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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-02-05 City Council Summary MinutesCITY COUNCIL & PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT CORPORATION SUMMARY MINUTES Page 1 of 15 Special Meeting February 5, 2024 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers and by virtual teleconference at 5:30 p.m. Present In Person: Burt, Kou, Lauing, Lythcott-Haims, Stone, Tanaka, Veenker Present Remotely: Absent: Call to Order Mayor Stone called the City Council Meeting to order. Special Orders of the Day 1. Santa Clara County 2023 Synopsys Championship Science Fair 2023 STEM Winners from Palo Alto No action was taken. Mayor Stone congratulated Palo Alto STEM winners who then took photos with the Council at the dais and received a proclamation from the City. SCVSEFA Board Member Forrest Williams congratulated students as well as thanked Mayor Stone, Council Members and staff. Council Member Tanaka remarked that the Synopsys Championship Science Fair proclamation was one of his favorites and thanked students for their innovations. Closed Session AA1. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS Authority: Government Code Section 54956.8 Property: 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto (Informally known as the Cubberley Site) Negotiating Party: Palo Alto Unified School District City Negotiators: (Ed Shikada, Chantal Cotton Gaines, Kristen O'Kane, Sunny Tong) Subject of Negotiations: Purchase, Exchange, and/or Lease Price and Terms of Payment Public Comment: Ken H. showed slides of other campus centers. The Menlo Park Community Center opens in a couple months in the Belle Haven area and was an all-electric, zero combustion, net-zero energy project with onsite renewable energy, battery microgrid, electric vehicle charging stations, two swimming pools and its structural design was resilient to serve as SUMMARY MINUTES Page 2 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 an emergency shelter. It cost about $40 million and about five years to construct. Mountain View’s Community Center was approximately 36,000 square feet, cost about $35 million and took about five years to build. Ken H. believed it was time to make a decision on Cubberley and build a community center by 2030. MOTION: Vice Mayor Lauing moved, seconded by Council Member Veenker to go into Closed Session. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Council went into Closed Session at 5:51 p.m. Council returned from Closed Session at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Stone announced no reportable action. Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions None Public Comment 1. Talha B. spoke on behalf of Tuba S., Yasa B., Noiez B., Talha A, Hadi S., Aziz S., Amir M., and Humza S. Slide presentation and video shown titled “Palestine: The Most Dangerous Place to be a Child.” 2. Sarit S. spoke on behalf of Adele G., Jafi L., Estee G., Linor L., Ilene S., Rebecca S., Tal S., Julia F., Josh L., Inbal S., Rotem P., Tzippi Z., Miriam R., Sarah G., and Sarith H. Slide presentation shown regarding the war in Gaza. 3. Yazan A. spoke on behalf of Uzma, Michelle, Makenzie, Jessica, Thomas, Tuba, and Yafang regarding all human lives matter equally, wanting liberty and justice for all. He grew up in Palestine of mixed faith (Christian and Muslim) and was a proud American citizen. He called for peace, read Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children of God” and requested a moment of silence for dying children. 4. Noel S. requested Council to pass a ceasefire resolution. 5. Giora T. commented that Council could not mitigate suffering in the Middle East, shorten hostilities or free hostages but Council had the power to maintain harmony in Palo Alto and keep its citizens free. 6. Allyson R. remarked that the tension and anger was heartbreaking. She opined that ceasefire resolutions do not belong in the City Council. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 3 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 7. Henrietta C. has been a Palo Alto resident for 17 years. She was worried about the growing signs of antisemitism in Palo Alto since October 7. She was afraid of walking the streets wearing anything that would identify her as a Jew. She was concerned that a City Council resolution regarding the war in Israel could normalize antisemitism. 8. Alan C. has been a Palo Alto resident since 1980. He noted that last week dozens of anti- Israel protestors shouted at candidates and members of the audience for 45 minutes. He thought the protestors should have been escorted out of the room because democracy cannot be maintained if protestors were allowed to drown out free speech. He thought police should have enforced Section 403 of the California Penal Code, which states every person who without authority of law willfully disturbs or breaks up an assembly or meeting that is not unlawful in character is guilty of a misdemeanor. 9. Itai D. stated all lives matter. He wanted peace and harmony in his community. He believed everyone would support peace but not a ceasefire. 