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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 10036City of Palo Alto (ID # 10036) City Council Staff Report Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 2/2/2019 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: Palo Alto City Council Retreat - 2019 Council Priorities Title: Palo Alto City Council Retreat - 2019 Council Priorities From: City Manager Lead Department: City Manager Recommendation Staff recommends Council discuss and consider selection of 2019 Council Priorities. Background Attached to this report is the 2012 Council-approved Priority Setting Guidelines (Attachment A). Per the 2012 Council approved guidelines; a priority is defined as a topic that will receive particular, unusual and significant attention during the year. Additionally, there is a goal of no more than three priorities per year and they generally have a three-year time limit. The process outlined in Attachment A was established by Council several years ago, including the role of the Policy & Services (P&S) Committee. The 2018 priorities were: •Transportation •Housing •Budget and Finance (create an infrastructure funding plan) •Grade Separation (choose preferred alternative by end of the year) See Attachment A for the Council priorities for the past 5 years. Discussion On January 14, 2019, the City Council was asked to forward their ideas for 2019 priorities. The feedback received indicated Council generally supports carrying over the 2018 priorities for 2019 in similar form. While the City made substantial progress on the 2018 priorities, as will be seen in the 2018 Year in Review Presentation, each of the 2018 priorities remain very relevant and will require special attention in 2019. Even though the 2018 priorities will continue to be very important during the year ahead, #2 City of Palo Alto Page 2 Council also shared ideas for possible other priorities for discussion, and they are summarized below: - Redevelopment of Cubberley (2 Council members mentioned this one) - Business Tax (2 Council members mentioned this one) - Human/community services - Ventura Neighborhood - Cubberley Community plan and funding - Code Enforcement - Fiscal strength - Broadband In addition, each year staff invites online suggestions from the public. On January 14, 2019, the City posted the question, “What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019?” to its Open City Hall online civic engagement site to solicit input and feedback from the community. As of January 29, 2019 450 individuals had visited the site and 285 individuals posted responses (Attachment C). Among the frequent public responses were airplane noise and transportation concerns; comments on transportation ranged from traffic, parking, public transit and regional transportation planning. Also included were a significant number of comments to include equity and inclusion with gender equality being mentioned numerous times. Affordable housing and rent control were also themes along with Rail grade separation and the environment and sustainability. Consistent with last year, the Council’s retreat agenda enables consideration of greater specificity to its priorities, e.g. sub-bullets, outcomes, milestones, and key performance indicators. Should the Council decide to set specific goals for the year, it may be appropriate for staff to develop work plans to achieve these goals and return for subsequent Council review and approval. In 2018, for example, the Council set a specific goal of selecting a preferred rail grade separation alternative by the end of the year. While community engagement on this topic remains ongoing, this goal enabled staff to organize work and stakeholder involvement based on this stated City goal. It is often said that goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. These dimensions may assist in framing Council discussion of any specific goals for 2019. Attachments: • Council Priorities 2013 to 2018 • Community Feedback - 2019 Council Priorities Council Priorities History 2018: Transportation Housing Budget and Finance (create an infrastructure funding plan) Grade Separation (choose preferred alternative by end of year) 2017: Transportation Housing Infrastructure Healthy City, Healthy Community Budget and Finance 2016: The Built Environment: Housing, Parking, Livability, and Mobility Infrastructure Healthy City, Healthy Community Completion of the Comprehensive Plan 2015-2030 Update 2015: The Built Environment: Multi-modal transportation, parking and livability Infrastructure Strategy and Implementation Healthy City, Healthy Community Completion of the Comprehensive Plan update with increased focus from Council 2014: Comprehensive planning and action on land use and transportation: The Built Environment, Transportation, Mobility, Parking and Livability Infrastructure Strategy and Funding Technology and the Connected City 2013: The Future of Downtown and California Avenue: Urban Design, Transportation, Parking, and Livability Infrastructure Strategy and Funding Technology and the Connected City 1 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM Contents i.Summary of registered statements 2 ii.Individual registered statements 3 Summary Of Registered Statements As of January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM, this forum had:Topic Start Attendees:450 January 14, 2019, 9:34 PM Registered Statements:189 Hours of Public Comment:14.3 2 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Individual Registered Statements Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 16, 2019, 9:28 AM Ordinance against car dwelling Jared Bernstein in University South January 16, 2019, 9:29 AM First: Housing. We need more dense housing near trains and on El Camino. Second: Trains go into a trench please. Bill Fitch in Evergreen Park January 16, 2019, 9:39 AM I agree with Jared. Housing first, trench if affordable Sue Dinwiddie in Duveneck/ St Francis January 16, 2019, 9:43 AM I think the top priorities for the city for 2019 should be 1. Traffic gridlock and inadequate public transportation 2. Railroad grade separations 3. Over development of offices downtown and at California Avenue 4. Parking 5. Housing Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 16, 2019, 9:52 AM The climate crisis is accelerating. Being a carbon neutral city (mitigation) and preparing for climate impacts (adaptation) should be highest priorities (fire, floods, drought, water supply, sea level rise, urban forest, etc. ). Improved regional transportation systems for biking, walking and transit should be third priority (also supports mitigation and quality of life). Jim Poppy in Old Palo Alto January 16, 2019, 9:58 AM Code Enforcement was voted down as a priority last year and remains woefully inadequate. Castilleja School's CUP allows them "5 major events" per year, and they now have over 100 events a year plus summer camp. It would be easy to enforce the CUP but The City has turned a blind eye, providing Castilleja with highly preferential treatment over the years, started with the gifting of part of Melville Ave back in the 1990s. The City has never said NO to their requests and they have systematically and intentionally violated their CUP by adding events. Name not shown in Greenmeadow January 16, 2019, 9:59 AM Airplane noise Name not shown in Greenmeadow January 16, 2019, 10:09 AM Permanent city-owned homes that can be used by city workers vs. a stipend for a home. Those opting to live elsewhere could be given the amount that we rent out that house for as an alternative. Then as housing costs grow, we will not have to pay increasing costs, while losing the value of the money spent. Pensions for city workers that are more moderate. Any pension is going to help a retiree extend their savings, but to continue anything near their wage seems outlandish, unsustainable, and short sighted in terms of budgeting. And it increases resentment towards those with pensions. Pensions are good, but should not be nearly as high as the salaries people got when showing up for 3 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? work daily. We pay high salaries, and workers have some obligation to save, pay down their house, etc. Retirement. I met a city librarian who was working part- time. In her (I think mid-) 50's, she realized if she retired, she'd make as much as if she continued to work part-time--I believe she said her retirement was based on full-time despite her only working part-time. So she retired. Not only was her part-time job going to allow a full-time based retirement, but she was apparently covered for all of most of her healthcare for life, along w/a spouse and any dependent children. This story is likely not a perfect recap, but I believe it's close and if more people realized this, I believe citizens would be quite upset at how city workers are paid, long- run. Perhaps this and other issues could be resolved by giving these decisions to independent boards made up of accountants, citizens, & others that don't have to answer to fellow city workers or city council members. The current system seems to allow more salary increases, benefits that are unsustainable, and more, because of the incenstual and dependent relationships between the parties that would have to approve changes. Offering some of the under-used property on large city- owned properties under lease arrangements. Allow local businesses to lock in their rental/owning space costs by building their own businesses and future legacies, with a time cap. Much like Stanford and the Queen, these properties would eventually revert to the city, meaning as cost grow, the city would get short term income without inputting any money--the buildings could be owned and built by the 'tenant'--while maintaining the city's lands for possible future use or income. This could be a huge help to local businesses that are be driven out by soaring rents, while simultaneously helping the city, long run. Use some of this land to build city-owned & managed housing for city workers who stay in the area. As rental only, the housing stock would be permanent. Incentivizing Stanford to build a research housing area for seniors, where current homeowners could transition from their single-family homes, without having to leave their hometown. If it was done correctly, it could be a big draw, an exciting and comfortable place to live independently, with continuous care options, and great access to resources both in town and on campus. This would allow Stanford to study aging, allow the seniors to have a mix of exposure to people of different ages, be less isolated, be exposed to education & cultural opportunities, social lives, while freeing up homes for new working families with children in the neighborhoods. It could become a model community for aging adults, an opportunity for Stanford to lead on the topic of aging well in America, and so much more. Name not shown in Charleston Terrace January 16, 2019, 10:45 AM 1. Traffic. Please apply some common sense solutions to mitigate choke points during commute hours. For example, the three traffic lights in close proximity on Embarcadero between Paly-Town&Country-El Camino is a mess at high commute times. My kids go to Paly and I am grateful for attempts to keep them safe crossing the street, but the current situation is a mess. Consider eliminating the eastern most light in favor of using the existing bike/pedestrian path of the overpass. 2. Budget & Finance. Ensure the city is on a sound financial footing long term without looming un-funded pension obligations. Eric Seedman in Southgate January 16, 2019, 11:01 AM 1. Grade crossings 2. Code enforcement Karen Price in College Terrace January 16, 2019, 11:18 AM 4 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? While affordable housing and sensible rent control are extremely important, I feel the biggest priority is overdevelopment of large office buildings in the Calif Ave area and downtown. This contributes in great part to traffic and parking congestion, lack of community, and escalating the housing/jobs imbalance. Please leave the few remaining "older" smaller office buildings for self employed professionals such as myself and for generations to come who will happily serve the community as I have for over 40 years while renting both residential and commercial. Karen Price College Terrace and California Ave Name not shown in Barron Park January 16, 2019, 11:33 AM In order to reduce local traffic it is necessary to incentivize the opening of a substantial grocery store in the Barron Park area. It is ridiculous to keep building more and more housing for more and more people with no place nearby to shop for food and other necessities. Crossing the railroad tracks is not a safe long term option. Nor is driving miles up and down massively crowded El Camino. Spas and juice bars next to the trailor park do not count as needed retail nor do the few little shops and coffee houses in the area. Your priority is to provide walkable neighborhoods for less cars on the road. Ronald Hodges in Midtown/ Midtown West January 16, 2019, 2:34 PM Transportation - Raise the speed limit on Middlefield south of Colorado to a reasonable level (e.g. 30 mph or maybe 35 mph south of Loma Verde) and ENFORCE it with speeding tickets. It is nerve-wracking to enter Middlefield from our complex's underground parking with cars passing at 35+ mph. Cancel the "improvements" to the bike boulevards on Bryant St. and elsewhere. They are safe as is. I object to having bulb-outs force me at 12 mph on my bike into car traffic going 25 mph or greater. Name not shown in Charleston Terrace January 16, 2019, 2:34 PM My requests are to focus on the following: 1. Please enact (stricter?) regulations that prevent RVs, oversized vehicles, and vans with trailers from parking all over city streets for multiple days. These have become free living places, and while I understand that Palo Alto is an expensive city to live in, these RVs are causing traffic problems (blind spots that make seeing other cars and pedestrians difficult and too narrow roadways. There are some trailers up on blocks that are obviously not being moved, and other vans and trailers such as the multiple vehicles/trailers/motorcycles on Acacia Avenue that are owned by a single gentleman, that are taking up parking space for tax-paying residents and business patrons. I've also seen jugs of gasoline being stored in these vans and trailers, which is a safety hazard. (There are plenty of services that folks living in these RVs and vans can utilize for assistance.) 2. Please increase traffic enforcement. Moving up to 1.5 full-time enforcement personnel in 2018 was a great first step. Much more enforcement is needed particularly for moving violations because people have become accustomed to there being no enforcement in Palo Alto. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to communicate our wishes. Name not shown in College Terrace January 16, 2019, 2:48 PM The City had a large city wide meeting on traffic but it is not one of the four items you mention. Perhaps the City meeting itself was the solution. Also quality of life is not mentioned, although it often comes up in discussions as an important priority. Thank you maurice druzin in Crescent Park January 16, 2019, 3:14 PM I would recommend that affordable housing be top of the 5 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? list. It is depressing to see the lines of RVs parked on El Camino and spilling over to other areas of Palo Alto. Name not shown in Leland Manor/ Garland January 16, 2019, 3:24 PM No more road diets, no more bollards that impede traffic flow. Get rid of Cool Blocks which is a waste of money sand triplicates current efforts. Stop treating Palo Alto Forward like it's part of government. Get out of ABAG and the MTA. I'm tired of paying commuters to over-run us. Name not shown in Duveneck/ St Francis January 16, 2019, 3:28 PM Hi, I would really like to see Palo Alto develop more bike routes that are separated from automobile traffic via physical barriers. Even if the barrier is a line of parked cars (some cities have swapped bike lanes with curb-side parking row so that parked cars separate the bike lane from the regular traffic lane). So much safer than a line of paint. Given our weather, we will have many more families biking around if hey felt safer. Ken Joye in Ventura January 16, 2019, 3:32 PM reduce jobs:housing imbalance promote affordable housing (low income + missing middle) address climate change (promote transportation other than single occupancy auto trips) NVCAP mitigations Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 16, 2019, 4:20 PM Revert some of the extreme measures of the bike blvd installations. like the roundabouts and the narrowed Louis Rd. I still observe dangerous behaviors or close call at those locations from time to time. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 16, 2019, 4:39 PM Dear honorable city council members, Please bring back effective enforcement for the ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. I have worked at home for many years and am now retired, and the blowers significantly lower our quality of life. I used to thrive on spending time in my garden, which was an essential stress-reliever for me and brought much peace and serenity. Now I rarely garden anymore, or even enjoy going out into my yard because of the frequent noise of the blowers. This is a big loss to me, and I can't plan on when I can have peace and quiet in my yard. As a result of my avoiding the noise and so neglecting my yard, someone (probably a neighbor whom I had asked not to have his gardeners use gas blowers) reported me for a code violation about the plants along the street strip in front of our house. So I had to go out and weed and prune while the blowers blasted with impunity. That didn't feel fair at all. I've talked to neighbors, and made reports on 311 many times, but it seems to have made little difference. All four of my family members have asthma, and the particulates in the air don't help. The gas fumes are also noxious. I understand that gas blowers are one of the worst causes of air pollution, and I urge you to lower Palo Alto's carbon footprint by effectively enforcing the ban. It worked quite well when there was the phone line where Oscar, and before him, Stephanie(?) took reports and then issued warnings and tickets. I think the ticket should be way higher, such as $300 for a first offense so the gardeners have financial incentive to use alternatives. I also request that violators be cited by police officers (or whoever cites them) by actively looking for them, as opposed to going by a complaint-only system. I also recommend a buy-back/exchange program so gardeners can turn in gas blowers for electric blowers, brooms and rakes. That would help support them in using quieter, greener alternatives in a positive and supportive way. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. 6 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Name not shown in University South January 16, 2019, 4:49 PM In the area of transportation I would like to see sufficient resources allocated to the Downtown Residential Preferential Program (RPP) such that the program can be managed as it was intended, namely to distribute non- resident parking permits equally throughout Zones 1-8 and within each zone. At the current time there are a number of blocks within the zones immediately adjacent to the Downtown area that are often fully parked throughout workweek. Not only is this not in keeping with with original intent of the program, it is unfair to those residents whose neighborhoods are so impacted. While this unfortunate situation could be remedied relatively easily without significant additional cost or resources (e.g. by simply creating sub-zones within the affected neighborhoods) to date staff has shown no interest in addressing this issue. Carol Kersten in College Terrace January 16, 2019, 5:19 PM A big concern I believe we should all have is preparing for next year’s fire season. Disturbing articles have appeared stating that the same thing that happened with the Camp fire could happen in Palo Alto. I recommend an individual or a task force identify steps we can take to minimize fire danger (e.g. removing brush in the Santa Cruz mountains and other related areas, perhaps by bringing in herds of goats etc.) It would devastate us all if a similar fire occurred here. Thank you. Carol Name not shown in Green Acres January 16, 2019, 5:34 PM Highest priority is to address the housing/jobs inbalance. Yes, housing needs to be added, but we also need to stop job growth, to get us down from the 3:1 ratio of jobs to housing. Note, I didn't say 'slow' job growth, I really think it should be stopped. No new businesses. In the downtown and CA street areas, as restaurants/retailers decide to close shop, replace them with 'like' businesses with the same number of potential employees. Growth is not always a good thing. I also think that as Stanford expands, it needs to add housing and schools to support 100% all new employees and their families. No additional city commuting for the new Stanford employees - they live, work, shop on Stanford land. Almost as if Stanford was it's own city, isolated from Palo Alto Name not shown in Downtown North January 16, 2019, 6:39 PM I would like to see the city council establish a maximum population number for the city. A number that can not be exceeded due to the adverse effects on quality of life to existing residents. I believe we are already at that number. Further I think there should be no more addition of any job producing business since we can't house the people here. Also this city is over 100 acres behind on the urban park space that is called for in the comprehensive plan for our population and no more people should be added until this deficit is fixed. Lastly, I want our elected officials to defy any state laws that exceed our zoning, density, height or parking laws, rather than accede to them. And I expect them to sue the state government in court for usurping local government control of a sovereign city if the state tries to impose them. Name not shown in Fairmeadow January 16, 2019, 7:16 PM 2019 Priorities: 1) Rein in the budget: Too much money has been promised on pensions in the past and it is time to be fiscally responsible. 2) Save the students: City should work with PAUSD to ensure our children get the proper educational and mental support and have a warm and caring environment to learn. Ensure that the kids do not have to cross the train tracks every day. We have had enough suicides for a few lifetimes, and need to solve the grade separation problem now. 7 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? 3) Promote housing upgrades: Abolish the Individual Review process and remove archaic guidelines that are used by neighborhood bullies to promote hate and waste unnecessary taxpayers money. Simplify the code and allow all residents to build to their FAR without review. This will improve the Quality of Life in Palo Alto for thousands of residents who paid millions of dollars for poor quality and broken down houses and then get hamstrung by the city's processes. It is time to align the city policies with California law. Hamilton Hitchings in Duveneck/ St Francis January 16, 2019, 9:23 PM 1) Infrastructure - move full speed ahead on infrastructure especially the Public Safety Building and California Garage. 2) Transportation - spend money wisely to maximize reduction of single occupancy car trips without negative impacts of poorly designed projects like Ross Road Bike Boulevard. Require all new buildings to full mitigate their increased traffic impact. 3) Housing - support housing projects for those with 80% or lower local median income and stop developer upzoning that does not support this. Also, put the teeth back in the office cap to support housing and reducing the jobs/housing imbalance. 4) Balanced budget and reduce unfunded pension liability Name not shown in Green Acres January 16, 2019, 9:30 PM My top priority is elimination of intrusive airplane noise Virginia Smedberg in Old Palo Alto January 16, 2019, 10:45 PM Transportation and Housing are inter-related and need to be considered together! If people can afford to live here they won't have to commute. If we insist that new buildings (all kinds - residential and business) include appropriate quantities of parking spaces, others won't take up parking spaces that residents need. Frankie Farhat in Green Acres January 16, 2019, 10:47 PM Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make suggestions - Airplane noise. We need to find a way to give a voice to the Palo Alto residents. We are the city with the highest noise impact since the FAA came up with the Nextgen route changes and we are stuck between SJC and SFO. Yet, we are not represented on any of their roundtables or any key organizations discussing about airplane noise. How easy it must be SJC and SFO to dump all the noise over our heads while we are kept voiceless! - Reduce spending. The level of taxes is getting too high. The city needs to do their work intelligently and cut their own costs, not come up with a new tax idea every time they come up with a new project idea. I am sure you will find a lot of wasted tax money if you look just a little bit. If you want to do a new project, do it so that it does not increase our overall taxes. It is even better if it lowers them. Name not shown in Community Center January 17, 2019, 8:20 AM Keeping the affordable rental housing the city already has. The city is overlooking the take over of apartment buildings for commercial purposes and tear down of rental housing and outrageous rent increases that put the city further behind on the goal of providing affordable housing. KEEP THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WE ALREADY HAVE. Ralph Levine in College Terrace January 17, 2019, 10:00 AM I would like at least annual updates on the "fiber to the home/neighborhood/or something project." I would have liked the Council's discussion of Verizon's use of utility poles to include discussion of the inevitable requests from other cell phone carriers. I thought that at a minimum Verizon should have been required to place the equipment underground for those areas that were not in flood zones or constrained by storm-drain channels or trees. 8 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? I want to thank Council members for the time they spend in their service to the city. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 17, 2019, 11:20 AM Sound pollution. Airplanes. “We are the city with the highest noise impact since the FAA came up with the Nextgen route changes and we are stuck between SJC and SFO. Yet, we are not represented on any of their roundtables/key organizations discussing airplane noise. How ironic => SJC/SFO dumping all the jet noise over our heads while we are kept” noiseless. Blowers. You passed it. Enforce it. ‘Nough said. Traffic No more jobs. Which also means no more office buildings. Direct staff to look at how much office space has been/or is in process of being created in Palo Alto since 2015. You will see direct correlation to traffic snarls, calls for housing, PAUSD class size woes. No more housing. Stop. Just. Stop. Affordable housing when land is at a premium is a myth. Remove the horrific bike “boulevard” mistakes. Did anyone ever figure out why the mocked up round-about @ Amarillo/Greer ended up deemed “not possible” by city staff when those road dimensions are similar to ones installed (Moreno/Ross, E. Meadow/Ross)? Reason = resident outrage. Guess what? We’re still raging. Change the default state of the traffic light @ E. Meadow/Waverly from red to green except during school transit hours. Climate change => the desire to preserve gas used to regain momentum after stopping here @ 11 p.m. Eliminating the Eastern-most traffic signal on Embarcadero @ PALY light in favor of using the existing bike/pedestrian path of the overpass. Cityscape Ordinance against car dwelling. If council is gutless on this front, empower city resident volunteers w/ an online platform used to upload photos of each vehicle they cite each in their neighborhood w/ a tax citation equivalent to the hotel occupancy tax rate. Trench the trains. Per ARB recommendation, require all cel providers (not just Verizon) to underground their equipment. Eliminate power poles. Finalize realize what was promised years ago to underground power lines. “Provide annual updates on fiber.” Integrity Abide your own rules. How is it the city can cut down 34 protected redwoods when it wants to build it’s own infrastructure but prohibits a resident to do likewise? To describe the Ross Rd. bike fiasco as a “boulevard” was/is a lie that appealed to resident’s understanding of Bryant. It is not a boulevard. It is a collection of road furniture that uses cyclist to slow traffic. It doesn’t solve any problem. It creates problems. Once again, South Palo Alto bears the brunt of the experiment while North Palo Alto, for the moment, remains unscathed. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 17, 2019, 4:01 PM Infrastructure: Move forward as quickly as possible with the construction of the new Public Safety Headquarters building. Spend funds to repave roads that are heavily traveled and that really need it (i.e., 700 block Channing), rather than small back alleys that are only traversed by a few residents (see Whitman Ct.) Traffic: Stop spending exorbitant sums on so-called bicycle improvement projects. The streets are for the most part fine as they are. If you want to enhance safety for cyclists, make them share the road safely by adhering to the requirements of the Vehicle Code. Get rid of the pedestrian light at Paly, synchronize the signals at T&C and Emb/ECR. Increase the size of the Police Department's traffic team. Housing: Stop acting like we're in a contest with neighboring cities to see who is building the most, or their "fair share", of housing. We are overbuilt, and setting arbitrary or artificial numbers of new units per year is a politically-correct move that sounds good but ignores the reality set by the market. We are not Mt. View or Redwood City or Menlo Park or Atherton or Los Altos. These communities, like ours, have their own unique characters. If we want Palo Alto to just blend in to be a part of one single homogenous metropolitan area then fine, keep on building apartment complexes up and down El Camino and anywhere else you can fit them. But I think we should resist efforts by the state legislature and/or other regional bodies to take away our ability to set our own zoning regulations; such issues should remain within the purview 9 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? of locally elected councils. We should not be forced by others who do not live here to take measures that impact our quality of life or change the character of our community. Development: I agree with those who say that enough is enough. The city council needs to learn to just say no to developers. Let's pause and take a breath, rather than continue to race forward with the approval of more and larger development projects. We also need to recognize that each proposed project is different; evaluate each on its merits, use common sense, and then decide whether the proposal enhances our community or will do damage. And don't cave to hard-ball playing developers who threaten to sue the city if they don't get their way. I say tell them to "bring it", and let's see where the chips land. Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 17, 2019, 8:58 PM Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make suggestions - Airplane noise. We need to find a way to give a voice to the Palo Alto residents. We are the city with the highest noise impact since the FAA came up with the Nextgen route changes and we are stuck between SJC and SFO. Yet, we are not represented on any of their roundtables or any key organizations discussing airplane noise. How easy it must be SJC and SFO to dump all the noise over our heads while we are kept voiceless! Palo Alto needs to make this issue a priority and invest the time necessary to resolve this ongoing problem for all residents. Patrick Ye in College Terrace January 17, 2019, 10:49 PM For me (and most likely also for people my age), HOUSING is the most important issue. The high cost of rent, the difficulty of finding a place within a reasonable budget, and the sheer unaffordability of owning a home in Palo Alto (and the surrounding area) is a source of stress for me as a young professional. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for young families to live anything close to a financially secure life here. I would like to see more residential development, using urban planning principles to minimize vehicle traffic (i.e. denser housing near transit, schools, workplaces, shops). I think multiunit housing for young families should be among the types of housing prioritized. Also, there seems to be a systemic underproduction of housing units year after year, so I wonder if residential development rules could be relaxed and/or incentives put in place to encourage more housing construction. I read some of the other statements, and there are a number of people opposed to residential development. I understand their concerns about denser housing potentially negatively impacting their quality of life (e.g. traffic, more crowded schools). First, there are ways to minimize these negative effects with smart urban planning so that we can maintain Palo Alto’s high quality of life that we all appreciate. Secondly, I feel that opposing residential development inherently excludes a swath of our community from living in Palo Alto, e.g. teachers, doctors, police officers, etc who otherwise can't afford to live here. These people and their families are just as important (if not among the most important) to our community; why should they be forced to commute in from Santa Cruz / East Bay / Central Valley? Interestingly, I think this housing crisis is a man-made problem; we are where we are today because of previous policy choices. The good news is that citizens and the city can fix this problem! My hope is that Palo Alto can be part of a housing solution so that all members of the community can avoid financial stress and call Palo Alto their home. Nathan Szajnberg in Greenmeadow January 18, 2019, 10:37 AM Please , Please, carefully review finances and projected expenses including pension obligations. And publicize this. We are concerned that decisions are being pressed for matters like railroad crossings (at huge costs) that don't take into account education or housing or infrastructure, let alone realistic budgeting. We are particularly concerned about future pension obligations. We would particularly like to see a decrease in real estate taxes, particularly for older residents. Nathan Szajnberg M. D. and Yikun Wu, Ph.D. 10 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Name not shown in University South January 18, 2019, 11:41 AM Please support transportation projects that incentivize and promote alternative modes of transportation (walking, biking, shuttles) to make it easier and safer for people choose alternatives to single rider car trips. jason matlof in Old Palo Alto January 18, 2019, 12:27 PM Our 2019 priorities should start with finishing our 2018 priorities - namely completion of research and Council commitment to optimal grade separation solutions to meet the the imminent challenges presented by rail electrification that will occur in two short years from now. Rail electrification and grade separation are the biggest infrastructure challenges to face Palo Alto in 100 years, and it will only be exacerbated if Stanford is allowed to pursue further development of another 6 million square feet of development. Current Council progress is delayed and there is currently no substantial research or resource commitment by City Staff or consultants to any grade separation options [or improvements to existing grade separated intersections] for the entire 2.5-mile stretch of rail between Oregon Expressway and Menlo Park. We need action now to prepare for rail electrification and imminent gridlock of our roadways. In addition to the good research and solutions being pursued for South Palo Alto, we need to commit immediately to research the traffic impacts, financial costs and construction impacts of solutions that: - Will resolve the existing traffic capacity bottlenecks at Embarcadero Road underpass, which will get dramatically worse; - Ensure equal or greater capacity north through Palo Alto Avenue; and - Resolve ancillary traffic problems that feed into this network, including pedestrian/bike safety at Palo Alto H.S., protected turning signals between Embarcadero and Alma Road; etcetera. Please do not move onto other priorities until we have resolved this hundred-year infrastructure crisis. Name not shown in College Terrace January 18, 2019, 1:08 PM Please make aircraft noise at least one of the top four priorities for the city this coming year, along with housing, transportation and parking. As a long-time resident I know first-hand what a terrible impact this issue has had on quality of life. Aircraft need to fly at higher altitudes over the city, as they did in the past, and use the space over the bay for landing approaches to reduce noise pollution and disruption to residents. In March it will be fully SIX years since the NextGen program was rolled out and we need to make more progress towards resolving this issue! Name not shown in Ventura January 18, 2019, 6:41 PM Housing and transportation. We need higher-density housing throughout Palo Alto. Single-family residences are insufficient for the population density here, and so we should remove height-limits and build as tall as we can. Apartments, condos, townhomes, etc. should all be built as much as possible. Likewise, existing transportation is vastly insufficient. We should be prioritizing grade separation in Palo Alto, while simultaneously figuring out how we can have high-throughput east/west service, where Caltrain doesn't serve. (Extending VTA lightrail, or BART, are logical options being considered in Mt View in North Bayshore already.) Name not shown in Old Palo Alto January 19, 2019, 5:56 AM Our 2019 priorities should start with finishing our 2018 priorities - namely completion of research and Council commitment to optimal grade separation solutions to meet the the imminent challenges presented by rail electrification that will occur in two short years from now. Rail electrification and grade separation are the biggest infrastructure challenges to face Palo Alto in 100 years, and it will only be exacerbated if Stanford is allowed to 11 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? pursue further development of another 6 million square feet of development. Current Council progress is delayed and there is currently no substantial research or resource commitment by City Staff or consultants to any grade separation options [or improvements to existing grade separated intersections] for the entire 2.5-mile stretch of rail between Oregon Expressway and Menlo Park. We need action now to prepare for rail electrification and imminent gridlock of our roadways !! In addition, we need to commit immediately to research the traffic impacts, financial costs and construction impacts of solutions that: - Will resolve the existing traffic capacity bottlenecks at Embarcadero Road underpass, which will get dramatically worse; - Ensure equal or greater capacity north through Palo Alto Avenue; and - Resolve ancillary traffic problems that feed into this network, including pedestrian/bike safety at Palo Alto H.S., protected turning signals between Embarcadero and Alma Road; eccetera. Please do not move onto other priorities until we have resolved this hundred-year infrastructure crisis. Thank You Name not shown in Old Palo Alto January 19, 2019, 2:03 PM I would urge that city council adopt finalizing rail grade separation options for study and execution as soon as possible in 2019 as number one priority for this coming year. 2018 saw us miss our deadline of narrowing to options with the rail grade separation project. Caltrain continues their inexorable march towards electrification and the ultimate doubling of trains down our tracks during peak hours. They are still on track to do this in 3-4 years. We are way behind our own estimated 10 year schedule of implementing grade separation solutions across Palo Alto. If we started today, we would still have 6-7 years of pain (ie. "red zone") when construction was in progress and rail crossings are closed during peak hours, causing numerous traffic snarls across the City, as well as danger to our students who need to cross the tracks to get to school. The longer we delay, the longer that period of pain extends, to a maximum of 10 years, assuming our construction estimates are even accurate. Our community should not be subjected to this pain for that additional 3 years if we have the power to affect that! This year, the City of Palo Alto must throw the majority of our resources towards completing this project and if need be, engage external resources like consultants to help take up the slack where current resources need support. This rail grade separation project is the largest infrastructure project Palo Alto has ever faced. It also stands to affect all residents of our city with severe negative impact in the short term. We need to get this project defined and approved, and on track as soon as possible and without further delays. Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 20, 2019, 8:40 AM Please consider adding objectionable, intrusive jet noise to your 2019 list of objectives. Jennifer Landesmann in Crescent Park January 20, 2019, 8:53 AM 1) Please give reducing AIRPLANE NOISE significant attention in 2019. Your leadership is necessary to stop SFO, SJC, OAK using Palo Alto for their highly profitable capacity expansions and related noise dumping. Expected "growth" at SFO alone is 2-3 % BUT when the number of SFO operations *declined* in 2014, this was accompanied by an exponential amount of SFO operations and noise over Palo Alto. "Growth" at 2-3 % which results in exponential (200-300% more) noise over Palo Alto is not growth - it's dumping in areas that were not meant to be airport industrial dumping grounds. Over 20 neighborhoods in Palo Alto got hit by this disaster in 2014 (noise + droppings of partially burn jet fuel). What the City experiences every day must be a priority - especially when our environment is threatened by health hazards from airplane noise. See the landmark study by Columbia University school of Public Health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6121545 / The Columbia study is of just ONE flight path. Palo Alto has 12 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? three major flight paths from SFO landings and other impacts from San Jose and Oakland noise, converging over the City. Council you need to make NOISE! (a lot of noise) and do everything in your power to ensure that FAA does not violate federal statutes to protect the environment which IF even moderately followed (instead of abused) could help construct a path to address noise and emissions concerns. There is also regional work that the community entered into in good faith with an FAA Initiative to address noise concerns since 2014 , but affected communities are not being treated fairly at this point. Council, you cannot help fix this by being quiet about it, you need to make it visible and clear that you care. 2) Protect the schools. Regarding Stanford development, car traffic, maintaining neighborhood safety and the health costs to families from airplane noise. Youth, and families is crucial to give significant attention to. 3) Protect people's health and SLEEP. Night Noise from from giant airplanes overflying Palo Alto at lower and lower altitudes is particularly harmful because of low frequency noise that goes through walls and bones. Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 20, 2019, 9:40 AM Airplane noise. Airplane noise. Airplane noise. Stepheny McGraw in Palo Verde January 20, 2019, 9:41 AM We need to work with surrounding cities, counties and most importantly -- corporations -- for regional solutions to transportation, housing and jet noise overhead. Denser housing is no more a solution than denser traffic. Not everyone who wants to live in Palo Alto can or should -- denser housing ruins the quality of life for all. Instead, we should look at regional partnerships for housing with Google, Facebook and such, much as Microsoft has forged in Seattle. Why haven't we been asking for their cooperation and financial support as yet? Finally, if we get a handle on the traffic and housing problems, the rail grade separation -- which should be kicked down the road -- will fall into place with our overall plan for infrastructure improvement. Name not shown in Community Center January 20, 2019, 9:44 AM Please, please, let's get some action on reducing airplane noise. It's just not right that 30 years after buying our home we find ourselves directly under a busy flight path. Two excellent first steps would be leaning on the Airbus 3xx planes to implement the wing changes that will stop their super-whiney noise; and getting the late-night flights (especially the 74x flights) to take a different route into SFO given that there are no late-night flights arriving from the East Coast (i.e., air traffic control should be simplified). Please, please work with other cities to have a large, unified voice so that Palo Alto isn't a small or ignored input to the SFO roundtable. PLEASE. Thanks! Name not shown in Charleston Terrace January 20, 2019, 10:32 AM Fix the insane airplane noise problem! Loud planes go overhead almost 24 hours a day making it impossible to sit outside or leave windows open. They interrupt sleep. They interfere with conversations. Some planes fly so low, we can almost pass drinks to the passengers. Apart from the unacceptable noise, if one of those planes has an accident or engine failure, there is a high probability it will crash in a populated area. It's time our City Council did something to fix this. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 20, 2019, 11:27 AM Top four priorities are the same I submitted last year and have only worsened rather than improved. #1 STOP the incessant airplane noise that degrades quality of life in Palo Alto, interrupts sleep and increases stress! #2 Alleviate the constant gridlock and traffic congestion that has diminished safety for us all. #3 STOP the commercial development until the city can figure out traffic and 13 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? housing and infrastructure that is sustainable. Finally, FIX the Pope-Chaucer bridge situation that increases the likelihood of flooding our neighborhood! Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 20, 2019, 11:49 AM Reducing airplane noise over Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills neighborhoods is very important to our children's mental & physical health. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 20, 2019, 12:01 PM My top priorities for the City Council for 2019 1. Improved flood prevention 2. Reduced pension liabilities 3. Reduced airplane noise SAMUEL Pearl in Barron Park January 20, 2019, 12:24 PM Please help reduce the devastating jet noise that has been ever present over Palo Alto since 2014 secondary to the Nexgen FAA Satellite landing system. Thank you. Sam and Leslie Pearl Karen P in Duveneck/ St Francis January 20, 2019, 12:59 PM My main issue impacting health and quality of life is jet noise/emissions. The city needs to make up for failing to act in prior years -- fight the FAA and SFO/SJC, joining with other affected cities when possible and on its own when necessary. If there was fairness in the skies, Palo Alto would be a pretty darn nice place to live. Scott Kilner in Leland Manor/ Garland January 20, 2019, 3:45 PM Dear City Council Members and Staff: During the coming year, I would like the Council to make the continuing severe problem of aircraft overflight noise a high priority. I recognize that solutions to this plague lie primarily with the FAA and Federal Government. However, local and regional authorities must continue to make their voices heard in pressing the FAA for positive action. I very much hope that Palo Alto will work closely and aggressively with other affected Bay Area communities to present a united front toward Washington. Sincerely, Scott Kilner Leland Manor Rod Miller in Crescent Park January 20, 2019, 9:29 PM What, don't any of you go outside in a residential area? If you did you would realize the incredible disturbance EVERY FIVE MINUTES or less caused by a noisy airliner 24/7. Are you aware that over the last five years AT LEAST 7,500,000 noise complaints have been filed via the app StopNoise.jet. 7,500,000! 7,500,000!! If the well being of Palo Altans is important to this should bother you a lot. In my opinion this is more important than traffic because it affects the entire residential area of the city 24/7 whereas traffic is mostly a temporary annoyance that can be planned around to minimize impact on trips. Please put this high on your list of priorities! OK, how did I come up with 7,500,000? Number or complaints per day times number of days per year times number of years. From the stopnoise.jet app, 5000 approximates the number of complaints per day, I used 300 days per year to simplify the arithmetic, and 5 years. 5000 X 300 X 5 = 7,500,000. A more realistic number of days per year of 360 gives a total of 9,000,000!!!!! Name not shown 14 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? in Crescent Park January 20, 2019, 10:24 PM I am woken up EVERY night from the super loud airplane noise. Sometimes I feel shaking because the planes fly so low right above my house. This has been affecting my health, and causing emotional distress. Something must be done about this! Thank you. Ann Yu in Leland Manor/ Garland January 20, 2019, 11:36 PM We just moved to Palo Alto and have immediately been impacted by the airplane noise, which occurs approx. 