HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-01-10 City Council Summary Minutes Regular Meeting January 10, 2000 1. Proclamation Commending the Y2K Team..................89-284 2. Proclamation Commending the Millennium in Motion Team.89-284 3. Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor......................89-284
4. Resolution 7918 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Honoring Gary Fazzino as Mayor of Palo Alto for January 4, 1999, through January 10, 2000"........89-286
5. Resolution 7919 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of
Joseph H. Huber as Mayor and Council Member≅ ..........89-288
6. Resolution 7920 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of
Dick Rosenbaum as Mayor and Council Member≅ ...........89-289
7. Resolution 7921 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of
Micki Schneider as Vice Mayor and Council Member≅ .....89-290
8. Resolution 7912 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of
Lanie Wheeler as Mayor and Council Member≅ ............89-291 ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. to a reception.89-295 FINAL ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 10:25 p.m......89-295
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The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers at 7:15 p.m. City Clerk Donna Rogers conducted the swearing in of City Council Members Bern Beecham, Jim Burch, Judy Kleinberg, Nancy Lytle, and Dena Mossar. PRESENT: Beecham, Burch, Eakins, Fazzino, Kleinberg, Kniss, Lytle, Mossar, Ojakian
Children from the Children=s Theatre sang a medley of songs for the City Council. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 1. Proclamation Commending the Y2K Team Mayor Fazzino presented a proclamation to the Y2K Team. He commended the team led by Fire Chief Rueben Grijalva, Police Chief Pat Dwyer, Administrative Services Director Carl Yeats, and Information Technology Services Manager Rod Massey for an outstanding job in preparing the City for Y2K and for its commitment to the safety and security of the community. 2. Proclamation Commending the Millennium in Motion Team Mayor Fazzino presented a proclamation to the Millennium in Motion Team. He commended the team led by Special Events Manager Ann Mottola for an outstanding job planning an event that focused on families and children. 3. Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor Mayor Fazzino recognized and thanked Debbie Mesloh, representing
Senator Dianne Feinstein=s Office; Anne Ream, representing
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo=s Office; Ross Nakasone, representing
State Senator Byron Sher=s Office; Jon Lynn, representing State
Assemblyman Ted Lempert=s Office; Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian; and other elected officials and former Council Members who were in the audience that evening. Mayor Fazzino nominated Council Member Kniss as Mayor for 2000 and supported her for her great civic and regional leadership. Her record of achievement as former Mayor in 1994 included many areas. She established a family resource center which was presently an invaluable web site with information regarding family issues, children, and seniors and put Palo Alto on the map regarding technology. Council Member Kniss was truly the technology Mayor for Palo Alto which was the first city in the country with its own web site. She was remarkable in her leadership and understanding of the potential the Internet would have for a community like Palo
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Alto. Council Member Kniss was a leader in economic resources, permit streamlining, and also mayor during World Cup soccer. In addition, she had an excellent record of leadership at the regional level which the Council had come to realize was where many issues facing Palo Alto were dealt with. As an early member of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Commission, she was a leader on transportation issues, a strong proponent of transportation both regional and intracity, and an advocate of the shuttle and the need to expand it. Her personal qualities included being an outstanding facilitator, orchestrator, listener, and builder of coalitions. Council Member Ojakian supported the nomination of Council Member Kniss as Mayor for 2000. In a City Manager/Council run form of government, the Mayor acted at one level symbolically and at another level as a good facilitator getting people to work together. In his dealings with Council Member Kniss, she had done a wonderful job performing that type of activity. Given her background and experience as a former mayor and Palo Alto school board member, Council Member Kniss would be able to bring together new Council Members and incumbent Council Members and also to glean the Council around a new City Manager still to be hired. She was the person on the Council who had that type of experience to make it all work. Council Member Kniss had a tremendous amount of experience to draw from which would enable everything to work as it should. Council Member Kleinberg supported the nomination of Council Member Kniss as Mayor for 2000. She referred to a book by John Gardner
entitled ΑEffective Leadership≅ where she found the perfect
definition for Council Member Kniss, ΑEffective leaders heighten both motivation and confidence. Leaders must revitalize our shared
values and beliefs in order to accomplish effective group action.≅ Council Member Kniss embodied those words in everything she did. Council Member Kniss had the poise, perception, and the passion needed to lead the Council through the first year of the new millennium. RESULTS OF THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR MAYOR VOTING FOR KNISS: Beecham, Burch, Eakins, Fazzino, Kleinberg, Kniss, Lytle, Mossar, Ojakian City Clerk Donna Rogers announced that Council Member Kniss received nine votes and was elected Mayor on the first ballot. Outgoing Mayor Fazzino presented newly-elected Mayor Kniss with the official Mayoral pin. Mayor Kniss said it was an honor and privilege to serve the community. She introduced her family who were present. She was
well known for family and childrens= issues which had been high on her docket for a long time.
