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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-08 City Council Summary Minutes CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL FINAL MINUTES 1 Special Meeting June 8, 2020 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in a Virtual Teleconference at 5:03 P.M. Present: Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Fine, Kniss, Kou, Tanaka Absent: Closed Session A. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS City Designated Representatives: City Manager and his Designees Pursuant to Merit System Rules and Regulations (Ed Shikada, Rumi Portillo, Molly Stump, Monique LeConge Ziesenhenne, Nick Raisch, Kiely Nose, Gina Roccanova) Employee Organizations: Utilities Management and Professional Association of Palo Alto (UMPAPA); Service Employees International Union, (SEIU) Local 521; Service Employees International Union, (SEIU) Local 521, Hourly Unit; Palo Alto Police Officers Association (PAPOA); Palo Alto Fire Chiefs’ Association (FCA) and Employee Organization: International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Local 1319; Palo Alto Police Manager’s Association (PAPMA) Authority: Government Code Section 54957.6(a) MOTION: Council Member Kniss moved, seconded by Council Member Cormack to go into Closed Session. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Council went into Closed Session a 5:05 P.M. Council returned from Closed Session at 7:01 P.M. Mayor Fine announced no reportable Action. FINAL MINUTES Page 2 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Rail Communications Update 1. Connecting Palo Alto Rail Grade Separation: Receive an Update From the Expanded Community Advisory Panel (XCAP). Nadia Naik, Expanded Community Advisory Panel (XCAP), Co-Chair reported the XCAP decided not to continue discussion of the tunnel alternative and was awaiting AECOM's analyses of the new alternatives. Two members resigned from the XCAP. Ed Shikada, City Manager advised that utilizing Zoom and discussing the new alternatives required some time and flexibility. Jason Matloff urged the Council to act as expeditiously as possible. Return on investment (ROI) and cost needed to be the highest priorities for selecting an alternative. Jason Stinson discussed the traffic on Churchill and challenges for the Churchill crossing. The alternative that was least expensive and resolved traffic issues needed to be selected for Churchill. Eileen Fagan asked the Council to focus on the long-term ramifications of the Churchill crossing. The number one criterion needed to be safety, traffic flow and citizens' use of the space. The closure and viaduct alternatives were not preferred options. Susan Newman noted the potential to create silos among various solutions, to put pedestrian and bicycle safety in opposition to the smooth flow of car traffic, for Staff to work at cross purposes with the XCAP and for the lack of representation on the XCAP. Teri Llach believed the only option was to close Churchill because it saved money, time and lives. Lisa Nissim preferred any plan that did not close Churchill to cars, pedestrians and bicycles so that Southgate was able to remain a vibrant part of the City. Closing one of the few east-west connections increased traffic congestion, pollution and stress. Kerry Yarkin felt bicycles and pedestrians should have priority over cars. O Hadidi MD MBA suggested proceeding with grade separations may not be logical in the post-pandemic world but supported the closure of Churchill with a bike and pedestrian underpass. Stephen Rosenblum noted closing the Churchill crossing would reduce the number of east-west connections and increase traffic on other streets. The FINAL MINUTES Page 3 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 alternative chosen for Churchill had to serve the needs of the community over the needs of a few. Representatives of Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) and the Chamber of Commerce were good candidates to serve on the XCAP. Eduardo Llach urged the Council to support the Oregon/Embarcadero mitigations for the Churchill closure as it was the best solution. Karen Kalinsky appreciated the XCAP's consideration of new alternatives for the Meadow-Charleston crossing and hoped the XCAP would consider different solutions for each street. Karen Hohner opposed the closure alternative for Churchill and urged the XCAP and Council to consider the partial underpass alternative. Neva Yarkin noted the financial impacts of the pandemic on the City, State and Caltrain and suggested the City consider only the least expensive alternatives. Jonathan Erman noted more east-west connections for pedestrians and bicycles were needed, particularly in the area between Meadow and California. Richard Purkey supported the closure alternative for Churchill and the recommended traffic mitigations because the alternative would maintain or improve traffic flow in this part of Palo Alto and be less costly. Rebecca Eisenberg rejected any arguments that indicated the City could not afford to protect children and seniors when a Business Tax was not enacted. Vice Mayor DuBois felt the community needed to be engaged in Charleston- Meadow alternatives. The effects of COVID-19 on Caltrain were unknown and needed to be monitored. Council Member Cormack indicated Staff and the XCAP should be working with PAUSD and Stanford University. Mr. Shikada noted representatives from Stanford University had