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Home My WebLink About2026-04-27 City Council EmailsDOCUM ENTS IN THIS PACKET INCLUDE: LETTERS FROM CITIZENS TO THE MAYOR OR CITY COUNCIL RESPONSES FROM STAFF TO LETTERS FROM CITIZ ENS ITEMS FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS ITEMS FROM OTHER COMMITTEES AND AGENC IES ITEMS FROM CITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND REGIONAL AGENCIES Prepared for: 4/27/2026 Document dates: 4/20/2026 - 4/27/2026 Note: Documents for every category may not have been received for packet reproduction in a given week. 701-32 From:Sheryl Klein To:Council, City Subject:Alta Housing - Tree Planting at Colorado Park Apartments - May 5, 2026 Date:Monday, April 27, 2026 12:12:36 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Mayor and Council Members, On behalf of Alta Housing, I would like to invite you to join us for a community tree planting at our Colorado Park Apartments on Monday, May 5, in celebration of Affordable Housing Month. This event is being held in partnership with Canopy and will bring together residents, volunteers, and community partners to plant trees, enhance the landscape, and spend time together outdoors. The day will also include a small Cinco de Mayo celebration with residents, creating an opportunity to connect with families who call Colorado Park home. Your presence would mean a great deal to our community. These moments—when residents, local leaders, and partners come together—help reinforce the shared commitment to building strong, healthy neighborhoods. Event Details: Colorado Park Apartments, 1141 Colorado Avenue Monday, May 5 - 4 to 6 pm Please let me know if you are able to attend. We would be glad to coordinate remarks or simply welcome you to join the planting. Thank you for your continued support of affordable housing in our community. Warmly, Sheryl Sheryl Klein (she/her) Chief Operating Officer CA DRE # 01844288 Alta Housing Sobrato Center for Nonprofits 3460 W. Bayshore Rd. Ste. 104, Palo Alto, CA 94303 This message needs your attention This is their first email to you. Mark Safe Report c: 650-255-2671 e. sklein@altahousing.org w: altahousing.org Our impact goes beyond housing -- see what we did in 2025! This message and any attached files are confidential and solely for use by the intended recipients. Disregard and permanently delete the email and any attachments if you received this message in error. BUILDING STORIES THAT MATTER Palo Alto Housing is now Alta Housing! Curious about our new name? Read about Alta Housing From:Sandra M. To:Council, City Subject:Keep the Pavillion as a gym (and dance floor) Date:Monday, April 27, 2026 12:01:14 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Hello, Please don't convert the Pavillion to a theater. TheaterWords already has venues, but we dancers need a large space for our Friday night dances. Sandra Martinson This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first email to your company. Mark Safe Report From:Tammi Dai To:Fire Cc:Council, City; City Mgr; PWD; Clerk, City Subject:[Important] Potential Fire Hazard at 1072 College Ave, Palo Alto Date:Monday, April 27, 2026 8:52:57 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Sir or Madam, I am a resident of Palo Alto writing to formally raise concerns regarding the property located at 1072 College Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306. For approximately the past six months, the property appears to have been unoccupied and has fallen into a state of significant neglect. The premises are overgrown with dry vegetation, including excessive weeds and accumulations of dead leaves in the front yard and surrounding areas. These conditions present a potential fire hazard, particularly given the dry climate and proximity to neighboring residences. Additionally, 1072 College Avenue is part of a multi-family grouping that includes 1062 and 1052 College Avenue, Palo Alto CA 94306. All three structures appear to be in deteriorated condition, with visible concerns including possible mold, insect activity, overgrown vegetation, trash and other environmental hazards that may pose risks to public health and safety. We have made multiple attempts to contact the property owner, identified as “Peter” (phone number: 408-705-7572), to address these issues. Unfortunately, these efforts have been unsuccessful, and no remedial action has been taken. In light of the above, I respectfully request that your office investigate the condition and occupancy status of this property and take any appropriate enforcement or corrective measures to mitigate the potential hazards. We respectfully request that our identities be kept confidential, as we are concerned about the possibility of retaliation from the property owner or its residents. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, JJ. on behalf of Palo Alto College Terrace Neighbors This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first mail to some recipients. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:Robert Marinaro To:Council, City; Veenker, Vicki; Stone, Greer; Lythcott-Haims, Julie; Burt, Patrick; Lauing, Ed; Reckdahl, Keith; Lu, George; City Mgr Cc:Bulatao, Eric; Roger Smith; Peter Xu; Loren Brown; Dana Dahlstrom; Ceci Kettendorf; Chris Berg; Taly Katz; Barry Katz; Nancy Ellickson; John Schafer; Jeanette Baldwin; Alina Martinez; Micah Murphy; Danielle Dunne; David Famero; Carly Lake; Sandy Freschi; T Bullman; Dave Stellman; Dave Stellman; Steve Wong; Marguerite Poyatos; Manu Kumar; Lydia Kou; Patrick Kelly; Osbaldo Romero; Xenia Czisch; Bill McLane; Ramon Moreno; L Wong; Cathi Lerch; Maor Greenberg; Moffatt, Pete; Jacob Hakmo; David Perez; Nancy Powers; Dan McKinley; John Lerch; Stacey Tomson; CMEI Wong; DMA Wong; Jin Wong; Maggie Madlangbayan; K Norris; Elidia Tafoya; Scott Hayes; Victor Sloan; woodgood@pacbell.net; Kandace Kopensky; Moiz Sonasath; Peter Longanecker; Karsyn Smith Development; Raphael Zahnd; Riley Cooke; Pigman, Sophie; Baird, Nathan; Palo Alto Daily Post; Gennady Sheyner; Louis Hsiao; Jo Ann Mandinach; Ann Balin; Annette Ross; Mary Gallagher; Maury Green; Terry Holzemer; Joseph Hirsch; Ben Lerner; Greg Schmid (external); Suzanne Keehn; William Ross; Ron Chun; Rita Vrhel; Arthur Keller; Jeff Levinsky; Becky Sanders; Douglas Moran; Chip Wytmar; Sharon Elliot; McDonough, Melissa; Janet Hartley; Charlie Weidanz; Kevin Mayer; Boris Folsch; Margaret Abe-Koga; Ian Halker; Richard Willits; Heather Brownlee; Ken Brownlee; Robin Holbrook; Cassandra Paige; Brad Watson; Alisa Pendicini; Ron Ellickson; Gaines, Chantal; Titan (Zhengtian) Gu; Stephanie Wansek; Penny Brennan; Taryn Sanford; Maia Harris; Sayuri Kabutogi; Bernadette Zimmerman; Doreen Chew; Kshama Jirage; Jenni Simon; Subadhra Arunasalam; Robert Russell; Doug Bacon; Chuan Wang; Shchopra; Al Dorsky; Phil Wettersten; Ann Wettersten; Todd Jin; Emily Emily; Daryl Savage; Anil Rachakonda Subject:Palo Alto"s Ongoing OSV Situation - - Bob"s OSV Count (4/24/26) Date:Sunday, April 26, 2026 10:20:24 PM Attachments:RV Inventory_24Apr26.xlsx CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Palo Alto City Council, City Employees, and Concerned Residents and Businesses, Pease find attached another update of the OSV count on our streets. The count is holding relatively steady at 130-ish for the last month. Based on my many conversations with residents and particularly business owners I have complied a list of the impacts to them caused by these OSVs. I would think that this list underscores the seriousness of the impacts to our community. · Steal water · Steal electricity · Dump trash in street · Dump trash is business dumpsters including large items (mattresses, etc.) · Dump waste in sewers and in bushes · Increase in neighborhood crime · Obstructing egress to the point of several reported accidents · Preventing deliveries to back loading docks · General safety concerns especially for women · Blocking traffic such as when vans double park for waste removal · Take up needed parking spaces for businesses and other facilities – they also reserve parking spaces adjacent to their OSVs using chairs, cones, etc. · Intimidate business/institution customers & students · Noticeable increase in crime in OSV dense neighborhoods · Liability issues associated with children playing on private property adjacent to OSVs · OSV slide-outs blocking bike lanes and impeding traffic flow · Inhibits business owners and property managers from leasing vacant properties · Decreases property values · Discourages property development · General blight and reduction of quality of life for tax-paying residents and businesses · Services such as food trucks that once came by for lunch no longer stop by (E. Meadow Circle) · Financial - - Additional costs incurred by businesses: o Additional utility costs o Installation of locks on dumpsters o Installation of cameras and security monitoring systems o Installation of barriers (bollards with chains across driveways, gates, etc.) o Installation of audio systems to inconvenience OSV dwellers (Faber Place) o Additional trash pickup costs and additional burden to business owners who have to properly sort out trash from recycled materials I know you have heard the feedback from the community over and over at the Council Meetings and in e-mails, but you need to hear them again because they are very real and significantly impact