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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 6534 City of Palo Alto (ID # 6534) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 1/25/2016 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: 2016 City Council Priority Setting and Annual Retreat Title: Policy and Services Committee Recommendation Regarding 2016 City Council Priority Setting and Annual Retreat From: City Manager Lead Department: City Manager Recommendation: Consider 2016 City Council Priorities by reviewing attached documents in preparation for the Annual Retreat scheduled for January 30, 2016 at Mitchell Park Community Center. Background On December 1, 2015 the Policy and Services Committee discussed feedback from City Council members and the community regarding priorities for 2016. Attached is the staff report from the meeting as well as the guidelines which includes the definition, purpose, and process for priority setting. Additional attachments include a table indicating feedback from Councilmembers and copies of community feedback received from Open City Hall, an online civic engagement site. Discussion The majority of Councilmember feedback recommended continuing the 2015 priorities: Comprehensive Plan Completion The Built Environment: Multi-modal transportation, parking and livability Infrastructure Strategy and Implementation Healthy City, Healthy Community In addition to the recommendation the Committee asked to quantify the feedback from the community, whether received through email, phone or Open City Hall. Staff has tabulated the feedback with one point for comments received about each item. Item Points The Built Environment 49 Airplane Noise 46 City of Palo Alto Page 2 Housing 20 Development 17 City Finances 12 Sustainability 11 Infrastructure 7 High Speed Rail 7 Smoking 4 Fiber 3 Government Transparency/Accountability 2 Comprehensive Plan 2 Finally, the committee asked to receive an update on the accomplishments and ongoing items from last year’s retreat which were either referred to the Policy & Services Committee or Committee as a Whole. Item Status Annual Review and Amendments to Procedures and Protocols Policy & Services review complete; final approval scheduled for City Council in February 2016 Meeting Management Discussed at Policy & Services within Procedures and Protocols Staff Relations Discussed at Policy & Services within Procedures and Protocols Core Values Ongoing Revolving Door Policy Council approved update to Municipal Code; further discussion scheduled for Policy & Services Committee in February 2016 Planning Code Updates (Appeals Process) City Council approved on January 11, 2016. One remaining item to return to City Council on February 24, 2016. Discussion of Committees 1. Changing Day of standing committees (Policy &Services; Finance) 2. Creation of Healthy City, Healthy Community 3. Creation of Comprehensive Plan Committee 1. Insert Policy & Services recommended a change; Council pulled the item for further consideration – date to be determined 2. Stakeholder group created with 6 meetings completed in 2015. 3. Citizens Advisory Committee created with 9 meetings completed in 2015. City of Palo Alto Page 3 Related to potential process for the retreat, the Committee felt that there was enough alignment on continuing the 2015 Priorities that the retreat could explore the projects related to the priorities; and possibly provide the opportunity for Council to have a more in-depth conversation about the work plan, resource allocation and timeline for the year. Finally, the committee acknowledged that the retreat itself may not be sufficient time for the Council to finalize these aspects. Timeline The City Manager and staff will work with the Mayor and Vice-Mayor in further refinement of a potential agenda and timeline for Council consideration at the retreat. Attachments:  Attachment A: Table of Council Priorities - 2016 (PDF)  Attachment B: Priority Setting Guidelines (PDF)  Attachment C: 12-1-15 Policy & Services Committee Staff Report (PDF)  Attachment D: Open City Hall Feedback (PDF) Attachment: A Summary of City Council Feedback 2016 Council Priorities Page 1 of 1 Name Priority Area Mayor Burt Continue 2015 Priorities Vice Mayor Scharff Continue 2015 Priorities Councilmember Berman Continue 2015 Priorities but add “housing” to The Built Environment Councilmember Dubois Continue 2015 Priorities and have discussion about work plan and details under each priority at the retreat. Councilmember Filseth Continue 2015 Priorities Councilmember Holman Continue 2015 Priorities Councilmember Kniss Continue 2015 Priorities Councilmember Schmid 1. Comprehensive Plan Completion 2. The Built Environment 3. Long term fiscal analysis Councilmember Wolbach 1. The Built Environment a. Housing supply and affordability b. Transportation: i. Grade separation of Caltrain crossings (funding and planning) ii. Working with local partners (Stanford, Transportation Management Agency, PAUSD, Chamber of Commerce, etc.) on Transportation Demand Management and mobility iii. VTA ballot measure negotiations iv. Safety and mobility for all (including non‐drivers) v. Parking management 2. Healthy City, Healthy Community a. Services and facilities for vulnerable populations: homeless, youth, seniors, disabled, and low income. 3. Infrastructure Strategy and Implementation a. Climate change risk preparations: flooding, water security, and fire risk. City of Palo Alto City Council Priority Setting Guidelines Approved by City Council: October 1, 2012 Last revised: October 1, 2012 Background The City Council adopted its first Council priorities in 1986. Each year the City Council reviews it’s priorities at its Annual Council Retreat. On October 1, 2012 the City Council formally adopted the definition of a council priority, and the Council’s process and guidelines for selection of priorities. Definition A Council priority is defined as a topic that will receive particular, unusual and significant attention during the year. Purpose The establishment of Council priorities will assist the Council and staff to better allot and utilize time for discussion and decision making. Process 1. Three months in advance of the annual Council Retreat, staff will solicit input from the City Council on the priorities to be reviewed and considered for the following year. a. Council members may submit up to three priorities. b. Priorities should be submitted no later than December 1. c. As applicable, the City Manager will contact newly elected officials for their input by December 1. d. The City Clerk will provide timely notice to the public to submit proposed priorities by December 1. The Policy and Services Committee shall recommend to the Council which suggestions if any shall be considered at the City Council retreat. 2. Staff will collect and organize the recommended priorities into a list for Council consideration, and provide to Council no less than two weeks in advance of the retreat. 