10. Ali and his wife were born in Palo Alto. He is the father of three children. Council’s actions affect how safe they feel in Palo Alto. He urged City Council to vote for peace and pass a ceasefire resolution. 11. Deborahlise spoke against Israel’s actions and stated she stands with Palestine. 12. Jessie H. demanded the addition of a ceasefire resolution to the agenda and was in favor of Free Palestine. 13. Sehili stated Palo Alto Jews were joining IDF. 14. Alina has lived here for nine years. She spoke against Israel and was for Free Palestine. 15. Marilyne U. was scared for Muslims and Jews. She is a Jew who grew up in a Muslim country but never experienced the amount of fear and discomfort she now experienced in the streets of Palo Alto and fear for children in schools. She did not think City Council should take a strong stand against or for a ceasefire. She wanted people to understand and respect each other. 16. Heba asked the City Council to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. 17. Thomas T. wanted the City Council to call for a ceasefire and come up with a solution. Not doing anything was tearing our community apart and he believed it would continue if Council stayed silent. 18. Aram J. stated he was a Jewish man. He spoke against Council Member Lythcott-Haims’ newsletter article regarding conditions to a ceasefire. He urged Council to call for a unilateral ceasefire today to stop the killing. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 4 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 19. Lori M. thought a City Council call for a ceasefire would make no difference in Gaza but would fracture the community in Palo Alto. The ceasefire resolution in Santa Cruz resulted in a death threat to the Mayor. Jews were mocked with pig noises in San Francisco. Council Member Questions, Comments and Announcements Vice Mayor Lauing announced City Auditor Adriane McCoy left the firm. Council will meet in closed session over the next couple of weeks to interview candidates from the firm. Council Member Kou provided a Retail Ad Hoc Committee report. The City set up meetings with business merchants. Merchants stated there were issues the City had not resolved. Meetings with California Avenue merchants were held on December 19 and January 30. Discussion included El Camino Real beautification, the entrance to California Avenue, more signage directing parking within the California Avenue area, bollards and aesthetics. Merchants needed to plan Third Thursday events together as well as have regulations on music volume and placement of bands. Merchants did not know who to call or where to go for information on code compliance complaints. The City needed to ensure enforcement and fairness of parklets. Council Member Kou wanted the City Council to discuss these items as well as mid-term and long-term proposals for the business districts. Council Member Kou met with the Midtown Business District, who was very thankful for staff and the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce supporting the holiday scavenger hunt and party. It was encouraging to see the interaction and collaboration of business owners and the Midtown Residents Association to revitalize Midtown’s Business District. The City put up banners along the Middlefield businesses area. Council Member Kou thanked staff for their support, coordination and action. Country Sun was purchased and was in operation; Council Member Kou was happy to note that Palo Alto would retain that business. Council Member Veenker reported the Climate Action Ad Hoc met on Friday with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to discuss the working group for no-NOx appliance rules and Palo Alto’s Heat Pump Water Heater Program. Vice Mayor Lauing pointed out that the motion to authorize the Retail Ad Hoc in August included staff returning to Council for a discussion of near and medium-term initiatives. He thought staff should agendize that soon so Council could hear their report. Vice Mayor Lauing was concerned that retailers on California Avenue were operating off a pandemic parklet program without any guidelines on the change. There was urgency for retailers to have specific directions on what they can do because there were violations. The entrance to California Avenue was not inviting. Council’s discussion in November included doing some things in the short term but many of those things were not done. He hoped the Council could work with staff, retailers and the Committee to make those things happen. Consent Calendar SUMMARY MINUTES Page 5 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 Council Member Kou registered a no vote on Agenda Item Number 10. Council Member Tanaka registered a no vote on Agenda Item Numbers 4, 5, 6. Mayor Stone, Vice Mayor Lauing, Council Member Kou and Council Member Veenker requested to pull Agenda Item Number 7. City Manager Ed Shikada stated staff would schedule Item Number 7 on an upcoming agenda, tentatively on March 4. Council Member Tanaka, Council Member Lythcott-Haims, Council Member Veenker