not interacted with Staff or the XCAP, but they monitored meetings from time to time. Council Member Cormack inquired regarding the level of analysis needed to ensure the XCAP and Council made good choices regarding pedestrians and bicycles. Ms. Naik remarked that the hybrid, viaduct and trench alternatives generally did not include changes to the bike and pedestrian path. The closure and FINAL MINUTES Page 4 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 new alternatives required significantly more thought about bikes and pedestrians. The XCAP was reaching out to bicycle groups for comment. The XCAP focused on vehicles because of the complex engineering needed for them, but now the focus was on bikes and pedestrians. To gain community support, there had to be enough visual images to support all modes of transit. Council Member Cormack felt work had to continue on grade separation regardless of crises. Council Member Kniss shared Ms. Naik's long history of working on rail issues. Council Member Tanaka commented that the project would define the City. He inquired about ways the Council could facilitate XCAP's work. Ms. Naik advised that negotiating in virtual meetings was difficult. XCAP members were serving for several years but were committed to reaching a resolution. Feedback from PAUSD, the business community and Stanford University was appreciated. Staff invited Caltrain representatives to attend XCAP's June 2020 meeting. Council Member Tanaka asked if XCAP considered funding sources. Ms. Naik indicated XCAP had deliberately not discussed funding. Philip Kamhi, Chief Transportation Official related that Measure B funds were a possible funding source. Staff was monitoring other potential funding opportunities. Ms. Naik added that funding sources were available for bicycle and pedestrian components of grade separation. Council Member Kou requested the reason for PAUSD, the business community and Stanford University not having representatives on the XCAP. Mr. Shikada reported PAUSD and the Chamber of Commerce were involved at one time but decided their participation was not appropriate given the decision-making process. Staff was to work with PAUSD to obtain feedback on the alternatives. Council Member Kou asked if Staff met frequently with the three stakeholders to ensure they were engaged. Mr. Shikada indicated each would have to determine the appropriate time to provide feedback. At the current time, PAUSD was possibly in a better position to provide specific feedback. Staff was to have direct FINAL MINUTES Page 5 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 communication with the three entities when the alternatives were ready to be released to the public in general. Mayor Fine concurred with XCAP working on the bicycle and pedestrian components of alternatives and obtaining community input regarding South Palo Alto crossings. Mr. Kamhi reported Staff would return to the Council in two weeks with an updated work plan, which included information about the virtual Town Hall and an AECOM contract amendment. NO ACTION TAKEN Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions Mayor Fine noted Agenda Item Numbers 6 and 7 were continued to June 16, 2020. Oral Communications Cari Templeton announced her candidacy for City Council and committed to applying her experience to delivering the improvements the City needed. Her priorities included implementing inclusion goals across all City programs, improving the transportation ecosystem, and encouraging innovation in City governance. Bill Ross requested the Council conduct a formal review of the June 2, 2020 Curfew Order. There was no evidence that linked the curfew with the declared emergency. The Order was not presented to the Council, widely communicated or reviewed by the City Attorney. Peter Chou concurred with Mr. Ross' comments. The curfew was undertaken without input from elected officials or the public. The curfew was pretextual, escalatory and hostile to the Black Lives Matter movement. Kimberley Thacker requested the Council reconsider cuts to the Children's Theatre Budget. The programs benefited youth and replacing the Staff in the future was going to be difficult. Ian Jacobs noted Children's Theatre continued to operate during COVID-19. Budget cuts and Staff reductions were not supposed to be the result of uncertainty about the future. Amy Brown expressed concerns about Budget cuts for Children's Theatre. Staff was needed for virtual programming. FINAL MINUTES Page 6 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Patti Regehr, speaking as an individual urged the Council to reconsider reducing the number of Human Relations Commission (HRC) members. With racism and equity protests going on, now was not the time to reduce the number of Commissioners. Katie Brown concurred with prior comments regarding the Children's Theatre and urged the Council to view her video about the positive impacts of Children's Theatre. Jeremy Erman noted the history of Staff's negotiations regarding Cubberley Community Center and inaccuracies in the memorandum presented to the Council. Staff sent eviction notices to tenants without Council approval. The Council needed to reject the lease with Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). Jonathan Erman believed the previous arrangement with PAUSD regarding Cubberley served the community well. Budget cuts were based on abstract projections. Kevin agreed with comments regarding the curfew and asked the Council to discuss policy for declaring curfews. Consent Calendar MOTION: Vice Mayor DuBois moved, seconded by Mayor Fine, third by Council Member Kniss to pull Agenda Item Number 4 to be heard on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Council Member Tanaka registered a no vote on Agenda Item Number 2. MOTION: Vice Mayor DuBois moved, seconded by Council Member Cormack to approve Agenda Item Numbers 2, 3. 