3. The Policy and Services Committee, each year at its December meeting, shall make recommendations about the process that will be used at the Annual Retreat paying particular attention to the number of priorities suggested by Council members. The recommended process is to be forwarded to Council for adoption in advance of the Council retreat. Guidelines for Selection of Priorities 1. There is a goal of no more than three priorities per year. 2. Priorities generally have a three year time limit. Attachment A City of Palo Alto City Council Priority Setting Schedule Last Updated: 8/17/2012 Attachment A City of Palo Alto (ID # 6376) Policy and Services Committee Staff Report Report Type: Agenda Items Meeting Date: 12/1/2015 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: 2016 City Council Priorities Title: Discussion and Recommendations for 2016 City Council Priority Setting Process From: City Manager Lead Department: City Manager Recommendation Policy and Services Committee discuss and consider making recommendations to the City Council in January on the process to be used at the Annual Retreat to identify the 2016 Council Priorities. Background On October 1, 2012, the City Council approved the Council Priority Setting Guidelines included as Attachment A. The guidelines define a Council priority and lay out the purpose, process and general parameters for annual priority setting. Consistent with these guidelines, the Council established early December as the deadline for Council submitting 2015 priorities to staff. Each year the Policy and Services Committee, at its December meeting, is to review the priorities suggested and consider making recommendations to the City Council about the process that will be used to identify priorities at the Annual Retreat. The recommended process is to be forwarded to the Council for adoption. As the Council directed, after the submittal period closes, staff is to collect and organize the Council recommended priorities into a list and provide to the Council no later than two weeks in advance of the 2016 Annual Retreat. Discussion This staff report provides the input received from the Council and the public on the priorities to be reviewed and considered for 2016. A Council priority is defined as a topic that will receive particular, unusual and significant attention during the year. The purpose of establishing priorities is to assist the Council and staff City of Palo Alto Page 2 to better allot and utilize time for discussion and decision making. There is a goal of no more than three priorities per year and priorities have a three year time limit. The Policy and Services main focus is to make process recommendations for Council conduct of the priority setting at the retreat. In some years, the Council used the “nominal group voting technique” (dot voting) to work through suggestions and generate a collective recommendation. In recent years, Council Members briefly presented their suggestions and explanations as needed and Council discussion led to relatively easy decisions. The 2012 policy helped add definition and limitations on the priorities which helped. Staff is collecting Council member feedback and will provide a summary at the Policy & Services Committee through an At Places Memo. Policy and Services may want to offer some suggestions to staff regarding groupings. Whatever staff presents, Council, obviously, can amend or modify the recommendations at the retreat. Input from City Council Staff will provide an At Places Memo on the input received from Council members on recommended priorities. Input from Community In October 25, 2015, the City posted the question, “What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016?” to its Open City Hall online civic engagement site to solicit input and feedback from the community. As of November 18, 2015 a total of 212 individuals had visited the topic with 62 posting responses. The community is still able to provide feedback on Open City Hall, but below is a summary of comments received to date, and identification of a number of themes that emerged from the responses:  Reduce airplane noise  Housing: low cost/high density, more affordable, charge all new housing Mello-Roos fees, increase supply, build housing near transit, moderate public housing near Caltrain stations and along El Camino  Growth and development: no parking exemptions for developers, stop office development, charge all new commercial development $25,000 per job to trench Caltrain, recognize the Palo Alto is at limit of growth, infrastructure to support growth, finish Comprehensive Plan  Parking and transportation: policies to encourage biking, walking and EVs, support high speed rail, close all inner streets, address influx of parking in residential neighborhoods, safe bike routes, TDM measures including demand-based parking downtown, parking permits for Evergreen neighborhood, multi-modal transportation solutions, shuttle service improvements, train grade crossing  Municipal governance: eliminate appearance of conflict of interest between electeds/developers/city employees after leaving city responsibilities, clarify role of City of Palo Alto Page 3 Planning Commission, cut Palo Alto’s unfunded liabilities for current and past employees, manage benefits and salary to city employees, reduce utility costs  Smoking: no smoking in apartments/condos  Other: fiber-to-the-premise/high speed internet, sustainability, more open space, closed circuit TV on all major arteries to prevent crime, flood control, no home construction on Saturday Attachment B is the detailed responses from Open City Hall. As of November 18, 2015 no feedback was received from the community through email, telephone or mail. Timeline Upon the Policy & Services Committee’s approval, staff will forward the recommendation to the City Council in January. Staff will update the January staff report to include any additional community feedback received prior to agenda publication. Upon approval by the City Council in January, staff will publish results in advance of the retreat. At this time, the Council’s 2016 Annual Retreat is tentatively set for January 30, 2016. Attachments:  Attachment A: Priority Setting Guidelines and Schedule (PDF) All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM As with any public comment process, participation in Open City Hall is voluntary. The statements in this record are not necessarily representative of the whole population, nor do they reflect the opinions of any government agency or elected officials. All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM, this forum had: Attendees:357 On Forum Statements:88 All Statements:127 Hours of Public Comment:6.4 This topic started on October 25, 2015, 9:45 PM. All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 2 of 25 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? David Coale in Barron Park January 9, 2016, 8:02 PM Priorities for Palo Alto in 2016 The top priority for Palo Alto should be addressing climate change. With the Climate Action Summit, the finalization of the city's Sustainability Climate Action Plan and the momentum of the COP-21 talks in Paris, now is the time to take strong action on climate change. Since transportation is the largest part of the city's carbon emissions, the city should work on TDM measures first as this is the most cost effective means to reduce GHG emissions while addressing the parking and congestion complaints that many people have listed as a priority for the city. This will also increase the quality of life and health in our busy downtown and business areas. Next would be to work on fuel switching ordinances to move away from natural gas and to meet the states mandate of net zero energy homes by 2020. Fuel switching should be accelerated and incentivized to address new and exiting homes and businesses. While the building department has some plans in place, we should step up this process and lead the way for others to follow. Along with transportation and fuel switching the city should continue strong support for EVs and charging infrastructure. The completion of the waste water treatment plant to an anaerobic facility should also be completed/accelerated. The delay of this facility will only increase the cost and emissions from an outdated plant to one that would be energy positive. In summary: Put in place a strong Sustainability Climate Action Plan that implements - TDM measures for our downtown and business areas, University, Cal Ave and Stanford industrial park - Support mode switching away from signal occupancy vehicles - Promote active transportation, biking, walking and safe routes for everyone - The above three items would be working towards no car new trips - Greater Support for EVs in the community. - Promote and incentivize fuel switching away from natural gas - Streamlined permitting for all electric, net energy zero new homes and retrofits - Accelerate the rebuilding of the waste water treatment plant to an anaerobic net energy positive facility - have all of the above completed in ten years so as to reduce our GHG emissions by 50% Paul Heft in Midtown/ Midtown West January 9, 2016, 1:53 PM 1. Climate action: S/CAP Plan completion and implementation 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 