burdened. These census tracts are listed in LWV Palo Alto’s 12/7/2022 HE comment letter to HCD and the city. Programs, Actions, Timelines, Geographic Targets, and Metrics should be aimed at these seven census tracts. Some concrete goals and action the HE could take would be to generate a list of older multi- family rental properties for potential acquisition/rehabilitation and conversion to deed- restricted affordable housing, working with property owners and affordable housing providers to determine ways to preserve the units as affordable, and securing funding from CDFIs, BAHFA, CDBG, a real estate transfer tax, joint powers bond funding, a local bond, and/or City’s general fund to assist affordable housing developers or tenants to acquire, rehabilitate and convert at- risk units to permanently affordable housing. The HE could also commit to dedicate staff to a new preservation program by 2026 and secure at least $1million in funding by 2027. These actions are suggested in ABAG’s toolkit for Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.3 Because displacement typically follows when owners sell NOAH properties to others who seek to refurbish the property and raise rents, local preservation strategies that center renters and current owners can combat this cycle and preserve affordability. In addition to the funding sources mentioned by ABAG, grants and low-interest loan programs for energy efficiency and functional upgrades may be available from the state and federal government. The City can consider copying programs such as the Small Building Program in Washington, D.C., which provides grants for small property owners to improve conditions through maintenance repairs and requires an affordability covenant that restricts the maximum allowable rent and income eligibility limits per household. 2 Chapple, Karen, and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris. 2021. White Paper on Anti-Displacement Strategy Effectiveness. Sacramento, CA: California Air Resources Board. Available at: https://www.urbandisplacement.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/08/19RD018-Anti-Displacement-Strategy- Effectiveness.pdf. 3 https://abag.ca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2022- 08/ABAG_AFFH_Policies_Toolkit_Sept_2022.pdf) (Appendix A). 3 Low-moderate Income housing Must Be Dispersed Throughout the City, Not Isolated Under its duty to affirmatively further fair housing, the HE must not isolate new low-moderate income households in one section of the city.4 The draft Housing Element calls for producing the majority of the RHNA’s new low-moderate income housing on the eastern leg of San Antonio Road, rather than dispersing these units through the city in diverse areas. The HE should analyze whether east San Antonio RHNA sites would result in a significantly higher proportion of low- income census tracts than the community-wide average, and if so, should select other sites, such as the downtown transit center and city parking lots, which are already slated for housing development, are close to amenities such as shopping, retail, public transportation and are walkable neighborhoods, reducing reliance on cars and the production of green-house gas emissions. Very truly yours, Liz Kniss President League of Women Voters of Palo Alto Lisa Ratner LWVPA Action/Advocacy Chair 4 https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/affh/docs/AFFH_Document_Final_4-27- 2021.pdf#page=7 p. 45.) (AFFH Document Final) and AB 686. The HE should analyze whether the percentage of low-moderate income households proposed in the east San Antonio census or bloc tracts would be significantly higher than the community-wide average. From:Charlie Weidanz To:Council, City Subject:Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce News & Updates - May 5, 2023 Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 8:30:20 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. NEWS & UPDATES - MAY 5, 2023 Third Thursday California Avenue Chamber Mixer & Networking Event Leadership Palo Alto 2023-2024 Information Reception JobTrain's 39th Annual Breakfast of Champions Mother's Day Brunch at Crowne Plaza Cabana Peninsula Restuarant Week Affordable Housing and Housing Resources Fair Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement Palo Alto Community Survey Palo Alto Festival of the Arts, Aug. 26-27 3rd Thursday - California Ave Palo Alto Third Thursday - A New Monthly Live Music Event Starts in May Join us on the Third Thursday of every month 6:00 pm to 9:00 pmBegins May 18, 2023 California Avenue in Palo Alto Six musical groups will be playing at various locations along the street creating the joyful opportunity to explore the Ave and support local businesses.​Chamber Mixer & Networking Event Chamber Mixer & Networking Event Tuesday, May 16, 2023 5:30 PM – 7:00 PMThe Patio @ Rudy's 412 Emerson St., Palo Alto Hosted By:The Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Connect with fellow professionals and business owners. Enjoy light refreshments and drinks. Special Keynote Speaker:​Teresa Ong Foothill College/ Associate VP/ Workforce CTE programs Topic: Workforce Development and Retention RSVP Now Leadership Palo Alto Information Reception Leadership Palo Alto 2023-2024 Information Reception Tuesday, June 1, 2023 5:30pm to 7pm Location: The Avant 4041 El Camino Way Palo Alto, CA 94306 Join us for an informational reception. Learn about our Leadership Palo Alto Program. Light refreshments served. Register Now JobTrain Breakfast of Champions JobTrain’s 39th annual Breakfast of Champions, our biggest event fundraiser of the year, a long-honored tradition within JobTrain and the greater community. The event will bring together hundreds of our corporate, individual donors and government officials. There is something extremely powerful about bringing together supporters to celebrate the success of our students in-person. We will be sharing client successes, an update on our future, and it is our honor to be highlighting our guest speaker, Dr. Yusef Salaam, one of The Exonerated Five. JobTrain is a nonprofit organization providing career training and job search assistance to the bay area since 1965. Proceeds will benefit our programs which help individuals find sustainable careers. ThursdayMay 11, 2023 Registration: 7:30 am – 8:30 am Event: 8:30 am -10:00 am VIP: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront 1800 Old Bayshore Hwy Burlingame, CA 94010 Sponsorship and Ticketing Information: https://www.jobtrainworks.org/boc2023/ For questions regarding the event and sponsorship, contact Reshma Putnam RPutnam@jobtrainworks.org or 650 330 6436 JOIN THE CELEBRATION Mother's Day Brunch Br Mother's Day Brunch Sunday, May 14, 2023 10 am - 2 pm Crowne Plaza Cabana Palo Alto 4290 El Camino Real Reservations: monserrat.montes@cabanapaloalto.com 650-628-0172 Dear Peninsula Local, Mark your calendar. It’s the Peninsula’s biggest food event of the year! Come join us! We are celebrating our local eateries for 9 days, with special dishes and gift card giveaways. This foodie centric event is sure to please your taste buds! From May 19th until the 27th, come check out this sweet event, filled with your favorite local restaurants (and discover some new ones too). See which restaurantsare participating with our online directory. Want to win gift cards to local restaurants? Visit @peninsulafoodist and @thesixfifty on Instagram for details on how to win from May 17 - May 27. Winners will be chosen at random. See Participating Restaurants Presented by Partnered with Affordable Housing and Housing Resources Fair City of Palo Alto The City is hosting an Affordable Housing and Housing Resources Fair on Saturday, May 13, from 1-3:30 p.m. at City Hall on King Plaza in support ofAffordable Housing Week and in partnership with Silicon Valley @ Home. Attendees will be able to sign-up for affordable housing waiting lists and ask questions about programs and services. Nonprofit partners and Santa Clara County agencies supporting our community that will be tabling at this event include: Alta Housing, Eden Housing, Project Sentinel, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto Renters’ Association, Rebuilding Together, Avenidas, the Office ofSupportive Housing, and the Housing Authority. For details, go to www.cityofpaloalto.org/housingfair. Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement The Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement will be held on Sunday, May 21,2023 from 3 to 5pm here in Palo Alto. The 2023 Honorees have been chosen and they are truly an amazing group! This year we will honor: Loretta Green, Karen Ross, Roger Smith, Anne Warner Cribbs, and Jane Shaw & Peter Carpenter. We are looking for individual or companysponsorships as these gifts make it possible for Avenidas to provide essential services that impact the lives of our community’s older adults. Whether your gift enables frail seniors to receive care at our Rose Kleiner program, provides rides to the grocery store for seniors who no longerdrive, or matches older volunteers with children who need help reading, each dollar helps older adults live more independent, healthy, and connected lives. I hope you will be able to join us for this wonderful celebration. Thank youfor considering becoming a sponsor. You can find more information here or contact Amy Yotopoulos at ayotopoulos@avenidas.org. Palo Alto Community Survey City of Palo Alto Many nonprofits are evaluating purpose, services and impacts after the pandemic. Join the City of Palo Alto staff as they share the results of the survey. The City seeks community-wide feedback through the Palo Alto Community Survey. The Palo Alto Community Survey process is a critical community feedback tool that helps the City Council and City staff understand community perspectives on current services and programs, as well as unmet needs and priorities. Working collectively is key to sustainability and impact. This workshop will help your organization gain data and insight for strategic decision-making. Let’s network with city staff and council to evaluate our work and alignmore with our community’s unmet needs and priorities. SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, May 24 at 9:00 am Register Here ZOOM Link will be sent out prior to event Palo Alto Festival of the Arts - Celebrating 40 years Celebrate the 40th Annual Palo Alto Festival of the Arts! Mark your calendarand join us for your favorite arts festival along University Avenue Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26-27, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be fun for all ages. The Festival will feature more than 250 fine art and contemporary craft artists, an interactive