HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-01-06 City Council EmailsFrom:Henry Etzkowitz
To:Aram James
Cc:Roberta Ahlquist; Arthur Millman; Council, City; Ellen Bob
Subject:AHA convention attendees oppose "scholasticide" in Gaza
Date:Monday, January 6, 2025 1:27:02 AM
Academia takes a stand!
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2025/01/05/aha-convention-attendees-oppose-scholasticide-gaza
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industry, except for Tesla.
If this is true, somebody should step in: the Sect. General of the UN, the Secretary ofDefense of the US, the head of NATO, the head of the World Bank, the Chairman of the
Federal Reserve System, the Secretary of the Treasury, Congress, the President, maybe all ofthem working together. Our auto industry is just headed for disaster, this alleges.
GM, Toyota & VW will SOON CRASH! Engineer Reveals Why (Reasons are UGLY!)
How China uses Mexico to avoid US tariffs: 19:08 An eye-opener re Mexico.
How China Uses Mexico To Avoid U.S. Tariffs
L. William Harding
Fresno, Ca.
consideration when VTA considers bus line cuts. (The second grant for PALink came from VTA.
Hmmm.) The important VTA288 bus to Gunn and the VA Hospital used to serve about 100
Gunn students per day pre-pandemic, eliminating about 200 Gunn car trips per school day on
Arastradero. VTA 288 ridership has not recovered post-pandemic. Staff argues that one
cannot draw direct correlation between these factors. True. One also cannot say for certain
that PA Link is not a factor. What we know is that some kids who used to bike or ride the bus
tell us they are now riding Palo Alto Link. Via’s data shows they are delivering a lot of trips
to/from PAUSD schools. Was that Council and staff’s intent? It’s not clear that geofencing will
solve this problem when kids can easily walk off campus to call for a ride. I don’t even know
how such trips could be measured.
Every car (and electric car) trip added to our streets contributes to increased auto congestion,
safety risk, GHG emissions for all road users, including vulnerable foot-powered students on
school routes. This program is fiscally unsustainable, creates regressive transfer of budget
dollars to many people who do not need subsidy. Most importantly, it reinforces the bad habit
of picking up the phone to call for a car when we want to make local trips. That flies in the face
of the spirit of the Transportation Element of Palo Alto’s Comprehensive Plan.
We can do better. Please eliminate this poorly conceived program at your next opportunity.
Thank you for considering my comments.
Penny Ellson
Virus-free.www.avg.com
* Yellow: Natural gas
* Green: Sewer lines
* Orange: Telecommunications
Here's another source that says what colors are used for what functions, including also:https://blog.unitedpolysystems.com/blog/hdpe-color-code-guide* Red: Electric
* Purple: Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry slurry lines
Years ago, CPAU went through a phase of using ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) for gas pipes, untilit realized that ABS pipes can fail prematurely, whereupon it initiated a project GS-18000 for replacingABS gas pipes before they failed. See page 15 here:https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-cmrs/attachments/03-01-2023-id-2301-0843-gas-financial-plan-fy24-uac.pdf
This document also mentions (page 37) a plan for replacing PVC gas pipes.
On 01-22-18, Council approved an Upgrade Downtown project that used PVC pipes as conduit for futurefiber. I pointed out that HDPE would have been a better choice.https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/city-council-agendas-minutes/00-archive/2018/01-22-2018-final-ccm-transcript.pdf
Summary: It's important not to be misled by inaccurate statements about what kinds of pipes CPAU is
using.
Thanks.
Jeff
-------------------Jeff Hoel
-------------------
PS: The above "polyurethane" discussion occurred after the presentation of three short videos (from0:35:43 to 0:37:33 within the meeting video), as color commentary about how CPAU serves the public. Iwas not impressed by the videos. They consisted of still photographs being panned and zoomed, withvisual text but no audio other than a repetitive boring musical background. Each video referred theviewer to "cityofpaloalto.org/utilityprojects,"https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Utilities/Utilities-Services-Safety/Utilities-Projectswhere the three topics were presented in more detail, in a non-video format.
Commissioner Tucher (at 0:43:25) said he'd like staff to agendize an item, in the next few months, toconsider further how CPAU does outreach to its customers, for example with videos like this. ChairMauter recommended talking about that at Future Topics for Meetings. But by then (3:51:41), the ideahad sort of morphed. Chair Mauter proposed that the topic be dealt with as part of a Director's Report. Ilike Commissioner Tucher's idea better. It lets UAC and the public know what's coming. It potentially hasa staff report that provides useful information in advance. And it potentially allows UAC to advise Councilby voting.
