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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-09-16 City Council EmailsDOCUMENTS IN THIS PACKET INCLUDE: LETTERS FROM CITIZENS TO THE MAYOR OR CITY COUNCIL RESPONSES FROM STAFF TO LETTERS FROM CITIZENS ITEMS FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS ITEMS FROM OTHER COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES ITEMS FROM CITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND REGIONAL AGENCIES 9/16 /2024 Prepared for: Document dates: 9/9/2024- 9/16/2024 Note: Documents for every category may not have been received for packet reproduction in a given week. 701-32 given 100% discretion by all federal judges. That massive discretionary power let manyfederal "experts" run amok in callous arrogance. They got used to 40 years of making tall paper piles and to shove them down the throats of citizens who could never get their day incourt to challenge such expert opinions. Our JCRC did more than interact with federal government experts. We led the effort to expose the "double books" kept on our airport while under Santa Clara County management whichdid not like having to keep all profits earned at our Airport to stay at our Airport required by the City's long lease with the County. Siphoning that revenue stream to other County airportstook many years and political education to expose. JCRC members also spearheaded bringing Palo Alto Bayland's ranger's ideas to airport management as well as inviting many nature advocates from falconers to theEnvironmental Volunteers to bring free displays to the annual Airport Day our committee started. The first Open House in the 1980s was a poster display in a hangar to inform CityCouncil members our City owns the Airport, not the County. When I gave Environmental Volunteers (EVs) Baylands tours to school children for many years I made sure the EVs wereinvited to Airport Day. l'm sad to report at least one nature group invited to participate at the September 29, 2024 Airport Day has declined to attend. Goodwill and trust are no longer smooth between theAirport community and all its neighbors. Perhaps it is time to bring back the JCRC if only informally. I know many at the monthly Palo Alto Airport Pilots Association which runsAirport Day would welcome ideas and help from all our neighbors. l've read closely many of the community comments submitted for today's Council meeting. I see a lot of agreement such as a possible consensus that solar panels at the Airport could be agood idea. I've not seen any opposition to getting rid of the current mobile home terminal building by the Baylands and move it to a new permanent structure co-located with a newFAA Tower both placed further away from the Baylands. Those are good discussion items to start conversations together. Regards,Alice Mansell P.S. I urge everyone to go inside the Airport terminal at the end of Embarcadero Road and see the framed photos on the walls showing the evolution of both the Airport and Baylands sincethe 1930s. In particular, please see how the relocation of San Francisquito Creek to the north left a cut-off creek bed remnant pilots call due to its twice a day unnatural black color the"Black Lagoon" between the runway and Duck Pond. At least one Terminal photo shows the dredge pulling up sediments from that lagoon to make new dry land where the terminal and itsparking lot sits. Perhaps if airport and Baylands supporters can work creatively together we could restore more marshlands as well as improve airport safety. From:mrpicasso2 To:Council, City Subject:Do not expand Palo Alto airport Date:Monday, September 16, 2024 10:08:46 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Palo Alto City Council, I request that you do not expand the Palo Alto airport, add any additional pavement for parking or runways there, or in anyway disturb the wetlands near the airport. As a San Jose resident, and employee of a company located near the airport, I frequently visited the Baylands Nature Preserve, the Duck Pond, and Byxbee Park. The birds and other wildlife in the area are a wonderful asset to have so close to residential and commercial areas. Such biodiversity is critical to all of our health and well-being. Given the natural attractiveness of he area for many bird species, expanding the airport activities will increase the risk of bird-aircraft collisions and further harm the esthetics of the area. Already, the noise and lead pollution from the airport and aircraft are harmful to nearby Palo Alto and East Palo Alto residents and workers. We do not need any further attacks on our well-being. Please do not expand the airport operations. Thank you. Mike Beggs San Jose, CA 95112 From:Shannon Griscom To:Council, City Subject:Airport Expansion Date:Monday, September 16, 2024 9:57:08 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. I have lived in Palo Alto since 1965, and I value the parks and especially the bay lands. I object to the expansion of the airport, and the displacement of wildlife and facilities. I use the bay lands several times a week for walking and recreation. The number of planes is increasing at an alarming rate. Please do NOT expand that airport. Shannon Griscom meetings and release of the environmental review document. E-mails can be sent to jmark@openspace.org. Sincerely, Jane Mark Jane Mark, AICP Planning Manager Pronouns: She/her Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District 5050 El Camino Real, Los Altos, CA 94022 (650) 625-6563 openspace.org From:Bette Kiernan To:Council, City Subject:environmental impact of aircraft on wetlands - Google Scholar Date:Monday, September 16, 2024 8:39:41 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of openingattachments and clicking on links. Honorable City Council Members: I respectfully request that you review the following paper which is easily available on GoogleScholar It describes the detrimental impacts of aircraft on wetlands. A vitally important environmental concern rests in your hands as expanded aviation into theBaylands is now on the table Sincerely, Bette Kiernan Palo Alto Airport Study Session Community Input Grace Popple I also ask that you include the people of East Palo Alto, and their elected officials, in discussions about and decision-making on what should be done with the Palo Alto Airport and its impact. Presently noise reports from the airport focus on mapping the source of only those reports that come from residents of the City of Palo Alto - there is no equivalent map from East Palo Alto households even though they are much closer to the flight paths and the airport itself: (Source:2022 noise report) Takeoff rules focus on how high the aircraft should be after the aircraft has passed over Highway 101: However almost all departures that will eventually fly over 101 cross East Palo Alto or Menlo Park first: 9/15/2024 Page 2 of 5 Palo Alto Airport Study Session Community Input Grace Popple East Palo Alto is also overflown by the Peninsula Side Pattern for training flights (often “touch-and-go”s) which don’t reach the 101. It would make sense for The City of Palo Alto to involve the immediately adjacent Cities in its planning. When the airport was started, East Palo Alto was a part of Palo Alto. Since our setup as an independent City in 1983 we have been cut out of having a valued voice on this matter. Why the FAA process should not be driving the master plan for PAO The FAA process focused on the “critical aircraft” calculated here to be the Pilatus PC-12, a relatively loud turboprop plane which made 842 operations last year at PAO. There were 163,620 operations overall so this aircraft accounts for about 0.6% of them. Assuming a normal distribution of operations by types of plane around some median plane type by weight, this is just not the typical plane here: 9/15/2024 Page 3 of 5 Palo Alto Airport Study Session Community Input Grace Popple Other considerations for the Master Plan ● I am interested to see Palo Alto also support the development of smaller, lighter and quieter eVTOL aircraft and I can believe that investment in charging infrastructure and more landing pads at or near the Terminal may be needed for that.Let’s keep the passenger Terminal where it is now - on the far side of the airport from our homes. ● I would like to see a fast migration to unleaded fuel and thoughtful preparation to migrate to non-fossil-fuel energy sources. ● I would like to see far more data collected and made available for the community for analysis, including operational data about the airport as well as compliance with noise mitigation guidelines and rules. ● I would like to see noise mitigation boundaries that start at the edge of the populated areas of East Palo Alto and do not wait for the visual feature of Highway 101 (and the more expensive homes of Palo Alto) to require the pilot to attain 1500 feet of clearance. Ignoring the needs of residents to north and east of 101 is unacceptable. Thank you for listening to those on the ground impacted by these operations at the boundary of earth and sky. Grace Popple 9/15/2024 Page 5 of 5 From:a hamilton To:Council, City Subject:Say no to airport expansion Date:Sunday, September 15, 2024 7:22:43 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Councilmembers — regarding the proposed expansion of the PA airport, please put the priority on protecting the health and our city’s wonderful natural resources. Please remove any alternatives that include eVTOL preparation (electric vertical take-off aircraft’s). These air taxis will benefit a few wealthy people at the expense of regular everyday people. Thank you for protecting all the people in our city. From:Gary Bailey To:Council, City Subject:Airport Date:Sunday, September 15, 2024 5:03:53 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from tigergary@earthlink.net. Learn why this isimportant Dear Mayor Stone and council: Far more people use the Palo Alto golf course and nearby parks and open spacethan use the Palo Alto airport. So do not sacrifice the many for the few. And most of the wetlands around the bay have already been destroyed. These wetlands are critically important for protection from sea level rise, and for migrating birds andlocal wildlife. So do not let the airport encroach on wetlands, parks or other openspace. Also, some other nearby airports are eliminating leaded fuel, which is a major health issue. Please consider stopping the use of leaded fuel at the airport. Thank you, Gary Bailey sponsoring the annual 9/11 Multifaith Peace Picnic and Prayers. Our goalsfor this event, which are very much aligned with American Muslim VoiceFoundation and all the other cosponsors, are to bring people together, sharea meal, build new friendships, join in prayers for peace, and strengthen peacein our local community and our world. As AMV's motto says, "to move fromfear to friendship."Yet we live in deeply troubled times. This year the work of building peace isperhaps more challenging than ever. Sadly, just a day before the event, issuesemerged that caused some organizations to withdraw their support of andparticipation in the 9/11 event. Without time to talk and work together onthose issues, there has been hurt that needs attention and healing. Nevertheless, the gathering on 9/11 this year was beautiful, with prayers,poems, words and songs for peace, laughter and hugs, food shared andcommunity strengthened. We are deeply grateful for all who were there! Weare sad that some felt they could not attend. We missed their presence. Werespect that each made their own decision, and will work for betterunderstanding as we move forward. Whether particular organizationscosponsored this event or not, we know we need one another to build thebeloved community, and we pledge our solidarity to work together, as peopleand communities of diverse faiths, for peace and dignity, through good timesand bad.MVPJ’s commitment, along with AMV Foundation, is to peace and justice -even when it is hard. Peace when we all agree is beautiful. Peace when wediffer, when we hurt, when we are scared, is hard. But we are called, from thefoundational teachings of our own diverse faiths and traditions, to do thiswork. We pray that you will join us, along with others, to reclaim ourcommon humanity and take the path of peace. To learn more about Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice, goto www.multifaithpeace.org Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson, forMultifaith Voices for Peace and Justice -- The Rev. Dr. Diana C. Gibson Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justicewww.multifaithpeace.org<9_11 Peaceful Tomorrow Statement for Palo Alto.pdf> <2024 final peace picnic program.pdf> <9_13_24 Statement from Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice.pdf> Nevertheless, the gathering on 9/11 this year was beautiful, with prayers, poems, wordsand songs for peace, laughter and hugs, food shared and community strengthened. Weare deeply grateful for all who were there! We are sad that some felt they could notattend. We missed their presence. We respect that each made their own decision, andwill work for better understanding as we move forward. Whether particularorganizations cosponsored this event or not, we know we need one another to build thebeloved community, and we pledge our solidarity to work together, as people andcommunities of diverse faiths, for peace and dignity, through good times and bad.MVPJ’s commitment, along with AMV Foundation, is to peace and justice - even when it ishard. Peace when we all agree is beautiful. Peace when we differ, when we hurt, when weare scared, is hard. But we are called, from the foundational teachings of our own diversefaiths and traditions, to do this work. We pray that you will join us, along with others, toreclaim our common humanity and take the path of peace. To learn more about Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice, go to www.multifaithpeace.org Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson, forMultifaith Voices for Peace and Justice -- The Rev. Dr. Diana C. Gibson Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justicewww.multifaithpeace.org Nevertheless, the gathering on 9/11 this year was beautiful, with prayers, poems, wordsand songs for peace, laughter and hugs, food shared and community strengthened. Weare deeply grateful for all who were there! We are sad that some felt they could notattend. We missed their presence. We respect that each made their own decision, andwill work for better understanding as we move forward. Whether particularorganizations cosponsored this event or not, we know we need one another to build thebeloved community, and we pledge our solidarity to work together, as people andcommunities of diverse faiths, for peace and dignity, through good times and bad.MVPJ’s commitment, along with AMV Foundation, is to peace and justice - even when it ishard. Peace when we all agree is beautiful. Peace when we differ, when we hurt, when weare scared, is hard. But we are called, from the foundational teachings of our own diversefaiths and traditions, to do this work. We pray that you will join us, along with others, toreclaim our common humanity and take the path of peace. To learn more about Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice, go to www.multifaithpeace.org Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson, forMultifaith Voices for Peace and Justice -- The Rev. Dr. Diana C. Gibson Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justicewww.multifaithpeace.org September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows A project of the Tides Center, a 501c3 non-profit public charity P.O. Box 802, 20 Sussex Street, Port Jervis, NY 12771, Phone (212) 598-0970 www.peacefultomorrows.org “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows” - Dr. Martin Luther King September 11, 2024 Dear friends, More than 23 years ago, my mother and thousands of our loved ones died from the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01. My life has never been the same, but it has also been enriched by the people I have met along the way, people I never would have encountered otherwise. We are so appreciative of the partnership between September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and the American Muslim Voice Foundation. We commend you on your continued work towards peace and community building. Our partnership is more important than ever to decrease divisiveness and war across the globe by bridging, cultural and religious gaps. We are stronger together because of our connection to one another, alliance, and unity. Let us hope that in our time we may see peace, friendship, and unity in our world. In friendship and peace, Robyn Bernstein Donati Co-chair Islamophobia Committee September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows American Muslim Voice Foundation Let us move "from fear to friendship" by Replacing the culture of despair, division & violence with a culture of hope, inclusion & peace Striving to Build Peace and a Beloved Community Omar Naeem Raza, Emcee, Omar Raza is a senior Engineer and Product owner at Salesforce specializing in AI infrastructure research. Also serves on various nonprofits. Zainab Shaikh, Recitation of the Holy Quran and translation. She is 10 and in 5th grade. Multifaith Peace Prayers Rev. Tom Harris, First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto. Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Spiritual Director, Peace and Justice Educator, Author. Juliet Gentzkow, from the Baha’i Faith. Kareem Syed, Local spiritual Leader who has invested over 20 years in guiding the youth in our community. Peace Program The Rev. Dr. Eileen Altman, Associate Pastor First Congregational Church, UCC of Palo Alto. Honoring the 9/11 victims, their families and 1st responders. Farha Andarabi, Co-President of Palo Alto, Mountain View Musalla Message from the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Samina Sundas, Founder of the American Muslim Voice Foundation: Importance of peace making during challenging time. Noor Navaid, Junior at UCLA performing “Morning has broken” by Yusaf Islam AKA Cat Stevens. Naiel Ahmed Chaudry, 15 years old at Mountain High. original poem titled “Building a bridge”. Judy Mine, Nihonmachi Outreach Committee. from the Japanese American Community. Mir Naser, 2nd year student at Foothill College performing Nasheed titled “Ya Qulubana”. Bella Gertsch, Junior at Palo Alto High School, performing “This is your land this is my land”. Nancy Lane. Is a vocalist and pianist. She is also the music director at Companions on the journey in Palo Alto performing “This is my song” by Jean Sibelius. Lyrics by Lloyd Stone. Eric Sabelman, Quaker, Benediction. Mir Naser, Adaan (Call to Prayer) Candlelight Vigil Let us light the night for peace, justice, and friendships! We greatly appreciate our peace partners, audience, performers, volunteers, speakers, Pro bono Photography. A very special thank you to Hans & Andrew Saier for their generous pro bono services of time, PA system, stage, podium & lights. Sponsors: • American Muslim Voice Foundation • Dave Cortese, CA State Senator • Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice Co-sponsors: • 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows • Asian Law Alliance • Bahá’í Community of Palo Alto • Berkeley Masjid (Mosque) • Amina Chaudhry, Realtor • Council on American Islamic Relations • Anti-Racism Impact Team of Congregation Etz Chayim • Custom Lighting, Sound & Video Projection • First Congregational Church, Palo Alto • First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto • First United Methodist Church, PA • Halal Fest • ICNA Council for Social Justice, Bay Area Chapter • IMRC, Indian Muslim Relief & Charities • In memory of Sayed & Razia Inamdar • Islamic Networks Group • MAITRI • Munira & Amer Charitable Fund • MVPA Musalla, Muslim Worship Place • Naeem and Zareen Raza • Northern California Islamic Council • PACT People Acting in Community Together • Pro Bono Photography • Reach & Teach Store, San Carlos • Silicon Valley Interreligious Council • South Bay Jewish Voice for Peace • Spark Church • Unitarian Universalist Church, PA • UUFS Social Justice • Youth Community Service American Muslim Voice Foundation was founded in July 2003, by American Muslims, to work for and with all Americans. We are a grassroots movement based on the simple idea that stronger American communities serve the interests of all Americans. We deeply believe in fostering friendships among all Americans by bridging the cultural and religious gap. Every day, we promote new relationships and nurture old ones because our country’s safety, security and peace depend on our getting to know each other. www.amuslimvoice.org Phone:650-387-1994 Email: saminasundas@gmail.com Sept. 13, 2024 Statement from Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice Over the past 10 years, Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice (MVPJ) has been honored to partner with American Muslim Voice Foundation (AMV) and a multitude of varied other congregations, communities and organizations in sponsoring the annual 9/11 Multifaith Peace Picnic and Prayers. Our goals for this event, which are very much aligned with American Muslim Voice Foundation and all the other cosponsors, are to bring people together, share a meal, build new friendships, join in prayers for peace, and strengthen peace in our local community and our world. As AMV's motto says, "to move from fear to friendship." Yet we live in deeply troubled times. This year the work of building peace is perhaps more challenging than ever. Sadly, just a day before the event, issues emerged that caused some organizations to withdraw their support of and participation in the 9/11 event. Without time to talk and work together on those issues, there has been hurt that needs attention and healing. Nevertheless, the gathering on 9/11 this year was beautiful, with prayers, poems, words and songs for peace, laughter and hugs, food shared and community strengthened. We are deeply grateful for all who were there! We are sad that some felt they could not attend. We missed their presence. We respect that each made their own decision, and will work for better understanding as we move forward. Whether particular organizations cosponsored this event or not, we know we need one another to build the beloved community, and we pledge our solidarity to work together, as people and communities of diverse faiths, for peace and dignity, through good times and bad. MVPJ’s commitment, along with AMV Foundation, is to peace and justice - even when it is hard. Peace when we all agree is beautiful. Peace when we differ, when we hurt, when we are scared, is hard. But we are called, from the foundational teachings of our own diverse faiths and traditions, to do this work. We pray that you will join us, along with others, to reclaim our common humanity and take the path of peace. To learn more about Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice, go to www.multifaithpeace.org Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson, for Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice 3. No amount of protections that the FAA or Congress offer to call everything a Finding of NoSignificant Impact will hold for a potentially serious airport capacity change, and with barely understood aircraft in the new world of the Supreme Court rulings which end the FAA's finalword in NEPA challenges. You could already plan for an EIS, which the FAA avoids or will never ever do. Also, I wonder what would be acceptable mitigations for anyone to withstandthe noise. The FAA and airports always claim that technology will reduce noise - eVTOL isnot in the noise reduction vehicle category and I hope you will not expect anyone to believethat. 