the community in so many ways. Please to do not continue to turn a blind eye to the very people who voted you into office and who you are supposed to support. We need to change the narrative that Palo Alto is ‘accommodating’ to RVs or as Albert Ramos says at 0:53 in the video Palo Alto is “Friendly” and Courteous!" KPIX | CBS NEWS BAY AREA youtu.be We can do better, we need to do better! Regards, Bob Marinaro PAUSD school bus has to stop in the middle of the street to pick up school children East Meadow Drive - - An OSV starting to spill over into the Adobe Meadow Neighborhood Google Security on East Meadow Circle - - Google owns 10 unmarked buildings on East Meadow Circle and East Meadow Drive Fabian Way at the corner of Charleston Rd. in the front of the Charleston Village Condominiums - - A new location spreading towards the main thoroughfare Commercial Street - - Looks what’s parking in front of your building... Commercial Street - - Parked in front of Cooper Labs East Embarcadero East Embarcadero - - Can’t make leasing property easier! Palo Alto’s Safe Parking Lot at 2000 Geng Rd. where the 22 resident RVs average a 15 month stay Mitchell Park - - This RV left Mountain View’s Shoreline Safe Parking lot to camp out in Mitchell Park for the last month. Now he is on Louis Rd. right in the heart of our Adobe Meadow Neighborhood! Matadero Road - - This guy looks like he is all propped up for the duration much to the chagrin of local Ventura residents Ash St. - - Bad Actor #1 continues park is 10-ish vehicles on multiple streets. Why might you ask? Because he can without impunity! Ash St. - - Bad Actor #1 Portage Ave - - Ash St. - - Bad Actor #1 with more of his vehicles Acacia Ave. - - Bad Actor #1 with more of his vehicles across the street from Acacia Townhomes where prospective buyers want to know what is going on here! Louis Rd @ Adobe Creek - - This is the guy who was in Mitchell Park who has moved right in the middle of our Adobe Meadow Neighborhood Palo Alto On Street OSV Count Street Segment OSVs OSVs OSVs OSVs OSVs OSVs OSVs OSVs OSVs DT OSVs DT OSVs DT OSVs OSVs 10/21/2025 11/10/2025 11/19/2025 12/3/2025 12/20/2025 1/14/2026 1/28/2026 2/13/2026 2/27/2026 3/11/2026 3/29/2026 4/9/2026 4/24/2026 & 10/22/25 & 11/11 & 11/20 & 12/21 & 1/29 & 4/11 1 Fabian Way Between E. Charleston & E. Meadow 17 17 17 17 17 16 17 16 17 4 17 4 0 0 2 1 2 Fabian Way Between E. Charleston & San Antonio Rd.9 7 8 8 7 8 8 9 8 2 9 2 12 0 10 11 3 E. Meadow Circle Off of E. Meadow Dr.52 52 56 53 52 51 49 53 48 9 41 5 43 5 43 41 1 2 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 5 Industrial Ave.Between E. Charleston & Transport St.1 1 1 1 1 4 4 4 2 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 6 Transport St.Between E. San Antonio & Industrial Ave.12 12 11 11 11 12 12 11 6 0 5 0 4 0 6 8 7 San Antonio Rd.Between E. Charleston & Transport St.13 13 13 15 13 10 11 11 3 2 3 2 5 3 6 6 8 San Antonio Rd.East of 101 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 4 10 Elwell Ct.Dead End Off of E. Bayshore Rd.15 10 10 10 11 10 11 11 4 0 4 1 6 1 5 4 11 Corporation Way Dead End Off of E. Bayshore Rd.12 12 12 13 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Colorado Ave.Colorado Ave. & W. Bayshore Rd.5 5 6 6 2 4 3 1 1 0 4 1 3 0 3 4 13 Amarillo Ave.Bordering North Edge of Greer Park 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 14 E. Embarcadero Rd.East of 101 13 12 15 8 10 5 5 9 6 0 9 0 6 0 7 8 15 Embarcadero Way Dead End off of Embarcadero Rd.14 10 10 11 7 8 7 6 9 1 9 1 11 1 11 11 16 Faber Pl.Dead End off of Embarcadero Rd.25 23 23 25 20 19 15 16 17 0 14 0 15 0 17 17 17 Mitchell Park Mitchell Park Parking Lot 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 2 2 0 4 1 1 0 2 2 18 Greer Park Greer Park Parking Lot 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 200 188 197 195 180 170 165 168 138 24 136 21 119 14 120 120 19 Park Blvd.South of Page Mill 6 3 3 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 Lambert Ave.Between El Camino & Park Blvd.1 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 (2 segments)Between Oregon Expressway & Portage Ave.1 2 0 0 2 1 3 2 1 0 0 0 22 Poratge Ave.Between El Camino & Park Blvd.4 4 6 4 2 1 3 1 2 0 2 1 1 0 1 2 23 Olive Ave.Between El Camino & Park Blvd.1 2 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 24 Sheridan Ave.Between Park Blvd & Caltrain Parking Lot 6 6 6 6 6 3 2 3 1 0 3 0 2 0 2 1 25 Orinda St.Between Fernando Ave. & Wilton Ave.1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 Matadero Ave.Between El Camino & Park Blvd.- -1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 27 Acacia Ave.Between El Camino & Ash St.