Kids’ Art Studio, Italian Street Painting, live entertainment on multiple stages, food, wine and microbrews. SPONSORS: Businesses interested in branding, promotional and leadgeneration sponsorship opportunities at this well-attended Festival may contact Claudette Mannina at 831-461-1796 or claudette@designingleads.com. ARTISTS: Applications by fine or contemporary artists are being accepted for space or waiting list consideration. Email Pacific Fine Arts Festivals at pfa@pacificfinearts.com. See full Festival details at www.paloaltochamber.com/festival. Hope to see you Aug. 26-27! This signature event is proudly hosted by: Proceeds from this event help the Chamber continue supporting our business community. See Our Upcoming Events Learn More About The Chamber ​ PALO ALTO CHAMBER & VISITORS CENTER355 ALMA STREET | PALO ALTO | CA | 94301 | 650-324-3121WWW.PALOALTOCHAMBER.COM This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA94301.To unsubscribe click here. If you have questions or comments concerning this email orservices 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:Aram James To:Figueroa, Eric; Lee, Craig; cromero@cityofepa.org; rabrica@cityofepa.org; EPA Today; Binder, Andrew;Reifschneider, James; Wagner, April; Josh Becker; Sean Allen; Human Relations Commission; Jethroe Moore;Michael Gennaco; Foley, Michael; Tannock, Julie; Council, City; Jeff Rosen; Pat Burt; Joe Simitian; ladoris cordell;Shikada, Ed; Shana Segal; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Jay Boyarsky; Enberg, Nicholas; Perron, Zachary; Angie Evans;Javier Ortega; Cecilia Taylor Subject:- Tyre Nichols died of blows to the head, autopsy shows Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 7:36:25 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking 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. Tyre Nichols died of blows to the head, autopsy shows https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?guid=61b041b1-b14e-4ce5-b29c- bbd833578d29&appcode=SAN252&eguid=24ad6cfa-f07f-4bc8-8f88-d332ae28fa6e&pnum=15# For more great content like this subscribe to the The Mercury News e-edition app here: Sent from my iPhone From:Aram James To:Shana Segal; Greer Stone; Council, City; Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore; Human Relations Commission; Joe Simitian Subject:- Oakland teachers’ strike underway Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 7:22:20 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking 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. Oakland teachers’ strike underway https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?guid=5eac79d5-f530-4aa8-878d- 7ee8d2b5aaaa&appcode=SAN252&eguid=24ad6cfa-f07f-4bc8-8f88-d332ae28fa6e&pnum=1# For more great content like this subscribe to the The Mercury News e-edition app here: Sent from my iPhone From:Aram James To:Binder, Andrew; Javier Ortega; Josh Becker; Sean Allen; Council, City; Reifschneider, James; Jethroe Moore;Human Relations Commission; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco; Foley, Michael; Tannock, Julie; Figueroa, Eric;nick.enberg@cityofpoalto.org; Jeff Rosen; Rebecca Eisenberg; ladoris cordell; chuck jagoda; Shikada, Ed; CindyChavez; Kevin Jensen; dennis burns Subject:Tou Thao, former MPD officer charged in George Floyd"s killing, found guilty Date:Friday, May 5, 2023 7:10:28 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ https://www.startribune.com/hennepin-county-tou-thao-mpd-officer-george-floyd-killing-manslaughter-cahill- minneapolis-police/600271709/ Sent from my iPhone From:Aram James To:Shana Segal; Greer Stone; Jethroe Moore; Council, City; Sean Allen; Human Relations Commission; Josh Becker;Joe Simitian; Reifschneider, James; Binder, Andrew; Michael Gennaco; Shikada, Ed; Jeff Rosen; ladoris cordell;Rebecca Eisenberg; chuck jagoda; Jay Boyarsky; Enberg, Nicholas; Perron, Zachary; Angie Evans; Javier Ortega;Cecilia Taylor; Linda Jolley; Patricia.Guerrero@jud.ca.gov; Burt, Patrick; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Supervisor SusanEllenberg; dennis burns Subject:Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. It won"t help - Los Angeles Times Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 11:41:02 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-05-01/mental-health-california-us-homelessness-psychiatric-detentions Sent from my iPhone From:Aram James To:Salem Ajluni; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; Council, City; Josh Becker; Human Relations Commission; ShanaSegal; Angie Evans; Patricia.Guerrero@jud.ca.gov; Bryan Gobin; Jethroe Moore; Sean Allen; Joe Simitian;Wagner, April; Binder, Andrew; Reifschneider, James; Jeff Rosen; Shikada, Ed; Jack Ajluni; Lewis. james;Planning Commission; ParkRec Commission Subject:Israel a terrorist nation Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 9:47:23 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ Israel a terrorist nation LETTERS TO THE EDITOR https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?guid=3ad05c2b-31ad-470b-bbb1- d1a14304b08d&appcode=SAN252&eguid=add9d808-cf8e-444b-9db6-3ff1de63e0a7&pnum=26# For more great content like this subscribe to the The Mercury News e-edition app here: Sent from my iPhone From:Aram James To:Perron, Zachary; Binder, Andrew; Jethroe Moore; Josh Becker; Human Relations Commission; Council, City; SeanAllen; Reifschneider, James; Joe Simitian; Jeff Rosen; Michael Gennaco; Wagner, April; ladoris cordell; chuckjagoda; Shikada, Ed; Rebecca Eisenberg; Shana Segal; Enberg, Nicholas; DuJuan Green; dennis burns; KevinJensen; Javier Ortega Subject:- Wrongfully convicted man gets $13 million settlement Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 9:42:17 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking 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. Wrongfully convicted man gets $13 million settlement https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?guid=4fcf628a-9b40-4481-b7d3- 8f734ea14708&appcode=SAN252&eguid=add9d808-cf8e-444b-9db6-3ff1de63e0a7&pnum=19# For more great content like this subscribe to the The Mercury News e-edition app here: Sent from my iPhone From:Hamilton Hitchings To:Council, City; Planning Commission; HeUpdate Subject:Please Adopt the Latest Housing Element Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 8:11:28 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council, PTC & City Staff, I support the Council adopting the Latest Housing Element at Monday's Council Meeting. This will limit the City's exposure to buildings remedy projects and HCD continuing to delay until the first phase of penalties kicking in. One other thought on this latest version of the element: Stanford continues to contribute to the housing shortfall by hiring more professors, staff and graduate students than they produce housing for who then compete for housing in Palo Alto and surrounding cities, further driving up rents. In addition, theyare now buying up the houses in the city. Program 1.5 was supposed to address Stanford providing its fair share of housing in the next housing element. However Program 1.5 B is even more watered down in this reversion by not requiring housing at Stanford Shopping Center unless both Stanford and its tenant decide they want it.Currently the tenant wants a hotel instead. No meaningful programs requiring Stanford to build their fair share of housing in the next housing element are included in Program 1.5. Hamilton Hitchings From:K E To:Council, City Subject:Tenants Resources are a Potemkin Village Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 7:52:58 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from kuleshoveffect48@gmail.com. Learn why thisis important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Council, I am a tenant and worker in the city of Palo Alto and have been seeking assistance with a dispute with my current landlord. I have referred to the city's Tenants resources page, linkedhere: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/City-Hall/Housing/Tenant-Landlord-Resources/Tenant- Resources . Here, the city pretends it generously offers not one but two resources to assistresidents with housing problems -- Project Sentinel and Palo Alto Mediation Program. I am writing to alert the council that neither of these projects appear to be operating. I have called and emailed both. Project sentinel appears to be unmanned for most of May accordingto automated messages. Palo Alto Mediation Program also does not answer the phone. It goes to voicemail, promises a 24-hour callback, but none come. I am frustrated and disappointed, but frankly, not very surprised. The city has a pattern ofdisrespect towards anyone who doesn't own land in one of the most expensive cities. The website looks very good, and it has all the information. It's just a deep shame that nothing isbehind the facade. I urge the council to address this. From:Aram James To:Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore; ladoris cordell; Josh Becker; Human Relations Commission; Reifschneider, James;Binder, Andrew; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco; Michael Gennaco; Tannock, Julie; Council, City; Figueroa, Eric;Shikada, Ed; Rebecca Eisenberg; chuck jagoda; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Jeff Rosen; Shana Segal; Enberg, Nicholas;Perron, Zachary; Angie Evans; Javier Ortega; Jay Boyarsky; Cecilia Taylor Subject:Activists Face Felonies for Flyers on “Cop City” Protester Killing Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 12:46:40 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ https://theintercept.com/2023/05/02/cop-city-activists-arrest-flyers/ Sent from my iPhone From:Palo Alto Forward To:Council, City Cc:Stone, Greer; Pat Burt; ed@edlauing.com; Kou, Lydia; Veenker, Vicki; julieforpaloalto@gmail.com; Lythcott- Haims, Julie; greg@gregtanaka.org Subject:Affordable Housing Events! Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 12:13:37 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hello, I wanted to invite you all to two fantastic affordable housing-related events happening righthere in Palo Alto. On Wednesday, May 10th from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Avenidas, Alta Housing, and Palo Alto Forward will be giving a presentation on Creating Housing Options to Age in OurCommunity. The event will be at Avenidas and will include snacks and socializing. You can RSVP here for the Avenidas event. On Saturday, May 13th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. the Silicon Valley BicycleCoalition, Alta Housing, Palo Alto Forward, and SV@Home are hosting the Wheelie Home Affordable Housing Ride as part of Affordable Housing Month and Bike Month. On thisapproximately 12-mile recreational ride we will visit four affordable housing sites, learn about the value of these developments to our community, and check out bicycleinfrastructure/improvements along the way. RSVP here for Wheelie Home ride. Please let me know if you have any questions about either event. We would love to see you there! Amie AshtonExecutive Director, Palo Alto Forward From:Tran, Joanna To:Council, City Cc:Kou, Lydia; Shikada, Ed; Gaines, Chantal Subject:Palo Alto Letters of Support (4) Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 11:32:21 AM Attachments:SB 363 (Eggman) Palo Alto Support.pdfSB 719 (Becker) Palo Alto Support.pdfAB 1505 (Rodriguez) Palo Alto Support.pdfSB 43 (Eggman) Palo Alto Support.pdfimage003.pngimage005.pngimage006.pngimage008.pngimage009.pngimage010.pngimage002.png Dear Council Members, On behalf of Mayor Kou, please see attached for four legislative letters of support: 1. SB 363 (Eggman) Facilities for inpatient and residential mental health and substance use disorder: database. 2. SB 719 (Becker) Law enforcement agencies: radio communications 3. AB 1505 (Rodriguez) Seismic Retrofitting: Soft Story Multifamily Housing 4. SB 43 (Eggman) Behavioral Health. Thank you! Best, Joanna Joanna Tran Executive Assistant to the City Manager Office of the City Manager (650) 329-2105 | joanna.tran@cityofpaloalto.org www.cityofpaloalto.org From:Henry Etzkowitz To:brennan.robins@mail.house.gov Cc:John Marlin; provost@stanford.edu; Roberta Ahlquist; Marty Wasserman; Jinx Lobdell; Khonika Gope; Rebecca Eisenberg; Council, City; Hersh Jim Subject:Housing Justice in Silicon Valley Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023 9:51:59 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.________________________________ Dear Brennan Thank you for your invitation to write. Rather than wait until I synthesize previous writings that address housingjustice in nucleo through the effect of Stanford’s takeover of the 759 unit oak creek community, putting Seniorsagainst PhD students and post-docs as the university attempts to address its housing crisis without consideration ofthe effects of their actions on others in effect, it creates a zero sum game, a struggle over existing housing stockrather than address the “invisible elephant in the room, “ the factors and forces that create scarcity with inevitablyescalating house prices and rents when the house is treated as a “wealth machine” rather than a human right toshelter. This is the problem. Representative Eshoo’s potential role in addressing it; the issue. Your take, please?Next mail and/or meetup; available BestHenrycommunity of oak creek residents, co-organizer Www.triplehelix.net Sent from my iPhone From:YIMBY ActionTo:Council, CitySubject:JOIN US: How to Achieve Racial Justice in HousingDate:Thursday, May 4, 2023 9:01:14 AM Some people who received this message don't often get email from hello@yimbyaction.org. Learn why this is important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Image Did you know that our neighborhoods are more segregated today than they were in 1990? The good news is that we know what needs to be done to advance racial justice in housing. Come learn why neighborhoods are still segregated and how we can make housing equitable for everyone. Join us for an upcoming session on Register Now Thursday, May 18 at 11am PT | 2pm ET YOUR YIMBY ACTION MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP STATUS None DONOR LEVEL None VOLUNTEER LEVEL None Join or Renew LOCATION Unknown, Unknown Unknown Add/update location MOBILE ALERTS None Add/update mobile Keeping this information up to date powers our activism! Need help with your membership? Email hello@yimbyaction.org. Image YIMBY Action is a network of pro-housing activists fighting for more inclusive housing policies and a future of abundant housing. Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails fromYIMBY Action, please click here. From:Aram James To:Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore; Binder, Andrew; Reifschneider, James; Wagner, April; Josh Becker; Michael Gennaco;Joe Simitian; Human Relations Commission; Javier Ortega; cromero@cityofepa.org; rabrica@cityofepa.org; EPAToday; Perron, Zachary; Council, City; Shana Segal; Angie Evans; ladoris cordell; Bains, Paul; Shikada, Ed; chuckjagoda; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Jay Boyarsky; Enberg, Nicholas; Figueroa, Eric; Tannock, Julie Subject:VIDEO: Fairfield police officer knocks woman unconscious | KRON4 Date:Wednesday, May 3, 2023 8:52:23 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ FYI: https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/video-fairfield-police-officer-knocks-woman-unconscious/ Sent from my iPhone From:ANDREA B SMITH To:O"Kane, Kristen Cc:City Mgr; Council, City Subject:Re: Palo Alto Players and Lucy Stern Community Center Date:Wednesday, May 3, 2023 6:01:20 PM Attachments:image001.pngimage002.png Thank you for your response to my e-mail, however, it is horse manure. It is not always the case that theater goers are not allowed to use the restrooms when there is a wedding. I've been there to know that. Oh, yes, there was a City staff member at Lucy Stern. It is important to be honest about issues at the City. Gregg Tanaka was correct when he spoke about AI replacing some City employees. Andrea Smith On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 05:30:47 PM PDT, O'Kane, Kristen <kristen.o'kane@cityofpaloalto.org> wrote: Dear, Ms. Smith, Thank you for your email about availability of the community center restrooms to theatre patrons. I am responding on behalf of the City Manager. The wedding I believe you are referring to occurred last weekend and while it was a City staff person’s wedding, that was not the reason for the restrooms not being available. When we have events at the community center such as weddings and memorials that are exclusive use, meaning they have paid for full use of the community center, the restrooms are not available for theater patrons. This change was made because we do not have enough staff to oversee the event, which can have up to 150 guests, plus the additional number of people who come in to you use the restrooms from the theatre. We are sensitive to the needs of the theatre during performances, and are working on a resolution to this issue so that the restrooms will be available to patrons even when large events are held in the community center. Until then, we will continue to meet with theatre staff regularly to ensure clear communication occurs regarding access to the restrooms. I apologize for the inconvenience this is causing and we will hopefully have it resolved soon. Thank you for your understanding. Kindly, Kristen KRISTEN O’KANE Community Services Director (650) 463-4908 | Kristen.O’Kane@cityofpaloalto.org www.cityofpaloalto.org -----Original Message----- From: ANDREA B SMITH <andreabsmith@sbcglobal.net> Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2023 5:32 PM To: Shikada, Ed <Ed.Shikada@CityofPaloAlto.org>; Council, City <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org> Subject: Palo Alto Players and Lucy Stern Community Center CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ Hello everyone - As one of many volunteers for Palo Alto Players (TheatreWorks and West Bay Opera) who rent Lucy Stern Theatre, it has been my understanding that the Players, TheatreWorks, and West Bay Opera are allowed to use the restrooms at the Community Center besides the ones in the theater. Palo Alto Players was not allowed to use the restrooms in the Community Center Friday evening (April 21, 2023) because a CITY EMPLOYEE (male) was being married at Lucy Stern Community Center and had the door to the Community Center LOCKED so that the theater attendees could not use the restrooms. The play was sold out which means there were many in Lucy Stern Theatre who were lined up to use the Men's and Women's restrooms in the theater who could not use the Community Center restrooms because the CITY EMPLOYEE being married and did not want his guests inconvenienced by theater attendees. Is that MALE EMPLOYEE of the City of Palo Alto a resident of Palo Alto? If not, why should he have been allowed to have the Community Center door locked to inconvenience Palo Alto Players attendees? Andrea Smith 194 Walter Hays Drive From:dean@caldart.org To:Council, City Subject:Last Call - Disaster Airlift simulation in Santa Clara County Sat May 13 Date:Wednesday, May 3, 2023 2:50:50 PM [Some people who received this message don't often get email from dean@caldart.org. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification ] CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ Greetings Everybody The CalDART disaster airlift response team statewide exercise is coming up on Saturday May 13, 2023. We want YOU to join us and meet disaster airlift pilots on May 13 at either San Jose Reid Hillview, San Martin Airport, or Palo Alto Airport. Our volunteer disaster airlift pilots will be flying simulated missions between many airports in California. Including airports in Santa Clara County SCC. In Santa Clara County we will be practicing responding to a massive mock earthquake has rocked the Bay Area. Pilots fly into airports, and rendezvous with disaster management / e-prep agencies. Pilots deliver mock 'cargo' certificates that represent disaster gear/people like emergency medical supplies, jaws of life, trauma surgeons/nurses/etc, on and on. This will be a massive California-wide exercise, and a great practice for disaster airlift operations state-wide. We want all disaster management teams, emergency prep agencies, etc in Santa Clara County to join us at one of the 3 small airports in Santa Clara County: San Jose Reid Hillview RHV, San Martin Airport E16, or Palo Alto Airport PAO. If you can join us, please respond to this email and we will send more info. We hope to see you May 13 at an airport near you! Keep Safe! Dean McCully CalDART To no longer receive community notices, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. STOP MASS SURVEILLANCE IN CALIFORNIA From:Aram James To:Julie Lythcott-Haims; Veenker, Vicki; Josh Becker; Jethroe Moore; Council, City; Binder, Andrew; Reifschneider, James;Wagner, April; Human Relations Commission; Michael Gennaco; Jeff Rosen; ladoris cordell; chuck jagoda; ShanaSegal; Jay Boyarsky; Enberg, Nicholas; Perron, Zachary; Angie Evans; Javier Ortega; Sean Allen; Sheriff Transparency; Cerise Castle; Joe Simitian; Cecilia Taylor; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; Kevin Jensen; dennis burns; DuJuan Green;Shikada, Ed; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Cindy Chavez; Molly; Diana Diamond; Gennady Sheyner; EPA Today