2-3 min daily. While outside with our daughter, we can barely hear each other in conversation and the noise is the first thing we wake to in the morning. I did a search on airplane noise in the area and learned of the rerouting from the FAA of planes flying mainly through Palo Alto. I would appreciate this being a concern to address for the community as it impacts not only our health but our children's health. Name not shown in Evergreen Park January 21, 2019, 10:27 AM (1) Housing crisis! I have lived in Palo Alto since 2016. I experience the impacts of the lack of housing personally, but luckily have enough good luck that I have the means to live here -- albeit in not so great housing stock -- as a renter. But every day, wherever I am here, I see those who are not so fortunate, who are struggling; and every day, I see the negative impacts in their indirect effects, when it's seeing someone forced to commute from hours away, etc... Palo Alto needs more housing, it needs more density, and it needs more mixed use and transit / transportation oriented development, in order to help the environment, the traffic, the people, and so on. Can there be better fine tuning of other things? Sure. But mostly... more housing. Get Stanford to build more. Get others to build more. Remove parking requirements (but do more to discourage cars). Stop doing so much to subsidize or enforce low density. (December actions a good start). I don't know all the best policy levers, but, do whatever you can; if you don't, anything vibrant about Palo Alto will keep dying and withering. Palo Alto should not have more expensive housing (and in some cases it seems land!) than Manhattan, but it does, thanks to poor choices. Let's not keep making them. Certainly, all of this needs to be done with good urban planning, and forethought, but it is not acceptable for people within the community to block others in the way that they seem to feel entitled. I live here; why is my quality of life less important than someone else's? The attitude from one commenter, who writes "Not everyone who wants to live in Palo Alto can or should" shows just how insane this has become. Denser housing actually fixes quite a lot of problems. Complain about traffic? Well, make things walkable. Concerned about the climate? Denser housing is more efficient. Care about schools? Maybe with denser housing, teachers could actually live here. This is really the #1 through #10 issue for me about life here. For those who 'won the lottery' and have lived here as homeowners for a long time -- you may be happy with your home price appreciation, but if you don't do something, even at the expense potentially of home values, the future of this place and its surroundings will be strangled. SPUR's "Future Scenarios for the Bay Area" gives an interesting window that helps explain just the consequences of the path we're on; I recommend a read. BTW fine with workers here; offices are not the problem. Lack of housing is the problem. Just use the office space rules however as a way to get more housing or other improvements; force mixed use projects, force bike lanes, whatever. (2) Transportation Transportation and housing can't really be separated, but, it's hugely important to think about. Transit in the city is not great, but doesn't have to; although the Bay Area is a patchwork quilt of county and city and all manner of agency mess, Palo Alto can still think through its challenges holistically and try to double down more on bike lanes (PROTECTED bike lanes too), on access to transport, and so on. Don't let NIMBYism stop bike lanes. Put in more! More roundabouts (if thoughtful), which are good for safety. Bike Boulevards are great. Slower speeds and more enforcement. More room for pedestrians. Less parking for cars. More e-bikes or shared dockless vehicles, but well 15 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? governed (the weather here is perfect for them). Again, whatever it takes to help meet climate goals, get people out of cars, and change how things work. Some people will not be happy. I might not even be happy all the time. But you gotta make change and progress here. Also, the El Camino 'grand boulevard' stuff -- has been waiting and waiting and waiting for decade(s). Let's get it going. (3) Rail Grade Separation Basically, use this as a good opportunity to help with [1] and [2]. [4] Airplane Noise -- *not* an issue (for me at least -- just one report) I have never had any issues with airplane noise, and not just at home. I have been all throughout Palo Alto at different times of day, car, bike, walking; never had any issues. Down by the baylands... no issue. Over in the hills... nope. Down by the highway... well, yes, noise from *cars*. So on. I am sure that it is a real issue for some people, reading the comments, but I just wanted to write to say that I completely have no issues with regards to airplane noise. Not writing it off as a problem for some, but I don't know whether the subset of people who have particular issues, may be over-represented on these messages. (5) Housing Yep, housing again. Name not shown in Greenmeadow January 21, 2019, 10:47 AM The incessant noise from air traffic has diminished our quality of life in Palo Alto to a very significant degree. It is time for the city to prioritize reduction of the noise and work more diligently with the FAA and all other relevant agencies. Please place air traffic noise at the top of your list of priorities for the city; it's long overdue. Name not shown in Ventura January 21, 2019, 3:52 PM Reduction of the airplane noise and air pollution daily bombarding Palo Alto should be the #1 priority of its City Council in 2019. The excessive, incessant (all hours of the day and night!) sound and air pollution caused by low- flying air traffic routed over our community continues to negatively impact our physical and mental health. Please, make this your highest priority issue in 2019! Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 21, 2019, 7:05 PM I would like the City Council to continue to address the Jet Noise pollution over Palo Alto. We have been subjected to Jet Noise for over 4 years now with no resolution in sight. This is a major factor in reducing the quality of life in Palo Alto. Thanks for your support. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 21, 2019, 7:23 PM 1. Stop terrible airplane noise. 2. Make biking safer for Paly high school kids around Churchill and Alma intersection. Currently, it’s unsafe. Name not shown in Green Acres January 21, 2019, 9:41 PM The City has to address the issue of airplane noise over Palo Alto asap. This issue has been neglected for too long with no improvement. Please make this is a priority in 2019. Ken Horowitz in University Park January 22, 2019, 12:24 PM Healthy Cities, Health Communities needs to go back on the list of priorities That includes Project Safety Net which promotes youth well being and mental health Also working with Santa Clara County Public Health Department to promote healthy practices 16 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? including reducing sugar consumption. The City Council should have initiated in 2016 a soda tax similar to that passed by residents in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco. Hopefully, there will be a statewide ballot measure in 2020 which the City Council will support enthusiastically Jeff Hoel in Midtown/ Midtown West January 22, 2019, 12:45 PM I propose that one of the City's priorities for 2019 be to make progress on deploying a citywide municipal fiber-to- the-premises (FTTP) network in Palo Alto. I'm not saying that citywide municipal FTTP is more important than, say, Council's 2018 priorities. But I am saying that the City would work on Transportation, Housing, Budget & Finance, and Rail Grade Separation whether or not Council picked them as official priorities. For Council members who need a reminder of why citywide municipal FTTP has become a necessity, I recommend reading Susan Crawford's new book, "Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution -- And Why America Might Miss It." Our national strategy of leaving FTTP to an essentially unregulated "free market" of the private-sector telecom incumbents has resulted in internet service that is slower, less reliable, and more expensive than internet service in many other nations. Trump's FCC has done away with the net neutrality rules adopted during the Obama administration. But we really need net neutrality. It's not rocket science. There are 216 municipal FTTP networks in the U.S. -- and counting. On 09-28-15, Council Member Burt estimated (back-of- the-envelope) that City residents and businesses could save $10 million per year if the City had citywide municipal FTTP. Isn't that worth doing something about? Crawford dedicates her book to "scrappy cities." Palo Alto needs to become a scrappy city. Name not shown in Barron Park January 22, 2019, 5:51 PM Please continue to work for the reduction of airplane noise. It is unforgiveably intrusive during the day, and it becomes positively unhealthy at night. It is impossible to sleep with airplanes frequently screaming overhead after 10:00 pm. Also, please continue to work on traffic amelioration issues. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 22, 2019, 6:01 PM Eliminating commercial aircraft noise over Palo Alto sky is extremely important for me. Midtown Resident L. David Baron in University Park January 22, 2019, 6:28 PM (1) Work to address the crisis-level housing shortage in the Bay Area. This is a region-wide problem, but Palo Alto should set an example by doing more than its share, rather than the less-than-its-share that every Bay Area city is currently doing. This means allowing substantially denser development in some areas; I think the best areas to do this are downtown and California Avenue. Many of the existing (lovely) residential buildings downtown (e.g., around Forest and Gilman) are many times denser than what the zoning law allows today. New buildings like these, and somewhat denser still, should again be allowed in Palo Alto. To meet Governor Newsom's goal of 3.5 million housing units by 2025, the Bay Area should probably build 1.5 million of those (a little more than its share by population, given its strong economy relative to the rest of California), and within that Palo Alto (which is about 1% of the Bay Area's population) should be looking at building 15,000 new housing units by 2025, or perhaps a bit more (say, 20,000 to 25,000) given that (a) our proximity to good transit means development in Palo Alto is far better for the environment than development further out and (b) the history of zoning being used as an exclusionary policy. This is the reasonable result of breaking down housing goals that are needed to address the current shortage, and it requires substantial changes to zoning in Palo Alto. This is critical for the future of our economy (where many 17 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? industries, and also two-career families spread across different industries, depend on large agglomerations of people) and for the environment (where denser housing is substantially better for the environment due to reduced costs of transportation and climate control). (2) work to deal with grade separation which is necessary for Caltrain modernization (and BART-like service on the Caltrain corridor, which should be a medium-to-long-term goal) and for CAHSR running down the peninsula (which I support, since we should have more transport by long distance trains so we can have fewer airplanes, also important for the environment in the long term). I'd also support the comment on fiber-to-the-premises made by Jeff Hoel, although I think it's a lower priority than the above. I'll note that I'm not that concerned about airplane noise other than the occasional older-model 747 coming over (e.g., the Korean Air cargo flight that comes in from LAX a little after midnight). I'm much more concerned about noise from motorcycles, trucks, and loud cars. Kerry Yarkin in Midtown/ Midtown West January 23, 2019, 7:33 AM Airplane Noise. It is time to stop writing letters to the FAA. Make the legal case! Stand up for your citizens and fight for clean and quiet skies which we had 2014(and before),before the takeover of our skies by SFO,FAA, and powerful lobbyist/Corporate interests. You are our representatives, do your job. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 23, 2019, 2:36 PM Airplane Noise continues to have a negative impact on our quality of life. I can only assume as it worsens that it will also impact the value of our homes. It is not fair that the FAA can unilaterally decide to put an airplane super- highway over our houses. We need to fight back and roll- back this change. Please consider legal action, not just being complacent with being on a committee. This is a very high priority for me and my family. Name not shown in Barron Park January 23, 2019, 3:35 PM For several years now several major areas of the city have been plagued with noise from low flying commercial aircraft at all times of the day and night. To date nothing has been done to address this except by private groups in the community who have single handedly been trying to resolve these issues. Hopefully with the new board of supervisors attention and pressure on federal groups can be made finally. Other cities in other states have gotten this resolved but not Palo Alto. The residents of Palo Alto have to continually keep stepping up to the table to prove there is a problem. As on many other issues, we are supposed to carry the burden to get something done. Name not shown in University Park January 23, 2019, 7:39 PM Please continue to work to address the housing shortages in the bay area. Slight increases in the allowed density, especially near caltrain stops and major retail districts (University ave and Cal Ave), would be extremely helpful without causing major disruption to the general shape and feeling of the broader Palo Alto community. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 23, 2019, 9:05 PM Please keep the downtown Cap in place. Do not add to the congestion and parking problems by authorizing more office construction. Please address the parking and traffic problems that exist throughout the city. Please establish somewhere for small businesses to find space. Currently they are outpriced in terms of affordable rental space due to the superior resources of financial services and hi tech companies. Jere King in Barron Park January 24, 2019, 8:42 AM 18 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? 1. Affordable Housing 2. The Changing Demographic in Palo Alto's Population & Its Implications 3. Our Schools (including learning how to thrive with Stanford University and other private institutions) 4. The Mental Health and Wellness of Our Citizens (especially children through young adults) Name not shown in Palo Verde January 24, 2019, 9:28 AM Please select a viaduct for the train because it is the least disruptive and most cost effective alternative. Name not shown in Barron Park January 24, 2019, 9:29 AM El Camino traffic as well the surface of the road is closing in on being a disaster. Red light runners, large potholes, going 3 miles from south Palo Alto to downtown takes 10 minutes longer from 6 years ago almost anytime of day. Read about Highrise buildings' topped with a patio can be considered Open Space as a mitigation for the developer. If this is true; it is a shameful direction to consider. Name not shown in University South January 24, 2019, 9:39 AM Palo Alto employees retirement should be via 401k instead of via pensions beginning with new employees Tom McCalmont outside Palo Alto January 24, 2019, 12:02 PM Palo Alto should prioritize housing #1. The situation has simply become untenable. Our neighborhoods have changed to the point that only the rich can afford to live here. Teachers, police officers, firefighters, retail clerks can no longer afford to live in our city and must commute in every day. This is one reason transportation has become such a challenge, so we won't solve the transportation problem until we address the housing crisis. Mountain View has done such a better job than we have of developing a variety of mixed use housing that includes apartments, townhouses, condos, and single-family homes. A secondary priority should be resolving the grade crossing issue quickly so that we can take advantage of available federal and state funds before the deadlines run out. Council has been needlessly dithering on this issue. We may need to close Churchill and E. Meadow to afford the trenching and upgrades necessary at Charleston, Embarcadero, and University. But that would be a good tradeoff with the least objectionable impacts to local residents in the Churchill and Meadow neighborhoods and would not require eminent domain seizing of anyone's residence. Susan Thomsen in Duveneck/ St Francis January 24, 2019, 12:41 PM You have heard from me before and I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but the quality of my life has been impacted greatly by the constant airplanes flying over our house and neighborhood as we are right under the NextGen airplane freeway. There is no escape day or night unless we get away from this toxic environment which we now do more frequently as a result of the airplane noise. I appreciate the work that you have done in the past, but so far there has been no change. I implore you to put REDUCING AIRPLANE NOISE and pollution at the top of your priority list for 2019. With it our city is not healthy! Name not shown in Greenmeadow January 24, 2019, 12:45 PM My top priorities for the city are, in order: 1. Climate-friendly policies and utilities (even if it costs more) 2. Fiscal soundness (esp pensions) 3. Cap office development (prefer none) 4. Resolve the train issue 5. Reduce airplane noise 19 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Steve Bisset in Crescent Park January 24, 2019, 1:13 PM Stop all growth in jobs headcount, in all of Palo Alto, immediately and permanently. Not slow growth, not a moratorium, but a permanent cap at the current level. Growth in jobs defeats all of our efforts to improve the jobs/housing imbalance, traffic, parking, infrastructure, etc. There is zero benefit to adding office space and jobs, except to those who profit directly. All of the impacts on the community are negative, so why approve even one more expansion? Yes, a cap on office space will cause companies to move jobs elsewhere as they succeed and exceed our office capacity. That's healthy. It will preserve Palo Alto's unique value as a center for innovation, by continually opening up office space for startups and by maintaining our innovation culture and focus. It's OK to replace buildings with better ones that have the same employee headcount, or to trade headcount reductions in one Palo Alto location for increases in another Palo Alto location. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 24, 2019, 2:41 PM 1. Stop job growth until there has been real improvement in the jobs/housing imbalance, traffic and parking. When there is an imbalance in the supply and demand, for Palo Alto, I would like to see first a decrease of the supply in job head count. 2. jet noise 3. low income housing along El Camino. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 24, 2019, 4:50 PM - Limitations on new office construction - Retain excellence of Palo Alto schools - Limit growth of Palo Alto Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 24, 2019, 5:23 PM Work with other Bay Area cities to challenge CASA and all the regional mandates it supports, e.g., SB50. We must retain local control. - Stop all new office construction. - Convert office/commercial zones to housing. - Protect R1 communities. Julie O'Grady in Community Center January 24, 2019, 8:55 PM Please be sure to discuss Gender Equality during your offsite. It is critical that Palo Alto is one of the California cities that leads the way and efforts for equality. I'd like this to be one of your top of mind priorities for 2019. Since last year it took several months for the City Council even to discuss the Human Relations Commission recommendations before another year goes by I'd like to see a Gender Equality Task Force set up to provide a gender analysis of City operations. Let's look at gender inequalities within Palo Alto and empower people to address the issues. I'd like to see residents, experts, and employee and community stakeholders included in this Task Force. I would think the Council would welcome the opportunity to move forward with this priority as it makes a huge statement about our forward-thinking and inclusiveness in our community. I would like to see Palo Alto become a CEDAW City (Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). Why not lead by example? Name not shown in Duveneck/ St Francis 20 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? January 24, 2019, 8:57 PM Grade Separation is our top priority for the coming year. Becoming a CEDAW city so we can analyze our gender balance in City governance and administration really needs to happen this year, though it doesn't need to take up a lot of time. It's not exciting or sexy work, but it is vital to ensure that our City government is truly representative. Name not shown in Palo Verde January 24, 2019, 9:02 PM Please make Gender Equality a top City priority, by: 1) make Palo Alto a CEDAW City by establishing a Gender Equality Task Force charged with conducting a gender analysis of City operations. 2) Support Castilleja (with their programs, and development plans) so that more girls can benefit from a high-quality, empowering Education. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 24, 2019, 9:16 PM we desperately need affordable housing for our teachers, policeman, and middle income people. we also need to do something about the traffic and the congestion. Name not shown in Old Palo Alto January 25, 2019, 12:30 AM Please make GENDER EQUALITY one of Palo Alto City Council's priorities for 2019. This is a very important topic for our city and future generations. Thank you. Zoe Mount in Midtown/ Midtown West January 25, 2019, 7:23 AM Please make CEDAW a priority-- 13 months is long enough for Palo Alto to be sitting on its hands about this important issue! Name not shown in Old Palo Alto January 25, 2019, 9:38 AM Two Priorities: 1) IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CURRENT RESIDENTS: -Only approve development proposals that are guaranteed NOT to make traffic worse than it already is -Allow people to park in front of their own homes. Implement RPP proposals in a timely fashion -No ugly and potentially dangerous cell towers near residents' homes -Enforce existing code -Implement some type of pulse survey to quickly and easily solicit input from residents on controversial or major decisions and act consistent with the majority wishes 2) ENSURE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY -Spend a LOT less money in areas that aren't critical to residents, ensuring full transparency and appropriate debate on big ticket items. When in doubt, use pulse survey (e.g., if most residents would be upset about spending the money, don't do it). -Solicit help from citizens on issues that are important but where city resources are limited (e.g., allow them to donate time, money, and/or ideas) Darlene Yaplee in University South January 25, 2019, 11:29 AM Thank you for the sustained efforts and resolve to address the airplane noise problem by Council and Staff. 2019 is expected to be an active year such as: the December FAA Update next steps, GBAS plans and new South Bay Roundtable. We look forward to your engagement with Citizens, neighboring Cities, the FAA, Congressional members, and Airplane Roundtables to further mitigate the airplane noise experienced by the community. 21 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Name not shown in Community Center January 25, 2019, 11:30 AM So I think High speed rail should be fought with every fiber of the city's being - it's really going to ruin a large portion of Palo Alto, was basically a total lie as it was voted on by the population at a significantly lower price level and is quickly becoming as big a joke as the bridge to nowhere in Alaska - Nationally famous as a boondoggle. Traffic is very important - there seems to be serious problems whenever the dumbarton backs up. More accountability for when Developers break rules. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 25, 2019, 11:44 AM Traffic is completely out of hand, and has been for FAR too long!! Specifically, University avenue and nearby parallel arteries (some days it's bumper to bumper on University Ave. from Guinda to 101 starting at about 2:30 or 3:00 pm). We live on University, and some days it takes us 30 mins (!!!) to get to our driveway when we're less than a mile away. We've even had to park a few blocks away and walk to our house on days when it's really bad. The traffic is also hindering our daughter's ability to get to/from school, and often times feels unsafe. This is completely unacceptable and infuriating, especially considering what we pay in property taxes. Also, the amount of constuction going on throughout the city is staggering and a significant inconvenience. It seems one can't go two blocks in any direction in Palo Alto without coming across a construction site, with construction vehicles littering, and often clogging, the streets. Prime example is the Zuckerberg construction project. This is on my daughter's route to school, and just about every day we are stopped at the site due to construction vehicles manuevering and blocking the road at Hamilton Avenue. Thank you for your consideration and I'm confident, with the new makeup of the council, that something will finally get done. Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 25, 2019, 11:45 AM Better bike safety and crossings for school going children on Embarcadero (especially Greer and Embarcadero cross section that serves one elementary school Duveneck and middle school Greene). Promote Gender Equality in pay and culture in businesses in Palo Alto. Respectful, cohesive and inclusive culture for girls growing up in schools and colleges in Palo Alto. Dana Tom in Crescent Park January 25, 2019, 1:02 PM Please make Gender Equality one of our city's priorities. There have been countless reminders in the last year that our society has work to do on this issue. Thank you. Helen Young in Palo Verde January 25, 2019, 1:42 PM Gender equity was not a priority for the Palo Alto City Council last year, and it took from February until October for the Council to vote to accept the Palo Alto HRC recommendation that Palo Alto enact an ordinance establishing a body to do a gender analysis in the city, based on the principles of the UN Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Council sent the HRC recommendation to committee for further study. Let’s make gender equity a priority, move steadily forward and make Palo Alto a true CEDAW city! Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 25, 2019, 2:41 PM A top priority for the City Council in 2019 should be advancing equality, especially gender equity. The City Council has the opportunity to move forward on this extremely relevant issue with help from the community; many groups and organizations are available to help design and implement the Gender Analysis necessary to identify our strengths and where we can improve. It is about transparency and fairness, and it behooves the City of Palo Alto to take a leadership role to make the city a CEDAW 22 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? City! Name not shown in Duveneck/ St Francis January 25, 2019, 2:56 PM Housing development, affordability, and transportation to encourage a dynamic (and family friendly!) Palo Alto. Curb the NIMBYism of those that are settled and well taken care of already. Please plan for long-term and sustainable growth. The Bay Area needs to work together to continue to ensure the diversity and dynamism of these cities we love and live in remain. Patricia Jones in Crescent Park January 25, 2019, 4:44 PM Top priorities for City Council for 2019 should be: (1) Traffic Mitigation (2) Parking Name not shown in Palo Verde January 25, 2019, 7:00 PM The available transportation , especially when people cannot drive is a disaster. A city like Palo Alto should have a better transportation plan on a regular basis and especially be organized to have a reasonable transportation for people who cannot drive. I think it would be nice to also have some sense of community in the city which is nonexistent at this time. The recent allowance for building big private homes has contributed to the lack of attention to what is going on in the neighborhood. Also, with all the money invested by the city in changing and narrowing the streets where cars and bicycles are riding on the same area- there should be more inspection about the bicycle riders obeying the laws so they can be seen especially in the evenings and night. It has become dangerous to drive in the dark when the bicycle riders do not wear the correct gear [ lights etc...] which is required by law. Allen Akin in Professorville January 25, 2019, 7:38 PM Stable city finances are the most important, because without them none of the other priorities can be addressed. Transportation is next, because without it the jobs/housing imbalance and many quality-of-life issues can't be addressed. The jobs/housing imbalance is next, because it drives so many of our lesser problems. Note that this is not the same as housing alone. Quality of life (encompassing environmental issues, open space, aesthetics of the built environment) is next. Name not shown in Duveneck/ St Francis January 25, 2019, 11:09 PM 1)- City’s pension and fiscal obligations, 2)- airplane noise 3)- traffic and transportation nightmare and finally 4)- Affordable housing. lois shore in Duveneck/ St Francis January 25, 2019, 11:26 PM I am very concerned about the low and loud air traffic over my home and the JLS Middle School where i work. I was hoping that we would have made some progress on lessening the traffic. Betsy Rosoff in Crescent Park January 26, 2019, 9:10 AM Airplane noise has significant quality of life impact for my family. Thank you for your strides in the area but I urge you to do more this year. Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 26, 2019, 10:02 AM 23 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? I live in the area affected by jet traffic noise and you need to focus on this problem : airplane noise needs significant attention this year. I know that there is a new Santa Clara round table regarding the consequence of the intense traffic above our head... both the Select Committee and SFO's new landing system (GBAS) follow up, and being prepared with legal options.A Select Committee Chair's transmittal letter summarized the six month work with FAA to address noise brought about in 2014. It was noted that the committee did not “rank order” their recommendations. Several recommendations are important and we advocated with Rep Eshoo and FAA, for the following as HIGH priorities, - Assess alternative waypoints to reduce concentration - including an approach for southern arrivals to use the full length of the Bay - Eliminate low altitude night flights - Create the successor organization to the Select Committee Eliminating low altitude night traffic should be the easiest task for FAA because there is no traffic congestion at night. Assessments of alternatives using the right tools is also long overdue. New concerns have also developed since the Select Committee. As we go forward, much of what we need is within the power of local and regional officials to help accomplish. Please note that over 20 Palo Alto neighborhoods are affected [I live in Redwood city] - low and loud night flights are a serious problem. It's urgent that PACC step up and speak up for the health and well being of thousands of residents. Thanks to improve the life quality in our beautiful neighborhood! Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 26, 2019, 10:23 AM i'd like to see us do much more, and sooner, to zero-out the pollution we create. can't we electrify every city vehicle? put solar panels on every city building? etc. if that's too much for now, then let's move in those directions - announce these things as goals, set up pilot programs, start small today and then scale up without procrastination. there are many ways palo alto can drastically reduce pollution - AND deal with the more popular issues such as: - increase the palo alto shuttle service x100 to reduce traffic - ban gasoline cars [with exceptions] to reduce ambient noise on certain days or designated areas [i.e., holidays or univ ave] - publicize the palo alto utility pollution reduction advice/help line; they are very helpful/knowledgeable - use your/staff imagination pollution kills; let's stop creating more of it! [for the nimby's: our weather future forecast is for more smog/smoke-filled days, is that really what you want?] Name not shown in Greenmeadow January 26, 2019, 10:47 AM Please address the ever-increasing SFO/SJO jet noise over our area. SJO flights are increasingly a huge problem on top of the already-excessive SFO overflight noise and pollution. On rainy days, SJO flights are measured at between 2000 to 3000 feet over my house (according to the stop.jet.noise app) almost every 1 minute and thus is deafening to witness. Please hold the FAA and regional air management accountable to fixing this egregious issue for our quality of life and health. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 26, 2019, 11:02 AM The airplane noise and pollution from airplanes flying low over Palo Alto is a significant issue and needs city attention. Thank you for working on solving this problem. jeannie duisenberg in Community Center January 26, 2019, 11:21 AM I would like the City to keep focused on the airplane noise problem and participate vigorously in regional plans to ameliorate the problem. Low and loud planes presumably on their way to SFO anytime of day or night have seriously degraded quality of life in Palo Alto. If the City doesn't 24 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? keep up the pressure, we will lose out on the efforts to alter flight paths and get to an acceptable solution. Please don't take your eye off this ball. Name not shown in Duveneck/ St Francis January 26, 2019, 11:39 AM Teacher retention and training Affordable housing Address traffic problems Growth not to exceed city's ability to handle it City Financial Stability Fred Krefetz in Downtown North January 26, 2019, 12:08 PM I urge you and the city counsel to address as a high priority the terrible problem since 2014 of excessive jet noise over Palo Alto. I’m a long time resident in the Downtown North neighborhood and have been continually disturbed by the FAA’s implementation of new approach and landing procedures for SFO. This, combined with SJC jet noise, planes approaching San Bruno airport and helicopters accessing Stanford Hospital has made Palo Alto a very unpleasant place to live. Please do everything possible to fix this serious problem for our community. Than you, Fred Krefetz 225 Emerson St. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 26, 2019, 12:21 PM 1. Jet Noise - I can't say it any better than dozens of others have. We have been putting up with this for 4 years now and nothing has been done. It is intolerable. 2. Large per head business tax to deal with impacts commuters are causing. No more jobs/office growth. 3. Local control - fight CASA 4. Grade crossing - please get it done sooner rather than later 5. City funded housing for police, fire, teachers, other city employees. Use money from business tax above. 6. Traffic enforcement Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 26, 2019, 1:03 PM My main concern about remaining in Palo Alto is the growing noise level: * Airplanes overhead -- low-altitude approaches to SFO and San Carlos * Loud motorcycles on Oregon Expresssway * Police and ambulance sirens at all hours of day and night I'm also alarmed at the prospect of having a thousand new kids in Palo Alto schools from the Stanford expansion, with Stanford University under no obligation to contribute taxes to the support the school system. Mary Rodocker in Duveneck/ St Francis January 26, 2019, 1:26 PM I wish for the City Council to make airplane noise a high priority. Noise pollution is real and harmful. I am distressed that in spite of efforts to address this problem, the FAA has done little to alleviate it. Roberta Ahlquist in University Park January 26, 2019, 2:59 PM Representing Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, Peninsula Branch Low-income Housing Committee, we seek housing for our service sector workers, shelter for those who are homeless in our city, a commitment to actions for gender, racial and socio- economic equity, housing for teachers, local rent stabilization, a freeze on demolition of BMR rental housing until replacement housing is built, using available city land such as Cubberley for below market rate housing, zoning and policies that support tenants and tenants rights, and 25 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? continuing pressure on Stanford to build housing for its workers and students before office/lab development. Sincerely, Roberta Ahlquist Name not shown in Charleston Terrace January 26, 2019, 3:31 PM I'd like to see the city council adopt for: 1. Airplane noise - I feel it's right above my roof. Sometimes I couldn't help myself thinking: is the plane gonna crash into my home? It harms health and increases stress level. 2. Stanford General Use Permit - I wish to see our community will have a mutually beneficial relationship with Stanford University. Frankly speaking, Stanford hasn't done much for this community; probably even put the neighborhood kids on disadvantage - it seems only Stanford faculty's kids are admitted; and now Stanford expects PAUSD to absorb students for the next 17 years who will reside on Stanford lands that do not pay property taxes, such as rental housing - then our classroom sizes will have to increase, staff/teachers will have to be laid off, and school programs suspended due to lack of funding. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 26, 2019, 6:12 PM Hello, Please, please, make airplane noise a priority. Not just planes into SFO and San Carlos, but also planes into SJC when in "reverse". When the weather gets stormy SJC bound airplanes land from the north instead of the south (the usual), and then they fly above Palo Alto at altitudes of 2,000-3,000 feet (vs. planes headed to SFO at 4,000 feet). All are horrible, but SJC bound planes even more. We are talking about commercial jet, such as B737s and A320s, but sometimes even bigger airplanes such as B787s, smack above us in Midtown at 2 to 3,000 feet! Even crossing SFO bound planes! Very loud, very polluting, potentially unsafe. Please, make airplane noise in general your priority. Our street would be dead quiet if it wasn't for airplane noise, day and night. We are thinking of moving just because of it. It so affects quality of life negatively. It will soon affect property values as well, i.e. your property tax revenues. If quality of life in Palo Alto is taking a nose dive (no pun intended), it may be largely because of commercial jet airplane noise above us, both SFO and SJC traffic. Christopher Cocca in Crescent Park January 26, 2019, 7:06 PM Hi; Palo Alto, like most of the country, is not taking climate change seriously. I am frustrated that the new buildings at Palo Alto High School were build without solar panels. Putting solar panels on all new buildings is an easy win. We need to build more housing near transit, increase bike lanes, work to convert fossil fuel appliances to electricity, and transition from a car-based city to a people-based city. By adopting mixed use zoning, we could have people live, work and shop in the same areas. This will enable a more pedestrian friendly city. MB Bieder in Downtown North January 26, 2019, 7:29 PM Airplane noise is the most significant problem for this city. Three routes converge over our homes and now the planes are 1-2 minutes apart at peak times. Four years or more have past since the vast increase in planes and changing of the routes over us. Our concerns are not being address and we have gotten NO relief. For Palo Alto to be livable again, council must put airplane noise as its highest priority and do everything possible to force the FAA and congress to solve this problem. Ken Novak in Community Center January 27, 2019, 12:16 AM The Beneficial electrification (BE) program deserves city support. Introducing utility tariffed on-bill financing will cost the city government almost nothing, while generating investments in our buildings today, energy savings for years into the future -- and big reductions of greenhouse gases in the process. 26 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? marie-jo fremont in Leland Manor/ Garland January 27, 2019, 9:11 AM Continue all efforts to address airplane noise and emissions because the problem continues to affect the quality of life and health of many Palo Alto residents in their homes, workplaces, churches, schools, and parks on a daily basis (including at night). Pursue all avenues (local and national, individually or with other cities) and all options (collaboration, legislation, and litigation) to ensure that solutions are implemented. Thank you for keeping up the fight. Michael Fischer in Charleston Terrace January 27, 2019, 10:13 AM 1. Jet aircraft noise affects over 20 Palo Alto neighborhoods - low and loud night flights are a serious problem. It's urgent that PACC step up and speak up for the health and well being of thousands of residents. 2. Rail grade separations - Get it done!!! - Why does San Jose get a tunnel for BART and Palo Alto is less important? 3. Transportation - road diets only worsen problems that were created by the lack of housing-jobs balance 4. Housing Cherrill Spencer in Barron Park January 27, 2019, 10:19 AM Dear City Council Discrimination against women in many areas of life does not happen as obviously as it did 20-30 years ago, but it continues to happen and I am grateful that last year’s Council directed your Policy and Services Committee to work on a gender analysis of City operations. Please provide sufficient resources to your staff and that committee so they can carry out the analysis which we hope will lead to removing gender inequalities within the city workforce and will remove any gender inequalities in services the City provides to its population. Let’s make Palo Alto a model of gender equality. Cherrill Spencer, resident of Barron Park. Nancy Neff in Palo Verde January 27, 2019, 12:50 PM Climate change is the #1 issue. The next generation will see catastrophes that are unimaginable to us. Palo Alto has the wealth and smarts to be a model sustainable city. Let's do it. "What if it's a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?" Brilliant cartoon, Joel Pett. Cameron Sunde in University South January 27, 2019, 1:41 PM Gender equality is an important issue - and the City Council should make it a priority in 2019. John Koval in Old Palo Alto January 27, 2019, 3:36 PM Focus on CPA actionable goals(don't waste time musing over traffic/rents hypothetically by building close to jobs as people change jobs often, unless forced to move at job change, public transit are regional issues, not CPA). - Smooth Traffic Flow through Palo Alto. Don’t impede traffic by narrowing streets/placing obstacles that make it more dangerous for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. - Put the train in a tunnel/trench like modern cities around the world. Do not close main arteries, inmpeding traffic in order to add 15% more trains each day(electrification + HSR). Leverage Stanford and large businesses to pay for it, they will benefit most. On-grade or viaduct is unsightly and noisy(think BART) and most susceptible to terrorism, vandalism and suicides. - Give Palo Alto a voice in the discussions and efforts to reduce airplane noise. We have become the convenient dumping ground for noise and pollution of 60%+ flights arriving at SFO. Select Committee failed, we need a new approach. 27 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Kristen Podulka in Greenmeadow January 27, 2019, 6:20 PM I believe gender equality should be a top priority for Palo Alto City Council in 2019. Women need equal representation on the council itself, as well in both public and corporate employment. There needs to be a concerted effort and designated budget by our city to bridge the gender gap. Especially because of the male-dominated tech companies in our city. Please put this as a top priority for 2019! “Women’s rights are human rights!!” Name not shown in Evergreen Park January 27, 2019, 6:23 PM There is a vocal and I am sure well-intentioned group that is urging people to ask the City Council to prioritize analysis of gender discrimination in the city in 2019. Respectfully, I strongly oppose this position. I believe that local government should focus its attention and resources on locally pressing issues, and not attempt to re-create at the city level any kind of bureaucracy to address broad social concerns that are more appropriate to state or federal levels if government involvement is called for. Even “just a reporting” mandate would require deciding how to gather information, gathering and interpreting it, oversight of the project, writing and publishing reports, and dealing with challenges or other legal issues. Please don’t spend city time or resources on this redundant topic. Laura Lockyear in Charleston Meadows January 27, 2019, 6:39 PM Please make gender equality a priority Thank you! Annette Isaacson in Midtown/ Midtown West January 27, 2019, 6:43 PM The two issues I would like the City to make priorities are Climate Change and Affordable Housing. If we don't address climate change more aggressively, life is going to be so much worse for future generations. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to leave them a livable world. I want more affordable housing so non tech workers can afford to live here and not commute from Morgan Hill. (I wish my kids were able to live here, but Palo Alto has become a city where only rich people can afford houses.) Peter Brende in Charleston Meadows January 27, 2019, 6:47 PM Jet Noise: Continue to push for mitigations to the overhead jet noise. It's increased to an unacceptable level in the past couple of years and the SFO landing approaches are unfairly concentrated over our city and neighboring towns. Housing density: please be transparent and consistent in the zoning policies and exemptions. Don't grant height exemptions for new condo complexes. It's fairer to increase the height limit uniformly across the entire city. Paul Heft in Midtown/ Midtown West January 27, 2019, 6:50 PM Climate action should be the top priority, since the IPCC said action is urgent and the effects will be so severe. Stephen Rosenblum in Old Palo Alto January 27, 2019, 6:54 PM Climate change is the most serious problem affecting our planet over the next decade and we must take concrete action to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to prevent it. This requires us to not only stop burning fossil fuels but to actually sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The city should undertake suitable programs to achieve this aim. Debbie Mytels 28 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? in Midtown/ Midtown West January 27, 2019, 6:56 PM The Council should choose climate change as a priority this year. Climate change is affecting our city NOW -- you merely need to consider how badly people who have asthma were afflicted by the two weeks of terrible smoke due to the Camp fire in No. California to know that it is affecting us here in Palo Alto -- not to mention the deteriorating conditions all over the planet. A priority focus on climate change would also relate to our housing crisis, since without adequate housing here in our city, we are forcing people who work here to hit the highways and create more carbon emissions. We need to complete and IMPLEMENT Palo Alto's Climate Action Plan. Please don't ignore this topic: make it a city priority for the year ahead. Name not shown in Barron Park January 27, 2019, 7:04 PM My wife and I are residents of Barron Park. We strongly feel that airplane noise should be one of the top priorities for Council in 2019. It impacts our health, our quality of life and our local property values. Good efforts were made by Joe Simitian and the Roundtable in past years but there has been no improvement. SFO and the FAA have not been responsive so now it is imperative that Palo Alto itself takes direct action. Airplane noise is a growing threat to our community. Mark Grossman in Old Palo Alto January 27, 2019, 7:07 PM Acting to address climate change should be a major priority. City Council has already adopted a sustainability plan and begun to implement small pieces of it, but more can and must be done. Scientists have just warned that to avoid catastrophic environmental impacts we must reduce planetary carbon emissions to zero in 12 years. For Palo Alto that means finding ways to draw down natural gas- fired heaters and kitchens in all buildings, transitioning to electric transportation, and taking other local measures. Carl Thomsen in Duveneck/ St Francis January 27, 2019, 7:49 PM Airplane noise and related health impacts should be a top priority of Palo Alto in 2019. The constant noise is difficult to fully describe but, believe me, it is a constant problem inside the house, makes it unbearable to be in the back yard and wakes me up early in the morning (and in the middle of the night). The frequency and noise level continues to increase. It impacts our health, our quality of life and our local property values. While there were well intentioned efforts by Joe Simitian and the Select Committee in past years, there has been no improvement. SFO and the FAA have not been responsive. It is incumbent upon Palo Alto to take action and work to mitigate this problem. Kerah Cottrell in Midtown/ Midtown West January 27, 2019, 8:11 PM It's time to make gender equality a top priority. Thank you. George Campbell in Midtown/ Midtown West January 27, 2019, 8:18 PM I would like the City Council to focus on the following for 2019: 1. Increased affordable housing 2. Traffic and transportation options 3. Fiscal responsibility Thank you. Tom Kabat outside Palo Alto January 27, 2019, 9:20 PM I participated on the city's Technical Advisory Committee looking at the feasibility of adopting an energy Reach Code to require carbon free new construction. The city's consultant found that all electric (gas-free) construction saves life cycle costs and saves construction costs (costs less than building with gas pipes and exhaust stacks). I 29 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? think cities have a fiduciary responsibility to implement gas-free Reach Codes to prevent the habitual construction of obsolete gas powered buildings that will very soon need to be expensively retrofitted in order to preserve the climate. Don Jackson in University South January 27, 2019, 9:25 PM I propose that one of the City’s priorities