and Mayor Stone requested to pull Agenda Item Number 8. Public Comment: Regarding Item 8, John K. noted a number of statements in the staff report for January 16 that last year’s storms were unusual. The storms recently experienced show that severe rains and winds were the new normal. He thought the ordinance should create incentives for the type of conduct you want to increase, particularly incentives favoring cooperation with organizations such as Canopy to extend and replant trees. Staff stated several times during the January 16 meeting that this ordinance specifically excluded accessory dwelling units (ADUs) but that was not in the text of the ordinance. He asked to pull Item 8 off tonight’s agenda and for staff to clarify the text in the ordinance about ADUs. Council Member Kou objected to by-right zoning approvals as well as the lack of proper analysis of impacts to the environment and local resources in Item 10. She believed the addendum to the City’s Comprehensive Plan Environmental Report was insufficient. Council Member Tanaka voted no on spending an additional $170,000 of taxpayer money for Utility bill marketing because AI such as DALL-E 3 could create free great graphics. He questioned the need to spend money on marketing when Palo Alto had a utility monopoly. Council Member Tanaka had financial and environmental concerns with the substantial increase to the Infosend contract from $255,000 to $555,000 in Item 5. More printing and shipping conflicted with the City’s environmental goals. On Item 6, Council Member Tanaka voted against the HdL contract because of the 12% annual increase in fees. Businesses were financially struggling and closing on University Avenue and California Avenue but the City’s fees increased from $20,000 to $117,000. 2. Approval of Minutes from January 16, 2024 Meeting 3. Review and Acceptance of Annual Report on Development Impact Fees for Fiscal Year 2023 and Adoption of a Resolution Making Statutory Findings for Certain Funds. CEQA status - Not a Project. 4. Approval of Amendment Number 1 to Contract Number S21180652 With Eric Gouldsberry Art Design (EGAD), in the Amount of $170,000 for Graphic Design Services to Extend the Term for Additional Two Years; for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $410,000 over the Five-year Term; CEQA Status – Not a Project SUMMARY MINUTES Page 6 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 5. Approval of Amendment No. 2 to Contract S23184693 with Infosend, Inc. for Printing Services for the Utilities Department Programs and Projects to add $300,000 for a New Total Not to Exceed Amount of $555,000, and to Amend the Schedule of Rates. CEQA status: not a project. 6. Approval of Contract No. C23187298C with Hinderliter, de Llamas, and Associates (HdL) for Business Tax and Business Registry Certificate Program Fee Consulting Services in a Total Not-To-Exceed Amount of $860,555 Over a Three-Year Term; CEQA Status – Not a Project 7. SECOND READING: Adopt Ordinances Amending Planned Community Ordinance 2343 for 2901-2905 Middlefield Road and Establishing a Separate Planned Community Zoning Designation for 702 Ellsworth Place to Enable the Development of a new Single-Story, Single-Family Residence. CEQA Status -- Categorically Exempt Under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3), 15301, and 15303 (FIRST READING: December 11, 2023 PASSED 6- 0-1, Veenker absent) 8. SECOND READING: Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending Chapter 8.04 (Street, Trees, Shrubs, and Plants) and Chapter 8.10 (Tree Preservation and Management Regulations) (FIRST READING: January 16, 2024 PASSED 5-2, Lythcott- Haims, Tanaka no) 9. SECOND READING: Adopt an Ordinance to Expand the Public Art Commission (PAC) from Five to Seven Members (FIRST READING: January 16, 2024 PASSED 7-0) 10. SECOND READING: Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Palo Alto Municipal Code Title 18 (Zoning) Chapters 18.14 (Housing Incentives), 18.76 (Permits and Approvals), and 18.77 (Processing of Permits and Approvals) to Implement Housing Element Program 1.3 Creating By-Right Zoning Approval for Specific Housing Element Inventory Sites. CEQA Status: An Addendum to the City’s Comprehensive Plan Environmental Impact Report was Prepared for the 2023-2031 Housing Element. (FIRST READING: January 22, 2024 PASSED 6-1, Kou no) 11. SECOND READING: Adoption of an Ordinance Authorizing the Improvements to the Palo Alto Baylands as Part of the Horizontal Levee Pilot Project and Approval of a Cooperative Agreement with the Association of Bay Area Governments to Construct the Horizontal Levee Pilot Project (WQ-22001); CEQA – exempt under Section 15133 (FIRST READING: January 22, 2024 PASSED 7-0) MOTION: Council Member Burt moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Lauing to approve Agenda Item Numbers 2-6, 9-11; and pull Agenda Item Numbers 7 and 8 off Consent. MOTION PASSED ITEMS 2-3, 9, 11: 7-0 MOTION PASSED ITEMS 4-6: 6-1, Tanaka no SUMMARY MINUTES Page 7 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 MOTION PASSED ITEM 10: 6-1, Kou no City Manager