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Council Member Mossar nominated Sandy Eakins as Vice Mayor for 2000. Council Member Eakins had many qualifications including serving as a board member of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and chair of the Policy and Services Committee during her service as a Council Member. Prior to her service as Council Member, she was co-chair of the Comprehensive Plan Community Advisory Committee which drafted the Comprehensive Plan. She was a classmate in Leadership Palo Alto with Council Member Eakins, Vice Mayor Schneider, and Council Member Kleinberg. Council Member Eakins was pragmatic and thorough, committed to the interests of South Palo Alto, and a strong advocate for the arts and historical resources of the community. She could always turn to Council Member Eakins for environmental policy to get a fair and open hearing and help to move forward with an issue. For those reasons, she believed Council Member Eakins would serve the Council well as Vice Mayor. Council Member Beecham supported the nomination of Council Member Eakins for Vice Mayor. RESULTS OF THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR VICE MAYOR VOTING FOR EAKINS: Beecham, Burch, Eakins, Fazzino, Kleinberg, Kniss, Lytle, Mossar, Ojakian City Clerk Donna Rogers announced that Council Member Eakins received nine votes and was elected Vice Mayor on the first ballot. Mayor Kniss congratulated Vice Mayor Eakins.
4. Resolution 7918 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Honoring Gary Fazzino as Mayor of Palo Alto for January 4, 1999, through January 10, 2000" MOTION: Council Member Ojakian moved, seconded by Eakins, to adopt the resolution. MOTION PASSED 9-0. Sylvia Smitham, 2514 Birch Street, thanked outgoing Mayor Fazzino for doing a wonderful job as mayor. Having attended most of the Council meetings last year, she appreciated his hard. Council Member Fazzino said the year was remarkable. Because 1998 was a challenging year for the Council, his priority in 1999 was to ensure a high level of confidence in city government and to demonstrate to the public the opportunity to participate, to engage in City activities, and to make a difference. That was one reason
his ΑConversation with the Mayor≅ neighborhood meetings were important to him as well as their success. Regional cooperation was another priority and the reason he indicated Mayor Kniss would
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be invaluable as mayor due to her strong regional skills. He mentioned some of the achievements of the past year: Meetings were established with the mayors of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park and the president of Stanford University on a regular basis to deal with issues such as transportation, one of which was the Dumbarton Rail issue; through City Manager June Fleming a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) was established with a multi-jurisdictional effort to deal with issues associated with San Francisquito Creek maintenance and improvements to assure there would not be the type of devastation that happened in 1998 in the event of future floods; progress was made through the Peninsula Interfaith Council on a homeless opportunity center for the region, and for the first time members of different community Transportation staffs were meeting on a regular basis; and largely through the efforts of Council Member Mossar, progress was achieved with respect to the concerns of airport noise in terms of securing the participation of neighboring communities banding together to address the issue. He thanked the staff for its efforts on the emergency preparation, both Y2K and the broader Emergency Plan. One of his assurances to the community the prior year was the establishment of a transportation shuttle which was inaugurated in December 1999. He was sad to see Ms. Fleming retire, but a city manager recruitment search was initiated to identify a successor who would make Ms. Fleming and the entire City proud. A decision on historic preservation was made and a process was initiated with respect to single-family neighborhoods which he hoped would be smoother and would involve more people early on. It was a wonderful year due to
activities such as the Women=s World Cup in which former Mayor Wheeler played such an important role. He was disappointed that a joint City-School library was not achieved but still had hope. He did not expect progress but believed at some point in the future the issue of how mayors were elected in Palo Alto should be addressed. He felt strongly about the need for a more predictable process to elect mayors in the community, whether directly or some other way. He thanked his family and friends who were present, and he thanked Council Appointed Officers Calonne, Fleming, Rogers, and Vinson and staff with whom he enjoyed working. The most important decision the Council would make was to choose a city manager. He enjoyed working with Ms. Fleming and felt it had been a successful year for her and the City. He also thanked his colleagues who tackled interesting and unique issues in Palo Alto which tended to divide the constituency. When people disagreed with him or his colleagues he was not upset, but he did get upset when people questioned their motivations. He felt the City had outstanding public officials, outgoing and incoming, who truly cared about the community and made the best decisions possible based upon the information available. He also thanked the community and said it had been a joy serving as mayor. Mayor Kniss presented former Mayor Fazzino with a plaque and a Palo Alto City key.
