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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-04-10 City Council Summary MinutesCITY COUNCIL SUMMARY MINUTES Page 1 of 27 Special Meeting April 10, 2023 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers and by virtual teleconference at 5:00 P.M. Present In Person: Burt, Kou, Lauing, Stone, Tanaka, Veenker Present Remotely: Lythcott-Haims Absent: Call to Order Mayor Kou called the meeting to order in recognition of National Arab-American Heritage Month. Deputy City Clerk Nguyen called the roll and noted seven were present. Special Orders of the Day 1. Proclamation Honoring Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week April 9-15, 2023 Council Member Lauing declared it was National Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week. He spoke of emergency services being critical. He addressed the importance of Public Safety dispatchers, who had contributed much in public safety. As each dispatcher had exhibited compassion, understanding, and professionalism in the performance of their job, Mayor Lydia Kou of the City of Palo Alto on behalf of the entire City Council proclaimed observing the week of April 9 to 15, 2023, National Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week and called upon all citizens of Palo Alto to join in honoring them. Police Chief Andrew Binder wanted to let the Council and the community know how grateful and proud he was of the difference the dispatchers made. He spoke of their behind-the-scenes work helping law enforcement. Fire Chief Geo Blackshire was appreciative of the emergency dispatchers. In September 2020, the governor signed a bill identifying dispatchers as first responders and to not be recognized as clerical, etc., and noted it was important for all to recognize them as such. He voiced that their role was more than taking calls and explained that it included being a medical advisor, therapist, etc. He noted that the Fire Department would be lost without the dispatchers. Deputy Director Nicole Frazier addressed the challenges of dispatchers speaking to people in emergency situations and the dispatchers’ only interaction being a phone call and without SUMMARY MINUTES Page 2 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 public interaction or follow up. She commented on the difficulties of their job. She provided an overview the number of calls the Dispatch Center received in 2022. She touched on the department being short-staffed, which spoke to their professionalism. She thanked all the dispatchers for their hard work. Public Comment There were no requests to speak. Mayor Kou thanked the dispatchers for their service and was grateful for it. Council Member Lythcott-Haims joined her colleagues in commending the public safety dispatchers. She discussed a personal encounter she had last week with a ride-along and a tour of the building, including Dispatch with an emergency call coming in, and their actions impressed her. She honored and was grateful for them. Mayor Kou invited the Chiefs, Director, and telecommunicators to receive their proclamation and take a photo with Council. 2. Palo Alto Day Recognitions Mayor Kou declared the City was celebrating Palo Alto Day, which was April 9, by recognizing those who set in motion foundational aspects that benefitted the town. She addressed indigenous people and remembering their land and heritage and requested folks be mindful of the Ohlone and others. Council Member Burt delivered the proclamation regarding Timothy Hopkins. Council Member Lythcott-Haims read the proclamation about Sarah Wallis. Vice Mayor Stone recited the proclamation related to Arthur Bridgman Clark. Mayor Kou read a tribute to Juana Briones. Council Member Lauing delivered the proclamation for John Fletcher Byxbee. Council Member Veenker read the proclamation honoring Anna P. Zschokke. Council Member Tanaka recited the proclamation for John F. Parkinson. Mayor Kou declared additional proclamations would be read and received by recipients’ family or representative. She believed the great-granddaughter and great-grandson of Professor Wing were present to receive. Vice Mayor Stone read the proclamation for Professor Charles B. Wing. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 3 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Professor Wing’s great-grandson was impressed with Wing’s history. He also pointed out that his great-great-grandson was present. Professor Wing’s great-granddaughter thanked the Mayor and Council members on behalf of the family for recognizing Professor Wing in Palo Alto’s history. She thanked Barbara Wallace for informing her of this event. She noted that Professor Marx and Professor Wing were neighbors, friends, and colleagues and did much for Palo Alto. Mayor Kou announced that the proclamation for Professor Charles David Marx would be read. Council Member Veenker delivered the proclamation for Professor Charles David Marx. Barbara Wallace explained that she was a collateral descendant of David Marx. She addressed the welfare of residents and thought the professors would be astonished at the size and idea of municipal utilities and thought they had been motivated less by social welfare than cost savings, which they were very careful to calculate. She was delighted that the early settlers would have a place in the Palo Alto Museum. Mayor Kou thanked the Palo Alto History Museum for providing the information for the presentations and the Palo Alto Day event. She noted that history was about learning and inspiring. She expressed that early entrepreneurs and leaders could be modeled to create a better Palo Alto and that information was important in learning how to go forward. She looked forward to the museum starting construction and working together on future projects. She invited the family members to the dais to receive their proclamation and for a picture with Council. Study Session 3. Report and Discussion on Community Engagement Activities Planned to Implement the City’s Workplans for Calendar Year 2023 Chief Communications Officer Meghan Horrigan-Taylor discussed activities planned for calendar year 2023 related to community engagement. She noted that this seemed to be becoming an annual process. She commented that Council had approved priorities in January and that the information before Council tonight incorporated the overall focus around community priorities and took into account planned department activities related to community engagement. She requested input from Council regarding community engagement for the remainder of the year. She presented slides to orient Council. The purpose of the study session was to gain input in a number of ways and partly to gain alignment around the activities outlined in the Staff Report and to receive feedback on a few areas outlined in the report, which needed additional input. She indicated that the Staff Report included Attachment A, which included activities and achievements from 2022 that helped provide successes, which she specified. She highlighted the goals for 2023 put forth in the Staff Report. She noted that the scope had expanded from last year. She commented that the community engagement plan sought to support implementation of the City’s workplans, build community and community awareness, enhance SUMMARY MINUTES Page 4 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 civic participation, and receive stakeholder input to inform decision-making. The engagement approaches followed the International Association for Public Participation and was a framework they had used for several years. She indicated that the work and the focus areas fell into topic- based community engagement, open-ended engagement, and following up on issues raised by the community, and she provided examples of such. She clarified that there were digital and printed newsletters, which they were planning quarterly, the website, and social media. She presented slides showing ways to connect the City to the community through paloaltoconnect.media.com and through social media. They were seeking input on the overall framework provided in the Staff Report. She suggested there be particular focus on the new Neighborhood Town Hall process and planning effort and the cadence of the Palo Alto Community Survey, which was slated to occur annually and had been biannual. Council Member Lythcott-Haims referenced the report stating there were 800,000 website users, which she thought meant 800,000 hits in a certain timeframe. She wanted to know how many unique users there were in a given timeframe and what Council could do to engage those not using the website. She expressed that the newsletter did not provide updated information to residents as it was quarterly, and she wanted to know the plan for engagement. She referenced the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury’s report in December 2021 comparing Palo Alto’s efforts on affordable housing to the City of Mountain View, and she thought there was opportunity for City Council to play a stronger leadership role engaging in community education and discussion. She wanted to know how many residents visited the website and social media versus those receiving push notifications. She desired to reach the group not visiting the website, etc. Chief Communications Officer Horrigan-Taylor declared there were over 800,000 unique visitors to the website annually. She needed to research what that equated to monthly. The amount of traffic increased with storms and emergency situations, and there had been an increase since New Year’s Eve related to storm events that occurred. They tracked unique visits to the website and clicks to each page. They had a sense for the highest page hits. The website had been evolved based on those reports. She indicated that every household would receive the printed newsletter, which included information to drive traffic to the website, and they were trying to track that information. Council Member Veenker asked if there was overlap in this plan with some of the other things she thought of as community engagement, such as the Cubberley planning process, etc., and how it was determined which Council member would host which Town Hall. Chief Communications Officer Horrigan-Taylor affirmed that there was overlap and that they worked on a regular basis with each of the departments. The Cubberley effort was listed as an item in the Staff Report. The work listed was what they could accomplish and what was slated for the calendar year. Items not listed would be forthcoming. She explained that they had created a framework regarding Council members hosting Town Halls and they asked for volunteers. They were still working through the process. She would love any feedback from Council related to the process. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 5 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 City Manager Ed Shikada noted that all but the new Council members had cohosted a Town Hall. He mentioned that the topic for tonight’s discussion may be the number of cohosts to have. Council Member Tanaka thought the Town Halls were great and that it was important to rotate Council members. Public Comment Mark Shull offered to send Council information regarding Palo Alto engaging the SFO roundtable. He indicated that the City needed to pay attention to SFO’s GBAS program to gain a meaningful seat at the table. He requested that the City’s workplan be simple and built around supporting goals. Rebecca Ward remarked that Page 5 of the Staff Report related to airplane noise and engaging the SFO’s roundtable and SFO’s GBAS system was not a strategy to address airplane concentration. She did not believe the FAA was being forthright related to there being no impact from the proposed changes, and she read a couple responses from them. She addressed the increasing number of noise complaints related to implementation of NexGen. She thought it was important the City take action to develop a plan and a strategy to address the concentration of airplane noise. Mayor Kou reiterated that this was a study session of community engagement activities implementing the City’s work plans for calendar year 2023, which was Item 11 that would be coming up. Liz Gardner spoke on a personal level of being in substandard rental housing. She addressed many therapists not accepting Medi-Cal or other outside insurers, which she considered unacceptable. Jennifer Landesmann thought it needed to be clear how community engagement would advance priorities. She asked that there be filters to enable understanding of resource allocation to show what was being prioritized, which could provide information related to how Council and the community could take an issue to another level. She remarked that previous comments about airplane noise was important. Aram James was frustrated with the allotted speaking time regarding civil engagement. He thanked Council Member Tanaka for his Sunday meetings. He appreciated Council Member Lythcott-Haims sending out a blog and noted that Council Member Veenker had started to the same. He claimed that agendas were happening without input from the community. He thought there were provisions that would allow expansion of the Brown Act to provide an opportunity to engage Council members in dialogue. He hoped there would be a Town Hall meeting in the Ventura neighborhood. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 6 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Anil Babbar was with the California Apartment Association. He discussed outreach on the Rental Registry and thanked staff for reaching out. They were concerned about the implementation of a rent registry and thought it was unnecessary, expensive, and burdensome and stated much of the data already existed. He noted that the State had declined to implement a statewide registry on three occasions. He encouraged staff to reach out to those on the existing registry in going forward on the issue. Jennifer L., a Palo Alto resident for over 20 years, opposed the rental registry. She did not believe it was necessary and indicated the current system was working well according to reports. She thought issues could be addressed with outreach. She asked who should pay for the registry and explained there could be an increase in cost. Alex Dersh had grown up in Palo Alto, and his family had rented much of the time. He noted that the feedback session regarding the rental registry emphasized that it was critical to do outreach. He encouraged the City and Council members to reach out to the Palo Alto Renters’ Association (PARA) and to have extensive engagement with renters. He indicated that the registry could provide data critical for policymaking. Katie Causey was born and raised in Palo Alto, was a renter, and had worked as a staff member for PARA and currently sat on the Board. She encouraged Council to continue investing in renter feedback and recommended they be provided multiple feedback opportunities and a stipend or gift card. She invited Council to contact her regarding renter experiences. Deputy City Clerk Nguyen declared there were additional requests to speak but the cutoff had been missed. Kirti Bassendine was a resident and an artist with the Public Arts Program, which was intended to bring awareness of equity and inclusion through community engagement. She outlined that her project would focus on diverse communities experiencing social, economic, and housing instability, and she listed some partnerships that formulated the work. She would gather information that would inform her final artwork, which would be displayed at King Plaza, and she hoped to spark conversations regarding the registry, affordable housing, etc. She hoped to hear perspectives of landlords in California associations. Mayor Kou asked what topics were being discussed at Town Halls; how it was formulated; if after the meetings they gathered feedback from the neighborhoods; if there was involvement of neighborhood associations and if there were presentations at their monthly meetings; and if the neighborhood associations allowed residents to reach out for information. Chief Communications Officer Horrigan-Taylor answered that they had worked with Palo Alto neighborhood leaders and City staff and hosted Council members, and she outlined the structure that had been created. She clarified topics that had been discussed. Moving forward, they were working with Ventura and some surrounding neighborhoods for the next Town Hall. They had not yet had that planning meeting, but it was an opportunity. She did gather feedback from a neighborhood leader related to the last meeting and hoped to have further discussion of SUMMARY MINUTES Page 7 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 those topics at the next planning group. Presentations did occur at neighborhood association meetings if they were interested in a topic. She confirmed that the neighborhood associations allowed residents to reach out for information. City Manager Shikada added that not only topics were done in collaboration with neighborhood leaders but also dates, locations, etc. He expressed that all aspects of the framework had been done in partnership. Vice Mayor Stone queried if there was a threat to the rental registry on this item. He asked if the City could measure the groups not being effectively communicated with through the International Association of Public Participation. As a renter, he had found few opportunities to get involved, etc. He suggested there be a referral to the Human Relations Commission related to inclusion. He requested information concerning the process for the Get To Know Your Neighbor Grant and questioned how much money was available. He had been informed that it was burdensome applying for two grants through the City process and wondered if there was flexibility in how that could be handled. He wanted to see more done on community building with events that would bring a community together. He thought the Town Hall was wonderful related to community engagement. He thought there should be discussion with the neighborhoods in pre-meetings to decide the number of cohosts for Town Halls. City Manager Shikada acknowledged there was no threat to the registry or a suggestion to delay work. He explained that the grant was for neighborhood associations or individual residents who were organizing a block party. Up to $500 could be applied for to cover block party expenses. Neighborhood associations with larger events could apply for up to $1,000. He believed they had sufficient funds to cover expected applications received through the fiscal year. Regarding applying for two grants, the Community Services Department lead dialogue with the neighborhood as to how best to allocate funds. Chief Communications Officer Horrigan-Taylor indicated that the framework of the International Association of Public Participation did not necessarily measure groups not being effectively communicated with, but through the work they did, they had a sense of segments of the community that could be missing, and there were opportunities for focus groups, etc. There was a dedicated website to apply for the grant – cityofpaloalto.org/knowyourneighbors. Council Member Burt believed that Special City events, such as concerts, were occasions in which people who were not part of regular engagement could be reached. He encouraged making immigrants a part of civic life and spoke of potential partners with nonprofits. He agreed that the number of Council members at Town Halls should be decided by the neighborhood groups. He indicated that the community was often looking for concrete responses to their questions and felt it was important to provide clear and concrete answers whenever possible. He believed the community wanted timely and concrete information from the City on important issues and claimed improvement was needed in that area and that process should not be a delay. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 8 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Council Member Lauing noted the Council had an opportunity to stop misinformation and noted there should have been a Town Hall at Mitchell Park regarding the surplus that had been misunderstood in the community. He agreed that the community should decide on the number of Council members at Town Halls. He queried how annual content was created for the annual surveys and if there was a productive way to get new information and the process of such. He suggested providing more than one notification in the event there was to be a future construction project, etc. He indicated there was much interest in block parties when the Fire Department attended, and he thought appearances by the City was important. He concurred there were opportunities for community engagement through special City events, and knew staff would address those likely to be responsive. Chief Communications Officer Horrigan-Taylor remarked they tried to use benchmark questions for the annual survey, and there were opportunities to add other questions. They wanted to ensure the survey was not too long, which could discourage folks from taking it. When the process warranted, they addressed issues the community was facing, and she provided an example. Council Member Lythcott-Haims agreed that it was critical to engage in standard Palo Alto events. She expressed that the neighborhood association network was a fantastic resource, but she explained that caution should be taken in relying on it being a catchall. She was nervous about the neighborhood association liaisons deciding the number of cohosts for a Town Hall and clarified why she thought Council members should rotate. She was in favor of two cohosts for the sake of efficiency. She thought it would be great to depart from the neighborhood methodology and do a Town Hall for all renters. Council Member Veenker thought residents in the neighborhood should drive topics discussed in a meeting and believed that could drive who attended. She liked the concept of rotating cohosts for Town Halls and pairing with someone who had already cohosted. She suggested the residents be educated related to such rotation. Regarding reaching residents generally, she liked the idea of taking advantage of special events. She questioned the proportion of renters responding to the annual survey and suggested ways of putting the survey out if the percentage was not commensurate with the proportion of renters. She liked Council Member Burt’s comment regarding community partners and noted that Council had approved partnering with Sibling Cities USA, which she would be more than happy to advertise doing three Town Halls this year. Chief Communications Officer Horrigan-Taylor would follow up with information related to the proportion of renters responding to the annual survey. She commented that they shared information on a daily basis with a number of groups that had their own community networks. Council Member Tanaka suggested point-of-sale surveys, etc., instead of once or twice-a-year surveys, and encouraged adopting best practices that had been done in the private sector. He supported rotation for Town Halls. He noted that PAN represented more homeowners than SUMMARY MINUTES Page 9 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 renters and thought other mechanisms should be considered. He voiced why he thought the rental registry was not a good idea, which included increasing rents, privacy, etc. Mayor Kou did not think there was an indication that outreach would be to neighborhood associations only but that it was inclusive, which helped disseminate information and engagement. She wondered if it was possible to have more information posted on the City website, especially related to volunteer opportunities. She did not see anything referencing emergency services volunteers and asked if it could be added to the page. She opined that information on the website under Neighborhoods could also be under Community Partners and Education. She thought it was important that Council members rotate for Town Halls. Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions There were none. Public Comment Nilufar Haque (In-Person) was a board member of the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. She invited all to join them in celebrating art, sculpture, and creativity month in April. She spoke of arts being essential to a community, described the foundation being a nonprofit, and highlighted how the center contributed to economic recovery. She encouraged all to attend the 2023 ACGA festival in Palo Alto on July 15 and 16. Alex Eulenberg (In-Person) spoke for the unvaccinated community in the Palo Alto area. He addressed dances at Cubberley Pavilion requiring vaccination. He had provided a copy of the Unruh Civil Rights Act fact sheet to Council and alleged Cubberley was in violation of the law with respect to medical condition. He was told by the Cubberley representative they were following City policy. Arisha Solouyoua (In-Person) had lived in Mountain View for almost 25 years and enjoyed the arts programs in Palo Alto. She addressed dances in the City ballroom and the Unruh Act covering all discrimination by business establishments, and she opposed discrimination connected to past medical procedures, such as abortion, etc. She claimed the CDC and CDPH never recommended excluding the unvaccinated and had not said it prevented transmission. She hoped Council could help with this issue. Carol Brouillet (In-Person), a resident of Palo Alto, had sent Council an email regarding being unvaccinated and supported Alex Eulenberg’s comments. She asked that this practice be stopped and that dance events at the Cubberley Pavilion be accessible to all. She alleged that turning away the unvaccinated was not City policy but was a violation of policy. She discussed her personal experience in not being vaccinated. She discussed the history of vaccines. Patrick Killelea (In-Person) had lived in Menlo Park for 25 years. He read a statement by Sherry Z., who could not attend, related to her being denied admission to the Cubberley facility due to not showing proof of vaccination, which she believed violated her rights and privacy under SUMMARY MINUTES Page 10 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 HIPAA and was discriminatory. He read her comments regarding contact tracing, vaccination proof being discrimination, the vaccine not stopping transmission, citizens’ rights being violated, and possibly being in violation of State and Federal positions. He, personally, did not consider the vaccine safe. Zlatco (In-Person), a resident of San Jose, spoke about the policies of Cubberley Pavilion and not being allowed to participate because they would not sign a form stating they were vaccinated against COVID and provide personal contact information, which the studio’s Facebook page declared they collected the information for contact tracing. He spoke of the California Constitution and privacy rights. He had received contradictory information regarding to the requirement being a City policy versus a CDC guideline and inquired which was it. He asked that the organizer be contacted and that discrimination and privacy be addressed. Tessa McFarland appreciated Council addressing whether it would be good use of City funds and time to establish a rental registry. She discussed better ways to use the funds to advise renters of their rights and collect data. Mayor Kou asked her to defer her comments until the presentation of Item 11. Aram James commended Carol Brouillet for her activism in the community. He addressed policing and crime and opined that resources should be used for education, housing, etc., for those being released from prison. Liz Gardner addressed the City’s website posting the vaccination and masking rules. She spoke of her personal experience at Stanford Hospital and not being asked for vaccination proof and possible violations of HIPAA related to privacy, and she discussed a masking incident at a retailer. She addressed being fully vaccinated and demasking. She hoped the City would put out PR... Consent Calendar 4. Approval of Minutes from March 27, 2023 Meeting 5. SECOND READING: Adopt an Ordinance to Expand the Human Relations Commission (HRC) from Five to Seven Members; CEQA status – not a project (FIRST READING: March 27, 2023 PASSED 7-0) 6. Approval of Contract Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. S20175534B with HdL Coren & Cone in the Amount of $8,400 and to Extend Term Six Months Ending September 2023 for Property Tax Information and Reporting Services; CEQA Status – Not a Project 7. Agreement with Stanford University to provide $744,000 in funding for expanded Palo Alto Link (PAL) on-demand transit services; Contract Amendment No. 1 with Nomad Transit, LLC (Via) to increase total contract amount not to exceed $3,244,000 for up to SUMMARY MINUTES Page 11 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 two years; and Associated Budget Amendment in the General Fund. CEQA status – not a project. 