- -- -- -- -- -- -- -3 2 0 4 0 4 0 4 5 28 Page Mill Between Park Blvd. & RR - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -1 0 20 20 20 20 19 11 13 12 11 0 15 1 12 0 12 13 Total:220 208 217 215 199 181 178 180 149 24 151 22 131 14 132 133 Delta:-3 9 -2 -16 -18 -3 2 -31 2 -20 1 119 Days since first count: 10/21/2025 20 29 43 60 85 99 115 129 141 159 170 185 Months since first count: 10/21/2025 0.7 1.0 1.4 2.0 2.8 3.3 3.8 4.2 4.6 5.2 5.6 6.1 Yellow OSVs on New Street Green Utility Construction Bob Marinaro: E:Mail: rmarinaro@mac.com, Cell: 650-269-5936 Detached Trailor DT = Detached Trailers as a Subset of the Total Count Ash Street Numerous auxillary vehicles in addition to OSV Abandon Vehicle Hotline: 650-329-2258 RV Inventory_24Apr26 4/27/2026 12:38 PM From:Andrea Blonstein To:Council, City Subject:Proposal to Convert Pavilion into Theatre Date:Sunday, April 26, 2026 9:36:17 PM Attachments:Letter to City Council.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Mayor and City Council Members, Please see the attached letter regarding my thoughts about the proposal to convert the Cubberley Pavilion into a theatre. Regards, Andrea Blonstein This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first email to your company. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast April 26,2026 Palo Alto City Council 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto,CA 94301 Dear Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council, I am writing to you as a resident of Palo Alto for nearly 65 years to express my strong opposition to the proposal to convert the Pavilion into a dedicated theater space for TheatreWorks.While I value the arts,I believe this conversion would be a significant loss for our community's diversity,inclusivity,and heritage. For many years,I have supported and attended countless TheatreWorks productions at both the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts and the Lucie Stern Theatre.Both of these venues provide excellent performance and audience experiences.Given the high quality of these existing facilities,there is no need for an additional theater in this geographical region. In contrast,the Pavilion serves a unique and irreplaceable role.For over 45 years,social ballroom dancing has been held at the Pavilion.It is currently the largest dance venue in the entire Bay Area,drawing participants who value this space for its history and its capacity. Social ballroom dancing at the Pavilion is enjoyed by people of all different socio-economic groups,ages, ethnic groups,and physical abilities.At a cost of only $10,it is an inexpensive activity that allows all people to participate regardless of their financial status.This is a wonderful way to connect with people and provides well-known mental and physical health benefits. There is often discussion in our community about the importance of building community and inclusivity. This is achieved daily through social ballroom dancing,but it is not achievable with a theater that charges ticket prices only financially well-off people can afford. I urge the Council to protect this inclusive community asset and maintain the Pavilion as a space for all residents. Sincerely, Andrea Blonstein Palo Alto Resident From:Avroh Shah To:Council, City Subject:Request to Sign On to Support BAAD Rules 9-4, 9-6 Date:Sunday, April 26, 2026 4:29:54 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Hello City Councilmembers, I hope you are all doing well. BAAQMD, which is now BAAD (which is somehow an even worse acronym?), will be voting on zero emission appliance standard Rules 9-4 and 9-6 on 5/6, and there is a sign on letter going around for local electeds. I think that we're very fortunate to breathe clean air for much of the year in Palo Alto (AQI is usually around 35, barring orange skies), and I hope that you will all sign on to the letter and stand up for cleaner air, unless you are someone who is a member of the Air District board. Councilmember Lythcott-Haims, thank you for having signed on already, and I hope to see all of your names on the letter. You can sign on at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12IaSAKAK-w7sYVtIEbFGXfTpFEpiUGT- m54YB9QoIY8/edit?tab=t.0. Kind regards, Avroh This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report From:Christina G To:Council, City Subject:private security of Churchill Ave and Emerson & Coleridge Date:Sunday, April 26, 2026 3:07:34 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Hello, When I picked up my newspaper this morning, I noticed a big black security SUV parked on Churchill Ave, right in front of the cottage cluster where I live. I asked him if he was, and he (reluctantly) confirmed it. I asked if he was connected to the