2. Approval of Contract Number C20177976 With Granite Construction Company in the Amount of $2,006,813 for the Palo Alto Various Streets Resurfacing Project (STPL-5100(028)), Capital Improvements Program Street Maintenance Project (PE-86070) 3. Adoption of an Ordinance Dissolving the Library Advisory Commission by Amending Municipal Code Sections in Chapters 2.08 (Officers and Departments), 2.16 (Boards and Commissions Generally), and 2.24 (Library Advisory Commission) 4. Adoption of Amendments to the City of Palo Alto Tobacco Retailer Permit Ordinance (Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 4.64) to Further Restrict Electronic Cigarette Products and Flavored Tobacco Products FINAL MINUTES Page 7 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 MOTION PASSED FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 2: 6-1 Tanaka no MOTION PASSED FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 3: 7-0 Council Member Tanaka remarked that repaving work was necessary, but Staff needed to renegotiate the contract for a lower price in light of COVID- 19, Budget cuts and unemployment. In addition, there were issues with the submitted bids and a bid protest. City Manager Comments Ed Shikada, City Manager announced the contract in Agenda Item Number 2 complied with the Public Contract Code and was awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. The Shelter-In-Place Order remained in effect. The County of Santa Clara (County) recommended participants in protests obtain Coronavirus testing. The City's requirement for face coverings remained in effect. Staff was working with the County to bring mobile testing to Palo Alto. Rinconada Pool and dog parks were open. Effective June 5, 2020, outdoor dining was allowed. The Mitchell Park Cooling Center was open the prior week. If needed over the summer, the Art Center Cooling Center was to be open. Approximately 2,000 people had attended peaceful protests on Saturday. The Council was going to consider Budget adjustments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-2020 on June 16, 2020 and Budget adoption for FY 2020- 2021 on June 22, 2020. Additional information regarding police accountability was posted to the Police Department's webpage. Council Member Kou inquired about the timeframe in which protest participants should be tested. Mr. Shikada did not recall the County specifying a timeframe. Council Member Kniss appreciated the City Manager's and Police Chief's actions to implement a curfew. The lack of looting in Palo Alto was fortunate. Council took a break at 8:46 P.M. and returned at 8:56 P.M. Mr. Shikada clarified that participants in the protest should be tested within three to five days. Action Items 4A. Resolution 9890 Entitled “Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Expressing Support of the Black Lives Matter Cause.” Mayor Fine commended young adults for leading the protest on Saturday and Staff and the Police Department for keeping everyone safe. FINAL MINUTES Page 8 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Cairo Mo appreciated and supported the Resolution and called for the defunding and eventual dismantling of the Palo Alto Police Department. The community and Council needed to build alternatives to policing. Esther Tsvayg supported the Resolution and called for the defunding and dismantling of the Palo Alto Police department. Laura Sieh commented regarding racism in the Police Department. Bella Cooper supported the Resolution and called for the defunding and dismantling of the Police Department. Ryan Globus urged the Council to adopt the Resolution, to open Foothills Park to all and to reform the Police Department with the 8 Can't Wait policies. David Sacerdote believed the Resolution and 8 Can't Wait policies were not sufficient and urged the Council to consider all options to end the Police Department's racist practices. Samuel Mumford was interested in the Council taking action to curb police abuses. Xander Koo urged the Council to dismantle the Police Department and to invest in educational and social programs for communities of color. Sean Chapman commented regarding racism in the Police Department. Jordan Bernhardt objected to the implementation of the curfew and urged the Council to take action to support the movement Black Lives Matter. Sefa Santos-Powell supported the Resolution and called for the defunding and dismantling of the Palo Alto Police Department. Sarah Goodman concurred with Ms. Santos-Powell's comments. Greer Stone, speaking as an individual asked the Council to enact meaningful change through the 8 Can't Wait policies Cedric de La Beaujardiere encouraged the Council to adopt the 8 Can't Wait policies, take the pledge to address Use of Force Policies, join Project Zero, and adopt the recommendations of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Mark Loveland recommended the Council work with the community to develop policies for the Police Department and the City release an unredacted Police manual. FINAL MINUTES Page 9 