Subject:California"s choice: mass face surveillance or a just future Date:Wednesday, May 3, 2023 1:07:39 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: ACLU California Action <info@aclucalaction.org>Date: May 3, 2023 at 12:17:52 PM PDTTo: abjpd1@gmail.comSubject: California's choice: mass face surveillance or a just future  Aram – There is an extremely dangerous bill in the California legislature this year that will lead to mass face surveillance across the state. Take action and call the chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee now at (916) 319-2041. Urge him to vote NO on AB 642. AB 642 claims to protect people from mass face surveillance, but it actually will cause it to expand. If passed, AB 642 will supercharge racially discriminatory policing and incarceration, and risks exposing the Call Assemblymember Chris Holden at (916) 319-2041 to tell him to vote NO on AB 642. identities of undocumented immigrants, abortion seekers, and those in need of gender-affirming care. The most effective action you can take is to call Assemblymember Chris Holden, the chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Last year, Assemblymember Holden proved to be a champion of civil rights and civil liberties in the legislature. The more his phone rings, the better our chances of preventing mass surveillance statewide. CALL NOW: (916) 319-2041 Here is a script that you can use: "Hi, my name is _________. I want to urge Assemblymember Chris Holden to protect my civil rights by voting NO on AB 642. I am opposing AB 642 because: Choose the bullet points that are most personal to you. We encourage you to personalize this script to fit your own voice. AB 642 will lead to the expansion of face surveillance technology, hurting Black and Brown people who already are subject to overpolicing and racial profiling. AB 642 will allow law enforcement to use face surveillance to track the movements of those seeking refuge in California, including undocumented immigrants and people in need of reproductive and gender-affirming care. Face surveillance will cause significant harm and make racial disparities in the criminal legal system worse. Face surveillance is the digital equivalent of "stop and frisk" or "show your papers" laws. It lets the government do things that we'd never accept in the non-digital world. Thank you. When it comes to legislation, we have the power to embolden our statewide representatives to protect and defend all Californians. Thank you for taking the time to make the call. Thanks for taking action, Carlos Marquez III Executive Director, ACLU California Action DONATE NOW This email was sent to: abjpd1@gmail.com You are receiving this message because you signed up to receive emails from the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, ACLU of Northern California, ACLU of Southern California. Unsubscribe Please note: If you forward or distribute, the links will open a page with your information filled in. We respect your right to privacy – view our policy. This email was sent by: ACLU California Action P.O. Box 630 Sacramento, CA 95814 From:Aram James To:Binder, Andrew; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore; Josh Becker; Human Relations Commission;Wagner, April; Reifschneider, James; Council, City; Michael Gennaco; Michael Gennaco; Javier Ortega; ShanaSegal; Angie Evans; ladoris cordell; Jeff Rosen; Cecilia Taylor; Cerise Castle; Sheriff Transparency; RebeccaEisenberg; Joe Simitian; Cindy Chavez; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Jay Boyarsky; Rob Baker; Enberg, Nicholas;Perron, Zachary; Tannock, Julie Cc:Barberini, Christopher; Chuck Jagoda; Lauing, Ed; Shikada, Ed; Patricia.Guerrero@jud.ca.gov; Burt, Patrick Subject:Canines can kill people Date:Wednesday, May 3, 2023 11:45:08 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. ACLU California Action on Instagram: "The use of K-9 force is cruel and dehumanizing. It’s time for California lawmakers to pass #AB742 to protect public safety. AB 742 will end the use of police dogs for apprehension and crowd control." instagram.com From:Aram James To:Binder, Andrew; Sean Allen; Council, City; Jethroe Moore; Human Relations Commission; Josh Becker; JoeSimitian; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco; Reifschneider, James; Rebecca Eisenberg; Shikada, Ed; Jeff Rosen;Rob Baker; Jay Boyarsky; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Shana Segal; Enberg, Nicholas; Perron, Zachary; Angie Evans;Javier Ortega; ladoris cordell; Figueroa, Eric; Tannock, Julie; Cecilia Taylor; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; CindyChavez; dennis burns; KEVIN JENSEN; DuJuan Green Subject:- Ex-officer Thao convicted of aiding George Floyd’s killing Date:Wednesday, May 3, 2023 9:34:10 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking 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. Ex-officer Thao convicted of aiding George Floyd’s killing https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?guid=a08d22c2-8117-48df-b459- e462a04210aa&appcode=SAN252&eguid=13109bce-4d7e-4a9f-a365-bf8857fd85ab&pnum=15# For more great content like this subscribe to the The Mercury News e-edition app here: Sent from my iPhone View this email in your browser Supporting a diverse and vibrant community. From:Palo Alto Community FundTo:Council, CitySubject:PACF Receives Historic Endowment GiftDate:Wednesday, May 3, 2023 8:05:24 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. April 2023Leonard and Shirley Ely Estate Bequests Historic $700k+ Gift to PACF Endowment Palo Alto Community Fund (PACF) has gratefully accepted a gift to our Endowment Fund of $718,498 from the estate of Leonard (1923–2011) and Shirley Ely (1927–2022). Leonard and Shirley were loved for their largesse, and in particular for their generosity to local causes—from the Boy Scouts to Stanford University—they were key leaders in the formative years of the Palo Alto Community Fund and dedicated much of their lives to volunteering and supporting nonprofit organizations. Leonard was on the board of more than 30 local organizations, and Shirley volunteered her time to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital through the Allied Arts Guild, the Red Cross, the Peninsula Ball for the benefit of Peninsula Family Service, and Planned Parenthood. Both had strong roots in the Bay Area, and Leonard, in particular, to Palo Alto. His father was the first professor of orthopedics at Stanford Medical School, and his grandfather, Ray Lyman Wilbur, served as the University's third President. He attended Palo Alto High School, and later Stanford University, where he met Shirley in 1945. From the Ely Family: In Conversation with Len and Maggie We had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Leonard and Shirley’s children, Len Ely and Maggie Ely Pringle Grauer, about their parents’ giving legacy and their philosophy of giving back to their community. How long has your family been in Palo Alto? What did they love about our community? Our great-grandfather, Ray Lyman Wilbur, came to Palo Alto in 1891 to join one of the first classes at Stanford. After graduating, he joined the faculty at Stanford, married, and had four children, one being dad’s mother and our grandmother, Jessica Wilbur Ely. Dad was born in Palo Alto and grew up on Bryant Street. First at 1010 Bryant Street in Professorville, and then in the house that his parents built at 2161 Bryant Street. Dad later purchased the family home from his siblings, and this is where we had the good fortune to grow up. Mom often recalled the first time she visited the house where she was to live for most of her life. At that time, the house was always open to friends and family, and someone even had special stationery made for the “Ely Hotel.” After Mom and Dad were married, they lived for a short time in Menlo Park while Dad was at business school, and then the East Bay where Dad worked with our grandfather in the automobile business. They were delighted to move back to Palo Alto when an opportunity arose for Dad to co-own an automobile dealership in Redwood City. Again, they rented a home on Bryant Street in South Palo Alto prior to purchasing the family home in 1957. They often said that they lived in the “best place on earth.” They traveled extensively, and this was always their refrain when they returned home. Mom and Dad particularly enjoyed being close to Stanford University and were very involved in both the Stanford and Palo Alto communities. Dad had been a Boy Scout in Troop 57 and stayed very involved when Len joined the same troop. Mom was a Cub Scout leader and we both remember the fun activities that were planned in our backyard. That continuity of commitment was important to Mom and Dad and they were great examples of how that makes a difference in a community. They worked together over the years to encourage everyone in the city to get involved in some way to make the community stronger. How did your parents meet? Dad joined the Air Force when he was 18 and was sent to San Jose State and the University of Minnesota as part of his training. He was a pilot flying over Japan during the war and returned to finish his undergraduate degree at Stanford. Mom graduated from Berkeley High School and came across the Bay to attend Stanford as a freshman. She insisted on driving herself over to move into the dorm as she was quite independent, but she said later that she wished that she had had her parents there when she arrived on campus! One would not have imagined that at 5’2” tall she would have chosen to join the Stanford Football Team, but she did and that is where she met a handsome young man who was on the sidelines of one of her games when she was clipped. Dad came out to help her up and that was the start of their long life together. According to Dad, it was their mothers who determined that they should marry, but it is clear that they agreed! Your father, Leonard, was the second president of PACF, and one of the very early board members. What were his hopes for the community fund? We believe that Dad, along with others in the Palo Alto area, recognized the opportunity available for the community as a whole to come together to support the outstanding nonprofits that address a variety of critical needs throughout the local area. Mom and Dad were strong believers in the power of building and maintaining a strong Endowment Fund for the long-term benefit of organizations and those that they serve. Much of Dad’s work with PACF, as well as many of the organizations he supported, was focused on helping donors appreciate the need for endowed funds that would help grow the annual and long-term support that could be offered to the community. Both your parents were