[6:38] Call to order the January 12th, 2026
[6:42] meeting of the PaloAlto City Council.
[6:44] Would you kindly call the role?
[6:47] >> Of course. Council member Lithnes.
[6:50] » Of course. Council member Lithnes.
[6:50] >> Yes.
[6:50] » Yes.
[6:50] >> Mayor Vinker
[6:51] » Mayor Vinker
[6:51] >> here. [laughter] Council member Rectal
[6:53] » here. [laughter] Council member Rectal
[6:53] >> here.
[6:54] » here.
[6:54] >> Council member Bert
[6:55] » Council member Bert
[6:55] >> here.
[6:55] » here.
[6:55] >> Council member Lowing
[6:56] » Council member Lowing
[6:56] >> here.
[6:57] » here.
[6:57] >> Vice Mayor Stone
[6:58] » Vice Mayor Stone
[6:58] >> here. Council member Lou
[6:59] » here. Council member Lou
[7:00] >> here
[7:00] » here
[7:00] >> for the record. All present.
[7:02] » for the record. All present.
[7:02] >> Thank you very much.
[7:04] » Thank you very much.
[7:04] The first item on our agenda is a closed
[7:07] session item uh conference with the city
[7:09] attorney potential litigation. Um so may
[7:13] I have a motion to Well, no. So is there
[7:17] any public comment on our close session
[7:20] item one? [snorts]
[7:22] >> There are no requests to speak and no
[7:23] » There are no requests to speak and no
[7:24] hands are raised on Zoom.
[7:25] >> Okay, great. So it's a closed session
[7:27] » Okay, great. So it's a closed session
[7:27] item. Do I have a motion to go into
[7:29] close session?
[7:30] >> So move
[7:31] » So move
[7:31] >> second.
[7:32] » second.
[7:32] >> All right. I think that was allowing on
[7:33] » All right. I think that was allowing on
[7:33] the motion and Lou on the second.
[7:37] >> All right. Taking the vote. Council
[7:39] » All right. Taking the vote. Council
[7:39] member Rectal.
[7:40] >> Yes.
[7:40] » Yes.
[7:40] >> Council member Lifod Hayes here. Vice
[7:42] » Council member Lifod Hayes here. Vice
[7:42] Mayor Stone Stone.
[7:44] >> Yes. [laughter]
[7:46] » Yes. [laughter]
[7:46] >> Mayor Vinker.
[7:47] » Mayor Vinker.
[7:47] >> Yes.
[7:48] » Yes.
[7:48] >> Council member Lou.
[7:49] » Council member Lou.
[7:49] >> Yes.
[7:50] » Yes.
[7:50] >> Council member Lowing.
[7:51] » Council member Lowing.
[7:51] >> Yes.
[7:52] » Yes.
[7:52] >> And council member Burton.
[7:53] » And council member Burton.
[7:53] >> Yes.
[7:54] » Yes.
[7:54] >> Motion carries. All right. Thank you. So
[7:56] » Motion carries. All right. Thank you. So
[7:56] we will adjourn into close session and
[7:59] by our agenda it's estimated that we
[8:01] will be back by 6:20. With any luck
[8:04] we'll be back earlier, we might be back
[8:06] later. Um but we will look forward to
[8:08] reconvening in open session then.
[54:46] order and uh open session. Now,
[54:50] I do have a report out to make from our
[54:53] closed session. Council did meet in
[54:55] close session and we have one reportable
[54:57] action. Council authorized the city
[55:00] attorney to initiate litigation in one
[55:02] case. And with that, we will move on to
[55:05] agenda changes, additions, and
[55:08] deletions. City manager.
[55:09] >> Thank you, mayor. Uh, no changes to your
[55:12] » Thank you, mayor. Uh, no changes to your
[55:12] agenda this evening, but did want to
[55:14] note uh for both uh public and council
[55:16] awareness that the order of the agenda
[55:19] is a little unusual uh in the sequence
[55:22] of action or discussion items. As such,
[55:25] uh in particular, item number 15, which
[55:27] is listed at the end of your agenda, is
[55:30] largely an internal city uh topic. and
[55:33] as such uh would be conducive to either
[55:37] um continuing if you're not able to get
[55:39] all the way through it or deferring it
[55:40] if heaven forbid it's later and uh you
[55:44] don't get to it this evening. But just
[55:45] wanted to note that for your awareness.
[55:48] >> Yeah, thank you for that uh note. Um you
[55:52] » Yeah, thank you for that uh note. Um you
[55:52] know, hopefully we'll be a little
[55:53] earlier. I know we don't like to
[55:54] agendaize things that late. When we
[55:56] moved the agenda into this particular
[55:59] order, we didn't have times associated
[56:01] with it yet. And uh seeing that we will
[56:04] assess how we're doing uh when we reach
[56:06] item 15.
[56:09] Okay. Uh and with that, we'll move on to
[56:11] public comment on matters not on the
[56:14] agenda. Madame clerk, do we have
[56:16] speakers?
[56:17] >> Yes, we have 11 requests to speak.
[56:23] » All right. Well, if we could invite them
[56:24] up for two minutes each.
[56:27] >> Great. Our first speaker is Sven T. And
[56:30] » Great. Our first speaker is Sven T. And
[56:30] just to as a reminder for our members of
[56:33] the public, two minutes, there is a
[56:35] timer on the uh screen as well as on the
[56:39] podium.
[56:56] Oops, we just saw it. So at Stanford
[56:59] they study everything and they study
[57:03] hope as well. And so this is the results
[57:05] of this professor. Next slide please.
[57:07] And he says hope is comprised of three
[57:09] things
[57:11] either collectively or individually to
[57:14] envision a better future than what we
[57:16] have right now. Two, the willpower and
[57:20] the motivation to get there. Three, the
[57:24] actual road map to where we're going to
[57:27] this vision of something better. Hope.
[57:30] That's what hope is. You need three
[57:32] things. The vision, the willpower to do
[57:36] it, and the path to get there. Next
[57:38] slide, please. Sorry. So, what do I
[57:41] have? I have a vision of an all electric
[57:46] utility.
[57:47] My motivation,
[57:50] I love you guys. We're all parents here
[57:53] and I've decided as I drift into
[57:56] spirituality
[57:57] that I don't know the difference between
[57:59] my child and somebody else's child.
[58:02] They're innocent
[58:04] and they're not responsible for our
[58:06] actions or inactions. So I am highly
[58:10] motivated cuz every kid is my kid and
[58:14] the path that's the hard part. That's
[58:17] where we work together to make this
[58:20] happen [clears throat]
[58:22] because it's going to require some
[58:24] sacrifice and some time and some energy
[58:26] and some money to get there. But it
[58:29] needs like that road map and it needs a
[58:33] date to say, "Hey,
[58:36] our utility used to supply natural gas
[58:41] to the residences, the commercial
[58:43] buildings, and the industrial sites, but
[58:45] we don't anymore because we love our
[58:49] children." Thank you.
[58:55] » Our next speaker is Sarah S.
[59:12] » [clears throat]
[59:14] >> Hi, I'm Sarah and I'm an eighth grader
[59:16] » Hi, I'm Sarah and I'm an eighth grader
[59:16] at Ellen Fletcher Middle School. Um, you
[59:18] might remember me from a few weeks ago
[59:20] when I talked about how using an
[59:21] induction stove has helped me and my
[59:23] family, including my two cats. So, I'm
[59:27] sure everyone in this room knows that
[59:29] smoking is bad for you. This image is a
[59:32] page on the city of PaloAlto website
[59:34] explaining the effects of smoking and
[59:36] the city's numerous e efforts to prevent
[59:39] it. If you scroll down, we you can't um
[59:43] we can see that the city has done a
[59:44] great job getting this information out
[59:45] to people and has made a huge effort to
[59:47] keep Palo Alto cleaner and safe from
[59:50] these harmful substances.
[59:52] Below the image, it says tobacco use
[59:54] kills nearly 40,000 Californians every
[59:57] year. Well, what if I told you that
[1:00:00] using a natural gas burner is the same,
[1:00:03] if not more harmful, than breathing in
[1:00:05] secondhand smoke? In fact, researchers
[1:00:08] at um Stanford's Door School of
[1:00:10] Sustainability measured benzene
[1:00:12] emissions from stoves in 87 homes in
[1:00:15] California and Colorado and found that
[1:00:17] natural gas and propane stoves emitted
[1:00:20] benzene that frequently reached indoor
[1:00:22] concentrations above benchmarks set by
[1:00:25] the World Health Organization.
[1:00:27] These benzene levels were above the
[1:00:29] upper range of indoor concentrations
[1:00:31] seen in secondhand tobacco smoke. You
[1:00:34] might be thinking that since you're not
[1:00:37] using the stove all the time, you're not
[1:00:38] emitting these harmful chemicals all the
[1:00:40] time. But actually, these stoves leak
[1:00:43] methane even when they're turned off.
[1:00:46] It's so important that we spread
[1:00:48] awareness about this topic. Using a
[1:00:50] natural gas stove is not just an
[1:00:52] environmental issue, but it's bad for
[1:00:54] our lungs.
[1:00:56] Do we really want to be breathing in
[1:00:58] human carcinogens and polluting the air
[1:01:00] when there's a better solution?
[1:01:02] If the city can put in an effort to
[1:01:04] reduce smoking, then I think we can
[1:01:07] definitely put in an effort to spread
[1:01:08] awareness about natural gas stoves.
[1:01:10] Thank you. Our next speaker is Zara H.
[1:01:26] Hi everyone. My name is Zara Harwell and
[1:01:28] I'm a junior at Palato High School and
[1:01:30] I'm going to be talking about this
[1:01:31] pamphlet that the city provides and it's
[1:01:33] supposed to have like sort of everything
[1:01:34] you need to know about gas safety and
[1:01:36] gas appliances. Um, and while I do want
[1:01:38] to acknowledge that I'm very grateful
[1:01:39] that the city offers this cuz it has a
[1:01:40] lot of good information especially
[1:01:41] regarding gas leaks, I think there needs
[1:01:43] to be a lot more added in the health
[1:01:45] section right here. That's all we have
[1:01:47] about health and all it covers is what
[1:01:48] happens when there's a gas leak. But it
[1:01:50] doesn't mention what my fellow intern
[1:01:51] Sarah just mentioned how just being
[1:01:53] around a gas stove. There doesn't have
[1:01:54] to be a leak that there's other really
[1:01:56] harmful gases that are emitted on the
[1:01:58] daily and just being exposed to them can
[1:02:00] be really harmful. Um it also doesn't
[1:02:02] mention certain age groups. Little
[1:02:03] children are way more susceptible to
[1:02:05] these gases as well as senior citizens.
[1:02:07] Um on a personal level, I live with my
[1:02:10] grandmother, so she's 85. So if there's
[1:02:12] just being around gas appliances, even
[1:02:14] if there's not a leak, um benzene,
[1:02:16] methane, nitrogen dioxide, they're
[1:02:18] emitted every time you use it. and
[1:02:19] that's really harmful for her to be
[1:02:20] around because she's older, her immune
[1:02:22] system is weaker. Um, so having a lot
[1:02:24] more information regarding these things
[1:02:25] would I think be really helpful since
[1:02:27] this pamphlet is supposed to be like
[1:02:28] everything and anything you need to know
[1:02:30] regarding gas safety. Thank you.
[1:02:34] >> Our next speaker is Avo S.
[1:02:47] Good evening, council. My name is Aros
[1:02:49] Sha and I hope you're all doing well.
[1:02:51] I'm a junior at Paul Alto High School.
[1:02:53] Um, and I would like to share my
[1:02:55] appreciation with you all for passing
[1:02:56] the dark sky ordinance last month. Um, I
[1:03:00] walked outside a couple nights ago and I
[1:03:02] could see more stars than usual, which
[1:03:04] just going to hope is something more
[1:03:05] than coincidence. Um, I thought that it
[1:03:10] was a nice gesture in passing it that we
[1:03:12] upheld our values of public wellness and
[1:03:14] belonging as well as climate action and
[1:03:17] protecting the environment. Um, and I
[1:03:20] hope that council this year extends um
[1:03:23] its dedication to those priorities by
[1:03:26] committing to public health and climate
[1:03:29] action in the household residential
[1:03:31] sector. um by urging residents to
[1:03:34] electrify and helping residents
[1:03:36] electrify their gas stoves. I think this
[1:03:38] aligns very well with public health and
[1:03:40] you've seen the science Zara very
[1:03:42] eloquently explained that you know the
[1:03:45] gas safety busher should be something
[1:03:46] that says everything about gas and it
[1:03:49] doesn't. It's missing something that's
[1:03:50] quite frankly very easy to include and
[1:03:53] the science is very clear. It's very
[1:03:55] harmful. Children in homes with gas
[1:03:56] stoves are 42% more likely to develop
[1:03:59] asthma. Um, I've experienced respiratory
[1:04:02] symptoms myself and I know that probably
[1:04:04] a lot of people in this room have the
[1:04:06] there are easy solutions that we could
[1:04:08] be taking and currently we are not. Um,
[1:04:11] and I am very very willing to work with
[1:04:14] council and staff to develop solutions.
[1:04:17] Um, I if we could get a referral to a
[1:04:20] staff member who would be willing to
[1:04:21] meet and talk um to help us devise a
[1:04:24] solution, I would be very gratefully um
[1:04:27] in appreciation of that. Um, and if
[1:04:30] there are other ways that we can work
[1:04:31] together to solve this, I think that
[1:04:33] will make a very big impact. Thank you.
[1:04:36] >> Our next speaker is Peter D.
[1:04:46] » I'm so impressed by those previous
[1:04:48] speakers. Um, I'll associate myself with
[1:04:51] their comments and great to see students
[1:04:53] out and educating us and motivating us.
[1:04:56] Uh, Peter Dremar Palto resident Uh,
[1:04:59] Mayor Vinker, congratulations. Vice
[1:05:01] Mayor Stone, congratulations. All
[1:05:04] council members, thank you so much for
[1:05:05] serving us. Um, I just wanted to comment
[1:05:08] briefly on the leadership changes at uh,
[1:05:12] Third Thursday, which is an event I've
[1:05:14] been going to since the beginning and
[1:05:16] really enjoy it, and I know I've seen a
[1:05:17] lot of you there as well. So, it's been
[1:05:19] a a wonderful community treasure.
[1:05:23] And I know that there's a lot of things
[1:05:25] that happen behind the scenes that I'm
[1:05:27] not aware of. I'm no expert on on what
[1:05:29] happened, but uh the story in the papers
[1:05:33] was that there was a petition that
[1:05:36] gathered 30 signatures from supposedly
[1:05:40] um business owners on Calav that wanted
[1:05:43] to see leadership change, but no one
[1:05:47] seemed to have seen the petition or if
[1:05:49] they had, they didn't have access to it.
[1:05:51] And so out of curiosity, I filed a
[1:05:53] public records act request. And I've
[1:05:55] always had great experiences with City
[1:05:57] of Palto staff. They do a wonderful job
[1:06:00] at providing information and being
[1:06:01] transparent. And I did receive the
[1:06:04] petition. Um it did have 30 names on it
[1:06:07] but no affiliations.
[1:06:09] And in a summary it explained that they
[1:06:11] started collecting they being anonymous
[1:06:14] people or someone I don't know um
[1:06:17] started collecting signatures from
[1:06:18] business owners and managers and then
[1:06:20] employees and then the general public.
[1:06:22] So, it's very unclear of the 30
[1:06:24] signatures gathered over an 8-month
[1:06:26] period, how many were actual uh business
[1:06:29] owners. And my understanding is that
[1:06:31] Carol Garen went out and collected quite
[1:06:33] a few few more signatures supporting
[1:06:35] keeping her um over just a two-year
[1:06:39] period. So, again, you know, I don't
[1:06:41] know all the details, but Palo Alto
[1:06:43] sometimes gets criticized for the
[1:06:45] Powalto process that we just
[1:06:49] um I hope we'll do better next time.
[1:06:51] Thank you.
[1:06:52] >> Our next speaker is Alice S.
[1:07:01] » Okay. Hi, my name is Alice Snider and
[1:07:04] I'm a senior in high school. I go to
[1:07:06] Notre Dame, San Jose and I live in Baron
[1:07:09] Park. Uh I wanted to express uh the
[1:07:13] importance and impact of switching to
[1:07:15] induction stoves. To me, the most
[1:07:18] important things are uh limiting indoor
[1:07:21] air pollution and creating a healthy
[1:07:23] environment indoor and outdoors. Thank
[1:07:26] you. Our next speaker is Walter C.
[1:07:33] » Good evening, madame mayor and city
[1:07:35] council members. My comments are tonight
[1:07:38] in regard to the recently cancelled
[1:07:39] third Thursday event. As a longtime Los
[1:07:42] Altos resident, I had witnessed how its
[1:07:44] first Friday event changed the dynamics
[1:07:46] of my city. So when Miss Garson asked if
[1:07:49] I would help out on the new event she
[1:07:51] was starting in PaloAlto called Third
[1:07:53] Thursday, I did not hesitate. I watched
[1:07:55] firsthand the joy that the event brought
[1:07:57] to Cal A.
[1:07:59] Um I as well as many others were shocked
[1:08:02] to hear the event was cancelled. I was
[1:08:04] even more shocked at how the news was
[1:08:05] divulged and the reasoning behind it
[1:08:07] because there wasn't a reason, not a
[1:08:09] solid one. It was claimed that there was
[1:08:11] petition addressing it to the chamber
[1:08:13] foundation asking for Miss Garson's
[1:08:15] removal. However, when she asked to see
[1:08:17] it so she could address people's
[1:08:19] concerns, she was told not to get
[1:08:21] involved. There was no official
[1:08:24] agreement between the chamber and Miss
[1:08:25] Garsten. And when she requested a fiscal
[1:08:27] sponsorship agreement, the chamber
[1:08:29] cancelled its support instead.
[1:08:32] When she went to the city manager to
[1:08:34] seek support while obtaining a new
[1:08:35] sponsor, she was told the city decide to
[1:08:38] cancel the event. Miss Garen was
[1:08:40] shocked. The city council had just 3
[1:08:42] months earlier allocated $40,000 to fund
[1:08:44] Third Thursday and now the city was
[1:08:46] cancelling it. This made no sense. When
[1:08:49] asked why, it was once again the
[1:08:50] fictitious petition that no one could
[1:08:52] produce.
[1:08:54] So a petition a petition did finally
[1:08:57] materialize, but as stated earlier, it
[1:08:59] did not have any valid information on
[1:09:02] it. My question to the city council is
[1:09:04] who is running the city? On one hand,
[1:09:06] the council is allocating funds while
[1:09:08] the city manager is cancelling the event
[1:09:10] you just funded. Canceling it based on
[1:09:12] whose recommendation? The chambers
[1:09:14] foundation, a single council member, a
[1:09:17] directive from the city council. There's
[1:09:19] no transparency. The only truth that
[1:09:21] remains is that third Thursday was a
[1:09:23] very successful event and Mrs. Garen's
[1:09:26] reputation has been tarnished by false
[1:09:28] accusations. Accusations were then used
[1:09:30] to justify by the city for removing
[1:09:32] quote firing her. The city owes Miss
[1:09:35] Garson a public apology for how she was
[1:09:37] treated.
[1:09:38] >> I also beg the question based on how she
[1:09:41] » I also beg the question based on how she
[1:09:41] was treated, why would anyone waste
[1:09:42] their time and energy as a volunteer in
[1:09:44] this community?
[1:09:46] >> Our next speaker is Claudia B.
[1:09:54] » Hello, it's Claudia Bloom. Thank you for
[1:09:57] the time and thank you for making this a
[1:10:00] a platform. I'm going to follow up with
[1:10:03] the Carol Gerston support. I've been a
[1:10:06] PaloAlto resident for 33 years and I'm
[1:10:08] currently the director of director of
[1:10:10] the PaloAlto School of Chamber Music now
[1:10:12] in its 11th year of operation. Our
[1:10:15] musicians were featured this past
[1:10:18] October 16th at the 3rd Thursday Cal A
[1:10:21] Festival thanks to Carl Garen who
[1:10:24] invited us to participate. As you may or
[1:10:27] may not know, Carol started this
[1:10:29] festival in May of two 2023
[1:10:33] 23 and it's been going ever since. And
[1:10:36] hallelu hallelua for that. I'm a
[1:10:39] professional musician and this has been
[1:10:42] a vital part of uh PaloAlto for many
[1:10:46] years and something that people have
[1:10:48] greatly appreciated.
[1:10:50] I experienced a a a positive experience
[1:10:54] the whole time that she was helping us
[1:10:57] with chairs that were provided for
[1:11:00] audience members to enjoy classical
[1:11:02] music which is underappreciated and
[1:11:05] under supported. Our musicians range
[1:11:08] from very young to very old. that it's
[1:11:11] an intergenerational program and our
[1:11:15] students couldn't have been more excited
[1:11:17] about this and the audience was
[1:11:19] extremely enthusiastic.
[1:11:21] Without Carol, this would not be
[1:11:23] happening in our community and without
[1:11:27] Carol
[1:11:28] um we wouldn't have things like this
[1:11:31] happening. Carol is is a lifechanging
[1:11:35] person who has changed PaloAlto.
[1:11:39] She has uh she has made enormous strides
[1:11:42] and is going to continue doing this and
[1:11:45] it would be a real shame not to be
[1:11:48] continuing to support her [snorts]
[1:11:50] because she makes a difference in
[1:11:51] everyone's lives. I have only positive
[1:11:54] things to say about Carl Garen. Thank
[1:11:57] you. Our next speaker is Hillary G.
[1:12:05] Hi, good evening. Um I am Hillary Glenn.
[1:12:07] I'm the co-leader of the Palato 350
[1:12:10] Silicon Valley team and shockingly I'm
[1:12:12] not here to talk about switching to
[1:12:14] electric. Um instead I'm here to speak
[1:12:16] on support in support of Carol Garen and
[1:12:18] the work she did on third Thursday. Uh
[1:12:21] we really took advantage of it as the
[1:12:23] Thrifty Silicon Valley team. We had
[1:12:24] great experiences. We were at three
[1:12:26] different events last um year. At all of
[1:12:29] them we talked to renters and family
[1:12:31] with children who are, as we all know,
[1:12:32] are kind of our sweet spot to uh get
[1:12:34] electrification happening. Um, I will
[1:12:37] say that Carol is a very talented
[1:12:39] organizer. She's very good at event
[1:12:41] promotion. She, even though she nagged
[1:12:44] me a lot to do it, it was very
[1:12:45] effective. Um, her logistical skills and
[1:12:47] ability to balance conflicting needs are
[1:12:49] very, very good. Um, I would really
[1:12:51] encourage the city to figure out a way
[1:12:54] to sit down with the uh the restaurants
[1:12:56] and other tenants on Calab and figure
[1:12:59] out a way that they can work together
[1:13:01] because I do think we're missing a very
[1:13:03] strong organizer who made a big
[1:13:04] difference in the city. Um, and I think
[1:13:08] there are a number of nonprofits who had
[1:13:10] they known that this was happening
[1:13:11] tonight to speak to on Carol's behalf,
[1:13:12] they would have shown up too. So, I I
[1:13:15] urge you to do that. But since I'm up
[1:13:16] here, I'm going to take what How many
[1:13:17] seconds do I have left? Ha. A few
[1:13:19] seconds left to just say totally excited
[1:13:22] about more talking about induction
[1:13:24] cooktop. Uh the 350 Silicon Valley Palto
[1:13:26] team. We have a professional project
[1:13:28] manager on our team who's ready to step
[1:13:30] in if you guys want to give us a grant
[1:13:32] to buy some induction loaner units. We'd
[1:13:34] be very happy to do that and run that
[1:13:37] for the city. Thank you.
[1:13:39] >> Our next speaker is Herb B.
[1:13:47] Uh, Mayor Rink, Vice Mayor Stone, and
[1:13:49] council members, I attended the utility
[1:13:51] advisory commission uh meeting last
[1:13:53] Wednesday on the fiber uh project update
[1:13:58] uh in which it's still uh the plan to
[1:14:00] have the city be an internet service
[1:14:02] provider. And uh I think that that was a
[1:14:07] key part of the decision to not do uh
[1:14:12] bond bond funding. Uh the city uh h has
[1:14:16] no uh [gasps]
[1:14:19] expertise or training in in a
[1:14:22] competitive environment. Uh as an
[1:14:24] internet service provider or the pro or
[1:14:27] connecting the last mile or
[1:14:30] customer premises equipment or an
[1:14:32] incident of property ownership. And
[1:14:34] despite the uh flexible rates that you
[1:14:37] have approved essentially you would need
[1:14:40] uh the customers to change uh prices. Uh
[1:14:45] and also what you would want to have are
[1:14:50] someone running the network and uh being
[1:14:53] an internet service provider uh who has
[1:14:56] a you demonstrated you know competence
[1:15:00] of already what they've done and also
[1:15:02] who has a uh commitment and demonstrated
[1:15:05] uh commitment to privacy
[1:15:08] uh including uh guarding against using
[1:15:11] customer information for targeted
[1:15:14] advertising. ing and tracking purposes.
[1:15:16] What I've objected is an as an
[1:15:18] alternative which is the city extend the
[1:15:20] dark fiber network and that the fiber
[1:15:24] [snorts] project be set up as a separate
[1:15:25] fund which is a customer of the dark
[1:15:27] fiber network and the dark fiber network
[1:15:30] has reserves to do that and it would be
[1:15:33] uh the stream of income from the fiber
[1:15:37] promises project uh which would pay off
[1:15:40] any uh loans against the dark fiber
[1:15:43] network. Uh the advantage of that uh is
[1:15:47] that you can have set a separate price.
[1:15:49] >> Time is up
[1:15:50] » Time is up
[1:15:50] >> for fiber. Thank you.
[1:15:52] » for fiber. Thank you.
[1:15:52] >> Our next speaker is Deborah G.
[1:15:58] » This is the flyer that's gone up over
[1:16:00] town um advertising the uh city
[1:16:03] sponsored event uh Martin Luther King
[1:16:05] Junior Day. And the first thing I
[1:16:06] noticed about this flyer from a distance
[1:16:08] I saw, oh my gosh, what's red, black,
[1:16:11] green, and white? You all know what red,
[1:16:14] black, black, a green or white is. Um,
[1:16:17] yeah. And there it is. City of Palo Alto
[1:16:20] logo on it. It's double-sided. Probably
[1:16:22] came out of your print shop. Um, and
[1:16:24] maybe this was an oversight. Uh, but um,
[1:16:30] you know, the city should know better.
[1:16:31] This is an incredibly provocative thing
[1:16:33] to do. Um, you know, how about red,
[1:16:36] white, and blue instead of green? I mean
[1:16:39] you even if it was unintentional
[1:16:43] um it's unacceptable. Thank you.
[1:16:46] >> Oh
[1:16:49] » Oh
[1:16:49] our next speaker is Valen V.
[1:16:58] Hello all. This is my first time doing
[1:17:00] this. My name is Vilen Varnasi and I'm a
[1:17:03] 10th grader at Los Altos High School
[1:17:06] though I live in Palo Alto. Back in
[1:17:08] seventh grade, I vividly remember
[1:17:10] playing a soccer game at the Cberly
[1:17:12] Turfield. During the game, the skies
[1:17:15] were orange and smoke filled. I was
[1:17:17] struggling to breathe and so are a lot
[1:17:19] of my teammates. Gas stoves are one of
[1:17:22] the root causes of polluted environments
[1:17:25] and increase in emissions.
[1:17:28] Gas stoves also release toxic fumes such
[1:17:31] as methane, which are detrimental to
[1:17:34] young children's health and are
[1:17:36] carcinogenic. I strongly believe and
[1:17:39] support the idea that Palo Alto City
[1:17:41] Council should move to an allect
[1:17:42] electric utility. Thank you.
[1:17:46] >> And that concludes public comment on
[1:17:48] » And that concludes public comment on
[1:17:48] items not on the agenda.
[1:17:50] >> All right. Well, thank you, Madame
[1:17:51] » All right. Well, thank you, Madame
[1:17:51] Clerk, and thank you to our speakers. Uh
[1:17:53] particularly thanks to our students. We
[1:17:56] appreciate you being here. Um, and just
[1:17:59] as a a point of process, so we can't
[1:18:01] engage on subjects not on the agenda
[1:18:04] ourselves, but in terms of process, um,
[1:18:07] city manager, we have a youth climate
[1:18:09] advisory board, which could be a way of
[1:18:12] giving input. So, I don't know, uh, if
[1:18:15] you all know about that or want to apply
[1:18:17] for that next time around or have
[1:18:19] friends who are on it who could talk
[1:18:21] directly to staff, but that's a process
[1:18:24] option.
[1:18:25] I'm getting nods. So anyway, and
[1:18:27] obviously to any of us directly. Um,
[1:18:30] okay. So we will
[1:18:33] ask
[1:18:34] >> Sure. Council member Bert.
[1:18:35] » Sure. Council member Bert.
[1:18:35] >> Thanks. And because I'm afraid we're
[1:18:38] » Thanks. And because I'm afraid we're
[1:18:38] going to lose uh those speakers before
[1:18:40] we have council comments, I just want to
[1:18:43] know the speakers who had spoken on the
[1:18:45] on the methane health issues that at our
[1:18:49] sustainability and climate action
[1:18:50] committee uh we had received uh similar
[1:18:56] u uh uh recommendations from community
[1:18:59] advisors and that the committee itself
[1:19:03] has really embraced that our messaging
[1:19:07] on uh electrification should focus far
[1:19:10] more on the health impacts than it has
[1:19:12] to date. So, we're with you on that.
[1:19:14] Thanks.
[1:19:17] >> All right. So, moving on to uh council
[1:19:21] » All right. So, moving on to uh council
[1:19:21] member questions, comments, and
[1:19:23] announcements. Um I'm I'm going to start
[1:19:26] just given what's going on right now.
[1:19:28] Um, it's been an exciting first week as
[1:19:31] may mayor with a groundbreaking and an
[1:19:34] international visit. And I uh want to
[1:19:37] issue a huge congratulations to our
[1:19:39] sibling city, Bloomington, Indiana, and
[1:19:41] Indiana University on going from a
[1:19:44] program with a football program with the
[1:19:46] most losses in the history of major
[1:19:48] college football to playing in the
[1:19:49] national championship next Monday night.
[1:19:52] And I mention that because we are hoping
[1:19:54] to get together a watch party with our
[1:19:56] sibling city. And so that's something
[1:19:58] that should be a lot of fun for any of
[1:20:00] you who are interested in watching
[1:20:02] national championship football. Um,
[1:20:06] but the the real reason I wanted to to
[1:20:08] go first is I wanted to uh mention
[1:20:12] something on a more serious note, which
[1:20:14] is the ICE shooting in Minneapolis last
[1:20:17] week, which has put cities back on the
[1:20:20] front lines. Um what we saw there and
[1:20:23] the reaction out of Washington has
[1:20:24] shaken many in this community.