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Barbara Shufro supported adoption of the Resolution and meaningful reforms including 8 Can't Wait policies. Rebecca Eisenberg believed the Council owed the community an apology for imposing a curfew. Police contracts needed to be renegotiated, and 8 Can't Wait policies should be implemented. The City needed a diverse leadership. Cari Templeton agreed public safety services needed reform. Michel-Ange Siaba shared his hopes for a racism-free community and a diverse police force. Arushi Gupta supported the Resolution and wanted the Council to commit to reviewing public safety practices. The curfew was a tool to protect private property rather than Black lives. Emma Raney supported the Resolution and proposed a reallocation of Police Department funding to the Community Services Department. She opposed increasing the Police Department's Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-2021. Sunita de Tourreil believed the Resolution was the first step towards a real change for the Police Department. The Police Department needed to implement the 8 Can't Wait policies. Daniil Andreev concurred with prior comments regarding the Police Department and suggested the community hire private security. Robert Vetter indicated the community needed to talk about specific Police Officers and their racist attitudes and actions. The Police Department needed to be defunded and disbanded when other community safety practices had been implemented. Jeremy Shaw expressed concerns about racism and welcomed the Resolution. However, Palo Alto needed more police accountability. Syd Westley supported the Resolution, but it was not enough. The Council needed to consider the 8 Can't Wait policies. Winter Dellenbach commented that the Police manual contained guidelines rather than policies. Systemic racism was built into the Police Department. Dorit Goikhman urged the Council to review the collective bargaining agreement with the Police Department and 8 Can't Wait policies carefully. Hamilton Hitchings suggested the Police Department update their policy manual and proposed a Community Advisory Committee recommend policy changes. FINAL MINUTES Page 10 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Todd Burke supported Council adoption of the Resolution. He did not understand calls to defund and disband the Police Department. Reverend Kaloma Smith suggested the Council control the narrative and make changes. Council took a break at 10:08 P.M. and returned at 10:15 P.M. Mayor Fine wanted to make transformative changes. The Resolution was the first step in evaluating and improving the Police Department. Council Member Cormack read a portion of the Resolution into the record. Vice Mayor DuBois read a portion of the Resolution into the record. Council Member Filseth read a portion of the Resolution into the record. Mayor Fine read a portion of the Resolution into the record. Council Member Kniss read a portion of the Resolution into the record. Council Member Kou read a portion of the Resolution into the record. Council Member Tanaka read a portion of the Resolution into the record. MOTION: Mayor Fine moved, seconded by Council Member Cormack to adopt a Resolution Expressing Support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Council Member Kniss proposed the Council discuss next steps. Council Member Kou hoped the Council would encourage Legislators to ensure educational institutions emphasized history in order to spur change. The Palo Alto History Museum was a possible agency for change. She discussed housing legislation and transportation policies that discriminated based on socioeconomic status. Vice Mayor DuBois believed the Palo Alto Police Department served the community well. He invited police union representatives to share their feedback and views in an effort to improve the Police Department. He had opposed the curfew and supported the 8 Can't Wait initiative. Council Member Cormack was grateful for Police Officers and their service to the community. This was an opportunity to discuss bias and racism throughout the community. FINAL MINUTES Page 11 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Council Member Filseth was proud of the community for hosting a peaceful protest on Saturday. Mayor Fine noted the demonstration was organized by a group of 18-21 year olds. Council Member Tanaka felt the demonstration was well organized and a good show of civic engagement. Ed Shikada, City Manager felt this was an incredibly important moment for local government. The Council heard the importance of acting urgently to address police use of force issues and of looking for root issues that created institutional barriers. Depending on the Council's discussion, Staff was able to return to the Council the following week with some initial recommendations to address issues. Robert Jonsen, Police Chief remarked that Mr. Floyd's death should not have occurred. The police profession had to do better. The Police Department's policies were progressive and aligned with the 8 Can't Wait policies. He regretted not being able to provide police academies for the Council, Boards and Commissions. No police department had a more comprehensive video- capture system than the Palo Alto Police Department. Attacking Police personnel without in-depth information about the job was not fair. Police personnel were held accountable for their actions. He had been working with the Human Relations Commission (HRC) regarding a