4. The City does not have the infrastructure to adequately address noise concerns. I encourage you to take the suggestions from Sky Posse to do that with any alternative. Please establish an understanding with the community about how the City plans to assess, track, and report noise - and who will pay for this. It is your fiduciary duty to plan for all potential costs; credible noise assessment being essential to be responsive and transparent with residents and neighbors. Thus our request for the City to present a feasibility and cost analysis of what modern day noise assessments and permanent noise tracking options can provide. Many of the questions from the community at the airport’s June public outreach meeting were about noise impacts. At the time, the City's consultant said an FAA process in future would address our concerns about noise but this is misleading, and it is why we also ask the City to provide a regulatory review that would establish a framework for addressing noise issues. One of my biggest concerns is that the public is being misled about eVTOL. In an atmosphere where the public has no idea about the risks. And the biggest issue is that the airspace procedures - the ones which will decide how planes fly only happen AFTER the airports build neat things on the ground. This should be disclosed to the public. Basically planning for changes on the ground is inappropriate without airspace procedures details. I know that it's the way the FAA does things. I cautioned at the March 2023 study session, will the City be using the FAA's disco era planning guide? Here we are and instead of doing things differently, the CIty is defending the FAA's and disco era airport practices. Please do not use the name "preferred" alternative without community support, and only after you do so in an Action Agenda. Best, Jennifer From:Shirley Finfrock To:Council, City Subject:CineArts Date:Sunday, September 15, 2024 12:54:44 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Suggest retaining theatre at Palo Alto Square for live performances like Menlo theater, rent out for film festivals, event center for meetings for non-profit and profit companies for events, employee meetings until pandemic group gatherings commence and foreign and art movies increase. Sent from my iPhone PC-12 – The ultimate aerial SUV Most versatile and valued business aircraft in the world Executive seats feature full recline, taller seat backs, and even more seated headroom. Fine European leather, custom hand-stitching, and a wealth of designs to appeal to a multitude of personalities. You’ll appreciate the Swiss craftsmanship and attention to detail presented in the form of custom hand-sewn leather, exclusive hardwood cabinetry and fine upholstery that abound throughout the aircraft. Designed to allow a fork-lift to load a standard size pallet directly into the cabin, it can surely fit your luggage, your motorbike, and your surfboard. Expanding to a 3500 ft runway will also open up the airport to these additional jet aircraft (https://simpleflying.com/top-business-jets-short-runways/) and contribute to an inexorable march toward more annoying jet traffic: 7 passenger HondaJet (3500 ft required) 7 passenger Cessna Citation M2 (3210 ft required) 7 passenger Embraer Phenom 100 (3190 ft required) 10 passenger Pilatus LPC-24 (2900 ft required) The community survey result was that 43.3% chose the ‘No Action’ alternative, with Alternative 4 a distant second at 22.1%. When asked which alternative contained their preferred runway length and location without consideration for the rest of the elements, 51.2% of the responders chose Alternative 1 – No Action Of the five sustainability and resilience focus areas presented for consideration, ‘Maintaining Harmony with the Baylands’ received the most number 1 (or most important) votes at 51.4% Alternatives 2 – 5 included the levee location considered by Valley Water and the USACE as part of the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Phase II Investigations. However, in April 2024, the USACE concluded that there was no federal interest in the project (too few people affected). There were no cost estimates for any of the alternatives. Please support the ‘no action’ Alternative #1 that the vast majority of residents desire. Sincerely, Lee Christel Midtown fiduciary duty to plan for all potential costs; credible noise assessment being essential to be responsive and transparent with residents and neighbors. Thus our request for the City to present a feasibility and cost analysis of what modern day noise assessments and permanent noise tracking options can provide. Many of the questions from the community at the airport’s June public outreach meeting were about noise impacts. At the time, the City's consultant said an FAA process in future would address our concerns about noise but this is misleading, and it is why we also ask the City to provide a regulatory review that would establish a framework for addressing noise issues. Lastly, City staff compiled City policy statements and guiding documents to ensure that the airport planning process is consistent with various City positions, but there are also City guiding principles about aircraft noise. Namely the statement at the top of the City’s Regional SFO Airport Coordination/Airplane Noise, link here. The City is committed to working with our citizens, Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SFO, SFO’s Community Roundtable, neighboring city and county agencies, regional airports, noise groups, and all stakeholders associated with air traffic in Silicon Valley to find solutions which restore the quality of life of our community. This type of commitment is missing from the airport planning staff reports and the City should not have double standards for how to address aircraft noise concerns. Noise does not happen in siloes, or airport by airport. All airspace related actions - from safety to noise - are interrelated and interdependent. Furthermore, there are regional policy positions on aircraft noise that were voted on during the Select Committee, by three counties and accepted by three Congressional districts that should also be incorporated in the planning process. Please ensure that the City’s positions on aircraft noise are added to the documents guiding airport planning, Thank you, Sky Posse Palo Alto From:siva heiman To:Council, City Subject:I"m thankful the theater space was save. Now what? Date:Sunday, September 15, 2024 12:15:10 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Thanks for saving the theater space for the purpose of having a place where a group of people can see a film or have some common experience. The value of that experience in seeing the some film or other form of entertainment can be greatly enhanced when people listen to others and learn that each person’s observations and ideas are different because each of us has a difference set of former experiences and assumptions of how our real life “should" be. In general, we all have the same set of needs but we have many different ways of getting our needs met. That’s a good thing because we don’t have to be fighting for the same limited supply of anything. Instead we can learn from different cultures and expand our set of solutions to problems to something we might learn from someone else. For example, we all need food but not everyone is capable of digesting cow milk. ”One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” To me the important question is how can people sit in a circular formation so everyone can see everyone else and can listen and talk with others who saw the same show. Maybe breaking up the audience into age groups first and maybe then bringing the sub groups together. Maybe have before and after questions to see if people have changedor broadened their way of thinking about a topic. We all make assumptions that we don’t realize we have. I believe that all of the above is actually necessary, but not sufficient, for a democracy to actually work. I would be interested in working with a group of other people to explore the possibilities. You may contact me if you have further questions. Siva Heiman Palo Alto, CA 94303 On Monday September 16, there is a Council study session where City staff “recommends that Council receive an update on the Airport Long-Range Planning process and provide input to support development of a preferred alternative.” The staff report is here. The Palo Alto Weekly has published a story on the topic, here. Our review of the staff report is that the current planned “next steps” and commitments from the City sideline noise by not presenting how the airport will address and manage arguably one of the most problematic concerns from airport operations - noise. The staff report reveals that eVTOL planning on behalf of commercial interests may be a key driver for the pursuit of FAA grants to change the airport. eVTOL noise is comparable to helicopter noise. And the FAA and airports ignore, among other things, their low frequency vibrations which is critical to consider because these vehicles are being sold for taxi services, portending traffic levels and lower altitudes that can very negatively affect residential neighborhoods and the natural environment. Per the staff report, "Staff has met with several companies interested in partnering with the City to introduce eVTOL aircraft at the airport. Other companies have approached the airport in support of eVTOL operations by providing sustainable alternative fuels like charging stations and possibly hydrogen. These companies have identified the Bay Area, and specifically the airport as an ideal location for eVTOL operations in the future." eVTOL companies lobbying our local officials are a formidable lobby, some with former FAA Administrators on their boards. The Palo Alto Weekly quotes the president of the California Pilots Association who helps airports acquire federal grants suggesting, misleadingly, that “the city is already considering the environmental impacts of any alternatives and that it would be required to fully assess these impacts before any construction occurs.” Per the staff report, the City has no steps to consider noiseimpacts in planning; if the retort is that FAA’s environmental rules for noise are being followed, that also means that they are not considering noise impacts because even brutal levels of noise such as the Nextgen noise problem get a Finding of No Significant Impact from the FAA. Moreover, the 1.07% forecasted annual increase in operations for Palo Alto Airport is NOT an indication of potential noise impacts. For example, Nextgen noise erupted in Palo Alto when SFO operations were down, and a historical assessment commissioned by the City in 2015 showed that SFO operations grew by 9% over an eight year period, or roughly 1% annually but the increase in levels of noise in that time frame, and the growth in number of people affected is massive. Council must consider that it is premature to plan for eVTOLS for PAO, or for the City’s name to be used to promote these vehicles. It is Council’s duty to first thoroughly understand how inviting eVTOLs would permanently bring NEW noise that is not mitigated even by physical barriers. The flaws with Nextgen implementation show that aviation companies, the FAA, and airports have not modernized their tools or metrics to evaluate noise impacts. At the same time, there are various options and metrics to assess noise; it is reasonable to ask for progress on assessments to better communicate about aviation noise, and before launching new problems. Before committing to a plan that incorporates aviation and eVTOL priorities, the City needs to have an understanding with the community about how the City plans toassess, track, and report noise - and who will pay for this. It is a fiduciary duty to plan for all potential costs; credible noise assessment being essential to be responsive andtransparent with residents and neighbors. Currently, Bay Area airports escape expenses to “fully assess” noise with artifacts such as the FAA’s 65 DNL. Thus our request for the Cityto present a feasibility and cost analysis of what modern day noise assessments and permanent noise tracking options can provide. Many of the questions from the communityat the airport’s June public outreach meeting were about noise impacts. At the time, the City's consultant said an FAA process in the future would address our concerns aboutnoise but this is misleading, and it is why we also ask the City to provide a regulatory review that would establish a framework for addressing noise issues. City Policy statements for managing aircraft noise: City staff has compiled City policy statements and guiding documents to ensure that the airport planning process is consistent with various City positions, but it disregarded thebody of position statements and guiding principles about aircraft noise. Namely the statement at the top of the City’s Regional SFO Airport Coordination/Airplane Noise, linkhere. "The City is committed to working with our citizens, Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SFO, SFO’s Community Roundtable,neighboring city and county agencies, regional airports, noise groups, and all stakeholders associated with air traffic in Silicon Valley to find solutionswhich restore the quality of life of our community." This type of commitment is missing from the airport planning staff reports and the Cityshould not have double standards for how to address aircraft noise concerns. Noise does not happen in siloes, or airport by airport. All airspace related actions - from safety to noise- are interrelated and interdependent. Furthermore, there are regional policy positions on aircraft noise that were voted on during the Select Committee, by three counties andaccepted by three Congressional districts that should also be incorporated in the planning process. The City’s various positions on aircraft noise need to be added to the documents guiding airport planning, including Council’s joint advocacy with the Town of Los Altos Hills, Cities of East Palo Alto, Los Altos, Menlo Park and Mountain View to among other things replace the DNL metric with the NAbove metric. From:Diane McCoy To:Council, City Subject:Preserve the preserve! Date:Saturday, September 14, 2024 2:30:23 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of