[1:20:27] Approximately 400 people showed up last
[1:20:30] night at a vigil in front of city hall
[1:20:32] um including council member Lithcott HS
[1:20:34] and me. This tragic and heartbreaking
[1:20:38] killing must be addressed headon to
[1:20:40] ensure the safety on the streets of all
[1:20:43] American cities including PaloAlto.
[1:20:46] So to keep Palo Alto safe, I hope my
[1:20:48] colleagues will stand with me in calling
[1:20:50] for three things. First, a full and
[1:20:53] independent investigation of the
[1:20:55] incident so that those who should be
[1:20:57] held accountable are held accountable
[1:21:00] and an investigation of the policies and
[1:21:02] training or lack of training in things
[1:21:04] such as deescalation that led to the
[1:21:06] shooting. Um, such policies could
[1:21:09] include the provision of medical care.
[1:21:12] We had an incident right here at
[1:21:14] Stanford Hospital whereas decisions as
[1:21:17] to when the patient was ready for
[1:21:19] release, family access to the patients,
[1:21:21] presence of ICE in a private hospital
[1:21:23] were all called into question. And last
[1:21:26] week, ICE denied a physician access to
[1:21:28] the shooting victim, meaning that these
[1:21:30] policies are still problematic, deeply
[1:21:32] troubling, and in need of review.
[1:21:35] Second, PaloAlto will continue its
[1:21:38] policy of police independence from ICE.
[1:21:41] Our police chief has said, and I quote,
[1:21:44] "Let me be clear, our department policy
[1:21:46] expressly forbids officers from
[1:21:48] inquiring about an individual's
[1:21:50] immigration status for purposes of
[1:21:53] immigration enforcement. Moreover, our
[1:21:55] policy and state law prohibit
[1:21:57] cooperation with federal authorities for
[1:22:00] the purpose of immigration enforcement.
[1:22:03] Third, we will continue our pursuit of
[1:22:05] legal actions that prevent the federal
[1:22:07] government from withholding grant
[1:22:08] funding absent cooperation with ICE. The
[1:22:12] resolution that council adopted last
[1:22:13] year uh resulted in the city joining
[1:22:16] three federal lawsuits and those suits
[1:22:18] have successfully procured preliminary
[1:22:20] injunctions that protect us from
[1:22:23] executive orders that would otherwise
[1:22:25] threaten PaloAlto's federal funding
[1:22:27] based on our policy not to take a
[1:22:30] direction from ICE.
[1:22:33] Finally, I want to follow the lead of
[1:22:35] the Minneapolis mayor and ask our
[1:22:38] community to rise to the occasion and
[1:22:39] show our best selves. While we may be
[1:22:42] angry, I was proud that our community
[1:22:45] showed up with peace and responded with
[1:22:47] love last night. So, ICE, if you come
[1:22:52] back to Palo Alto, please know that in
[1:22:55] this town, we respect the law and will
[1:22:57] not disrupt lawful operations.
[1:23:00] But please also know that if the
[1:23:02] operations are unlawful, we will demand
[1:23:05] accountability and pursue every avenue
[1:23:07] to keep our residents safe. I have sworn
[1:23:10] an oath to uphold the constitution as
[1:23:12] have my colleagues, our police officers,
[1:23:14] and every one of our staff members, and
[1:23:16] we intend to honor it. In Palo Alto, we
[1:23:20] may speak with different voices and hit
[1:23:22] different notes, but let's work together
[1:23:25] to speak in harmony and to keep each
[1:23:27] other safe. Council
[1:23:32] member Bertney.
[1:23:38] Okay, we'll turn off that light. Anyone
[1:23:40] else?
[1:23:44] » Council member
[1:23:46] Lowing.
[1:23:49] >> Okay. Thanks. So I just wanted to report
[1:23:50] » Okay. Thanks. So I just wanted to report
[1:23:50] briefly that uh last week we met with
[1:23:53] the we meaning the mayor and myself uh
[1:23:57] met with the incoming council general of
[1:24:01] uh Deutseland uh Germany. Uh I had a
[1:24:04] previous interface with his predecessor
[1:24:06] who's been reassigned in the diplomatic
[1:24:08] corps back to Germany. Uh so he was here
[1:24:11] and I did a handoff uh to our mayor and
[1:24:13] we had a I thought pretty fruitful
[1:24:15] conversation for almost almost an hour.
[1:24:18] Um, and then pictures appeared on his
[1:24:22] Facebook from right over here. So, the
[1:24:25] the torch has been handed uh for the
[1:24:27] German relationship.
[1:24:29] >> Oh, sorry. His name is Theo Kittis.
[1:24:33] » Oh, sorry. His name is Theo Kittis.
[1:24:33] >> Thank you, Council Member Lowing.
[1:24:34] » Thank you, Council Member Lowing.
[1:24:34] Council member Liths.
[1:24:37] >> Thank you, Mayor Vinker. Uh, I
[1:24:40] » Thank you, Mayor Vinker. Uh, I
[1:24:40] appreciate you're mentioning um
[1:24:43] the shooting in Minneapolis of Renee
[1:24:48] Nicole Good and
[1:24:50] um the various things you mentioned
[1:24:53] about our city's response to the
[1:24:57] presence of that kind of law enforcement
[1:25:00] activity in our nation, in our cities.
[1:25:02] Um
[1:25:04] the vigil last night right here at city
[1:25:06] hall as the mayor mentioned was really
[1:25:08] extraordinary. I think actually the
[1:25:10] Palito weekly said over 500 uh which is
[1:25:13] amazing. I figured they would undercount
[1:25:15] you know the media that was underount
[1:25:16] the number the crowd size but I think
[1:25:18] they got it right. Um and I just want to
[1:25:20] express my gratitude to Indivisible
[1:25:22] PaloAlto Plus and the other
[1:25:24] organizations that helped uh to really
[1:25:26] scramble and put something together so
[1:25:28] quickly. I um also attended a um
[1:25:34] uh gathering at Town and Country on
[1:25:36] Friday um at noon or over the lunch hour
[1:25:41] which was a protest at Embaradero and El
[1:25:44] Camino um all related to uh the
[1:25:48] activities in Minneapolis and the
[1:25:50] killing of Renee Nicole Good and I
[1:25:53] believe there was an event on Saturday
[1:25:54] as well. So our community has really
[1:25:56] mobilized quite quickly. Uh people are
[1:25:59] hungry to do something, yearning to
[1:26:01] gather with others, um to stand up for
[1:26:05] what we know is right and necessary. And
[1:26:07] anybody listening who didn't know about
[1:26:10] these events and wants to be involved,
[1:26:12] uh there are plenty of ways to to find
[1:26:14] out about such things, follow the right
[1:26:16] groups. Uh but you can definitely go to
[1:26:19] my website, julieforpow.com,
[1:26:22] where I uh sent out uh a flyer promoting
[1:26:25] these events before they happened. Um
[1:26:29] um with respect to mental health, I want
[1:26:32] to acknowledge uh that we've been
[1:26:34] informed that uh there was a life that
[1:26:36] ended at the train tracks this weekend,
[1:26:38] a middle-aged adult. Um
[1:26:42] um this is an ongoing concern for all of
[1:26:45] us I know and we are trying to address
[1:26:48] issues of mental health from many angles
[1:26:50] including partnering with the nation's
[1:26:52] leading organization on youth mental
[1:26:54] health uh the Jed Foundation um and
[1:26:57] making changes at the tracks as well.
[1:27:00] And um I want to acknowledge that a
[1:27:03] community member, Mayor Lucas, pulled
[1:27:05] together an event called Candles and
[1:27:07] Hugs, which happened right before our
[1:27:10] reorganization. So it was last Sunday,
[1:27:13] the 4th. It was a gathering um a
[1:27:15] candlelight gathering here at city hall
[1:27:18] um to acknowledge and commemorate and
[1:27:22] and offer support for those affected by
[1:27:26] um youth suicide.
[1:27:28] And uh I'm saying this because I know
[1:27:30] it's hard to talk about these things,
[1:27:31] but I think we're learning as a
[1:27:32] community that more conversation is
[1:27:35] better than less. Uh so I do this
[1:27:37] deliberately and to acknowledge that
[1:27:39] we're all um struggling in our in our
[1:27:42] own way as a city with with an
[1:27:43] underlying grief related to uh the fact
[1:27:45] of of suicide. Um
[1:27:50] on a more upbeat note, uh the Cubberly
[1:27:53] ad hoc continues to be hard at work. my
[1:27:56] colleagues, uh, Council Member Bert and
[1:27:58] Council Member Rectal, and I along with
[1:28:00] our, uh, city staff, um, continue at
[1:28:03] this effort, uh, to prepare a ballot
[1:28:06] measure, uh, to put before our residents
[1:28:10] this fall. And just this week, our third
[1:28:12] poll went out to the community um, to
[1:28:15] gauge further appetite for the project
[1:28:18] and um, so on. And so, to the extent you
[1:28:22] receive the poll, please don't hang up.
[1:28:24] uh please participate. We want to know
[1:28:26] your thoughts. And um I also want to
[1:28:30] acknowledge that fire station 4 uh had
[1:28:33] its groundbreaking uh a few days ago. A
[1:28:36] number of us were there. Uh it's very
[1:28:38] exciting to see uh not only the fire
[1:28:40] station um getting rebuilt, but to see
[1:28:44] that it is in this gorgeous Iller style,
[1:28:46] very fitting of the neighborhood, and um
[1:28:49] I know it's going to be something we're
[1:28:51] all extremely proud of when it is
[1:28:52] completed. The one surprise at the
[1:28:55] groundbreaking, at least for me, was
[1:28:57] that uh our fire chief revealed that
[1:29:00] there was a um time capsule buried in uh
[1:29:05] an element of the old um fire house and
[1:29:09] he opened up the time capsule and read
[1:29:12] the note that was in there. And it's
[1:29:15] really cool when the past is in dialogue
[1:29:17] with the present. And that's what I
[1:29:19] think uh opening up time capsules can
[1:29:22] do. So, here's to planting more time
[1:29:24] capsules as we continue to lay
[1:29:26] foundations uh for what's next. Um, one
[1:29:29] day people will wonder what were the
[1:29:30] people in in our era thinking and a time
[1:29:33] capsule is a wonderful way to give them
[1:29:35] a hint. That's it for me. Thank you.
[1:29:39] >> Thank you. And uh seeing no more lights,
[1:29:43] » Thank you. And uh seeing no more lights,
[1:29:43] we'll move on to our second item, which
[1:29:46] is a study session. Review and discuss a
[1:29:48] 2025 Q4 council priorities and
[1:29:50] objectives and format of the 2026
[1:29:53] council annual retreat.
[1:29:56] I'll turn it to staff. Is that going to
[1:29:59] be
[1:30:01] >> Yep. Uh let's see. We will have an
[1:30:03] » Yep. Uh let's see. We will have an
[1:30:03] ensemble cast as you might expect with a
[1:30:06] topic uh this broad. So I'll ask our
[1:30:09] assistant city manager Lupita Holamos to
[1:30:12] lead off uh and then we'll have uh
[1:30:15] others uh chime in as the case may be. I
[1:30:18] think I I would like to just give a
[1:30:20] little bit of context for the council
[1:30:21] and and in particular in the context of
[1:30:25] your meetings over the next few weeks.
[1:30:27] Uh tonight we will review the status of
[1:30:30] calendar year 2025
[1:30:33] uh priority objectives as we've referred
[1:30:35] to them and uh this really uh sets the
[1:30:38] stage uh for the uh city council's
[1:30:41] retreat on January 24th. So two weeks
[1:30:44] really uh from today. Uh so again at
[1:30:47] this point you'll get a a report on last
[1:30:49] year and then in two weeks you'll be
[1:30:52] discussing the current year. So we
[1:30:54] really uh hope that this sequence is
[1:30:56] helpful for you uh so we're not cramming
[1:30:58] everything into the retreat uh day
[1:31:00] itself and also uh we can take your
[1:31:03] feedback on the 25 uh objectives uh as
[1:31:07] we are preparing additional information
[1:31:09] for your consideration on January 24th.
[1:31:12] So with that, Miss Alamos.
[1:31:14] >> Thank you Mr. Shada. Good evening Mayor
[1:31:16] » Thank you Mr. Shada. Good evening Mayor
[1:31:16] and Council. Lupita Alamos, assistant to
[1:31:18] the city manager. Um and uh next slide.
[1:31:23] For tonight, as Mr. Shakata has already
[1:31:25] covered, we'll be discussing those um
[1:31:28] 2025 priority objectives uh outcomes and
[1:31:31] then moving on to the 26 retreat for the
[1:31:33] second part of the presentation.
[1:31:36] Next slide. Wonderful. Um so tonight
[1:31:39] we'll be just very briefly covering each
[1:31:41] of the uh four priorities um that were
[1:31:44] adopted in 2025. This includes climate
[1:31:47] action, adaptation, and natural
[1:31:49] environment protection, um, economic
[1:31:51] development and retail vibrancy,
[1:31:53] implementing housing strategies for
[1:31:55] social and economic balance, and public
[1:31:58] safety, wellness, and belonging.
[1:32:01] So, supporting the implementation of
[1:32:03] these four priorities were 70 objectives
[1:32:06] or projects. And of those um at the end
[1:32:10] of the fourth quarter of 2025, 66% of
[1:32:15] those were marked as completed. Um 23%
[1:32:19] were marked as behind. Uh seven 7%
[1:32:23] continue to be on track with a change in
[1:32:25] scope with from either council or
[1:32:28] council committee. And uh 4% of those uh
[1:32:32] were placed on hold. And you'll briefly
[1:32:35] hear um just some highlights on a few of
[1:32:38] these uh different um categories from
[1:32:41] our staff. Um and first we will have our
[1:32:47] um um section our priority on climate
[1:32:50] action and adaptation natural
[1:32:52] environment. And with that we have Mr.
[1:32:56] Egleston.
[1:32:59] » Good evening Mayor Vinker and city
[1:33:01] council. uh Brad Igson, director of
[1:33:03] public works.
[1:33:06] So uh next slide please.
[1:33:11] Okay, so for the climate action and
[1:33:13] natural environment uh protection
[1:33:15] priority, 79% of the 24 objectives were
[1:33:20] completed in 2025.
[1:33:22] Uh want to note this really reflects
[1:33:24] very significant progress in a number of
[1:33:27] different SCAP uh sustainability climate
[1:33:30] action plan areas.
[1:33:32] and that the climate action and
[1:33:34] sustainability committee as well as our
[1:33:37] working group of community members were
[1:33:39] uh an important factor in in advancing
[1:33:41] much of this work and making sure we
[1:33:43] could get through it. So just briefly
[1:33:46] the completed highlights on this slide
[1:33:49] cover 12 of those 24 completed
[1:33:52] objectives. Uh some of the ones uh shown
[1:33:55] here include construction projects like
[1:33:58] the grid modernization pilot project uh
[1:34:01] as well as the new road bridge
[1:34:03] replacement and Hamilton Avenue storm
[1:34:05] drain uh improvement projects. There are
[1:34:08] mobility related plans uh including the
[1:34:11] safe streets for all action plan
[1:34:13] adoption and uh council's initial review
[1:34:16] of the draft bicycle and pedestrian
[1:34:18] transportation plan. the adoption of the
[1:34:21] reach codes. Um that turned out to be
[1:34:23] quite a project this year that had to be
[1:34:25] fasttracked because of uh new state
[1:34:28] legislation AB130.
[1:34:31] Uh several SAP plans. Uh I won't name
[1:34:34] them all, but they include the uh 2026
[1:34:37] and 2027 work plan, which is scheduled
[1:34:40] to come to council for approval on
[1:34:42] February 9th. So you'll be hearing about
[1:34:44] that soon. And just noting the photos on
[1:34:47] this slide are from our very successful
[1:34:50] climate action workshop that was held in
[1:34:53] December uh and helped to finalize some
[1:34:56] of the input that went into the work
[1:34:58] plan that you'll be hearing about and
[1:35:00] then as well several approvals that were
[1:35:03] for programs on uh build different types
[1:35:05] of building electrification
[1:35:07] and uh multifamily EV charging in
[1:35:10] particular. Next slide.
[1:35:18] Okay, so this is the list of the five
[1:35:20] objectives
[1:35:22] uh that are shown either as on track or
[1:35:25] behind but were were not completed
[1:35:27] according to whatever uh criteria we had
[1:35:30] described for the year. So on these I'm
[1:35:33] not going to speak to them individually.
[1:35:35] Um we'll be happy to take questions if
[1:35:38] you have them at the end of the
[1:35:40] presentation. I do want to note that
[1:35:42] none of these are on hold. They're all
[1:35:45] moving. Uh really important progress has
[1:35:48] been made on all five of these and
[1:35:51] several of them are expected to be
[1:35:52] completed in the first quarter of this
[1:35:54] year. Thank you.
[1:35:58] >> Thank you. Next, um we have the economic
[1:36:02] » Thank you. Next, um we have the economic
[1:36:02] development and retail vibrancy section
[1:36:05] priority
[1:36:06] and here to present is Mr. Andrade.
[1:36:10] Actually, before he jumps in, let me, as
[1:36:13] I typically would do, introduce our new
[1:36:15] staff member. Uh, Alex Andrade is our
[1:36:18] new economic development manager and
[1:36:20] assistant to the city manager. Uh, I
[1:36:23] know many of you have had the
[1:36:24] opportunity to meet him individually,
[1:36:26] but this is, I believe, his first uh,
[1:36:28] appearance with city council. So, Mr.
[1:36:30] Andrad, please proceed. Good evening,
[1:36:33] mayor, vice mayor, and city council. As
[1:36:35] our city managers mentioned, my name is
[1:36:37] Alex Andrade. I think I'm in my fourth
[1:36:40] week and I'm with the city manager's
[1:36:42] office and focusing on on economic
[1:36:45] development. So, it's a real pleasure to
[1:36:47] be in front of you here today. The
[1:36:49] economic development and retail vibrancy
[1:36:51] priority is made up of interventions and
[1:36:54] investments that enhance Palo Alto's
[1:36:56] business climate and ensure that the
[1:36:58] local economy is healthy. I want to give
[1:37:01] you a little bit of data just to kind of
[1:37:02] give you a sense of where we are. While
[1:37:05] the Q3 2025 University Avenue retail
[1:37:08] vacancy rate is approximately 13% and
[1:37:11] essentially the same as a year ago, the
[1:37:14] Q3 2025 vacancy rate retail vacancy rate
[1:37:18] on Calav is 6.4%.
[1:37:21] Which is down from approximately 12% a
[1:37:23] year ago.
[1:37:25] Last year there were roughly 38 retail
[1:37:29] and commercial businesses that opened in
[1:37:31] Palo Alto. And I think that's really
[1:37:33] important because what that tells me is
[1:37:35] that business operators are invested in
[1:37:37] Palo Alto because there are economic
[1:37:39] opportunities here. There's talent here
[1:37:42] and they want to add vibrancy and
[1:37:43] character to our business districts. I'm
[1:37:46] really excited about having the
[1:37:47] opportunity to be in front of you at
[1:37:49] your council retreat on January 24th and
[1:37:52] expanding the
[1:37:55] um conversation and appropriate economic
[1:37:57] development solutions for Palo Alto's
[1:37:59] economy. So, I'm going to get into this
[1:38:01] what's on the screen now in terms of
[1:38:04] several city council priorities that
[1:38:06] have been completed. Examples include
[1:38:09] the city council approving staff to
[1:38:11] proceed with the preliminary design and
[1:38:13] environmental review of a 274 space
[1:38:16] parking garage. The next step is for
[1:38:18] staff to engage the historical review
[1:38:21] review board followed by the
[1:38:22] architectural review board to explore
[1:38:25] options for long-term improvements. On
[1:38:28] December 1, 2025, the city council
[1:38:30] approved an amendment to the downtown
[1:38:32] and Calav steam cleaning contract for
[1:38:37] sidewalk and garage pressure washing. In
[1:38:40] terms of the wireless communication
[1:38:42] facility regulations, the city council
[1:38:44] held a public hearing on a draft
[1:38:47] ordinance on May 19th followed by a
[1:38:49] second reading uh which took place on
[1:38:52] June 9th, 2025.
[1:38:54] I'm going to now move to the next slide,
[1:38:56] please. And I'm going to focus on
[1:38:59] several projects. And you'll see on the
[1:39:02] slide there that there are four projects
[1:39:04] that are in bold. And so I'm just going
[1:39:06] to give you uh an update on that. And
[1:39:08] you'll also notice that in your report,
[1:39:10] it indicates that these project projects
[1:39:13] are behind. However, I want to say that
[1:39:16] uh there actually is work being done and
[1:39:18] it's in progress. So objective 211
[1:39:22] outdoor activation of Cal Avenue.
[1:39:24] Through this objective, the
[1:39:25] architectural review board was formed to
[1:39:27] provide feedback on permitting options,
[1:39:30] parklet standards, and pre-approved
[1:39:32] parklet design modifications for Calav.
[1:39:35] Parklet and sidewalk dining options and
[1:39:37] illustrations have been developed for
[1:39:39] year-round weather based on merchant
[1:39:41] feedback.
[1:39:43] Next steps for this project consist of
[1:39:45] an architectural re review board meeting
[1:39:48] followed by a recommendation by city
[1:39:49] council consider for city council
[1:39:51] consideration by the close of the
[1:39:53] current fiscal year. Objective 212 which
[1:39:57] is the signed plan for Calav. This
[1:40:00] project has been bifurcated into two
[1:40:02] separate projects with one moving
[1:40:04] forward and the other one on hold. The
[1:40:06] project in progress is led by public
[1:40:08] works and consists of two signs
[1:40:10] including a monument sign that's located
[1:40:12] at the El Camino Rial Calav intersection
[1:40:15] and a welcome banner on Oregon
[1:40:17] Expressway.
[1:40:19] These are anticipated to be complete in
[1:40:21] late quarter 3 or early Q4 2026. The
[1:40:26] project on hold is the wayfinding
[1:40:28] signage plan to ensure there is
[1:40:30] additional business engagement and to
[1:40:32] identify additional resources and m
[1:40:35] maintenance needs.
[1:40:37] Objective 215. This is the street design
[1:40:40] for Ramona Street. The project is led by
[1:40:43] public works. The spherical bowlards and
[1:40:46] meridian barriers will be installed on
[1:40:48] Ramona Street for pedestrian safety by
[1:40:50] the end of this month which will result
[1:40:52] in the removal of the orange water
[1:40:54] barriers. Objective 222 which is the
[1:40:58] retail vibrancy ordinance. This project
[1:41:00] is led by planning and development
[1:41:02] services. The proposed options and
[1:41:05] recommendations will reduce regulatory
[1:41:07] barriers for businesses applying for
[1:41:09] permits and will result in a more robust
[1:41:12] retail environment. So the next steps
[1:41:14] for us will be to get in front of the
[1:41:17] retail committee on January 22nd and
[1:41:19] thereafter the process requires
[1:41:21] returning to the planning and
[1:41:22] transportation commission followed by
[1:41:24] the city council's consideration for the
[1:41:27] retail revitalization strategy in Q2 of
[1:41:30] 2026.
[1:41:32] That concludes the uh this priority
[1:41:35] project update and I'll be available for
[1:41:37] questions after the presentation. Thank
[1:41:39] you.
[1:41:41] Okay, our next priority is implementing
[1:41:44] housing strategies for social and
[1:41:46] economic balance. And to uh provide a
[1:41:50] summary of that is Mr. Lee.
[1:41:53] >> Good evening, mayor and city council.
[1:41:56] » Good evening, mayor and city council.
[1:41:56] About uh let's see, 70% of our um
[1:42:00] housing strategies for social and
[1:42:02] economic balance are either completed or
[1:42:04] um on track. Uh many of these are
[1:42:07] reflected on the um accomplishments to
[1:42:09] the right. We have uh introduced a
[1:42:12] number of uh housing production related
[1:42:15] ordinances that are increasing uh
[1:42:18] housing production on our commercial
[1:42:19] areas and in multif family areas. We
[1:42:23] have uh updated our accessory dwelling
[1:42:25] unit ordinance and uh last year had our
[1:42:28] highest uh number of ADU applications
[1:42:31] filed with the city which was 244.
[1:42:34] Every year we continue to see more of
[1:42:36] those applications filed.
[1:42:38] As a whole, we have over 3,000 units in
[1:42:42] our pipeline uh for housing units that
[1:42:44] are slated to be going through the
[1:42:46] entitlement process and the building
[1:42:48] permit process.
[1:42:50] We begun have begun work on the uh San
[1:42:53] Antonio Road area plan. Uh this is
[1:42:56] moving quickly and there's a number of
[1:42:58] meetings that are taking place this
[1:42:59] quarter and the city council will have
[1:43:01] an opportunity to weigh in on this
[1:43:02] project again uh in early April and
[1:43:04] again on June to provide a um direction
[1:43:08] on a preferred um alternative.
[1:43:11] Uh late last year the city council
[1:43:13] considered a number of uh uh housing
[1:43:15] options for the um 1acre parcel that we
[1:43:19] are uh going to get as a part of the
[1:43:21] subra uh development agreement. Um
[1:43:25] and we also entered into and made a lot
[1:43:27] of uh progress on um lot t uh engaging
[1:43:31] with alta housing and we anticipate an
[1:43:34] application to be filed uh very shortly
[1:43:37] for that project. Uh work was uh
[1:43:40] presented to the city council and uh
[1:43:42] staff received direction on the fair
[1:43:43] chance ordinance. We have updated our
[1:43:45] development impact fees and more
[1:43:47] recently have embarked on a much larger
[1:43:49] project to update all of our development
[1:43:51] impact fees and to do a housing uh
[1:43:53] feasibility study as a part of that
[1:43:54] effort. [sighs] And we've also initiated
[1:43:57] um phase one to address oversized
[1:43:59] vehicle impacts. If we can go to the
[1:44:02] next slide, please.
[1:44:04] Uh there are some projects that are uh
[1:44:06] either uh behind or on hold. Um starting
[1:44:10] with project home key which will provide
[1:44:12] transitional housing and services for
[1:44:14] unhoused residents. This is a project
[1:44:16] that met some initial uh project delays
[1:44:19] uh in the construction uh process but a
[1:44:22] revised schedule uh midyear last year.
[1:44:25] Uh remains on track with that project
[1:44:27] anticipated to um be completed in
[1:44:30] spring. Um the next priority or
[1:44:33] objective to identify uh funding sources
[1:44:37] for affordable uh housing development is
[1:44:40] currently on hold. Uh much of the staff
[1:44:42] that would be working on this is
[1:44:43] currently working on project home key
[1:44:45] and also our oversized vehicle uh
[1:44:48] program. So there's a resource challenge
[1:44:50] there. The next two items related to the
[1:44:53] retail uh excuse me the rental registry
[1:44:55] program and anti- rent gouging um are
[1:44:58] expected to go to policy and services I
[1:45:00] believe in March uh with updates. We
[1:45:03] have some good data from the rental
[1:45:04] registry program. Uh we've just been a
[1:45:06] little bit delayed in getting it to uh
[1:45:08] to the council to share that information
[1:45:10] with you. And uh the second to last one
[1:45:13] is the downtown housing plan. This one
[1:45:15] is actually mostly on track. Um you'll
[1:45:18] recall uh last year SB79 became um was
[1:45:22] adopted or signed into law. It becomes
[1:45:24] effective in July. Uh we look forward to
[1:45:27] meeting with the city council appointed
[1:45:29] ad hoc from late last year to uh have
[1:45:31] some discussions to decide to what
[1:45:33] extent if at all we want to incorporate
[1:45:35] SB79 into that uh planning initiative.
[1:45:38] And the last item on this list is um
[1:45:40] looking at ways to um further
[1:45:43] incentivize um housing development over
[1:45:45] commercial development by possibly
[1:45:46] adjusting um commercial floor area in
[1:45:49] our commercial zones. And with that, I
[1:45:51] will turn it over back to Lepita.
[1:45:56] » Okay. Up next is our last priority on
[1:45:59] public safety, wellness, and belonging.
[1:46:02] And here to present that is Miss Cotton
[1:46:05] Gaines. Good evening, mayor and city
[1:46:08] council. Chantel Cotton Gains, deputy
[1:46:10] city manager. Uh really excited to give
[1:46:13] a very brief overview of the last
[1:46:15] priority section, particularly because
[1:46:17] most of the objectives are completed.
[1:46:20] And so just wanted to uh visually show
[1:46:24] some of the progress made over the
[1:46:25] course of this year. You should see
[1:46:27] yourself and some photos on the screen.
[1:46:29] Uh so see your work also reflected in
[1:46:31] what's happening. So we were able to
[1:46:33] open the public safety building. Uh, a
[1:46:35] lot of work went into that by a lot of
[1:46:37] folks. So, um, tons of gratitude there.
[1:46:39] Also, fire station 4 groundbreaking was
[1:46:42] referenced earlier this evening. Uh,
[1:46:44] being able to award that contract was
[1:46:46] one of the items on the list. And so,
[1:46:47] last uh, week is a great time for us to
[1:46:50] show that visually to the community. Uh
[1:46:53] you also see there one of the items that
[1:46:55] is on the equity action plan or wellness
[1:46:57] and belonging action plan was being able
[1:46:59] to have a dashboard that is having all
[1:47:01] of our workforce demographic information
[1:47:03] available to the public so that um that
[1:47:06] information is able to be seen,
[1:47:08] understood, people can analyze it. It
[1:47:10] was a static PDF the year before and
[1:47:12] we've been able to make that into a
[1:47:14] interactive dashboard. And so that's one
[1:47:16] of many items in the action plan but one
[1:47:18] that we're really proud of completing.
[1:47:20] The other item on here is coverly master
[1:47:22] plan. So also referenced earlier this
[1:47:24] evening. Lots of work going into that
[1:47:26] through the ad hoc committee and staff
[1:47:29] um and continuing to progress that very
[1:47:31] important initiative forward. The last
[1:47:33] image that's reflected on the screen is
[1:47:35] enhance and expand inclusive programs
[1:47:37] and services. And so you see a great
[1:47:40] event there that was put on by our
[1:47:42] community services department. It's just
[1:47:44] one example of the work they're doing.
[1:47:45] We have a new staff member that came on
[1:47:47] board in December. Uh and so we're
[1:47:49] really looking forward to enhancing that
[1:47:51] work throughout the year. So next slide,
[1:47:54] please. The few items that are remaining
[1:47:57] for us to continue to work on are the
[1:48:00] three that are on the screen. So the
[1:48:02] first is implementing the wellness and
[1:48:04] belonging action plan. There are 26
[1:48:06] items that are on that action plan and
[1:48:08] we also added the training related to
[1:48:11] Islamophobia,
[1:48:13] anti-semitism, and anti-Palestinian hate
[1:48:16] as one of those items. And so we have
[1:48:18] been advancing along the way, but not
[1:48:20] all of the 26 items are completed. And
[1:48:22] so we have that still here as um still
[1:48:25] moving along, but it is behind schedule.