security on the corner of Coleridge and Emerson that I often see, and he confirmed that. I am unclear why we allow private security in unmarked cars and tinted windows to sit and idle all day and night. At the very least, they should have to proactively identify themselves with car decals or something similar. It actually makes some of us feel less safe to have them on our public streets. When they are on Churchill, that can be problematic for the bike line, as it is a thoroughfare for Paly kids every weekday. The idling creates fumes. It is even more frustrating that this is for one family that has bought at least 4 contiguous lots, has spent 2 1/2 years on the construction of one of the houses, damaging one of the oldest oaks in the neighborhood in the process. And the family doesn't even live here full time. I appreciate and quote Greer Stone in the Dec 18, 2025 NY Times article and hope to see the city address these issues: "Mr. Stone says his legislation would aim to stop billionaires from taking over the streets with construction equipment and delivery trucks. Demolition, rebuilding and remodeling cannot continue in perpetuity. No more leaving spare homes permanently empty, and no more unmarked security vehicles." Thank you, Chris This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report From:Martin Balestie To:Council, City Subject:Critical Infrastructure: lagoon systems, partitioning, summer operation, AWWA 6.1, SBRs, PFAs, wtp/wwtp cyber, fluid coolers (recent hires/area managers/most eng & science majors: env/chem/mech/civil/cyber/interdiscipl/pub policy) Date:Sunday, April 26, 2026 1:29:13 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi! Nice to touch base! Hope all is well! Just a short email (hope it makes it through). I'm helping get the word out as regards up and coming webinar series, i.e. lagoons systems, partitioning, summer operation, AWWA's free water audit software 6.1, SBRs, PFAs, intro to secondary treatment, cybersecurity for water and wastewater plants, closed circuit cooler intro, continuing funding and more. Feel free to pass along/forward to possibly available/interested parties/eng heads/area managers/recent hires. Applies to almost all eng/science/EPC areas: env/chem/mech/ civil/ cyber/interdiscipl/pub policy. Will be glad to redirect to registration links! Always happy my side to support engineering/education, recommended practice, student mentoring, industry/global outreach and much more. Global and digital go hand in hand! Have a nice week start and beyond. Stay safe, healthy and happy! Best of greetings from way down south "el Sur" ... Tschusssssssssssss!! Martin Teaching, the "profession that makes others possible," cannot be executed in isolation of others! Introduction to Water Distribution System Modeling (Part 1) Drinking Water Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026 Description: Water distribution system (WDS) hydraulic models are tools often used by engineers to perform complex hydraulic calculations during the design phase of a project. However, these models may also be used by system staff to improve knowledge and operations of their system, aid knowledge transfer, analyze system vulnerabilities, plan for future development, and troubleshoot problems in emergency scenarios. This webinar covers introductory topics related to WDS hydraulic modeling including what a hydraulic model is and why it is useful, how the model works, and an overview of model development. Learning Objectives: What hydraulic models are and why they are useful How hydraulic models work, including a brief history of early modeling efforts and the current state of modeling How to develop a model including key steps such as selecting modeling software, creating a network, adding node and link information, running simulations, and checking model predictions against reality Presenter: Steven W.H. Hoagland, Research Assistant Professor, Tennessee Water Resources Research Center Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! Geomembrane Baffle Curtains to Enhance Water and Wastewater Treatment (FGI) Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Geomembrane baffle curtains play a critical role in optimizing municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment processes. Their exceptional chemical resistance, flexibility, and tensile strength make them well-suited for directing flow and improving treatment efficiency in potable water reservoirs, wastewater lagoons, and industrial process water systems. By increasing hydraulic retention time and reducing short-circuiting, baffle curtains help enhance overall water quality and operational performance. These systems effectively eliminate