involved in many local causes. As are the two of you. What lessons do you think your mother and father passed on to you about giving back to the community? Dad often said, “we make a living out of what we earn, but a life out of what we give.” Mom and Dad lived that creed both in their family and community lives. We watched them focus their energies on working hard in order to give us the best possible lives and, as they were able, working hard to be sure that others had as much opportunity to succeed as possible. It was clear that they enjoyed and valued their work, both professional and volunteer. As we grew older, they encouraged us to get involved at school and later in our communities, and we have both benefited from that advice. We hope to pass that same message on to our children. The El Palo Alto Legacy Circle is a planned giving society that allows the Palo Alto Community Fund to continue supporting our evolving community for generations to come. To learn more about how to bequeath a gift and about members of the El Palo Alto Legacy Circle here. You can make a difference in our community. Donate to PACF today! Copyright © 2023 Palo Alto Community Fund, All rights reserved. Thank you for being a friend of the Palo Alto Community Fund. Our mailing address is: Palo Alto Community Fund PO Box 50634 Palo Alto, CA 94303-0634 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. DONATE From:Aram James To:cromero@cityofepa.org; Lee, Craig; rabrica@cityofepa.org; Rob Baker; EPA Today; Diana Diamond; GennadySheyner; Josh Becker; Reifschneider, James; Wagner, April; Barberini, Christopher; Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore;Binder, Andrew; Joe Simitian; Cindy Chavez; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Michael Gennaco; Jeff Rosen; RebeccaEisenberg; Shikada, Ed; Human Relations Commission; Council, City Subject:Reparations for over policing and other systemic harms Date:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 11:24:43 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/05/reparations-payments-california/ Shared via the Google app Sent from my iPhone From:Aram James To:Figueroa, Eric; Tannock, Julie; Michael Gennaco; Foley, Michael; Wagner, April; Sean Allen; Jethroe Moore;Reifschneider, James; Binder, Andrew; Josh Becker; Council, City; Jeff Rosen; Joe Simitian; Human RelationsCommission; ladoris cordell; Rebecca Eisenberg; Shikada, Ed; Shana Segal; Angie Evans; Bains, Paul;peaceandjusticecenter@gmail.com; Jay Boyarsky; Rob Baker; Enberg, Nicholas; Perron, Zachary; Javier Ortega;chuck jagoda; Cecilia Taylor; dennis burns; KEVIN JENSEN; DuJuan Green Subject:Reparations payments for over policing of African Americans and other forms of compensation for systemic harms Date:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 11:21:34 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/05/reparations-payments-california/ Shared via the Google app Sent from my iPhone From:Aram James To:Sheriff Transparency; Binder, Andrew; Barberini, Christopher; Josh Becker; Wagner, April; Lee, Craig; Tannock,Julie; Figueroa, Eric; Lauing, Ed; Shikada, Ed; Kaloma Smith; Javier Ortega; Cindy Chavez; Angie Evans; RobBaker; Shana Segal; Jeff Rosen; Jay Boyarsky; David Angel; Bryan Gobin; Dave Price; Emily Mibach Cc:dennis burns; Kevin Jensen; DuJuan Green; Human Relations Commission; Jethroe Moore; Sean Allen; Josh Becker; Council, City; Reifschneider, James; Javier Ortega; Joe Simitian; Cindy Chavez; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco; Jeff Rosen; Rebecca Eisenberg; Shikada, Ed; ladoris cordell; Chuck Jagoda; Cerise Castle; Norene Maldonado; Binder, Andrew Subject:Re: Sheriff’s Department is investigating a memo alleging captain wouldn’t promote ‘angry Black’ sergeant - LosAngeles Times Date:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 9:49:11 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Thank you sccsherifftransparency for your brilliant analysis. aram Sent from my iPhone On May 2, 2023, at 7:57 PM, Sheriff Transparency<sccsherifftransparencyinfo@gmail.com> wrote:Thank you Aram...Sickening...but not surprising. Part of what we see here is that just because there is diversity within the ranks, itdoesn't mean the issues of racism, prejudice, and internal cultural beliefs (homogeny, etc) within those same racial groups' boundaries have gone away. This situation is a very CLEAR example of WHY we will never be rid of thesystemic problem in Law Enforcement. When you have a whole command structure that partakes in this type of rank bias against those you do not want inyour ranks because of the other's race and is afraid of change, change will almost always never happen. Captain Pilar Chavez sounds like a self-serving queen pinfor the deputy gang Banditos. She is acting (and possibly is) as if she is the cartel of the cops and calling the shots over a station riddled with corruption and lawenforcement run amuck. Quite the embarrassment for the rest of the noble law enforcement officers who hang thinly to that blue line. Meanwhile, the stats prove what? that 7.5% of the LASD rank/file is black,meanwhile 52% are Latino. According to the article, this is 'roughly in line with the county's demographics as a whole". There, lay in the problems that manifestprejudice and racism. So, we guess it's OK for Captain Pilar Chavez to justify keeping black officers out of her ranks because the stats essentially says sobetween the lines? So, there is to be no more recruitment of black officers because, quite frankly these stats tell us that the LASD does not need more blacksin the ranks because it will exceed the County's population? Can't make this stuff up. Politicians need to get their heads out of their butts and look at the reality ofwhat is going on here. We are not saying stats are a bad thing, but in this context, it is perpetrating an excuse to keep the black race out. We hope that the people who truly believe in change take action. Action to ridthe LASD and other agencies of the Vermin who infest the rank/file and have NO BUSINESS in Law Enforcement. These critters know they are a stain in theprofession. Quite frankly, the East Los Angeles Sheriff Station needs to be shut down (like Compton) and all those deputy gang members booted out of lawenforcement and charged under SB2. Until this happens, the systemic problems that everyone is screaming about will remain until the politicians and communitymembers scream much louder and start listening to the cops who have been wronged because they are the ones who continue to expose the criminals inuniform. We wish Sgt. Reginald Hoffman well. We would love for KnockLA to includean interview with him in their Deputy Gang Series to tell us all what otheratrocious things have occurred that get folded in lost paperwork by the Vermin who infest the LASD. And, make no mistake, because this is about LASD doesnot mean it's not happening elsewhere, as in Santa Clara County. Politicians here need to pay attention. Learn from 50yrs of destruction by the LASD againstblack/brown people including their own. ~SCCSTG www.sccsherifftransparency.org On Tue, May 2, 2023, 8:57 AM Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-04-30/sheriffs-department- investigates-memo-alleging-captain-wouldnt-promote-angry-black-sergeant Sent from my iPhone From:Sheriff Transparency To:Aram James; Sheriff Transparency Cc:dennis burns; Kevin Jensen; DuJuan Green; Human Relations Commission; Jethroe Moore; Sean Allen; Josh Becker; Council, City; Reifschneider, James; Javier Ortega; Joe Simitian; Cindy Chavez; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco; Jeff Rosen; Rebecca Eisenberg; Shikada, Ed; ladoris cordell; Chuck Jagoda; Cerise Castle; Norene Maldonado; Binder, Andrew; Robert Hansen Subject:Re: Sheriff’s Department is investigating a memo alleging captain wouldn’t promote ‘angry Black’ sergeant - LosAngeles Times Date:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 7:57:19 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from sccsherifftransparencyinfo@gmail.com. Learnwhy this is important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Thank you Aram...Sickening...but not surprising. Part of what we see here is that just because there is diversity within the ranks, it doesn't mean the issues of racism, prejudice, and internal cultural beliefs (homogeny, etc) within those sameracial groups' boundaries have gone away. This situation is a very CLEAR example of WHY we will never be rid of the systemic problem in Law Enforcement. When you have a whole command structure that partakes in thistype of rank bias against those you do not want in your ranks because of the other's race and isafraid of change, change will almost always never happen. Captain Pilar Chavez sounds likea self-serving queen pin for the deputy gang Banditos. She is acting (and possibly is) as if she is the cartel of the cops and calling the shots over a station riddled with corruption and lawenforcement run amuck. Quite the embarrassment for the rest of the noble law enforcement officers who hang thinly to that blue line. Meanwhile, the stats prove what? that 7.5% of the LASD rank/file is black, meanwhile 52%are Latino. According to the article, this is 'roughly in line with the county's demographics as a whole". There, lay in the problems that manifest prejudice and racism. So, we guess it's OKfor Captain Pilar Chavez to justify keeping black officers out of her ranks because the stats essentially says so between the lines? So, there is to be no more recruitment of black officersbecause, quite frankly these stats tell us that the LASD does not need more blacks in the ranks because it will exceed the County's population? Can't make this stuff up. Politicians need toget their heads out of their butts and look at the reality of what is going on here. We are not saying stats are a bad thing, but in this context, it is perpetrating an excuse to keep the blackrace out. We hope that the people who truly believe in change take action. Action to rid the LASD and other agencies of the Vermin who infest the rank/file and have NO BUSINESS in LawEnforcement. These critters know they are a stain in the profession. Quite frankly, the East Los Angeles Sheriff Station needs to be shut down (like Compton) and all those deputy gangmembers booted out of law enforcement and charged under SB2. Until this happens, the systemic problems that everyone is screaming about will remain until the politicians andcommunity members scream much louder and start listening to the cops who have been wronged because they are the ones who continue to expose the criminals in uniform. We wish Sgt. Reginald Hoffman well. We would love for KnockLA to include an interviewwith him in