Comments City Manager Ed Shikada recognized crews and first responders, particularly Public Works and Utilities staff, who worked around the clock in response to tree issues and power outages during yesterday’s storm event. Crews responded to over 100 tree-related issues. Foothills Nature Preserve experienced winds up to 65 mph. He encouraged members of the community to call 311 to report issues requiring follow-up. Go to cityofpaloalto.org/news for information on community events. Staff was contacting business and property owners in Downtown/University Avenue, Midtown and Cal Ave regarding the Public Art Program’s Call for Walls for public art murals. The Utilities Department is conducting outreach and using promotional materials to ensure local businesses are aware of opportunities to save money on rates and energy rebates. Next week’s Council Meeting includes a Resiliency and Reliability Plan study session, SB9 projects and midyear budget review as well as a closed session for a follow-up discussion on Cubberley. On February 26, changes to the Council Procedures and Protocol Handbook will be discussed. The March 4 meeting agenda includes Council priority objectives and standing committee work plans. The item deferred from this evening’s Consent Agenda related to the tree ordinance will be rescheduled. Mayor Stone expressed appreciation of staff’s efforts yesterday during the storm in attempting to keep most of Palo Alto’s lights on and the streets cleared. RECESS CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND CONVENE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT CORPORATION MEETING Board Members Present: Burt, Kou, Lauing, Lythcott-Haims, Stone, Tanaka, Veenker Action Items 12. Approval of Fiscal Year 2023 Palo Alto Public Improvement Corporation's Annual Financial Report. CEQA Status - Not a Project Administrative Services Assistant Director Christine Paras explained the Public Improvement Corporation (PIC) was a nonprofit led by the City Council and enabled the City to issue certificates of participation to finance capital projects. PIC had three outstanding debts totaling $144.7 million. The City’s external auditor, MGO, audited PIC’s financial statements and issued a clean audit opinion. Staff was seeking Council’s approval of statements. Public Comment: SUMMARY MINUTES Page 8 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 1. Rex Y. expressed racial comments. Mayor Stone asked the City Clerk to shut off the speaker and stated those statements did not represent the values of Palo Alto. 2. Ursula H. hoped the PIC could take into account the racial comments expressed. Mayor Stone called it heinous hate speech far off topic from the item under discussion. Mayor Stone apologized to the community, colleagues and staff who had to hear racist and ignorant comments that were abhorrent and do not reflect the values of this community. Board Member Tanaka was uncomfortable with the PIC because it seemed to him as a way for the City to avoid going to the voters for bond funding and he requested an explanation. Assistant Director Paras explained the PIC was in alignment with federal tax income laws per the IRS Revenue Code and was a valid structure for the City to lease assets from the PIC as a form of debt financing. Board Member Tanaka opined that worthwhile projects should go directly to the voters for bond approval. City Manager Ed Shikada remarked this was a common method of financing used by local governments in California. Board Member Burt clarified a certificate of participation was the City borrowing money and using existing revenues to pay back over time. A general obligation bond was new revenue. The City goes to voters to seek new revenue but not to borrow for a project the City pays back with existing revenue. Board Member Burt expressed his objection to Board Member Tanaka’s characterization of the City’s actions. MOTION: Board Member Burt moved, seconded by Board Member Kou to approve the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Annual Financial Report for the Palo Alto Public Improvement Corporation. MOTION PASSED: 6-1, Tanaka no RECONVENE CITY COUNCIL MEETING Mayor Stone adjourned the PIC Board Meeting, reconvened the City Council Meeting and noted all Council Members were present. Council took a break and will reconvene at 8:40 p.m. Action Items 13. Policy and Services Committee Recommendations for Changes to the City Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook based on Prior City Council Referrals (Continued from December 18, 2023). CEQA Status - Not a Project. Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton-Gains proposed the following recommendations: Procedures Section 1.1 Annual Organization of City Council. The Policy and Services Committee wanted the City Council to consider a different process for selecting the Mayor. Option A was to pursue a ballot measure in 2024 to extend the mayoral term or directly elect the mayor. Option SUMMARY MINUTES Page 9 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 B was to add criteria to Procedures and Protocols. Option C was no change to Procedures Section 1.1. Procedures Section 5.1a(4) Video Participation for Public Comment. This gives members of the public the opportunity to activate their video during their public comments, which required staff training to implement. Consider adoption of proposed language for Procedures Section 8.2 Censure Language (Handbook Pages 35-39), Protocols Section 2.2 Refrain from Lobbying Board and Commission Members (Handbook Page 45), and Protocols Section 2.8 The Role of Council Liaison to Boards or Commissions (Handbook Page 46). Protocols Section 4.1 International Travel. Language on Handbook Page 48 summarizes the criteria the Policy and Services Committee recommended related to international travel by City Council Members. The staff report noted this was an additional $40,000 per year and increasing by CPI, which was an error. The recommendation reflected in the proposed text changes was for the total Council budget for international and domestic travel to increase from approximately $30,000 or $35,000 to $40,000, in addition to a yearly increase by CPI. Public Comment: 1. Bing W. has lived in Palo Alto for about 17 years. She was in support of a longer mayorship term (at least two years if not a four-year term) to provide the opportunity for more engagement with the community and staff, have more impact and continuance. She worked with more than five mayors during her time with Neighbors Abroad. 2. Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein was Sunnyvale’s last two-year selected mayor and first directly elected mayor. In 1987, a two-year selected mayor to help the City have a better regional voice was approved by 79% of Sunnyvale residents. In 2020, having a directly elected mayor passed by 61%. The positives for longer mayor terms were having a very good regional voice and a better relationship with the City Manager on the issues to move forward. Sunnyvale decided on a limit of three maximum four-year terms with a maximum of eight years in one position (two terms as Council Member and one term as Mayor or one term as Council Member and two terms as Mayor). 3. Aram J. condemned the racism and hate speech heard tonight. The ability to make virtual public comments was important for those who cannot attend in person. 4. Gulled A. wanted to comment on a ceasefire and allowing the public to speak regardless of the negativity of their comments. Mayor Stone pointed out that Council moved past Public Comment and was on Action Item 13, Council Procedures and Protocols Handbook. 6. Winter D. stated that Palo Alto had a regional voice on the many committees and boards the City Council served on. She opined that longer terms might discourage some from serving as mayor because of the amount of work. She was in favor of continuing the practice of SUMMARY MINUTES Page 10 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 City Council voting for a mayor to serve a one-year term. Regarding Protocols Section 2.8, The Role of Council Liaison to Boards or Commissions, she had seen Council Member liaisons participate as if they were serving on that board or commission and making recommendations the City Council had not decided on, which she believed was inappropriate. Council discussed Procedures Section 1.1: Annual Organization of City Council. Council Member Burt saw pros and cons to each approach but did not think there was a need to change the current process. Council Member Kou agreed with Council Member Burt and did not think a directly elected mayor was necessary. She welcomed discussion on term lengths of two or three years to allow participation in regional boards. Mayor Stone showed slides on how local cities chose their Mayor. Palo Alto’s City Manager form of government would remain unchanged regardless of how the mayor was chosen. The mayor was not a full-time position and the role would function the same way as it does now. Mayor Stone was in favor of having a directly elected mayor. He believed it was better for democracy to give residents the choice. Having a term of two or four years gives the mayor more time and power to build stronger relationship with other cities, regional and national bodies as well as provides more continuity, stability and balance. He opined it was a dramatic change for the staff and public to have a new mayor so frequently. In Santa Clara County, six cities had a directly elected mayor, four cities have four-year terms (Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Gilroy and San Jose) and two cities had two-year terms (Milpitas and Morgan Hill). Nine cities had a Council-selected mayor for a one-year term (Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Saratoga). In San Mateo County, three cities had a directly elected mayor (four-year term in Half Moon Bay, three-year term in San Bruno and two-year term in Belmont). Seventeen cities had a Council-selected mayor; all for a one-year term except Redwood City had a two-year term. Council Member Veenker supported continuity, having more regional clout and letting residents choose the mayor. She attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and saw the national conversation amongst cities. USCM was highly respected but Palo Alto did not have a voice because every year we have a new mayor. Council Member Veenker showed a chart depicting the population size and budget of cities with directly elected mayors, five bigger and five smaller than Palo Alto, two cities had a larger budget. She preferred a four-year term for continuity but invited Council Members to share their opinion on term length. With three new mayors in the last three years, Vice Mayor Lauing noted City business continued the next day, it was a peaceful transfer of power and priorities were the same. He opined there was nothing to gain with longer terms. He pointed out that the House of SUMMARY MINUTES Page 11 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 Representatives and the Senate elected their leaders. Council could select the mayor for a second term or it could be set up as a two-year term but Vice Mayor Lauing did not want a ballot measure. Longer terms reduced the opportunity for more people to serve as mayor and decreased diversity. Traditionally, Council-selected mayors were vice mayors, so they had received training and were well prepared. A directly elected mayor could be anybody, a new resident or someone with no experience. If Council chose a longer term for the mayor position, Council Member Lythcott-Haims was in favor of voters selecting a mayor who reflected the priorities that voters care about most. Mayor Stone asked staff about requiring a minimum qualification of experience as a council member to run and serve as mayor. City Attorney Molly Stump had to confirm but she believed charter cities could establish its own criteria. Mayor Klein stated Sunnyvale’s only conditions for a directly elected mayor were the standard Council conditions. He did not know of any City with a requirement for experience. He opined if you allow voters to choose the mayor that they would try to choose the best person. Council Member Tanaka believed it was good to allow voters to make the decision. People commented to him the reason they preferred a directly elected mayor was for continuity. Regarding requirements, Council Member Tanaka thought it was better to keep it simple. Council Member Kou liked allowing voters to decide the mayor, although she had concerns about term lengths. Being a mayor and new council member takes knowledge and time to learn, so she highly recommended adding to the Charter a requirement for a minimum of two years’ experience as a council member before running for mayor. City Manager Ed Shikada remarked the estimated cost per the Registrar of Voters was $200,000 to place the measure on the ballot, which needed to be included in budgetary planning. MOTION: Council Member Tanaka moved, seconded by Council Member Veenker to: 1. Procedures Section 1.1: Annual Organization of City Council a. Direct staff to return to City Council with information to pursue a ballot measure for 2024 to ask the voters if they would like to have a directly elected mayor or not. The term would be for 2 or 4 years. i. Create an ad hoc that could work with staff to develop the specifics to return to Council with the draft Charter Amendment by June 2024. MOTION PASSED: 5-2, Lauing and Burt no Council discussed Procedures Section 5.1a(4): Video Participation for Public Comment. Council Member Burt moved the Policy and Services Committee recommendation to allow video participation. Council Member Lythcott-Haims seconded the motion. Council Member Veenker had concerns about video participation. Council Member Tanaka voiced his support for the motion. Mayor Stone asked if a speaker displayed an inappropriate image if the Chair could ask SUMMARY MINUTES Page 12 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 the Clerk to turn off the camera. City Attorney Stump replied the video could be turned off if there was explicit sexual material; however, the City would have a more difficult time disallowing video images classified as bias or hate if those views were not reflected in the comments. Mayor Stone heard disturbing experiences from other elected leaders in the region of Zoom commenters displaying explicit material in the background, exhibiting themselves in an inappropriate way or other inappropriate images. Mayor Stone expressed his concerns and voted against Council Member Burt’s motion. Council Member Burt remarked he was not aware of those valid concerns and could withdraw the motion or refer it to Policy and Services to determine if acceptable boundaries could be established. Council Member Veenker pointed out that Policy and Services discussed this topic and brought it to Council without a recommendation. Council Member Veenker was concerned about the proliferation of Zoombombing including explicit sexual acts and you cannot unsee what was displayed on video regardless how quickly you try to get it off screen. Council Member Lythcott-Haims wanted to see a commenter’s first and last name because she was troubled by the anonymity. City Attorney Stump remarked that Council