[1:48:27] The other item on here is open 445 Brian
[1:48:30] Street Community Center and it's
[1:48:32] actually uh soft open right now. So
[1:48:34] between the time of the printing of this
[1:48:36] report and today, uh we can mark this
[1:48:38] one as completed as well. And the last
[1:48:41] item uh which is related to Gatsby or
[1:48:45] sorry not Gatsby sorry GBAZ which is the
[1:48:47] groundbased augmentation system project
[1:48:51] uh our staff has done quite a bit of
[1:48:52] work with that along with uh vice mayor
[1:48:54] stone in terms of engaging with SFO
[1:48:56] staff to review complete and appeal um
[1:49:00] the SFO's draft EIR and recommended
[1:49:03] airport plan. So, there has been a lot
[1:49:04] of work done on this item, but because
[1:49:06] the item specifically says to um call
[1:49:09] out and I believe related to a
[1:49:12] consultant help, we still mark that as
[1:49:15] um ongoing as opposed to marking it as
[1:49:17] complete. But a lot of work has been
[1:49:19] done throughout the year related to
[1:49:20] that. And that concludes this section.
[1:49:22] Thank you.
[1:49:24] >> Thank you. Um, and before we conclude
[1:49:27] » Thank you. Um, and before we conclude
[1:49:27] this section, um, and turn it back to,
[1:49:30] uh, the council for questions or
[1:49:32] feedback, I did also want to point out
[1:49:34] that we have launched our, um, council
[1:49:38] priorities dashboard. These are now uh,
[1:49:41] available on the city council priorities
[1:49:44] web page, and it's just an improvement
[1:49:46] of how the community can um, engage a
[1:49:48] little better with the um, objectives
[1:49:52] and and the priorities set by this
[1:49:53] council.
[1:49:56] And with that, I'll turn it back to um
[1:50:00] Oh, I was going to do this.
[1:50:03] Okay. All right. Okay. Next, we will um
[1:50:13] present also on the um 26 city council
[1:50:16] retreat process.
[1:50:21] On uh December 9th, the policy and
[1:50:23] services committee met to provide
[1:50:25] feedback on the retreat process as is
[1:50:27] called in the council handbook. Um at
[1:50:31] the at its meeting, the U policy and
[1:50:33] services committee recommended that the
[1:50:35] council continue its 2025 priorities
[1:50:38] into 2026.
[1:50:40] as well. Uh then discussed that the uh
[1:50:43] focus of the retreat would um best be
[1:50:46] served by focusing on maybe the
[1:50:49] development and prioritization
[1:50:51] prioritization of mid-level goals. And
[1:50:54] this idea of middle level goals is a um
[1:50:58] way to bridge our existing framework of
[1:51:01] council priorities which is very high
[1:51:04] level um areas um to very to our council
[1:51:08] objectives which are very um specific um
[1:51:12] and um smarty uh projects. So the idea
[1:51:15] of mid-level goals is a desire to bridge
[1:51:18] those um two and create uh more
[1:51:21] mid-level um goals to um identify what
[1:51:26] should be achieved in that year.
[1:51:30] So the proposed agenda um if this is
[1:51:34] what the council should uh desire would
[1:51:37] then focus on orienting um the focus of
[1:51:40] the retreat. Uh opening up with a
[1:51:43] question on on retreat focus followed by
[1:51:45] a discussion on any suggested mid-level
[1:51:48] goals and a pri prioritization of those.
[1:51:52] And then following um that would be a
[1:51:54] discussion on ad hoc committees and the
[1:51:56] strategies um to achieve our goals and
[1:52:00] then followed by next steps.
[1:52:05] So in conclusion what we are asking um
[1:52:08] the the council tonight is then to
[1:52:12] provide provide us with um any questions
[1:52:15] or feedback on the outcomes of the 2025
[1:52:18] priorities. Um and with that looking
[1:52:21] into 2026
[1:52:24] um as well as provide um feedback on the
[1:52:27] um recommended process uh as as
[1:52:31] described by policy and services
[1:52:32] committee for the 2026 retreat.
[1:52:36] So, if I could just close um to
[1:52:38] reiterate this last point, we've we've
[1:52:40] certainly heard uh from the committee
[1:52:42] specifically and the council more
[1:52:43] generally or PNS committee as I'm
[1:52:46] referring to that uh for your retreat on
[1:52:48] January 24th, the desire to kind of
[1:52:50] level up the u priorities as they're
[1:52:54] described. We've got a recommendation to
[1:52:57] proceed with the basic four priorities.
[1:52:59] It has been uh u adopted by the council
[1:53:03] for 2025. And so the real question for
[1:53:05] 2026 is how much detail and in what
[1:53:09] areas you want to uh focus any
[1:53:12] supplement. Uh again gotten the
[1:53:16] impression that 70 objectives was a bit
[1:53:18] much. So an interest in reducing that uh
[1:53:22] to a more manageable set. So I think
[1:53:24] that that's the plan going into our uh
[1:53:28] retreat for the 24th and would uh uh
[1:53:31] certainly look forward to any feedback
[1:53:32] you have uh this evening.
[1:53:35] All right. Well, thank you uh thank you
[1:53:37] Miss Alamos for coordinating all of
[1:53:39] this. Uh thank you to all the staff for
[1:53:42] their presentations and for being here
[1:53:44] tonight. So many of you and honestly for
[1:53:47] all the work by all the staff that went
[1:53:49] into that 2025 report and uh achieving
[1:53:52] all those objectives. Um, just as um,
[1:53:56] PNS chair, I want to add just a couple
[1:53:59] of comments on the go forward retreat
[1:54:01] process because I'm I think all of us on
[1:54:03] the committee are eager to hear what our
[1:54:05] colleagues think would be a productive
[1:54:07] way to conduct that, but I wanted to
[1:54:09] give just a little more background on on
[1:54:11] what you've described. Um, so first of
[1:54:15] all, the the PNS recommendation to
[1:54:17] continue those four priorities for a
[1:54:19] second year, I believe, was affirming
[1:54:22] council's prior recommendation that we
[1:54:24] do this on a two-year cycle. We didn't
[1:54:26] just come up with that as a new idea. We
[1:54:29] were presented with, you know, the
[1:54:31] council having thought about that before
[1:54:32] and we looked at those priorities and
[1:54:34] thought that was a good idea in this
[1:54:36] instance given the priorities and how
[1:54:38] they seem to continue to be such. Um
[1:54:43] but yes uh you know following up on what
[1:54:46] staff has said we we did notice of
[1:54:48] course that those priorities are so
[1:54:50] broad uh and high level that it really
[1:54:53] didn't give staff a lot of direction.
[1:54:56] So, we have four priorities and we had
[1:54:58] 70 objectives that were kind of a
[1:55:00] laundry list or a to-do list of of of
[1:55:03] how how to, you know, within those
[1:55:05] priorities, but it really didn't have
[1:55:06] council weighing in on timing or
[1:55:08] importance of those. Um so the mid-level
[1:55:13] goals that we're asking you know our
[1:55:16] colleagues to propose discuss and
[1:55:18] priorities prioritize
[1:55:21] are really designed to give staff
[1:55:22] greater direction without micromanaging
[1:55:25] how they're accomplished. So we are
[1:55:29] recommending discussing at the retreat
[1:55:31] what is really missionritical and what
[1:55:34] is somewhat more flexible recognizing
[1:55:36] that it's all important work. And so,
[1:55:39] um, and interestingly, I did notice that
[1:55:43] you whereas we've kind of backed
[1:55:44] ourselves backed into these, um,
[1:55:46] mid-level goals, it's really consistent
[1:55:48] with what the policies and procedures
[1:55:51] uh, manual originally said about
[1:55:53] objectives because it recommended that
[1:55:57] uh, we have three to four priorities
[1:55:59] with two to three objectives each. So,
[1:56:01] even if you take the max of that, that
[1:56:03] would be 12 objectives and we have 70.
[1:56:05] So I think we're kind of going back to
[1:56:07] that, you know, can we get a manageable
[1:56:09] number that we can really sort of
[1:56:11] compare and contrast uh in terms of the
[1:56:13] advice we would give to staff. Um and
[1:56:17] you know just to give you an like an
[1:56:19] example um because sometimes that makes
[1:56:20] it more real without really advocating
[1:56:23] for any particular thing. Um you notice
[1:56:26] like in the 2025 report we just went
[1:56:28] through um on the uh economic
[1:56:30] development and retail vibrancy um
[1:56:33] priority there were a whole lot of
[1:56:35] things about Ramona about Calav that
[1:56:38] were individual objectives but perhaps a
[1:56:40] mid-level goal is advanced car-free
[1:56:42] streets. So, it's kind of, you know, do
[1:56:44] we care about that versus maybe under
[1:56:48] public safety, wellness, and belonging,
[1:56:50] there's a whole lot of items about what
[1:56:52] to do about Cberly, but maybe Cubberly
[1:56:54] is in at a high level. Then how would we
[1:56:57] how would we rank those in terms of uh
[1:57:01] prioritization and and what needs to
[1:57:02] happen fast, what needs to happen in
[1:57:04] 2026. So, that's kind of the feel for
[1:57:07] why you have this recommendation in
[1:57:10] front of you. Um, and the other why is
[1:57:15] that last year we didn't get the 70
[1:57:17] objectives set until May 5th, I think it
[1:57:19] was. So, the year was literally like a
[1:57:22] third gone by the time we even, you
[1:57:25] know, signed off on the 70. So, we're
[1:57:27] hoping we can do this more quickly. We
[1:57:29] have the same group that had the
[1:57:30] discussion last year. if we start with
[1:57:33] those basic priorities or you know tweak
[1:57:35] them a little but can really get at you
[1:57:38] know spend our time together chewing
[1:57:40] through what do we really care about for
[1:57:42] 2026. Um so and and can we get that to
[1:57:47] staff you know in the next month or so
[1:57:49] as opposed to 3 or four months later. So
[1:57:51] that was the why. But I'm really you
[1:57:54] know interested in everyone's thoughts
[1:57:56] on on the how. Um, and I before I go uh
[1:58:01] to others, I want to see if either of my
[1:58:03] colleagues on the policy and services
[1:58:05] committee would like to comment further
[1:58:07] on that.
[1:58:12] » I'm not getting a lot of enthusiasm. So,
[1:58:13] apparently I got it close to right.
[1:58:16] >> Okay, I guess I got it close to right.
[1:58:18] » Okay, I guess I got it close to right.
[1:58:18] Okay. Um, let's do uh one round of
[1:58:20] comment and then we'll go to public
[1:58:21] comment. Is that a legacy light or is
[1:58:23] that a new light?
[1:58:25] >> Oh, okay. Council member Beal.
[1:58:29] » Oh, okay. Council member Beal.
[1:58:29] Yeah, I agree with the policy and
[1:58:31] services that I think the organization
[1:58:35] last year ended up being a little
[1:58:36] unfocused and having 70 we really spread
[1:58:39] our attention and I'd really like to I
[1:58:41] think trim that down we'd have better uh
[1:58:44] production I think uh you know in the
[1:58:46] past we've had or we still do have these
[1:58:48] enduring values then we also have
[1:58:51] priorities and the priorities were meant
[1:58:53] to be uh narrow categories that where we
[1:58:57] were going to make exceptional progress
[1:58:59] over a shortterm period. And now if you
[1:59:02] look at our past 10 years, nine of the
[1:59:04] past 10 years we've had housing on it.
[1:59:06] And that doesn't smell like a short-term
[1:59:08] priority. That smells like an enduring
[1:59:09] value. And same with climate. Last seven
[1:59:12] years we've had climate on. And so that
[1:59:15] also would be another enduring value.
[1:59:16] And those are both really important
[1:59:18] things. But I'm not sure if it makes
[1:59:20] sense if you're going with a model that
[1:59:22] the priorities are short-term where you
[1:59:24] really want to catch up. you really want
[1:59:26] to make extraordinary progress on these
[1:59:28] narrow items, then housing and climate
[1:59:32] should be an enduring value. But the way
[1:59:34] it's set up right now, we don't tie any
[1:59:36] objectives to enduring values. And so
[1:59:38] I'm not sure how exactly how to work
[1:59:39] that if you have climate tasks that you
[1:59:43] think are really important. How would
[1:59:45] you wrap that? Because right now all our
[1:59:48] objectives are tied to priority. Well,
[1:59:50] that's the other thing is that not every
[1:59:51] good idea has to be a priority. We have
[1:59:54] 70 items on here. Some of them are I
[1:59:57] mean all of them are pretty good ideas.
[1:59:59] I looked through the last night and say,
[2:00:01] "Well, would I throw any of these out?"
[2:00:02] And they all No, they're all really
[2:00:03] good. Uh but I think we really want to
[2:00:06] say no, not every good idea goes on the
[2:00:08] priority list. I think we really want to
[2:00:10] reserve that for great ideas. And the
[2:00:12] other good ideas we're going to do
[2:00:14] anyway, but this is really where are we
[2:00:16] going to concentrate? Where can like for
[2:00:18] example home key really important for
[2:00:20] the city? I'm not sure how much leverage
[2:00:22] we had to accelerate home key. Uh and so
[2:00:26] should have that been on that list
[2:00:28] because even if it was important to us,
[2:00:30] even if we wanted to accelerated, I
[2:00:32] don't think we had the ability to. So I
[2:00:34] question whether that should be on
[2:00:35] there. Okay. Thank you.
[2:00:38] >> Thank you. And I guess one thing I
[2:00:40] » Thank you. And I guess one thing I
[2:00:40] forgot to mention is that um for the
[2:00:44] objectives themselves down at the more
[2:00:45] granular level just out of the committee
[2:00:48] uh we were also uh recommending that
[2:00:52] those be prioritized into the tier one
[2:00:54] and two as described in the staff report
[2:00:56] and I personally um was under the
[2:01:00] impression coming out of the committee
[2:01:01] meeting I didn't it didn't get captured
[2:01:03] in the staff report so I don't know what
[2:01:04] my colleagues think uh was that we could
[2:01:07] still it's It's not like we couldn't
[2:01:09] suggest um objectives or things to do
[2:01:12] that we would like to see on the staff
[2:01:13] list. It was more just aimed at that
[2:01:16] higher level prioritization as in terms
[2:01:18] of spending our time. So I would still
[2:01:22] like to see in there an ability to name
[2:01:25] things that we thought were urgent for
[2:01:27] this year. Um
[2:01:30] so I just wanted to add that
[2:01:34] uh Council Member Bert.
[2:01:37] >> Thank you. Um so first I'd like to say
[2:01:39] » Thank you. Um so first I'd like to say
[2:01:39] that I think that um as much as this is
[2:01:44] 70 may be too many having them there
[2:01:47] seems to have had a real impact on the
[2:01:51] organization having clear focus and
[2:01:54] deadlines that they are attempting to
[2:01:56] hit. And even if they don't hit it on
[2:01:58] all of them everybody is being
[2:02:00] accountable for what were the reasons we
[2:02:03] couldn't quite make it or what happened
[2:02:05] or whatever. and and it it gives a real
[2:02:08] ability to uh focus on what's important
[2:02:12] um both internally in the organization
[2:02:14] and as it gets reported to us and the
[2:02:18] public and then um
[2:02:21] uh so I I think there's real value there
[2:02:23] that we want to continue to embrace and
[2:02:26] that I guess the other part is even
[2:02:28] though it's this real long list the city
[2:02:30] manager has come back uh multiple times
[2:02:33] during a year to give us updates is it
[2:02:36] quarterly
[2:02:36] Yeah. And it just has kept a focus and a
[2:02:41] public awareness of all those things
[2:02:43] that are being done. So I like the idea
[2:02:46] of these mid-level way some of this may
[2:02:48] be um uh uh nomenclature because I think
[2:02:53] what we have in the procedures and
[2:02:55] protocols talks about objectives and
[2:02:58] these are really projects
[2:03:00] um uh that would fulfill maybe certain
[2:03:04] higher level objectives is how it might
[2:03:06] be organized. So I I think we we can
[2:03:08] still have both things and whether we
[2:03:11] refine it um uh I'm open to that. Um
[2:03:16] I I also like what PNS had talked about
[2:03:19] on the um having these tiers of our most
[2:03:23] important ones that we are going to try
[2:03:25] to uh hell or high water accomplish and
[2:03:29] the others are very important. Uh they
[2:03:31] aren't maybe we'll do it but they just
[2:03:34] aren't of the same highest importance.
[2:03:37] And then um
[2:03:40] uh one of the things that I as much as
[2:03:42] I've valued this I thought that by
[2:03:46] trying to take all these important
[2:03:48] projects that are being done in the city
[2:03:50] and it's a lot uh and shoehorn them in
[2:03:54] to saying well they have to fit within a
[2:03:57] council priority a council priority and
[2:03:59] what I see is some of them actually help
[2:04:02] fulfill more than one priority and
[2:04:04] others don't really fit and yet we've
[2:04:07] created this structure where it's there.
[2:04:10] So I think from the way to format it
[2:04:13] going forward I I would uh maybe have
[2:04:17] another category that is all the others
[2:04:20] and maybe look at how they align to core
[2:04:23] values. I mean, we aren't replacing the
[2:04:26] new bridge because we adopted climate ch
[2:04:31] action as a priority. And even within uh
[2:04:35] the great set of accomplishments on the
[2:04:37] climate action area, about half of them
[2:04:41] are things that we really didn't
[2:04:43] initiate because we prioritize the
[2:04:46] climate plan, which we have done in the
[2:04:48] last four years or so. um we've really
[2:04:51] elevated that uh prioritization and seen
[2:04:54] real progress, but that didn't drive
[2:04:56] these projects, some of these projects
[2:04:59] being here. So, I think we should reook
[2:05:01] at that. Um,
[2:05:04] and then, um,
[2:05:08] and then lastly, uh, I wanted to, um,
[2:05:12] follow up on Council Member Rectal's
[2:05:15] kind of
[2:05:17] saying we we really have had a a number
[2:05:20] of our council priorities that really, I
[2:05:25] think, more are our enduring values and
[2:05:28] that we may need to update those to make
[2:05:30] them more clear to embrace those. But
[2:05:34] once again, uh the the priorities can
[2:05:37] change. I would say that this year we
[2:05:39] should be considering um our our are
[2:05:44] really our uh organizational uh
[2:05:48] efficiency and innovation to be able to
[2:05:51] accomplish what we're hoping to
[2:05:53] accomplish with a tighter budget. I mean
[2:05:56] this is going to drive a lot of things
[2:05:58] and um and that may be a much more
[2:06:02] focused area of one or two years. Um and
[2:06:07] by no means do I as it's you all know
[2:06:09] would I say oh I want to dep prioritize
[2:06:12] our climate action plan for instance or
[2:06:15] some of these others. Um but but that
[2:06:18] can be in strengthening our our council
[2:06:22] value statement for things that
[2:06:24] our climate plan is not going to end in
[2:06:26] two or three years and the climate issue
[2:06:29] isn't going to end in that time frame.
[2:06:31] So anyway, those are my initial
[2:06:32] thoughts.
[2:06:34] >> Thank you, Council Member Liths.
[2:06:38] » Thank you, Council Member Liths.
[2:06:38] >> Thank you, Mayor. Um
[2:06:41] » Thank you, Mayor. Um
[2:06:41] I think a challenge for me um going into
[2:06:44] my fourth year of this is I think
[2:06:46] everybody has maybe a slightly different
[2:06:48] definition of value, priority,
[2:06:51] objective, project, etc. And it's been
[2:06:54] articulated a bit here tonight. Does
[2:06:56] something belong at this level or this
[2:06:57] level? um something enduring like
[2:06:59] climate, housing, does that belong as an
[2:07:01] enduring value instead of showing up
[2:07:03] repeatedly on a priorities list which
[2:07:06] our handbook until recently I think said
[2:07:08] priorities do not repeat or priorities
[2:07:10] only last for three years. Well, that's
[2:07:11] clearly not been the case. So, we've
[2:07:13] been trying to align our practice um
[2:07:15] with our language. The question I want
[2:07:17] to ask is
[2:07:19] I feel like sometimes um the menu, what
[2:07:23] do we call it? The placemat. What is it?
[2:07:25] Placemat.
[2:07:26] >> Placemat. the placemat as it's called
[2:07:29] » Placemat. the placemat as it's called
[2:07:29] this lengthy list of 70 objectives under
[2:07:32] the four priorities which is updated for
[2:07:34] us quarterly which we really appreciate.
[2:07:37] I feel like sometimes the impression I
[2:07:39] get from staff or maybe it's it's stated
[2:07:41] outright is these are council's
[2:07:43] objectives. There are too many. You
[2:07:45] know, there's a lot. It's an exhaustive
[2:07:47] list. We're busy with other things and
[2:07:49] we got your 70 things. And it begs the
[2:07:51] question, you know, wait a minute. These
[2:07:54] aren't just council's pet projects that
[2:07:56] we want to add to your workload. These
[2:07:58] are actual in many cases things that
[2:08:01] would be at top the staff list if you
[2:08:05] guys were the ones creating the list and
[2:08:06] telling us what matters most.
[2:08:09] Put differently,
[2:08:10] it might be helpful to know of the, you
[2:08:12] know, there are 70 things that we're
[2:08:14] paying attention to. Is that 1% of what
[2:08:18] staff is doing, 10% of what staff is
[2:08:20] doing, 50% of what staff is doing, most
[2:08:23] of what more than 50% of what staff is
[2:08:26] doing? I'm I'm trying to get clear on
[2:08:28] what's
[2:08:29] what are we adding to your plate in the
[2:08:32] name of a council priority supported by
[2:08:35] objectives that y'all would not
[2:08:37] prioritize if council wasn't coming in
[2:08:40] saying hey this matters to us and if
[2:08:43] there aren't that many things on that
[2:08:44] list and perhaps there are um I would
[2:08:48] love to feel as we discuss this that we
[2:08:51] are more aligned that this isn't council
[2:08:55] yanken staff chain with these 70
[2:08:57] placemat items, but rather this is a
[2:09:00] joint articulation of, you know what,
[2:09:02] these are the most, you know, urgent
[2:09:06] important
[2:09:08] um high high focus areas. And I I I
[2:09:12] honestly don't know how many super
[2:09:14] important things are not on this list,
[2:09:17] uh, for example. Um, and why is that?
[2:09:21] Why are those things not council
[2:09:22] objectives? Um, so I know I'm, you know,
[2:09:26] I'm sort of asking a big perhaps unclear
[2:09:28] question, but you're nodding your head
[2:09:29] and taking notes, so maybe you have some
[2:09:31] idea of what I'm getting at.
[2:09:35] » Thank you, Council Member Lowing.
[2:09:43] » Okay. I thought the city manager was
[2:09:45] going to respond to that question.
[2:09:46] That's my pause, but it's okay.
[2:09:48] >> Well, I I I could I to be honest, I'm
[2:09:51] » Well, I I I could I to be honest, I'm
[2:09:51] struggling a bit with it. I I would just
[2:09:52] offer the reflection that we certainly
[2:09:55] don't want to leave the impression that
[2:09:58] things are only on the list because
[2:09:59] they're important to you. To your point,
[2:10:02] there is a shared ownership on uh I'd
[2:10:05] say at least many if not all of the
[2:10:07] items. Uh that said, we do look to the
[2:10:10] council to tell us what you feel is the
[2:10:13] most important and that reflects itself
[2:10:15] not only in the list of what's on on our
[2:10:18] priorities
[2:10:19] as we've referred to as objectives, but
[2:10:22] also what we bring forward as a part of
[2:10:23] your budget, what we set in terms of the
[2:10:26] the the policy options in front of you.
[2:10:29] So uh I I would simply note that it's a
[2:10:34] it's a shared u responsibility both for
[2:10:37] development and uh the the
[2:10:39] identification of what's on the list
[2:10:44] >> and and just because we we come back to
[2:10:46] » and and just because we we come back to
[2:10:46] this and and I think that's what we were
[2:10:48] trying to do with PNS was not have it
[2:10:50] just be generated by council but have us
[2:10:53] at this higher level of directionality
[2:10:55] and prioritization and let the
[2:10:57] professionals you
[2:10:59] identify objectives. We can also pitch
[2:11:01] in on that, but we don't necessarily
[2:11:02] have to do that, all of those. So,
[2:11:04] that's why it wouldn't be just ours.
[2:11:08] Council
[2:11:08] >> member Lowi.
[2:11:09] » member Lowi.
[2:11:09] >> Okay. Um, just a few things. One is
[2:11:13] » Okay. Um, just a few things. One is
[2:11:13] that, you know, the the 70 objectives um
[2:11:16] even last year that felt a bit too big
[2:11:18] for me. Not that they weren't object um
[2:11:21] essential, but we don't need to know
[2:11:23] that level of detail in some cases. So,
[2:11:26] um I'm I'm in support of getting that
[2:11:28] one way or the other uh down this year.
[2:11:31] Also, the fact that most of these
[2:11:33] objectives now that we're in January are
[2:11:35] 70ish 75% complete suggest that maybe at
[2:11:39] least with the resources allocated, they
[2:11:41] weren't achievable. Um not not I mean
[2:11:45] that's discounting a couple that were
[2:11:46] intentionally postponed that we all
[2:11:48] understand.
[2:11:49] >> [clears throat]
[2:11:50] » [clears throat]
[2:11:50] >> So, um, uh, secondly, I'm just strongly
[2:11:54] » So, um, uh, secondly, I'm just strongly
[2:11:54] in favor of the idea of waiting the
[2:11:56] objectives. Um, I believe we talked
[2:11:59] about that last year and decided not to
[2:12:00] do it, but I really think that's an
[2:12:02] important thing to do cuz even if it's
[2:12:04] 70 or if it's 50 or if it's 40, um, some
[2:12:06] things are going to have to get, you
[2:12:07] know, a lot of pedal to the metal and a
[2:12:09] lot of financing and others not so much.
[2:12:12] And we kind of know what those are. or
[2:12:14] if we don't, that's also a way to sort
[2:12:15] out um if staff doesn't really agree
[2:12:18] with the urgency of a particular
[2:12:20] priority. Uh we can upgrade that so that
[2:12:22] we're all on the same page.
[2:12:25] There's another discussion in there
[2:12:27] about um
[2:12:30] in terms of the prioritization that
[2:12:32] might be based on if it was skipped
[2:12:35] there's not an immediate risk to the
[2:12:37] process which I don't think is
[2:12:40] full enough because that's sort of the
[2:12:43] downside of well nothing's going to die
[2:12:45] you know nobody's going to die or
[2:12:46] something but what I think we want to
[2:12:48] optimize is those things that we think
[2:12:51] are really important benefits for our
[2:12:53] citizens so um if we drop that if we
[2:12:57] drop
[2:12:59] I can't come up with an idea right now
[2:13:00] but if we drop one of those that it's
[2:13:02] not going to be a disaster if we don't
[2:13:04] get that benefit done and we think
[2:13:07] that's an important priority for the
[2:13:08] citizens in the next you know 12 to 18
[2:13:10] months that should be included so I
[2:13:13] don't think it should just be risk
[2:13:14] oriented and I don't know if that was
[2:13:15] your intent but that's how the words
[2:13:17] came out so that's why I wanted to to
[2:13:19] raise that one
[2:13:22] [clears throat] um
[2:13:24] I'm going to need some tutoring on what
[2:13:26] mid-level objectives are because I'm not
[2:13:29] sure in the scheme of things what we're
[2:13:31] trying to define there. Uh if we're
[2:13:33] going to combine them and that sort of
[2:13:35] bridging idea from the priorities,
[2:13:37] it seems to me like that overlaps with
[2:13:40] our um some issues are more important
[2:13:42] than others and and mid-level. So I
[2:13:45] think we are going to have a almost like
[2:13:47] a a contract where you go in and the
[2:13:48] definitions from an attorney are right
[2:13:50] up front of all these things.
[2:13:51] priorities, objectives, mid-level
[2:13:54] objectives, and so on. So, we don't get
[2:13:56] confused in the six or seven hours that
[2:13:58] we're doing this retreat. Just seeing if
[2:14:01] people are paying attention to that
[2:14:02] comment. Um, and you know, the last
[2:14:05] thing just in the first round of
[2:14:06] comments is um I'm not sure we should be
[2:14:09] making a decision before we walk into
[2:14:11] that um um retreat that we don't want to
[2:14:16] make any changes to the four priorities.
[2:14:19] It might be that some should be
[2:14:20] combined. It might be that just saying
[2:14:22] with the theme of council rectal for a
[2:14:24] minute that one of them becomes, you
[2:14:26] know, more of an enduring value. Uh, and
[2:14:29] we might say something is so crucial
[2:14:30] that we really really want to pump it up
[2:14:32] to being one of the four. Um, that said,
[2:14:35] I don't want to get four or six or
[2:14:37] eight. Um, so the the the brevity is
[2:14:39] going to be an important discipline for
[2:14:41] us. Thank you.
[2:14:45] >> Thank you, Council Member Lou.
[2:14:47] » Thank you, Council Member Lou.
[2:14:48] >> Thank you.
[2:14:49] » Thank you.
[2:14:49] Um just a few comments and reactions.
[2:14:53] Firstly, I like the idea of having a
[2:14:55] priority focused around internal
[2:14:56] capability and efficiency. I think that
[2:14:59] is timely and I think there are a lot of
[2:15:01] opportunities.
[2:15:03] I agree that we can have a lot of
[2:15:06] priorities, but I also agree that 70 is
[2:15:08] probably too many. We can certainly be
[2:15:10] in the dozens. There are things in our
[2:15:12] current list like um uh executing on
[2:15:17] work plans that are already approved
[2:15:19] that are frankly quite vague and maybe
[2:15:23] not that informative to staff or
[2:15:25] council. You know, they're just a few
[2:15:26] examples like that. But we should be
[2:15:28] really disciplined about what we think
[2:15:30] of as a priority because that means
[2:15:32] we're going to trade off against it. Uh
[2:15:35] trade off other work to get that done.
[2:15:37] Um and continuing that I think these
[2:15:41] goals should be hard. I think it is okay
[2:15:45] to miss goals and it is okay for us to
[2:15:47] be ambitious
[2:15:49] and to also set some norm uh which of
[2:15:53] course we'll figure out over time but
[2:15:55] getting twothirds of our objectives done
[2:15:57] I think is actually a good number. We
[2:15:59] want to stretch ourselves so that in
[2:16:01] some years we can do a little bit better
[2:16:03] or in some years we might do less but we
[2:16:04] can sort of break down and understand
[2:16:06] why that happened. Um
[2:16:10] so having fewer goals but also notably
[2:16:13] having harder goals is important.