their Deputy Gang Series to tell us all what other atrocious things have occurred that get folded in lost paperwork by the Vermin who infest the LASD. And, make no mistake,because this is about LASD does not mean it's not happening elsewhere, as in Santa Clara County. Politicians here need to pay attention. Learn from 50yrs of destruction by the LASDagainst black/brown people including their own. ~SCCSTG www.sccsherifftransparency.org On Tue, May 2, 2023, 8:57 AM Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-04-30/sheriffs-department-investigates- memo-alleging-captain-wouldnt-promote-angry-black-sergeant Sent from my iPhone View this email in your browser. Visit us on www.lwvpaloalto.org, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter May VOTER May 2, 2023 In this Issue Message from our President LWVPA Updates LWVPA Annual Meeting Voter Registration at Gunn High School LWVPA Table at Youth-led March and Rally for Climate Justice Have You Read Our New Blogs? April 2023 Board Meeting Highlights From:LWV Palo Alto VOTERTo:Council, CitySubject:LWVPA May VOTER - Join Our Annual Meeting this Sunday!Date:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 2:13:53 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Subscribe to our Google Calendar Advocacy Reports Climate Calls Events in the Community and by the State League May Fete Parade and Fair AAPI Heritage Month Celebration LWVC Convention 2023 Richard and Leah Rothstein: Challenging Segregation and the Color of Law In Case You Missed It Preventing Gun Violence: What Parents Can Do to Help Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May! Message from our President Hi Everyone, The month of May marks the end of the current League year, and we begin a new League year right after our Annual Membership meeting. I want to thank our members for your unwavering support to the League and our leadership team for your passion and commitment to League's mission of empowering voters and defending democracy. Our Annual Meeting takes place this Sunday, May 7, from 2 to 4:30 pm. It will be a great opportunity to discuss and vote on some important changes for our local League as well as connecting with other League members in this in- person event. We also need a quorum per our bylaws and I encourage all of you to join us on Sunday! Thank you to those of you who responded to our DEI survey. Our DEI Committee has compiled the results of the survey and shared them with the Board. From the excellent ground work done by our DEI Committee, we developed two DEI goals for 2023: 1) Recruit, retain and involve members and leaders from every segment of the community we live in; 2) Involve community members and organizations in our work to the greatest extent possible, whether they are LWVPA members or not. Please let us know if you are interested in learning more about the survey results and our DEI Committee. There is much work to be done and we welcome our members to join us in this important endeavor. Our State Convention is being held May 19-21 in San Francisco. We have several members attending and we look forward to their reports. See the notice later in this VOTER. If you’d like to join us, there is still time to register as an observer. Let us know if you are interested. I look forward to seeing many of you this Sunday! Liz LWVPA Updates LWVPA Annual Meeting Sunday, May 7, 2023 2:00 - 4:30 pm Baylands Golf Links 1875 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 Guest Speaker: Lydia Kou Palo Alto City Mayor "State of Palo Alto" Our 2023 Annual Membership Meeting is coming up this Sunday, May 7! If you haven't had a chance to register, please do so at your earliest convenience to join this most important gathering of the League year. Your participation is not only critical to ensure League's success for the coming year and beyond, but also help us meet our quorum requirements. Members will accomplish the following during the meeting: Approve a 2023-2024 budget Adopt our top program emphases for 2023-2024 Elect new officers, directors, and a nominating committee We look forward to seeing you! Voter Registration at Gunn High School Written by Liz Jensen The Civic Engagement and Education Project (CEEP) at Gunn High School held a voter registration drive at Gunn at lunchtime on April 21. LWVPA members Jenn Wagstaff Hinton, Virginia Van Kuran, and Liz Jensen were on hand to help out these wonderful Gunn students. Register Now The CEEP is a student-led club at Gunn focused on increasing voter education among high schoolers. It was started by Lizzy Jackson, a Gunn junior, as part of her research project for a Social Justice Advanced Authentic Research class. The club was created with and is supported by LWVPA. LWVPA Table at Youth-led March and Rally forClimate Justice Written by Liz Jensen The League of Women Voters of Palo Alto showed up strongly at the March and Rally for Climate Justice on April 21st near City Hall led by The Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition and 350SV Palo Alto. Attendees were inspired to support the equitable decarbonization of and unity between Palo Alto and East Palo Alto and heard from powerful activists, local leaders and community organizations from the Bay Area – Including Representative Anna Eshoo, Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou, East Palo Alto Mayor Lisa Gauthier, and students from Stanford University and Palo Alto high schools. This event also included music, dancing and activities for kids, and culminated in an energetic march through downtown. Virginia Van Kuran and Liz Jensen staffed a table, asking rally attendees if they were registered to vote and answering questions about voting and elections. The LWVPA joined more than 20 other organizations—Including Canopy, Citizens Climate Lobby, Youth Community Services, and EngageOn— at the event. Have You Read Our New Blogs? Have you checked out our new Advocacy Blogs, Climate Calls Blogs and Events Blogs on League’s website home page? Better yet, subscribe to them (“subscribe” button is located on the left side of each blog page) to be notified when a new blog is posted to stay current with the latest news! April 2023 Board Meeting Highlights The Board discussed the upcoming State Convention and heard a report from the DEI Committee on the recent membership survey. The Committee recommended two goals for future focus: 1. Recruit, retain and involve members and leaders from every segment of the community we live in. 2. Involve community members and organizations in our work to the greatest extent possible, whether they are LWVPA members or not. If you'd like to see a full report, please contact us at contact@lwvpaloalto.org. Approved Motions: 1. Consent Calendar including March minutes. 2. New sponsorship for “Making the Connection Between Housing and Climate” with the LWV County Council and 350SV Palo Alto. 3. Student memberships for Saara Doke and Angelina Rosh. Our next Board Meeting will take place during our Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 7. All members are welcome to join the meeting by RSVP'ing here. - Megan Swezey Fogarty, Secretary Advocacy Reports Local Community Education on Preventing Gun Violence On April 25, LWV Palo Alto Gun Violence Prevention Committee and PTA Council presented a Parent Education Zoom webinar: “Preventing Gun Violence: What Parents Can Do to Help.” Watch the recording here. Some takeaways: Dr. Erin Holsinger, Stanford pediatrician and noted gun violence researcher, reported: When there are more guns in households, there are more homicides, debunking the “more guns, less crime” hypothesis. Nationwide since 2020, gun violence has been the leading cause of death of children ages 1-19 years. Gun Violence Restraining Orders have saved lives. Chloe Chan, Palo Alto High School student, spoke about the impact gun violence has on teens’ mental health, school performance, and relationships. After watching a video about a Texas teen who witnessed a shooter kill her teacher and classmates in the May 2022 Texas school shooting, Chloe and her friends were deeply upset ”… that the young girl had to endure such a traumatic experience at a young age…and don't think …as high school students, we would be able to handle a situation like that …the pain will carry with her for a long time.” Chloe suggested that adults in our community should educate everyone using social media and other formats to promote awareness of gun safety. Stacey Ashlund, LWVPA’s Gun Violence Prevention Committee co-chair and Moms Demand Action volunteer, reported on what parents can do to reduce the risk of gun violence: Read research on gun violence in our county, including the fact that there are 500,000 guns here. Refer to Santa Clara County 2022 report on gun violence. Build a culture of secure gun storage by educating the community. Normalize the conversation about safe storage of guns in the home. Follow the BeSMARTforKids.org framework: Securely store guns to be inaccessible to children in a locked box; store ammunition in a different locked container; use locks that can only be accessed by the owner. Ask parents whose home your child will visit if they own any guns and if they are safely stored. Make it a deal breaker for the visit. See BeSMARTforKids.org for examples of age-appropriate communications. Be SMART will do training in schools, faith communities, neighborhood groups, etc. —just email contact@lwvpaloalto.org. City, county, and state laws require guns stored at home to be inaccessible to children, in a locked box, or disabled with a trigger lock, with ammunition stored separately from guns. Criminal penalties exist for not following the law. - Lisa Ratner, 2nd Vice President and Advocacy Chair Climate Calls Induction Innovation! VCs choose a side in the induction-versus-gas stove battle Written by Hilary Glann Only around 5% of Americans currently have induction stoves, mainly because most people are convinced that gas stoves are superior. That perception was fueled (pun intended) by fossil fuel companies, who invested heavily to persuade people that cooking with gas not only made food taste better, it made you a better cook! Now, with some help from venture capitalists, new and even more innovative induction cooktops are coming to the market that can change minds about gas stoves. Berkeley-based Channing Street Copper Company is now taking pre-orders for “Charlie,” its new range that combines an induction cooktop and a convection oven. Charlie has two unique features. 1. It plugs into 110-volt outlets, so no need to install a new 240-volt plug and dedicated circuit for your new stove. This can save you money in both installation and operation of the stove. 