openingattachments and clicking on links. Sent from my iPhone From:C Schryver To:Council, City Subject:PA Airport Expansion Date:Saturday, September 14, 2024 1:48:39 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi, Please do not expand the airport. There is so much peace and wildlife at the Palo Alto Baylands. I and many others often enjoy walking the area. With so much focus on expanding the salt marshes to offset rising tides I can’t fathom why this one would be diminished, especially given the impact to endangered species such as the Salt Marsh Harvest mouse and Ridgeway Rail. All of the above are far more valuable than some additional planes that benefit very few. Thanks, Cristina Schryver CC: Members, Palo Alto City Council 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 250 Washington, D.C. 20001 T. 202-853-7513 C. 916-761-3519 www.aopa.org A I R C R A F T O W N E R S A N D P I L O T S A S S O C I A T I O N September 3, 2024 Hon. Greer Stone, Mayor City of Palo Alto 250 Hamilton Ave. Palo Alto, CA, 94301 SUBMITTED VIA ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION RE: Study Session Item #3 – Support for Palo Alto Airport The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is the largest general aviation membership organization in the world, representing over 300,000 pilots and aircraft owners, and write to express our strongest support for the Palo Alto Airport and the positive improvements proposed for its future. The Palo Alto Airport has been a vital part of the community for almost a century, and it continues to play a crucial role in the Bay Area region. It serves as a hub for testing and developing the future of aviation, cementing its position as an essential part of the city. Furthermore, the airport's expansion and growth offer numerous economic opportunities that will greatly benefit the residents and surrounding communities. These opportunities include creating jobs and providing a platform for the next generation of aviators and entrepreneurs, while also generating additional revenue to support high-quality services for the city’s residents. Aside from its obvious benefits, the airport plays a crucial role as an emergency services center during natural disasters and has a zero-density footprint, making it ideal for environmentally sensitive areas. Without the airport, these natural habitats would be vulnerable to development. Therefore, the airport plays a vital protective role for these areas and acts as a necessary buffer for the city's growth. Finally, the aviation industry is making significant progress towards sustainability through alternative fuels while also supporting the continued preservation of zero to low-density land-use through the preservation of airports. For these reasons, AOPA urges the Palo Alto City Council to maintain its support for the airport and its smart growth options. Embracing the airport as a hub demonstrates forward thinking and is essential for ensuring the airport's safety, modernization, and its role as a vital component of the community's prosperity. Respectfully, Jared Yoshiki Western Pacific Regional Manager – AOPA Thank you, Renee Punian From:Connie Nelson To:Council, City Subject:Oppose Expansion of the Airport Date:Friday, September 13, 2024 6:01:11 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Mayor Stone and City Council Members: As a well known hotspot for birds and other wildlife, I visit the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve and Byxbee Park multiple times a month to walk the trails and go birding. These parklands and wetlands provide critical habitat for hundreds of local and migratory bird species, and provide a natural buffer against sea level rise. Expanding the Palo Alto airport runs counter to the current goals to restore wetlands around San Francisco Bay. Habitat loss is already having a huge impact on wildlife. The current noise levels are an annoyance so any expansion will only make it worse. Please keep the existing footprint of the airport and runway: do not expand or move them closer to the wetlands and do not add more asphalt! Sincerely, Connie Nelson From:JOYCE SCHMID To:Council, City Subject:Charleston Plaza Date:Friday, September 13, 2024 4:35:54 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Honorable Friends and Neighbors on the City Council: I don’t know if Palo Alto will have a say in the project currently being put forward by Presidio Bay Ventures for Charleston Plaza in Mountain View—but if we have any influence on this, I urge the Palo Alto City Council to do everything possible to stop it from happening. Building two new eight-story office buildings—450,000 square feet—at a time when offices are standing vacant, workers are working from home, and business landlords are struggling—sounds like an exercise in futility. And, on the other hand, if there is actually a demand for new office space, that will only create new jobs, and with new jobs, the need for even more new housing than we are currently being forced to build. In either case— Presidio Bay Ventures’ proposal for Charleston Plaza sounds like a really bad idea to me. Thank you so much for reading this. With warmest appreciation for all you do for our city, Joyce Schmid From:Jack Sweeney To:Council, City; City Mgr Subject:Meter replacement experience Date:Friday, September 13, 2024 1:30:04 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hello, Been a resident for 40 years. My electric meter was replaced today by Palo Alto Utilities. A Utilities employee named Christian performed the replacement. He contacted me earlier in the week to schedule an appointment. Christian arrived on time, explained the process clearly, and gave me an overview of the program. This was a surprisingly positive experience. He was polite, efficient and friendly. He is quite an asset to the Utilities department. I hope the next meter replacements are equally good. Thank you, Jack Sweeney Sent from my iPad Concerned Residents of Palo Alto Filiberto ZaragozaEnvironmental Justice Campaign Organizer Youth United for Community Action Violet Wulf-SaenaFounder and Executive Director Climate Resilient Communities Lauren WestonExecutive Director Acterra: Action for a Healthy Planet Alice KaufmanPolicy and Advocacy Director Green Foothills Mila BerkeleCo-Lead, Nature Based Solutions Team Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action Eileen McLaughlinBoard Member Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge Judy FenertyConservation Chair CNPS Santa Clara Valley Chapter Cheryl Weiden350 Silicon Valley Steering Committee Andrea Gara Co-leader350SV Palo Alto Climate Action Hilary Glann Co-leader350SV Palo Alto Climate Action Zoe Jonick Lead Organizer350 Bay Area Our organizations therefore oppose planning elements that would allow the airport to expand in space or air traffic (including eVTOL) or even move the runways north, as this would increase conflicts with birds and other wildlife in the adjacent wetlands. Palo Alto should not un-dedicate parkland, fill wetlands, increase the risk to birds or the need to deter them from using the adjacent wetlands, exacerbate noise, or perpetuate lead deposition and greenhouse gas emissions. We are supportive of adding solar panels over existing asphalt areas, and of creating a path to reduce the footprint, both physical and operational, of the airport in the future. Protection of Palo Alto’s Baylands is the most popular option with the public Responses to the online survey as noted in the staff report1 show clear preference for the No Action Alternative (Alternative 1). Many responses chose not to choose an alternative, instead expressing a “strong preference for preserving the Baylands and Duck Pond” and a “strong preference for closing the airport.” When Alternative 1 and the No Answer votes were combined, more than 58% of votes in the survey expressed a strong preference for preserving the Baylands and opposing airport expansion. Furthermore, of several “Focus Areas” presented for consideration, “Maintaining Harmony with the Baylands” received the most votes with 51.4% of the votes. It is surprising therefore that the words “Baylands Nature Preserve” (and within it the word “nature”) appear only once in the staff report. Identified Key Issues and Needs include, “Integrate facilities with the adjacent Baylands Golf Links and Baylands Nature Preserve, both of which are also city-owned.” The word “Park” also appears only once. It seems that preservation and protection of parkland and the nature preserve are not recognized as a Key Issue or Need despite the overwhelming concern expressed by the community in the Airport survey, in letters to the City Council over the past few months, and in grassroots petitions2 and outreach efforts. In all these communications the community expressed strong opposition to airport expansion. Due to the potentially significant impacts of encroaching into the Baylands and of increasing airport operations on wildlife and Bayland ecosystems, the impacts on neighboring communities, and the strong preference of community members to not expand the airport, our organizations recommend that City Council direct staff to proceed with alternative 1 (no-action/no-build). Airport operations should not encroach upon the Baylands directly or indirectly, and parkland should not be paved to accommodate the airport. 2 Diane McCoy collected 300 signatures from visitors to the baylands on a petition asking the City not to expand. Over 1500 people signed the Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition’s petition https://www.change.org/p/save-the-palo-alto-baylands-from-airport-expansion?utm_medium=custom_url&utm_s ource=share petition&recruited by id=0c77e730-a48d-11ea-9049-bf7deb9d000a 1 Staff Report for Agenda Item 3: https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/api/compilemeetingattachmenthistory/historyattachment/?historyId=0f6f33b e-6159-42d0-980f-a62dfcea2bac Please consider the following points in your direction to staff. 1.Please do not allow the airport to expand into dedicated parkland3. It is surprising to us that the outreach conducted by the airport has not disclosed to the public that all the expansion alternatives (2,3,4,5) would require the un-dedication of parkland and therefore require a vote of the people. Alternatives 2, 4 and 5 would fill wetlands in the Baylands Nature Preserve, and Alternative 3 would encroach into the Golf Course. 2.Please do not encroach on wetlands at the Baylands Nature Preserve (Alternatives 2,3,4,5). Palo Alto’s Baylands are critical wildlife habitat for migratory birds. Two hundred eighty bird species have been recorded in the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve, which is the longest checklist for any birding hot spot in the country. Some of these species depend on the combination of habitats that is available at the lagoon, including imperiled rail species, the lovely Common Yellowthroat, and the Alameda Song Sparrow. Encroaching into this habitat by filling the wetlands and/or by moving airport activity and operations closer to their habitat (Alternatives 2, 3, 4, and 5) would harm these species and the many others who rely for their survival on Palo Alto’s preservation of the Baylands. Palo Alto’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan calls for the City to act in accordance with the 2008 Baylands Master Plan (BMP), protecting open spaces as vital sources of public health, natural beauty, and enjoyment. The plan emphasizes the importance of preserving and protecting the Bay, marshlands, sloughs, creeks, and other wetlands as functioning habitats and elements of an interconnected wildlife corridor. The 2008 BMP expressly forbids intensified airport use or significant intrusion into open space, including the Duck Pond and lagoon. As noted by the Honorable Emily Renzel (letter to City Council dated August 8, 2024), loss of wetlands not only contradicts this plan but also undermines the City's long standing mitigation requirement for historical fill of wetlands by the City of Palo Alto: (BMP on page 67-68). In 1976, the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) granted permission to continue operations and expand the footprint of the landfill. That permission included mitigation measures that are described in the Environmental Impact Report for the Palo Alto Refuse Disposal Area. The lagoon 3 In 1965, Palo Alto dedicated the Baylands as conservation parkland. Article VIII of the Palo Alto city charter stipulates that dedicated parkland cannot be sold, disposed of, or its use abandoned or discontinued without a majority vote of the electorate. It further states,"No substantial building, construction, reconstruction or development upon or with respect to any lands so dedicated shall be made except pursuant to ordinance subject to referendum.” that envelopes the Duck Pond (and where fill is proposed) is an important mitigation area4, intended to serve in perpetuity to mitigate unpermitted fill of wetlands at Byxbee Park decades ago. It currently provides open water and mudflats and supports a native plant community that supports migratory birds and locally endangered species. The Palo Alto Airport, like all airports, must adhere to a Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (WHMP) mandated by the FAA, which allows for the removal of birds and wildlife from the airfield using lethal methods if necessary. Currently, a 320-ft buffer separates the runway from the lagoon and wetlands, enabling birds to use the nearby duck pond and lagoon while still allowing public enjoyment from the San Francisquito Creek Trail. However, WHMPs also prohibit enhancing habitats that could attract birds to the runways. Shifting the runway, as proposed in Alternatives 2, 3, 4, and 5, would necessitate a new WHMP, likely leading to increased efforts to deter birds from the Palo Alto Baylands, which would be detrimental to birds and other local wildlife. To avoid worsening conflicts between aircraft and wildlife, and to preserve the natural habitat, we strongly oppose relocating airport infrastructure towards the Baylands Nature Preserve. 