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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-28 City Council Summary MinutesCITY COUNCIL SUMMARY MINUTES Page 1 of 14 Special Meeting October 28, 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 Council Member Lythcott-Haims Arrived at 5:33 P.M. Present Remotely: Absent: Call to Order Mayor Stone called the meeting to order. Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk, called roll noting six present. Special Orders of the Day 1. Interview Candidates for Vacancy on the Parks and Recreation Commission. CEQA Status – Not a project. NO ACTION City Clerk Ah Yun indicated six candidates would be interviewed for a vacancy on the Parks and Recreation Committee. Vadim Axelrod discussed his background living in Palo Alto. He served on Parks and Rec for three years in New York and the Economic Development Advisory Council in San Carlos in the past. He discussed his avid use of the parks in Palo Alto. He shared he was on the Stanford Alumni Board, coached kids’ sports and got around mostly by biking. Vice Mayor Lauing asked for a comparison between the New York and Palo Alto parks in terms of what he expected might serve with them. Mr. Axelrod clarified he served in Westchester. Space was less of a premium. They had large facilities. Maintenance, preparing things to last through the winter and making sure there was use in the right season was essential. Biking was less common. Meshing of Parks and Recs with schools was a common practice. He was there during the emergence of pickleball and led the conversion of the basketball courts to pickleball at the right time. He led an effort to install SUMMARY MINUTES Page 2 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 defibrillators at all the public facilities. He was on the committee that redesigned the playgrounds. Councilmember Burt inquired if there were certain things he advised should be worked on to improve or do differently. Mr. Axelrod he provided some issues he would like to focus on such as out-of-commission drinking fountains, playgrounds for small and large kids separated by a large distance which was suboptimal for parents that have to manage both and bike and safety corridor improvements. Vice Mayor Lauing queried what reason he straddled the fence regarding turf fields. Mr. Axelrod preferred grass to turf but opined it was not feasible during the rainy season. He ended by saying he would love to help out if he was chosen to do so. Marc Schoenen remarked he and his family had been in Palo Alto since 2011. He discussed sites he admired in Palo Alto. He indicated as a human resources executive, he understood the challenges of optimizing resources, prioritizing fairness and inclusion and the need to plan and execute on a long-term vision. He saw opportunities in the emerging E-bike policy and the teen program space. Mayor Stone inquired as to his thoughts on the E-bike policy as it applied to the Baylands. Mr. Schoenen described his vision of a mixed-use policy. Councilmember Kou questioned how he would consider balancing having solar without the loss of trees. Mr. Schoenen agreed with the value of trees and that some places should be off limits for development of renewables and discussed some opportunities for self-sustaining houses based on solar panels. Councilmember Burt queried if he had given thought to whether and where there might be additional opportunities to integrate native plants in the park landscaping. Mr. Schoenen appreciated how much thought had gone into the effort and initiative putting native plants in the development of Palo Alto over generations and would like to see more of it. Councilmember Veenker wanted his thoughts about having a good distribution of community gardens for vegetable growing. Mr. Schoenen remarked it was important for it to be walkable and easily accessed by community members. He thought it was useful for teen and child outreach. He closed by sharing that he thought he could do a capable job and would love to give back to the community. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 3 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 Yudy Deng and her family moved to Palo Alto in 2018. She shared her experience serving on the Parks and Community Service Board in Bellevue, Washington. As a mother, she was deeply invested in the quality and future of Palo Alto's parks and recreation facilities. She assisted in efforts to fundraise and donate $10,000 to the Cubberley Community Center Track and Field Project in 2022 which was recognized by the Palo Alto Parks and Rec Board, Friends of Palo Alto Parks and Palo Alto Weekly. She applied to PRC the previous year and missed the opportunity. Since then, she had engaged more deeply with community initiatives, expanded her network and honed her understanding of the unique needs and aspirations of the residents. She was currently serving as the PTA president of Ohlone Elementary School, as a board member for the Friends of Palo Alto Recreation and Wellness Center and on Neighbors Abroad. She shared that these roles allowed her to connect with a wide range of community members through athletic, cultural, and social events providing her with a deep understanding of the diverse