[2:16:16] Uh, one thing that I noticed is that in
[2:16:20] a couple of cases,
[2:16:22] present an ordinance uh actually
[2:16:25] referred to passing an ordinance and
[2:16:27] that was what meant it was uh uh
[2:16:31] complete. But there's another example
[2:16:33] like present a renter protection fair
[2:16:35] chance ordinance to council where it's
[2:16:37] considered complete because council
[2:16:40] heard it I guess in a study session or
[2:16:42] something in April. And so we really
[2:16:46] need to make our goals harder and less
[2:16:48] squishy because if present means
[2:16:51] different things in different contexts
[2:16:53] and present just means someone on
[2:16:55] council or some committee or council
[2:16:57] heard it uh at least once like that's
[2:16:59] not um how we actually want to set goals
[2:17:03] and motivate ourselves. Um just one more
[2:17:07] thought about mid-level goals. I think
[2:17:09] of that as what do we actually want to
[2:17:11] get done? Why do we even have these
[2:17:14] objectives? So, uh there are many
[2:17:18] objectives around climate, but to
[2:17:19] council member Bert's point as well,
[2:17:21] some of them are just things we would do
[2:17:23] anyways. But having an objective like
[2:17:26] reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by
[2:17:28] X% so that we are on track for uh
[2:17:32] whatever 80 by30 or you know goals that
[2:17:35] we might tweak or sub goals. um that is
[2:17:38] very clear to staff uh what metrics we
[2:17:41] want to hit. Um it is very clear why we
[2:17:44] are doing those four projects that
[2:17:46] ladder into uh or those four objectives
[2:17:49] that m that ladder into that mid-level
[2:17:51] goal. And it's also clear to staff,
[2:17:54] okay, between these four work items on
[2:17:57] climate, I should trade off one or the
[2:17:59] other because the real goal is to get on
[2:18:01] a path to reduce uh greenhouse gas
[2:18:03] emissions. Um, and we could structure
[2:18:07] our housing goals in a similar way where
[2:18:09] the mid-level goal might be to uh get X
[2:18:12] units of affordable housing in the
[2:18:13] pipeline. And we could think of some of
[2:18:15] those as 100% affordable. We could think
[2:18:17] about some of those as inclusionary
[2:18:18] housing. We can, uh, uh, try to really
[2:18:23] sort of optimize for a goal. Um,
[2:18:27] uh, we can think about similar things
[2:18:29] for vision zero. uh um
[2:18:33] uh mental health, a variety of other uh
[2:18:36] mid-level goals. So, those were just
[2:18:38] some more examples I want to chime in.
[2:18:41] Thanks.
[2:18:42] >> Thank you, Council Me uh Vice Mayor
[2:18:44] » Thank you, Council Me uh Vice Mayor
[2:18:44] Stone.
[2:18:45] >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. I just first
[2:18:48] » Thank you, Madame Mayor. I just first
[2:18:48] want to really appreciate staff for how
[2:18:52] much we have been able to get
[2:18:53] accomplished last year. you make us look
[2:18:56] so good. And so we just just appreciate
[2:18:59] all the work that has gone into this. I
[2:19:01] really always like this exercise of
[2:19:03] being able to reflect back and just be
[2:19:05] reminded of how much really has been
[2:19:08] accomplished and I I it's been
[2:19:12] beneficial here in the discussion
[2:19:14] tonight. seems like I'm I'm kind of I'm
[2:19:16] glad having been on policy and services.
[2:19:17] Seems like our recommendation is is
[2:19:19] generally being supported, but getting a
[2:19:23] lot of really great ideas of how we can
[2:19:25] continue to tweak this process moving
[2:19:28] forward. Just following up on on Council
[2:19:30] Member Lou's point there, I really liked
[2:19:32] the idea of kind of creating harder,
[2:19:35] more concrete goals. I I've often found
[2:19:38] I think a lot of times kind of goals are
[2:19:41] put into place almost as a way to be
[2:19:42] able to just kind of check them off even
[2:19:45] though it's kind of ongoing work that
[2:19:47] staff and our and our organization would
[2:19:51] do anyways. And so if we can be more
[2:19:54] intentional so we can really look back
[2:19:57] and and say, "Wow, we actually
[2:19:59] accomplished this meaningful measure, I
[2:20:02] I think that would be far more
[2:20:04] beneficial for for us, for the
[2:20:05] community, and give staff a a better
[2:20:08] sense of what we're trying to achieve."
[2:20:10] So I think anything anytime we're seeing
[2:20:11] a an objective that is just kind of
[2:20:14] worded as continue this I don't know how
[2:20:17] beneficial that that is unless it really
[2:20:20] is moving towards achieving a goal. So I
[2:20:23] really like liked that point
[2:20:27] overall for for this retreat. love the
[2:20:30] idea that we are sticking with the idea
[2:20:32] of our our four primary objectives and
[2:20:35] diving deeper into that during that
[2:20:38] actual retreat. I agree. I think we all
[2:20:42] agree 70 objectives is a bit overly
[2:20:46] ambitious and I think we all recognize
[2:20:48] that at the at the time, but I'm not
[2:20:50] quite sure where that healthy medium is.
[2:20:54] I I also agree with Council Member Lou.
[2:20:56] I think we did a pretty good job at
[2:20:58] achieving especially the more more
[2:21:00] meaningful objectives and where we fell
[2:21:02] short generally makes a lot of sense.
[2:21:05] Some out of our control uh others not.
[2:21:08] But I think staff's uh staff's
[2:21:11] discretion in prioritizing in real time
[2:21:14] is discretion that we should provide you
[2:21:17] as the professionals to make those to
[2:21:19] make those judgments. loved the idea of
[2:21:21] of council member rectal how you kind of
[2:21:23] kept describing our I guess enduring
[2:21:27] values. Um thought that was I I I really
[2:21:31] like that. I've always struggled with
[2:21:33] that as as well. Housing climate have
[2:21:35] been objectives ever since I've been on
[2:21:37] this council. I am curious and maybe
[2:21:39] tonight is not the place to to have this
[2:21:41] discussion because this isn't for this
[2:21:44] year's retreat, but but looking forward,
[2:21:47] I'd just kind of be curious getting
[2:21:49] staff's feedback on how how does that
[2:21:52] make then your work more challenging if
[2:21:55] we're saying we're not going to have
[2:21:56] housing and climate as a annual kind of
[2:22:00] priority. We give you of course we're
[2:22:03] going to give you others to fill in
[2:22:05] those. How then do you achieve these
[2:22:09] enduring
[2:22:10] um values that we have of housing,
[2:22:13] climate, etc. while taking on additional
[2:22:17] ones? And so I think that's something
[2:22:18] for us all to to think about cuz you
[2:22:21] know we we might be left with having to
[2:22:23] keep these as objectives as various
[2:22:26] things like the affordable affordable
[2:22:27] housing crisis and others um that we
[2:22:30] that we continue to wrestle with. And
[2:22:32] then just final thought, I think we've
[2:22:34] talked about this a a little bit and
[2:22:36] again more long-term, so maybe 2027
[2:22:41] is rethinking about these um objectives
[2:22:45] is not really one-year objectives, but
[2:22:48] more on that two-year cycle. So, if
[2:22:49] we're really going to stick with this
[2:22:50] idea that our council priorities last
[2:22:54] for two years, then maybe our objectives
[2:22:57] should as well. Maybe that comes down to
[2:22:59] the tiering that we're going to do that
[2:23:01] there's going to be some more immediate
[2:23:02] ones that we can get done in a year.
[2:23:04] Others that we recognize might be more
[2:23:06] of a 2-year objective. I think that
[2:23:08] would obviously kind of depend on on on
[2:23:11] what it is. So glad we are
[2:23:14] I think being just being more um
[2:23:17] intentional with this with this process
[2:23:19] in a way that's going to be able to make
[2:23:20] it more meaningful. And I I'm excited at
[2:23:23] what the mayor mentioned that we're
[2:23:24] going to be able to actually come up
[2:23:25] with objectives early on in the year
[2:23:27] rather than adopting them in in May and
[2:23:30] then expecting greater than 70%
[2:23:33] completion come January. So given that's
[2:23:37] the reality we're we're working with,
[2:23:38] I'd say well done and looking forward to
[2:23:41] the retreat. Well, I was going to to lay
[2:23:44] down the challenge here that I sus I I
[2:23:46] would say success for all of us would be
[2:23:50] to come out of the retreat on the 24th
[2:23:52] with the statements, whatever the
[2:23:54] statements will be. Uh and and so that
[2:23:57] tall order, but uh uh staff is uh
[2:24:00] prepping and and would look forward to
[2:24:03] trying to reach that immediate
[2:24:05] objective.
[2:24:08] >> All right. Well, thank you colleagues. a
[2:24:11] » All right. Well, thank you colleagues. a
[2:24:11] lot of good thoughtprovoking feedback,
[2:24:14] but I'm going to hold that thought uh to
[2:24:16] see if we have any public comment on
[2:24:19] this item.
[2:24:24] » Yes, we Yes, we do. We have one request
[2:24:26] to speak.
[2:24:27] >> Okay.
[2:24:37] Our first speaker is Hamilton.
[2:24:50] Okay, I'll assume that's a yes. Um, I
[2:24:53] have three comments on three different
[2:24:55] areas. The first is that I like the
[2:24:58] current structure of goals and specific
[2:25:01] projects. What concerns me about
[2:25:04] mid-level goals is that they're not
[2:25:07] smart. Specifically, they're not
[2:25:09] specific, measurable, achievable,
[2:25:11] relevant, and time bound. And I think it
[2:25:13] just adds a layer that may not be that
[2:25:17] helpful. Uh,
[2:25:19] for example, this thing about make
[2:25:22] progress on Ramona, it's not specific,
[2:25:25] achievable, time bound. It's not doesn't
[2:25:27] really have any accountability built in.
[2:25:30] And that leads into the second point,
[2:25:32] keep a one-year cycle. Um, I think
[2:25:35] because we want to remain adaptable. We
[2:25:38] want to measure our progress every year
[2:25:41] and we have a lot of upcoming changes.
[2:25:44] So, I don't want us to become
[2:25:45] complacent.
[2:25:47] In a way, I feel like we're becoming
[2:25:48] overly complacent. We have the Fed who's
[2:25:51] going to who's in the process of cutting
[2:25:53] local funding. We have Fed overreach,
[2:25:56] which we're going to have to continue to
[2:25:57] grapple with. international instability
[2:26:00] and we could have rapid changes in the
[2:26:02] economy. So I just want to make sure we
[2:26:04] maintain our ability to respond rapidly
[2:26:08] just as we had to when co arrived. And
[2:26:11] the third is uh the utility budget and
[2:26:15] revenue is larger than the general fund
[2:26:18] yet they really seem to ignore our city
[2:26:21] priorities. In my recent foray into the
[2:26:24] natural gas rates, I found an
[2:26:26] organization that was very compliance
[2:26:29] focused and opaque at at the exclusion
[2:26:32] of all other city priorities.
[2:26:36] I we we struggled to uh get them to
[2:26:40] consider climate and they basically said
[2:26:42] we're not considering climate because um
[2:26:45] we don't want we don't want to expose
[2:26:48] ourselves to any liability. and they
[2:26:50] took a hyperconservative stance that was
[2:26:53] beyond what was legally required. So as
[2:26:56] we look at these priorities, ignoring
[2:26:59] half of the income to the city that goes
[2:27:02] through the utility I think would be a
[2:27:04] mistake. And so I'd like an increased
[2:27:06] focus on the utilities and getting them
[2:27:09] aligned with with our goals and
[2:27:12] priorities. Thank you.
[2:27:16] >> And that concludes public comment for
[2:27:17] » And that concludes public comment for
[2:27:18] study session item two.
[2:27:20] All right. Thank you. Um, so
[2:27:25] I want to reflect on what I've heard so
[2:27:27] far so that we can get to um, sort of an
[2:27:31] outline for this retreat that we feel
[2:27:34] comfortable enough with knowing that
[2:27:37] between now and then we're all going to,
[2:27:39] you know, digest a lot of this and
[2:27:40] cogitate and probably come there with
[2:27:42] some even more
[2:27:46] uh, evolved, I'll say, ideas. Um, you
[2:27:49] know,
[2:27:51] it's it's a tricky thing to do and I
[2:27:53] think a lot of it is uh nomenclature as
[2:27:55] council member Liths uh suggested
[2:27:59] um
[2:28:01] when PNS considered uh whether or not we
[2:28:08] should um have the the same priorities
[2:28:12] as part of the two-year cycle that we
[2:28:14] had posited previously. Um, it wasn't
[2:28:17] the idea that it wasn't so much making a
[2:28:19] rule that we would always have two-year
[2:28:20] priorities. It was looking specifically
[2:28:22] at these four and saying, you know, is
[2:28:25] housing, climate, economic development,
[2:28:26] public safety still the sort of the top
[2:28:29] four categorical priorities that we have
[2:28:32] and and I and at least the three of us
[2:28:34] unanimously said yes. But that doesn't
[2:28:37] mean we can't change them. We certainly
[2:28:38] can discuss them. Um, there's some
[2:28:41] interesting ideas tonight around that. I
[2:28:42] also think that again getting back to
[2:28:44] this nomenclature idea um
[2:28:48] you know when you talk about uh council
[2:28:51] rectal the enduring values so I'm
[2:28:54] looking at the council values that are
[2:28:56] in the um PNP handbook right before the
[2:29:00] annual council priorities and um
[2:29:05] they're kind of different in nature um
[2:29:07] although overlapping we we're talking
[2:29:09] about values would guide decisions that,
[2:29:12] and I'll just give you a couple
[2:29:13] examples, balance revenues and expenses,
[2:29:17] are environmentally sustainable. So,
[2:29:19] kind of baked in there are some of the
[2:29:21] ideas we've talked about. Um,
[2:29:25] I I think that, you know, our our
[2:29:28] question is
[2:29:33] no one's I don't think anyone's
[2:29:35] suggesting we not do climate or not do
[2:29:37] housing or any of that. It's more what
[2:29:39] is the structure of a conversation where
[2:29:42] we can give staff more direction on
[2:29:46] prioritization
[2:29:47] and
[2:29:50] talking through each of 70 ideas may not
[2:29:53] be the most efficient way to do that.
[2:29:55] Although I do agree that I think I think
[2:29:59] we were still suggesting both staff and
[2:30:01] the committee that the objective still
[2:30:02] be created and written and identified
[2:30:05] and reported on and that a timeline be
[2:30:07] attached and all of that. It's just that
[2:30:09] a lot of that would be done by staff
[2:30:11] pursuant to the recommendations which
[2:30:14] were fewer. Um and so that's the idea
[2:30:18] and those objectives would still be
[2:30:20] smarty objectives, right? and and so we
[2:30:25] aren't trying to get away from that. The
[2:30:27] question is how do we how do we uh in
[2:30:31] some kind of efficient way
[2:30:34] get this give some feedback on these
[2:30:37] areas and I quite like the idea of
[2:30:39] saying well hey you know what what are
[2:30:42] the things that are special this year
[2:30:43] what are the things that must do this
[2:30:45] year um and and that I think we we need
[2:30:48] to talk about and this was an effort to
[2:30:51] try to um craft a structure to do that
[2:30:55] but I I'm certainly open to whatever
[2:30:57] works. Um, but I I think that
[2:31:02] giving sort of the the the the critical
[2:31:05] musthaves this year um whether it's uh
[2:31:09] because they're time bound or um
[2:31:13] be because we just uh we think it's a a
[2:31:16] oneshot deal um is important. Um, and I
[2:31:21] think the the to-do list, um, sort of
[2:31:24] the objectives could be
[2:31:27] generated by staff with our input, be
[2:31:30] referred to committees in some
[2:31:32] instances. You know, the climate, um,
[2:31:34] ESCAP work plan is very much like the
[2:31:37] objectives here. Um, and so I I I think
[2:31:40] there may be other ways to do that, but
[2:31:42] I I just want at the retreat to have a
[2:31:46] discussion that isn't just, hey, here's
[2:31:49] high level categories and here's a to-do
[2:31:50] list. I think we need something in
[2:31:52] between because y'all are really smart
[2:31:53] about strategy. Um, so that's my general
[2:31:58] thoughts. Are there additional comments
[2:32:01] on
[2:32:03] our structure going forward?
[2:32:07] Council member Bert.
[2:32:09] Yeah, I'd just like to follow up um that
[2:32:13] uh uh I think that the the council
[2:32:16] values one that uh when we throughout
[2:32:20] the year we put up our priorities, but
[2:32:24] when we created those values, it really
[2:32:26] was for this intention to uh live up to
[2:32:29] what's in our procedures and protocols
[2:32:32] around what our annual priorities are
[2:32:36] supposed to be and not lose sight of
[2:32:39] things that remain very important to the
[2:32:42] city, the staff, uh the council, and
[2:32:46] they are going to stay important. And so
[2:32:49] I they were composed at one time and a
[2:32:53] little bit on the fly. And I think that
[2:32:56] uh we could spend uh a little bit of our
[2:32:58] retreat time to um see how we want to
[2:33:02] improve them uh and just have them
[2:33:04] capture more accurately what we are um
[2:33:08] thinking of as those enduring values.
[2:33:11] And then just a reminder that um in that
[2:33:14] same uh page 35 on our uh council
[2:33:18] protocols uh booklet um it's that the
[2:33:23] goal of no more than three or four
[2:33:25] priorities a year
[2:33:27] um and have a two to threeyear time
[2:33:31] limit which for the mo we've tweaked
[2:33:34] them a little bit in a word or two but
[2:33:36] as council member rectal said and
[2:33:38] council member lithgods
[2:33:40] um they they've really um uh been
[2:33:45] enduring uh as what are supposed to be
[2:33:48] uh a more narrow time frame set of
[2:33:50] priorities. And lastly, that they will
[2:33:53] receive particular unusual and
[2:33:55] significant attention during that year.
[2:33:58] And that doesn't say that um these other
[2:34:04] projects and uh goals actually that the
[2:34:08] city has uh will not continue to have
[2:34:11] priorities and and have uh fulfillment
[2:34:14] of those projects. It's just that it's
[2:34:17] an an additional particular emphasis. So
[2:34:20] I think we want to return to kind of
[2:34:21] thinking about that. Um and um so for
[2:34:25] that reason I'm I I one I look forward
[2:34:28] to actually the the um uh priority
[2:34:33] setting discussion to see what we might
[2:34:35] change and at the same time um uh
[2:34:38] integrate that with an update to the
[2:34:40] core values and then doing these other
[2:34:42] things that PNS had recommended um
[2:34:45] around the tiers and and other aspects
[2:34:48] that we've already discussed. So, um I
[2:34:51] think we'll have a good discussion on
[2:34:53] the retreat.
[2:34:55] >> Thank you. Um
[2:34:59] » Thank you. Um
[2:34:59] I might suggest at this point I I I I
[2:35:02] agree with that and I think it's um you
[2:35:04] know we had talked last year about the
[2:35:06] fact that um we'd sort of run over the
[2:35:08] two to threeyear limit and that it
[2:35:10] wasn't so much just this you know the
[2:35:12] goals had kind of I'm sorry the
[2:35:14] priorities had kind of morphed away a
[2:35:17] bit from what was set forth in the P&P.
[2:35:20] What I'm thinking uh we might do just to
[2:35:23] to to move this along is um
[2:35:28] on the proposed agenda that I believe we
[2:35:30] need to vote on um to some degree. No,
[2:35:34] >> really your your call on whether you'd
[2:35:36] » really your your call on whether you'd
[2:35:36] like to uh ultimately this is setting up
[2:35:38] a future meeting. So you can either
[2:35:41] give us general direction or specific as
[2:35:43] you see fit.
[2:35:44] >> Okay. Well, then maybe it'd be simple.
[2:35:47] » Okay. Well, then maybe it'd be simple.
[2:35:47] Well, just looking at the proposed
[2:35:48] agenda as it's set forth here, I I think
[2:35:50] that we could insert and we can cogitate
[2:35:52] it on on it between now and then. For
[2:35:54] example, the uh retreat facilitator, I
[2:35:57] know she's in touch with staff and and
[2:36:00] I'll be having a conversation with her.
[2:36:02] Um, we could have discussion of values,
[2:36:04] priorities, and suggested mid-level
[2:36:06] goals with the idea that we're not going
[2:36:09] to that this is this is aimed at
[2:36:12] streamlining and and we were what we
[2:36:14] were trying to do was was have a more
[2:36:15] focused discussion here, but I I think
[2:36:18] that what we've heard tonight um
[2:36:22] means that we really need to get on the
[2:36:23] same page with nomenclature upfront. And
[2:36:26] so perhaps we can can can do that and
[2:36:28] and talk about these values. And then uh
[2:36:31] the rest of it I think um as council
[2:36:34] member Bert said um we can can roll
[2:36:36] through those prioritization and other
[2:36:38] conversations. So if if you don't need
[2:36:41] anything more um unless somebody wants
[2:36:43] to make a motion. H council member
[2:36:45] rectal
[2:36:45] >> I just want to make a couple comments.
[2:36:47] » I just want to make a couple comments.
[2:36:47] >> Certainly.
[2:36:47] » Certainly.
[2:36:48] >> I mean it all comes down to the the task
[2:36:52] » I mean it all comes down to the the task
[2:36:52] that we're want staff to do and how it's
[2:36:55] organized really doesn't matter. it
[2:36:56] comes down. But one thing I think is
[2:36:58] really important is where do you want to
[2:37:00] make exceptional progress here? And by
[2:37:03] broadening out the priorities, we've
[2:37:04] lost that and do we want to return to
[2:37:06] that? Is that important to identify some
[2:37:08] narrow areas where we want to make a lot
[2:37:10] of progress? I I'm not sure about that.
[2:37:13] The other is that right now all the
[2:37:15] objectives have to be tied to a
[2:37:17] priority. And do we need that? Can we
[2:37:20] just say no, this is a really important
[2:37:21] thing. It doesn't tie to one of the
[2:37:23] priorities. For example, if housing was
[2:37:25] off, we might have housing tasks that we
[2:37:27] want to do even though housing wasn't a
[2:37:29] priority. Uh so right now, do we want to
[2:37:32] keep that linkage, that mandatory
[2:37:34] linkage of having priorities linked to
[2:37:36] objectives?
[2:37:37] >> Great. And maybe that's something we can
[2:37:39] » Great. And maybe that's something we can
[2:37:39] bake in at the beginning. What I love
[2:37:40] about this discussion is I think all of
[2:37:42] us are on the same page that we want
[2:37:46] this to be a meaningful exercise. And
[2:37:49] that was exactly it. I felt it had
[2:37:50] gotten so broad and so high level that
[2:37:53] we'd kind of lost
[2:37:55] the appropriate role for council input
[2:37:57] to to do that prioritization. What do we
[2:37:59] really really care about this year? And
[2:38:01] so I think we're all on the same page in
[2:38:03] that and we'll we'll try to we'll we'll
[2:38:04] work through the specifics and the
[2:38:06] nomenclature and all that uh in a couple
[2:38:11] weeks. Right. [laughter]
[2:38:13] All right. Okay. Okay. Well, uh, seeing
[2:38:16] no further lights and and you, I guess,
[2:38:18] have the direction you need.
[2:38:20] >> Yes. We'll follow up and again, we
[2:38:22] » Yes. We'll follow up and again, we
[2:38:22] expect we'll be providing some
[2:38:23] additional information for council in
[2:38:25] advance of the study uh, the retreat
[2:38:27] itself.
[2:38:28] >> Okay. And I I just want to do one more
[2:38:30] » Okay. And I I just want to do one more
[2:38:30] thank you to staff. I know you're all
[2:38:32] here and we didn't ask you a lot of
[2:38:33] questions about your objectives and and
[2:38:35] that you reported on, but you know, I
[2:38:38] concur with my colleagues that were
[2:38:39] thrilled to see the progress. I think we
[2:38:41] can follow up uh elsewhere on specific
[2:38:43] ones, but thank you all for your work
[2:38:45] that went into the report we received
[2:38:47] tonight. So, with that, yes. Oh, I'm
[2:38:51] sorry, Council Member Lats.
[2:38:52] >> I'm sorry. Yeah, I might have
[2:38:53] » I'm sorry. Yeah, I might have
[2:38:53] misunderstood the uh plan. So, I thought
[2:38:56] we were going to ask staff some
[2:38:57] questions, but we had just pivoted to uh
[2:39:00] talking more about the organizational
[2:39:03] stuff. So, we we can
[2:39:05] >> um Well, I don't want to be the only
[2:39:07] » um Well, I don't want to be the only
[2:39:07] one. I know they're all here. So, um I I
[2:39:11] just wanted to ask the question if I'm
[2:39:13] if I'm the only one I can take it
[2:39:14] offline, but if there were others who do
[2:39:17] a quick round of that, but let's try to
[2:39:18] keep it just because we have a long
[2:39:20] agenda, but yeah, please go ahead.
[2:39:21] >> Okay. Well, um I'll join the mayor in
[2:39:23] » Okay. Well, um I'll join the mayor in
[2:39:23] thanking all of you for uh all of the
[2:39:25] work that's reflected in um the
[2:39:28] presentations that you brought forth
[2:39:30] tonight. And um I did want to ask
[2:39:33] director late um it was clear in the
[2:39:36] report and in your presentation
[2:39:38] that um housing 3.2.6 six, which is to I
[2:39:44] believe it's to identify funds for
[2:39:45] affordable housing. Um, essentially says
[2:39:48] that staff time has been cannibalized
[2:39:51] because of work other important work
[2:39:53] like OSV impacts. And I think there was
[2:39:57] another item that you mentioned that
[2:39:58] kind of prevented staff from focusing on
[2:40:01] this one. So, could you say a little bit
[2:40:03] more about that? I'm raising it because
[2:40:05] I think on October 20th when we had our
[2:40:08] big meeting on oversized vehicle impacts
[2:40:10] and how to support RV dwellers, we
[2:40:14] unless I missed it were not presented
[2:40:16] with, hey, you go forward with this,
[2:40:18] here's what we're not doing on housing
[2:40:20] and um it I don't know that would have
[2:40:23] changed anything, but I think it's it's
[2:40:24] a pretty material thing. So, I was
[2:40:26] surprised to see that sort of this was a
[2:40:29] trade-off. Could you say more about
[2:40:30] that, please, Miss Mcdana? Uh thank you
[2:40:33] Melissa Mcdana, assistant to the city
[2:40:35] manager uh and lead on both both of
[2:40:37] those items. [laughter]
[2:40:40] So when when we got to October 20th to
[2:40:44] get to that date, the exact same staff
[2:40:47] resources
[2:40:48] were working on that policy and services
[2:40:51] item to get it to council on the 20th.
[2:40:55] Um then council gave us direction to
[2:40:59] immediately work on some time bound
[2:41:01] things um at that council meeting
[2:41:06] which is what we we worked on. There was
[2:41:08] no way to do that and to do the uh
[2:41:12] priority objective on affordable housing
[2:41:14] financing.
[2:41:15] >> So if I could
[2:41:16] » So if I could
[2:41:16] >> which had a more
[2:41:18] » which had a more
[2:41:18] open timeline.
[2:41:19] >> Yeah, if I could uh perhaps amplify or
[2:41:21] » Yeah, if I could uh perhaps amplify or
[2:41:21] clarify a little bit beyond that. So
[2:41:22] clearly this was written from a city
[2:41:24] manager's office perspective in terms of
[2:41:26] the staff support that was anticipated
[2:41:29] uh to be needed in order to work on
[2:41:31] affordable housing funding. And so uh
[2:41:35] that that is true. You you started your
[2:41:38] question as as pointing to director late
[2:41:40] and for understandable reasons. Uh but
[2:41:42] uh I think it's as worth noting that we
[2:41:44] had not anticipated that their staff was
[2:41:47] going to do much more than they already
[2:41:48] had. Uh that said, you know, on this
[2:41:50] broader topic of of affordable uh
[2:41:53] housing funding, uh we have been engaged
[2:41:56] in legislative initiatives and so really
[2:41:59] we'll continue to track that as a as a
[2:42:01] potential resource aside from anything
[2:42:03] developed specifically here in Palo
[2:42:04] Alto.
[2:42:08] » So it's gone but not forgotten.
[2:42:11] >> Okay. Thank you. And um Director Okaine,
[2:42:15] » Okay. Thank you. And um Director Okaine,
[2:42:15] um with regard to 445 Bryant, um I've
[2:42:19] been delighted to read about and hear
[2:42:22] about the um opening, which is not far
[2:42:26] away, the um city-owned building will
[2:42:28] house La Coma and a new teen center. And
[2:42:32] I see the new teen center written up as
[2:42:34] designed by and for teens. And I'm
[2:42:37] wondering if you could let us know which
[2:42:38] of our teen groups did we work with and
[2:42:40] give us some examples of uh what the
[2:42:43] result will be. Um what will it offer?
[2:42:45] When will it operate? How will it
[2:42:47] interact with LAA in the same building?
[2:42:51] Thank you, Council Member Kristen Okaine
[2:42:53] Community Services Department. So yes,
[2:42:56] the teen center is planning we're
[2:42:59] planning on opening in February. We're
[2:43:01] just putting some final touches on it.
[2:43:03] Um the way that we engaged with teens
[2:43:05] was a couple of ways. One was through an
[2:43:09] online survey um where we asked specific
[2:43:12] questions about what they might like in
[2:43:14] the teen center. Um
[2:43:17] >> and who received that survey?
[2:43:21] » I would have to get back to you on that.
[2:43:23] Um it's
[2:43:25] >> teens in our own groups or broader
[2:43:27] » teens in our own groups or broader
[2:43:27] groups of teens.
[2:43:28] >> So both. So teens in our own groups, but
[2:43:31] » So both. So teens in our own groups, but
[2:43:31] then we also share those links. Um we
[2:43:33] ask our teen leadership groups to share
[2:43:35] them broadly with their networks and
[2:43:37] then we also share them on social media
[2:43:39] for anybody. Um so that was one way and
[2:43:42] then the other was um we did an
[2:43:45] openhouse
[2:43:48] at the teen center at Mitchell Community
[2:43:51] Center and we did a couple of workshops
[2:43:55] where we asked them to um do some mockup
[2:44:00] drawings for us on what they might like
[2:44:02] um to be to have in the teen center. And
[2:44:04] then when we we scaled that down into a
[2:44:06] couple of options and ask them to weigh
[2:44:08] in on those options.
[2:44:11] >> Okay. Thank you very much. You're
[2:44:13] » Okay. Thank you very much. You're
[2:44:13] welcome. Appreciate the update. And with
[2:44:15] my time being up, I just want to welcome
[2:44:17] uh Mr. Andrade. Uh welcome to the city.
[2:44:20] There's a lot ahead of you and we're all
[2:44:22] very motivated to help you succeed uh in
[2:44:25] this important work. Thank you very
[2:44:27] much.