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Vice Mayor Eakins presented former Mayor Fazzino with a gift from his colleagues. Mayor Kniss said the previous year held some difficult times for the community, and former Mayor Fazzino did a superb job of getting through the year by bringing a real sense of community to Palo Alto. His presence was valued.
5. Resolution 7919 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of
Joseph H. Huber as Mayor and Council Member≅ MOTION: Council Member Fazzino moved, seconded by Beecham, to adopt the resolution. MOTION PASSED 9-0. Council Member Fazzino said former Council Member Huber had been a selfless public servant. As an attorney, his legal skills were invaluable, both in public and private session. He made his colleagues aware of when to stop pontificating and make a decision, which he did often. Former Council Member Huber never personalized being mayor or a member of the Council. Even when the rhetoric was at its hottest, he continued to focus on the issues and policy decisions before the Council. He thanked former Council Member Huber for his public service; he would be missed.
Vice Mayor Eakins said former Council Member Huber=s classic saying
with regard to a difficult vote was, ΑWell, now we have to do it,
that=s why they pay us the big bucks.≅ Council Member Lytle directed her comments to the four outgoing Council Members, saying she had the privilege of working as a staff member during most of their terms and acknowledged that many years of experience and dedication were leaving with them. Their individual accomplishments were many and summarized well in the resolutions appreciating them that evening. They would best be remembered as leaders for their efforts on the Comprehensive Plan
where they were brave enough to initiate a Αbottoms-up,≅ citizen-read process and dedicated to do the difficult work that decision
caused. Great cities were not made in the course of one person=s political career, but in part by the ability to inspire others to carry out and implement a vision. She pledged to former Council Members Huber, Rosenbaum, Schneider, and Vice Mayor Wheeler that she would do her best to finish the good work they started. She thanked them for their dedicated service and leadership. She presented each of the outgoing Council Members with a cartoon that referenced the Comprehensive Plan engraved with the pledge she made that evening.
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Council Member Ojakian knew former Council Member Huber since the late 1970s when they both became active in Palo Alto politics.
Former Council Member Huber=s typical style, given his Midwestern upbringing, was to look at most issues, keep them low key and, in the process, pull out a sense of humor. He had the privilege of
running former Council Member Huber=s campaign in 1991, who encouraged him to run for Council also. Former Council Member Huber was eloquent, intelligent, and a diligent worker who would get at the point of an issue and help others understand it. He would be sadly missed on the Council. Former Council Member Joe Huber said it had been an honor and a privileged to serve the community for the past eight years. He always looked upon the Council and himself as caretakers for a City that gave a lot to everyone. The best one could do to serve Palo Alto was listen, try to manage change, understand the City would move forward regardless of what the Council did, and know that mistakes would be made which was okay as long as things moved forward. The colleagues he served with, past and future, were the greatest joy he had in his public life during the past eight years. He thanked his colleagues, past and present; his fellow elected officials for all the good service and kind cooperation for Palo Alto; his family and friends for their encouragement, perspective, and support; and his wife, Nancy, for being there and caring.