3. We support the placement of solar panels on existing paved areas. Adding solar panels over existing paved areas will not expand the footprint or operational capacity of the airport while providing a sustainability benefit. 4. Please do not expand the operational capacity or increase the air traffic of the airport. Expanding airport operations could exacerbate existing impacts of the airport on nearby ecosystems and communities. Increased air traffic could lead to increased noise pollution, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. We are concerned about the impacts of airport operations on communities such as those in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park’s Belle Haven Neighborhoods. We also have concerns with eVTOL aircraft, as the frequent use of this aircraft could lead to increased disturbances for local birds and other wildlife, as the majority of eVTOL operations will occur at lower altitudes where bird strikes are more common. We believe that Palo Alto must start moving infrastructure away from the Bay. Land near the Bay, including the airport, should transition over time and serve to protect the community from the impacts of sea level rise, and to provide upland habitat to allow migration habitat for native species of plants and animals. 4 The “Lagoon Mitigation Project” was a required mitigation for the fill of wetlands. It installed two culverts underneath Embarcadero Road to allow tidal flow into the lagoon in order to sustain its ecological function and to restore wetlands impacted by previous developments. This mitigation is mentioned multiple times in City records. For example, on page 28 of the City Council Minutes of Oct 21, 1974, in reference to the Solid Waste Disposal. 5. Palo Alto should expedite a ban on the sale of leaded AVGAS in anticipation of the State and Federal Government legislative process. The sale of leaded aviation fuel may be banned in California beginning in 2031 under a bill approved by the legislature and headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom. A federal ban could come as soon as 2030. The Palo Alto Airport should ready itself for a regulatory environment in which leaded aviation fuel is illegal. The negative human and environmental health impacts of leaded aircraft fuel are well known,5 and Palo Alto has the opportunity to be a global trailblazer in pollution standards by expediting a leaded AVGAS ban and by promoting aviation fuel alternatives. Respectfully, Hon. Enid Pearson Palo Alto Councilmember 1965-75 Former Palo Alto Vice Mayor Hon. Emily Renzel Palo Alto Councilmember 1979-91 Baylands Conservation Committee Matthew Dodder Executive Director Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance Susan DesJardin Chair, Bay Alive Campaign Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Avroh Shah Head of Outreach Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition Darlene Yaplee Co-founder Concerned Residents of Palo Alto 5 https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-determines-lead-emissions-aircraft-engines-cause-or-contribute-a ir-pollution Filiberto Zaragoza Environmental Justice Campaign Organizer Youth United for Community Action Violet Wulf-Saena Founder and Executive Director Climate Resilient Communities Lauren Weston Executive Director Acterra: Action for a Healthy Planet Alice Kaufman Policy and Advocacy Director Green Foothills Mila Berkele Co-Lead, Nature Based Solutions Team Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action Eileen McLaughlin Board Member Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge Judy Fenerty Conservation Chair CNPS Santa Clara Valley Chapter Cheryl Weiden 350 Silicon Valley Steering Committee Andrea Gara Co-leader 350SV Palo Alto Climate Action Hilary Glann Co-leader 350SV Palo Alto Climate Action Zoe Jonick Lead Organizer 350 Bay Area (650) 213-8755 www.fopal.org Maps and Directions More information on the sales Donate your used books, DVDs, &c ALL NET PROCEEDS GO TO HELP PALO ALTO LIBRARIES Main Room In our Main Room, prices are way belowwhat used book stores charge.Hardcover books start at $3 andsoftcover books start at only $2. No numbered tickets this month! Please note that due to crowding during the first two hours of the Book Sale, no strollers, rolling carts, etc. can be brought into the Main Room. This is for the safety of shoppers and volunteers alike. By 12:30 or so, the crowd thins out and shoppers are welcome to bring these items into the sale. Children's Book Sale The Children's Room is located in the portable next to the soccer field near Greendell School. It is entirely filled with children's books and toys. You'll find picture books, school age fiction and non-fiction, fiction for teens, award winners, non-English titles, CDs and DVDs, and books for parents and teachers, many for 50 cents or $1. Strollers are welcome in the Children's Room at any time. Bargain Books in H-2 The Bargain Room is located in RoomsH-2 and H-3 of the Cubberley maincampus, between our Main Room andMiddlefield Road. On Saturday,paperbacks are $1, hardcovers are $2,and children's books are 50 cents each.The room also contains many records,CDs, and DVDs at $1 each. On Sunday,the room opens at 11 am and all pricesare half off. Or, save even more onSunday by buying green FOPAL reusablebags from us for $3/ea (or bring yourown grocery-size reusable bag) and stuffing them with any items in the room for $5/bag. Fill four bags at $5/bag and fill a fifth bag FREE! (We no longer receive sufficient used paper grocery bags along with donations for this purpose.) Library News The Library would like you to know that they're celebrating Latine & Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15. It's Library Card Signup Month. If you haven't, that link will tell you how to get a Palo Alto Library card (and whether you can), and Mitchell Park Library is a couple blocks from our book sale. You can find out about things like this from the Palo Alto City Library Blogs page. Or you can subscribe to them with an RSS reader. You can also find out about all this stuff and more from an infrequent e-mail from the Library. There's a signup form. -Frank McConnell FOPAL Members' General Meeting FOPAL Members' General Meeting, at Rinconada Library on October 9th at 10:30 am. -Jenny Munro Start a family library! If you ask many book lovers, the most important piece of furniture in a room is the bookcase. A home library doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive to provide rich reading experiences. Many children have their bookcases in their bedrooms, and in many homes, books can be found displayed in almost every room of the house. For these families reading materials are simply a part of everyday family life. FOPAL can help you fill your family library with a wonderful assortment of books and it won't cost you much at all. With regular trips to our monthly sales and visiting each of our three sales rooms, you can easily create a family library. Remember, just about anything goes in a family library. Paperback and hardcover books, a dictionary, an atlas, songbooks, magazines for parents and kids, newspapers.... If you need suggestions for books while shopping, FOPAL's book rooms look for a volunteer floor person and ask for their advice. Most of our volunteers are avid readers and would be eager to point you toward books perfect for you and your family. Check out the September Specials to add to your library: Special Bindings/Franklin Library, Architecture, Computers/Vintage Computer Festival books,Drama/Shakespeare & Sets! If you're looking for books during the week or on non-sale weekends, you'll want to checkout the Mitchell Park Friends of the Library Bookstore, or the Downtown or RinconadaFOPAL gondolas. These sales areas are open during library hours and restocked weekly with fresh books on various subjects. -Janette Herceg Special Bindings This month we are featuring books with special bindings, including slip cased books from The Library of America and books with more elaborately decorated bindings from The International Collectors Library. We also have an excellent selection of books from The Franklin Library (both fiction and non-fiction) with beautiful leather bindings and gilt edges, all in immaculate condition. These books, which would make an elegant contribution to any bookcase, are very reasonably priced. -Melinda Architecture The Architecture special has been expanded and refreshed with more wonderful books about architectural history, monographs on specific architects or buildings, and essays. There is a large new section devoted to urban planning. -Melinda Children's Room It's been five weeks since the last book sale--a week longer than usual--and our shelves are unusually full because of the extra week's donations. Teachers will want to visit the School-age Fiction section, where the shelves of books by award-winning authors are loaded with terrific buys for classroom libraries. In addition, fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will find almost every book in the series, and the Popular Authors cart is packed. You'll also find gift-quality editions of favorites: a beautifully illustrated version of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows; The Land of Stories: A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales, by Chris Colfer; and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 100th Anniversary Edition. We also have gift sets of the Marguerite Henry Stable of Classics, the Ruskin Bond Collection, The Hardy Boys Starter Set, Theodore Boone by John Grisham, The Inheritance Cycle (list price $95, our price $20), Marvel Avengers Phase 1, and Choose Your Own Adventure. In Non-Fiction, we are featuring beautiful books on art and the arts, including dance, drama, and music. You'll find them on the shelves and the display table. (When we sort donations, we frequently exclaim over the wonderful books that go to Non-Fiction--check them out!) If you have children in Chinese immersion programs, you'll find helpful items such as a popular encyclopedia set as well as math and science workbooks in Chinese. We also have our usual assortment of DVDs, CDs, chapter books, and picture books in both traditional and simplified characters. There are many books in Korean and Japanese, and this month we received a rare donation of Thai picture books, which you'll find on the bottom left shelf along with other Asian language picture books in Hindi and Arabic. Beginning Readers has a huge number of sets of quick/easy books for early and beginningreaders that would be perfect for families and classrooms. Parenting offers books for newparents, parents of teens, and parents of kids with special needs. And as usual, we have awide selection of DVDs for families to enjoy together. The giftable items in our Activities section include detailed coloring books and card games, all in like-new condition. Once again, we have many books on math, science, coding, and chess, plus several books on video games. There is an entire bin of origami and paper airplane books, as well as shelves brimming with graphic novels. Our joke books fill two whole bins. Finally, our most unusual item is a complete bocce ball set in a canvas carrying case! -Carolyn Davidson Children's Vintage Lots of good things are happening in Children's Vintage in