[2:44:31] » Well, I actually have a question as
[2:44:32] well. Um, and it's on the climate action
[2:44:38] priority that director Eglesson reported
[2:44:40] on, but it may or may not be director
[2:44:43] late because it's 1.2.3,
[2:44:46] which is a stream/crete corridor setback
[2:44:49] requirements. [laughter]
[2:44:51] I I thought it might be um I'm just
[2:44:54] curious about this because this this is
[2:44:56] what I think was one of the very first
[2:44:59] things that my cohort uh addressed on
[2:45:03] council. Um and
[2:45:09] it it it uh we were hoping to to have it
[2:45:11] I think back this year and um I know at
[2:45:15] the PTC it says roadblocks. Uh the PTC
[2:45:18] requested further amendments to address
[2:45:20] concerns about potential impacts to
[2:45:21] properties. Um and then it has next
[2:45:24] steps. The revised ordinance is
[2:45:26] anticipated to return to PTC in 2026. So
[2:45:29] are we not going to see it this year or
[2:45:31] how are what how where does that stand?
[2:45:35] >> Yes, it will be before the city council
[2:45:37] » Yes, it will be before the city council
[2:45:37] this year. I think the plan is to go to
[2:45:38] the planning and transportation
[2:45:40] commission in the first quarter and then
[2:45:42] wrap up there and then we would be able
[2:45:44] to come back to uh the city council.
[2:45:46] It's um delayed but not uh forgotten as
[2:45:50] referenced [laughter] earlier.
[2:45:51] >> Yeah. Well, I I see that it says on
[2:45:52] » Yeah. Well, I I see that it says on
[2:45:52] track, but the next steps just sort of
[2:45:54] stopped with PTC and 26. I thought, "Oh,
[2:45:56] please tell me it's not going to be 27
[2:45:58] before we see it." Okay.
[2:46:00] >> No, it's just a little more complicated
[2:46:02] » No, it's just a little more complicated
[2:46:02] as we got more into it and it just takes
[2:46:04] a little bit more time to go through it.
[2:46:05] >> Okay, understood. All right. Well, I
[2:46:07] » Okay, understood. All right. Well, I
[2:46:07] will look forward to that one. Thank
[2:46:09] you. Um any others?
[2:46:13] >> No. Okay. Well, I'll reiterate my thanks
[2:46:15] » No. Okay. Well, I'll reiterate my thanks
[2:46:15] and uh we'll close this item. Thank you
[2:46:18] all.
[2:46:21] All right. So, that concludes our study
[2:46:24] session and takes us to our consent
[2:46:27] calendar.
[2:46:29] Do we have any uh requests to pull uh or
[2:46:33] other
[2:46:36] on the consent calendar?
[2:46:39] Do we have I guess we should probably
[2:46:40] take public comment first, but do we
[2:46:42] have any public comment on the consent
[2:46:44] calendar?
[2:46:45] >> No, mayor. There are no requests to
[2:46:47] » No, mayor. There are no requests to
[2:46:47] speak and no hands are raised for
[2:46:48] consent calendar items.
[2:46:50] >> Okay. Council member Liths,
[2:46:52] » Okay. Council member Liths,
[2:46:52] >> I'd like to register a no vote on items
[2:46:54] » I'd like to register a no vote on items
[2:46:54] 10 and 11.
[2:46:56] >> Okay.
[2:47:00] Any others?
[2:47:02] No. All right.
[2:47:04] >> I would like to move the consent
[2:47:05] » I would like to move the consent
[2:47:05] calendar.
[2:47:07] >> Thank you. Do I have a second?
[2:47:09] » Thank you. Do I have a second?
[2:47:10] >> Second.
[2:47:11] » Second.
[2:47:12] >> All right,
[2:47:13] » All right,
[2:47:13] Madame Clerk, when you're ready, would
[2:47:15] you kindly call the role?
[2:47:55] Vice Mayor Stone.
[2:47:57] >> Yes.
[2:47:58] » Yes.
[2:47:58] >> Council member Bert.
[2:47:59] » Council member Bert.
[2:47:59] >> Yes.
[2:47:59] » Yes.
[2:47:59] >> Mayor Vinker.
[2:48:01] » Mayor Vinker.
[2:48:01] Yes. Council member Liths.
[2:48:03] >> Yes.
[2:48:03] » Yes.
[2:48:03] >> Council member Lou.
[2:48:04] » Council member Lou.
[2:48:04] >> Yes.
[2:48:05] » Yes.
[2:48:05] >> Council member Rectal.
[2:48:06] » Council member Rectal.
[2:48:06] >> Yes.
[2:48:06] » Yes.
[2:48:06] >> Council member Lowing.
[2:48:07] » Council member Lowing.
[2:48:07] >> Yes.
[2:48:07] » Yes.
[2:48:08] >> Motion carries.
[2:48:10] » Motion carries.
[2:48:10] >> All right. Thank you.
[2:48:13] » All right. Thank you.
[2:48:13] And with that, we'll move on to city
[2:48:15] manager.
[2:48:15] >> I'd like to talk to my
[2:48:17] » I'd like to talk to my
[2:48:17] >> I'm so sorry. Thank you.
[2:48:19] » I'm so sorry. Thank you.
[2:48:19] >> Please go ahead.
[2:48:20] » Please go ahead.
[2:48:20] >> Thank you very much. Um, I voted no on
[2:48:22] » Thank you very much. Um, I voted no on
[2:48:22] items 10 and 11, uh, simply because I
[2:48:25] have concern that the motion we passed
[2:48:28] on October 20th
[2:48:30] with regard to the impacts of RV
[2:48:33] dwellers on businesses and residents and
[2:48:35] our intent to dis to um,
[2:48:39] uh, investigate more safe parking
[2:48:41] options for RV dwellers that those two
[2:48:45] branches of uh, you know, a very
[2:48:48] difficult um, situation um are not
[2:48:52] proceeding at the same pace. Um it's
[2:48:55] frankly much harder to find safe parking
[2:48:57] lots and I know our staff is working on
[2:48:59] it. I'm not uh this is not a ding on
[2:49:02] anybody. This is um an articulation of a
[2:49:05] concern that one piece of it is
[2:49:06] proceeding um with greater expediency
[2:49:09] than the other which I think was
[2:49:11] predictable and um so we find ourselves
[2:49:14] with with uh a lot more to say on on the
[2:49:17] front end and less on the back end. I
[2:49:20] have confidence that um that will write
[2:49:23] itself over time. Um but I in the
[2:49:25] meantime, humans are being impacted by
[2:49:28] these uh ordinances that we've passed.
[2:49:30] Um and they're being impacted during the
[2:49:32] holidays. We're impacted during the
[2:49:34] holidays and so it's hard to see us with
[2:49:36] such uh fervent effort on the one hand
[2:49:39] um uh knowing that the the second piece
[2:49:42] um is just going to take longer to to um
[2:49:46] put into place. So that's the reason for
[2:49:48] my no votes. Thank you.
[2:49:51] Thank you, city manager.
[2:49:53] >> Yes. Thank you, mayor, members of the
[2:49:55] » Yes. Thank you, mayor, members of the
[2:49:55] council. If I could ask the city clerk
[2:49:58] for assistance with a few slides. I'll
[2:50:00] keep this uh quick. I do want to note,
[2:50:03] and I don't have a slide for this, uh uh
[2:50:05] just to reiterate appreciation for
[2:50:07] council members and community members
[2:50:08] that joined us uh for the fire station
[2:50:11] 4, affectionately known as the Mitchell
[2:50:13] Park Fire Station u uh groundbreaking uh
[2:50:17] last week. and uh certainly look forward
[2:50:19] to that construction proceeding uh
[2:50:22] expeditiously and having the new fire
[2:50:24] station in service along with
[2:50:26] appreciation to the coverly community
[2:50:28] that is uh uh bearing with the temporary
[2:50:31] uh station on campus. Uh let's go to the
[2:50:34] next slide please.
[2:50:38] All right. Well, again much uh
[2:50:40] conversation already but uh what we're
[2:50:42] referring to actually we don't have it
[2:50:44] on here. 429 Brian Street. There's a
[2:50:47] change in the address. Turns out the 445
[2:50:50] is actually the parking garage. So, for
[2:50:52] those who are looking for the new
[2:50:54] community center, it is at 429 Bryant
[2:50:56] Street. And uh this just a quick teaser
[2:51:00] on uh how uh gorgeous the uh facility
[2:51:04] looks. Uh now that uh we've had some
[2:51:06] interim improvements. I think it's
[2:51:08] important to manage expectations. We
[2:51:10] noted that uh more can and should be
[2:51:13] done uh at this facility uh but
[2:51:16] sufficient at this point to open our
[2:51:18] doors and working with Lakomeda uh for
[2:51:20] their transition and as noted here uh
[2:51:24] that uh we have uh uh grand opening
[2:51:27] details being finalized and more to come
[2:51:29] but reservations are already uh being
[2:51:32] taken. Next slide please.
[2:51:36] Speaking of reservations and
[2:51:37] registrations, uh the enjoy catalog uh
[2:51:41] is now moving to the virtual enjoy
[2:51:44] catalog because we are making the
[2:51:46] transition to a digital uh format and so
[2:51:50] as many of us have become accustomed to
[2:51:52] receiving that catalog in the mail. This
[2:51:54] will now be a postcard uh that you'll
[2:51:56] receive and uh that uh will now refer
[2:52:00] you to what has always been our online
[2:52:02] registration system. So change
[2:52:04] management in the works. Uh but again we
[2:52:07] were this is just part of getting the
[2:52:09] word out uh that summer camp
[2:52:11] registration is beginning on uh February
[2:52:15] 5th as noted here. Uh we know that
[2:52:17] that's a very important date on people
[2:52:20] families uh calendars. So just want to
[2:52:23] get the word out early and uh more
[2:52:25] information to come on registration.
[2:52:27] Next slide please.
[2:52:29] Then also throughout the month of
[2:52:31] January, we've got a number of community
[2:52:33] events upcoming uh that families and and
[2:52:36] members of our community uh would uh be
[2:52:39] welcome to participate in ranging from
[2:52:42] final movies at Cubberly through uh
[2:52:45] upcoming uh Lunar New Year uh activities
[2:52:47] at the end of the month with the
[2:52:49] library. Uh so more detail here on the
[2:52:51] city's calendar. Next slide, please.
[2:52:54] Also uh ongoing activity, our artlift
[2:52:58] grant program uh which has uh always
[2:53:02] generated tremendous uh works uh and
[2:53:05] certainly want to reinforce local
[2:53:07] opportunities for local artists uh and
[2:53:10] uh that uh program is now launched and
[2:53:13] deadline is February 20th city uh at our
[2:53:17] uh city's website pelto.gov/artist
[2:53:20] opportunities.
[2:53:22] Next slide please. Then finally, looking
[2:53:24] forward to the upcoming city council
[2:53:26] agendas next or or just actually this
[2:53:30] week, Thursday, if anyone sees a city
[2:53:32] council meeting posted, note that this
[2:53:34] is our closed session uh only and so
[2:53:37] will not be a regular city council
[2:53:39] meeting. Then uh there will be no
[2:53:41] meeting next Monday uh due to the Martin
[2:53:44] Luther King Jr. holiday. Instead, you'll
[2:53:47] meet on Tuesday, January 20th. a number
[2:53:50] of items uh shown here, a study session
[2:53:53] with your community survey results. Uh
[2:53:55] our legislative guidelines and the long
[2:53:57] range financial forecast. Again, that's
[2:53:59] next week, Tuesday. Uh then next
[2:54:02] Saturday will be the city council's
[2:54:05] retreat that we've spoken to. Then the
[2:54:08] following meeting will be on February
[2:54:10] 2nd. So there's also no meeting on I
[2:54:12] guess it would be the 28th or
[2:54:15] thereabouts. Um no, that would be the
[2:54:18] 26th. Thank you. No meeting on the 26th
[2:54:21] of January. Next meeting is February
[2:54:23] 2nd. Then we've got a number of items uh
[2:54:26] shown on that agenda as well as through
[2:54:29] the remainder of February. So with that,
[2:54:31] mayor. Um that completes my comments.
[2:54:33] Back to you.
[2:54:36] >> Thank you very much.
[2:54:38] » Thank you very much.
[2:54:38] All right. So we'll move on to our
[2:54:40] action item uh 13.
[2:54:47] Oh, okay. Please go ahead.
[2:54:49] >> Thank you. Uh, city manager, could you,
[2:54:51] » Thank you. Uh, city manager, could you,
[2:54:51] it was alluded to tonight that the
[2:54:52] retreat is 8 hours long or 6 hours long.
[2:54:55] I'm not sure that we have been given the
[2:54:56] exact start and stop. I'm wondering if
[2:54:58] you have that.
[2:54:59] >> Let's see. I think the start time is
[2:55:01] » Let's see. I think the start time is
[2:55:01] 9:00 a.m. I don't think we set an end
[2:55:03] time to it. So, we did want to,
[2:55:06] >> but you will. [laughter]
[2:55:08] » but you will. [laughter]
[2:55:08] >> Well, I think that's uh
[2:55:11] » Well, I think that's uh
[2:55:11] at at the discretion of the council. you
[2:55:13] know, we um we're trying to try to get
[2:55:16] as much done as we can on that retreat
[2:55:18] day. So, again, I don't have a specific
[2:55:21] end time.
[2:55:24] >> Yeah, we nor do I, but uh hoping for,
[2:55:29] » Yeah, we nor do I, but uh hoping for,
[2:55:29] you know, early afternoon, not hitting
[2:55:32] not going the full day, but that
[2:55:34] requires us to be sort of focused and
[2:55:36] organized, but
[2:55:36] >> Oh, we could make plans for dinner,
[2:55:38] » Oh, we could make plans for dinner,
[2:55:38] let's say.
[2:55:39] >> Yes.
[2:55:39] » Yes.
[2:55:39] >> Okay.
[2:55:39] » Okay.
[2:55:40] >> Or we could arrange for dinner. No, no,
[2:55:41] » Or we could arrange for dinner. No, no,
[2:55:41] no. That's why I think we should talk
[2:55:43] about
[2:55:43] >> the happy hour. [laughter]
[2:55:47] All right. Thank you.
[2:55:50] >> All right. [sighs and gasps]
[2:55:52] » All right. [sighs and gasps]
[2:55:52] So, now we'll move on to 13. Study and
[2:55:55] assessment of PaloAlto turf systems and
[2:55:58] direct staff to proceed with El Camino
[2:56:00] Park synthetic turf replacement and
[2:56:02] natural grass pilot. Welcome, Director.
[2:56:05] Okay. I assume I'm turning it over to
[2:56:07] you for a staff presentation.
[2:56:09] >> You are. Thank you very much. Good
[2:56:11] » You are. Thank you very much. Good
[2:56:11] evening um Mayor Vinker and council
[2:56:13] members. I'm Kristen Okaine with um the
[2:56:15] community services department. I'm
[2:56:17] actually going to turn um the mic over
[2:56:20] um straight away to Sarah Robastelli
[2:56:23] who's our division manager of open space
[2:56:25] parks and golf and who has really been
[2:56:27] leading this project. And then online we
[2:56:30] also have Anthony Stevenson with Lloyd
[2:56:33] um sports and engineering. I think
[2:56:37] that's the right title. So I'm going to
[2:56:38] turn it over to you Mr. Robustelli.
[2:56:41] Lovely. Thank you so much. Good evening,
[2:56:44] uh, mayor, city council members. Um, as
[2:56:47] Kristen mentioned, Sarah Robastelli,
[2:56:49] division manager for open space, parks,
[2:56:50] and golf. Online, you're correct. Uh, we
[2:56:53] have Anthony Stevenson, principal for
[2:56:56] uh, Lloyd Consulting Group. Tonight
[2:56:59] staff is presenting the study and
[2:57:02] assessment of PaloAlto turf systems and
[2:57:05] the associated recommendation related to
[2:57:07] El Camino Park um El Camino Park. This
[2:57:11] item returns to council following your
[2:57:14] November 17th, 2025
[2:57:17] direction to form a city council ad hoc
[2:57:20] committee and request additional
[2:57:22] information and clarification on several
[2:57:25] topics related to the turf study and the
[2:57:27] El Camino Park project. If you go to the
[2:57:30] next slide as background,
[2:57:33] uh, community services manages four
[2:57:36] synthetic turf fields across three
[2:57:39] locations, El Camino Park, Stamford, and
[2:57:42] Peloto community playing fields. Um,
[2:57:46] throughout this presentation, I'm going
[2:57:48] to be referring to that uh, complex as
[2:57:51] Mayfield as well as Coverly.
[2:57:54] El Camino Park was originally scheduled
[2:57:57] for a synthetic replacement. However,
[2:58:00] city council directed staff to pause
[2:58:02] that project and instead redirect
[2:58:05] funding towards a comprehensive turf
[2:58:08] study to better inform uh future
[2:58:11] decisions. The Mayfield project just
[2:58:14] this last month in December was
[2:58:17] substantially completed and Cberly is
[2:58:20] anticipated for replacement in 2028.
[2:58:26] Uh next slide. The turf study was
[2:58:29] designed to provide an objective
[2:58:32] datadriven evaluation of turf systems
[2:58:36] used by athletic used for athletic
[2:58:39] fields. The study focused on
[2:58:41] environmental and health considerations,
[2:58:44] costs, durability, usability, and the
[2:58:48] scope was adjusted to incorporate the
[2:58:50] Santa Clara County public health report
[2:58:52] released in January of 2025.
[2:58:56] El Camino Park was used as a case study
[2:59:00] allowing staff and consultants to
[2:59:02] combine local operational knowledge with
[2:59:05] independent technical expertise.
[2:59:09] The intent of the study is not to
[2:59:11] mandate one single solution, but to
[2:59:13] rather to establish a consistent
[2:59:16] framework to support informed
[2:59:19] decisionmaking for future athletic, uh,
[2:59:22] field replacements.
[2:59:25] Um, this next slide, um, I've titled,
[2:59:29] you know, the turf study project, uh,
[2:59:31] calendar. However, it really could have
[2:59:33] been titled community engagement. Um, I
[2:59:37] really want to underscore to council as
[2:59:40] well as the public the robust robust
[2:59:43] community engagement process that that
[2:59:46] incurred throughout this process. Uh,
[2:59:48] the project was launched in June of
[2:59:51] 2025. It included f focus groups in
[2:59:55] July. Um, that included athletic users,
[2:59:59] park and rex playing fields ad hoc
[3:00:01] committee as well as the Sierra Club.
[3:00:05] Um, a draft report was released on
[3:00:08] August 13th and followed up by a formal
[3:00:12] public comment period throughout uh,
[3:00:14] September 3rd. The study was discussed
[3:00:18] at multiple park and recreation uh,
[3:00:20] meetings and was presented to city
[3:00:23] council November 17th. Um following that
[3:00:27] meeting, city council informed uh formed
[3:00:30] an ad hoc committee which met on
[3:00:33] November 24th as well as December 9th.
[3:00:37] During those meetings, staff
[3:00:39] specifically
[3:00:41] um was specifically received further
[3:00:44] evaluation to clarify risk mitigation me
[3:00:48] measures. The recommendation before you
[3:00:51] this evening reflects this follow-up
[3:00:53] work. On the next slide um is is your
[3:00:58] action that took place on November 17th
[3:01:01] forming that ad hoc. And on this next
[3:01:04] slide we I will discuss risk mitigation
[3:01:07] measures as it's been a central focus of
[3:01:10] both the turf study as well as
[3:01:12] subsequent polity policy discussions.
[3:01:17] So, uh, the parks and watershed
[3:01:20] protection as well as storm drain work
[3:01:23] groups met at three locations. At
[3:01:25] Mayfield, drainage is completely
[3:01:28] subsurface and there are no open drains
[3:01:31] requiring filtration. Um at El Camino
[3:01:35] Park, staff has now ordered 13 inlets,
[3:01:39] hats, filters, as well as three exterior
[3:01:43] sock filters for uh installation. At
[3:01:47] Cubberly, we currently have uh filters
[3:01:50] around the track area and staff are
[3:01:53] evaluating whether additional filtration
[3:01:55] is warranted.
[3:01:58] Um, I also have a graph that may be
[3:02:02] handy at the very back of this slide
[3:02:04] deck if we um it it may give a better
[3:02:08] picture and I apologize I didn't add
[3:02:10] this earlier but um key areas of concern
[3:02:14] that were raised by council as well as
[3:02:17] the ad hoc committee um and uh let's see
[3:02:23] the public include PAS infill materials
[3:02:27] storm water protection, uh, surface heat
[3:02:30] and ongoing GMAX, uh, performance.
[3:02:34] Historically, PAS testing was not
[3:02:37] conducted for synthetic turf materials.
[3:02:40] Moving forward, staff will uh, pursue
[3:02:43] material testing and manufacturer
[3:02:46] verification as part of the replacement
[3:02:49] uh, projects. This represents a change
[3:02:52] in practice compared to our earlier uh,
[3:02:55] installations. I also wanted to
[3:02:57] highlight that the recommendation before
[3:02:59] you this evening significantly reduces
[3:03:03] plastic content uh compared to what
[3:03:07] existed what currently exists at El
[3:03:10] Camino Park. Previously fields use a
[3:03:14] thermoplastic elastimemer or TPE infill.
[3:03:19] Their proposed replacement would use
[3:03:21] natural cork infill, which removes the
[3:03:24] vast majority of plastic from the infill
[3:03:27] material and has um has the added
[3:03:32] benefit of reducing surface
[3:03:33] temperatures.
[3:03:35] Storm water protection has also been
[3:03:38] strengthened.
[3:03:40] Earlier fields did not include storm
[3:03:42] drain filtration as a standard practice.
[3:03:46] Today's staff coordinates closely with
[3:03:49] the parks watershed protection and storm
[3:03:52] drain work groups to assess site
[3:03:56] specifics uh drainage needs. GMAX
[3:03:59] testing has been conducted annually to
[3:04:03] monitor surface hardness and staff will
[3:04:06] continue to practice with increased
[3:04:09] scrutiny as fields approach their end of
[3:04:12] life.
[3:04:14] Um, slide seven, if you go to
[3:04:17] playability impacts, the study also
[3:04:20] evaluated systemwide
[3:04:22] playability and capacity impacts based
[3:04:26] on current usage
[3:04:29] and the city standard winter closure for
[3:04:32] natural grass fields from December
[3:04:35] through February and sometimes March.
[3:04:38] Removing the synthetic turf at El Camino
[3:04:40] Park would displace approximately 1,221
[3:04:45] players annually, including about 570
[3:04:49] PaloAlto residents. There is currently
[3:04:52] no uh available capacity at other fields
[3:04:55] to absorb that displaced use during
[3:04:58] winter during the winter season. And if
[3:05:02] you go to the next slide, based on the
[3:05:05] findings of the turf study, community
[3:05:08] input and direction from the city
[3:05:11] council ad hoc committee, staff is
[3:05:13] bringing forward before you this
[3:05:15] evening. first uh to proceed with
[3:05:18] replacing synthetic turf fields at El
[3:05:21] Camino Park using improved synthetic
[3:05:24] turf with organic infill while
[3:05:27] implementing risk management measures
[3:05:29] including storm water filtration,
[3:05:31] enhanced maintenance practice and
[3:05:34] related uh mitigation. Secondly, to
[3:05:38] pursue a natural grass pilot project to
[3:05:42] enhance playability and durability. Once
[3:05:45] cost estimates are available, staff will
[3:05:47] return to city council for review,
[3:05:50] including any uh uh potential requests
[3:05:54] for appropriation. This is anticipated
[3:05:57] to occur as part of the fiscal year 202
[3:06:01] uh7 budget. And then thirdly, to
[3:06:05] continue exploring opportunities to
[3:06:07] transition to synthetic turf, transition
[3:06:10] away from synthetic turf at coverly over
[3:06:13] time. In close, this um in closing, this
[3:06:17] is concludes staff presentation and we
[3:06:20] are available for any questions.
[3:06:24] Um we'd like to turn it over to the ad
[3:06:27] hoc.
[3:06:29] >> All right. Thank you. Um, so, uh, I was
[3:06:33] » All right. Thank you. Um, so, uh, I was
[3:06:33] chair of the ad hoc, uh, serving on it
[3:06:35] along with council member Bert and
[3:06:37] Council Member Lowing. So, I will start
[3:06:40] with a couple comments and then see if
[3:06:41] they want to add anything. Um, but first
[3:06:45] of all, thank you, Director O'Ne, Miss
[3:06:47] Roseelli, and your team for uh, dealing
[3:06:50] with the second toughest issue in
[3:06:53] PaloAlto. I think the first is pickle
[3:06:54] ball, but this is a pretty tough one. Um
[3:06:57] uh thanks also to the PRC and the many
[3:07:01] residents who spent a lot of time um and
[3:07:04] effort providing comments and feedback.
[3:07:06] We've gotten a lot of emails, but I also
[3:07:08] know you've shown up at a lot of places
[3:07:11] uh a lot of meetings uh on all sides of
[3:07:13] this issue and it does matter to us and
[3:07:15] we do appreciate it. Um I will say that
[3:07:18] the committee really angsted over this.
[3:07:21] Um, a year and a half ago when uh I was
[3:07:25] serving on finance at the time and and
[3:07:27] this issue first came up, I was ready to
[3:07:29] just say no uh to synthetic turf
[3:07:32] replacement field. It was really the
[3:07:34] biochemist in the environmentalist in me
[3:07:37] um that uh was really concerned about
[3:07:40] it. And I think um at our last council
[3:07:43] meeting, I think council member Bert was
[3:07:44] the the most skeptical of synthetic
[3:07:47] turf. And so all three of us took this
[3:07:49] very very seriously. um in terms of the
[3:07:52] concerns about PAS um synthetic infill,
[3:07:55] microplastics, heat effects and more. Um
[3:07:59] but I'm also the mother of two daughters
[3:08:01] who played soccer for between 10 and 13
[3:08:03] years a piece and uh also a co-founder
[3:08:06] and former general counsel of a
[3:08:08] professional soccer league. Um so this
[3:08:11] is something that has been really
[3:08:13] personally challenging for me. Um, so we
[3:08:16] had two in-depth uh ad hoc meetings
[3:08:18] where we really drilled down on these
[3:08:20] issues and and uh particularly the
[3:08:23] concerns about um the um the concerns
[3:08:28] about synthetic fields and how we could
[3:08:30] minimize them. And I really appreciated
[3:08:33] that last chart that you pulled up
[3:08:34] because that's what I wanted to add. I'd
[3:08:36] just seen the the
[3:08:38] first part of the deck. Uh because we
[3:08:41] really did learn that synthetic fields
[3:08:43] have improved a lot uh since the prior
[3:08:45] field was installed.
[3:08:48] That there's less shedding of blades
[3:08:50] that we can and have plans to implement
[3:08:52] technology to mitigate the shedding of
[3:08:55] blades to keep them out of our storm
[3:08:58] water drains. And also there's field
[3:09:00] sweeping. We have the drain hats and
[3:09:02] socks that you described. Um, also that
[3:09:06] we'll contract for turf that doesn't
[3:09:08] contain PAS and can do the testing to
[3:09:10] confirm that. Um, we'll use only organic
[3:09:13] infill that does not add to or
[3:09:15] contribute any plastic content and that
[3:09:18] these new fields are apparently cooler
[3:09:20] than the old synthetic fields. So, while
[3:09:23] I think we all still had some lingering
[3:09:26] concerns, they're much lesser than they
[3:09:29] were before we went into this deeper
[3:09:32] dive. um and much lesser than prior
[3:09:35] iterations of synthetic turf. Um but we
[3:09:38] also drilled down on field usage um and
[3:09:42] the results that were reported out uh a
[3:09:44] few minutes ago by Miss Robustelli and
[3:09:47] there was just no way to replace the El
[3:09:50] Camino fields with grass without
[3:09:52] displacing huge numbers of players. And
[3:09:56] that's troubling for the reasons that
[3:09:58] many of you have articulated. Um, so we
[3:10:01] made the recommendation to replace the
[3:10:04] El Camino field with synthetic turf this
[3:10:07] year. But going forward, as was
[3:10:10] mentioned, we are directing or we
[3:10:12] recommend that council direct staff to
[3:10:14] explore ways now to transition away from
[3:10:17] future replacements with turf uh by
[3:10:20] seeing if we can increase playing hours
[3:10:22] on other fields. Uh so starting with
[3:10:26] this enhanced grass pilot to see how
[3:10:28] many additional hours playing hours we
[3:10:30] might be able to get out of a natural
[3:10:32] grass field that could be iterated. Um,
[3:10:36] and then also it was mentioned as that
[3:10:38] third item, continue to explore
[3:10:40] opportunities to transition from
[3:10:42] synthetic turf at Cberly because that's
[3:10:44] the next one up and I think it's 28 uh
[3:10:46] when that's coming up and we have a
[3:10:48] little runway and we can look at options
[3:10:53] uh including the hybrid turf that I've
[3:10:55] mentioned from time to time and that's
[3:10:58] something that is also evolving and
[3:11:01] whereas it has much greater wearability,
[3:11:05] playability than um grass in in in the
[3:11:08] winter. Uh all grass, it's still largely
[3:11:11] grass and so it has much less um content
[3:11:15] uh that's not the natural growing grass.
[3:11:18] Right now, most of those are synthetic
[3:11:20] the the the hybrid part of it. So you'll
[3:11:24] have, you know, it's it's it's depends
[3:11:28] on the vendor and and installation
[3:11:29] techniques, but you know, 60 80 some
[3:11:32] percent of natural grass with um uh
[3:11:36] right now synthetic grass blades in
[3:11:38] there that will grow around, but they're
[3:11:40] piloting ones that are all organic. So
[3:11:43] even if the uh the other parts of the
[3:11:45] hybrid aren't um growing, they are they
[3:11:49] are organic and non-synthetic. So that's
[3:11:51] something that uh we could also explore
[3:11:54] between now and then and see if some
[3:11:56] combination of that yields enough
[3:11:58] playing hours that we can avoid doing
[3:12:01] that in a couple years. So that's not
[3:12:03] before us tonight, but I did want people
[3:12:05] to know um that that's the direction is
[3:12:07] to to explore uh a transition as we move
[3:12:11] forward that would
[3:12:13] if we can pull it off allow us to have
[3:12:15] our cake and eat it too. So, um, that's
[3:12:19] my, uh, report, but, uh, Council Member
[3:12:21] Lowing.
[3:12:23] >> Yeah, thank you. Uh, that was very
[3:12:25] » Yeah, thank you. Uh, that was very
[3:12:25] thorough and almost had these folks
[3:12:28] sitting in our ad hoc committees. Um,
[3:12:30] and the point of this all was that as
[3:12:33] you know, we moved [clears throat] to
[3:12:35] continue this item till it's called a
[3:12:37] date uncertain, which is now uh,
[3:12:39] tonight. Uh and the fundamental reason
[3:12:41] for that was that we just didn't have a
[3:12:45] uh comprehensive set of data uh from the
[3:12:47] consultant on all these issues that
[3:12:49] you've heard about uh to make a fully
[3:12:51] informed decision on this really tough
[3:12:53] issue. Uh and that's why we said let's
[3:12:56] take a few weeks and get the answers to
[3:12:58] that so that we're fully informed on
[3:13:00] being responsible in these decisions.