3 of 25 2. The Built Environment: Multi-modal Transportation, Parking and Livability Walt Hays in Greenmeadow January 9, 2016, 9:45 AM I agree with the statement made by David Coale. Specifically: 1. Climate change is the greatest threat to humanity. Congress is blocking action on the national level, so local action is critical. Palo Alto is a leader and model with its carbon-neutral electricity, so a high priority should be to build on that record with aggressive actions such as (a) incentivizing switching from natural gas to electricity; and (b) promoting EVs, through publicizing their benefits and installing more charging stations. Walt Hays Name not shown in Crescent Park December 27, 2015, 11:16 AM Number one priority is for the city to obtain the technical and political support that will stop the invasive, piercing, screeching, incessant loud airplane noise. The loud airplane noise has greatly impacted the quality of my life: 1) the noise is so loud, it is difficult to fall asleep, let alone have quiet time reading in bed. The loud noise awakens me in the middle of the night and begins again early in the morning. The airplane noise sounds like a movie of WW11 dive bombers, ready to drop their bombs. 2) In our lovely garden, having breakfast, enjoying being together, the loud noise disrupts our conversation and makes it very hard to hear one another. Reading a book in the garden, or just relaxing is impossible due to the screeching loud noise. The noise is so loud, I am quite concerned that my ears, my hearing will be damaged. I have keep a log of the frequency of the planes; Many times in the day and night, the planes come about every 3-5 minutes. This is a severe problem that urgently requires action from the city council. Name not shown in Duveneck/ St Francis December 26, 2015, 6:59 PM Please make the reduction of airplane noise in Palo Alto your highest priority. Please do all you can to make the FAA focus on an equitable distribution of air traffic instead of channeling it through Palo Alto. The incessant noise over our homes and schools has become intolerable. We are losing sleep, agitated, can't focus when working from home--concentration is disrupted every 3 minutes with another flight, and don't hang out in our yard because the experience is now miserable. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West December 24, 2015, 2:43 PM Please do all you can to make NextGen jet noise go away. Jet noise has destroyed Palo Alto's quality of life. 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 4 of 25 I'm often angry and depressed because of it and it disturbs my sleep, even with double pane windows, a white noise machine, and earplugs. This is my #1 issue by far. I'm logging complaints to stop.jetnoise.net every two or three minutes as I write this. I don't want to leave Palo Alto but I can't comprehend living here indefinitely with the amount of noise we are battered with. Next, please stop or slow down office, commercial and housing development as much as possible. I don't understand those who are willing to slow down office development but encourage high density housing development. If we develop high density housing, instead of having gridlock only at rush hour because we have so many commuters, we will have gridlock at all hours of the day because of all the new residents. Please try to retain at least some of Palo Alto's quality of life? We've lost so much already. I suppose if the city's TDM program was wildly successful and the number of jobs in Palo Alto was reduced, we could consider more housing, but only if the TDM was proven to dramatically decrease traffic, and I doubt that is going to happen. If the City builds more housing, that housing should be reserved for teachers and other workers to address the city employee recruitment and retention issue, or, change the BMR program to reserve BMR units for city employees. Thank you for listening! Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West December 22, 2015, 1:42 PM - Fully address flood control - Ban all wood burning in the city - Reduce airplane noise 1 Supporter Bill Gargiulo in Old Palo Alto December 21, 2015, 10:08 PM We have lived in this wonderful city for 23 years. Nothing has impacted us in those 23 years as much as the recent FAA changes that have brought a significant increase in air traffic and noise to our lives. Please continue to focus on this issue as it can have a significant impact in the value of our city. No one wants to live directly under an airport runway. Name not shown outside Palo Alto December 21, 2015, 9:18 PM Airplane noise is relentless and must be dealt with to have any chance of quality of life. Ronda Rosner in College Terrace December 21, 2015, 2:20 PM Our primary concern is the aircraft noise from the FAA's NextGen program. We ask the City Council to adopt 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 5 of 25 the reduction of this noise as a priority for 2016. There is no escape from the noise and it has had and continues to have a significant negative impact on our quality of life, particularly sleeping and being outdoors. Measures of the loudness of any individual jet underestimate the effect of living under the newly grown NextGen superhighway in the sky over our city. The sonic background in our neighborhood is now dominated by aircraft noise. We've lost our peaceful and healthy community and we want it back. -- Ronda and Jeff Rosner in College Terrace 3 Supporters Patti Kahn in Barron Park December 21, 2015, 1:42 PM I would like to see the Council address, as soon as possible, the issue of noise from low-flying aircraft, which has severely eroded our quality of life since the implementation of the NextGen program. We have planes flying at a low altitude over our home in Barron Park, and the noise is unbelievable. Every three minutes, from before 6:00 am each morning til after 1:00 am each night, planes whine, scream, and roar overhead. The noise is bad enough inside our house, where we have triple-paned glass windows. Spending time outside is out of the question--the noise is unremitting and just too intrusive. 1 Supporter Name not shown in Greenmeadow December 21, 2015, 1:24 PM Leave these priorities in place. They are still appropriate. Suggestion: Please put special emphasis on Safe Routes to School. This year we will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the formalization of the successful Palo Alto Safe Routes to School partnership of City of Palo Alto, PAUSD, and the Palo Alto Council of PTAs. In the last ten years we have accomplished more than we ever dreamed when we started. We can use that momentum to take these programs to the next level in our next decade. Please highlight this important milestone. Thank you! 1 Supporter Maryanne Welton in Barron Park December 21, 2015, 1:23 PM Please do everything you can to change the flight pattern into SFO. The new flight path means that I am woken up every night multiple times by low-flying and loud jets. I am sleep deprived every single day because of the new flight pattern. It has made it impossible to enjoy time spent outdoors. I didn't choose to live under the flight path when I moved to Palo Alto and I may not retire here because of it. 3 Supporters Name not shown in Green Acres December 19, 2015, 8:16 PM The number one and very urgent priority in 2016 for the City Council should be to stop the commercial aircraft 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 6 of 25 highway over Palo Alto introduced by the FAA's NextGen program. Air traffic and related air craft noise in affected city areas has reached an unacceptable level. Quality of life has been severely negatively impacted by disruption of sleep patterns and daytime productivity by the constant noise pollution. There are hundreds of airplanes crossing on a daily basis at a very low altitude over residential areas with a high density of schools. The city should recognize this as a serious problem that is quickly spiraling out of control. 