September! Our featured author this month is Enid Blyton, a prolific mid-20th century English writer of children's books including Noddy, Famous Five and Secret Seven among others. Following the success of her earlier novels, she built a literary empire, sometimes producing 50 books a year! As unlikely as it sounds, she denied having an army of ghost writers. Luckily for us, we have many Enid Blyton books on our shelves this month to give you a sample of her range. We also have a vintage Ravensburger game (ages 10+) called Scotland Yard. Catch the thief as you travel around London, taking the Tube and Overground to the various sites. Big Little Books are also a "thing" this month. Typically 3-5/8" x 4-1/2" x 1-1/2", these unique books were first published by Whitman and then Saalfield, highlighting radio programs and comic strip characters. We have five on sale this month, so grab one while you can. And if you're a fairy tale fan, we have lots of Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen to choose from. Not to be forgotten, there are many books for younger readers in nice dust jackets thismonth, including a boxed Make Way for Ducklings in especially nice condition. Shelf pictures are available at www.fopalbooks.com. -Lisa Heitman September Book Review The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler Emily Windsnap is a teenage girl living a normal life with her single mom on a boat in a quiet little portside town. An ordinary life but with one exception: Her mother never lets her into the sea or in any body of water. Suddenly her life becomes topsy turvy when she is shoved into a pool by a bully. Emily discovers a whole new different side of herself that is both terrifying yet exhilarating. This life-changing experience leads Emily to explore new places and new sides of herself. Readers will resonate with Emily on her adventures in discovering what and who she trulyis. Filled with characters with distinct personalities, through Emily, readers can learn aboutthe deep importance of family and to truly treasure the bonds between them. A wonderfuljourney full of magic, family, and grit, this story is perfect for anyone who loves mermaidsand magic. This gorgeous novel is recommended for ages 7 to 9, and the first of eightenchanting books of the series. Graceling by Kristen Cashore Katsa, the niece of the barbaric king, is the dog of the kingdom. Her uncle shackled her to his bidding the moment her Grace, or her enhanced ability manifested in the midst of the glittering courts of the Middluns. Katsa rues her very existence, disgusted by her Graced ability of killing, and the horrendous acts her uncle forced her to do in the service of the kingdom. But her life is thrown into chaos the moment she meets a handsome, foreign prince named Po, who causes Katsa to start wondering about what she could have been if she had stood up for herself. As Katsa and Po are bound into an unlikely partnership, due to plots threatening to derail the stability of the kingdoms, Katsa's eyes are opened in many ways that will help build this amazing character. This wonderful, debut novel will amaze readers, and is perfect for teenage girls. The themes inside the book are centered around the idea of truly understanding and loving oneself, as well as themes revolving around strong female characters and feminism. This book has so much depth, with themes building on top of eachother revealing ideas that speak to people around the world. I strongly recommend this book to teachers, librarians, and kids for anything from presents, free reading books, and classroom books. (Ages 13 - 16) -Emma Chen Humor The two new and most unusual books this month are about Pigeons and Unicorns. They are both cartoon books with Steve Martin being one of the authors of A Wealth of Pigeons. They are in perfect condition and if you want something weird for yourself or as a gift these would fit the bill. They are on the top shelf with the other cartoon books where you will also find a very good edition of The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker. Shelf photos at https://fopalbooks.com/humor.html -Nigel Jones Philosophy The undoubted book of the month, and making its first appearance, is a biography of Kierkegaard by Joakim Graff considered to be a definitive exploration of the great Danish philosopher. It has 857 pages and in perfect as-new condition. This book would typically go directly to our high value online store, however for one month it will be available at our upcoming sale with a special discount for our Main Room costumers. Next month's special will be our best ever offering of Plato and Aristotle. Shelf photos at https://fopalbooks.com/philosophy.html -Nigel Jones Judaica Browse the Judaica section for books on the Jewish religion and culture including editions of the Torah and other basic texts, Kabbalah, Jewish history, the Holocaust, memoirs,Israel, Jewish Women, the Jewish American Experience and other related subjects. Special interest this month - Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America A Student's Obligation: Advice from the Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto RBG's Brave & Brilliant Women: 33 Jewish Women to Inspire Everyone Jewish Women and Their Salons: The Power of Conversation My Parents Went Through the Holocaust and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt Psychoanalytic Reflections on the Holocaust Also of interest are a few machzorim for the holidays on the top shelf. Most fiction with Jewish themes will be found in Modern Literature/Classics or Current Fiction. Books entirely in Hebrew are shelved in the European Languages section. Shelf photos at https://fopalbooks.com/judaica.html -Charlotte Epstein, Judaica Section Manager Poetry Warm September brings the fruit, Sportsmen then begin to shoot.Take aim at books of rhyme and verse.Your weekend could be spent much worse.This month Rod McKuen's kingFor those who like that kind of thing.But do not fear, there's lots of opsTo aim for poets with more chops. photos to be seen at https://fopalbooks.com/poetry.html -Mandy MacCalla Home & Crafts The September Home shelves include makeup, beauty, and hair care, plus Three Black Skirts by Anna Johnson. Look for the fashion retrospective: Icons of Fashion: The 20th Century. This month we have Martha Stewart's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations. For home decorating ideas, try Pure Style: Accessible New Ideas for Every Room in Your Home, as well as several kitchen and bath references. Get inspired with Italian Country Living, or Living in Morocco: Design from Casablanca to Marrakesh. Are you overwhelmed by clutter? We have a full range of titles for home organizing and maintenance: Clutter Clearing Choices, It's All Too Much, and The Declutter Workbook among others. Afraid to tackle it alone? Try Home Repair and Improvement: 100 Things You Don't Need a Man For. This September in Floral Arts you'll find: Everlastings: How to Grow, Harvest, & Create with Dried Flowers; The Art of Arranging Silk Flowers; and The Meaning of Flowers. Look for a special title featured on our Crafts shelves: Steampunk Style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy, and Mechanical Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings. Find other guides on beaded jewelry as well mosaics. We have several books on bookmaking, creating origami, making paper planes, and coloring books. New this month are many titles on pottery and ceramics. In Fabric Arts try to recycle your sewing with Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials by Betz White. Other instructional guides include: quilting, knitting, crocheting, and needlepoint, as well as macramé and weaving. Shelf photos can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/crafts.html. -Virginia Perry Antiques & Collections Do you collect dinnerware? Antiques titles this September feature The Best of Collectible Dinnerware by Joe Cunningham. You'll also find titles on Fiestaware, as well as plastic kitchenware. For more elegant collecting, try Delffse Porceleyne: Dutch delftware 1620- 1850. This month there are two guides to Asian art: Oriental Antiques & Art: An Identification and Value Guide by Sandra Andacht, and Oriental Antiques and Collections by Arthur and Grace Chu. We also have a catalog of 'the father of the poster', French artist Jules Chéret. Look for many titles on coins and stamps, furniture and rugs, and other resources for your collecting reference. Shelf photo can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/crafts.html. -Virginia Perry Self Help/Personal Growth Some featured books this month are: The Good Life; Scarcity Brain; Ego; Power Tools for the 21st Century and Becoming Your Best. Check out some new and unique workbooks placed above the 'Popular on Amazon' shelves. There are over a dozen books on NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) donated by me, who found them extremely useful along my personal growth journey and I'm ready to pass them on to another soul. To make your browsing easier, each month I put the 'new arrivals' on marked shelves. Books that were 'new' the previous month get moved to a subsection, if appropriate, or get moved down to lower shelves. As Always, BARGAINS abound, so come on by! Peace for All, -Marnie Sociology/Anthropology The September sale features quite a few books by famous scholars. I will introduce some of them. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire develops the argument for a system of education that "urges viewing students as interlocutors or partners in the learning process." More than fifty years after the book was published in English, it keeps attractingreaders and inspiring debates. In 2018, on the 50th anniversary of the book, Bloomsbury released its new edition. The Sociology/Anthropology section offers an older edition ofFreire's book in the subsection on theories and methods. Another book in this sub-section that I want to draw your attention to is a 1944 book by Gunnar Myrdal An American Dilemma. As Social Science Research Council wrote in 2021, "For Myrdal and his collaborators, the central dilemma was the unresolved tension of the 'American creed'-the celebration of ideals of equal opportunity and democracy, in the face of deep and enduring racial discrimination and inequality. The dilemma has changed, but it has not receded." So, reading the book may be worthwhile even though it was first published eighty years ago. There are two more books from the Theories and Methods subsection that I want to present: The Wretched of the Earth (first published in 1963) by Frantz Fanon and The Great Transformation (first published in 1944) by Karl Polanyi. Foreign Affairs wrote in 1997 reviewing Fanon's book: "Fanon, a French-trained psychiatrist from Martinique who became an activist in the Algerian revolution, berated African elites for their bourgeois tendencies and narrow nationalism and called on African intellectuals to identify with popular strivings." Discussing Polanyi's book, The Conversation pointed out that "in his view, the attempt by liberal social engineers to establish a 'self-regulated' market system was bound to tear the social fabric, provoking responses that would undermine the operation of the system itself." Unlike the books presented above all of which were published in the twentieth century, the last book to which I want to point-Death of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Angus Deaton and Anne Case-has been recently published. In an interview for VOX, the authors- both economic professors at Princeton-talk about their research and explain its findings. The book can be found in the U.S.: Self-Reflection subsection. Finally, I want to mention two new subsections: Cultural Anthropology: City and the one that I named "In case you need more copies". The latter contains double copies of somebooks that have been accumulated over the last few months. Overall, theSociology/Anthropology section offers 506 books for the September sale. -Natalia Koulinka Classic and Modern Fiction I'm continuing my special section with books from the New York Times' list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. You'll find them on the top shelf of the section near the middle aisle. I'll continue to refresh this special for the next several months as I receive different copies. -Melinda Nature This month in the Nature section, we have a rainbow of Audobon guide books and many fun laminated pamphlets for all your outdoor activities before fall sets in. And check out some gorgeous vintage books with illustrations you won't find anywhere else. -Serena Bramble Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror I didn't know Ira Levin had