[3:13:02] You know, there there are a number of
[3:13:04] big gaps and you've you've heard about
[3:13:06] some of the ones that we've that we've
[3:13:07] looked at. Um, so we want to take a
[3:13:10] deeper dive and that's exactly what we
[3:13:12] did. Um, one of our local news sources
[3:13:15] said that the council punted on this
[3:13:17] issue. Um, that is completely incorrect.
[3:13:21] Um, since we're in the playoff season,
[3:13:23] I'll stay with the football analogy. Uh,
[3:13:25] it was more of a timeout on the field.
[3:13:28] Uh, and in this case, you know which
[3:13:30] field we're talking about. Um because
[3:13:34] what we needed to do was just take that
[3:13:36] time out and dig in and fill the gaps
[3:13:38] and look at our playbook so to speak to
[3:13:40] figure out even some of our own uh data
[3:13:42] such as you know the the the pressure on
[3:13:45] the fields particularly in the winter
[3:13:47] months and the summer months. And so
[3:13:48] there was just a very cooperative effort
[3:13:51] uh at the end of the year between staff
[3:13:54] and and the ad hoc back and forth with
[3:13:56] as you know the first first ad hoc
[3:13:58] meeting starting a week after we made
[3:14:00] this this motion uh and as we're getting
[3:14:02] ready for the holidays. So uh because of
[3:14:04] that we didn't quite make a December
[3:14:06] return but we're here but we're here
[3:14:08] now. Um, and you saw the the the summary
[3:14:12] items and particularly the items that
[3:14:14] were um um sort of incremental to what
[3:14:18] we were talking about the other day and
[3:14:20] that was uh you know the mitigation
[3:14:22] measures and a full understanding of the
[3:14:25] cost assumptions during a life cycle. Um
[3:14:28] the the consulting report was a little
[3:14:30] bit um uh missing on that. uh obviously
[3:14:32] the field usage uh and then as uh the
[3:14:36] mayor just said these um uh
[3:14:39] possibilities for what can we do going
[3:14:41] forward on other kinds of of turf as
[3:14:43] well as uh how how can we get this uh
[3:14:47] actual natural grass field going. So
[3:14:49] that's the comm the motion you see is
[3:14:52] committed to all of that. And then in
[3:14:54] the interim another sort of benefit of
[3:14:56] the process I think for the council is
[3:14:58] that uh we heard from a massive number
[3:15:00] of of citizens that we hadn't heard from
[3:15:03] before. Uh a large proportion of the
[3:15:05] emails that we got were actually from
[3:15:07] parents of youth that uh used El Camino
[3:15:10] specifically. Um and they were all
[3:15:12] asking us to retain the turf so that the
[3:15:14] winter season didn't have to be
[3:15:15] scrapped. Uh it was sort of
[3:15:18] it was as simple as that and our our
[3:15:20] field study as that you just saw on this
[3:15:22] slide uh said the same thing. Uh we also
[3:15:26] got uh a number of emails from from
[3:15:28] doctors saying that the current
[3:15:29] generation of of uh turf products is is
[3:15:32] definitely way better. Do we have
[3:15:33] further to go? Yeah, we do. Um but also
[3:15:37] emphasized in those same letters that
[3:15:39] mental health is as important as
[3:15:42] physical health. And so these particular
[3:15:43] doctors that wrote in uh were were
[3:15:45] supportive of this. Um so I think
[3:15:48] overall the ad hoc believes that the
[3:15:50] current staff report which we
[3:15:52] effectively helped uh get that new staff
[3:15:54] report ready um you know represents a
[3:15:57] balanced approach on a a controversial
[3:16:00] item that doesn't have 100% answers but
[3:16:04] um we know you know a lot more than we
[3:16:06] did um you know eight weeks ago and are
[3:16:10] comfortable with the recommendation.
[3:16:12] Thank you.
[3:16:13] >> Thank you, Council Member Bert.
[3:16:15] » Thank you, Council Member Bert.
[3:16:15] >> Yeah, thank you. Um, so just
[3:16:17] » Yeah, thank you. Um, so just
[3:16:18] supplementing
[3:16:19] uh the comments of my colleagues, uh, I
[3:16:23] I want to say that as as um, our mayor
[3:16:27] and and the staff have noted. Uh what we
[3:16:30] have are looking at now in the El Camino
[3:16:33] Park artificial turf is uh a far better
[3:16:40] product than what we have historically
[3:16:42] had and most communities have
[3:16:43] historically had. Uh we had already uh
[3:16:47] changed the uh the filler materials from
[3:16:51] uh
[3:16:53] from uh uh uh rubberized materials to
[3:16:57] cork uh even at the Mayfield location.
[3:17:01] And that not only has um an
[3:17:04] environmental impact, it has a health
[3:17:08] impact because of volatile organics that
[3:17:11] were uh being um emitted from those
[3:17:14] materials. And it has a very significant
[3:17:17] heat impact. Uh and that was one of the
[3:17:20] things we hadn't even talked about at
[3:17:22] the council that we ended up uh digging
[3:17:24] deeper into the committee at the
[3:17:26] committee level. And um it goes from
[3:17:30] very significant heat differential for
[3:17:32] artificial turf to something closer to
[3:17:35] much closer to uh natural turf. Um, but
[3:17:40] I I really came into that process
[3:17:44] wanting to um have answers on
[3:17:49] do we have to have artificial turf at El
[3:17:52] Camino in order to meet the playing uh
[3:17:56] playability me needs, the user needs and
[3:17:59] the data that we got really proved to us
[3:18:02] that we do. And then second, can we to a
[3:18:07] great degree mitigate the environmental
[3:18:10] health and safety impacts of the
[3:18:13] artificial turf? And as been noted, the
[3:18:16] progress in the materials is has gone
[3:18:19] forward on the on the uh filler. Uh now
[3:18:22] on the blades um we had real significant
[3:18:26] concerns because a lot of uh these
[3:18:29] earlier materials had POS materials and
[3:18:32] in fact even today many or most of them
[3:18:35] P do uh but we're going to have um not
[3:18:39] only materials that the supplier is
[3:18:42] asserting uh will be POS free but that
[3:18:46] we are going to do testing on. Correct.
[3:18:49] >> Great. Um and then we had a concern that
[3:18:52] » Great. Um and then we had a concern that
[3:18:52] we realized about runoff from
[3:18:54] nanoplastics which is not insignificant.
[3:18:56] And that's where uh the presentation
[3:19:00] showed a bunch of um uh actions we're
[3:19:04] going to take to filter the runoff
[3:19:06] materials which we didn't even think of
[3:19:09] as either a primary problem or that it
[3:19:13] could have a a strong solution maybe not
[3:19:17] a perfect one. Um, so out of this
[3:19:19] process, we're going to have uh better
[3:19:22] fields at El Camino than we would have
[3:19:26] otherwise. And so I think uh it not only
[3:19:29] has led to good decisions, but it's
[3:19:32] actually led to better actions. Thanks.
[3:19:36] >> All right. Thank you. Um,
[3:19:39] » All right. Thank you. Um,
[3:19:39] are there any other council members who
[3:19:40] wish to comment before we go to public
[3:19:42] comment?
[3:19:46] All right. Seeing none, uh, Madame
[3:19:48] Clerk, how many public commenters do we
[3:19:51] have?
[3:20:05] So, without the approximately 10 or so
[3:20:08] hands that additional hands that were
[3:20:09] raised on Zoom, we have 30. So, um I'm
[3:20:13] assuming about 45.
[3:20:16] >> All right.
[3:20:16] » All right.
[3:20:16] >> Once I add the Zoom, uh comments in.
[3:20:19] » Once I add the Zoom, uh comments in.
[3:20:19] >> Okay. Thank you so much. So, we're going
[3:20:21] » Okay. Thank you so much. So, we're going
[3:20:21] to go with a minute each. Um what I want
[3:20:24] would encourage you to do is um if you
[3:20:28] agree with Bob who just spoke, you can
[3:20:31] let us know that. Um we we uh we hear
[3:20:34] the same thing over and over. We lose a
[3:20:35] little focus sometimes. So, you can use
[3:20:37] up your full minute, but if you want to
[3:20:39] add on to to others, that's fine. Uh,
[3:20:42] one just reminder, um, if you agree with
[3:20:46] something someone said, that's that's
[3:20:48] great, but we don't allow any audible,
[3:20:51] um, acknowledgement of that. We want to
[3:20:52] keep it safe for all speakers of
[3:20:54] differing viewpoints. If you want to let
[3:20:56] us know, you can do the sign language
[3:20:58] like this if you're applauding, but um,
[3:21:00] we just encourage you no no clapping or
[3:21:02] or or uh, vocalizations in response. Um,
[3:21:06] that said, the clerk will uh call the
[3:21:09] names of the speakers in the order in
[3:21:11] which they've signed up, and she'll let
[3:21:12] you know who's next so you can be ready
[3:21:15] to please come on down so we can move
[3:21:16] through this quickly because we want to
[3:21:18] get through uh to the actual uh council
[3:21:21] deliberations tonight. So, there we are.
[3:21:25] All right. So, Madame Clerk, if you
[3:21:27] would take over and and and call our
[3:21:29] public speakers for being here.
[3:21:32] >> Our first speaker is Manny D. As the
[3:21:35] » Our first speaker is Manny D. As the
[3:21:35] mayor noted, you have 1 minute to speak.
[3:21:37] The timer is on the podium. And for
[3:21:40] those that are speaking on Zoom, the
[3:21:43] timer will be displayed on the screen.
[3:21:47] Our first speaker, Manny D.
[3:21:54] » Did you say Manny?
[3:22:02] » Uh, good evening. My [clears throat]
[3:22:03] name is uh Manny Diaz. I'm a consultant
[3:22:06] for um Tikcake Grass. They're the global
[3:22:09] artificial turf manufacturer in the
[3:22:11] world and I have a letters here we have
[3:22:14] previously submitted and first of all I
[3:22:17] wanted to thank staff and the study that
[3:22:20] you folks have done. Uh a lot of
[3:22:23] improvements have been done on
[3:22:24] artificial turf and right now uh Tucat
[3:22:28] is is probably the leading researcher
[3:22:30] dealing with artificial turf and we
[3:22:32] actually have a product at PAS free
[3:22:35] since 2023.
[3:22:37] We also have the product that doesn't
[3:22:39] have infill which is the concerns that
[3:22:41] many had raised before. So significant
[3:22:43] improvements have been made on this
[3:22:44] product. So we recognize the concerns
[3:22:46] that the community has on environmental
[3:22:47] stuff. So, I want to thank you for for
[3:22:49] doing the study.
[3:22:52] I'll leave this letter here for for you
[3:22:54] folks. Thank you.
[3:22:57] >> Our next speaker is Angela D.
[3:23:06] » Hi. Um I'm really pleased that your one
[3:23:09] of your priorities um for this year is
[3:23:12] the protection of the natural
[3:23:13] environment and um I can hear that
[3:23:16] you've done a lot of study on uh the
[3:23:19] environmental impact of the um the turf
[3:23:23] that um that is being proposed.
[3:23:26] But I want to suggest that uh just
[3:23:30] because it's a better product doesn't
[3:23:33] mean that it's actually good for the
[3:23:36] environment. And I also want to say that
[3:23:38] I've been thinking that um uh even
[3:23:42] though it's it's odd to me that even
[3:23:44] though students um there are fewer
[3:23:46] children in PaloAlto now um than there
[3:23:50] used to be when we only had grass fields
[3:23:54] that there's more of a demand. And I'm
[3:23:56] not sure that maybe it's good for
[3:23:58] students to be doing that many hours on
[3:24:02] um of practice every um every week. Uh
[3:24:06] maybe they could cut back on a little
[3:24:08] bit
[3:24:09] >> time is up
[3:24:10] » time is up
[3:24:10] >> of time on the field. Thanks.
[3:24:13] » of time on the field. Thanks.
[3:24:13] >> Speaker is Claire E.
[3:24:19] Hi, my name is Claire Elliot and I'm a
[3:24:22] PALA resident and a retired ecologist.
[3:24:25] And there's plentiful evidence that
[3:24:27] plastic is harmful to people and the
[3:24:29] planet. Um there's the microplastics
[3:24:32] that spall off, but and we've talked
[3:24:34] about additives like PAS, but PAS is
[3:24:36] only one of oh no thousands because
[3:24:39] there are thousands of different
[3:24:40] compounds that are PAS chemicals. Um but
[3:24:44] there are many other additives that are
[3:24:45] toxic that can leech out of the plastics
[3:24:47] and then also be incorporated in the
[3:24:49] material that breaks down in the
[3:24:50] environment and become toxic to the to
[3:24:53] the to the wildlife. So I am frankly
[3:24:57] dismayed that we're still considering
[3:24:59] plastic coating our parks with this
[3:25:02] material. Um, it's
[3:25:06] really not an environmentally sound
[3:25:07] decision and I thought PaloAlto being a
[3:25:10] city that generally makes
[3:25:11] environmentally sound decisions. So,
[3:25:13] it's disappointing. I think it's
[3:25:15] extremely important that you formally
[3:25:18] reject the flawed turfs study and remove
[3:25:21] it from the website.
[3:25:22] >> Your time is up.
[3:25:25] » Your time is up.
[3:25:25] >> Wow.
[3:25:25] » Wow.
[3:25:25] >> Our next speaker is Magdalena C.
[3:25:30] » Our next speaker is Magdalena C.
[3:25:30] Let's see. Just a reminder while you're
[3:25:32] walking up, if if uh if you aren't able
[3:25:34] to complete your comments and want to
[3:25:35] send them in by email, if you haven't
[3:25:37] previously, you're welcome to do so.
[3:25:39] [clears throat]
[3:25:41] » Good evening. My I'm Magdana from the
[3:25:44] Venture neighborhood. I'm here tonight
[3:25:46] one more time to plead with you to
[3:25:48] reject the turf study and promise to run
[3:25:50] a pilot study of grass turf here in
[3:25:52] Panoalto so we can make a fair
[3:25:54] comparison between plastic grass and the
[3:25:57] real McCoy natural grass turf. There are
[3:25:59] many studies that show there are more
[3:26:01] injuries sustained by players playing on
[3:26:02] artificial turf. Do we care? I do. Let
[3:26:06] us not fall prey to yet another company
[3:26:09] industry that is chasing the almighty
[3:26:11] buck at our children's expense. History
[3:26:13] has a long track record of corporations
[3:26:15] telling the public either half-truths or
[3:26:17] outright lies. Think Chevron. Think the
[3:26:20] sugar manufacturers. Think the tobacco
[3:26:22] industry and Monsanto with its glyph
[3:26:23] phosphates. Let's not be conned. Please.
[3:26:27] Lead Consulting has a serious flawed
[3:26:29] analysis yet seems to be pushing this
[3:26:31] product and why to sell more of it no
[3:26:33] matter what. No matter the cost of
[3:26:35] health to the environment or our
[3:26:36] children. Think carefully what your
[3:26:38] legacy is going to be before you make
[3:26:42] your vote. Thank you.
[3:26:43] >> Our next speaker is Andrea W.
[3:26:51] » Good evening. I had something else to
[3:26:53] say to try to convince you that
[3:26:54] artificial turf is not the best product,
[3:26:57] but you guys seem to have your mind made
[3:26:59] up, which is a shame. I'd really rather
[3:27:01] address all the kids and the coaches and
[3:27:03] the parents here to say, I wish you
[3:27:05] understood. We do not oppose soccer
[3:27:08] fields. What we fear is that you do not
[3:27:10] truly understand the hazards that you're
[3:27:13] causing yourself in the environment with
[3:27:15] the micro and nanoplastics that are in
[3:27:17] your body in the environment in the
[3:27:19] water you're drinking including the
[3:27:21] chemicals. And it's only down the line
[3:27:23] in the future that you're going to come
[3:27:25] to realize that you've made a big
[3:27:27] mistake by accepting all this plastic
[3:27:29] and your health is going to be harmed
[3:27:31] because of it. And I'm sorry about that.
[3:27:33] I only wish you would push more for
[3:27:36] grass and well done grass than really
[3:27:39] worry about plastic fields. Thank you.
[3:27:42] >> Our next speaker is Palo Alto Adult
[3:27:44] » Our next speaker is Palo Alto Adult
[3:27:44] Soccer League.
[3:27:47] >> Good evening. My name is Travis Kelly.
[3:27:49] » Good evening. My name is Travis Kelly.
[3:27:49] I'm the current president of Palo Alto
[3:27:50] Adult Soccer League. Uh we're a
[3:27:52] nonprofit and one of the prides and joys
[3:27:54] of Palo Alto since 1978. Uh serving men
[3:27:58] and women ages 25 to 80 plus. Um, in any
[3:28:01] given week, we rent and hold 20 soccer
[3:28:04] games uh in the city of Palo Alto with
[3:28:07] 500 plus players, several hundred of
[3:28:09] whom are PaloAlto residents. Uh, the
[3:28:11] vast majority of whom are in support of
[3:28:12] continuing with artificial fields. And
[3:28:14] while we sincerely appreciate the board
[3:28:16] and the committee's um consideration of
[3:28:18] all the concerns and the issues, it's
[3:28:20] our stance that the benefits of the
[3:28:22] continuation of artificial fields
[3:28:24] significantly outweighs the detriments.
[3:28:26] Thank you.
[3:28:27] >> Our next speaker is Jeff G.
[3:28:44] » [clears throat]
[3:28:44] >> Congratulations, Mayor Vinker and Vice
[3:28:46] » Congratulations, Mayor Vinker and Vice
[3:28:46] Mayor Stone, and good evening, city
[3:28:48] council members. I'm here to support the
[3:28:49] Haddock and staff recommendation.
[3:28:52] Soccer's been a major part of my life
[3:28:54] since I was five, and I'm I've been a
[3:28:56] proud member of the Sierra Club for for
[3:28:58] 40 plus years. Mental, physical, and
[3:29:01] social health benefits I personally
[3:29:02] experienced and witnessed include
[3:29:04] invaluable life lessons such as team
[3:29:07] perseverance, dealing with setbacks and
[3:29:09] winning gracefully, positive role
[3:29:11] modeling, stress release, team building
[3:29:13] and group interactions, lifelong kinship
[3:29:15] and camaraderie, joy and fun. Couple
[3:29:18] more thoughts. Adult leagues and pickup
[3:29:20] games offer a level playing field for
[3:29:22] for uniquely broadened social
[3:29:24] interactions, welcoming everyone from
[3:29:25] CEOs to bottle washers. Uh if we don't
[3:29:28] replace the turf at El Camino, this
[3:29:30] won't stop or significantly reduce uh
[3:29:32] youth or adults from playing soccer. It
[3:29:34] will increase the environmental
[3:29:35] footprint with more lengthier car trips,
[3:29:37] reducing bike trips, traffic congestion,
[3:29:39] and will increase etc. Looking forward
[3:29:41] to all the comments from all the the
[3:29:43] kids that are here tonight and thank you
[3:29:44] for your consideration here.
[3:29:46] >> Our next speaker is Omar Z.
[3:29:55] Uh hello, my name is Omar Zabi. I'm in
[3:29:59] seventh grade at Green Middle School.
[3:30:01] I'm here today to support keeping the
[3:30:03] turf field at El Camino. Turf [snorts]
[3:30:05] fields support our sport activities the
[3:30:08] whole year, especially in winter. This
[3:30:10] is very important to our mental health.
[3:30:12] And I remember when Mayfield was closed
[3:30:14] and and I had to um and El Camino was
[3:30:20] totally booked, I was down with very bad
[3:30:25] mood that affected me at school. Dirt
[3:30:28] fields aren't the place where sports h
[3:30:32] where sport happening only. It's the
[3:30:34] place where a lot of families use when
[3:30:38] grass fields and parks are closed.
[3:30:42] Lastly, the injuries in grass fields
[3:30:47] um grass fields. We totally appreciate
[3:30:49] the work of the city and parks, but man
[3:30:52] maintaining grass fields in Pawoto is a
[3:30:55] big challenge. And also in Pawoto
[3:31:01] um and all grass fields have a lot of
[3:31:06] holes that created a lot of injuries. In
[3:31:11] addition, grass fields for some kids
[3:31:13] create skin allergies which never
[3:31:15] happens in turf fields. I'm going to
[3:31:18] need you to wrap up quickly, but go
[3:31:20] ahead. You can finish your sentence.
[3:31:22] >> All right.
[3:31:23] » All right.
[3:31:23] >> Thank you.
[3:31:23] » Thank you.
[3:31:23] >> Thank you very much.
[3:31:25] » Thank you very much.
[3:31:25] >> Our next speaker is Robert F.
[3:31:33] » Good evening. Uh my name is Robert Fitz
[3:31:35] William. Uh proud parent here in Palo
[3:31:38] Alto. I have been an AYSO coach to many
[3:31:44] kids throughout the years. uh some of
[3:31:48] which have gone on to play in college,
[3:31:52] my son being one of them. That would not
[3:31:54] have been possible if they didn't have
[3:31:56] the opportunity to play and practice
[3:32:00] in the fall, late fall and winter
[3:32:02] periods. The turf fields gave that
[3:32:05] ability uh for them to do that and hone
[3:32:08] their skills. Um, as a person who also
[3:32:12] played in Palo Alto adult soccer leagues
[3:32:15] in the evening times uh in the winter
[3:32:18] periods as well, that has been helpful
[3:32:21] for me and I encourage you to continue
[3:32:23] to keep the turf fields. Thank you.
[3:32:27] >> Our next speaker is Adriana F.
[3:32:35] Dear city council, my name is Eison
[3:32:38] Regade and I'm a soccer player. I think
[3:32:40] that the city of PaloAlto should keep
[3:32:42] the fields of El Camino as turf. One
[3:32:45] main point on why the fields should say
[3:32:47] turf compared to grass is accessibility.
[3:32:49] If there are weather problems such as
[3:32:51] rain, grass fields won't be usable while
[3:32:53] turf fields would be fine. To add on to
[3:32:56] accessibility, it'd be much harder to
[3:32:58] take care of grass fields shown with the
[3:33:00] example of the grass fields of Greer
[3:33:03] Park. Another main concern is safety.
[3:33:06] And I can assure you that as a player,
[3:33:08] turf fields are much safer than our
[3:33:10] grass fields. On turf fields, it is
[3:33:12] safer due to its evenness, whereas grass
[3:33:15] fields such as JLS can be very bumpy and
[3:33:17] have dangerous potholes. Overall, in my
[3:33:20] opinion, turf is better for having fun
[3:33:23] accessibility wise, and most
[3:33:25] importantly, safety. Thank you for your
[3:33:27] time.
[3:33:29] Our next speaker is an L.
[3:33:40] Um, hello. My name is Amana and I am
[3:33:42] currently been coaching at the Palo Alta
[3:33:44] Soccer Club for over 10 years. Um, I
[3:33:47] have four children that have come
[3:33:49] through the club. Um, I have seen
[3:33:51] firsthand how important access to
[3:33:53] consistent safe playing surface is for
[3:33:56] kids, families, and the wider community.
[3:33:58] I understand there is concern regarding
[3:34:00] the PAS plastics and surface that he
[3:34:03] associates for turf fields. These are
[3:34:05] all very valid topics. But in the same
[3:34:08] hand, due to the increasing number of
[3:34:11] grass fields that are shut down because
[3:34:13] of weather conditions or lacking of
[3:34:14] lighting when fields close, programs are
[3:34:17] cancelled, seasons are shortened, and
[3:34:19] kids lose opportunities to play, stay
[3:34:21] active, and be part of the team. I
[3:34:23] firsthand have seen over eight of my own
[3:34:26] personal players that have torn ACL's on
[3:34:29] our grass fields right now. Several
[3:34:32] practices we have, they've rolled their
[3:34:34] ankles just by passing a ball with zero
[3:34:37] contact. Being on the turf fields, the
[3:34:40] lack of um players getting injured is
[3:34:44] better. Okay, thank you. Our next
[3:34:46] speaker is Fernando L.
[3:34:49] [snorts]
[3:34:54] » [clears throat]
[3:34:55] >> Hello. Uh, my name is Fernando. I would
[3:34:58] » Hello. Uh, my name is Fernando. I would
[3:34:58] like to speak in favor of keeping turf
[3:35:01] at the El Camino fields. I have been
[3:35:03] coaching in PaloAlto for over 10 years,
[3:35:06] starting with AYSO, followed up by high
[3:35:08] school and now with the Palo Alto soccer
[3:35:11] club. In those 10 years, I have not once
[3:35:13] had a parent come up to me and say, "We
[3:35:15] are worried about the turf." In fact, it
[3:35:17] is the exact opposite. The parents and
[3:35:20] players want to be at the turf fields. I
[3:35:22] have had more than one player confide in
[3:35:25] me personally how important soccer is to
[3:35:29] them and their mental health. And by
[3:35:31] taking away a turf field at El Camino,
[3:35:34] we would be affecting them mentally
[3:35:39] because we are worried about their
[3:35:40] physical health. So we are just causing
[3:35:43] one problem and by trying to fix another
[3:35:47] problem which does not uh make sense to
[3:35:49] me. Also I was a player at El Camino
[3:35:53] when it was grass and that field was not
[3:35:55] wellkept um and we do not have good
[3:35:58] grass fields. Thank you.
[3:36:00] >> Our next speaker is Sarah W.
[3:36:08] Good evening and uh thank you to
[3:36:10] everybody for their public service. I'm
[3:36:13] basically here in support of uh keeping
[3:36:15] the turf field at El Camino. I do want
[3:36:20] to I guess make it known that I do
[3:36:22] understand that there are many other
[3:36:24] concerns that people have. Um and again
[3:36:27] as you on the ad hoc committee have said
[3:36:30] you know we have to do the best research
[3:36:33] we can and weigh the um options and I do
[3:36:36] feel that the turf field option is the
[3:36:38] best um and so I thank you for your time
[3:36:41] and consideration.
[3:36:43] >> Our next speaker is David L.
[3:36:50] » Hi everybody. Thank you. I am also in
[3:36:52] support of keeping the turf fields. I am
[3:36:56] a soccer coach here in Palo Alto for the
[3:36:58] last 10 years. I my entire livelihood
[3:37:01] pretty much is based on coaching. So, um
[3:37:04] for me, if we have restrictions to this,
[3:37:06] this can affect um my unemployment. It
[3:37:09] can affect my livelihood. Not to mention
[3:37:12] what everyone has said um about the
[3:37:14] players. And just a couple stats,
[3:37:16] according to the CDC, 36% of kids
[3:37:19] currently are obese or overweight. And I
[3:37:22] think the last thing we need is more
[3:37:24] kids being at home and looking outside a
[3:37:27] rainy window and not being able to play
[3:37:28] soccer. That was actually one of my most
[3:37:32] hard traumatic experiences was one of
[3:37:34] our tournaments being cancelled because
[3:37:36] of the rain. And uh if we had turf
[3:37:39] fields at that time that wouldn't
[3:37:40] happen. So I think the benefits
[3:37:41] definitely outweigh the risk and we run
[3:37:44] a lot of tournaments here in PaloAlto
[3:37:47] which we wouldn't be able to do without
[3:37:49] the turf. Thank you so much. Our next
[3:37:51] speaker is Jeff H.
[3:37:56] » Good evening, mayor and [clears throat]
[3:37:58] council members. Uh my name is Jeff
[3:37:59] Herman. I've been coaching for about 20
[3:38:01] years. I'm a coach here at Palo Alto.
[3:38:03] I'm also director of coaching in Valo,
[3:38:05] California. [snorts] Um I've worked in
[3:38:08] communities with abundant resources and
[3:38:10] I've worked in communities without them.
[3:38:12] And I can tell you the difference shows
[3:38:13] up in kids. Uh when there isn't quality
[3:38:16] field space, kids lose more than
[3:38:18] practice time. They lose joy. Coaches
[3:38:20] are forced to cut games, cut creativity,
[3:38:22] and cut connection.
[3:38:24] Soccer is one of the last spaces where
[3:38:26] kids consistently show up together after
[3:38:28] school, away from their phones, to move,
[3:38:31] to laugh, to struggle, and to grow side
[3:38:33] by side. It's where friendships are
[3:38:35] formed and confidence is built and kids
[3:38:38] feel like they belong. Thank you.
[3:38:41] >> Our next speaker is Nicholas CR.
[3:38:51] Hello, my name is Nicholas Cortez and I
[3:38:53] am a current SPSA and Palto soccer
[3:38:56] player. I'm also a senior at Henry Gun
[3:38:59] High School. Um, I am currently in the
[3:39:01] process of taking my soccer level uh to
[3:39:04] college and this would not have been
[3:39:06] possible without having the proper
[3:39:08] facilities and being able to play on
[3:39:10] these turf fields we have in Palo Alto.
[3:39:13] Uh, soccer has always been a fundamental
[3:39:15] part of my childhood as like many kids
[3:39:18] in this community and all over the world
[3:39:21] and I feel taken away these turf fields
[3:39:24] and the possibilities from future
[3:39:26] children. I just remember over the last
[3:39:29] few months not having that Mayfield
[3:39:32] complex took away a huge part of who I
[3:39:36] feel I am and didn't give me the
[3:39:39] opportunity to let loose of stress and
[3:39:42] soccer has always been the way I
[3:39:45] um help myself go through different
[3:39:48] challenges I have in life. It's always
[3:39:50] been my output and I feel taking away
[3:39:53] this possibility from future children is
[3:39:56] a negativity.
[3:39:58] >> Our next speaker is LCP.
[3:40:06] » Hi, my name is Elsie and I'm a Palatoto
[3:40:09] resident and I played for Palto Soccer
[3:40:11] Club from first grade until graduating
[3:40:13] high school. I've continued my soccer
[3:40:15] career and I'm currently playing
[3:40:16] division one soccer at the University of
[3:40:18] San Francisco. Um, year-round access and
[3:40:21] reliable highquality fields in Palo Alto
[3:40:24] played a huge role in my development and
[3:40:26] the ability for me to reach my goal.
[3:40:28] When I was younger, the nearby fields in
[3:40:30] Palto made it easy for me to bike to
[3:40:32] practice while my parents were at work.
[3:40:35] That accessibility was extremely
[3:40:36] important to me. If practices required
[3:40:38] traveling outside of Palo Alto, it would
[3:40:41] have been much harder for me to show up
[3:40:42] consistently. El Camino is a vital
[3:40:45] resource used daily by hundreds of young
[3:40:47] kids and athletes. Switching to natural
[3:40:49] grass would likely cause frequent
[3:40:50] closures due to wear and maintenance,
[3:40:52] which would reduce access for many kids
[3:40:54] in the community. Although I appreciate
[3:40:56] the city's environmental goals and
[3:40:58] concerns, it is important to consider
[3:41:00] the impact on youth development and
[3:41:01] accessibility. Thank you.