3 Supporters sallie whaley in Crescent Park December 19, 2015, 7:16 PM 1) Air traffic and noise over Palo Alto. 2) CAR TRAFFIC 3) Speeding cars on University Ave. and Red light violators 2 Supporters Name not shown outside Palo Alto December 18, 2015, 4:32 PM 1. Palo Alto has already passed the tipping point in terms of livability, sustainability, quality of life. Too much urbanization! Do not issue one more commercial space building permit until infrastructure needs are met, e.g., traffic, parking, and WATER. 2. Forget about ABAG demands. We didn't elect ABAG board members, so they shouldn't dictate our future. 3. Say NO to bus lanes on El Camino. They will only drive more car traffic into our neighborhoods. The VTA admits that's part of their plan: frustrated drivers will leave El Camino to look for other routes, and the only place they can go is through residential areas. (It would be nice if all those opposed to airplane noise SUPPORTED the first such statement instead of repeating it over and over. And why can we only SUPPORT 5 comments? That restriction doesn't make sense.) 3 Supporters Lee Christel in Midtown/ Midtown West December 18, 2015, 1:05 PM (1) Lobby strongly for changes to distribute air traffic equitably over the entire bay area. The increase in SFO jet noise over Palo Alto is way out of proportion to the growth in general SFO traffic. The FAA and SFO Roundtable have shifted traffic to us. The City has a part to play both in encouraging Federal leaders and engaging the FAA directly. (2) Restrict the Palo Alto airport to emergency use only. This facility benefits the wealthy few at the expense of noise and leaded fuel pollution over thousands of residents and the Baylands Park. (3) Fund the installation of independent noise monitors for measuring aircraft noise pollution and how it is changing over time. This is the only way to monitor and verify improvements from the FAA. (4) Continue restricting commercial development unless the traffic impacts are addressed. Consider more high density housing near transit. (5) Encourage High Speed Rail as a way to reduce the use of short airline flights and their excessive CO2 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 7 of 25 contribution. (6) Pass ordinances to restrict parking of RVs and other 'live-in' vehicles on our streets. (7) Implement a plan to cut Palo Alto's unfunded liabilities for current and past employees. 1 Supporter Jon Zweig in Midtown/ Midtown West December 18, 2015, 10:43 AM The increase in airplane noise has made our city a much less pleasant place in which to live. The incessant roaring and whining overhead makes it difficult to work, concentrate or relax. This was not the case a few years ago. The level of noise Palo Alto experiences has clearly been shown to affect health, learning and productivity. The FAA will correct the problem if we continue to press aggressively. The City has a part to play both in encouraging Federal leaders and engaging the FAA directly. Please continue to address the problem of airplane noise pollution over our city as aggressively as necessary. 3 Supporters Stan Hutchings in Old Palo Alto December 17, 2015, 3:03 PM If the traffic on ECR is speeded up by coordinating the lights, buses AND autos will get to their destination much faster. It would not be a bad idea to get rid of most left turn signals that are not at a major arterial - people will just have to U-turn to go back. Personally, I think Google, Ford, Toyota, Nissan and other autonomous vehicle manufacturers should contract with VTA to provide "bus" service up and down ECR. Provide 4 or more seats every 5 minutes or less, and the ability to provide portal-to-portal service with ride-sharing. Then trips for us older folk would be much more convenient, especially if it ever starts raining again. We might start taking the "bus", especially if the cost were reasonable. Not having to pay a driver and expensive big bus maintenance would be a plus, and 24/7 service is feasible. I could go to a concert or lecture, and not have to worry about parking. Autonomous "buses" should not even be limited to ECR; they should be called on demand, much like a taxi. This is the 21st Century, the age of Technology. We should use it to our advantage. Buses and trains are so 20th Century. As my wife and I were walking around Old Palo Alto, we commented how noisy it was, with gas powered leaf blowers, noisy trucks, airplanes overhead every few minutes, even some private vehicles were much louder than average. City council should take efforts to reduce noise pollution. A reporting system for gas powered leaf blowers, similar to complaints.serfr1.org, but perhaps on PaloAlto311 that would identify ones location and put in a non-urgent police report, and accept photos of scofflaws in action and their vehicles would be a good start. 1 Supporter Kim Lemmer in College Terrace December 17, 2015, 2:57 PM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 8 of 25 Please make reducing aircraft noise over Palo Alto a priority in 2016. The noise level has increased tremendously in the past several years and I appreciate the efforts of our city government to work on this problem. 1 Supporter Name not shown in Downtown North December 17, 2015, 1:28 PM Please address the issue of aircraft noise over Palo Alto. The NextGen program has resulted in constant noise pollution with planes flying at low altitudes at all hours of the day and night. The FAA put the equivalent of a superhighway (or how about "high speed rail"?) directly over our heads without the appropriate community involvement or environmental impact studies. NextGen has had a very significant negative impact on the quality of life in Palo Alto. We need a better solution, and we need it now! 1 Supporter Michael Harris in Ventura December 17, 2015, 12:23 PM Hello, Please make the noise problem from low-flying commercial aircraft a city priority in 2016. SFO inbound and outbound flights fly over our Ventura neighborhood every five to ten minutes from 6:00 am to 2:00 am. I have tracked so many flights with Flighttracker so it is easy to use this app to see just how many SFO flights all converge over Palo Alto. I wish for the City to put in dB meters to measure the severe noise pollution and to work with our representatives to get the FAA to make the needed changes to their failed nexgen air-traffic control system. Thanks! Michael and Nikki Harris 219 Matadero Ave Palo Alto, CA 94306 650-704-7560 1 Supporter Name not shown in Duveneck/ St Francis December 17, 2015, 12:03 PM Continuing to address the increasing and abhorrent low, loud, and frequent airline traffic in Palo Alto would be the top priority that I would suggest. We literally have an airline freeway above our house and it has totally disrupted my sense of peace while at home. The air pollution also is a concern. The planes are not nearly as frequent in any surrounding cities/towns that I visit and it only seems fair to distribute the planes in an equitable fashion. 1 Supporter Kent Mather in Old Palo Alto December 17, 2015, 11:42 AM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 9 of 25 Reduce Airport noise over Palo Alto. Current FAA SFIA approach rules have added many more flights directly over my home and the city of Palo Alto resulting in more noise both day and night. Name not shown in Palo Verde December 17, 2015, 11:40 AM Palo Alto priorities in 2016 should be: 1 airplane noise 2 airplane noise 3 airplane noise Name not shown in Old Palo Alto December 17, 2015, 11:23 AM The Council's top priority should be airplane noise. Nathaniel Sterling in Research Park December 17, 2015, 11:19 AM Ordinarily I do not have major concerns with life in our city, but that has changed this past year with the change in aircraft flight patterns into SFO. The incessant air traffic overhead is oppressive and never lets up. Every few minutes another comes thundering in. I can't think of a higher priority for the City Council to address. Thanks. Marcia Sterling in Research Park December 17, 2015, 11:16 AM We hope our elected officials will make reduction of airplane noise over Palo Alto a priority in the year ahead. Marcia and Nat Sterling Ben Zhang in Palo Verde December 17, 2015, 10:51 AM 1. Airplane noise. 