for 2019 be to begin actively working to deploy a citywide municipal fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network in Palo Alto. The recurring battles over Net Neutrality and Privacy are a direct consequence of outsourcing our Internet access to third-party corporations, that subsequently seek to maximize the return on their investment for their shareholders (which is, after all, their fiduciary responsibility). The obvious solution is to invest in, and become the owners of, our own Internet access infrastructure. Fiber-To-The-Premises is a "natural monopoly", and as such, it is imperative that it be owned by the people it serves. Existing commercially available Internet access service to Palo Alto residents from companies like Comcast and AT&T do not, and will never, provide the following crucial capabilities: High (Gigabit+) speeds Symmetric service Privacy Non-discriminatory access/usage Support for offering services/applications to the Internet There are hundreds of municipal FTTP networks across the US, and is disappointing and embarassing that Palo Alto, one of the premier centers of innovation and entrepreneurship is not among them, particularly given the City's longstanding municipal utilities service. I urge Council (and staff) to read the recent book "Fiber, The Coming Tech Revolution—and Why America Might Miss It" by Susan Crawford (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300228502/fiber ) (available at Amazon) Prerana Jayakumar in Midtown/ Midtown West January 27, 2019, 9:36 PM Please make climate change a priority for this year - let's make some REAL change in terms of reducing the effects of transportation (better/wider/more frequent public transit), switching fully to carbon-neutral utilities, electrifying as much as possible (so that they can run on renewable power), allowing wider graywater (and even blackwater) use, and other areas related to climate change. Please do this for the sake of our communities and our children! Name not shown in Leland Manor/ Garland January 27, 2019, 9:40 PM GENDER EQUALITY...Please! Housing...please! Sanctuary for immigrants...please! Thank you Deborah Martin in Leland Manor/ Garland January 27, 2019, 11:44 PM The City Council should follow the recommendations of the Human Relations Commission and establish a Gender Equality Task Force. This Task Force should conduct a gender analysis of City operations. That would be a good start to make sure we are on the right path to secure gender equality in our city. Deborah Martin 30 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 28, 2019, 5:17 AM Gender equality Housing affordability Name not shown in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 9:05 AM One of our top priorities for 2019 should be meeting our climate goals! Palo Alto has adopted a strong climate goal of 80% reduction by 2030, but we will not meet this goal unless it is a priority and both policy and funding for programs follows. The updates coming from science are dire. We don't have any more time to wait. Palo Alto has much to lose with sea level rise and other climate impacts. Palo Alto can meet it's climate goals and set an example for other cities - paving the way to safer and healthier future. The other priority should be housing. The gentrification happening all over the bay area and crazy housing costs are due to the simple fact that cities are approving new projects that will bring jobs without equivalent housing. As a native, this is not the environment I grew up with and not the world I want to live in where lower income people are forced out of their homes and the area because of a poor jobs/housing imbalance. This did not happen by chance, this happened because cities across the Bay Area are not being responsible in providing a jobs/housing balance. Palo Alto should place a priority on adding new transit oriented housing and be a leader in voicing the need for a Bay Area wide plan to address this issue and create a more just and fair Bay Area community. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 28, 2019, 9:16 AM I agree David, spending $29 million on our short-term car parking need is my money that can be used more wisely for alternative transportation. Yes, let’s make other means of transport easier to use and car use and parking less so. Here’s a better use of $29 million. Our City can buy a huge number of electric scooters and distribute them throughout the city. Riding a scooter means moving a person is accomplished with a 20 lb scooter and small amount of electricity, rather than a 3000 lb car and all the gas and carbon pollution emitted into the air we breath. Not sure how this works? Head over to San Jose State University and see electric scooters in large numbers throughout campus. City Counsel members, you are a smart group. Make a better decision with our money! Briggs Nisbet in Palo Verde January 28, 2019, 9:40 AM Jet Noise. Increasing number of flights to and from San Jose airport that fly less than 2000ft over south Palo Alto neighborhoods, concentrated flights into SFO across Palo Alto at 5000ft, loud night flights after 1am and before 5am, lack of representation on SFO roundtable, failure of FAA to provide noise data or environmental review of flight path concentrations, and failure of FAA to address residents' and community's complaints and concerns in a timely manner. Bill Gargiulo in Old Palo Alto January 28, 2019, 10:37 AM Priorities: 1) Safety - We need to be able to walk to downtown at night without the fear of getting mugged. Let's leverage some of the great technology we are helping to create and make our streets safe again. 2) Airplane noise / pollution - I did not buy my house near an airport but feel like I now live on an active runway. It will only get worse. I am very disappointed that this change occurred without us knowing about it or putting up a fight to stop but concentrating all of the traffic over PA is unacceptable. 3) Traffic - More parking on edge of city and more free shuttles to move workers downtown (both Cal ave and 31 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? University). Steven Atneosen in Greenmeadow January 28, 2019, 10:54 AM Please prioritize the following for 2019: 1) Sustainable housing for all socioeconomic groups that mimic successful communities such as New York City; Oslo, Norway, et al. 2) Mobility planning that favors mass transit and bicycle/pedestrian commuting. 3) Climate change initiatives that relate to the growth of the community 4) Enforcement of laws that support the above - especially against individual passenger cars and businesses that serve the community Many thanks, Steven Atneosen Laura Prentiss in Old Palo Alto January 28, 2019, 10:56 AM I would like to see gender equality be a priority for the City of Palo Alto, Name not shown in Old Palo Alto January 28, 2019, 11:00 AM I would like our city government to make gender and racial equity a priority in 2019. There is really no excuse for us to have a lack of diversity. It will make for a better city. Name not shown outside Palo Alto January 28, 2019, 11:24 AM The most important priority for the City Council this year must be to eliminate aircraft noise that has ruined the peace and quiet of the city and neighboring areas. When we moved here, Palo Alto was not the "landing strip" for the airport and today, it is. We have had enough of this endless, intrusive, unhealthy and neighborhood-destroying noise. Its time for the City Council to step up, do its job and fight for Palo Alto and have the FAA remove NextGen - and the aircraft noise and pollution - over heavily populated areas such as the Bay Area. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 28, 2019, 11:35 AM 1) Castilleja has put forth a responsible and reasonable proposal that preserves neighborhood quality of life, removing traffic and parking from neighborhood streets through stringent traffic demand management, locating parking, drop off and deliveries below grade, and strict enforcement and accountability measures. The physical campus will not "expand" - the above ground square footage remains the same. 2) Castilleja is an asset to the community - national reputation for quality education of girls, deep community engagement, important educational option in a community of outstanding schools. 3) Castilleja has the support of hundreds of Palo Alto citizens - 630 have actively demonstrated that support by posting lawn signs, signing supporter list, and/or writing emails to City Council. James F. Cook in College Terrace January 28, 2019, 1:50 PM Traffic Diversity of opinions Rail crossings (including safety of pedestrians and bicycles) Climate change (see Carbon Free Palo Alto’s comments) Undergrounding remaining utilities Bret Andersen in Palo Verde January 28, 2019, 2:51 PM Use climate friendly strategies to seize the new opportunities our main challenges create, to save public 32 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? and private money and to improve quality of life: 1) Traffic & Parking - we now have many mobility alternatives to driving alone which is the main driver of peak parking and congestion problems. The Palo Alto Transportation Management Association is showing the way and has made significant progress already. 2) Housing - we must prioritize permitting dense, small, transit oriented, all-electric housing that is accessible to service workers, reduces the need to drive alone, improves air quality and costs less to build and operate and requires less city infrastructure. 3) Make it easy for residents to replace natural gas devices in their homes with clean electric equivalents that are healthier, safer, higher functioning, cheaper to operate. They will add flexibility and manageable resources to our growing renewable electricity grid. We all need to recognize that natural gas is a bad financial, civic and environmental choice as a source of energy. 4) Carefully question further decades long City investment in soon-to-be stranded assets like parking ramps and new gas hookups and upgrades to the natural gas network. We can and must find much more cost effective and beneficial alternatives to the "business as usual" approach. Council already adopted in 2016 the goal to reduce GHG emissions in Palo Alto by 80% by 2030 - lets take it seriously with a 2019 priority to get our transportation, housing and energy programs and budgets on the right track! Name not shown in Downtown North January 28, 2019, 3:26 PM Gender Equality. Affordable Housing. Environmental Protections. Name not shown in Midtown/ Midtown West January 28, 2019, 3:29 PM Please make gender equality a priority in 2019. With everything going across our country, with #metoo and #timesup, and with everything happening here closer to home with the toxic "bro-culture" in Silicon Valley and Dr. Ford's recent testimony, we know that gender inequalities exist within our City. Its time that the City take a concerted effort to address it and to set an example for others. Human Rights are important issues too and we can't afford to miss this opportunity to address it. By making it a Council Priority in 2019, it doesn't take away time for other priorities like Housing and Traffic, rather by taking quick action on it, you will help leverage resources (both time, money and expertise) that exist in the community to do this important work, requiring only minimal commitment from the City, while freeing up the City to work on other issues. Make gender equality a priority, by authorizing a gender analysis, and let's mobilize the community to get this work done, so that more can be done with less and so that we can address this important issue while also working on others too. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 28, 2019, 3:34 PM I hope that the city will make INCLUSION a priority for the city of Palo Alto. There are NO city camps for children and young adults with disabilities in the ENJOY catalog. There are no afterschool programs for kids with disabilities. What about programming at the libraries? The only playground that is truly inclusive is Magical Bridge -- why aren't ALL our playgrounds welcoming of everyone. Why aren't all our playgrounds built like Magical Bridge -- which is so busy ALL the time. The city needs to do better for EVERYONE, including the 1-in-4 of us living with a disability. Thank you for listening. Name not shown in Evergreen Park January 28, 2019, 3:37 PM I, like so many others, believe that gender equality is fundamental to effective governance. It will strengthen the foundation for representative decisions going forward. Leah Russin in College Terrace January 28, 2019, 4:53 PM I believe Palo Alto must get serious about housing, traffic 33 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? and non-car travel, commitment to sustainability, and gender equity. We are the heart of Silicon Valley. If we aren’t leading on these issues, we’re doing it wrong. Paling Alto must step up and assess whether we treat women and LGBTQ+ equitably, whether we are doing all we can to get people out of their cars, and also must make a serious commitment to building more housing. The train will make all these problems more difficult - making sure our community isn’t bisected by an impassible rail is essential. For this reason I do not support a complete closure of Churchill. I urge you above all to listen to the community. Neighborhood town halls are a small start. Keep working on it. Elizabeth Beheler in Charleston Meadows January 28, 2019, 5:03 PM I am hopeful that CEDAW will be on the list of goals for the Council to enact this year. We are a progressive and educated community and should be an example of gender equality for cities to affect overall gender parity in leadership and economy. The women of Palo Alto are great examples of how hard women work, how much we care about our community, what we can achieve, but also how far we still have to go to reach true equality. Thank you. Pierre Schwob in Evergreen Park January 28, 2019, 5:14 PM I am writing further to the viewing of On The Basis Of Sex, kindly organized by Steven Lee, Palo Alto Human Relations Commissioner. If most in the theater were like me, there shouldn't have been a single dry eye in the auditorium. I am grateful that both my children could be with me for this. Current events (including Justice Bader Ginsburg's recent health incident) make the need for Justices of her caliber and philosophy all the more actual. But this effort should also be local. As a straight Caucasian male, I have suffered only very little discrimination but for the ignorant bigotry I experienced in school and military service due to my half- Jewish parentage. This, in addition to my instinctive revulsion to sectarianism, fanaticism and dogmatism, and Lee's efforts entreat me to ask the City Council to fully endorse gender equality and justice. This shouldn't be a hard call to make and I urge you to fully support Lee's recommendations. Prameela Bartholomeusz in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 5:22 PM It is no longer acceptable that gender equality is an issue not given the attention that it deserves & worse, ignored. Palo Alto City Council must make Palo Alto a CEDAW City by establishing a Gender Equality Task Force - NOW! This is critical to measure and assess gender inequities and comprehensively and systematically address them. Make addressing gender inequality a priority! In lieu of moving this issue continually to the end of your list of priorities time & time again, invite us to assist. Many of us in Palo Alto are more than committed to extending this assist. Name not shown in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 5:35 PM Housing affordability (especially for low and lower income residents and workers) and gender equality (becoming a CEDAW city) are the priorities I hope the council will focus on. Name not shown in University South January 28, 2019, 5:46 PM The city needs to focus on enabling more and better options for faster internet access to Palo Altans. It's embarrassing that Comcast is the only option most residents have for consistent internet speeds above 50 Gbps downstream. And there are no options today for reasonable upstream bandwidth or data use! You can't even install two Nest cameras uploading at 4k resolutions to keep our homes and city safe, without hitting Comcast's paltry (1TB) data cap. 34 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? The city needs to ensure there aren't roadblocks to Verizon, AT&T, and other providers deploying 5G internet throughout the city. (While of course, ensuring they do it in not-super-ugly way.) Ideally, the city should push forward with a municipally owned fiber to the premises (FTTP) deployment. The fiber itself is a natural monopoly and needs to be owned by the city to make sense over the long term. Name not shown in Charleston Meadows January 28, 2019, 5:55 PM Gender Equality/CEDAW initiative - HRC passed a resolution to address gender disparities, but