[3:41:05] Our next speaker is James S.
[3:41:14] Hi, I'm James. Uh, I'm a current college
[3:41:17] soccer player, but I played on the Powto
[3:41:19] fields for 15 years. Uh, I think that
[3:41:22] whatever small environmental changes
[3:41:24] might come from the grass fields do not
[3:41:26] justify taking the opportunity to play
[3:41:29] away from 500 to a,000 kids who really
[3:41:33] enjoy that time playing soccer. And also
[3:41:36] having played on both uh poorly
[3:41:38] maintained grass fields and turf fields,
[3:41:40] injuries are much more common on grass
[3:41:43] fields because they're bumpy, they're
[3:41:45] uneven, they're slippery, and turf
[3:41:47] fields are much more like easy to play
[3:41:50] on uh and much less likely to get
[3:41:53] injured on a turf field. Thank you.
[3:41:56] >> Our next speaker is Rodrigo B.
[3:42:07] Hi, good evening. Um, my name is
[3:42:09] Monnique Palifox and I actually took uh
[3:42:12] Rodrigo's speaking turn. Um, thank you
[3:42:16] for allowing us the space and the time
[3:42:18] to come and share our thoughts. My son
[3:42:21] Eli has played for PaloAlto SVSA club
[3:42:25] for about 4 years now. Prior to that,
[3:42:28] he's been playing soccer since he was 5.
[3:42:30] He's about to be 18.
[3:42:32] Recently, um about a year ago, while
[3:42:36] playing on a grass field in a
[3:42:38] tournament, he broke his ankle.
[3:42:41] Um his ankle got caught in a hole on the
[3:42:44] grass field as he was running up, got
[3:42:47] caught, broke his ankle. He was out of
[3:42:50] the sport for over 6 months. It affected
[3:42:54] him mentally. It affected him
[3:42:56] physically. Um, and I really don't want
[3:42:59] anyone else to have to go through
[3:43:01] anything like that. It was very hard as
[3:43:03] a parent to see that, to go through it
[3:43:05] with him.
[3:43:07] And I feel that sometimes grass fields
[3:43:10] tend to have less maintenance.
[3:43:12] >> Your time is up.
[3:43:14] » Your time is up.
[3:43:14] >> So, I would just ask that you consider
[3:43:15] » So, I would just ask that you consider
[3:43:16] keeping the turf fields. Thank you.
[3:43:17] >> Our next speaker is Cynthia F.
[3:43:30] Plastic starts polluting the water cycle
[3:43:32] from the moment it's manufactured. This
[3:43:34] pollution continues throughout usage and
[3:43:36] for many years beyond disposal. This is
[3:43:39] part of the reason a reduction in
[3:43:40] plastic production is being pursued as
[3:43:42] part of the global plastics treaty that
[3:43:44] hundreds of nations are working hard on.
[3:43:48] Unfortunately, progress is stalled by
[3:43:49] industry and our own federal government.
[3:43:52] So, to help reduce pollution of the
[3:43:53] water cycle, it is very important
[3:43:55] communities work at the local level to
[3:43:57] voluntarily reduce plastic consumption.
[3:43:59] We have to normalize making do with a
[3:44:02] lot less plastic, and we can make do
[3:44:04] without plastic grass. The sacrifice is
[3:44:07] relatively small. Converting El Camino's
[3:44:09] plastic field to real grass, would per
[3:44:11] the staff report require only 570
[3:44:14] people, which is less than 1% of
[3:44:17] PaloAlto residents to shift to other
[3:44:19] activities and for only a few months
[3:44:20] during rainy season in order to benefit
[3:44:23] 100% of residents by helping reduce the
[3:44:25] microplastics in a shared essential
[3:44:27] resource, drinking water. It's time to
[3:44:30] improve the playability of Peloto's
[3:44:31] grass fields and El Camino to real
[3:44:33] grass. Thank you.
[3:44:34] >> Our next speaker is Robin P.
[3:44:43] Hello mayors and city council members.
[3:44:46] My name is Robin. I'm 14 years old and I
[3:44:48] live in Palato. Thank you for giving me
[3:44:49] this chance to speak today. For students
[3:44:52] like me who train seriously. Being able
[3:44:54] to practice year round is extremely
[3:44:57] important. Turf fields make this
[3:44:59] possible. During the winter when it
[3:45:01] rains, turf fields allow us to keep
[3:45:03] training instead of cancing practice for
[3:45:05] weeks at a time. Without turf, it's much
[3:45:08] harder for players to improve and stay
[3:45:10] motivated. By supporting turf fields,
[3:45:13] you are supporting young athletes like
[3:45:15] me, helping us continue to grow, learn,
[3:45:17] and pursue what we love. Thank you very
[3:45:19] much for listening.
[3:45:22] >> Our next speaker is Wendy L.
[3:45:31] » Good evening. Thank you for giving me
[3:45:34] the opportunity to speak. I'm here today
[3:45:37] to express my support for turf fields.
[3:45:42] I'm a mom of two boys who play soccer
[3:45:45] here in Palter.
[3:45:47] The student who just spoke is my son
[3:45:50] lobbying.
[3:45:52] From a mom's perspective, soccer is more
[3:45:56] than a sport. It helps my children stay
[3:45:59] healthy, focused, and confidence. Our
[3:46:03] family moved from Laning Seattle to
[3:46:06] Palato three years ago because we wanted
[3:46:09] more opportunities for our kids to be
[3:46:12] active and grow through sports. Fields
[3:46:15] like Camno Park are a big part of what
[3:46:20] makes Palato such a great place for
[3:46:23] families. Turf fields make a real
[3:46:26] difference for families like ours. When
[3:46:29] it rains, grass fields are often closed
[3:46:33] and the practices are cancelled. Turf
[3:46:36] fields allowed kids to keep playing.
[3:46:40] >> Thank you so much.
[3:46:42] » Thank you so much.
[3:46:42] Our next speaker is Adam O.
[3:46:48] » Hi, my name is Adam Olsen. I'm a
[3:46:50] longtime resident of Palo Alto who had
[3:46:53] two kids who played for AYSO and Palo
[3:46:56] Alto soccer club. I'm here to advocate
[3:47:00] um maintaining the artificial turf field
[3:47:03] at El Camino. I my favorite speaker so
[3:47:06] far was one of the players James S, who
[3:47:09] pointed out that the infinite decimal
[3:47:13] change to the environment is uh worth
[3:47:17] paying that price for the benefit of
[3:47:19] thousands of people. And it the idea
[3:47:23] that you would close the field for for
[3:47:27] months on end for such a small benefit
[3:47:32] um strikes strikes me a as really weird.
[3:47:36] Also the patronizing speakers who think
[3:47:39] that we're too dumb to understand this.
[3:47:41] I'm a professor in public health and um
[3:47:44] look how healthy the soccer players look
[3:47:46] versus the people who spoke against the
[3:47:48] soccer fields.
[3:47:52] Our next speaker is Pete C.
[3:48:04] » Hi, Mayor and Council members. I'm Pete
[3:48:06] Chen. I'm the current regional
[3:48:08] commissioner for Paloto Ayso, a
[3:48:10] volunteerrun soccer organization that
[3:48:12] has been here in Palo Alto since the
[3:48:14] late60s. I believe we're one of the
[3:48:16] oldest and longest running sports
[3:48:17] organizations here. [snorts] on behalf
[3:48:20] of our organization and the thousands of
[3:48:22] children who have grown up playing
[3:48:23] soccer here, myself included. I am uh I
[3:48:26] I grew I was raised here in Palo Alto
[3:48:28] playing soccer and many other sports.
[3:48:30] I'm currently a parent and a coach uh
[3:48:33] with the organizations and we fully
[3:48:35] support the effort to improve our turf
[3:48:38] fields here. It's it's vitally important
[3:48:41] that we provide these opportunities for
[3:48:43] kids today, kids in the future. Um the
[3:48:47] health risks that we've talked about, I
[3:48:49] think we've we understand that most of
[3:48:51] the complaints I get actually uh
[3:48:54] concerning health and safety issues tend
[3:48:56] to uh tend to uh be about the the grass
[3:48:59] fields, about the holes that some people
[3:49:01] mention, about bald spots, about poor
[3:49:03] irrigation inconsistencies. We
[3:49:05] understand we love grass when it's
[3:49:07] consistent.
[3:49:08] >> Thank you very much.
[3:49:10] » Thank you very much.
[3:49:10] >> Our next speaker is Natalie S.
[3:49:19] Uh, hi. I'm Natalie. Thank you for the
[3:49:21] opportunity to speak today. Um, I'm a
[3:49:24] student at Johns Hopkins University. I
[3:49:26] play soccer there. Um, I grew up playing
[3:49:28] on El Camino and Mayfield for my entire
[3:49:31] life. Um, and I'm also like a premed
[3:49:34] student and a neuroscience major and I
[3:49:36] think it's like very important to
[3:49:38] maintain public health and to reduce
[3:49:40] plastic in the environment. Um, I think
[3:49:42] that there are just like endless other
[3:49:43] ways to do that. And I think the ben or
[3:49:45] the drawbacks of taking away fields from
[3:49:49] so many players and the like physical
[3:49:52] impact on not playing soccer for so many
[3:49:54] months and not being able to have this
[3:49:55] time outside would just um totally
[3:49:58] outweigh the like benefit to the
[3:50:01] environment and to their physical
[3:50:03] health. Um, and yeah, I think it would
[3:50:05] be uh devastating for the community if
[3:50:09] um there was no field to play on for
[3:50:11] that many months of the year. Thank you.
[3:50:14] >> Our next speaker is Linda HK.
[3:50:30] » Linda, you should be able to unmute
[3:50:32] yourself and speak.
[3:50:34] Hello, my name is Linda Hutchkins Nolles
[3:50:36] and I'm the co-founder of Mothers
[3:50:37] Outfront Silicon Valley. Our
[3:50:39] organization comprised of mothers and
[3:50:42] allies working for a livable climate for
[3:50:44] all children supports returning the
[3:50:46] fields at El Camino to natural grass
[3:50:49] fields. This is because it's better for
[3:50:51] children's health, better for their
[3:50:53] safety, better for the environment, and
[3:50:55] better for the climate. We ask you to
[3:50:57] listen skeptically to the claims of the
[3:50:59] industry similar to the cigarette
[3:51:01] industry that this product is safe. It
[3:51:04] is patently unsafe as has been
[3:51:06] documented by many health professionals
[3:51:09] who have written in requesting the Santa
[3:51:13] Clara County to ban artificial turf. The
[3:51:17] industry is one of the most powerful
[3:51:19] lobbyists on the planet. This is the
[3:51:21] prochemical industry and I would expect
[3:51:23] more of the Palo Alto city council than
[3:51:26] to be hoodwinkedked by the greenwashing
[3:51:27] of this industry. You have been climate
[3:51:30] champions. Please continue to be climate
[3:51:32] champions. Please insist that all the
[3:51:34] grass fields be maintained so children
[3:51:36] can play on safe grass fields. Thank
[3:51:38] you.
[3:51:40] >> Our next speaker is Nicole L.
[3:51:48] Hello, I'm Nicole and I'm a student and
[3:51:51] throughout high school I've played on
[3:51:54] several outdoor sports, but um more
[3:51:56] specifically uh I'm speaking for my
[3:52:00] friend who has played soccer all of her
[3:52:02] life and she um she grew up playing on
[3:52:06] natural grass fields, but going into
[3:52:09] high school we only had artificial turf,
[3:52:11] so she didn't have a choice. And the
[3:52:13] first year that um she played on
[3:52:16] artificial turf, she got three
[3:52:17] concussions even though she didn't
[3:52:20] change her um playing style
[3:52:22] significantly. And the reason is because
[3:52:24] artificial turf even though um it people
[3:52:29] are saying that it's not really that
[3:52:32] different. Um, she can attest, and a lot
[3:52:36] of my friends in high school can also
[3:52:38] attest, that artificial turf is not um
[3:52:41] any better for athletes than natural
[3:52:43] grasses, which I suggest you switch to.
[3:52:51] » Our next speaker is Andrea V.
[3:52:59] Hello, my name is Andrea Ventura. I
[3:53:01] represent an organization called Clean
[3:53:03] Water Action and our hundreds of members
[3:53:06] in PaloAlto. I want to clarify two
[3:53:09] things that have been said that are
[3:53:11] absolutely false. One is that the
[3:53:14] environmental impacts
[3:53:16] um are minor. We are talking about huge
[3:53:19] problems related to off-ging, plastic
[3:53:22] pollution um and other problems that
[3:53:25] affect public health. But most
[3:53:28] importantly, my expertise is around PAS.
[3:53:31] And there is no such thing as PAS free
[3:53:35] artificial turf. What manufacturers will
[3:53:38] tell you is they don't use PAS to make
[3:53:41] the actual product. But what they're not
[3:53:44] telling you is they cannot make that
[3:53:47] product um without using PAS in the
[3:53:51] machinery to extrude the blades. So that
[3:53:54] plastic which is already problematic is
[3:53:57] going through pre PAS and I work in a
[3:54:00] coalition of national
[3:54:02] >> your time is up.
[3:54:03] » your time is up.
[3:54:03] >> There has never been p uh artificial
[3:54:06] » There has never been p uh artificial
[3:54:06] turf that has tested negative for PAS.
[3:54:09] It's a it's a lie.
[3:54:10] >> Your time is up. Our next speaker is
[3:54:13] » Your time is up. Our next speaker is
[3:54:13] Laura F.
[3:54:19] Mute.
[3:54:20] >> Hello. My name is Laura Fay. I urge the
[3:54:23] » Hello. My name is Laura Fay. I urge the
[3:54:23] council to reject the installation of
[3:54:25] plastic surfaces for health,
[3:54:27] environmental and safety reasons. In the
[3:54:29] staff presentation today, the level of
[3:54:31] PAS was not actually reported, just that
[3:54:34] it is quote tested and manufacturer
[3:54:36] verified unquote. Respectfully, this is
[3:54:39] a contentfree statement as trust in
[3:54:41] industry self-reporting is incredibly
[3:54:44] low uh and untruthful as the earlier um
[3:54:48] speaker mentioned. With respect, I'm
[3:54:50] stunned uh hearing from parents that are
[3:54:53] willing to expose their children to the
[3:54:54] health and heat hazards of artificial
[3:54:56] turf in the face of well publicized
[3:54:58] scientific findings linking PAT to
[3:55:01] cancer and endocrine disruption. The
[3:55:03] youth have little perception of the
[3:55:05] risks they are exposed to. Let's hope
[3:55:07] that these young people don't pay with
[3:55:08] health complications down the line. If
[3:55:11] the council does vote in favor of
[3:55:13] installing artificial turf, I strongly
[3:55:15] urge the council to mandate highly
[3:55:17] visible safety warnings alongside the
[3:55:19] turf fields. Much like Prop 65, labeling
[3:55:22] these warnings should
[3:55:24] parents and children to the human
[3:55:26] hazards of the exposure of PAS. Thank
[3:55:28] you.
[3:55:30] >> Our next speaker is Leanne M.
[3:55:37] As a soccer mom, I support real turf.
[3:55:40] With petrochemical plastic turf, there's
[3:55:42] one crucial orbe accidental filter
[3:55:45] that's getting overlooked. The kids that
[3:55:47] play on them. Our kids should not be
[3:55:49] filters for the microplastics, other
[3:55:51] toxins, or excessive heat from plastic
[3:55:54] turf, especially when they have no
[3:55:56] choice where they play. But at this
[3:55:59] moment, [clears throat] you and only you
[3:56:01] have the choice of what sports surface
[3:56:03] they play on and what they're exposed
[3:56:04] to. Sports families supporting plastic
[3:56:07] are relying on a wholly incomplete staff
[3:56:09] report. Kids supporting plastic don't
[3:56:12] understand what they're supporting and
[3:56:14] they should not have to bear the burden
[3:56:16] of that knowledge or resulting worry.
[3:56:19] It's our duty of care to protect them
[3:56:21] from the worry and the risk of toxic
[3:56:23] exposures by exercising the
[3:56:26] precautionary principle in times of
[3:56:28] scientific doubt. Please earnestly
[3:56:30] pursue real grass fields. Real grass and
[3:56:34] soccer. It's not one or the other.
[3:56:39] >> Our next speaker is Becky S.
[3:56:45] Good evening, council members. This is
[3:56:47] Becky from Ventura. I do uh agree with
[3:56:50] the previous speaker. This should not be
[3:56:51] a zero sum game and we should not be uh
[3:56:54] asked to choose between two really poor
[3:56:56] options. The staff report listed all the
[3:56:58] mitigations that will be implemented to
[3:57:00] make sure these materials don't degrade
[3:57:02] into our environment. Would this
[3:57:04] enforcement be akin to other monitoring
[3:57:06] and enforcement boondoggles legion in
[3:57:08] this city? The city has a poor track
[3:57:10] record of accountability and code
[3:57:11] enforcement. I don't believe we have the
[3:57:13] moral high ground to say that we will
[3:57:15] follow through and hold companies and
[3:57:17] individuals accountable to make sure
[3:57:19] that these mitigations are carried out
[3:57:21] to the letter. You can just say no to
[3:57:24] the installation of additional toxic
[3:57:26] carcinogenic forever chemicals in our
[3:57:28] playing fields and playgrounds like
[3:57:30] Bullwear Park for instance. and and stop
[3:57:33] the running off into our waterways that
[3:57:35] drain into the bay. Tonight, you can
[3:57:37] just say no to putting adults and
[3:57:39] children at risk. You can say no to
[3:57:41] contamination of our watershed. And I
[3:57:43] did happen to pull like four sheds
[3:57:46] pieces of grass off my granddaughter
[3:57:48] when I put her in the bathroom. Your
[3:57:49] >> time is up. Park. Okay. Thank you.
[3:57:52] » time is up. Park. Okay. Thank you.
[3:57:52] >> Our next speaker is Pam B.
[3:58:00] » Good evening. Uh please do not approve
[3:58:03] the flawed study and assessment as it is
[3:58:06] now given uh all the questions and
[3:58:09] concerns expressed by the council and
[3:58:11] community at the last meeting. I
[3:58:13] strongly support the natural grass pilot
[3:58:15] project and hope that staff will
[3:58:17] carefully consider who they hire as
[3:58:19] natural grass consultant. I'd love to
[3:58:21] know the name of the aronomist who
[3:58:23] consulted with staff. I don't know where
[3:58:25] evidence of less shedding with newer
[3:58:28] turfs comes from when current warranties
[3:58:31] for quote newer artificial turf is
[3:58:33] warranted to lose up to 50% of the blade
[3:58:36] height with more limited warranty for
[3:58:38] high high use areas. There's a field in
[3:58:41] San Jose with infill-free plastic turf
[3:58:43] and full chunks are shedding off of that
[3:58:45] field over the past year since it was
[3:58:47] installed. So newer isn't always better.
[3:58:51] Cork infill still gets hot. Please
[3:58:54] install heat monitors on all of these
[3:58:55] fields for player safety and install
[3:58:58] signs that better inform players and
[3:59:00] parents about the artificial turf health
[3:59:02] concerns. Your time is up.
[3:59:06] Our next speaker is Susan H.
[3:59:12] » Good evening. I'm Susan Hinton, chair of
[3:59:14] the Sierra Club Loma Pria Plastic
[3:59:17] Pollution Prevention Committee. I want
[3:59:19] to be forthright. Today we face a
[3:59:22] climate crisis that is also a global
[3:59:24] health crisis. Here in California, we've
[3:59:27] seen the impacts. Wildfires, floods,
[3:59:29] droughts, and extreme heat. We're also
[3:59:32] seeing more disease appear. Plastic is
[3:59:35] an enabler of these impacts. By
[3:59:38] installing acres of multi-layered
[3:59:40] plastics, we are actively and knowingly
[3:59:43] contributing to this global decline. We
[3:59:46] should ask ourselves what kind of world
[3:59:48] we want our children to inherit. One
[3:59:51] where ecosystems are diminished and
[3:59:53] public health is compromised or one
[3:59:55] where they can run on living grass, hear
[3:59:58] birds, and watch pollinators at work.
[4:00:01] Biodiversity supports both mental and
[4:00:04] physical health. The choice is clear. Do
[4:00:08] the right thing. Install plants, not
[4:00:10] plastic. Thank you.
[4:00:14] Our next speaker is Courtney J.
[4:00:20] » Good evening. My name is Courtney
[4:00:21] Jansen. I am a soccer coach and both of
[4:00:24] my kids play competitive soccer. They
[4:00:26] have played on a pelto grass fields at
[4:00:28] Levit and right now they practice on the
[4:00:30] artificial turf field at Fair Oaks Park
[4:00:33] in Sunnyville. That field is a Gen 4
[4:00:36] field which means it has all of the
[4:00:37] improvements that were discussed today
[4:00:39] by council members and in reports. And
[4:00:41] let me tell you, it sucks. I have a long
[4:00:45] list of reasons for why, but I'm going
[4:00:46] to just pick two tonight. The first is
[4:00:48] the infill. You heard organic infill.
[4:00:52] Organic does not mean chemical free. It
[4:00:55] means made of plants and then modified
[4:00:57] to adapt. My kids come home from every
[4:00:59] practice with their cleats and socks
[4:01:01] with infill, which they then litter
[4:01:03] around my house. Second, I heard a lot
[4:01:05] of concern about artificial turf fields
[4:01:07] being closed or not being closed. Fair
[4:01:09] Oaks is closed right now for 6 to 8
[4:01:11] weeks for renovations. So artificial
[4:01:13] turf fields closed too. It's not just
[4:01:15] grass. Please go with grass, not
[4:01:17] artificial turf. Thank you.
[4:01:21] >> Our next speaker is Ane D.
[4:01:28] » Hi, my name is Anne Desai and I've been
[4:01:31] a soccer player for 10 years. I'm urging
[4:01:33] the city of Palo Alto to install
[4:01:35] organically managed grass sports fields
[4:01:37] and to replace the plastic at El Camino
[4:01:39] Park with grass. While I do appreciate
[4:01:42] the studies conducted by the council
[4:01:43] members about the environmental impacts,
[4:01:45] we have all collectively failed to
[4:01:48] address the 58% increase of injury that
[4:01:51] artificial turf has. I too have rolled
[4:01:54] my ankles, broken my ankles, seen my
[4:01:57] brother break his tibia, and witnessed
[4:01:59] my teammates literally lose their soccer
[4:02:01] scholarships because they've torn their
[4:02:03] ACL's on artificial turf in the
[4:02:06] wintertime.
[4:02:08] All of the proponents of artificial turf
[4:02:10] today have claimed that grass fields
[4:02:12] have not been properly maintained, and
[4:02:14] that is the root of the problem.
[4:02:15] Speaking with my teammates and other
[4:02:17] athletes, the general consensus is that
[4:02:19] we would rather play on a
[4:02:20] well-maintained grass field rather than
[4:02:22] an artificial turf one. I believe that
[4:02:25] the city of Palo Alto should focus more
[4:02:26] on better maintaining its grass fields
[4:02:28] rather than pushing this false narrative
[4:02:30] that artificial turf is better. Thank
[4:02:32] you.
[4:02:32] >> Your time is up. Our next speaker is
[4:02:35] » Your time is up. Our next speaker is
[4:02:35] Sue.
[4:02:45] » Sue, you should be able to unmute
[4:02:46] yourself and speak.
[4:02:51] » Uh, tonight I would like to present you
[4:02:52] with one important fact about artificial
[4:02:54] turf fields and cancer rates among young
[4:02:57] people in Western democracies.
[4:03:00] The countries that are most likely to
[4:03:01] have both relatively low youth cancer
[4:03:04] rates and relatively few artificial turf
[4:03:07] fields for youth sports are the
[4:03:09] following. Greece, low childhood cancer
[4:03:12] incidents and very limited artificial
[4:03:13] turf infrastructure compared to Northern
[4:03:16] Europe. Ireland, low childhood cancer
[4:03:18] incidents and a strong preference for
[4:03:20] natural grass in schools and clubs with
[4:03:23] relatively few artificial fields per
[4:03:25] capita. Sweden and Norway both have
[4:03:28] relatively low youth cancer incidents
[4:03:30] compared to the US and both also have
[4:03:32] relatively few artificial turf fields
[4:03:34] for youth sports especially compared to
[4:03:37] the US. The most recent global data show
[4:03:40] that youth cancer incidence is higher in
[4:03:43] the US than in the European Union as a
[4:03:45] whole. Certainly correlation is not
[4:03:48] causation but it is an important
[4:03:50] correlation to take note of. Cigarette
[4:03:52] companies used to claim that smoking was
[4:03:54] safe even
[4:03:56] are using doctors and smokers
[4:03:58] testimonies and so-called science to
[4:04:00] reassure the public. But we all know
[4:04:02] what happened.
[4:04:02] >> Your time is up.
[4:04:03] » Your time is up.
[4:04:03] >> Okay, that's it.
[4:04:06] » Okay, that's it.
[4:04:06] >> Our next speaker is Shrui G.
[4:04:14] » Good evening uh mayor and uh council
[4:04:16] members. I'm a palata resident, a mom to
[4:04:19] a six-year-old who plays au soccer and a
[4:04:21] volunteer with mothers up front and I
[4:04:23] support for natural grass grass at
[4:04:24] Elmeino Park. I want to address the
[4:04:26] claim that PAS free or infill-free
[4:04:28] artificial turf is good enough even
[4:04:30] without PAS artificial turf is still a
[4:04:32] plastic system that heats up sheds plus
[4:04:35] microplastics and sends runoff into our
[4:04:37] stormwater system ultimately towards
[4:04:39] bailance one of our most sensitive
[4:04:41] ecosystems. I also want to respond to
[4:04:43] some of the concerns about year- round
[4:04:45] soccer and mental health. Soccer is not
[4:04:48] a sport that's just played in America.
[4:04:50] It's played around the world and at the
[4:04:51] highest level under FIFA and in leagues
[4:04:53] like La Liga. The best players train and
[4:04:56] compete on natural grass. I agree with
[4:04:58] my fellow commenter previously AI who
[4:05:00] mentioned about uh you know playing on
[4:05:02] natural grass even in rain because those
[4:05:04] fields are well designed and well
[4:05:05] drained. So if families really want to
[4:05:08] raise athletes in PaloAlto, we should
[4:05:09] let kids play the way elite athletes
[4:05:12] actually play on natural grass. This is
[4:05:14] the most responsible long-term choice
[4:05:16] for kids health and palo's values. Thank
[4:05:19] you.
[4:05:21] >> Our next speaker is Nick S.
[4:05:32] » Hi there. I'm a Palo Alto resident, uh,
[4:05:34] father of two who, uh, frequently use
[4:05:37] the turf fields. I'm also, uh, in the
[4:05:40] adult soccer league that uses the turf
[4:05:42] fields. Uh, currently there are just no
[4:05:44] substitutes for those. The grass fields,
[4:05:47] uh, the previous caller was saying we
[4:05:48] should play on grass. If we had super
[4:05:51] nice grass fields like uh, Barcelona or
[4:05:54] Real Madrid, that would be great, but
[4:05:55] they do not exist. Um the turf fields
[4:05:58] are invaluable for offering playing
[4:06:01] time, the durability and just the
[4:06:04] overall surface. It's it's better and uh
[4:06:07] I think fewer injuries occur. The turf
[4:06:09] field or the the natural grass fields uh
[4:06:12] in Palo Alto are quite holy and ready.
[4:06:15] Uh so I think it would be a travesty if
[4:06:17] you removed the turf fields.
[4:06:21] Our
[4:06:23] next speaker is Vivvec K.
[4:06:31] Hi, my name is Nha. I am a PaloAlto
[4:06:34] resident and I play soccer for Palo Alto
[4:06:37] soccer Club. I'm here tonight uh in
[4:06:39] favor of the El Camino soccer field
[4:06:42] remaining as a synthetic turf field.
[4:06:46] Every single day I look forward to
[4:06:47] having soccer practice. And no matter
[4:06:49] what, I feel great after practice.
[4:06:52] Without the turf field at El Camino
[4:06:54] Park, my teammates and I will not be
[4:06:56] able to enjoy the sport that is so dear
[4:06:58] to us due to a lack of fields and grass
[4:07:01] field closure in the winter months. The
[4:07:04] turf fields in Palo Alto, especially El
[4:07:06] Camino, is are invaluable to the entire
[4:07:12] soccer community. Thank you. Our
[4:07:16] next speaker is Ruchi R.
[4:07:22] » Hi, my name is Ruchi R. I'm a Girl Scout
[4:07:24] and also a soccer player and I'm in
[4:07:26] support of um having real grass. While
[4:07:30] it's true that artificial turf has
[4:07:32] improved compared to older versions,
[4:07:34] improved doesn't mean still safe. Uh
[4:07:37] it's still plastic, still contains
[4:07:39] chemical additives, and still sheds
[4:07:41] microplastic. It also still heats up far
[4:07:44] more than natural grass. All of this
[4:07:47] means that it's not safe for soccer
[4:07:49] players and it can create a lot more
[4:07:51] injuries.
[4:07:53] We should try to support the children
[4:07:56] and our community and help them be able
[4:07:58] to reach their full potential and that's
[4:08:01] without injuries. So, I support having
[4:08:04] real grass. Thank you.
[4:08:07] Our
[4:08:08] next speaker is Wen Jing.
[4:08:18] Good evening, council members. I'm a
[4:08:20] parent who lives in Palato and I have
[4:08:23] two and I have two kids who both play
[4:08:26] soccer here.
[4:08:28] Actually, my oldest kid has played the
[4:08:31] soccer for more than 10 years. I I I
[4:08:35] appreciate the council's concern for
[4:08:37] community health and the effort [snorts]
[4:08:39] that went into improving fields like
[4:08:42] Mayfield.
[4:08:44] For by kids, soccer is where they run,
[4:08:47] they breathe, and connect with friends.
[4:08:50] When fields are unavailable, they don't
[4:08:53] just lose practice, they lose joy and
[4:08:56] routine. During the Mayfield
[4:08:58] construction, children were pushed onto
[4:09:01] extremely small, crowded spaces. They
[4:09:04] were frustrated, bumping into each other
[4:09:06] and unable to truly play and enjoy
[4:09:09] soccer. That experience showed us how
[4:09:13] long construction and the field and the
[4:09:16] field closures affect families. Grass
[4:09:20] fields can be
[4:09:20] >> your time is up.
[4:09:21] » your time is up.
[4:09:22] >> Warm and slippery
[4:09:25] » Warm and slippery
[4:09:25] and sometimes increase the risk of
[4:09:27] injuries.
[4:09:29] >> Okay, I think that's Thank you.
[4:09:33] » Okay, I think that's Thank you.
[4:09:33] >> Our next speaker is Roham.