6. Resolution 7920 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of
Dick Rosenbaum as Mayor and Council Member≅ MOTION: Vice Mayor Eakins moved, seconded by Fazzino, to adopt the resolution. MOTION PASSED 9-0. Council Member Fazzino did not think anyone truly appreciated the countless hours former Council Rosenbaum devoted to utilities work over the prior eight years. When speaking of what made Palo Alto unique and special, one of the special aspects was receiving electric power at rates of about 50 percent below the cost of
Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Palo Alto=s utilities system was put into place by two Stanford University professors nearly 100 years prior. The system had become a challenge over the prior few years, largely due to deregulation and other factors such as the federal government wanting to change the power contract situation for municipalities. Former Council Member Rosenbaum devoted much of his time ensuring the City continued to receive power at a relatively low cost and also help ensure the health of the municipal utilities system. He thanked former Council Member Rosenbaum for all he had done, being a leader in the utilities system, his careful analysis of the money the City spent, and
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forcing the Council and staff to ask the tough questions regarding the value of the public services received. Council Member Mossar directed her comments to her former colleagues, stating she had served on the Finance Committee with Council Members Huber, Rosenbaum, and Vice Mayor Wheeler, recognizing what a wealth of information was leaving with them. She thanked her colleagues and hoped the newly appointed Finance Committee would find a way to serve the community on financial issues as well as they had. Council Member Eakins said former Council Member Rosenbaum was a true gentleman. He could ask the difficult questions but could also be extraordinarily gracious. Council Member Burch said he was honored to sit in former Council
Member Rosenbaum=s seat and hoped he could be half as wise as his predecessor. Former Council Member Dick Rosenbaum thanked the Council and congratulated Mayor Kniss. He recalled how hard she worked during her previous mayoral term. He also congratulated the incoming Council Members. Being elected to office in Palo Alto in a contested election was becoming a more arduous task. He commended the incoming Council Members for taking part in the election process and for their success. He felt the public chose four well-qualified and articulate Council Members and were in good hands for the future. Being on the City Council was a unique and educational process for him which he greatly enjoyed. He thanked the voters for giving him the opportunity and expressed his appreciation to his Council colleagues for the high level of debate and the good fellowship enjoyed over the past eight years. The City staff was outstanding, whom he enjoyed working closely with, particularly the Council Appointed Officers. He wished City Manager June Fleming the best on her upcoming retirement. He wished the Council well and hoped the incoming Council Members would find the job as fascinating as he had.
7. Resolution 7921 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of
Micki Schneider as Vice Mayor and Council Member≅ MOTION: Council Member Beecham moved, seconded by Kleinberg, to adopt the resolution. MOTION PASSED 9-0. Council Member Beecham met former Council Member Schneider eight years prior when she led a complicated process as co-chair of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee and later worked on her first City Council campaign. One thing former Council Member Schneider could be counted on was that she spoke from her heart.
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Council Member Fazzino said former Council Member Schneider=s service included her enthusiasm and willingness to be passionate about causes she believed in. Sometimes she took a contrary point of view which made her more bold and made her fight harder for her perspective whether it was popular or not. In several instances, she was able to turn the Council around as a result of her passion and encouragement and get the Council to look at an issue from a different perspective. Former Council Member Schneider had a strong commitment to small businesses, many struggling to get by in a rapidly changing economic environment. He applauded her vision on the Performing Art Center which she pushed for Council consideration for several years. Without her, the Council would not have progressed as far during the past year in working with Stanford University which made the Performing Art Center a possibility. He thanked former Council Member Schneider for her service; she would be missed. Mayor Kniss said former Council Member Schneider was the first person representing a Downtown business since former Mayor Fred Eyerly. She ran Spirals for more than 10 years which she started in the late 1980s prior to the recession of the 1990s. She also lost many breakable goods during the earthquake of 1989. Running a Downtown business was tough. Currently, Downtown Palo Alto was so lively, viable, and exciting, but it had taken people like former Council Member Schneider and others to do an incredible job of
keeping it viable. Former Council Member Schneider=s presence would be missed. Former Council Member Micki Schneider honored the community for allowing her the privilege to serve Palo Alto which was a wonderful experience, City Manager June Fleming for her unshakable commitment to the City and staff who had gone beyond the call of duty, Assistant City Manager Emily Harrison who became a friend and a stalwart member of staff, City Attorney Ariel Calonne for his wisdom and solid advise, City Auditor Bill Vinson who had so often been a target but courageously did his job keeping the necessary tension between his office and other departments, City Clerk Donna Rogers who kept her wits about her with uncommon grace, the Police and Fire Departments who kept the City safe and allowed the Council to concentrate on improving the community, and all the other department heads and their staffs who loved and respected the community even though they could not call Palo Alto home, her past and present Council colleagues who gave unselfishly of their time at the expense of personal time to see that Palo Alto continued to be the renaissance city of the world. During her term as Council Member, she saw many changes, both positive and negative. The community lost great leaders while new leaders emerged daily. She was honored to participate in the writing of the Comprehensive
Plan, rebuilding of the Children=s Theatre, extension of Sand Hill Road, move of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and site plans, life enhancing and saving discoveries that came out of Stanford
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University, and the meteor growth of the Internet industry in Palo Alto. Her experience on the Council was heady and humbling. She thanked, honored, and wished everyone well.