needs of the community. She had assisted the neighbor city, Sunnyvale, with their annual Halloween pet parade the prior week. She indicated she was a former fitness trainer, a soccer mom and referee and was personally committed to promoting active, healthy lifestyles. She stated she enjoyed running and playing sports with her kids which aligned closely with the Parks and Recreation Commission's mission to create spaces that support wellness, connection and accessibility. Councilmember Lythcott-Haims offered an opportunity for her to speak to what she envisioned happening in the City as a result of the mandate to build new housing, particularly involving green space, open space and park space in urban areas. Ms. Deng knew mentioned discussion of expanding the golf course versus doing affordable housing projects and knew there were many opportunities to solve the affordable housing problems and the balance between the population growth and the usage of parks, open space and community centers. Councilmember Veenker wanted her thoughts about how to analyze the choices for the indoor gym/wellness center. Ms. Deng preferred putting the gym on top of Cubberley. There was debate among the Friends Board between building on the grass area, demolishing old buildings to build on or taking the parking lots. They had a solid list of potential donors and construction companies they could work with. She mentioned that Palo Alto’s focus was on enhancement of existing spaces and the intent was to concentrate attention on sustainability, restoration of natural ecosystems and adapting parks to climate resilience. James Fox remarked he had been a Palo Alto resident since 1987. He appreciated Palo Alto’s amenities and atmosphere because of the parks, bike paths and trees. He indicated he plays tennis, bikes to the Baylands and his kids play sports in the parks. As a user of these facilities, he wished to give back. He was involved with the community discussions about the Cubberley site and other activities. He opined it was important to try to expand and maintain the tree canopy. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 4 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 He thought it was important for the City and Parks and Recreation Committee to try to improve or expand working with private gardens. Councilmember Kou asked if he saw space in the parks that could attract more seniors to the outside area and if he saw the use of equipment for them. Mr. Fox responded that he would expand use of the parks by seniors with organized activities. He would make sure there were smooth pathways and seats accessible to seniors. Councilmember Lythcott-Haims wondering what lessons he had distilled from the programs he had been involved in. Mr. Fox stressed that a forum had to be created where people of various interests and backgrounds could express their opinions. Diversity was important for outreach in order to interest people through activities and uses of the parks for recreation, community events and discussions. Councilmember Veenker asked how his experience might translate to park dedication. Mr. Fox thought park dedication required a lot of community as well as legal input. He stressed the importance was that the parkland be preserved. He agreed that as the City and housing units grow more parkland and park space would be needed and as there was not a lot of empty space it might be important to look at more concentrated or dual-use of the parklands. Vice Mayor Lauing queried about the intent of his comment about the need for ad hoc public use. Mr. Fox responded the parks would have to be designed for ad hoc use because most people that go there do not have a big plan. He concluded that he would like to be a part of ensuring the parks, trees, bike lanes and access to the Baylands would be available for the present and the future. Christopher Alan Brosnan remarked he grew up playing sports in Palo Alto. He worked as a lifeguard at Rinconada Pool as a teenager. He had been a basketball coach at Gunn for over 10 seasons and he volunteered at the Pollinator Garden. He stated he took his dogs to the Baylands, Arastradero Preserve and Foothills Park all the time. Councilmember Burt inquired if he had thought about where there might be opportunities for expanding the garden use either on other City-owned lands or private lands that could be quasi-public spaces. Mr. Brosnan thought Mitchell Park would be a great place to start. He indicated they want to put the Pollinator Garden all the way up Embarcadero to Stanford but, ideally, it would be everywhere. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 5 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 Councilmember Kou asked how he would balance so there was sufficient playing space for different sports. Mr. Brosnan responded that having a 15 to 30-minute wait time to play would ensure access. Vice Mayor Lauing asked where he thought the gaps were in the parks. Mr. Brosnan replied there is a gap on San Antonio Road as there is not an accessible big park besides Mitchell Park that is a little too far to walk to so people go to Cubberley so if that is taken as an access point he would like to ensure that it can still be used in the way it is by the community at present. He opined every park should have a bathroom and mentioned Ramos Park in particular. He said Mitchell Park needed more trees. He talked about services there were available to residents. He thought more off leash dog parks were needed. Mayor Stone wanted to know the biggest lesson he had learned in his experience with the parks and how he would translate that into being an effective commissioner. Mr. Brosnan reiterated the importance of listening to people, having shade and providing water and bathrooms. Rebecca Shomair remarked she moved to Downtown Palo Alto from New York City nine years ago. She had just finished a six-year board term on Oshman Family JCC. She discussed her experiences with the Palo Alto parks. Councilmember Lythcott-Haims wondered what she thought of when she envisioned the future that Cubberley could be and what she thought were some of the most contentious issues the community would have to wrestle with before in order to reach the consensus that was sought. Ms. Shomair indicated her background was in communications. She talked about the value of Cubberley to the community. She thought her experience as a communication expert and her experience with the Oshman Family JCC gave her skills to build consensus in different areas making sure people feel heard and moving forward to see the vision. Councilmember Veenker wanted to hear more about exploring AI opportunities in the parks. Ms. Shomair talked about having a chat bot on the website in order to communicate with the residents and to leverage content to make it more engaging for the audience. She closed by saying she would love to be a voice on Parks and Rec to help leverage her comms experience and energy to engage the community more. City Clerk Ah Yun announced the appointments would be made on November 4. Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions Ed Shikada, City Manager, reported there were no changes to the agenda. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 6 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 Public Comment Mayor Stone went over ground rules for public comment. 1. Avram F. indicated he was looking for one candidate for the school board or City Council with courage to ban books, eliminate black studies and take on the U.S. and Israeli death machine in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran and speak out against pro-Israeli lobbies and the possible election of a Jewish white supremacist genocide supporting Zionist as Palo Alto’s next mayor. 2. Jonathan E. discussed his misgivings about Measure D and thought it was being foisted on the public too quickly. 3. Winter D. mentioned a letter she had sent and hoped Council had read it or would have opportunity to read it. She wanted an expansion of the community’s notification service in the event of emergencies. 4. Henry E. asked how Council could responsibly vote for Ballot Measure D. He invited the Council to ask the City to join a lawsuit filed by Neighbors for Environmental and Social Justice against Tesla and its owner Elon Musk and asked advice on how much damages should be asked for. He opined City Council should make an exception to its rule in light of events in Ukraine, Russia, Middle East, Taiwan and China. He instructed more information could be found on his website at henryetzkowitz.org. Councilmember Questions, Comments and Announcements Councilmember Veenker provided a report from the Northern California Power Agency Commission meeting the week prior. The start of the 2026 budget process began the overview of that was discussed. Their staff would be actively monitoring the different components to that budget. There was some transfer of funds on various hydroelectric facilities. There were closed session items regarding a couple of potential litigations. She addressed the spill at Tesla saying they clearly should not be storing sodium hydroxide without a permit and she understood there would be follow-up. She agreed residents should have been notified sooner and the city staff has apologized for that. She stressed the need to ensure that any resulting salinity to the creek beds and natural environment was mitigated. She thought it was important to mention that the main components were basically a more concentrated form of borax and were harmless when diluted. She did not want people to think there would be lingering carcinogens or volatile organic compounds. Councilmember Burt added there had still not been a clear enough explanation to the public and the press of why this was not a risk spill to be feared at the outset. He hoped the city manager would speak more clearly under his comments as to how a good explanation would be provided as soon as possible so that the community would not be over alarmed. He spoke about meeting convened of Santa Clara County shoreline communities elected and staffs along with regional staff on the regional shoreline adaptation plan which would be very consequential SUMMARY MINUTES Page 7 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 to cities up and down the shoreline in Santa Clara County and throughout the entire region as it will put significant new reporting requirements there. He asked the city manager when the Council and the community