PPS: I noticed that the 12-Month Rolling Calendar for 01-07-25https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/7/utilities/utilities-advisory-commission/1-7-24-rolling-calendar.pdf
doesn't have information for January 2025.
crossing safety improvements are not complete and require city follow-up, including
signalization and RPP program improvements to serve nearby neighborhoods and businesses
after these changes.
Why Focus This Focus Is Needed
Though it’s true that Transportation relates in some way to every goal in the 2024 Priorities,
lack of focus on multi-modal transportation and focus on the SCAP (which did not give due
attention to active transportation) has led to increased city focus on promotion of electric cars
over other modes of transportation that are more sustainable, have fewer safety, congestion,
parking/land use impacts and help people enjoy healthier, more active lifestyles by including
walking, running and bicycling in their daily activities.
2024 City Council Priorities
Economic Development & Transition
Climate Change & Natural Environment—Protection & Adaptation
Housing for Social & Economic Balance
Community Health, Safety, Wellness & Belonging
Please make Multi-Modal Transportation a 2025 City Council priority to ensure it gets the
focused attention that will be needed to avert severe impacts on traffic congestion, emissions,
parking, safety, health & wellness & belonging that come with increasing car traffic from
increased density. (Electric cars contribute to all of these impacts even though their emissions
are lower than gas powered cars.) If road users don’t have a safe and convenient alternative,
they will drive.
Please make Multi-Modal Transportation a City Council Priority this year.
The need is urgent for the city to give focused attention to safe, convenient, multi-modal
transportation this year—especially in areas the city has upzoned for high density
residential. This transportation planning work must catch up with the state-mandated
housing development.
Please Make Cubberley A Priority This Year
Thousands of new residents living in smaller spaces will generate much greater demand
for community service and activity space.
Thank you for considering my comments.
Penny Ellson
Virus-free.www.avg.com
turn over leadership to a younger generation. You will be 77 in April, a Trump-like age—you would be the oldest mayor in two decades it's time to step aside. Do the right thing, Ed!!
Sincerely,
Avram Finkelstein
From:Garrett Clark
To:Council, City
Subject:Public Comment for Agenda Item #7 for Jan. 13, 2025 Council Meeting
Date:Friday, January 3, 2025 10:50:04 AM
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Greetings,
Regarding Item 7, which revises the parklet regulations for downtown to require consent to expand parklets beyond
the property owner’s own frontage, the council should be careful about whether it endorses the view that property
owners have specific property rights to the curb space of the public right of way adjacent to their property.
While it is sensible to resolve the conflict between restauranteurs and shop owners, and this proposal would likely
do so at the expense of some expanded parklets, the council should consider clarifying any language which
expressly or impliedly recognizes a property right to such curb space.
The public right of way is owned by the city for the entire public, not just for the neighboring public. It can be used
for various purposes (e.g., parking spaces, parklets, street fairs, or farmers markets), but encouraging property
owners to view curb space adjacent to their property as their own property risks any purpose which the property
owner would seek to exercise this de facto veto.
As we seek to improve the economic prospects of downtown, improving the safety and ambience of our downtown
should not be discouraged by a misapprehension of who actually owns the streets.
Thank you for your consideration.
Garrett Clark
Did our idiotic multi-million dollar "retail consultants" suggest this?
Did our Grinch bureaucrats miss all the kids staring through the windowsenjoying watching the cats?
Do you support killing animals instead of adoption?
Shame on you! We now return you to wasting money on Streetscape Surveys
and spending $43,000,000 on wider sidewalks and replacing convenient angled
parking.
Most sincerely,
Jo Ann Mandinach
A Palo Alto Resident
From:City Mgr
To:Council, City; Shikada, Ed
Cc:Executive Leadership Team; Clerk, City
Subject:City Council Bundle - January 2
Date:Thursday, January 2, 2025 4:58:12 PM
Attachments:image001.pngimage002.pngRE No Parking for Street Sweeping.msgRE Filthy Palo Alto City parks bathrooms.msgRE IndustrialTransportCommercial concerns.msgRE IndustrialTransportCommercial concerns.msgMini Cat Town Email Responses.pdf
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
On behalf of City Manager Ed Shikada, please see the attached staff responses to emails received in
the City.Council inbox through January 2, 2025.
Thank you and Happy New Year!
Danille RiceAdministrative AssistantCity Manager’s Office|Human Resources|Transportation(650) 329-2229 | danille.rice@cityofpaloalto.orgwww.cityofpaloalto.org
Gerry
Most sincerely,Jo Ann MandinachA Palo Alto Resident
in China is Tesla, perceived as very high quality by the Chinese consumers. Ford, GM,Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Toyota and Honda were making big profits in China, and nowthat is ending. Yikes! Consider that. All of those big profits from China are gone!! Jeep wentbankrupt in China.