8. Approval of a Purchase Order with The Public Restroom Company in the Amount of $596,556 to Provide and Install Modular Restroom Buildings at Rinconada and Ramos Parks for the Rinconada Park Improvements Capital Improvement Program Project (PE- 08001) and Park Restroom Installation Capital Improvement Program Project (PG- 19000), including $542,324 for basic services and $54,232 for additional services and Approval of Budget Amendments in the Parks Development Impact Fee Fund and Capital Improvement Fund; CEQA status – Section 15303 exempt 9. Approval of an Updated Residential Winter Gas and Electric Rebate Program to Mitigate Extraordinarily High January 2023 Customer Bills, Including Repeal and Replacement of the Gas Rebate Program and Budget Appropriation adopted on March 27, 2023 and Approval of Budget Amendments in the General Fund, Electric Fund, and Gas Fund, at a Total Cost of up to $2,468,385; CEQA: Not a project under CEQA Guidelines sections 15378(b)(4) and (5). Herb Borock (In-Person) – Items 7 & 8 – Regarding Item 7, he spoke of the report not connecting Stanford shuttles and PAL. He discussed Stanford’s responsibility and suggested the agreement state that Stanford would continue the shuttle during the term of the shuttle. He did not agree with Stanford’s lower rates and discussed determining the correct price. He did not think there was enough information for the revenue agreement. He would oppose Item 8 until the construction and site improvements were addressed in the contracts. He opined that a site map should have been included in the packet. Aram James – Items 5, 7, & 8 – Regarding Item 8, he requested there be a restroom at Bol Park. He asked for the definition of “modular units,” and hoped they would be consistent with the environment. Related to Item 7, he would like a report on the efficacy of Link. He addressed Stanford’s rates and hoped they would pay at least as much as a senior to use the service. Concerning Item 5, he requested Steven Lee be invited back to the HRC, and he wanted to see diversity in taking on controversial issues. He spoke of Palestine and Israel. Liz Gardner – Items 5, 7, & 8 – Related to Item 5, she thought it was necessary to expand the HRC and believed addressing historical discrimination was important and could be included in the discussion of the History Museum. She believed issues related to Cubberley (vaccinations, masking) and license plate recognition were important. As for Item 7, she thought it would be ideal for low-income residents if Link was at the boarder of Menlo Park. Regarding Item 8, she encouraged the City to consider restrooms and a water source at Johnson Park. Lynn Chiapella asked, regarding Item 8, where to find information related to the budget for maintenance, and she noted she was unable to find such information related to other projects on the Consent Calendar. She questioned how new, approved Consent Calendar items were SUMMARY MINUTES Page 12 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 budgeted and where to find it in the budget. She requested consideration be given to a restroom at Eleanor Park. MOTION: Mayor Kou moved, seconded by Council Member Veenker to approve Agenda Item Numbers 4-9. Council Member Tanaka registered a no vote on Agenda Item Number 8. MOTION SPLIT FOR THE PURPOSE OF VOTING AGENDA ITEMS 4-7, 9 PASSED: 7-0 AGENDA ITEMS 8 PASSED: 6-1, Tanaka No Council Member Tanaka stated regarding Item 8 that he was not opposed to restrooms, but he had concerns related to the competitive bidding process. He referenced the item being controversial and an online survey showing 86 in support and 80 opposed. He stated that it possibly should have been an action item. He commented that the definition of a notice to proceed was not defined in the contract nor was additional services. He thought the site map was another issue. He could not support it for the above reasons. [Council took a break and returned at 7:50 P.M.] City Manager Comments City Manager Ed Shikada noted regarding Item 7 of the Consent Calendar that there had been no indication that Stanford would reduce their Marguerite service and was an entirely different service. Staff was confident Stanford would pay the incremental cost of additional services and perhaps more. He noted that the new on-demand service would provide valuable information to the City. He expressed that the restroom procurement was competitive and efficient. He noted that the ordinance flagged by a member of the public would have a second reading and would come back to City Council. He acknowledged the recent report of a sexual assault, which the Police Department was addressing. There was a sketch of the individual, and he requested the community contact the Police Department if they had information. A recent article had been issued that provided an update of the City’s financial circumstances and included responses to community questions, which was available on the website. He flagged upcoming events related to Earth Month and the Youth Sustainability Fair. He shared that there was an online portal related to housing programs and projects (cityofpaloalto.org/housing) and looked forward to feedback related to the provided information. Upcoming Agendas: Next week would start a study session covering all utility plans for the upcoming fiscal year, which could result in specific actions for Council’s consideration. On April 24, 2023, there would be Commission candidate interviews and a study session of the Safe Routes to School Program, and they hoped to bring back Council Procedures & Protocols for final approval. May 1, 2023, would begin the public-facing budget season with the first presentation and a study session on the proposed budget, which would be followed by Finance Committee meetings, and they were planning an SUMMARY MINUTES Page 13 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 update on the CDBG Program as well as a public hearing on a proposed development project. The following week was an anticipated date for Council and PTC to meet in joint session to review proposed revisions to the draft [inaudible] and dates further out. Council Member Lythcott-Haims had been informed that the resources listed in the housing link had waiting lists, etc. She wondered if the next website update could be done from the perspective of one desperately seeking affordable housing, and she suggested some language. She also found that the website did not address the building of ADUs. Mayor Kou reminded Council that comments and questions to the City Manager should be brief and noted that some issues may be addressed with the City Manager offline. Action Items 10. Approval of the Electric Utility Construction Services Contract With VIP Powerline Corp. (C23185980) for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $20,000,000 Over Five Years; CEQA status – exempt (existing facilities, replacement or reconstruction) City Manager Ed Shikada declared that this item had gone to the Finance Committee and was recommended for approval unanimously, and there had been a desire for it to be an action item to the Full Council. Council Member Burt commented that the Finance Committee thought it should be brought to the Council only because of the size of the contract, not because there was dispute on the Committee. Utilities Director Dean Batchelor remarked that Utilities was seeking approval for the electric service contract with VIP in the amount of $20M. He stated that the electric line construction division had insignificant resources to meet daily demand, complete work, etc. The contractor currently on board had helped with emergency situations that started New Year’s Eve. He specified that this was a new contract, and it was put out to bid due to worker vacancies, etc. He spoke of the number of linemen the City had. He explained the contract being put out as an IFP and noted that the scope of work could be reduced. The work provided by the contractor would be monitored and evaluated by staff, and all work under the contract in fiscal years would be subject to satisfactory performance as well as contract appropriation of funds for the fiscal years moving forward. He described where the funding would come from. They were asking that Council approve and authorize execution of the contract with VIP in the amount of $20M over 5 years with an annual not to exceed $4M for services providing ongoing operational work to various locations throughout the City. Public Comment There were none. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 14 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Council Member Lauing asked for comment regarding going out to over 1,300 and getting only 3 bids; why the City was not able to acquire competent employees but VIP was able to; and how FTE costs compare to those of the City. He requested Director Batchelor speak to the apprentice program and why the City was losing apprentices. He agreed with the suspension and termination clause in the contract being a forecast rather than a commitment. Director Batchelor explained that bids were generated by possible responsive bidders, and most contractors did not meet requirements of the IFP, and in the end, only three put in bids. He thought VIP being able to acquire competent employees was due to compensation and workers liking a variety of work, which Palo Alto did not offer. He mentioned that VIP said they had enough employees to support emergency situations, and the contract included a provision to be on site within a two-hour window. He could not provide their full comp today, but their hourly wage was 10% to 20% more than the City’s. He explained the apprentice program and that the City could find apprentices, but there were challenges and difficulties in maintaining. They had made hires through a lineman’s college but lost four of the five hires due to geography, which he explained. Council Member Burt was concerned that the workforce capacity need would be compounded related to the electrification program and thought local recruitment needed to be a focus. Council Member Lythcott-Haims seconded Council Member Burt’s comments. She suggested doing a better job presenting such opportunities to locals. Council Member Tanaka supported this item. He questioned how much work was done internally versus work being outsourced and if it was possible to share evidence regarding the City paying less wage than contractors. He agreed with Council Member Lauing’s comments related to this being the correct model in terms of outsourcing and thought more of it may need to be done if it worked. He shared his screen with Council and liked that there was a comparison of rates of the different providers. He found it interesting that the contract did not address minimum purchase or exclusion. It appeared to him there was nothing limiting engagement with more than one provider, and he suggested engaging with multiple providers to address price discrepancies, flexibility, and resiliency. He implied that maybe two contractors could be approached to do a job. He noted that the contact did not prevent scaling up the internal force or a third party. Director Batchelor voiced that about 20% was in-house and 80% outsourced. As the City grew, they would be doing more. He would research and try to come up with a full comp, but he did not have it currently. He would send Council some worker wages. He noted that having two different contractors doing the same type work and sharing work would be difficult and thought credibility would be lost with contractors who may not be as flexible. He stated it was important to build a relationship with an individual contractor and why they were requesting a five-year contract versus three years. There was a contractor on call for emergencies. He explained that contractors bid on contracts according to number of employees doing the work SUMMARY MINUTES Page 15 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 on a day-to-day basis, and he outlined why the City may not be able to hold a full crew of contractors if the City used more than one. City Manager Shikada voiced that an important fundamental principal in contracting for work was contracting for the product. They did not have the ability to direct the means as to specific classifications the contractor would use. He explained that labor issues could be triggered with respect to control the City might have over the contractor. There was a different nature of oversight with a contractor versus City staff. He explained the importance of Utilities’ staff overseeing one contractor versus many. He pointed out that they were not suggesting an entire contracting model, and ideally basic work would be done by in-house staff. He indicated that this contract was out of necessity to a certain extent. He did not believe it was in the best interest of the City to go to an entirely contracted model. MOTION: Mayor Kou moved, seconded by Council Member Lauing to approve and authorize the City Manager to execute the construction contract C23185980 (Attachment A) with VIP Powerline Corp. (VIP) in an amount not-to-exceed $20,000,000 over five (5) years, with an annual not-to exceed amount of $4,000,000 for Electric Construction Services to provide essential ongoing operational work including construction maintenance and system improvement work on the City’s electric distribution system at various locations throughout the City of Palo Alto. Mayor Kou thanked the Finance Committee for bringing this to Council for discussion of the $20M. Council Member Tanaka asked that there be an unfriendly motion that would include engaging with Ferreira as a backup contractor but approving the current motion. There was no second. MOTION PASSED: 6-1, Tanaka No 11. Consideration of additional 2023 Council Priority Objectives Assistant City Manager Kiely Nose reminded Council that the 2023 priorities were discussed in January and that staff was to follow-up with identification of the objectives, which was in Attachment A. Council then added additional areas for consideration, which were in Table 1 of the Staff Report. She provided a slide listing priority objectives that Council had approved previously. The projects were on track as of the first quarter. Attachment A included the full list. She stated that tonight Council should consider 17 objectives on Table 1 of the Staff Report, which 16 items were not resourced and 9 would not start until 2024 or later. If all 17 were approved, there would be 37 un-resourced objectives for this calendar year. City Manager Ed Shikada noted that Council priorities and projects reflected a small fraction of staff’s work. He addressed there being a tension in bringing priority objectives to Council for completion and the desire to do more. He noted that the descriptions of priority objectives on SUMMARY MINUTES Page 16 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 the list were very brief statements to describe the topic rather than detailing scope or specifics needed to deliver on the objectives. He encouraged Council to not dive too deeply into what was on the list as opposed to the totality of the list. They hoped to finish the goals and objectives for this calendar year’s priorities and to advance priorities Council adopted. He mentioned that the “Our City At Work” graphic on Slide 3 concerned a document produced a few years ago but reflected an attempt to roll up all programs and services provided by the City. They hoped to finalize the list for the time being. As the budget process would be unfolding next month, there was an opportunity to resource the un-resourced priorities. He opined there would be more items on the list than resources to advance such items. There would be opportunities to discuss which should be prioritized for funding, and then they would proceed with implementation. They expected to come back to Council in August with a progress report on Council’s identified priorities. He noted that the proposed motion identified objectives that would be approved and incorporated into the priority objectives for the calendar year, and then they would report on progress at the next opportunity. Mayor Kou disclosed that her husband was a Board member with the La Comida Board of Directors, who received no pay. Public Comment Mora Oommen (In-Person) was a Palo Alto resident, volunteer on the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, and the Executive Director of Youth Community Service. She expressed her support of some of the objectives and priorities. She highlighted funding being allocated for HSRAP and noted that nonprofits were recovering from the impact of COVID. Aram James referenced an April 7th article by LiveMoves regarding the homeless. He thought homelessness needed to be a priority. He suggested there be an action item on the agenda when there was new data related to RIPA. Jennifer Landesmann requested that the 2022 priorities be ranked as unfinished business and early on the public agenda, that there be a Staff Report before summer, and that Council set objectives for issues versus staff setting objectives. She addressed attendance and outlined that airplane noise had a large petition for a City issue without active solicitation. She asked that priorities impacting many not be diluted and to take action soon on airplane noise to show it as a priority. Liz Gardner wanted the three-minute public comment time and the history of redlining Palo Alto to be priorities. She noted that equitable, affordable, and quality housing needed to be moved forward. Katie Rueff thanked Council for adding youth to the priorities list and indicated equity should be prioritized and that resources should be available to all. She encouraged Council to have carefully informed intentions regarding youth involvement, which she detailed. She hoped Council and staff would engage with youth in planning and invited Council to reach out to her. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 17 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 KC Hetterly, a volunteer with SCVAS, noted that they supported and requested approval of Priority Objectives 3, 4, and 6, which was important in protecting wildlife. They asked that protections for creek corridors, dark skies, and bird safety citywide be included. They recommended the City of Cupertino’s bird safety and dark sky ordinance as a starting point for evaluating protections in Objective 6. Katie Causey, a renter who had been born and raised in Palo Alto, had worked as a staff member for PARA, and currently sat on the Board. She recalled early 2022 when a developer had triggered a mass eviction in Midtown, and she thanked Council for passing relocation assistance. They were excited for a rent registry and protections that would help keep the community together, and she stated a registry would allow for monitoring compliance with AB 1482. Council Member Burt appreciated the matrix presented for priorities and objectives. He asked if staff knew the status of restoration of staffing to the Children’s Theatre to pre-pandemic levels. He referenced Items aaa and bbb and thought there should be consistency in placing them under either Community Health and Safety or Climate Change Adaptation Flood Protection. He discussed his thoughts of public health and safety being the highest priority. He addressed HSRAP and there being a disconnect in the budget cycle between HRC’s process and when Council would consider increasing the funding. He spoke of youth health being a priority twice, but deliberate things had not been done to fulfill that, and he suggested there be youth engagement on the implementation of the climate change initiatives versus adding staffing. Community Services Director Kristen O’Kane remarked they were proposing to restore additional Children’s Theatre reductions that were a result of COVID. The proposals returning to pre-COVID staffing levels would depend on what Council would approve as part of the budget process, which some were being proposed and some might be on a second-tier list that Council may be able to select from. Assistant City Manager Nose believed the Committee had anticipated the timing difference related to HSRAP and that they were exploring alternative scenarios as part of their recommendation to avoid a second process. Vice Mayor Stone inquired if Objective 6 included dark skies. He was interested in evaluating a business vacancy tax, and would like there to be discussion related to a similar tax to housing, which could increase the Affordable Housing Fund. He was happy to see an increase in HSRAP and hoped staff was doing research to enable going back to Finance. He addressed his recollection of funding being higher in the early 2000s and then cut in 2005/2006, and thought that the restoration of funds to the pre-2006 level needed to be looked at more closely by the Finance Committee. He would like to see a meeting with staff, an ad hoc of Council members, youth mental health professionals, and PAUSD regarding performing a needs assessment to find a path for partnership with PAUSD and to identify service gaps. He opined there was little interest in theatre, climate issues, and libraries by youth, and thought a sense of space and community needed to be created, which may include incentivizing private actors. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 18 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Planning and Transportation Director Jon Lait confirmed that Objective 6 included dark skies. City Manager Shikada clarified that they were not proposing moving forward Numbers 1 and 6 this calendar year. Council Member Lauing noted that the items were not weighted in terms of time needed in hours, months, etc. He discussed getting the number of priorities to a manageable number. Regarding statements by staff that this was on schedule, he voiced that it was not on schedule as some material had not yet been approved by Council. He did not know what was meant by the action item referencing engaging youth in climate change initiatives, etc., as he believed youth were engaged. Council Member Veenker associated herself with Council Member Lauing’s comments with respect to the tasks before Council. She was going to focus on Table 1, the new objectives. She expressed that there would probably be further prioritization when dealing with the budget. With respect to the business vacancy tax, she agreed with Vice Mayor Stone and hoped it could be moved forward quickly. She queried if Number 4 was related to creek setback rules. City Manager Shikada believed Number 4 was related to discussions when Council sat in quasi- judicial mode. Director Lait thought there was an opportunity for Council to clarify its interest in Objective Number 4. He understood it to be associated with the development agreement project, the City’s potential acquisition of the Fry’s site, and the opportunity to do some creek restoration. City Manager Shikada stated the setback question was related to the Los Trancos site. Director Lait noted there were two items on the objective that should probably be split – one was dealing with the creek setbacks. Council Member Veenker queried why completion Item 4 on Table 1 was 2024 or later and what was entailed. She suggested thinking about it being completed before 2024, 2025, or 2026. She was not clear why some objectives were highly expensive, such as Number 14. She asked what was involved in the business vacancy tax and if there was an idea when income might break even from revenue. Director Lait mentioned that it could be completed this year and it was about prioritization of other assignments. If Council wanted that moved forward, staff could explore doing that. Assistant City Manager Nose noted that dollars were given a metric in the Staff Report and that anything costing $100K or more was represented on the table as “$$$.” She outlined what would be needed to move the library up to pre-pandemic levels of service and discussed budgeted levels and what was needed for the business vacancy tax in terms of staffing, etc. She voiced that income breaking even from the revenue would depend on the tax setup. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 19 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 City Attorney Molly Stump commented there were many graphs, timelines, etc., which would be an issue focused on for many meetings. Council Member Lythcott-Haims declared she was the liaison to the HRC and confirmed what had transpired at the March 16 meeting. In terms of Table 1, she was in favor of evaluating the business vacancy tax, which seemed to address many things. Her highest priorities were 1, 8, 9, 10, and 11 were her highest priorities. Council Member Tanaka understood that staff was looking for objectives to be removed, and he suggested that be done. He suggested delaying Project Homekey and possibly removing completely the business vacancy tax. He spoke of the rental registry being burdensome due to privacy issues, cost, etc. He indicated there were no clear objectives and questioned what would be done with the data. Council Member Stone did not agree with removing items related to affordable housing, which was a priority of Council and something the City had been coping with for decades. He noted that Project Homekey needed to be reevaluated. He noted that the Rental Registry was to go to P&S, and organizations like PARA indicated a registry was foundational, and he noted that it would provide needed data and would allow enforcement of State and Local law violations. He agreed with removing some objectives from the list. Mayor Kou stated she wanted to see the rental registry slated before 2024 and a date determined for Item hh, which corresponded to housing data. She thought Item iii should be revisited and possibly there could be an ad hoc. Related to items in Table 1, she was interested in 1, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 15, and 17. Director Lait noted work was underway with the rental registry and saw implementation in early 2024. City Manager Shikada thought staff was evaluating bringing that forward, but there was not a specific schedule. Council Member Lythcott-Haims agreed that taking things off the list could be helpful. She proposed looking at Table 1 as the first 17 things to be prioritized in 2024, and asked Council’s thoughts on doing such. Council Member Burt spoke of reconciling Table 1 with the larger list of priorities, but he did not know how do it without staff’s input. He did not believe all items on Table 1 would get done and indicated that they were not the highest priority. He spoke of the LifeMoves project being critical, which he was counting on staff working with LifeMoves, and the importance of the rental registry, which he sided with Vice Mayor Stone’s comments. He thought there was merit in the vacancy tax but did not think it was a priority. He spoke of the importance of the Children’s Theatre and was glad staff would be coming back with alternatives in the budget cycle. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 20 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Council Member Lauing agreed with Council Member Burt and did not think cuts could be decided without staff’s input. He addressed housing being urgent and supported having a standing committee. He suggested that a couple downtown plans be in the budget and that details of zoning changes be addressed by staff. Council Member Veenker agreed with Council Member Lauing’s comments and agreed with pushing the business vacancy tax to 2024. She asked if items could be added to Table 1 without removing items from Table 1. She asked Council to proceed by moving forward items marked as being completed in 2024. City Manager Shikada confirmed that items could be added to Table 1 without removing items from Table 1. He clarified that some items showing completion in the calendar year required resources, which would be part of the budget discussion. Discussion ensued regarding moving forward with the motion, which included observations from staff. Council Member Burt, related to Number 16, addressed resources and questioned what was intended by Phase 1 and when funding and implementation would occur. He understood that Phase 1 had been initiated and that Phase 2 could start in 2024, so he proposed not putting it on this year’s work plan. Chief Transportation Official Philip Kamhi envisioned Phase 1 being work already initiated, which he detailed. He anticipated that the Action Plan would be done in 2024. He noted that the development of the Action Plan would make the City eligible for grant funding and would enable development and management of a safe systems policy. Council Member Veenker asked that Council consider adding Item 4. Director Lait noted that Council had given clear direction on the policy, and they were anticipating having it to Council early 2024 and envisioned work starting the second half of the year. Mayor Kou agreed with adding Item 4. Council Member Burt queried if Item 4 would cover open-space and other setbacks. He accepted the timeline Director Lait described and asked for confirmation that it would start later in 2023 and be finalized in 2024. Director Lait recalled that they had received direction for certain areas and did not believe it extended to the more urban areas, and he would refer to the Council’s motion. He acknowledged that the timeline Council Member Burt described was correct. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 21 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Council Member Veenker withdrew her request to add Item 4, but asked that the item be done with deliberate speed. She did not know how to add Item 14 with it involving the Finance Committee and the budget. She discussed her concerns with budgeting. Mayor Kou suggested there be a standing committee referral to the Finance Committee to review the budget. Council Member Burt asked if Item 4 was intended to be a discussion item in the upcoming budget. Assistant City Manager Nose expected the Committee to address Item 4. Council Member Tanaka proposed adding Item 15. He asked if the maker would be interested in removing Item 7 for now. Mayor Kou suggested it be referred to the Finance Committee, which would be included in the next agenda item. She was not willing to remove Item 7 and stated commercial was to come before Council at a later date. She proposed adding Number 6 and suggested iii be changed to read engagement with SFO Airport instead of SFO roundtable. She asked that the wireless ordinance be completed to allow for return to the subjective standards. She did not want it to be forgotten. Director Lait noted that wireless was on their worklist, but it did not precisely fall in to a Council priority, and he did not have a timeline. He noted that this was a good example of staff receiving more assignments than they could process. Staff would like to support the Council and advance work related to Item 6 on Table 1, but they did not envision completion until 2024. If Council wanted it to be prioritized, it would take resources from another item. Discussion ensued related to Items 4, 6, 9, 12, and iii, motion language, and splitting the motion. Assistant City Manager Nose noted that staff was seeking clarification of scope and expectations related to Item 12 in facilitating a location for La Comida in North Palo Alto. Mayor Kou wanted to first see a review of the contract with the senior center before other locations be considered. Assistant City Manager Nose declared staff would limit initial work to facilitating review of a location within existing City facilities. Discussion ensued regarding what entity the analysis would go to, staff being unclear of the work, the City Attorney’s office reviewing the contract, and staff determining the best path forward in review with the Mayor and Vice Mayor. MOTION: Mayor Kou moved, seconded by Council Member Burt to approve additional priority objectives listed in Table #1 and identified to be completed in calendar year 2023: SUMMARY MINUTES Page 22 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 New objectives #2, 5, 8, 9, 13 in Table 1 and do the following: • Add # 10 as an ad hoc committee • Amend objective iii as follows: Continue engagement with the San Francisco airport (instead of SFO Roundtable). MOTION PASSED: 7-0 MOTION SPLIT FOR THE PURPOSE OF VOTING MOTION: Mayor Kou moved, seconded by Council Member Burt to approve additional priority objectives listed in Table #1 and identified to be completed in calendar year 2023: New objectives # 7, 11, 12 in Table 1 and do the following: • Add #4 and #6 initiate work by the end of the calendar year MOTION PASSED: 6-1, Tanaka No 12. Discussion and Possible Revision to 2023 Standing Committee Topics (Continued from February 13, 2023) Mayor Kou requested this be completed to allow staff to work on it. Assistant City Manager Kiely Nose declared there were updated attachments in the Staff Report, which included new referrals Council had made and items Council had asked P&S to review. The one from Monday’s Council meeting was not included but would be added. She commented the dates could be fluid as the process continued. These are for the two standing committees, Finance Committee and P&S. City Manager Ed Shikada expressed that the housing items would need to be removed from P&S if the Housing Ad Hoc Committee was forwarded. Mayor Kou clarified that this item concerned standing committees for P&S, Finance, CAO, and Rail and looking at referrals. Council Member Lauing did not see gas blowers, etc. Deputy City Manager Cotton-Gaines mentioned she had noted that when it was discussed previously. Public Comments Jennifer Landesmann thanked Council for their work. She indicated that changing engagement with the SFO roundtable to SFO Airport was done without community engagement. She did not SUMMARY MINUTES Page 23 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 understand what was done with the roundtable or what would be done with SFO Airport and requested it be explained to the community. She thought P&S should address the issue. Liz Gardner wished the City would prioritize airplane noise over other critical priorities and for an explanation of airplane noise related to climate change and quality of life. She noted that housing and economics were pressing issues. Aram James requested Council address low-income housing and LifeMoves. He spoke of P&S and AB 742. He had sent Council a summary of Sergeant Sean Allen’s comments to P&S on March 21. He opposed Police canines and tasers. Mayor Kou requested referrals from Council members. She noted that Council had previously addressed Finance evaluating the Library’s funding and plan to return to pre-pandemic hours and evaluating increased police foot and bike traffic in the downtown and Cal Ave. City Manager Shikada noted Library funding would be discussed by the Finance Committee as part of the budget hearings. Similar referrals to California Avenue might need a sense of scope, so staff could prepare the needed material for the Finance Committee. Council Member Burt did not think the Council needed to address parameters of the Rail and CAO committees and suggested each committee propose to Council a concise description as to their scope and process, which would ultimately go into Procedures & Protocols. He mentioned possible issues regarding the City/School Committee as it was a joint committee. Deputy City Manager Cotton-Gaines voiced that the updated Procedures & Protocols document, which they would present a revised version to Council in a few weeks, had a blurb of the scope referenced for P&S, Finance, City/School, and the CAO committees. She outlined that the only one not accounted for was Rail and that that one referenced just ad hoc committees. Discussion ensued as to what would be included in the motion. Mayor Kou requested adding to the motion wrapping up the wireless ordinance to restore subjective aesthetic standards for cell tower siting and design. MOTION: Council Member Burt moved, seconded by Mayor Kou to accept the 2023 Standing Committee Topics with the following additions: A. Refer to Rail Committee and Council Appointed Officer Committee to propose the scope and process for their committees B. Refer to the Finance Committee as part of FY 24 budget process to return library services and children’s theater back to pre-pandemic service levels, increase police foot and bike patrol in downtown and Cal Ave, increase HSRAP funding, and funding for youth mental health SUMMARY MINUTES Page 24 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 C. Refer to the Policy and Services Committee: 1) revisit city wide leaf blower ban and other machinery as soon as feasible in 2024, 2) discussion of ALPR program should be reviewed by City Auditor, Independent Police Auditor, or another department D. Refer all housing-related items in the Policy and Services Committee workplan to the upcoming City Council Ad Hoc Housing Committee Council Member Veenker asked if the noted timing of issues would be included in the approval of the schedule; why the rental registry had been moved from March to June; if the Audit Status Report and Update and Procedures & Protocols Handbook discussion could happen earlier; and if anything listed for September could be moved to August. She would discuss the Council liaison item in further detail offline. City Manager Shikada indicated why timing was subject to change. He noted that Item C could be more than staff could deliver this calendar year; the wireless ordinance and the citywide leaf-blower ban would be Planning Department assignments; and ALPR would be for the City Manager’s office and the Police Department. He noted that there would be time constraints with other departments needing to be involved, such as the City Attorney’s office. He thought the rental registry was going to be pulled from the P&S workplan to be handled instead by the Housing Ad Hoc, which he indicated should be added to the motion. Deputy City Manager Cotton-Gaines remarked that staff was catching up on some of the audit reports and that the amount listed may not reflect the number that would come through in the next few months. She was working with the City Auditor on a tentative time frame. She voiced that they could advance items ready for the committee to discuss, which would not require much additional staff time. They wanted to ensure they had time to prepare materials for Council conversations. She noted that the role of the Council liaison needed to be coordinated, but it could be brought to the committee sooner. Discussion ensued regarding the Housing Ad Hoc and housing-related programs, which was added to the motion. Mayor Kou spoke of there being back-up work from P&S with audits and recent race and equity work since late 2022, which was ready to be reported. She was concerned with many meetings being cancelled and questioned if additional meeting dates for P&S would be necessary. She asked if there were set dates in the municipal code with regard to P&S and Finance. City Manager Shikada acknowledged there may need to be additional P&S meetings, which he noted may help in addressing the Procedure & Protocol items. As for dates in the municipal code, he believed Finance was the 1st and 3rd and P&S the second Tuesday, and any meeting held outside those dates would be a special meeting. Council Member Lythcott-Haims asked if Item D needed to be reworded or if it should be included in Item C and if the items in Table 1 needing funding should be added to Item B for the Finance Committee’s consideration. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 25 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Council Member Burt was comfortable with the suggestions related to Item D. He was interested in Youth Mental Health being referred, but there were already items staff intended to be part of the budget proposal. He asked if there were any budget expenditures staff had identified for Youth Mental Health that would go to the Finance Committee. He agreed to add HSRAP and youth mental health to Item B. He inquired if wireless would go through the PTC and then to Council if it did not go to P&S. City Manager Shikada believed staff had identified budget expenditures for Youth Mental Health, although it required interpretation. Director Lait commented on staff’s ability to support the P&S Committee’s work of Item C. These initiatives were on the workplan. He had not anticipated advancing the leaf blower item this year and envisioned it being taken up in 2024. They were focusing on returning to Council with updated ordinances to address other items from February. The wireless item was not a priority, and timing was adjusted to available resources, and he did not believe he could return to P&S with it this year. He noted that the wireless item did not move the project forward. They received feedback from the Planning Commission, and they were progressing based on that direction and would be returning to City Council and did not know if going to P&S would move the item forward. He confirmed that they would have one or two more hearings with PTC, and then it would come to Council with an ordinance. Mayor Kou agreed to remove the wireless ordinance related to aesthetic standards from Item C. Council Member Burt asked if the leaf blower issue could be presented to P&S this year. Director Lait reminded Council of February’s motion regarding leaf blowers, and he did not think the issue could be presented to P&S this year. They planned to come back to Council in June with the leaf blower ordinance changes that Council, in February, had directed be advanced, and it was separate from the add-on work that was time consuming. City Manager Shikada questioned if the leaf blower ordinance included a citywide ban. Director Lait answered that it did not include a citywide ban. Council Member Tanaka spoke of the advantages of having small committees and opined that Staff reports to committees did not need to be as detailed as reports to Council, which could help staff. He suggested scheduling committee meetings to meet two to three times a month. He asked if the hydro rate had been reduced. He inquired if streaming initiatives were included in the objectives discussed at the Retreat regarding retail vacancies. He made a motion that P&S review permanent streamlining due to filling retail vacancies. It was clarified that the hydro rate had been reduced. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 26 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 Director Lait noted that streaming had been a topic at the Retreat but he did know if it was folded into the motion, which he suggested the City Clerk investigate. He noted there were a number of streaming initiatives underway in large part based on an audit the City Council endorsed in about October last year. They were working on that and some process improvements at the Development Center. City Manager Shikada expected to get regular updates on audit recommendations back to P&S, which would be coming to Council as part of the report out. The audit recommendations would cite specific actions to be taken, and the quarterly update would report on the actions taken. He noted that the Audit Report was referenced on Packet Page 207. Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton-Gaines needed to verify the timing from the City Auditor but she estimated the report would be coming back to Council about June and then October. Council Member Burt concurred it was a high priority item in the audit, but the various audit tasks were not listed in the motion nor on the objectives list. He questioned if the Audit Plan listed dates that the tasks would be coming forward. He declined adding P&S reviewing permanent streamlining to the motion as it was in the Audit Task List. Director Lait noted there were tentative dates in the Audit Plan. City Manager Shikada noted staff was following up with respect to the recommendations adopted by Council. Council Member Tanaka suggested the motion include the P&S Committee addressing advancing the University Avenue streetscape, which he thought was important. He thought tasers and Police canines would be a good topic for P&S. Council Member Burt explained why he declined to add to the motion the P&S Committee addressing accelerating the University Avenue streetscape. Council Member Lythcott-Haims was in agreement with Police canines being a topic for P&S, but she was unsure if it belonged in this document. City Manager Shikada invited the Police Chief to comment. He noted that the K9 Unit was a budgetary program, and they were not currently recommending changes to the program. He did not believe operational policies related to K9s was directly a part of the Race and Equity Workplan, but there would a report going to P&S in April. Council Member Burt asked if the report could be agendized to allow discussion. City Manager Shikada stated it was not part of the Race and Equity Workplan, and he thought it could be referred by Council. Discussion ensued related to adding Number 3 to Item C as a topic for P&S, which was not accepted by the maker. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 27 of 27 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 04/10/2023 City Manager Shikada indicated that items brought forward to committees were often used for the purpose of developing a recommendation to the Full Council, and he was unsure if adding it to Item C of the motion would accomplish that goal. He stated that another option was to consult with the IPA, which would hopefully result in a discussion with the IPA coming up shortly. Chief of Police Andrew Binder agreed with the City Manager. He noted that in summer 2020 there were conversations of police reform, and he believed it was within 2020 that the K9 Program was revised extensively. The P&S Committee was aware of the K9 policy and they had commented on it. He believed they were reviewing canine and taser incidents and noted they should have a report shortly, which might be the best opportunity ask them about either topic. Council Member Burt asked if, based upon the IPA’s report, the meeting with the IPA would be agendized in a way that would allow for a referral to review canines and/or tasers. City Manager Shikada affirmed the meeting with the IPA could be agendized in a way that would allow for a referral to review canines and/or tasers. He believed the Council scope with the IPA included an annual special study, and he did not know if there were obstacles to that coming up. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Council Member Questions, Comments and Announcements Council Member Lythcott-Haims noted that she was a published author of nonfiction books, and she informed the community that she offered book talks and conducted workshops with parents, youth, educators, etc., to promote her books and discuss issues related to parenting, youth development, race, and identity, which was her livelihood. When she was elected to the City Council, she requested confirmation from the Fair Political Practice Commission that the State’s rule restricting honorarium for local public officials would not prevent her from her work. She received the initial response from the FPPC staff asserting that the honorarium rule applied to her business and concluded that going forward she would need to adjust her professional actives to be no more than 50% of her business. She was working with her legal advisor to consider options and next steps, which could include a request for the FPPC to look at the issue, which would likely impact public speaking of other elected officials with legitimate business unrelated to their public service. She assured everyone that this issue did not call into question any of Council’s decisions or the votes she had taken. She would keep the public, her colleagues, and staff informed as the matter progressed. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:35 P.M.