would get an update on their own shoreline plan. Councilmember Kou reported that the Barron Park Association diversity committee had their Diwali event the weekend prior and she understood there was another one at Seale Park. She opined they could not only focus on this spill but look at the bigger picture that there should not be any spills and she wanted to hear that addressed. Mayor Stone also attended the Diwali event at Barron Park. He appreciated that staff was planning a community town hall the next Friday at 5 PM at the Ventura Community Center to address the spill, present updates and have a question and answer session. Ed Shikada, City Manager did not have specific information on the shoreline plan except to note that once the BCDC portion of its work is complete, there would be a several year period prior to the expected deadlines for the local plans. Staff is working with that overarching framework as well as the local work. He would get additional information on the local information. Study Session 2. Nonprofit Relationships Study Session NO ACTION City Manager Shikada provided context on the topic stating it was a follow-up on an assignment that had been in place for a couple of years. It took some time to pull together an approach they hoped would allow Council to give feedback and identify next steps in ways that would be meaningful particularly for the non-profit partners as well as for the community. The nature of the City's relationships with non-profit organizations takes many forms that can include direct funding in the form of grants, defined services with funding associated with those services, undertaking joint projects, often capital or construction projects and it can involve the use of City facilities and as well as a number of other forms. The challenge can be in developing a means of taking an overall approach to describing as well as ensuring that expectations are met on both sides of the relationship as well as those of the community more broadly. They also wanted to ensure practical responsibilities around financial tracking and performance reporting were addressed. An audit was completed two years prior that identified a number of actions in many of those practical elements. When the audit came to the City Council for approval, they heard clearly from the Council an interest in ensuring that the approach to addressing those practical issues also recognized the broader context of the mutually beneficial relationships that exist between the City and non-profits. With that assignment to come up with a more comprehensive approach, some suggested first steps were brought forward to both get Council feedback on potential direction and a next step of engaging with the non-profits in a discussion of those elements, in particular some guiding principles that would inform how expectations will be established as well as what may become some thresholds for where certain types of reporting apply and other changes potentially to current practices that can help ensure the SUMMARY MINUTES Page 8 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 respect for the mutually beneficial nature of those relationships as well as the importance of covering the practical bases for financial and other reporting. Lupita Alamos, Assistant to the City Manager, gave a slide presentation of the purpose and goal of the study session including proposed sequence of the City non-profit partnerships review, five non-profit relationship principles to be focused on, principle 1: impact oriented focus and accountability, principle 2: service alignment, principle 3: fairness and open access, principle 4: equity and inclusion, principle 5: flexibility for special circumstances, proposed engagement process and staff recommendations. City Manager Shikada noted they had not done outreach to non-profits. At the time the audit came forward, they were committed to getting initial feedback from Council before undertaking a specific engagement with non-profits on what they had presented or whatever redirection Council provided. Councilmember Burt thought it was important to give the non-profits in the community the opportunity to weigh in on the process and regretted it had not been publicized better. He talked about the balance of having a more transparent framework. He discussed some of the local non-profit organizations and their processes. Vice Mayor Lauing remarked that having a framework was absolutely necessary. He opined they should not be hiring non-profit if they did not think they would have impact. He thought talking about nature of engagement and avoiding unnecessary was off the subject. He thought they could be more terse and specific and eliminate some redundancies in a lot of areas. He gave some examples where they could be more specific. He advised focusing on setting priorities where they were aligned with the non-profit and be sensitive to where there is overlap with other non-profits that were providing the same kind of services. He stated before it goes out to non-profits, the framework would have to be refined, perhaps in P&S. He thought they should have it back by end of first quarter next year. Councilmember Kou appreciated principle number five and wanted to ensure it was addressed