[4:09:38] » Hi, good evening. My name is Rohan
[4:09:40] Zammanian. I'm a physician and a father
[4:09:42] of uh two children who are active soccer
[4:09:45] players and have used all the fields in
[4:09:47] Palo Alto. Um, as a physician, I
[4:09:50] understand that there are health risks
[4:09:52] to microplast plastics, to individuals,
[4:09:55] and also to the community and the
[4:09:57] environment. But the reality of it is
[4:10:00] that all the comments that have been
[4:10:01] made to some extent in uh associating
[4:10:05] increased risks of cancer to just purely
[4:10:07] microp plastics is is confounded. So
[4:10:10] association is not causation. The second
[4:10:13] thing I want to say as a physician is
[4:10:15] that we all take actions that are risk
[4:10:18] that have risks and have benefits. And
[4:10:21] so we as parents of children who may
[4:10:23] want to continue to play on turf
[4:10:25] understand the risk of that and we'll do
[4:10:27] our best to mitigate. So I commend the
[4:10:30] community coming together. I appreciate
[4:10:33] all the viewpoints that have been
[4:10:35] expressed. I am for retaining and
[4:10:37] improving turf fields in PaloAlto.
[4:10:42] And that concludes public comment on
[4:10:43] action item 13.
[4:10:46] >> All right. Well, thank you, Madame
[4:10:47] » All right. Well, thank you, Madame
[4:10:47] Clerk, and uh I want to thank all of the
[4:10:50] 42 commenters for uh taking the time to
[4:10:54] address us tonight. And hopefully for
[4:10:56] some of the younger ones, they can sort
[4:10:58] of see how communities make decisions
[4:11:00] and struggle with tough issues. And I
[4:11:02] want to commend you. I think this was
[4:11:04] the best behaved group of large group of
[4:11:06] public commenters we've had. Uh there
[4:11:08] weren't outbursts. You all took turns.
[4:11:10] So thank you for uh following the rules.
[4:11:12] Uh
[4:11:14] okay. So with that I'll bring it back to
[4:11:16] the deis uh for any additional uh
[4:11:20] comment from my colleagues.
[4:11:28] All right folks I know some of you have
[4:11:30] comments.
[4:11:37] Well, in the meantime, I can ask Ah, we
[4:11:40] have one. All right, Council Member
[4:11:42] Rectal.
[4:11:44] >> Yes, I'll take a shot. Um, I mean, youth
[4:11:48] » Yes, I'll take a shot. Um, I mean, youth
[4:11:48] sports, I think, are very important. It
[4:11:50] helps with mental health, helps with
[4:11:53] reducing anxiety, reducing depression. I
[4:11:55] think there's so many good uh benefits
[4:11:57] to it. And then the physical activity is
[4:12:00] good for the growing body too. So, I
[4:12:02] think youth sports is is very very
[4:12:03] important. uh you know the best option
[4:12:07] would be to have some type of natural
[4:12:08] turf field but right now I don't think
[4:12:11] that exists for some high use field like
[4:12:13] El Camino. So I think we really do need
[4:12:15] to push for a a pilot program natural
[4:12:19] turf pilot program but that's going to
[4:12:20] take a while to learn get up the
[4:12:22] learning curve and we don't have time to
[4:12:24] go through that learning curve while the
[4:12:26] kids are sitting there waiting for the
[4:12:28] grass to grow. So, I think in the short
[4:12:29] term, we unfortunately have no option
[4:12:31] but to go to the the artificial turf
[4:12:33] field. There's been a lot of talk about
[4:12:35] plastic exposure. You know, it's a crazy
[4:12:37] world right now. There's plastic
[4:12:39] everywhere, right? You go to the grocery
[4:12:40] store, everything's in plastic. Uh, you
[4:12:44] know, every toothbrush has plastic
[4:12:46] bristles that you put in your mouth
[4:12:47] every night. We have just driving in a
[4:12:50] car gets exposure to microlastics.
[4:12:53] uh you know uh rip vegetables like
[4:12:56] carrots absorb microplastics and when
[4:12:58] you even if you wash them off it's still
[4:13:00] inside the carrot and same we have
[4:13:02] microplastics all over the ocean. You
[4:13:05] heat your fish there's microplastics in
[4:13:07] it and so we have this huge microplastic
[4:13:10] exposure and a turf field will probably
[4:13:14] have some microplastic exposure but
[4:13:16] there's no silver bullet. Even
[4:13:17] eliminating that turf field still means
[4:13:19] you're going to have a huge amount of of
[4:13:22] of microplastic exposure. And so now
[4:13:25] there's this procon. If you reduce your
[4:13:27] microplastic exposure a little, but you
[4:13:29] give up the benefits of youth sports, I
[4:13:32] think that's a bad trade. So I I support
[4:13:34] in the in the short term going to El
[4:13:36] Camino putting the new turf in, which is
[4:13:40] again, as Council Member Bert mentioned,
[4:13:43] it has organic cork infield. would be
[4:13:46] much cooler, much safer to people, much
[4:13:48] safer for the environment. I think it's
[4:13:51] so much better than we had even a few
[4:13:53] years ago. So, I think even though it's
[4:13:55] not perfect, I think that's the best
[4:13:57] option right now.
[4:14:02] » Thank you, Council Member Rectal. Can I
[4:14:04] just ask a quick question of staff if
[4:14:06] you know um when we think about where
[4:14:08] youth play um they play at their schools
[4:14:11] a lot and we [clears throat] are
[4:14:12] obviously as a city aren't responsible
[4:14:13] for those fields but do we know how many
[4:14:16] of the PA USD fields are turf because
[4:14:18] I'm under the impression that most if
[4:14:20] not all are
[4:14:23] if we don't know it's okay I was just
[4:14:25] curious
[4:14:26] >> um are you asking if they're artificial
[4:14:29] » um are you asking if they're artificial
[4:14:29] turf or natural artificial
[4:14:31] >> synthetic artificial
[4:14:32] » synthetic artificial
[4:14:32] >> I don't have an answer to that. I
[4:14:35] » I don't have an answer to that. I
[4:14:35] believe at the high school level is
[4:14:36] where there are some, but I don't know
[4:14:39] how many.
[4:14:40] >> Yeah, that that's what I was thinking
[4:14:41] » Yeah, that that's what I was thinking
[4:14:41] about. So, all right. Thank you. Um,
[4:14:43] Council Member Lithcott HS.
[4:14:45] >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. I want to first
[4:14:47] » Thank you, Madam Mayor. I want to first
[4:14:47] affiliate myself with the terrific
[4:14:48] comments of my colleague, uh, Council
[4:14:50] Member Rectal. I also want to say that
[4:14:52] I, like a number of people on the day,
[4:14:54] am originally a Midwesterner. Raise your
[4:14:57] hand. There's four of us here who grew
[4:14:59] up in the Midwest. And for the four of
[4:15:01] us here who grew up in the Midwest, we
[4:15:03] had snow that fell starting in October
[4:15:05] or November and it lasted until April.
[4:15:08] And that is why California sports teams
[4:15:10] are better than those sports teams
[4:15:12] because we can practice year round here.
[4:15:15] And I have come to appreciate I I rode
[4:15:17] crew for Stanford my freshman year here.
[4:15:20] Came from the great state of Wisconsin.
[4:15:22] Back east and in the Midwest, if you're
[4:15:23] rowing crew, you row in an inside in a
[4:15:26] tank during the winter. And in
[4:15:28] California, you row in the bay.
[4:15:30] And so, you know, having had that
[4:15:32] personal experience, having listened to
[4:15:34] countless youth and parents and coaches
[4:15:37] and adults who play come in and tell us,
[4:15:40] "This is something I do year round. It's
[4:15:41] good for my body. It's good for my
[4:15:43] mental health." Um, I have I I really do
[4:15:47] appreciate that this is uh the ability
[4:15:50] to be out there 24/7, 365 is a
[4:15:53] competitive advantage for Californians.
[4:15:55] It is what catapults us to the
[4:15:58] scholarship opportunities, to the
[4:15:59] admission opportunities, to the various
[4:16:02] uh advanced leagues. It's it's part of
[4:16:04] who we are. And um so having affiliated
[4:16:07] myself with the comments about the
[4:16:09] relative um uh existence of
[4:16:13] microplastics from playing on a soccer
[4:16:15] field versus the microplastics that are
[4:16:17] there in our lives in general, which we
[4:16:19] we all understand is a uh an a concern
[4:16:23] we are better and better understanding
[4:16:25] all the time. I am persuaded that um
[4:16:28] eliminating these turf fields and
[4:16:31] returning to natural grass um without
[4:16:34] better without better natural grass
[4:16:36] solutions that allow for year- round
[4:16:37] play um is a step backwards when it
[4:16:40] comes to our health and mental health.
[4:16:41] So that's how I'll be voting tonight.
[4:16:50] » Vice Mayor Stone.
[4:16:52] >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. And I I I want
[4:16:54] » Thank you, Madame Mayor. And I I I want
[4:16:54] to begin by uh sincerely thanking the ad
[4:16:57] hoc committee for the time, the care,
[4:16:59] the ser the seriousness you brought to
[4:17:01] this work. I know this is an incredibly
[4:17:03] difficult Simon and you listen to
[4:17:06] competing priorities and you produced a
[4:17:09] recommendation that I think really
[4:17:11] reflects a real desire to meet our
[4:17:13] community's needs. also want to
[4:17:16] acknowledge the many parents and and
[4:17:18] coaches and young people who have spoken
[4:17:20] about the importance of reliable
[4:17:22] year-round access to fields.
[4:17:25] The need is is real. It deserves to be
[4:17:27] taken seriously. I also especially want
[4:17:29] to acknowledge the the [clears throat]
[4:17:31] young speakers tonight. I was incredibly
[4:17:35] moved and impressed by your by your
[4:17:37] comments and your words. I also I teach
[4:17:39] high school during the day and uh I I
[4:17:43] was just really impressed and also just
[4:17:45] impressed by your ability to make your
[4:17:47] argument without belittling or bullying
[4:17:50] others. And sometimes you might see
[4:17:51] adults do that. Don't do that. It's not
[4:17:53] effective. Doesn't work on us. It
[4:17:56] doesn't work on anybody. So keep doing
[4:17:58] what you're doing. And you are just a
[4:18:01] testament to young people and to to
[4:18:03] soccer players all around. So I was
[4:18:06] really impressed. Um,
[4:18:09] now I'm going to give my position. No
[4:18:12] need to boo me because you could already
[4:18:14] tell the scoreboard you've already won
[4:18:16] on this issue. But I'm going to explain
[4:18:18] why after careful consideration, I can't
[4:18:22] support the recommendation before us.
[4:18:24] And and the primary reason is the Santa
[4:18:28] Clair County Medical Association. They
[4:18:30] represent over 4,000 physicians in our
[4:18:33] county and they formally recommended
[4:18:36] against the use of artificial turf on
[4:18:38] sports fields and playgrounds and school
[4:18:40] grounds uh in their December 4th email
[4:18:43] to this to this council and it's in the
[4:18:46] public record. Invite everybody to go
[4:18:48] read it. And I just want to pause on
[4:18:50] that for a moment because in my six
[4:18:53] years on this council, I don't I don't
[4:18:55] ever recall receiving a letter from the
[4:18:57] Santa Clair County Medical Association
[4:19:00] on any issue. This is not an
[4:19:02] organization that weighs in lightly or
[4:19:05] often or casually. And when they do, I
[4:19:09] think we have an obligation to listen
[4:19:11] because at at the end of the day, I'm
[4:19:13] not a doctor or a scientist. This issue
[4:19:16] is far more complex than simple field
[4:19:18] access. I think it's a true public
[4:19:20] health issue. And on this issue, I'm
[4:19:23] going to defer to the health experts at
[4:19:25] at the medical association. I found the
[4:19:28] recommendation to be clear that
[4:19:29] artificial turf is potentially harmful
[4:19:32] to human health and the environment.
[4:19:34] Natural grass is safer. It's a more
[4:19:36] sustainable alternative, especially for
[4:19:39] children. And their position was not
[4:19:41] ideological ideological. It was grounded
[4:19:44] in peer-reviewed research, life cycle
[4:19:47] cost analysis, and a precautionary
[4:19:49] public health framework. I won't restate
[4:19:53] all the findings in that letter, but
[4:19:55] again, invite you all to to read it.
[4:19:57] It's in the public record from December
[4:19:59] 4th, 2025. [gasps] So, ultimately, my my
[4:20:02] vote tonight is not against youth
[4:20:04] sports. It's not against
[4:20:06] access. I'm committed to dedicating all
[4:20:09] the necessary resources to be able to
[4:20:12] invest in natural grass fields that will
[4:20:14] increase playable hours for our
[4:20:16] community. According to our own uh our
[4:20:19] own report, we have over 20 we have
[4:20:22] about 20 fields that are severely
[4:20:25] underutilized. I think we could be
[4:20:27] dedicating these same resources to
[4:20:30] finding ways to better utilize those
[4:20:32] fields and and increase um increase
[4:20:36] access to it.
[4:20:38] I I ultimately don't think parks I I
[4:20:42] think ultimately I think parks should be
[4:20:43] places that promote public health, not
[4:20:45] introduce new risks. And when our
[4:20:48] county's doctors are telling us that a
[4:20:49] proposed solution may do harm and offer
[4:20:53] a clear alternative, I believe we have a
[4:20:55] responsibility to choose that safer path
[4:20:57] even when it's harder. And I I think
[4:20:59] it's a false choice to say we are uh
[4:21:01] that we're that we're choosing synthetic
[4:21:04] turf and then youth sports over choose
[4:21:08] natural grass. Um we are voting against
[4:21:11] youth sports.
[4:21:13] Sports will continue. I think we can
[4:21:15] find better ways to be able to uh create
[4:21:18] um create access to it. So for those
[4:21:20] reasons and with respect for the work
[4:21:22] done and the needs expressed can't
[4:21:24] support the recommendation as proposed.
[4:21:27] But again I can I can tell I'm in the
[4:21:28] minority. So am looking forward to
[4:21:30] finding ways that we can at least end
[4:21:34] synthetic turf for future uses, truly
[4:21:37] invest in these pilot programs and other
[4:21:39] ways so we can make sure that this is
[4:21:41] the last time that synthetic turf is is
[4:21:44] used in PaloAlto and we can move towards
[4:21:46] a more green sustainable solution in the
[4:21:48] future.
[4:21:50] >> Council member Lou,
[4:21:52] » Council member Lou,
[4:21:52] >> thank you. I ultimately align myself
[4:21:54] » thank you. I ultimately align myself
[4:21:54] with the ad hoc and comments from uh
[4:21:56] council member lithotes and rectal.
[4:22:01] I think it's clear that science is still
[4:22:05] catching up to artificial turf fields.
[4:22:08] Uh certainly there valid reasons to warn
[4:22:12] or caution against this. There are other
[4:22:15] recent studies and conclusions from uh
[4:22:19] [clears throat]
[4:22:19] uh groups including a recent study in
[4:22:23] from the uh this is a m office of
[4:22:26] environmental health hazard assessment
[4:22:28] from California that uh draw much more
[4:22:33] ambiguity and uh look at the mechanisms
[4:22:37] from which you could actually expose
[4:22:40] yourself to chemicals and microplastics
[4:22:42] whether it's through inhalation
[4:22:44] or ingestion or through skin contact.
[4:22:47] And uh
[4:22:49] the point is that there are other very
[4:22:51] empirical studies that
[4:22:54] ultimately show that we don't have a
[4:22:56] clear conclusion and that some uh but
[4:23:00] that some people do believe that there
[4:23:02] is marginal risk. I think in the case
[4:23:05] where the science around the actual
[4:23:07] health impact is so unclear, we're
[4:23:10] making a reasonable and prudent approach
[4:23:12] that people can choose on the
[4:23:15] environmental impact. The technology for
[4:23:17] both natural grass and artificial turf
[4:23:20] fields is improving uh seemingly uh more
[4:23:24] quickly than I would have expected. And
[4:23:26] so I think our approach to uh look
[4:23:29] carefully at Cberly and run pilots in
[4:23:32] the meantime is uh a really considered
[4:23:35] and thoughtful option. Um I agree that
[4:23:39] in the long term we'd love to have
[4:23:41] highquality natural grass fields
[4:23:43] everywhere. Uh and uh I don't see this
[4:23:46] vote as really uh stopping us from
[4:23:50] achieving that long-term vision in any
[4:23:52] way. So I'd also be happy to make a
[4:23:55] motion. It seems like the time.
[4:24:00] » Okay. Yeah.
[4:24:02] >> Yeah. I'll just make a quick comment
[4:24:03] » Yeah. I'll just make a quick comment
[4:24:03] before I'll return to you for that. Um
[4:24:05] since there are no other lights on. Um
[4:24:09] it's funny, Council Member Rectal, I
[4:24:11] think you took the words right out of my
[4:24:12] mouth in terms of uh I I agree with you.
[4:24:16] I mean, plastic is not ideal and it's
[4:24:19] not even good. Um but it's everywhere.
[4:24:23] It's, you know, honestly, plastics in
[4:24:25] our environment are a much bigger
[4:24:27] problem than one turf field because we
[4:24:30] do have it in all those places you
[4:24:32] describe, not just our water bottles,
[4:24:34] you know, computers, pens, everywhere.
[4:24:36] Um
[4:24:38] so similar to what I believe it was
[4:24:39] Natalie um the Johns Hopkins
[4:24:41] neuroscience student said there are a
[4:24:43] lot of ways that we can reduce plastics
[4:24:45] and we should um but switching to
[4:24:49] switching one field uh to natural grass
[4:24:52] at El Camino today is not going to solve
[4:24:55] this giant problem. We need a much
[4:24:58] bigger solution and our goal as uh
[4:25:01] council member Lou just uh referenced is
[4:25:04] to start down that path. Um so you know
[4:25:09] the ad hoc's recommendation was
[4:25:11] three-fold. Um, it was first to proceed
[4:25:14] with replacing the existing synthetic
[4:25:15] turf at El Camino with improved
[4:25:18] synthetic turf, but second to pursue
[4:25:20] this natural grass pilot,
[4:25:23] but third to continue to explore
[4:25:25] opportunities to transition from
[4:25:26] synthetic turf at Cubberly. And I know
[4:25:29] that that can give some of the same
[4:25:30] people that are proponents of the
[4:25:32] synthetic turf at El Camino some
[4:25:34] heartburn, but we're trying to do it by
[4:25:36] really looking hard at new technology
[4:25:38] and looking at all of the fields as a
[4:25:40] collective. uh in the city of Palo Alto
[4:25:43] is providing enough playing hours. Now,
[4:25:45] I do want to note though that you know
[4:25:48] when we talk about some of the currently
[4:25:50] underutilized fields, a lot of those are
[4:25:52] grass that can't be used in the winter
[4:25:54] time. So, that's where the bottleneck
[4:25:55] happens and that's what a lot of these
[4:25:57] folks are talking about wanting to have
[4:26:00] um the the the playing hours in the
[4:26:01] winter that council member Lithcott HS
[4:26:03] was referencing. Um, so if we're going
[4:26:07] down a path to explore transitioning
[4:26:11] away,
[4:26:13] I really look at this solution as having
[4:26:15] two benefits.
[4:26:17] One is that we're improving the
[4:26:19] situation at El Camino. We're going to
[4:26:22] have a a better synthetic turf field,
[4:26:24] both from a playability standpoint and
[4:26:27] from a a public health standpoint
[4:26:29] relative to the current situation. And
[4:26:32] we're going to direct staff to start now
[4:26:35] to craft a course to transitioning away
[4:26:37] from set synthetic turf while
[4:26:39] maintaining playing time if at all
[4:26:41] possible. So
[4:26:44] I I don't know that uh uh Becky would
[4:26:47] agree a public commenter would agree
[4:26:49] with me on the totality of what I'm
[4:26:51] saying, but I do agree with her that
[4:26:54] there should not be only the two
[4:26:55] choices. We really right now it is. So,
[4:26:58] we need to do this tur synthetic turf
[4:27:00] field, but we really want to ask staff
[4:27:03] to help us find a third way. And so,
[4:27:06] that's, you know, with a little runway,
[4:27:08] we can hopefully accomplish that. So,
[4:27:10] with that, and seeing no further lights,
[4:27:12] I would entertain a motion. Council
[4:27:14] member,
[4:27:16] >> I'll move the ad hoc and staff
[4:27:17] » I'll move the ad hoc and staff
[4:27:18] recommendation.
[4:27:20] >> Do we have a second?
[4:27:21] » Do we have a second?
[4:27:21] >> Second.
[4:27:22] » Second.
[4:27:22] >> Thank you, Council Member Lithcott HS.
[4:27:24] » Thank you, Council Member Lithcott HS.
[4:27:24] Any further discussion?
[4:27:26] Council
[4:27:28] member or Vice Mayor Stone.
[4:27:32] >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. I I just I know
[4:27:33] » Thank you, Madam Mayor. I I just I know
[4:27:33] I don't have the votes to make any
[4:27:35] changes to this. So, I just ask if you
[4:27:37] can separate out the motion of
[4:27:39] separating I guess then one from the
[4:27:42] rest of the motion.
[4:27:47] » Yeah, I think that's fine with us. The
[4:27:50] clerk can do that.
[4:27:51] >> Yes.
[4:27:53] » Yes.
[4:27:53] >> Yeah. I mean, I I got the nod from the
[4:27:56] » Yeah. I mean, I I got the nod from the
[4:27:56] movement.
[4:27:58] Oh, sorry. Sorry.
[4:28:01] For some reason.
[4:28:03] >> Thank you.
[4:28:16] [clears throat]
[4:28:41] » [clears throat]
[4:28:58] » All
[4:29:10] right.
[4:29:11] >> All right. So, we can go
[4:29:12] » All right. So, we can go
[4:29:12] >> voting on the voting on the first
[4:29:14] » voting on the voting on the first
[4:29:14] motion.
[4:29:18] » Council member Lithcott Hayes.
[4:29:20] >> Yes.
[4:29:21] » Yes.
[4:29:21] >> Council member Rectal.
[4:29:22] » Council member Rectal.
[4:29:22] >> Yes.
[4:29:22] » Yes.
[4:29:22] >> Council member Lowing.
[4:29:24] » Council member Lowing.
[4:29:24] >> Yes.
[4:29:25] » Yes.
[4:29:25] >> Council member Burton.
[4:29:26] » Council member Burton.
[4:29:26] >> Yes. Mayor Vinker,
[4:29:28] » Yes. Mayor Vinker,
[4:29:28] >> yes.
[4:29:29] » yes.
[4:29:29] >> Council member Lou,
[4:29:30] » Council member Lou,
[4:29:30] >> yes.
[4:29:31] » yes.
[4:29:31] >> Vice Mayor Stone,
[4:29:32] » Vice Mayor Stone,
[4:29:32] >> no.
[4:29:33] » no.
[4:29:33] >> Motion carries 61.
[4:29:41] Voting on the second motion. Mayor
[4:29:44] Vinker,
[4:29:45] >> yes.
[4:29:46] » yes.
[4:29:46] >> Council member Lowing,
[4:29:47] » Council member Lowing,
[4:29:47] >> yes.
[4:29:48] » yes.
[4:29:48] >> Council member, um, sorry, excuse me,
[4:29:50] » Council member, um, sorry, excuse me,
[4:29:50] Mayor Vice Mayor Stone,
[4:29:52] >> yes.
[4:29:53] » yes.
[4:29:53] >> Council member Rectal,
[4:29:54] » Council member Rectal,
[4:29:54] >> yes. Council member Lou,
[4:29:56] » yes. Council member Lou,
[4:29:56] >> yes.
[4:29:56] » yes.
[4:29:56] >> Council member Burton,
[4:29:57] » Council member Burton,
[4:29:57] >> yes.
[4:29:57] » yes.
[4:29:57] >> Council member Lot Haynes,
[4:29:58] » Council member Lot Haynes,
[4:29:58] >> yes.
[4:29:59] » yes.
[4:29:59] >> Motion carries unanimously.
[4:30:04] » Motion carries unanimously.
[4:30:04] >> All right. Thank you, Madam Clerk, and
[4:30:06] » All right. Thank you, Madam Clerk, and
[4:30:06] we will conclude that issue. Um, it is
[4:30:08] time for our break. It is also 5 minutes
[4:30:11] till 10. So, I would suggest this. Um, I
[4:30:15] would suggest that we take a a short
[4:30:17] five minute break. um that we come back
[4:30:20] and do the public improvement
[4:30:21] corporation um meeting because that's um
[4:30:25] important and we should get that done.
[4:30:26] But at that point, we're after 10:00 and
[4:30:28] I would suggest that we um
[4:30:33] defer [laughter] the the last action
[4:30:36] item.
[4:30:37] >> Second.
[4:30:39] » Second.
[4:30:39] >> Okay. Well, let's go take our break and
[4:30:41] » Okay. Well, let's go take our break and
[4:30:41] we'll come back and talk about it. Thank
[4:30:42] you.
[4:39:38] really. All right. So,
[4:39:41] if you have any objection to uh moving
[4:39:43] forward at this hour with uh the what
[4:39:48] what are we doing? The public
[4:39:49] improvement corporation meeting, let me
[4:39:51] know. Um and or any objection to
[4:39:54] deferring action item 15, let me know
[4:39:56] now because I that is our plan. I'm
[4:39:59] seeing no trouble. So, we will now
[4:40:02] briefly recess the city council meeting
[4:40:05] and call to order a meeting of the
[4:40:07] public improvement corporation board.
[4:40:09] The city council serves as the board for
[4:40:11] the public improvement corporation
[4:40:13] pronounced or the acronym pick. Uh
[4:40:16] tonight we meet as the pick board for
[4:40:18] the purpose of approval of the fiscal
[4:40:20] year 2025 PaloAlto PIC annual financial
[4:40:24] statements. The financial statements are
[4:40:27] audited annually and require board
[4:40:29] approval. For the record, city clerk,
[4:40:32] would you please note that yes, all
[4:40:35] members of the pick are present?
[4:40:39] >> All right. Does staff have a
[4:40:40] » All right. Does staff have a
[4:40:40] presentation?
[4:40:41] >> Yes. Let me ask our assistant director
[4:40:44] » Yes. Let me ask our assistant director
[4:40:44] of administrative services, Christine
[4:40:45] Paras, to report for staff.
[4:40:47] >> All right. Thank you. Um, the PIC is a
[4:40:50] » All right. Thank you. Um, the PIC is a
[4:40:50] nonprofit led by the city council that
[4:40:52] enables the city to issue certificates
[4:40:54] of participations or COP bonds debt to
[4:40:59] fund capital projects. And the bylaws of
[4:41:02] the pick require that the board meet at
[4:41:04] least annually to approve these
[4:41:05] financial statements. Staff is seeking
[4:41:08] council the board's approval of the 2025
[4:41:11] financial statements. They've been
[4:41:13] audited by our external auditors MGO and
[4:41:16] have a clean audit opinion. Um this is a
[4:41:19] annual process requirement that the
[4:41:22] board receive these audited financial
[4:41:24] statements and any new issuance of debt
[4:41:28] would be considered separately as part
[4:41:30] of those respective projects and or
[4:41:32] budget development.
[4:41:34] The pick has three outstanding debt
[4:41:36] obligations totaling 138 million
[4:41:40] outlined on table one on packet page
[4:41:42] 364. The three debt obligations are the
[4:41:46] 2018 refinancing cops that refinance the
[4:41:49] 20 2002b downtown parking improvement
[4:41:53] project and funds renovations of the
[4:41:56] golf course. the 2019 Cal a parking
[4:42:00] garage project and the 2021 public
[4:42:03] safety building. And that concludes my
[4:42:06] verbal comments on this item.
[4:42:12] » Thank you. Um do we have any public
[4:42:14] comment on this item?
[4:42:18] There are no requests to speak and no
[4:42:19] hands are raised on Zoom.
[4:42:20] >> All right. Thank you. Do we have any
[4:42:23] » All right. Thank you. Do we have any
[4:42:23] questions or comments from board members
[4:42:26] on this item?
[4:42:30] All right,
[4:42:33] >> Council Member Rectal.
[4:42:36] » Council Member Rectal.
[4:42:36] >> So, for this payment, it's it's like a
[4:42:38] » So, for this payment, it's it's like a
[4:42:38] bond. Can we accelerate effectively? Is
[4:42:41] it callable bond or is it a fixed
[4:42:43] payment period
[4:42:45] >> for these coops fixed payments? Uh, not
[4:42:48] » for these coops fixed payments? Uh, not
[4:42:48] callable.
[4:42:49] >> Okay. So,
[4:42:54] » all right. Well, then may I have a
[4:42:55] motion to approve the FY2025 annual
[4:42:59] financial? I asked for public comment.
[4:43:01] Yeah, we we we did public comment.
[4:43:03] [laughter] I know you're new at the
[4:43:05] time.
[4:43:05] >> So move.
[4:43:07] » So move.
[4:43:07] >> Okay, we have a so moved. Do I have a
[4:43:08] » Okay, we have a so moved. Do I have a
[4:43:08] second?
[4:43:11] >> Second.
[4:43:13] » Second.
[4:43:13] >> All right. Thank you. Any further
[4:43:15] » All right. Thank you. Any further
[4:43:15] discussion?
[4:43:17] Seeing none, Madame Clerk, would you
[4:43:19] kindly call the role?
[4:43:22] Council
[4:43:28] member Bert,
[4:43:29] >> yes.
[4:43:30] » yes.
[4:43:30] >> Vice Mayor Stone,
[4:43:31] » Vice Mayor Stone,
[4:43:31] >> yes.
[4:43:31] » yes.
[4:43:32] >> Council member Lou,
[4:43:33] » Council member Lou,
[4:43:33] >> yes.
[4:43:33] » yes.
[4:43:33] >> Council member Lithu Haynes,
[4:43:34] » Council member Lithu Haynes,
[4:43:34] >> yes.
[4:43:35] » yes.
[4:43:35] >> Council member Rectal,
[4:43:36] » Council member Rectal,
[4:43:36] >> yes.
[4:43:36] » yes.
[4:43:36] >> Council member Lowing,
[4:43:37] » Council member Lowing,
[4:43:37] >> yes.
[4:43:38] » yes.
[4:43:38] >> Mayor Binker,
[4:43:39] » Mayor Binker,
[4:43:39] >> yes.
[4:43:39] » yes.
[4:43:39] >> Motion carries unanimously.
[4:43:41] » Motion carries unanimously.
[4:43:41] >> All right. Well, thank you, Madame
[4:43:43] » All right. Well, thank you, Madame
[4:43:43] Clerk. And uh we will now adjourn the
[4:43:46] pick board meeting and reconvene the
[4:43:49] council meeting. And we will now adjourn
[4:43:53] the council meeting. I think I got that
[4:43:56] all right. Okay. [laughter] Okay. Thank
[4:43:58] you all. Good night.