review of policies. The Police Department was committed to protecting the rights of all people within the City. The Police Department was willing to improve. Mr. Shikada reported it was time to examine the circumstances under which police officers were sent into situations and look for non-police responses where appropriate. MOTION: Mayor Fine moved, seconded by Council Member Cormack to: A. Direct Staff to return with a framework to review, report on, and improve our police policies and practices focused on accountability and eliminating any potential incidents of racism or discrimination; B. Report on possible improvements to police hiring practices; and C. Begin a diversity and inclusion initiative throughout the City Council Member Cormack inquired about a timeframe for Action. Mr. Shikada advised that Staff could return with a plan of action at the next meeting. FINAL MINUTES Page 12 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Mayor Fine wanted to review frameworks such as 8 Can't Wait, Campaign Zero, and former President Obama's Mayors' Pledge, review policies, engage the Police Department and union, and determine needed changes. In the past five years, the City had not provided diversity, inclusion, or bias training for employees. Council Member Cormack wanted the community to participate in creating the framework. Mr. Shikada agreed. Council Member Cormack felt Subpart B was extremely important. Subpart B included the Council and its Boards and Commissions. Council Member Kou proposed a citizen’s oversight board participate in drafting the framework and report to the Council. The board was going to engage the community rather than Staff. Mayor Fine indicated the board could be a new commission, the HRC or the Police Chief's advisory group. Council Member Cormack suggested the Council discussion of the framework include a citizen oversight board. AMENDMENT: Council Member Kou moved, seconded by Council Member XX to create a citizen oversight board comprised of three to five community members that would report to the City Council. AMENDMENT WITHDRAWN BY THE MAKER Council Member Tanaka preferred to utilize the HRC rather than the Police Chief's advisory group. Reverend Smith noted that the HRC was positioned to accept this role as it had been working with the Police Department over the past year. Mayor Fine indicated the HRC could be better suited to Subpart C. Council Member Cormack wished to obtain community input prior to determining a body. Council Member Filseth remarked that a sizable portion of the community felt less safe when a police car passed instead of safer. Self-reflection was always good and appropriate. Council Member Kou asked if "Black Lives Matter" could be painted on Forest Avenue or Hamilton. FINAL MINUTES Page 13 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Council Member Cormack suggested the HRC and Public Art Commission explore that. It was possibly a component of Subpart C. Mr. Shikada proposed the Council and organization develop strategies to ensure changes were permanent. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 5. Adoption of a Resolution 9891 Entitled “Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Declaring an Intention to Temporarily Suspend the Levy of Assessment Against Businesses Within the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 and Setting a Time and Place for a Public Hearing to be Held by the City Council on the Proposed Temporary Suspension;” or Other Direction to Staff Related to the District. David Ramberg, Assistant Director of Administrative Services reported Staff recommended suspending the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 and reassessing the strategy later in the Fiscal Year. The Downtown Business and Professional Association served as the advisory board for the BID. Brad Ehikian, Downtown Business Improvement District understood the struggles businesses were facing due to COVID-19 and supported Staff's recommendations. Vice Mayor DuBois believed the recommendation was prudent. MOTION: Vice Mayor DuBois moved, seconded by Council Member Kniss to adopt a Resolution of Intention to Temporarily Suspend the Levy of Assessments in the Palo Alto Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) for Fiscal Year 2021, setting a date and time for the public hearing on the proposal to suspend the levy assessments for June 23, 2020, at 5:00 PM, or thereafter, on the Zoom meeting platform. Council Member Kou inquired regarding a public hearing. Mayor Fine explained that the Resolution set the date for the public hearing. Molly Stump, City Attorney advised that the Council was directing Staff to return for a public hearing. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 6. Direct Staff to Continue With the 2020 Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP) Update and Evaluate the 2020 S/CAP Proposed Goals and Key Actions THIS ITEM HAS MOVED TO JUNE 16, 2020. FINAL MINUTES Page 14 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 7. Discussion and Direction to Staff Regarding the Establishment of a Pension Funding Policy; and Approval of Amendment Number 1 to Contract Number C15159278 to Increase Compensation by $97,675 for Additional Actuarial Consultant Services for a new Total Not-to- Exceed Amount of $230,000 THIS ITEM HAS MOVED TO JUNE 16, 2020. Study Session 8. Direction on Actions to Facilitate Outdoor Dining and Retail on Streets, Sidewalks and Parking Areas in Response to COVID-19 Emergency. Rachel Tanner, Assistant Director of Planning and Community Environment reported Staff sought input regarding regulations to facilitate and enhance outdooring dining and retail throughout Palo Alto. The most recent Shelter- In-Place Order allowed outdooring dining and indoor retail sales to resume subject to some restrictions. A vibrant and dynamic business district enhanced the quality of life for residents and generated tax revenues. The proposed actions were able to help businesses survive and thrive during the pandemic. Staff proposed a streamlined application process for encroachment permits, which allowed restaurants to offer sidewalk dining; waiving permit fees; street closures to expand the area for outdoor dining; and a temporary Summer Streets program, which allowed seating and dining in parking spaces through an encroachment permit that would expire on December 31, 2020. California Avenue businesses preferred a continuous closure of California Avenue through July to observe the impact of the closures on businesses. Downtown businesses were split on closing University Avenue and installing parklets. Conditional Use Permits (CUP) were able to be modified to allow up to 50 percent of a private parking lot to be used for retail or dining. Amendments to the Municipal Code would be needed to allow retail businesses to display their goods outdoors. Staff proposed allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages with meals in outdoor spaces through the suspension of conditional use permits and/or conditions of approval. Carol Scott encouraged Staff to communicate details of the California Avenue closure with residents adjacent to California Avenue. Debbie Mytels noted other cities had closed streets to allow outdooring dining and retail and supported the closure of University and California Avenues. Ryan Globus urged the Council to support closure of California Avenue and University Avenue and use of parking lots. FINAL MINUTES Page 15 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Bonnard preferred closing a few blocks of University and California Avenues as a pilot program. Jessica Roth believed Staff's proposal would save businesses along California Avenue and supported closing California Avenue seven days a week. Drew Maran supported temporary closures of University and California Avenues and allowing outdooring dining and retail. Stacey Olgado concurred with Mr. Maran's comments. Susan Chamberlain supported Staff's proposals and urged the Council to act quickly. Sandra Slater supported closing University and California Avenues seven days a week. Don Jackson proposed allowing restaurants across the City to offer outdooring dining in parklets. Darlene Yaplee concurred with Mr. Jackson's comments. Guillaume Bienaime opposed closing University Avenue and supported allowing all restaurants and retail businesses to operate in parklets into 2021. John McDowell indicated he had spoken with the owner or manager for almost every restaurant on University Avenue, and the majority supported a trial closure of University Avenue. Charlie Weidanz supported temporary strategies to allow restaurants to reopen in compliance with new guidelines. Neilson Buchanan believed the Council had an obligation to review the feasibility of assumptions. The Office of Transportation needed to study the loss of parking during the noon peak hours. Todd Burke, Palo Alto Central Homeowners Association President supported implementing Staff's recommendations for California Avenue within the week. Steve Frankel believed all of University Avenue should be closed for restaurant and retail use. Stefan Heck supported closing University and California Avenues. Opening parking on side streets needed to address concerns about the loss of parking FINAL MINUTES Page 16 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 on University Avenue. Residents and foot traffic were necessary to support retailers. Neeraj Dewan supported closing University Avenue. Indoor seating was not allowed in restaurants; therefore, outdoor seating was needed. David Epstein urged the Council to close University Avenue now and proposed the addition of 200 parking spaces. Celine Heck advised that the Summer Streets program would support businesses and benefit residents' mental health. Michael Ekwall felt Staff's recommendations were critical to the survival of small businesses. Jordan Nari supported a trial street closure and implementation of parklets for University Avenue. John Shenk, Thoit Brothers supported allowing restaurants and retail to use parklets and sidewalks but closing University Avenue was a bad idea. Rebecca Eisenberg supported closure of University and California Avenues and other streets and implementation of parklets. The Palo Alto Shuttle and safe bike lanes were needed to alleviate parking issues. Brad Ehikian, Premier Properties opposed closing University Avenue but supported other components of Staff's recommendations. April Webster supported the Staff recommendation because sidewalks were too narrow to practice social distancing. Gail Price, Palo Alto Forward suggested the Council proceed to implementing the Staff recommendation. Mayor Fine asked if the Council could take action on some of Staff's proposals. Molly Stump, City Attorney advised that the Council could not take action as the item was a Study Session. Staff was able to return to the Council quickly. Council Member Kniss felt this was the appropriate