2. Traffic in South PA. - How to smooth traffic on road along the schools (Gunn, Terman, JLS, Hoover, etc.) in the morning. It takes me 30 minutes just drive 1.5 mile in the morning to work. Name not shown in Old Palo Alto December 17, 2015, 10:40 AM Please support all the residents that are dealing with the never ending airplane noise over our city. Please give the employees that drive to PA a "great deal" to insure they use the almost empty city parking 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 10 of 25 garages instead of our streets. Please stop all council meeting at a reasonable time, enough talking! The traffic in ridiculous. As a resident for over 40 years I and many of my friends, do not go downtown because of the traffic. No more new office buildings unless the builders provide adequate parking for their employees. Do not offer us a park bench, or 2 low income housing units to make up for lack of a garage. Name not shown in Green Acres December 17, 2015, 10:35 AM Please, please, please do something about the aircraft noise! The planes are flying so low and go screaming or roaring by. The only quiet times at our house are between 1am and 5am. It's insane! My husband wants out of Palo Alto. Something must be done! 2 Supporters Roland Finston in Palo Verde December 17, 2015, 10:31 AM Continue pressuring the FAA to totally revise the NexGen air flight routing over Palo Alto so as to remove the noise sources that have so disrupted our peace of mind. 2 Supporters Name not shown in Charleston Meadows December 17, 2015, 10:29 AM Airplane noise has diminished the quality of life greatly. The city should focus on this as #1 priority. Also: - Do not forget about High Speed Rail and maintaining pressure on them to do the right thing. - Move electric wires underground. 1 Supporter guy livneh in Palo Verde December 17, 2015, 10:22 AM Airplanes are making such a noise. Since Palo Alto became the main place in which almost any airplane from/to SFO or even san jose passes over. The planes make a turn over palo alto, we live in constant noise in the last few years. This has become a major effect on our quality of life. 5 Supporters Name not shown in Crescent Park December 17, 2015, 9:35 AM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 11 of 25 Aircraft noise is an urgent issue. The quantity of low flying airplanes crossing our City every hour of the day (and in the middle of the night) are a danger to our health and well being. 1 Attachment https://pd-oth.s3.amazonaws.com/production/uploads/attachments/13o3ggwusvs0.3xx/August_complaints.pdf (2.8 MB) 5 Supporters Name not shown in Southgate December 16, 2015, 9:57 AM Please quell the noise from aircraft! 4 Supporters Name not shown in Downtown North December 4, 2015, 3:26 PM Dear Councilmembers, Airline noise is a changeable and unecessary environmental problem in Downtown Palo Alto, disturbing the peaceful life we and our visitors deserve. The airlines are not following the rules and coming in to sfo at illegal low altitudes creating loud upsetting whines and roars over downtown Palo Alto 24/7. You can take action to change the way airlines are disregarding Palo Alto, and taking advantage of us to save fuel on low noisy approaches directly over downtown Palo Alto to SFO. Please help correct these illegal flights. Also, Fix the streets and sidewalks they are hazardous. Cowper street between Lytton and Hawthorne is terrible. We need better walking and bicycling in Palo Alto. Hedges are too high and cars parked causing low visibility at corners, lumpy sidewalks, Toilet in Johnson Park and others. Better reference materials in the Downtown library. Thanks, Larry Alton 3 Supporters Hamilton Hitchings in Duveneck/ St Francis December 3, 2015, 6:22 PM 1. Finish the Comprehensive Plan Update 2. Increase the City's Resiliency -- Build the new police station, replace Chaucer and Newell Bridges, address seismically unsafe buildings, fix unfunded pensions 3. Smart Sustainable Growth -- Ensure new buildings are high quality, conform to zoning rules and integrate with their surroundings -- Update zoning to refocus growth away from commercial (except for Stanford Research Park) towards desperately needed high quality housing within the 50' height limit in downtown areas near services, transportation and jobs. Include affordable housing for teachers, police & community service workers. -- Improve traffic and parking (including more shuttles, Caltrain Go passes, bike infra, parking permits subsidizing alternate transportation) 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 12 of 25 -- Trench Caltrain & Reduce Airplane Noise 6 Supporters John Carlsen in Downtown North December 3, 2015, 3:20 PM Establish transparency and accountability throughout the city. Establish objective metrics for city staff that measure efficient/quality work. Use these to explain compensation level and changes thereto. 2 Supporters Name not shown in Community Center December 3, 2015, 2:53 PM The marked and disproportionate increase in loud, frequent air traffic over our community is one of my top concerns, and I would like to see Palo Alto focus on ensuring that SFO and the FAA make changes to reverse the negative impact on our community. I'm also interested in progress on housing strategy, and continued investment in understanding how we can continue to have an excellent school system while reducing the mental health challenges present in our schools, particularly the high schools. Thank you. 4 Supporters Kerry Yarkin in Midtown/ Midtown West November 28, 2015, 3:25 AM Jet noise from Palo Alto airport and from SFO. The noise is relentless and in every part of Palo Alto. I'm seriously thinking about moving out of Palo Alto until the peace, quiet, nature's sounds can be restored to the level of summer 2014. Restore and maintain standards of noise to a level befitting the NUMBER ONE CITY TO LIVE IN THE U.S. 5 Supporters Name not shown in Barron Park November 27, 2015, 4:54 PM I would like for the City of Palo Alto to look at the needs of families, particularly those with young children. The cost of child care in Palo Alto is exhorbitant. Those who work and live in this community need convenient child care options near our workplaces and homes. Businesses should be given incentives to provide child care options to employees and the City of Palo Alto and Palo Alto Unified School District should be leaders in providing child care options to employees as well. 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 13 of 25 1 Supporter Ashwinee Khaladkar in Fairmeadow November 13, 2015, 4:21 PM I would like 3 things addressed: 1. Traffic calming in residential streets. Drivers are zooming by and the only explanation I can see is that Charleston, E. Meadow and Alma have long lights that cause backup forcing drivers to find alternate routes through residential streets. Moving caltrain underground and avoiding delays at the Alma seems like a no brainer, albeit very expensive. 2. Overhead electric wires make our city look like its stuck in the 1950s. Please underground those. 3. Airplane noise is certainly increased and should be addressed. 2 Supporters Name not shown in Leland Manor/ Garland November 12, 2015, 5:23 PM Airplane noise --it is urgent and it is impacting residents, students, and workers 3 Supporters Name not shown in Barron Park November 12, 2015, 3:11 PM Airplane noise. 2 Supporters Jeff Hoel in Midtown/ Midtown West November 12, 2015, 2:17 PM Commit to a citywide municipal fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, and then start implementing it. In 2013 and 2014, Council adopted Technology and the Connected City (TACC) (FTTP plus various wireless frills) as a priority, but not much happened, apparently because some officials hoped Google Fiber would emerge and be good enough. But it won't be good enough. In 2015, Council failed to adopt TACC as a priority, apparently because the City Manager promised that staff would do the same things whether TACC were a priority or not. I think Council should have made it a priority, since, taking the City Manager at his word, it wouldn't have cost anything, and it would have been clearer to the public. Name not shown in Greenmeadow November 12, 2015, 12:32 PM Stop indoor and outdoor burning of wood, paper etc. all year long. 