soon. She wanted to be sure they did not forget there are non-profits that service people and have a direct effect on their lives and should be differentiated in priorities. She agreed that the contracts needed an audit and it should be reported to Council. She thought there should also be an interview or survey that involves the customers. She thought it would be prudent to look at what is in the United Nations Guidebook on promoting good governance in public-private partnerships and provide it to the non-profits for review on how to proceed with the application. Councilmember Veenker remarked they needed clarity around expectations for the City and the non-profit community, a calendar for how they would live into this and funding pathways. She agreed guidance like that goes back to Policy and Services and that it was needed expeditiously. Councilmember Lythcott-Haims agreed with her colleagues comments. She agreed that three and four could be consolidated. She wanted to know whom the $86,000 was being paid to the SUMMARY MINUTES Page 9 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 Palo Alto Unified School District location by PACCC. She stressed that they have to understand how their commitments are telling the story of what they were prioritizing. Minka Van Der Zwaag, Human Services Manager explained they have a lease with the school district for the use of the after-school portables for after-school care on each of the elementary school campuses. They, in turn, sub-lease those to Palo Alto Community Childcare and another provider who pay a subsidized level of rent that comes into their real estate department. It is separate from any lease agreement PACCC has for Ventura or College Terrace. Councilmember Tanaka thought there were some organizations they want in the community and want to give them low-cost or no-rent type of situation and that was okay for certain non- profits. He opined they should account for when they do not charge to be conscious of it. He thought they might be better served allocating to better roads or more crossing guards. Mayor Stone asked if there were specific examples of partnerships where the principles have been able to show success or areas where improvement had been identified with similar principles being applied in other government organizations as they relate to non-profit agreements. He liked the idea of a liaison to organizations where the City is a major funder. He wondered if that would require a Council liaison or human relations commissioner liaison. He was curious what mechanisms would be used to ensure the impact of the non-profits is measurable and reported without creating significant additional administrative burdens. He liked the idea of having and alignment with Council priorities and evolving community needs and asked for thoughts how that would be continuously assessed. He was concerned about the need for consistency in funding for the non-profits. He was curious how they could find a way to be responsive to emerging needs while still creating consistency where it is appropriate to do so. City Manager Shikada responded this was a compilation of what had been seen elsewhere. He did not know if they had seen any specific examples where these principles had been applied. He agreed with having a liaison to monitor the non-profits. He thought it would rely on the outreach they were undertaking when the principles turned into specific proposals. He stated the continuous assessment could be tricky. At the same time to the extent that Council’s budgetary decisions are allocated by programs, they could use the relative funding for different programs as a way of reflecting those priorities. If they were able to bring this to reality, they would be able to review how those investments reflect the areas that those non-profits serve. Councilmember Burt wanted to understand what was needed to have an adequate opportunity to vet all these inputs at the front end of this process and what they would hear from the non- profit partners. He realized they had not been clear on what problems they were trying to solve through this initiative. He talked about having occasional one-offs when a new need arises. He wanted to make sure they did not set up a policy that would restrict them from being adaptive. He did not know if there needed to be a lease review as a precursor to new decisions. He thought there should be clarity in the comment about it needed to address unmeet needs. He pointed out that not all non-profits were human service related. He advised thinking about the SUMMARY MINUTES Page 10 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 things that do not fit into the current buckets. He had a goal of strengthening the relationship with the non-profits and not interfering with them. Councilmember Kou requested information about the resource impact. She opined record keeping was another thing that needed worked on. She questioned what they would see as a way to move an application forward from a non-profit looking for funding in a special circumstance. City Manager Shikada responded they were not at the point of being able to define that and that would be the outcome of this exercise. Public Comment: 1. Jasmina B. stated this report checked all the boxes, particularly the one about inclusion. She thanked Council for their continued support of UNAFF and all other non-profits. 