could have a policy requiring first and last name but people had the right by law to be heard and did not have to provide a name or their true name. Asking for first name and last initial was a result of the Clerk’s discussion with her professional colleagues who noted people made up names reflecting bias and hatred. Council Member Burt amended his motion to refer to the Policy and Services Committee to make recommendations to the Council on procedures for remote video participation by the public. Council Member Lythcott-Haims was okay with the amendment. Vice Mayor Lauing supported the motion but noted it had been at the Policy and Services Committee. City Attorney Stump stated if the commenter was speaking on topic while displaying offensive or harmful material, the City was not able to remove that imagery while the person was speaking unless it fit into a narrow definition of obscenity. Council Member Kou does not know what Policy and Services could further discuss. She was concerned with displaying first and last name on Zoom and subjecting staff to say an obscene or disgusting name. Council Member Kou remembered a Zoom meeting when images were allowed and a person spoke on topic but had an obscene drawing on the screen. Council Member Burt read the staff report but it did not include most of the problems Council was discussing nor did it include the City Attorney’s clarification. Council Member Burt would not have made the same motion if he had that additional information and was disappointed that Council was not receiving sound arguments and legal clarifications at the outset. Council Member Burt withdrew his motion. MOTION: Council Member Kou moved, seconded by Council Member Lythcott-Haims to: 1. Update Procedures Section 5.1a(4): Video Participation for Public Comment to read: a. “The City Council does not allow members of the public to activate their personal video during their public comments.” MOTION PASSED: 6-1, Tanaka no SUMMARY MINUTES Page 13 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 Council Member Tanaka largely agreed with the comments made but believed any image displayed on video could be shown in person as well. He opined most people were not going to do the things Council Members discussed. He thought video allowed people to be more authentic and it was more equitable. We communicate by looking at people’s faces and Council Member Tanaka supported the idea of allowing video because it improved communication with the community. Deputy City Manager Cotton-Gains suggested skipping discussion on censure due to the time. Mayor Stone agreed to continue discussion until 10:30 p.m. and then move to the last item. Council decided upon language for Protocols Sections 2.2 and 2.8. MOTION: Council Member Kou moved, seconded by Council Member Veenker to: 1. Protocols Section 2.2: Refrain from Lobbying Board and Commission Members a. Accept the Policy and Services Recommended drafted language. 2. Protocols Section 2.8: The Role of Council Liaison to Boards or Commissions a. Accept the Policy and Services Recommended drafted language with this additional language: “unless the Councilmember has other conflicting duties” MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Council Member Tanaka was not in support of spending taxpayer dollars on international travel. Council Member Burt was supportive of the Sister Cities and Sibling Cities programs and noted that Council Members and the Mayor frequently choose to participate in events at Sister Cities on their vacations at the Council Member’s expense. Discussion ensued on language for Protocols Section 4.3(a). MOTION: Council Member Kou moved, seconded by Mayor Stone to: 1. Protocols Section 4.3(a): Travel Related to Sister Cities, Sibling City, or other shared interests with another city abroad a. Approve the drafted language with the following amendment: Replace “for travel that explains how the travel will advance the City’s interests or policy/Council objectives and a consideration of the cost/value relationship of the trip. The request should also explain why virtual attendance is not effective in that circumstance” with “would only be on an occasion where in-person presence of the Council Member or the Mayor was required for that occasion.” MOTION PASSED: 6-1, Tanaka no 14. Policy and Services Committee Recommendation to the City Council to Approve a new Friendship Cities Program in Palo Alto. CEQA Status – Not a Project Public Comment: SUMMARY MINUTES Page 14 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 1. Sarah B. explained the Friendship Cities program. Neighbors Abroad devised a system where their Board, upon the request of a City, recommended a simple agreement. She requested to lift the restriction of two cities within three years. Neighbors Abroad wanted to take the burden off staff and put requirements for visits upon themselves. 2. Bing W., Board Member of Neighbors Abroad, believed the Sister City/Friendship City structure kept Palo Alto’s status as a global city and promoted democracy globally. 