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 14 of 25 1 Supporter Arthur Liberman in Barron Park November 12, 2015, 10:52 AM Revise and reform the development proposal and approval process: - eliminate the possibility of an 'appearance of conflict of interest' between City appointed and elected officials and City employees who work for and represent developers soon after leaving their City responsibilities; - clarify (and rewrite if necessary) the Planning Commission responsibilities to insure that members ALWAYS follow the Comp Plan guidelines and priorities; - update the Architectural Review Board membership (fewer architects, more open to the public) and insure their responsibilities mesh with - rather than conflict with - the Planning Commission; - make the entire procedure transparent and open to the public, from presentation of plans to approval; 1 Supporter Name not shown in University South November 12, 2015, 8:35 AM 1. Increase in airplane noise is my top priority. Palo Alto and neighboring communities were snookered by FAA, who received a "Categorical Exemption" from Congress, meaning that they could bypass the Environmental Impact Assessment process that every other major development must follow. We need a re-do on approach route changes to SFO, this time with the noise imposed on us groundlings meaningfully considered. 2. Business development. Quit giving developers exemptions from parking space requirements in exchange for sculptures and other such nonsense. Ask the citizens which they want: they'll make it clear that parking is more important. Council's stated reason is to "entice businesses to Palo Alto". Really? They should be enticing us, paying us a premium to move here. 3. Get real on a vision of Palo Alto 20 years from now. Enlightened, educated, sophisticated, community famous for quality of life? Or Cyber-Industrial Park, mostly office space, choking traffic. Name not shown in Crescent Park November 11, 2015, 10:50 PM The surge in airplane noise is by far the most pressing issue for the city, in my opinion. 4 Supporters Name not shown in Professorville November 11, 2015, 8:01 AM Healthy communities - noise from airplanes and pollution from lack of coordinated public transportation Housing - Our teachers cannot afford to live in Palo Alto. There are models in other communities--Sunnyvale-- for building housing for professionals who serve the community. 1 Supporter Jamie Beckett in Evergreen Park November 10, 2015, 5:10 PM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 15 of 25 I'm surprised that addressing traffic and congestion have not come up more so far. It is wonderful that Palo Alto is the place that businesses want to be, but our city is being choked by commercial development that is bringing hundreds or even thousands of cars to our streets. I live in the California Avenue area, which is slated for (or has already seen) six large office developments -- and that's not counting the police station. Yet we have not had a single infrastructure improvement to support these added cars. I am at the point where I cannot exit onto the main street without feeling like I'm in danger of hitting another car or a cyclist. Seriously. But it's not just me at my house. I'm sure people downtown have been facing these sorts of problems for ages. So we need to STOP office development -- applause to the council for action taken so far -- and take some time to take stock of how it is affecting those of us who live here. 1 Supporter Kirsten Flynn in Ventura November 10, 2015, 3:06 PM I am a life long resident of Palo Alto- growing up in Barron Park, living in Ventura, going to PA schools, and sending my 3 kids through PA schools. I believe sustainability must be the primary goal of any level of government at this point in history. So how does that reflect at the city level? First- we must continue to work on our effort to quantify and offset our carbon footprint. This includes looking at the the jobs/housing imbalance and offsetting the transportation footprint of those coming or going from the city for work. This also includes making EVERY effort to decrease that imbalance, because local housing/local jobs are lower carbon that remote jobs. (Read as- limit office construction maximize AFFORDABLE housing!) In order to take serious aim at carbon neutrality, we must design our forms of transportation to prioritize all forms except the single occupant car. I know this pisses folks off, but gridlock is here (try getting through the intersection 1/2mile from my house- Page Mill and El Camino in less that 2 lights) building safer biking or bus commuting infrastructure actually lessens gridlock at this point, by taking cars off the road. Additionally we need to incentivize open space preservation, perhaps even open space dedicated to agricultural uses. This is important both for food security, and air quality. Finally- a truly sustainable city has a diverse economy. We are overly dependent on high tech office space. Any employment sector can crash, and a city with a diverse population and many economic employers can weather such a crash, without draconian cuts to schools and city budget. We have seen this cycle, and yet have not planned for it. We want Palo Alto to be an economically viable, desirable, livable city, and this means prioritizing sustainability and diversity. 1 Supporter Name not shown in Old Palo Alto November 10, 2015, 2:53 PM Main priority for 2016: Traffic and parking! They are out of control. Myra Gilfix outside Palo Alto November 10, 2015, 2:44 PM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 16 of 25 Palo Alto is the center of Silicon Vallley, and yet we often have inadequate internet access. As one responder said, "Why are we still dealing with expensive and low quality comcast service when we have a perfectly decent fiber ring running throughout palo alto?" The City could and should provide a much better home/business offering. Underground electrical lines. Coordinate underground work with anything else that should be done at the same time. 1 Supporter Chris DiBona in Duveneck/ St Francis November 10, 2015, 2:13 PM Frankly: It's the internet, stupid. Why are we still dealing with expensive and low quality comcast service when we have a perfectly decent fiber ring running throughout palo alto? Give/lease it to Google if the city isn't up to the task of provisioning a decent home offering. We don't need to 'study' this anymore. Considering who lives in our town and the industries that have grown up here it is pretty terrible that we have such awful internet services available to our citizens and our businesses. 3 Supporters Michelle Kraus in University Park November 10, 2015, 2:02 PM In adopting the Healthy City, Healthy Community initiatives, please ban cigarette and related smoking in all rental properties in the City now. Second hand smoke kills and we can't afford the fire hazard. Jeff Wheeler in Ventura November 10, 2015, 8:40 AM I would like to see Palo Alto support high speed rail come to CA as quickly and as affordable as possible. Let us help find funding and support enviornmental review for this critical transportation mode that is well-proven throughout the world. 2 Supporters Ihab Awad in Southgate November 9, 2015, 3:16 PM Low cost, high density housing is a must. Current residents who love the village-like character of Palo Alto are already well compensated with a massive return on their real estate investments. To resist changes that make the City a more integral part of the thriving, larger Silicon Valley economy that created these riches is not forward-looking and serves nobody: it does nothing to quell the growth, from which we all benefit, but it forces local workers to live in lower cost bedroom communities far away, putting more pressure on parking and road transportation. 