nothing has been done yet Jean-marc mommessin in Fairmeadow January 28, 2019, 6:23 PM Dear City Council, The constant night train horn is a serious issue. The trains ring the horn at 11pm, 1am, 3am, 5am..this wakes us up every time. Solutions to this problem exist. For instance, Atherton found a solution and it was pretty much no cost. Can we please adopt measure to solve this. and eliminate this sound pollution. Please let me know how i can contribute to solving this? Should i start a petition? Bruce Hodge in Palo Verde January 28, 2019, 6:52 PM Taking concrete robust steps to deal with climate change should be a major priority. We badly need Council leadership for this issue. The clock is ticking... Stephanie Martinson in Charleston Meadows January 28, 2019, 7:20 PM Dear City Council, I would like to encourage our Palo Alto City Council to consider our LGBTQ members when working on the 2019 priorities for our city; specifically when we think of our trans community members relative to housing and citywide events. There are likely many more areas. Please consider, there are NO Federal Protections for transgender Americans. You can lose your job or be denied housing. Participation in civil society, such as serving on a jury is not guaranteed or protected ....and there is no recourse. Their suicide rate is 50% vs. just 3% in the general population. Given that 1 in 5 transgender youth will drop out of school by 12th grade due to harassment and incidents of violence, these community members of often underemployed and/or homeless. These statistics are symptoms of our society's dehumanizing transgender Americans. The current federal administration's platform is producing a normative and systemic disrespect for, and non acceptance of our LGBTQ Americans. While I know that many of our community leadership is very supportive of our LGBTQ members,, showing respect and creating inclusive, thoughtful policies relative to these members would make a huge impact and statement. Thank you in advance for this consideration. Name not shown in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 7:41 PM Of course, we should treat everybody the same. The only difference may be their real qualifications for the job. If they fill the requirments, they need to be considered just as anyone else who is qualified. Maybe more than one person should be in on reviewing a resume. It may be hard for a person to be as fair as they could be. Missing out on a perfectly qualified person could be a loss for all involved. Name not shown in Barron Park 35 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? January 28, 2019, 8:32 PM Please add CEDAW to the list of goals for the Council to enact this year. Palo Alto should be an example of gender equality for cities to affect overall gender parity in leadership and economy. In addition, AFFORDABLE housing and homelessness should also be priorities Hilary Glann in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 9:05 PM While there are many important issues in the City, we have to make climate action a top priority, because without addressing climate change, all other priorities will become irrelevant within most of our lifetimes, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. We need to focus on what we, as citizens of this planet, can do to right now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (hint: there's a lot we all can do!). Our climate change focus includes permitting dense, small, transit-oriented housing that is affordable for low and middle income workers, which also helps address a major social and economic imbalance in our community. it includes prioritizing transit solutions to reduce single occupancy vehicles and making sure our transit works well for all. While I agree with many of the priorities stated by other residents, bending the curve on climate change must be a core mission of our government, locally and at the state level. David Coale in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 9:06 PM Climate change should be the city’s top priority. With the city using climate change as a lens to view all other city projects and priorities we will get better and more cost effective solutions to our traffic, parking, and housing problems. Addressing climate change is called out in the Sustainability Implantation Plane and the Comp plan, both of which have been ignored when convenient by the council. Please make climate change a top priority so that we do not saddle our children and grandchildren with a carbon debt that can never be repaid. Palo Alto must lead the way. Name not shown in Crescent Park January 28, 2019, 9:15 PM Stable finances and traffic issues are crucial, yet continuing commitment to the quality of life issue of airplane noise is a very high priority. We urge you to continue and expand engagement with the South Bay Roundtable, Congressional Representatives and especially the FAA to reduce the negative environmental impact of jet aircraft landing at SFO over our homes. Sallie and Jay Whaley Becky Sanders in Ventura January 28, 2019, 9:16 PM 1. Build housing for our most vulnerable in a way that makes sense (see my postscript!) 2. Make sure NVCAP is a success by incorporating meaningful community input in the design as opposed to extracting the rubber stamp from the Working Group members who are residents 3. Acquire more parkland in underserved areas — namely the AT&T lot in Ventura 4. Get on top of Rail by somehow getting someone (staff, elected or appointed) to track all the moving parts that are going into the decision process. When some of the local transit agencies make decisions, it’s important that Council not only see it coming, but actually give input and have influence. 5. Fix the staffing issues downtown which will help us with things like getting 311 working; make sure Ed is set up for success Thank you for seeking our input! Good luck this year! Appreciate all you electeds giving up your free time to do this! Thanks Staff for making things happen for us. P.S Some ideas re housing... just in case you are wondering... *Preserve a moratorium/cap on office development; de- 36 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? incentivize office growth and *Acknowledge that folks that can afford market rate housing will probably be okay no matter what you do, so don’t worry about them too much this year. *Build more below market rate housing and affordable rate housing at 80% or less AMI We know AMI is defined as 120% AMI but let’s keep it lower to protect our most vulnerable *Incentivize 80% or less AMI housing by throwing your quiver of incentives at them. *Please do not trade away community amenities in order to build housing for the rich. *Don't lose sight of our livable Palo Alto - so as new projects come on line, let's study the impacts on the people that already live here in addition to welcoming new neighbors. Richard Leder in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 9:26 PM I wish to emphasize that Palo Alto should provide both local, state and national leadership by furthering the cause of gender equality in our city thru enlightened policies, guidance and practices. Steven Lee’s thoughtful, advance showing of “On the Basis of Sex” last month was a great start. This up-to-date film is a superb cinematic telling of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s rise to prominence through a carefully planned and superbly executed legal strategy to advance gender equality under the law. It certainly brought home to me the essential truth that many if not most social change starts small and local, and sometimes in unexpected or opportunistic ways. Such is an opportunity here in Palo Alto. Both ensuring and advancing the EQUAL rights of women (which really only started in the 20th century with movements for voting rights) are large and hugely important streams in the great American democratic project of ensuring and advancing equality of ALL people under the law. Thank you, Steven Lee, for keeping gender equality high on the Palo Alto priority list where it deserves to be in the 21st century. Thanks for engaging many of our residents in your agenda by showing the Ginsberg film and by insisting that our great city can do this NOW with it’s own policies, guidance and practices. Lead by example! Name not shown in Evergreen Park January 28, 2019, 9:27 PM 1. Develop a set of measures of quality of life that can be monitored and standards that can be adhered to. Such a list might include measures of congestion on streets, number of acres of park and open space, amount and quality of public transportaton, etc. 2. Infrastructure needed to maintain a quality of life in Palo Alto as we add potentially thousands of new residents. E.g., Peers Park in Evergreen Park is a lovely park, but is it sufficient if we add thousands of new residents in dense, multifamily, multi-story buildings along California Ave.? Stop ignoring the effects on infrastructure and start planning realistically for them. These include libraries, schools, parks, recreation facilities. 3. Work with Sky Posse to reduce airplane noise. Airplane noise has had a significant, negative effect on the quality of life. Try being outside in your garden during summer evenings and trying to carry on a conversation. Try sleeping beyond 4 a.m. when the weather calls for open windows. 4. Develop processes to involve residents in the decision making process early so that they can contribute to the formation of solutions. Do not keep residents in the dark -- working only with other "stakeholders" who aren't even Palo Alto residents -- so that they can only come to Council to complain when recommendations are finally made public. This is a terribly inefficient and unfair way to govern. If we have to develop campaign finance limitations in order to limit the effect of outside interests on elections and on subsequent Council decisions, then so be it. Tired of developers who live in Los Altos having a greater say about how Palo Alto operates than residents who live here. Andy Poggio in Midtown/ Midtown West January 28, 2019, 9:34 PM For 2019, a priority for the Palo Alto City Council should be 37 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Fiber To The Premises (FTTP) for our city. There are many reasons to make this a priority (among them to satisfy community demand, meet increasing data needs, and attract and retain businesses). We have several means at our disposal to fund FTTP (among them the City Fiber Fund, the Calaveras Funds, installation fees, and bonds). We want to keep Palo Alto on the leading edge -- FTTP is one of the few means at our disposal to do just that. Katherine Causey in University Park January 28, 2019, 9:44 PM I would like to see City Council prioritize equality in 2019, right now we've taken a lot of actions in our school district to prioritize equality it only makes sense that we match those efforts in our community. Taking steps to prioritize equality will strengthen us economically and make us a more attractive city on the peninsula and an annual analysis (or analysis every few years) on how discrimination/harassment is occurring in the community would give us a foundation to take steps toward a more inclusive community. Stacey Ashlund in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 10:27 PM Palo Alto City Council : please make Gender Equality one of our priorities this year - full stop. Star Teachout in Barron Park January 28, 2019, 10:31 PM In random order!.... 1. We need more meaningful places for our teens to go, with at least 2 more youth centers besides the Mitchell Park teen center. Barron Park would be a great location as there isn't anything on the south west side of the city, and I would imagine having something closer to midtown would also be desirable. These places might have ping pong/pool tables, card/game rooms, perhaps some snacks, opportunities for live music, perhaps job boards, etc. Enlist some teens to help develop some ideas, and look at some of the German models for youth centers as well. These could bring our community closer, reduce the isolation from internet/phone use, and reduce car trips for entertainment. They need to be more human, and not over- regulated. 2. Along with number one I would like to see the city share its school resources more with the community. There are many communities which open up the school pools, basketball courts, and fields to let kids use them in the summer. There could be some small fees if needed. Many families cannot afford to join the Eichler Club, Foothills Tennis Club, or YMCA. It seems there are too many assumptions of affluence. 3. Climate Change--we've done some good things but we need to do more. Could we have the city promote and facilitate roof-top solar water systems for homes [perhaps offer an incentive]. Could the city expand its solar generation by purchasing and installing solar on willing homeowners who get free/reduced utilities while generating extra for the city? Could we drastically reduce the fees for ADUs while seeking to limit car parking/trips? Could we rethink some of our bus routes such that people could get to Midtown from Barron Park, or from the el Camino 22 bus line to side streets more easily. Could we have some regular forums for ways we can all reduce our footprint, including food choices, product consumption, travel, and water use. And could we apply this filter to our commercial sector as well as our residential one? I have suggested including data on utility bills of the the lowest utility consuming household [with their permission] for others to compare their own consumption against. We need to compare ourselves with others doing a better job so we can all improve. 4. Any programs to get more people biking. It is so odd to have such an educated community which continues to drive so much despite emissions being a significant contribution to climate change. 5. Do we have enough services for elderly who are living at home, possibly alone? Thanks for asking. Olenka Villarreal in Crescent Park January 28, 2019, 10:37 PM 38 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019? Assuming Palo Alto lines up with national statistics, every 4th resident here has a visible or invisible disability. As a parent who thoroughly benefited from various programs, camps and music classes with my older daughter, I have yet to find any city-run service which my other daughter can take part in. Ava, who is now 16, spends her (long!) summer months and weekends going to Target, Lemo’s Farm and the SF Zoo while I private pay for various sitters to keep her busy while I work. Other neighboring cities have adaptive recreation programs, camps and many services which underscore the importance of each member of their community. I invite Palo Alto to please include everyone’s needs in creating programs, camps and activities. If you need a helping hand doing so, your friends from Magical Bridge Foundation would be happy to help. You wouldn’t only be serving those who have the disability, but would be serving their entire family. Name not shown in College Terrace January 28, 2019, 10:45 PM I want one thing for Palo Alto -- I want us to share space. To share physical space, to share space with other genders, backgrounds in City government, in the tech companies, in our community, to cultivate a sharing spirit. Housing: Want us to allow more small housing in R-1, tiny homes, allow RVs, shared housing, 2 kitchens, dividing a big home into 2 flats, whatever we can do to alleviate the intense stress people feel in how much they pay and how far they commute. Gender Equality: make sure gender equality is important. Public Space: Protect and grow public space for our community. Do not allow tech companies to take over any retail, expand retail/resto zones especially Cal Ave could extend several streets. Mora Oommen in Palo Verde January 28, 2019, 10:46 PM I’m writing to ask for city authorization to do a gender analysis and make Gender Equality a priority for 2019. Name not shown in Fairmeadow January 28, 2019, 11:46 PM Night train noise is definitely affecting our quality of life in Midtown Palo Alto. The commercial train horn at night is so loud that our entire family is regularly awaken in the middle of the night. The city of Palo Alto should makes a priority to create a tunnel to reduce noise nuisance and increase safety for the residents. I understand that the cost is high but it is a measure to take now for future generations. IdaRose Sylvester outside Palo Alto January 28, 2019, 11:51 PM Palo Alto City Council : please make Gender Equality one of your priorities this year. We need to make Gender Equality a priority in the Bay Area, and I vow to work with you and other cities for the greatest impact. IdaRose Sylvester, Mountain View Human Relations Commission. 39 | www.opentownhall.com/7130 Created with OpenGov | January 29, 2019, 2:42 PM 2019 City Council Priorities What are the priorities you would like to see the City Council adopt for 2019?