8. Resolution 7912 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of
Lanie Wheeler as Mayor and Council Member≅ MOTION: Vice Mayor Eakins moved, seconded by Mossar, to adopt the resolution. MOTION PASSED 9-0. Vice Mayor Eakins said former Vice Mayor Wheeler was a coach and mentor to her. Former Vice Mayor Wheeler was a supporter of the Comprehensive Plan, Canopy, neighborhood issues, historic preservation, and other outstanding elements mentioned in her resolution. She knew how everything worked and how to get things done. Council Member Fazzino had known former Vice Mayor Wheeler for 28 years, having met her when she headed up the League of Women Voters. He had an immediate affection for her because she was dedicated to public service, fair, impartial, ethical, and had integrity. She always did her homework and was well prepared. Anyone with an issue before former Vice Mayor Wheeler received a fair hearing, and he thought the Council wanted to follow in that tradition. She put great emphasis on volunteerism, families, and reminded the Council during such great economic times that the community was still composed primarily of middle class citizens. In her votes and emphasis on families, recreation and sports, and community services, she was able to manifest those beliefs. She also reminded the Council on a regular basis that Palo Alto had a south and a west and every part of the community was treated equally. She always kept him centered through the force of her arguments. He thanked her for her public service; she would be missed.
Council Member Ojakian recalled former Vice Mayor Wheeler=s forceful argument on affordable housing which enabled the City to retain some units that might have been converted. In all of his dealings with former Vice Mayor Wheeler, she was professional and helpful. The four outgoing Council Members were the first group of Council Members leaving due to term limits, leaving behind a strong foundation for the Council to work from. They were well respected, especially by their peers. He thanked former Vice Mayor Wheeler for her public service. County Supervisor Joe Simitian came bearing greetings from his fellow members of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo who could not be present. He
conveyed Congresswoman Anna Eshoo=s thanks to former Mayor Fazzino
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for a job well done during the past year and her congratulations to the newly-elected Mayor and Vice Mayor. He presented proclamations
to the outgoing Council Members, four from Congresswoman Eshoo=s office and four from his office at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. That evening was enjoyable as well as bittersweet since Council Members Huber, Rosenbaum, and Vice Mayor Wheeler were candidates together with him in 1991, and Council Member Schneider was a seat mate in his final year on the Council. He was not only thanking the outgoing Council Members for their good public service but also as colleagues and friends. Due to the late hour, he summarized the eight proclamations in saying the outgoing Council Members were good people who had done fine work which was appreciated immensely. He wished them all well, and had many fond and friendly memories of the time served and work done together. Former Council Member Huber was one of the sweetest human beings he knew, former Council Member Rosenbaum was a class act who could cast a dissenting vote with more graciousness and good will than could ever be expected, former Council Member Schneider who brought a bottom-line business woman sensibility to the Council and had the courage of her convictions regardless of the cost, and former Vice Mayor Wheeler who was the most eloquent in her own plain spoken way and her tradition of tough love. He thanked the four outgoing Council Members and looked forward to how they would serve the community in the years ahead. Former Vice Mayor Wheeler congratulated Mayor Kniss. She recently had the opportunity to address the current Leadership Mid-peninsula class regarding Effective Lobbying Techniques. She shared her view
that, ΑGovernmental decision makers must rely on fact and findings
rather than on emotions when taking action on issues.≅ That view shaped the way she attempted to conduct business in Palo Alto throughout her term. For the past eight years, she had the opportunity to work with City staff who were some of the most intelligent, articulate, devoted public servants in the country, in particular the department heads, Assistant City Manager, and Council Appointed Officers. Other cities might have a few individuals with their outstanding qualifications but could not find a team with such depth. Each of her Council colleagues earned her respect for their intelligence, diligence, profound understanding of local governance, and commitment to the people of Palo Alto. Reputed by some to be a Council that lacked leadership, it had the courage to open the doors of City Hall in order to provide citizens opportunities to participate in varied and innovative ways in the governance of its shared community. The budget format and methodology was changed so anyone could understand and question where the monies were spent. As an adjunct to more open government, the Council operated in a consensus mode where each persons viewpoint was respected and common ground sought; the end result, satisfying most of the community. Reputed by some to be a Council who lacked vision, it formulated and adopted a Comprehensive Plan that deserved praise for going beyond the elements to include chapters on governance and implementation,