2. Misha M., UNAFF, opined that the non-profits were a diverse bunch of organizations with different problems and needs. He gave a description of the process of running the UNAFF. Looking at the proposal, he had concern that the City would devote to report writing, report evaluations, liaising and everything looks like a luxury they could not afford which could douse the flames of their enthusiasm. 3. Elizabeth A. (Zoom) spoke in favor of not becoming overly fixated on quantifying what has made Palo Alto such a great city to live, work, learn and play in. She thought the appeal of the community for families was at risk. She suggested there should be several different initiatives to create criteria on childcare, direct social services and the broad category of recreation. She urged to make sure this effort would increase and not decrease services available to Palo Alto. 4. Jonathan E. encouraged Council to remember and support the performing arts in Palo Alto. He pointed out that non-profits would not exist without strong administrative functioning and they provide services that the City cannot provide alone and deserve the City’s support. Consent Calendar Public Comment: 1. Jonathan E. was not in favor of Item Number 10. He wanted to see movement from the City on restoring more public transit options in Palo Alto, especially free shuttles. Councilmember Tanaka voted no on Item Number 5 because he thought it was important to get the cost of the capital expenditures reallocated. His explained his issues with the procurement process on Item Number 6. He did not agree with the pay increase amount being proposed in Item Number 7. He did not agree with the rental agreement on Item Number 9. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 11 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 Councilmember Tanaka, Veenker, and Lythcott-Haims requested to pull Agenda Item Number 10. Councilmember Tanaka registered a no vote on Agenda Item Number 5, 6, 7, 9. MOTION: Councilmember Kou moved, seconded by Mayor Stone to approve Agenda Item Numbers 3-9, and to pull Agenda Item Number 10 off the Consent Calendar. MOTION PASSED ITEMS 3, 4, 8: 7-0 MOTION PASSED ITEMS 5, 6, 7, 9: 6-1, Tanaka no 3. Approval of the Acceptance of State of California Citizens Options for Public Safety (COPS) Funds of $204,005 and a Budget Amendment in the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (2/3 vote required) for front-line law enforcement expenses; CEQA status – not a project. 4. Approval of Construction Contract Number C25191007 with Tennyson Electric, LLC. in the amount of $453,300 and Authorization of the City Manager or Their Designee to Negotiate and Execute Change Orders for Related Additional but Unforeseen Work that may Develop During the Project Up to a Not-To-Exceed Amount of $45,330 for the Quarry Road Traffic Signals and Intelligent Transportation Services (ITS) improvement project; CEQA status – Categorically Exempt (CEQA Guidelines Section 15301). 5. Approval of Construction Contract Number C25192135 with Anderson Pacific Engineering Construction, Inc. in the Amount Not-to-Exceed $6,215,000; Authorization for the City Manager or Their Designee to Negotiate and Execute Change Orders up to a Not-to-Exceed Amount of $621,500 for Related, Additional but Unforeseen Work Which May Develop During the Project; Approval of Amendment Number 5 to Contract C21176592C with Carollo Engineers, Inc. in the Amount of $1,314,192 for a New Compensation Not-to-Exceed Amount of $14,695,384 for the Wastewater Treatment Fund for the 12kV Electrical Power Distribution Loop Rehabilitation Bid Package 2 Project at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, Funded by the Plant Repair, Retrofit, and Equipment Replacement Project (WQ-19002); CEQA Status – Exempt Under Section 15301 6. Approval of Professional Services Contract Number C25190936 with WRA, Inc. in the Amount of $908,806 for the Design and Monitoring of the Arastradero Creek Permanent Restoration Project – Design Phase in the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve in the City of Palo Alto for a Period of 3 Years; CEQA status - Not a project. 7. Adoption of Revised Management and Professional Compensation Plan and Revised Salary Schedules for Management and Professional and the Service Employees International Association Local 521 in Alignment with Position Changes in the FY 2025 Adopted Budget; CEQA Status - not a project SUMMARY MINUTES Page 12 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 8. Approval of Amendment No. 1 to Contract Number C21181420 with West Coast Arborists, Inc. for Tree Pruning and Removal Services in the Amount of $3,011,228, for a New Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $6,776,608, and Extend the Term by Two Years; CEQA Status – Exempt per Section 15301(h) (maintenance of existing landscape) 9. Approval of First Amendment to Lease Agreement and Third Amendment to Tenant Work Letter between the City of Palo Alto and the Palo Alto History Museum for the Roth Building at 300 Homer Avenue; CEQA Status--Not a Project. 