time for a new program and supported the Summer Streets program for both University and California Avenues. She inquired whether Staff could implement the program for California Avenue on June 11. FINAL MINUTES Page 17 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Ed Shikada, City Manager indicated Staff could act more quickly for California Avenue than for both streets. He inquired about the Council's preference for closing California Avenue for several weeks or weekends. Council Member Kniss wanted full-time closure of California Avenue. Brad Eggleston, Director of Public Works believed University Avenue could be closed in two weeks if the Council approved it. Council Member Kniss remarked that closing the streets was intended to help businesses survive. Mr. Eggleston stated Staff could close University Avenue in a week, but there could be issues caused by rushing the project. Mr. Shikada asked the Council to provide Staff with clear direction, and Staff would provide a timeframe. Mayor Fine proposed the Council approve Staff's recommendations and direct Staff to return with needed actions. Ms. Stump recommended the Council provide direction regarding those items for which Staff and the public had noted a diversity of opinion. Mayor Fine preferred the most liberal actions possible. Council Member Cormack supported closing both University and California Avenues seven days a week through mid-August; two template designs for parklets; extending parklets through the end of the year; expanding into private parking lots; outdoor retail; and alcohol consumption with meals. Council Member Kou supported sidewalk dining; closing California Avenue; parklets on University Avenue; outdoor retail; use of parking lots; and alcohol consumption with meals. She inquired about enforcement of Residential Preferential Parking Permit (RPP) programs in neighborhoods adjacent to University and California Avenues. Mr. Shikada related that parking enforcement was not occurring in the City. At some point, commercial business were to return such that parking enforcement was needed. Council Member Kou wanted to address parking before it affected adjacent neighborhoods. Ms. Tanner hoped to encourage residents to bike and walk as part of the Summer Streets program to reduce the need for parking. FINAL MINUTES Page 18 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Vice Mayor DuBois asked Staff to clearly indicate the components that were area specific versus Citywide when they returned to the Council. He inquired about allocating a portion of streets to each business; keeping side streets open; program expiration when restaurants were allowed to utilize all indoor seating; managing alcohol consumption; and requiring compatible and attractive parklets. He supported closing University Avenue seven days a week; temporary parklets and low-cost options; and alcohol consumption with meals. In the future, the Council was possibly going to want to consider evaluating company cafeterias in relation to encouraging patronage of restaurants. Council Member Filseth requested some analysis of parking and asked if street space could accommodate a parklet for each business in Downtown. Ms. Tanner reported Staff had crafted a plan to facilitate co-location of parklets for adjacent restaurants. Council Member Filseth preferred closing California Avenue Thursday through Sunday in order to obtain data, but he could agree to full-time closure. Council Member Tanaka inquired regarding the timeframe for issuance of permits for outdoor and parklet dining. Mr. Eggleston advised that Staff had received 19 applications Friday and issued one permit the following day. He anticipated an additional ten permits would be issued prior to the weekend. Council Member Tanaka inquired regarding outreach to residents. Mr. Shikada stated that outreach to neighborhoods had not occurred. Staff was able to monitor parking and adjust the plan to address parking. Council Member Tanaka asked if anyone had objected to parklets. Mr. Shikada replied no. Council Member Tanaka supported the implementation of parklets and inquired regarding resistance to closing California Avenue. Mr. Shikada noted residents had expressed concern about closing California Avenue. Council Member Tanaka supported full-time closure of California Avenue; a streamlined process for permitting; and permit fee waivers. He requested the concerns voiced about closing University Avenue. FINAL MINUTES Page 19 of 19 Sp. City Council Meeting Final Minutes: 06/08/2020 Mr. Shikada indicated concerns related to deliveries for businesses and the effects on businesses located on side streets and upper floors. Mr. Eggleston added that another concern was the impact on retail businesses that benefited from motorists rather than pedestrians. Council Member Tanaka inquired about a survey. Ms. Tanner related that in-person communications and surveys revealed many University Avenue businesses preferred the expediency of street closure even if they preferred a parklet in the medium term. Mr. Shikada noted the Council did not provide clear direction for University Avenue. Mayor Fine conducted a straw vote, which indicated the Council supported a closure in some form. NO ACTION TAKEN Council Member Questions, Comments and Announcements Council Member Cormack noted a graduation car parade occurred on June 3, 2020. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 1:11 A.M. in honor of Palo Alto high school graduates.