So Trump puts huge tariffs on Chinese cars made in China or Mexico. They are already
building or operating plants in Viet Nam, India, eastern Europe, the Middle East. Going totariff all of that too?
The American people want these great, cheap Chinese cars and we are going to havethem. We do get to vote and we'll elect people to Congress who will repeal these tariffs. Youare voting to damage Social Security and Medicare and keep huge tariffs on Chinese cars?
Start preparing your resume. Get your concession speech ready. Chinese cars are already a bigpercent of sales in Mexico. The Mexicans will think that the Yankees are indeed a bunch of
suckers if our government keeps these cars out of the US. So will the Americans.
I would suggest to Ford, GM, Tesla and the European and Asian auto makers that they trydesigning a vehicle that people 6 feet tall can easly get in and out of without herniating the
discs in their necks and backs. Maybe do this as a last roll of the dice just before the Chineseput you out of business in your home country. The vid below mentions that people want larger
EVs. Maybe when the companies make those, they will make them easy to get in and out of.
I'll mention that the Toyota Forerunner has a nice, vertical-ish A pillar. My neighbor hadone and I asked her if she had to step on the running board to get in. No, she just sat down in
the driver's seat. That vehicle, BTW, holds its value. I looked at them on the web. A ~2018model is over ~$20,000. At 200,000 miles, the engine is just getting broken in. The Japanese
learned that they could up-end the US auto industry with quality. Now they'll all have to fightthe Chinese EVs with quality and low prices.
Don't miss this:
China’s Auto Takeover: BYD Vs. Tesla And The Battle For EV Supremacy | CNBC
Marathon
L. William Harding Fresno, Ca.
I Should Have Known Better (Remastered 2009)
vehicle being built that looked like the Zoox. I thought it was a Zoox. Finally I saw in smallprint on side of it the word "Cruise". So GM was planning a robotaxi that used the form factor
of the Zoox. Looked a little bigger. So not just the Chevy Bolt, was the plan.
People are uging GM to license the FSD setup from Tesla when Tesla really has itperfected. Tesla seems open to that. Version 13.2.2 of TSLA FSD is very impressive. There
are now miles of vids on Youtube of people driving Teslas with v.13.2.2. See some of those. .Neat trick: when a Tesla with 13.2.2 does something a little squirrly, the driver can hit a button
and report it to Tesla. Driving in a bike lane e.g. They can then update the software andbroadcast the update.
Tesla will make huge money licensing FSD to other auto makers.
An hour and 39 min: Lots of information here: I just sat through the whole thing and it is
well worth watching. Can't wait for those Al-ion batteries.
No More Model 2. Elon Musk Reveals 2025 Tesla Model Q: SHOCKING ProductionPlan! Under $17,890. Mix
Trump and the new Sect. of Energy should get a full report from the National Lab in Idaho
that has been working, for several years, on the small nuclear reactor. Maybe accelerate itsdevelopment. When perfected, Elon could form the Tesla Nuclear Reactor Company. Maybe
put Bill Gates on the Board. It has been an interest of his for years. $50 or $100 billion offederal money could get it off the ground.These small nuclear reactors could be sold by Tesla
all over the world. It is a technology made for Tesla. Nuclear will have to be the answer toclimate change. Wind and solar won't be enough.
Here are additional "Do Not Miss" vids that relate to the above.
Elon Musk Announces Super Solid-State Battery For Tesla 2025. HUGE Changes You
Need To Know!
Elon Musk’s Semi-Solid State Batteries FINALLY HIT The Market! Everything You NeedTo Know HERE
Why Amazon, Microsoft, Google And Meta Are Investing In Nuclear Power
Why Nvidia, Google, And Microsoft Are Betting Billions On Biotech+AI
EVs with Semi Solid state batteries are about to arrive...
Note that many of these show people charging their EV by plugging it in. Tesla has a newsuper-charger called the V-12, I think. Inductive charging will eventually make plugging in as
quaint and as obsolete at the hand crank. The Cybercab will charge by induction only, sothat is a good start. How will society change over to inductive charging? Maybe put both a
charging port on the car AND an inductive receiving coil under the car. Re the issue of thievesjack-hammering out the sending coil to get some Cu:. Provide tough penalties when caught,
use plenty of razor wire and cameras, electrify the fences, provide tough penalties for therecyclers who buy the Cu. When liberals complain, say that we are up against a global
catastrophe with CO2 emissions.
L. William Harding
Fresno, Ca.