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 17 of 25 4 Supporters Joerg Rathenberg in Crescent Park November 9, 2015, 3:06 PM Here are three critical topics that need to be adressed in this order: 1. How can we stop the intolerable airplane noise caused by FAA's NextGen system ASAP? 2. What can we do to prepare for the expected El Nino? 3. How can we address the massive influx of parked cars in residential neigborhoods after the recent changes in parking downtown, causing people to park in streets that until now were quiet and peaceful? Name not shown in College Terrace November 9, 2015, 2:59 PM Housing is the most important issue we face today because Palo Alto is quickly and increasingly becoming an affluent retirement community. When I grew up here, Palo Alto was a diverse and thriving community, but it's not that way anymore. We need more and more types of housing across all of Palo Alto, particularly around transit nodes. 3 Supporters Ava Hahn in Southgate November 9, 2015, 2:45 PM Safe bike routes (protected from car traffic) for our kids to ride to and from school. Let's encourage kids to bike for their own health, the environment and to improve our intolerable traffic situation. 1 Supporter Name not shown in Charleston Terrace November 9, 2015, 2:43 PM Please develop and implement a plan to cut Palo Alto's unfunded liabilities for current and past employees. City commitments are not inline with the private sector economy and what the tax payers in Palo Alto face for retirement. We need to get away from pensions and aggressively move the obligation for city employee retirement to the employee through defined contribution plans etc. This is how I have to plan for my retirement and I see no reason this is not equitable for our city employees. Further, the public records disclosure of city salaries in The Daily Post has helped debunk the myth that these retirement benefits are needed to make up for meager salaries. If a city employee can make more in the private sector, they are free to go get it, but we should not be fooled into believing that we will not be able to attract and retain good people. 3 Supporters Aaron Nelson in Evergreen Park November 3, 2015, 11:48 AM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 18 of 25 Charge all new housing probably about 25,000$ in Mello-roos development fees to fund new schools, a water recycling plant, and bike paths. In exchange they get a housing voucher. Charge all new commercial development about 25,000$ per job (about 200 square feet) to trench Caltrain and redo Page Mill road and build more parking. Also require a housing voucher per job created. Stop allowing transferable development rights to make parking and road problems worse. Name not shown in Downtown North November 2, 2015, 11:37 PM Recognize that there are limits to growth and that Palo Alto is at the limit. More growth will lead to diminishing quality of life for current residents. Palo Alto city is like an ecosystem and must not be over-exploited. End all commercial development and housing growth. Stop the ever increasing city staff raises and perks. Outsource more of the city workers jobs so that we don't have to pay into the retirement system that is bankrupting the state. No more automatic raises and moving employees to different classifications so they can get promotions and raises for doing the same job. Stop worrying about what outside entities think of Palo Alto and work on making it the best city possible for the people who currently live here. The best example you can set is to do what is best for this city and let others follow. Every step taken should consider all ramifications city wide. Palo Alto is woefully behind on park space per resident. Put most discretionary money towards acquiring more park space. Yes, you need to buy the land and turn it into parks. And you need to buy lots of land. It will be one of the best ways this city has spent money in a long time. Name not shown in Downtown North October 30, 2015, 2:43 PM Please ban smoking in all units of multi-family dwellings. Reasons: -- The smoke drifts into apartments of those who don't smoke. -- Research indicates that second hand smoke is deleterious to health for everyone, but particularly bad for infants, children, the elderly, and those with asthma, breathing difficulties, and cancer. -- There are more fires in buildings whose occupants smoke. Further, there is precedent for passing laws pertinent to multi- and not single- family dwellings. One such law concerns noise. People should be able to do anything they want in their own apartment provided such activity does not impinge upon the health or safety of others. Thank you for considering my petition. 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 19 of 25 -- 1 Supporter Name not shown in Downtown North October 27, 2015, 7:50 PM Developing Palo Alto into a real city: More housing in Palo Alto and more public transportation 3 Supporters Jeff Rensch in Barron Park October 26, 2015, 9:06 PM Council needs to bite the bullet and build, even subsidize, more middle-income and low-income housing or the city will not be sustainable in coming decades. 3 Supporters Ozzie Fallick in Evergreen Park October 26, 2015, 8:19 PM More housing! All over the Peninsula, cities are building tons of office space and no housing. Palo Alto is one of the worst offenders. This leaves plenty of jobs, with nowhere for the workers to live, so traffic gets bad (because all the workers have to drive in) and rents get ridiculous. I feel unwelcome in Palo Alto because I'm not a millionaire with two kids. Please consider some higher-density housing development near transit. Plenty of small cities do it without compromising their character; my hometown of Bethesda, MD did this with great success, allowing multi-story apartment buildings and mixed-use development in the city center, with a height limit that decreases with distance from the subway station. There are apartments for those who want them and single-family homes for those who don't. 2 Supporters Frank Flynn in Ventura October 26, 2015, 7:20 PM In my mind the biggest problem is supporting the growth which will inevitably happen here. Not only is this more housing but also the infrastructure to support it: particularly significant improvements to Caltrain (no grade level crossings, more service, and faster service), come to terms with high-speed rail, continued improvement to the bicycle and other alternative transportation infrastructure, better roads-although there may not be much room to build them, and the institutions that a population needs schools hospitals grocery stores. 2 Supporters Dan Bloomberg in Barron Park October 26, 2015, 5:43 PM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 20 of 25 In order from highest to lowest priority: (1) Get fiscal house in order. Stop the unsustainable defined-benefit pensions with the SEIU, with their ballooning unfunded liabilities that will severely limit city improvements in the near term and eventually bankrupt Palo Alto. Going forward, get all city employees on 401K plans. (2) Stop ABAG Sunnyvaleization. Push back on ABAG, which is "demanding" thousands of new residential units in high density settings over the next decade. Look at all the traffic we presently have -- this will only get worse with more high-density housing. We don't need the small amount of funds that ABAG has the power to deny us, so we can tell them to stuff it. But we do need to keep Palo Alto livable. We're already gridlocked -- more is worse. (And have you noticed that when traffic gets worse, drivers get worse (impatient, rude), and we lose one of the great qualities of Palo Alto -- civility.) (3) Start the major infrastructure projects, like the new public safety building, that have been repeatedly postponed and require responsible fiscal management of Palo Alto's resources. (4) Install closed circuit TV on all major arteries. Palo Alto is a wealthy city, and hence a ripe target for thieves. CCTV will let potential criminals know that we're serious about preventing crime, and the smart ones will stay away. 4 Supporters Jules Brouillet in Barron Park October 26, 2015, 1:20 PM I take night