3. Ed F. commented that Friendship Cities were a wonderful way to connect to a more diverse population. He noted Palo Alto did not have a relationship with any country in Africa, which was a huge developing area ripe for a wonderful relationship. 4. Bob W. asked to remove the numerical limit on Friendship Cities because Neighbors Abroad was not creating excessive burden. He appreciated Council Members’ years of support and innovation in international relations. Council Member Veenker was in support of the motion and did not want limits on the number of Friendship Cities because signing a letter was not a burden on the City. Council Member Burt supported removing the two Friendship Cities per three years’ restriction. He believed both parties receive many benefits from these relationships, including economic benefits. Palo Alto is a diverse community with people living here from all over the world. Having relationships from their home country or home continent was meaningful to many in our community. Being diverse and inclusive helped Palo Alto fulfill its City objectives. This week, the Mayor of Heidelberg, although not on an official delegation visit, will tour the Accelerator before coming to City Hall. Nordic House hosts Sweden, where we have a Sister City relationship. Palo Alto has had economic delegations from China and Japan. Sister City relationships reinforce Palo Alto as a significant city globally, economically and in the tech community. Palo Alto has sustainability relationships with Oaxaca and European cities. Council Member Kou was in support of the Friendship Cities program. She grew up in the Sudan, Guam and other countries. She thought it was valuable to know traditions and customs of other countries as well as adjusting the conversation or negotiations based on nuances learned in interacting with different countries. Discussion ensued on the wording of the motion. Council Member Kou asked staff about the fiscal resource impact and if it should go through the City Clerk’s Office or the City Manager’s Office. Deputy City Manager Cotton-Gains replied that staff could discuss that internally. We were in the second of two years of Council-approved administrative support for Neighbors Abroad, which needed reconsideration at the upcoming budget cycle. Last year, the budget allocated one-time funding of $20,000 to Neighbors Abroad for hosting delegations, which Council needed to reconsider in the upcoming budget process. The idea was that Neighbors Abroad provided interaction and activities when delegations visit Palo Alto but would not pay for all the expenses. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 15 of 15 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 02/05/2024 Council Member Kou asked for additional information on the consideration of a fellowship program for interested staff members. City Manager Shikada explained that staff participation in a fellowship program allowed the broader organization and community to benefit from learning opportunities through these relationships. Staff could run this as an administrative program and did not need Council approval if it fit within the existing budget. Council Member Tanaka heard staff previously talk about being short on staff resources and projected a budget deficit for the next five years. He asked how much money this program would cost annually in staff resources. Deputy City Manager Cotton-Gains responded that staff had not quantified the dollar amount. Council Member Tanaka loved what this program was doing but it was a major challenge to justify it at a time when the City was losing money. Deputy City Manager Cotton-Gains stated the cost depended on the number of Friendship Cities. Neighbors Abroad took the responsibility to do most of the legwork. Staff was hopeful it did not require a lot of additional staff time but the amount of staff time was unknown. MOTION: Council Member Burt moved, seconded by Council Member Veenker to approve a new Friendship Cities program with the provisions recommended in the original colleagues’ memo and a few other new provisions related to reevaluation of Friendship Cities as well as Sister Cities and the following changes: a. Reevaluated within 3 years and that any Friendship Cities entered into shall expire within 3 years of execution absent mutual agreement to extend. No more than one formal visit by a delegation and the City shall host no more than one delegation visit per year per Friendship City, and; b. That the provisions suggested in the Colleague's Memo related to the volunteers of Neighbors Abroad taking primary responsibility and that it fits with Neighbors Abroad policies, and; c. Every two years a report to be provided by Neighbors Abroad on the state of Sister City relationships. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Adjournment: Mayor Stone adjourned tonight’s meeting in honor of Sam Anderson, a Palo Altan who passed recently. Mr. Anderson’s accomplishments included being the first Student Body President of Cubberley, an English teacher for over 35 years locally and recognized as Teacher of the Year. Meeting adjourned at 11:11 p.m.