written a sequel to Rosemary's Baby but here it is, Son of Rosemary. A flood of SF paperbacks from several decades came in this month. The anthology shelf that was so picked over last month is replenished. A few unusual ones featured on the top shelf, like the Howard Waldrop/Jake Saunders The Texas-Israeli War: 1999, Thomas Disch's novelization of The Prisoner TV show, and John M. Ford's Casting Fortune. There's also a small collection of British Doctor Who novels, including several titles I've never seen which may not have gotten much distribution in the US. The boxed set shelf is full, including a distinguished-looking hubbed leather binding of Jean Auel's Earth's Children books. Shelf pictures on fopalbooks.com. -Rich Donations We accept donations on Monday through Saturday from 3-5 pm in the Main Room. But we close to donations in the week before the sale so that we can prepare the Main Room forthe sale. Which means that we are closed for donations from Sunday September 8 throughSunday September 15. Please hold your donations until Monday September 16. Please read our donation guidelines before you bring materials to us. Suggestions? We're always eager to hear your suggestions for ways to improve our book sale. Please email us at suggestions@friendspaloaltolib.org. This notice comes to you from the non-profit organization Friends of the Palo Alto Library. No trees werefelled in the making of this e-mail. Visit our web site. Become a member by joining online. Be sure to receive your own free copy of this e-mail notice so that you'll know about all special upcoming books sales. To sign up, just e-mail us. We carefully protect the privacy of your e-mail address. We will notshare your e-mail address with any other organization and we will not use it for any purpose other than tosend you these notices. If you do not wish to receive these e-mail notices in the future, please reply withthe words "Remove Me" in the first line of the text. From:Tran, Joanna To:Council, City Cc:Shikada, Ed Subject:REMINDER RSVP Requested by 9/16: Athena Awards Date:Thursday, September 12, 2024 4:40:14 PM Attachments:image002.pngimage011.pngimage012.pngimage014.pngimage015.pngimage016.pngimage017.pngimage001.pngimage003.png Importance:High Hello Council Members, Sending you all a friendly reminder that RSVP’s for the Athena Awards are due this Monday, September 16th. After this date, we will open the tickets up to our executive team. Confirmed attendees include: 1. Mayor Stone 2. CM Veenker 3. CM Burt 4. CM Lythcott-Haims Thank you! Joanna Joanna Tran Executive Assistant to the City Manager Office of the City Manager (650) 329-2105 | joanna.tran@cityofpaloalto.org www.cityofpaloalto.org From: Tran, Joanna Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2024 2:25 PM To: Council, City <city.council@cityofpaloalto.org> Cc: Ed Shikada (Ed.Shikada@CityofPaloAlto.org) <Ed.Shikada@CityofPaloAlto.org> Subject: RSVP Requested by 9/16: Athena Awards Dear Mayor and Council Members, The 2024 Athena Awards will take place on Tuesday, October 1st at the El Prado Hotel. The City has a table reserved with 8 tickets. Please let me know by Monday, September 16th if you would like to attend. After that date, we will open the reservations for our executive staff. Details of the event and this year’s honorees are listed below: The ATHENA®​ award is given to honor exceptional woman leaders who demonstrate the highest levels of professional excellence, give back to their communities and, most importantly, assist other women in realizing their full leadership potential – and it is an international award, having been given to more than 6,500 recipients in over 500 cities and 8 countries. Locally it is awarded by our Chamber of Commerce. Thank you! Joanna Joanna Tran Executive Assistant to the City Manager Office of the City Manager (650) 329-2105 | joanna.tran@cityofpaloalto.org www.cityofpaloalto.org From:City Mgr To:Council, City; Shikada, Ed Cc:Executive Leadership Team; City Mgr; Clerk, City Subject:City Council Bundle_September 12 Date:Thursday, September 12, 2024 3:55:19 PM Attachments:image001.pngimage002.pngRE Dangerous crosswalk at Charleston and Sutherland + proposed solutions.msgRE Unleaded Aviation fuel at PAO.msgRE EPA announces violation of airborne lead standards at two California airports yet continues to delay action ontoxic effects of lead in aviation fuel.msgRE Churchill Intersection.msgRE Parklet Encroachment at 281 University Avenue.msgRE Road repair.msgRE Uncontrolled (unsafe) intersections along Suggested Routes to school.msgRE Manufactured Housing.msgFW Unhoused on Clemo Avenue Juana Briones Park.msgRE Churchill ave construction closure - photos of student backup.msgRE Continued Lack of Gas Leaf Blower Enforcement.msg Importance:High Dear Mayor and Council Members, On behalf of City Manager Ed Shikada, please see the attached staff responses to emailsreceived in the City.Council inbox through September 12. Respectfully, Danille Danille RiceAdministrative AssistantCity Manager’s Office|Human Resources|Transportation(650) 329-2229 | danille.rice@cityofpaloalto.orgwww.cityofpaloalto.org From:jeannie duisenberg To:Council, City Subject:Airport expansion Date:Thursday, September 12, 2024 10:05:20 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council, Please consider voting against the expansion of the PA airport. It is really of no benefit to the vast majority of PA dwellers. Why would we want to increase air traffic when we have had so little satisfaction with the FAA in tamping down the air traffic noise inflicted on us for the last decade? No on airport expansion. Thank you, Jeannie Duisenberg Channing Ave From:Emily Renzel To:Council, City Subject:My more complete letter to you re Airport Date:Wednesday, September 11, 2024 6:54:17 PM Attachments:CC re airport.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Mayor Stone and City Council: I just re-sent you a letter I wrote about a month ago, but now realize that itwas a draft. The FINAL version is attached below. Please limit any new airport activities to the current site. Thanks. Emily Renzel, Councilmember 1979-91 August 8, 2024 Dear Mayor Stone & Members of the City Council: I have just read Alice Mansell’s letter to you with her perspective on Palo Alto’s decisions about our treasured baylands. There is considerable mixing of facts and opinions and I would like to straighten out the record a little. First of all, when John Fletcher Byxbee, City Engineer, set out to acquire some 1900 acres of Baylands, he regarded all of it as potential reclaimed land. Due to similar thinking all around the Bay, over 90% of the Bay’s wetlands were lost. With each loss, the options to restore the natural areas were reduced. Each City Council had fewer options to course correct. Highway 101 became known as the “Bayshore Freeway”. The City of Palo Alto owned a lot of land that was in San Mateo County and to correct that, the City re-routed the San Francisquito Creek, then considered the County bound- ary, to bring the Palo Alto owned land into Santa Clara County. Grand plans for the Airport and the Yacht Harbor were too expensive for Palo Alto, so the city leased those facilities to the County of Santa Clara. Re-routing of the Creek created some remnant sloughs. One of these is the lagoon that still envelopes the Duck Pond. In 1964, the Voters of Palo Alto, by a 90-10 margin, approved the Park Dedication Charter Amendment. Parklands may not be converted to other uses without a vote of the public. There have been fewer than 10 such amendments in subsequent years. One of these amendments undedicated three parcels to allow expansion of the airport. The City also kept expanding the “dump” into 126 acres of wetlands. By the early 1970’s the approved footprint of the dump was completely filled. The City, however, continued to fill new wetlands. By that time the Clean Water Act had been adopted by Congress and there was a new permit process required to fill wetlands. In 1975, the City was required to mitigate unpermitted fill by 1) installing pipes to one remnant of San Francisquito Creek (now commonly known as the Lagoon) to improve water quality and create a marshy fringe, and 2) installing a flexible tide gate in the 600-acre Flood Basin to also improve water quality and create marshland. Those mitigation requirements are a permanent obligation of the City of Palo Alto. Also in 1975, the 109 Boaters berthed in the Palo Alto Yacht Harbor were seeking to dredge the channel to the Bay. They argued that re-routing the Creek had caused the harbor to fill in. In fact, the Harbor was filling in because with each dredging, wetlands -1- were filled and the natural twice daily tidal prisms that kept the channel open, were obstructed. The Bay Conservation and Development Commission had jurisdiction and required a Comprehensive Baylands Master Plan as part of that approval. The City spent a couple of years to adopt the Baylands Master Plan which was subsequently revised and adopted in 2008. The Yacht Harbor was closed around 1980 and through natural tidal action, at least 20 acres of wetlands have been restored. Since the 1970’s, the City has recognized the environmental value of having a nearby natural marshland and has resisted additional fill and incompatible uses. The 2008 Adopted Baylands Master Plan proscribed expansion of the Airport and also acknowledged the protected areas surrounding it. The three parcels that were undedicated in 1969 were incorporated into the airport and the Regional Water Quality Control Plant. The airport paved some of this land for parking cars and airplanes. But much of that land remains unpaved. The City should consider rededicating this land as parkland instead of allowing the airport to expand. Byxbee’s vision of a Salt water swimming pool did not last long as it became a haven for the Bay’s wildlife and soon became the beloved Duck Pond. It continues to be a favorite place to take children for an outing. The lagoon that envelopes the Duck Pond continues to provide important habitat for migratory birds as envisioned in the 1975 mitigation. There have been many policy decisions made in the last fifty years, each with more and more constraints. Councils have done their best but not every decision was perfect. The 2008 Baylands Master Plan provides a comprehensive history of each of the major areas of the Baylands and I urge you to respect its conclusions - especially those protecting and enhancing wetlands. Please protect our very special Baylands and encourage the Airport to operate within the confines of its existing footprint and flight limitations. Sincerely, Emily M. Renzel, Planning Commissioner 1973-79 & Councilmember 1979-91 P.S. The 2008 Baylands Master Plan is available at <https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/ files/assets/public/v/1/planning-amp-development-services/file-migration/current- planning/forms-and-guidelines/baylands-master-plan.pdf> -2- From:Emily Renzel To:Council, City Subject:Please reject Airport expansion Date:Wednesday, September 11, 2024 6:03:53 PM Attachments:CC re airport.docx CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Mayor Stone and members of the City Council: Please limit the Airport operations to those which can be reasonably accommodated on its existing footprint. TheAirport already has a significant impact on the surrounding park and open space and the ability of Palo Altoresidents and our native wildlife to enjoy the tranquility of this nearby habitat. Attached is a letter I sent you a few weeks ago regarding the legal basis upon which you should reject expansioninto our natural Baylands. Thank you. Emily M. RenzelCouncilmember 1979-91 Palo Alto, CA 94301 not an intended recipient or an authorized agent, you are hereby notified that reading, distributing, or otherwise disseminating or copying, or taking any action based on the contents of this email is strictly prohibited and any unauthorized interception of this e-mail is illegal. If you have received thistransmission in error, please immediately notify the sender by return email and permanently delete allcopies of the email. Although the individual(s) or entity(ies) named above have taken reasonableprecautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email, the same cannot accept responsibility for anyloss or damage arising from the use of this email or attachments. © Integration Appliance, Inc. All rightsreserved. Intapp, OnePlace, and DealCloud are registered trademarks of Integration Appliance, Inc., orits subsidiaries. ### Before 12-06-17, one of the items on each UAC (normal) agenda was the "Director of Utilities Report." Starting 12-06-17, it was called the "General Manager of Utilities Report," until 03-05-20, when it was called the "Utilities Director's Report." 