10. Approval of Amendment No. 2 to Contract Number C23184827 with Nomad Transit, LLC (Via) in the Amount of $1,200,000 for a total not to exceed $3,801,500 to Continue the City of Palo Alto On-Demand Transit Service through June 2025; Approve a Cost Sharing Agreement with Stanford Research Park to Partially Fund the Service up to $600,000; and Adopt an Ordinance Amending the FY 2025 Municipal Fee Schedule to Increase Fares; CEQA status – not a project. City Manager Comments City Manager Shikada noted that Item Number 12 in the agenda packet was the quarterly update on City Council’s priorities and progress on each of the objectives. He provided a slide presentation to include an update on the 1501 Page Mill Road Creek spill, information about the Storm Preparedness Community Workshop, the annual Veteran’s Day recognition event on November 11 and notable tentative upcoming Council items. Councilmember Burt sought clarification on the amount of sodium hydroxide and water dilution was involved in the spill. He did not think the public had been provided with clarity that would allow them to understand this was a non-hazardous release and that the dye was non- hazardous. City Manager Shikada responded 12 gallons was reported by Tesla and it was a combination of that report and what the incident response collected as part of the work with the cleanup company. Councilmember Veenker followed up that it might be helpful for the community receive some context and/or a benchmark. Action Items 11. Adopt a Resolution Establishing the City Council Annual Calendar of Meetings, Recesses and City Council Events for the Calendar Year 2025; CEQA status – not a project Christine Prior, Deputy City Clerk, presented slides discussing the proposed 2025 City Council calendar of meetings, recesses and events. Slides included a background into how the meetings are scheduled, holidays and dates of significance, dates to avoid scheduling City Council meetings and recommendations. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 13 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 Councilmember Veenker asked if the January 7 Annual Priority Setting Meeting was what was formerly known as the retreat and on a Monday. She wondered why February 24 was set as a City Council special meeting. She mentioned possibly starting committees up earlier. She recalled talking at last year’s retreat about whether or not some of the ad hocs should become standing committees and if so they would need to be integrated into this. Deputy City Clerk Prior answered it is a Monday based on past practice of what was done in 2024. She pointed out the offices would be closed on February 17 in observance of President’s Day and the next Monday would be the 24th. City Manager Shikada clarified the item before them was not intended to preempt the decisions related to the scheduling of ad hocs. The report outs on the current ad hocs as well as the P&S discussion of the priority setting session format would be coming to the Council in the next month or two and then ultimately the priority setting. Councilmember Burt wanted to hear from his colleagues about whether what they have called the Retreat should be on a Monday. He opined that having it on a Saturday set it in a less formal, reflective environment where everybody was fresh and the community turned out. He wanted to see it return to Saturday. Councilmember Lythcott-Haims was happy to meet on a Saturday or a Monday but just wanted time to plan around it. Vice Mayor Lauing thought there was a certain retreat-like ambience on a Saturday. He mentioned they also had to think about the location in order allow for the equipment and letting people get in. Mayor Stone had no strong preference. He thought having a Saturday retreat for the new Council the following year made sense. Councilmember Kou agreed Saturday was a relaxing, informal place to interact with each other as well as with the public. MOTION: Councilmember Burt moved, seconded by Councilmember Lythcott-Haims to adopt a resolution establishing the City Council calendar of meetings, recesses, and City Council events for the calendar year 2025 which considers holidays and other dates to avoid for City Council meetings and request staff to schedule the City Council Retreat on Saturday, January 25, 2025 or a Saturday date closest to January 27, 2025 and recommend no City Council meeting on the Monday following the Saturday Retreat. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Closed Session SUMMARY MINUTES Page 14 of 14 Sp. City Council Meeting Summary Minutes: 10/28/2024 12. CONFERENCE WITH CITY ATTORNEY-POTENTIAL LITIGATION Subject: Claims pursuant to Public Contract Code 9204 related to construction of the Public Safety Building from Pacific Structures, Inc.; Swinerton Builders, CCI Construction, Inc.; Walters & Wolf, WSA, Helix Construction Company; BMC; Sandis; and Northern Services, Inc. Authority: Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(2) MOTION: Councilmember Lauing moved, seconded by Councilmember Veenker to go into Closed Session. MOTION PASSED: 7-0 Council went into Closed Session at 8:37 P.M. Council returned from Closed Session at 9:30 P.M. Mayor Stone announced no reportable action. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:31 P.M.