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established two new citizens advisory commissions, implemented many elements of the 13-point Downtown parking plan, created a new non-profit to restore and enhance the urban forest, created a citywide shuttle service, entered into cooperative agreements with the Palo Alto Unified School District, and insured accomplishment of the Comprehensive Plan major plans and programs by incorporating them into the Capital Improvement Program and operating budget. Reputed by some to be a Council reluctant to take action, it resolved the three-decade long debate on development in the Sand Hill Corridor, established the framework for reclamation of 10-acres of Palo Alto Medical Foundation property in the South of Forest Area, and guided
the City=s Utilities through deregulation without imperiling returns to the General Fund. When the current outgoing Council Members took office, the Council: 1) discussed budget cuts in programs and services of which stability was restored to the City, 2) inherited a decades long backlog of streets/sidewalks repairs with a lengthy list of maintenance projects of which an Infrastructure Management Plan was developed and largely funded that would address major deficiencies over the next ten years, and
3) managed the City=s recent good financial fortunes prudently in order that the new Council would have the resources to complete the infrastructure plan or enter into new ventures and furtherance of
the Comprehensive Plan=s vision. She did not feel the new Council needed advice from the retiring Council because the electorate had chosen well, and the new Council would do a marvelous job. Her advice that evening to family, friends, and supporters of the current Council Members, there would be disagreement on votes but not to disregard the study and thought put into their decisions, and above all not to desert them. Mayor Kniss said the outgoing Council Members provided leadership, commitment, and had truly given back to the community. She looked forward to kicking off the new millennium and serving with the new Council Members. She served for almost 15 years and came from a family who played community leadership roles for a long time. In the past, she was enthusiastic about technology, and it was hard to believe how far technology had come since she was Mayor in 1994. She was involved with the issue of families and children which was now a popular high-tech website called the Family Resource Center. The early 1990s was not a good time for Palo Alto financially, and Downtown businesses were struggling. Through commitment in 1994-95, there was a turnaround. She urged people not to forget that those turnarounds came quickly. During the upcoming year, some issues she would concentrate on were the southern end of Palo Alto, transit, and reducing traffic congestion problems. Another important issue was the protection of open space and not letting Palo Alto become overdeveloped. Palo Alto was fortunate to have 4,200-acres of parks and open space without the inclusion of Stanford land. She reiterated her long commitment to open space and would continue to push for Stanford to keep the land open west of Junipero Serra which they protected for the last 25 years. She would also pursue linking the Stevens Creek trail system which was
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a regional and local treasure. The luxury of open space was in the past, and it was a necessity to buy and protect the regional open space which still surrounded Palo Alto. Additionally, the Council had committed to infrastructure of which a great deal had already been done. As many knew, the City started a shuttle service, and she would like to see the shuttle head south and connect with Mountain View and link Palo Alto with the light rail extension. Palo Alto had shown that it could work together with neighboring cities and could jointly pursue getting funding to widen Highway 85 and 101. She congratulated retiring Ms. Fleming for her extraordinary contribution to the City. The Council relied on Ms. Fleming who knew the Council, territory, region, and was connected in ways that so many could not be on a regular basis. Replacing her would be hard but with luck, a new city manager would be hired who could lead the City in the way Palo Alto expected and deserved. Ms. Fleming would be missed. Finally, she pledged to continue the meetings with the Mayor which she felt were important. The issues of transit, open space, and what would happen with the City in the upcoming year would be her emphasis during her year as mayor. Currently, the City was experiencing good times which should be celebrated while they continued, but should also prepare for what may not always be the best of times. She was grateful to be elected the Mayor of the new millennium. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. to a reception. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. FINAL ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 10:25 p.m. ATTEST: APPROVED:
City Clerk Mayor NOTE: Sense minutes (synopsis) are prepared in accordance with Palo Alto Municipal Code Sections 2.04.180(a) and (b). The City Council and Standing Committee meeting tapes are made solely for the purpose of facilitating the preparation of the minutes of the meetings. City Council and Standing Committee meeting tapes are recycled 90 days from the date of the meeting. The tapes are available for members of the public to listen to during regular office hours.
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