'Cause I think it's important, as the Utilities is shaping, it's totally different than as it started. When I first came here, at least. And Alan brings a lot of experience. He comes from Santa Clara. He's got a large -- long utility background. And Ithink that it's important that Ed hears it from all of you. So, I think that we're going to try squeeze it -- Ladies, I just found out this today -- that we have a pretty jam-packed meeting next week -- or, next month, in October. We have some consultants. But I also think, though, that it's important for us to -- and for all of you to think about what some of the -- um -- ideas might be. Of what we would be looking for, as we shape this position, in the future, as it comes open. So, I think that he may take a little bit of time to bring that. I encouraged him that he needs to bring it now, instead of waiting untilNovember. ### Is Director Batchelor suggesting that staff should put an item on UAC's agenda so that the commissioners candiscuss -- in public -- what Utilities should be doing, going forward, and how a future Director could facilitate that? Will there be a staff report? Should it be an action item, so that the commissioners can express their advice to Council in the form of a vote? (Recall that UAC is advisory to Council, not to staff.) ### In the past, UAC has, on occasion, met more than once a month when the need arose. 'Cause it just takes a little bit -- then that much more time that we won't have a GM or a Director in place. ### Here's how the City has filled the position of Director of Utilities in this century. ### In the fall of 2004, a scandal in the Utilities organization came to light.https://www.paloaltoonline.com/morgue/2005/2005_10_28.blawsuit28.shtml John Ulrich resigned as Director of Utilities effective 01-03-06.https://www.paloaltoonline.com/morgue/2005/2005_10_07.aulrich07mb.shtmlThe Director's position was filled on an interim basis by Assistant City Manager Emily Harrison and Director of Administrative Services Carl Yeats.https://www.paloaltoonline.com/morgue/2005/2005_12_14.util14mb.shtml (According to this document (page 19), they served in this capacity for 18 months.) https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/planning-amp-development-services/new-development-projects/project-pictures/10-16-2006-council-minutes.pdf Valerie Fong was hired as Director of Utilities on 10-10-06. https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-cmrs/year-archive/2006/cmr382-06.pdf ### Utilities Director Valerie Fong retired effective 12-30-15. https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/11/25/palo-alto-utilities-director-valerie-fong-to-retire-in-december/ At its 12-02-15 meeting, UAC discussed an item about recruiting a replacement.Agenda: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/utilities-advisory- commission/archived-agenda-and-minutes/agendas-and-minutes-2015/final-uac-agenda-december-2-2015.pdfStaff report: none. Minutes:https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/utilities-advisory- commission/archived-agenda-and-minutes/agendas-and-minutes-2016/01-13-2016-special-meeting/draft-uac-minutes-of- december-2-2015-meeting.pdfVideo (0:09:19-0:35:46) https://midpenmedia.org/utilities-advisory-commission-dec-2/ City Manager Jim Keene announced that Ed Shikada would be serving as interim Utilities Director -- in addition to hisduties as Assistant City Manager. A search for a new (non-interim) Director of Utilities ensued. At its 10-04-16 meeting, Council appointed Shikada as (non-interim) "General Utilities Director (Director of Utilities)" --again in addition to his duties as Assistant City Manager. https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-cmrs/year- archive/2016/id-7362-util-director.pdf ### City Manager Jim Keene retired at the end of 2018. Ed Shikada became the new City Manager, and he gave up his position as "General Utilities Director (Director of Utilities)."https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2018/06/25/ed-shikada-named-palo-altos-next-city-manager/ In January of 2019, Dean Batchelor was promoted from Chief Operating Officer (of Utilities) to Acting Utilities Director. On 05-06-19, Council appointed Dean Batchelor as Director of Utilities.https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-cmrs/year- archive/2019/id-10289-director-appointments.pdf?t=59012.18 But I know that between Alan and Kiely -- Kiely does still play a part in this -- is that I know that if -- for some reason, if theposition isn't filled by the time that I leave in December, I know that it's still going to be in good hands. That we'll be able tomove forward in the coming year. As we go through, budgets are going to be coming up. We've still go a lot of work to do on S/CAP as a whole. As you'll hear more tonight from Jonathan, as we move through this. So, with that, I just wanted tointroduce Alan. And I want to thank all of you now, sooner than later, for all your support throughout the time that you've given me as being the Director of the Utilities. So, thank you. 0:23:05: And that concludes my report. 0:23:07: ============================================================================================== From:Arthur Keller To:Planning Commission; Council, City Subject:Redevelopment of Charleston Plaza Date:Tuesday, September 10, 2024 12:38:51 AM Some people who received this message don't often get email from arthur@kellers.org. Learn why this isimportant Dear Councilmembers, Commissioners and Planning Staff, There is parking lot within the plaza that is located within the City of Palo Alto. So Palo Altoshould have some say over this development. The Comp Plan has the following program. Program T8.6.1 Support provision of a new southbound entranceramp to Highway 101 from San Antonio Road, inconjunction with the closure of the southboundCharleston Road on-ramp at the Rengstorff Avenueinterchange in Mountain View. [Previously ProgramT-55] [T173] We must push for this program to be done prior to redevelopment of Charleston Plaza. Best regards, Arthur 0.621371 miles. Xpeng sell 10,000 cars in minutes after revealing Tesla rival for half the price(youtube.com) I do wonder about the availability of spare parts for a car like this in 10 years. Headlights, e.g. That is one advantage that GM has when they produce millions of copies of a model anddo it for 15 years. Cars like the box-Chevy. How long will Xpeng be producing the car above? How long will Xpeng be there producing anything? Of course, an EV has far fewer parts thandoes an ICE vehicle. Say they do build a factory in Mexico. Where will you get this vehicle serviced when it needs it? Xpeng has just got to get going on a factory in Mexico. BYD has been shopping for a sitethere to build theirs. The US market is just too big for them to ignore and we, the American people, have just too much power for our scumbag politicians to keep them out. Too bad, but it will be years before these Chinese car companies get plants built in Mexicoturning out their cars, our politicians get prosecuted for keeping them out, they set up facilities here to deliver and sell them here, and the parts and servicing issue are clearly not a problem.Years. They are selling them in Australia and Europe now, however. And since they are selling them in Australia and Europe now, they must have figured out how to sell and deliver them there, how to service them there, and how to guarantee theavailability of parts in the future. OTW, people there wouldn't buy them. VW seems to be in trouble. They are losing market share in China, as is GM, and they are losing it in Europe. The appearance of great, cheaper Chinese EVs in China and in Europeseems to be a lot of the problem. Inside Volkswagen: EV bets and macro pressures pay a heavy toll | Seeking Alpha BTW, that big, pure EV Caddy, the Lyriq (SP?) you see advertised in the US, is being built and sold in China too. If the Chinese went for the prestigious Buick, and they do, think of howthey must go for that Caddy EV. L. William Harding Fresno, Ca. From:Tom Bria To:Council, City Subject:Palo Alto Airport Date:Monday, September 9, 2024 4:01:03 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Greetings. I have flown out of your airport for over 50 years and have always enjoyed the beautiful and safe facility your city has provided. Although I understand how easy it is to complain about its presence, for you to bend to these pressures and close your excellent airport would be a terrible shame. Respectfully, Thomas Bria Association of Inspectors General Certification To stay current on the latest in oversight and to incorporate bestpractices into my work and the establishment of this new agency, Iattended theAssociation of Inspector GeneralInstitute at John JayCollege of Criminal Justice in New YorkCity, from August 12thto August 16th. This intensive five-day program covered allfacets of conductingoversight according to national standards,from caseinvestigations to departmentmanagement. It was an amazing experience learningfrom impressiveinstructors and getting to know otherInspector Generalsfrom around the country. I am proudand excited toannounce that I have met the qualifications,successfully completedthis rigorous program, and passed the examto become yourCertified Inspector General. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital center, providing many critical services, including mental health and addiction treatment, forensicexaminations, rehabilitation services, inmate care, and specialized care and treatment. A diverse array of people arrives at the ZSFGHdaily around the clock. The SFSO is contracted to provide security forthe hospital. This location also serves as anoperational hub for the SFSO to monitor different health service facilities throughout the city. Additionally, the SFSO regularly deploysdeputies to the surrounding areas when a law enforcement response is needed. It is an extremely busy post with 500-600 calls forservice a month. From our visit, it was clear that the SFSO is short-staffed at this station and reliant onoutdated technology to monitor many locations.SFSO's command staff at the ZSFGH depend on volunteered overtime to keep operations afloatand must assess staffing levels every morning tomake the difficult decision of prioritizing which posts they can staff and which they cannot. Those seeking care, those visiting loved ones, and those dedicated to providing care in service to others should not feel unsafe or be subjectedto violence without adequate protection. If theSFSO is going to provide security at the ZSFGH, I'll advocate for them to have the necessary toolsto do it right. Upcoming Plans To keep you informed about our ongoing activities and projects, below is a preview of what to expect in the next few months. Regular visits to the County Jails to hear input from the inmates and staff about the jailconditions. We will be alternating between the jail facilities in San Francisco and San Bruno. Regular town hall meetings to inform the community about the role of the OIG and availableservices and to engage the community in a dialog about where to prioritize our efforts. Using this newsletter to amplify the voices of the most impacted community members by creating a section for community perspectives and opinions. We want to thank Board Member Afuhaamango for assisting with this effort. About In 2020, San Francisco voters passed Supervisor Walton's Proposition D, which resulted in theformation of the Sheriff's Department Oversight Board and the Office of the Inspector General. Theprimary function of these entities is to provide independent oversight for the Sheriff's Office. On December 20, 2023, the board appointed Inspector General Wiley, who officially assumed his role onJanuary 8, 2024. We appreciate your patience and support as Inspector General Wiley builds the Office of the Inspector General to become operational. While the Inspector General seeks funds through thebudget process to serve the people of San Francisco and deliver on the promise of Proposition D, the Department of Police Accountability will continue to provide independent investigations into complaints of serious misconduct against San Francisco Sheriff deputies and in-custody deathspursuant to existing agreements. Please stay tuned for updates about the transition of this work. San Francisco Office of the Inspector General website: Office of the Inspector General | SanFrancisco (sf.gov) Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.View this email online. 1 South Van Ness Ave 2nd Floor None | San Francisco, CA 94103 US This email was sent to abjpd1@gmail.com.To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.