From:Henry Etzkowitz
To:Council, City; Sabine Girod; Justin Zalkin; Carol Kiparsky; Khonika Gope; Elaine Berman; Fred Balin; daisy law;Richard Horning; Naeem Zafar; Charlie Weidanz; Ellen Fox; Sandy Perry-HCA; Firoozeh Dastmalchi; GennadySheyner; Jim Hersh
Subject:party Reminder and report to 2480 voters +
Date:Monday, December 30, 2024 11:01:25 PM
Typo corrected
>
> Join “break the bottle” new year’s celebration; retire the campaign debt event,
>
> Where: 644 Menlo Avenue Menlo Park
> “Third space “
>
> when: just before 9pm to just after 12 am
>
> Who : campaign supporters, voters, fellow candidates, environmental, senior, youth and sociability advocates ,
northern , southern, downtown and central Palo Altans, Marguerite universalizers, Gym and third space proponents,
oak creekers, Moldawers, Channing Housers, Stanford westers and all
>
>
> For:
> Senior Advocate, who originally announced no funds candidacy except for $20 leaflet paper cost, changed naive
course and began to raise “Benjamin” at a time funds from colleagues and friends.
>
> Accomplishments: housing at Stanford Shopping Centre on city’s agenda for coming year according to
Embarcadero media. No purchase earlier when Ed Shikada, city manager, brought resident’s proposal to Council’s
attention
>
> Next step from “Stanford fair share” platform: Oxbridge like residential graduate colleges at Research Park, with
set asides for children of Palo Alto residents
>
> More in full report early in new year
>
> Um fortissimo Abraco
> Henry
> HenryEtzkowitz.org
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
From:Henry Etzkowitz
To:Council, City; Sabine Girod; Sabine Girod; Justin Zalkin; Carol Kiparsky; Khonika Gope; Elaine Berman; FredBalin; daisy law; Richard Horning; Naeem Zafar; Charlie Weidanz; Ellen Fox; Sandy Perry-HCA; FiroozehDastmalchi; Gennady Sheyner; Jim Hersh
Subject:Reminder and report to 2480 voters +
Date:Monday, December 30, 2024 10:46:39 PM
Join “break the bottle” new year’s celebration; retire the campaign debt event,
Where: 644 Menlo Avenue Menlo Park
“Third space “
when: just before 9pm to just after 12 am
Who : campaign supporters, voters, fellow candidates, environmental, senior, youth and sociability advocates ,
northern , southern, downtown and central Palo Altans, Marguerite universalizers, Gym and third space proponents,
all
For:
Senior Advocate, who originally announced no funds candidacy except for $20 leaflet paper cost, changed naive
course and began to raise “Benjamin” at a time funds from colleagues and friends.
Accomplishments: housing at Stanford research park on city’s agenda for coming year according to Embarcadero
media. Idea ignored when Ed Shikada city manager brought resident’s proposal to Council’s attention
Next step from “Stanford fair share” platform: Oxbridge like residential graduate colleges at Research Park, with
best asides for children of Palo Alto residents
More in full report early in new year
Um fortissimo Abraco
Henry
HenryEtzkowitz.org
Sent from my iPhone
From:Henry Etzkowitz
To:wsj.ltrs@wsj.com; Gennady Sheyner; Braden Cartwright; Sarah Wright; Avroh Shah; Jim Hersh; Lotus Fong;Brian Good; Luis sanz sanz; Office of the Provost; Palo Post
Cc:Roberta Ahlquist; Council, City; Rebecca Eisenberg; eic@stanforddaily.com; Marty Wasserman; Jeanne Fleming
Subject:Musk was Right/Wrong?
Date:Monday, December 30, 2024 7:07:48 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking
on links.
Lanny Herron (letters dec28-29) offered kudos to Elon Musk for having the right idea on eliminating so-called“pork” from federal budgets, should have named Donald Trump who , during his first term reinstated the practice.
Whether “spendathon”“community improvement” or combination, it’s originator must be credited or debited.However right or wrong Mr Musk may be on this issue, he is surely wrong or at least questionable as TESLA CEOin his firm’s pour of 900+ gallons of sodium hydroxide into Palo Alto’s Matadero Creek. Neighbors for economicand social justice has called the firm and its head to account for this unpermtted, unapologetic, health endangeringact in a suit filed in San Jose Superior Court 13 November, that comes up before Judge Monahan on 20 June 2025for 500 billion recompense, an amount that may deter Musk and Tesla from future environmental depredations aswell as repair the past. A Stanford University member hypothesized on the apparent violation of the university’scommitment to the community to house ‘clean industry’ in its iconic ResearchPark, providing a model for global replication that it was likely thought that payment of fines for the illegal act wasless trouble. Mr Musk may or may not have the right idea on government spending but he surely has the wrongpractice on environmental, animal and human health and welfare.
Henry EtzkowitzPalo Alto, CA
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