2. Charlie comes with a battery! The battery helps boost the stove’s power to give top induction performance. If the power goes out, Charlie can provide up to four hours of moderate cooking, or the battery can be used to power a more important appliance in your house, such as an oxygen machine or the internet. In San Francisco, Impulse Labs is developing an induction cooktop that also includes an integrated battery. NuWave is another American manufacturer of innovative cooking appliances. NuWave’s Mosaic Precision Induction Wok has received kudos from cooks across the country for the design that mimics how gas flames heat up the sides of a wok. NuWave sells a burner and a carbon steel wok as a kit—the curved induction surface cradles the sides of the wok for rapid and accurate cooking. Here’s a helpful review of the NuWave wok by food journalist Su-Jit Lin, published on March 3, 2023, in The Spruce Eats. Events in the Community and by theState League May Fete Parade and Fair Join the May Fete Parade and follow the Parade to the May Fete Fair at the Heritage Park for more family fun. This is where the community comes together: Music by Jordan, JLS, Paly, and Gunn school bands, plus Past Curfew. Booths with over 30 local community organizations—come visit LWVPA’s booth where we will have voting ballots for kids for a family fun activity! Games and prizes for kids. AAPI Heritage Month Celebration Saturday, May 6, 2023 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Mountain View Senior Center County Supervisor Joe Simitian and the City of Mountain View invite you to a celebration in honor of AAPI Heritage Month 2023 recognizing the founders of Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) and AACI’s 50 years of service to the community. Lunch will be served (Chef Chu's). Admission and lunch are free of charge. Live entertainment. Parking is available on-site. RSVP required. If you have questions please contact kilian.mallon@bos.sccgov.org League of Women Voters of California Convention 2023 Register Now Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21, 2023 Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA San Francisco, California The League of Women Voters of California Convention is back in-person in San Francisco! Check here for convention information and the convention schedule. Come meet passionate people from across the state who are making democracy work! Richard and Leah Rothstein: Challenging Segregation and the Color of Law Wednesday, May 31, 2023 5:30 pm Register Now Available both in-person and online Six years ago, Richard Rothstein’s important book, Color of Law, made a powerful case that direct and indirect government action and policies at the federal, state and local levels had caused segregation and the resulting social problems throughout the United States. In their new book, Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law, Rothstein and housing policy expert Leah Rothstein provide a blueprint on how to address segregation for concerned citizens and community leaders. The Rothsteins provide a tool kit for activism and advocacy, with myriad real-life examples from communities, groups and individuals that have confronted segregation-related challenges from legal, real estate, banking, and commercial development standpoints. They also counter misconceptions about the consequences of integration and make their case for closing the wealth gap that has made homeownership unaffordable for many middle-class Americans, particularly African-Americans. Please join us for a critical conversation about how people can be empowered to address the legacy of state-sanctioned segregation. This program can be viewed both in-person and online. Register below to receive a link to the livestream event. And if you haven't watched it, here is a great 18-minute video summary of The Color of Law that covers the main points in the book in an entertaining, engaging way. In Case You Missed It Register Now Preventing Gun Violence: What Parents Can Do to Help On April 25, LWV Palo Alto Gun Violence Prevention Committee and PTA Council presented a Parent Education Zoom webinar: “Preventing Gun Violence: What Parents Can Do to Help”. Watch the recording here. Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May! One resource among many: WORLD Channel Viewers Guide LWVPA Board Officers & Directors OFFICERS Liz KnissPresident Nancy Shepherd1st Vice President, Immediate Past President Lisa Ratner 2nd Vice President, Advocacy ​ Megan Swezey Fogarty Secretary ​Theivanai Palaniappan Treasurer DIRECTORS Paula Collins Parliamentarian Liz Jensen Voter Services Karen Kalinsky Collaborations Hannah Lu Communications Kathy Miller Voter Services Bonnie Packer County Council Chair Cari Templeton Membership Terry Godfrey Fundraising LWVPA Off-Board Civil Discourse Liaison Susan Owicki Civics Education Jenn Wagstaff Hinton DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Chair TBD Education Chair TBD Nominating Committee Chair, TBD Terry Godfrey Dawn Billman Myra Lessner Nancy Shepherd Hannah Lu Observer Corps Chair TBD ​Gun Violence Prevention Events Myra Lessner Housing & Transportation Steve Levy Local Campaign Finance Reform Lisa Ratner, Elizabeth Weal & Karen Kalinsky LWVPA Board Folder Task Force Hannah Lu Natural Resources/Climate Change Hilary Glann Mary O'Kicki Hilary Glann Stacey Ashlund Social Media Rachel Kellerman Bella Daly VOTER and E-Blast Editors Hannah Lu Ella Debenham Voter's Edge Clinton Lewis Meg Durbin Webmaster Rachel Kellerman Stay Informed! Sign Up for LWV California & LWVUS News & Alerts Click here to sign up for LWVC Newsletter and LWVC Action Alerts Click here to sign up for LWVUS Email News (at bottom) and LWVUS Action Alerts How to contact your elected officials All your elected officials United States President Joseph R. Biden (202) 456-1414 Senator Dianne Feinstein (415) 393-0707 Senator Alex Padilla 202-224-3553 Rep. Anna Eshoo (650) 323-2984 California Governor Gavin Newsom (916) 445-2841 Senator Josh Becker (650) 212-3313 Assemblymember Marc Berman (650) 691-2121 Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian (650) 965-8737 joe.simitian@bos.sccgov.org Other Areas in California Locate your elected officials by using your street address JOIN A TEAM Learn More About Our Teams and Programs on our Website! Facebook Twitter Website Copyright © 2023 League of Women Voters Palo Alto, All rights reserved. From Voter Recipient List Our mailing address is: League of Women Voters Palo Alto 3921 E Bayshore Rd Ste 209 Palo Alto, CA 94303-4303 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Questions? Please contact communications@lwvpaloalto.org. From:Charlie Weidanz To:Council, City Subject:DON"T MISS THESE THREE OPPORTUNITIES Date:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 11:00:07 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Chamber Mixer & Networking Event Chamber Mixer & Networking Event *Date Change: Tuesday, May 16, 2023 5:30 PM – 7:00 PMThe Patio @ Rudy's 412 Emerson St., Palo Alto Hosted By:The Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Connect with fellow professionals and business owners. Enjoy light refreshments and drinks. RSVP Now 10th Annual CHC Breakfast Please join Children's Health Council as we celebrate the 10th Annual CHCBreakfast on Wednesday, May 3rd at 8:30 am at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club. What started as a community call to action around mental health, has continued as an important conversation addressing the ongoing mental health challenges our children face. Our featured speaker is Dr. Christine Carter author of The New Adolescence. She will share scientifically-based, practical strategies around the theme of ‘Your Roadmap for Raising Thriving Youth’ emphasizing teens and young adults. Sponsorships are currently available – and we hope you’ll consider sponsoring the breakfast. You can find more information about sponsorships here. Register Today JobTrain Breakfast of Champions JobTrain’s 39th annual Breakfast of Champions, our biggest event fundraiser of the year, a long-honored tradition within JobTrain and the greater community. The event will bring together hundreds of our corporate, individual donors and government officials. There is something extremely powerful about bringing together supporters to celebrate the success of our students in-person. We will be sharing client successes, an update on our future, and it is our honor to be highlighting our guest speaker, Dr. Yusef Salaam, one of The Exonerated Five. JobTrain is a nonprofit organization providing career training and job search assistance to the bay area since 1965. Proceeds will benefit our programs which help individuals find sustainable careers. ThursdayMay 11, 2023 Registration: 7:30 am – 8:30 am Event: 8:30 am -10:00 am VIP: 10:00 am – 10:30 am Location: San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront 1800 Old Bayshore Hwy Burlingame, CA 94010 Sponsorship and Ticketing Information: https://www.jobtrainworks.org/boc2023/ For questions regarding the event and sponsorship, contact Reshma Putnam RPutnam@jobtrainworks.org or 650 330 6436 JOIN THE CELEBRATION Learn More About The Chamber ​ PALO ALTO CHAMBER & VISITORS CENTER 355 ALMA STREET | PALO ALTO | CA | 94301 | 650-324-3121 WWW.PALOALTOCHAMBER.COM This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.Tounsubscribe click here. 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 clickhere. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email atinfo@paloaltochamber.com. From:Brittany WilliamsTo:Council, CitySubject:Join us! : A conversation on heritage and activism with volunteer YIMBY LeadersDate:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 9:02:42 AM Some people who received this message don't often get email from hello@yimbyaction.org. Learn why this is important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. ​​ Everyone has a housing story and sharing those stories builds power in the housing movement! Come join us for conversations on heritage and activism with volunteer YIMBY leaders who are making the pro-housing movement happen as they share their experiences at the intersection of housing and heritage. May Story Time event will feature our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders from across the country sharing their housing stories and experiences in the pro-housing movement. We’re excited to learn more about our grassroots leaders as they share stories of history, heritage, and what fuels them to fight for more housing. Sign up and join us on Thursday, May 11th at 11am PT | 2pm ET | 8am HST Register Now YOUR YIMBY ACTION MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP STATUS None DONOR LEVEL None VOLUNTEER LEVEL None Join or Renew LOCATION Unknown, Unknown Unknown Add/update location MOBILE ALERTS None Add/update mobile Keeping this information up to date powers our activism! Need help with your membership? Email hello@yimbyaction.org. Image YIMBY Action is a network of pro-housing activists fighting for more inclusive housing policies and a future of abundant housing. Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails fromYIMBY Action, please click here. From:Aram James To:Sheriff Transparency; dennis burns; Kevin Jensen; DuJuan Green; Human Relations Commission; Jethroe Moore;Sean Allen; Josh Becker; Council, City; Reifschneider, James; Javier Ortega; Joe Simitian; Cindy Chavez;Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco; Jeff Rosen; Rebecca Eisenberg; Shikada, Ed;ladoris cordell; Chuck Jagoda Subject:Sheriff’s Department is investigating a memo alleging captain wouldn’t promote ‘angry Black’ sergeant - Los Angeles Times Date:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 8:57:28 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-04-30/sheriffs-department-investigates-memo-alleging-captain- wouldnt-promote-angry-black-sergeant Sent from my iPhone From:Aram James To:Perron, Zachary; Binder, Andrew; Jethroe Moore; Sean Allen; Human Relations Commission; Council, City;Reifschneider, James; Joe Simitian; Wagner, April; Michael Gennaco; Foley, Michael; Shikada, Ed; Josh Becker;ladoris cordell; Chuck Jagoda; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Shana Segal; Jay Boyarsky; Enberg, Nicholas; RebeccaEisenberg; Angie Evans; Javier Ortega Subject:UPDATE: More Scattered Remains Of Rasheem Carter Found Date:Tuesday, May 2, 2023 8:36:03 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________ https://youtu.be/rxXc1MXuQPY Sent from my iPhone From:MJ Marcus To:Council, City Subject:Puzzle Contest palo alto starts today Date:Monday, May 1, 2023 9:43:24 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council, Since I interacted with a few City Council who weren't aware of the Palo Alto puzzle contest,I wanted to share it here with all of you! It starts today with a Gamelandia community event tomorrow night too. https://www.solvingfun.com/paloalto Just saw all of you on the City Council youtube channel. Thank you for your incredibly hardwork, Sincerely Mary Jane Moutsanas/MarcusCollege Terrace -- “The heart is a The thousand-stringed instrument That can only be tuned with Love.” ― ظفاح دمحم نیدلا سمش / Khwāja Šams ud-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Šīrāzī, The Gift From:Sanjiv Wadhwani To:lgauthier@cityofepa.org; Council, City; mbruce@sfcjpa.org Subject:Re: Fallen tree and safety issue Date:Monday, May 1, 2023 7:24:43 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from sanjivwadhwani1@gmail.com. Learn why thisis important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Mayor Gauthier, Palo Alto City Council and Ms. Bruce, I am following up on my email from March 24, 2023 (I have copied Margaret Bruce fromSFCJPA on this email). As I had mentioned in my original email, there were two trees that needed to be taken care of following the March 21 storms. A tree that had fallen across the creek, from WoodlandAve, crashing through my fence and into my backyard on Edgewood Drive, and a tree that was about to fall and needed to be taken down ASAP. Kevin Lewis from Public Works in EastPalo Alto was extremely helpful in removing the tree that was about to fall before it became a problem. However, the tree that fell on March 21 is still lying across the creek. I had my gardenerremove the portion that was lying across my fallen fence and in my backyard so that I could get my fence fixed for safety and security. I have been in communication with Kevin Lewis totry to get the fallen tree removed, and I believe that his hands are tied as he's trying to get Valley Water to remove the tree with no progress. My continued frustration with this situation is that it's been more than a month, and I've beenvery patient, but the tree has still not been removed. If I had not asked my garder to remove the portion of the tree that had crashed through my fence and into my backyard, my propertywould have been exposed and compromised for the past month. I would appreciate someone stepping up and taking responsibility for this - clearly as you can see from the article below, this is creating a problem for a lot of residents and no one seems tobe accepting responsibility. https://paloaltoonline.com/news/2023/04/14/after-wild-weather-season-residents-raise-alarms- about-falling-trees Regards,Sanjiv Wadhwani 415.710.9039 On Fri, Mar 24, 2023 at 11:18 AM Sanjiv Wadhwani <sanjivwadhwani1@gmail.com> wrote: Dear Mayor Gauthier and Palo Alto City Council, I am writing to express my frustration in the response that I've received from multiple cityand county agencies about a fallen tree. I live at 1525 Edgewood Dr in Palo Alto along the creek. On Tuesday March 21, due to the heavy winds, a tree growing along the creek on theWoodland Ave side of East Palo Alto fell and crashed through my fence and into my backyard. I called the City of Palo Alto, who directed me to Valley Water. I reached JohnChapman at Valley Water, who looked into the matter and said that it was not their responsibility. John even suggested that if I wanted the process to move quickly, I shouldremove the tree myself. He directed me to SFCJPA and East Palo Alto. I contacted SJCJPA, and Kevin Murray, and Tess Byler who said that this is something that East Palo Alto PublicWorks should take care of. Tess suggested that removing the tree will take at least 4-5 days. In East Palo Alto, I've been in touch with Kevin Lewis, who has been the most helpful.However, even he has had a difficult time figuring out who is responsible for removing the tree. Today is Friday March 24 and there has been no progress in removing the tree. Additionally,I've mentioned to Valley Water, SFCJPA, East Palo Alto Public Works that there is a tree growing right next to the tree that has fallen, and this tree is already swaying in the slightbreeze and it is not a matter of if but WHEN it will fall onto my fence/property. It needs to be removed IMMEDIATELY. My frustration about this whole process are: 1. no one is taking responsibility to remove the tree, 2. my backyard is exposed and compromised and there is a safety/security concern, and3. there is another tree that might fall at anytime and there is no urgency to take care of that tree. This whole process is time consuming, and I'm utterly disappointed about how variousagencies have passed the buck around and around. I appreciate someone looking into this and taking care of this matter before the next storm arrives on Monday March 27. Regards,Sanjiv Wadhwani 415.710.9039 From:Uma Krishnan To:Council, City Subject:Underrepresented Palo Altans Date:Monday, May 1, 2023 5:00:59 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Palo Alto City Council , Dear Palo Alto City Council, I am writing to support the recent PAUSD alumni Miles Goodman and Katie Causey for Human Relations Commission. As you navigate this appointment process I strongly recommend as you to prioritize potential commissioners from marginalized backgrounds who have lived experience directly impacted by the decision-making on our commissions. It is essential to have diverse perspectives represented in the leadership of our communities. Commissioners who have lived experience of discrimination and oppression can bring unique insights into the issues that affect marginalized communities. Their voices can provide valuable input into discussions and decisions about housing, safety, and other issues our community is navigating. Appointing commissioners from marginalized backgrounds can also help to address historic power imbalances. Historically, decision-making positions have been held by those with privilege and power, and this has often led to policies that do not adequately consider the needs and experiences of marginalized communities. By appointing commissioners from diverse backgrounds, you can begin to level the playing field and ensure that all voices are heard and represented in decision-making processes. Appointing commissioners from underrepresented backgrounds sends a message that the voices of all Palo Altans and their experiences and perspectives are valued and respected. It can help to build trust and foster a sense of inclusivity and belonging. This, in turn, can lead to more active community engagement and participation in the decision-making process. Thank you for your work I know how long this appointment process has been and how much effort it has taken! Uma Krishnan negotiationsphantom@gmail.com 1128 Bernal ave Burlingame, California 94010 From:Aaditya Divekar To:Council, City Subject:Two Recommendations Date:Monday, May 1, 2023 4:29:56 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from aaditya.s.divekar@gmail.com. Learn why thisis important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi, I’m a PAUSD grad and living in Palo Alto as a working adult, Palo Alto is expensive, theyoung people working long hours to live here often don’t have the time to apply for our local commissions. Right now, two PAUSD alumni are applying for HRC who have have long wanted thisposition, prioritized it, took the time to review the work plans and watch HRC meetings, because they know how important this role is! Please appoint Miles Goodman and Katie Causey to the Human Relations Commission. Theyhave a track record of running for public office and in civil service, so I would like them to have a chance to support council and HRC. Thanks,Aaditya From:Ryan O"Connell To:Council, City Subject:Supporting Causey + Goodman Date:Monday, May 1, 2023 3:49:48 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from ryan@how-to-adu.com. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Palo Alto City Council, I work in Palo Alto, and have many Palo Alto clients. And I believe there’s an opportunity thecity has never had before to have two young people raised in Palo Alto, graduates of PAUSD, renters, experienced with our local nonprofits, both with underrepresented backgrounds on thecommission that handles policies supporting young people, renters, nonprofits, and the most marginalized Palo Altans. Particularly at this moment in the housing element cycle when bringing more renter andmarginalized voices to the table is critical. Council has discussed how HRC applicants who apply and are rejected don’t reapply and both of these applicants bring such valuable andneeded lived experience to HRC. Please appoint Katie Causey and Miles Goodman to the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission. Thank you! Ryan OConnell How-to-adu.com