classes, so I cannot attend the comp. plan update meetings. Here are the priorities that the city should adopt to respond to our urgent housing shortage crisis that render our renters captive to the consciences of our landowners. -Moderate and high-density (private-)public housing projects near Caltrain stations and along El Camino Real. The latter should make the Grand Boulevard Initiative more viable here. -Rent control should be used to preserve existing and new renters' incomes until increased housing supplies make Palo Alto rents affordable. -Preservation of parks and open space. Construction of classrooms to increase PAUSD should be vertical, rather than horizontal encroachments on city parks and fields. -A PAUSD curriculum/program for students grades 1-12 on solving problems facing our city. This could be a collaboration between the city, the school district, and the Palo Alto Youth Commission. -Increased city revenues through reassessment of properties (which requires passage of SCA-5, The Property Fairness Amendment), an income tax, and / or a wealth tax. -TDM measures, including demand-based parking fees downtown (as in San Francisco), permit-only parking neighborhoods walking-accessible from downtown, GoPasses and EcoPasses for all city residents and employees of Palo Alto businesses, subsidies for carpoolers. -More representative and vocal representation of the northwest county region on the Caltrain and VTA board. Lobbying by the city for the extension of BART through south San Mateo County. -Raising the city minimum wage, and city employee wages and benefits, to correspond with the rising housing / other costs of living in Palo Alto 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 21 of 25 2 Supporters Joel Davidson in Barron Park October 26, 2015, 12:29 PM Ban smoking in apts. and condo complexes. increase open space. Bob Moss in Barron Park October 26, 2015, 11:11 AM Comprehensive Plan update has gone on too long. Review latest version in February and adopt agreeable sections, retain current versions of any revised sections that council can't agree on. Assure that current development limits for R-1 and R-2 are retained. Infrastructure for public safety facilities and traffic improvements are priorities. Limit office development and expansion. Preserve retail. Can be made part of Comprehensive Plan update. If revenues exceed predictions by more than 10% use half of excess for traffic improvements including more shuttles. Keep water use low, reduce 5% if possible. 2 Supporters Cedric Chin in Palo Verde October 26, 2015, 11:07 AM Reduce utility costs. For one thing, you don't need to stuff three color utilities flyers in the envelope. Those flyers go *right* into the recyclying bin. Housing's fine as it is, or at least promote housing and services for elderly care. I'm already seeing new units built near Fry's. We already have a shortage of schools. Darryl Fenwick in Downtown North October 26, 2015, 10:49 AM Don't focus on short term fixes or knee-jerk reactions to problems. Longer term issues need attention before they become short-term crises. Benefits to city employees need to be managed so that we can afford to pay tomorrow's city retirees without sacrificing tomorrow's city services. Housing development must be managed to accommodate tomorrow's needs. Moratorium's on office development must be replaced by sensible rules to keep downtown viable for businesses and attractive for residents. Parking for future downtown employees must be increased before the local streets are flooded with their cars. Alternative transport must be encouraged and incentivised. And the HSR-rail debacle must be addressed before the rail crossings become virtual barriers during commute hours. 4 Supporters Name not shown outside Palo Alto October 26, 2015, 10:42 AM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 22 of 25 Parking permits for the Evergreen neighborhood. Those of us that don't go to offices every day, but occasionally need to run errands during the day find there is no place to park when we come back. People either not willing to pay for Cal Train parking or work on Cambridge or Cal Ave. park on College Ave. between Park and Ash. If that fills they go to Ash or Oxford. We residents need to be able to come and go during the day and not have to hunt for blocks for some place to park. 1 Supporter Stepheny McGraw in Palo Verde October 26, 2015, 10:18 AM Palo Alto is bursting at its seams. Not everyone who works here should or needs to live here and we should not pander to developers' needs, but those of the current tax paying residents. Let's work to keep the city's quality of life -- infrastructure of schools and services and parks -- healthy and balanced. 1 Supporter Jacqueline Grubb outside Palo Alto October 26, 2015, 10:14 AM Banning Smoking in apartments in Palo Alto!!Evolve, it is absurd that it is allowed. Name not shown in Greenmeadow October 26, 2015, 9:18 AM Build Affordable housing - we are your Grandparents! 3 Supporters Name not shown in Downtown North October 26, 2015, 9:07 AM It's very simple: Palo Alto City Council needs to address the massive housing shortage that exists in our city. Building new housing has been too difficult for too long, and that's completely changed the character of Palo Alto, making it look less and less like an innovative college town and more and more like a place for the old and wealthy. 4 Supporters Name not shown in Downtown North October 26, 2015, 7:41 AM Add to the housing stock by changing zoning and allow developers to build housing. 7 Supporters Name not shown in Greenmeadow October 26, 2015, 7:36 AM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 23 of 25 Airplane noise. This has become so intrusive that our family is expecting, in the absence of a remedy, to sell our house and to leave Palo Alto, at a huge cost to our careers, finances, and social lives. 1 Supporter Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West October 26, 2015, 7:34 AM I would like to see the City Council adopt these priorities for 2016: * Flood control * Airplane noise * Reducing compensation and retirement benefits for city workers 1 Supporter Name not shown in Green Acres October 26, 2015, 6:47 AM A study, looking forward into the future, 5, 10 years of the infrastructure and transportation needs given commercial and industrial growth that the city deems appropriate and feasible. If this has been done in the past, update that process to include forward thinking planning, including infrastructure that is out of their control such as Stanford U. and Caltrans highways so they can advise those parties. 1 Supporter Name not shown in College Terrace October 26, 2015, 6:45 AM I would like the city council to discuss how the rent for housing could be better controlled. The cost of living is consistently getting higher and the wages of the retail employees, teachers and middle class income people are not increasing in the same way like the price for renting a place to live. This is a main concern of many. Traffic safety should be ongoing a discussion. The 35 limit on Alma leaves the ones honoring the limit way behind the ones passing you by, making signs and driving 55! The same is on Middlefield Road, while driving the 25, you are passed by speeders. Name not shown in Evergreen Park October 26, 2015, 6:44 AM Deal with housing affordability crisis by limiting amount landlords can raise rent or other measures. Schools are decreasing classes because families are moving away because they can't afford to stay, and we will lose the diversity that is one of the things that makes Palo Alto special 1 Supporter Name not shown in Old Palo Alto October 26, 2015, 6:32 AM 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 24 of 25 I would like to see no home construction on Saturday. The residence need at least two days of quiet per week. I believe that Atherton has this rule. 1 Supporter 2016 Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2016? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of January 11, 2016, 12:25 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3163 Page 25 of 25