dead zones and improve the removal of key contaminants such as BOD, COD, and TSS (total suspended solids). This webinar will explore the various geomembrane materials used in baffle curtain fabrication, along with common baffle curtain design configurations for ponds, reservoirs, underground clearwells, and above-ground storage tanks. It will also provide an overview of manufacturing and installation methods. Presenters: Brian Fraser & Justin Gouthreau (Layfield Geosynthetics) Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! Seasonal Challenges, Smart Solutions: Summer Operation of Wastewater Lagoons Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026 Description: As lagoon wastewater systems move into the summer months, warmer temperatures can create unique operational challenges that impact treatment performance, system health, and compliance. This one-hour webinar is designed specifically for licensed wastewater operators who manage lagoon systems and want practical, season- focused guidance. Participants will explore common warm-weather lagoon issues (including algae growth, odors, dissolved oxygen concerns, solids management, insect control, and storm-related impacts) and discuss realistic strategies to prevent problems before they escalate. The webinar will also highlight operational adjustments, routine monitoring practices, and protective measures that can help maintain stable treatment and extend the life of lagoon systems throughout the hottest months of the year. Learning Objectives: Identify key lagoon challenges that emerge during late spring and summer Understand practical operational strategies to maintain treatment efficiency in hot weather Implement approaches to managing algae, odors, and low dissolved oxygen Develop seasonal inspection and maintenance practices for lagoon protection Take proactive steps to prepare lagoons for summer conditions Presenter: Dr. Jason R. Barrett, Mississippi State University Understanding Water Loss using the AWWA Free Water Audit Software 6.1 Date: May 13, 2026 Description: How much treated water your system loses in a year? 30%? 40%? 60%? Are your losses the result of undetected leaks, metering issues, or something else? Do you know whether your water loss control activities are having any real impact? The first step to answering any of these questions is to perform an AWWA water audit using the standard Free Water Audit Software v6.1 (FWAS) – the time tested, industry standard tool for developing a clear understanding of non-revenue water in any sized utility. This session focuses not just on completing the water audit, but “Auditing for Action” to ensure that you are getting the most out of your efforts and optimize your outcomes when completing a water loss audit. After all, just doing an audit won’t save water or money – taking action based on your results is the key to effective water loss control. We will cover the latest version of the FWAS (6.1) with a focus on developing solid data for all the inputs, interpreting audit results correctly and determining what to do next. Learning Objectives: Understand the data a utility needs to collect in order to complete a water audit Learn how to input data into the AWWA M36 Water Audit Method Understand what data grades are and how to apply them to a water utility Understand how to interpret Water Audit Metrics Understand the overall importance of water loss auditing to the overall utility Presenter: Shannon Pepper, M.S., University of New Mexico Nonpoint Source Pollution, Understanding the Leading Cause of Water Quality Impairment Date: May 13, 2026 Description: Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is the leading cause of water quality impairment in the United States, affecting over 85% of impaired rivers and streams and 80% of lakes. Unlike point sources, NPS pollution comes from diffuse runoff—rain and snowmelt carrying nutrients, sediments, pathogens, and chemicals from agriculture, urban areas, construction sites, and septic systems into water bodies. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus cause eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxic “dead zones,” such as those in Lake Erie and the Gulf of Mexico, threatening drinking water, ecosystems, and local economies. Under the Clean Water Act, most nonpoint sources remain largely voluntary and not federally enforceable. This webinar reviews key best management practices (BMPs), including nutrient management, cover crops, riparian buffers, green infrastructure, and constructed wetlands, along with emerging tools such as precision agriculture, machine learning watershed models, and smart stormwater systems. It concludes by emphasizing the need for coordinated action to address climate change, urbanization, and funding gaps to protect water resources. Presenter: Timothy Byrd, Baltimore County Dept. of Public works and Transportation Advantages and Design Flexibility of a True Batch SBR System for Industrial Wastewater Treatment (corporate webinar) Date: May 14, 2026 Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR): biological process where the phases of aeration, settling, and sludge removal alternate in each of usually two reactors. Since settling and sludge removal occur within the biological reactors, secondary clarifiers and sludge recirculation pumping are unnecessary, significantly simplifying the civil works and mechanical installation, and reducing the required footprint. Microorganisms and PFAS Remediation: Practical Insights for Small Water and Wastewater Systems Date: May 21, 2026 Description Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” are persistent contaminants that pose growing challenges for small water and wastewater systems. This presentation explores how aquatic microorganisms, particularly biofilms growing on submerged plants such as Vallisneria americana, respond to PFAS exposure. By examining both field and controlled studies, the session highlights how PFAS affects microbial communities and discusses the potential for certain bacteria to contribute to PFAS transformation or remediation. Participants will gain practical knowledge on microbial processes, monitoring considerations, and how biological approaches may support PFAS management in small systems. Presenter: Dr. Dong Hee Kang, Morgan State University. Wastewater Secondary Treatment Date: May 26, 2026 Description: Join us for part 1 of our two-part webinar on wastewater secondary treatment. This one-hour webinar is designed to train wastewater operators, utility board members, and municipal decision makers on secondary treatment and the role it plays in wastewater treatment. We will learn about the principles behind secondary treatment, discuss the activated sludge process and the associated components, and how to manage the various variables associated with activated sludge. Whether you're new to wastewater operations, managing day-to-day operations or overseeing infrastructure investments, you'll gain practical insights into this crucial treatment stage. Learning Objectives: - Introduce secondary treatment - Learn about the most common secondary treatment process, activated sludge - Understand components of activated sludge Presenter: A.J. Barney, University of New Mexico Introduction to Cybersecurity and Water/Wastewater Treatment Plants Date: June 4, 2026 Description: To raise awareness among utility workers, leaders, board members, and council members about the current threat of cyberattacks, this training event will introduce participants to cybersecurity tactics, vulnerabilities, common cyberattack methods, and the physical security aspects of cybersecurity. This workshop will include discussion of the Missouri Water Safety and Security Act, and we’ll feature a tabletop exercise designed to engage facilities in discussions that examine their current cyber-resilience. Trainers: Michelle DeHaven and John Colclazier, Wichita State University CEUs: This training is approved for 5.0 Renewal Training Hours for Drinking Water, Distribution, and Wastewater by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Fluid Coolers 101: Design, Applications and Selection (1.0 PDH) (corporate webinar) Date: May 7, 2026 Fluid coolers, also called closed circuit coolers provide heat rejection by means of direct evaporation over coils. Unlike open cooling towers, there is no contact between the process fluid and ambient air. [] Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal for Wastewater Utilities Free Webinar Series (Wichita State; ongoing) Join the Environmental Finance Center for a free webinar series on Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal. Attend any of the six sessions, each worth 1 CEU for wastewater operators! These monthly webinars are designed for wastewater plant operators and managers. Participate in the discussion and engage with other wastewater professionals. Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: Small Wastewater System Funding Series - Syracuse University Successfully securing and managing federal funding for publicly owned and decentralized wastewater treatment systems is no small task, especially with shifting program priorities and uncertainty about future allocations. This no-cost webinar series from the Capacity Collaborative will guide participants through the entire funding process: where to find nationally available funding, how to craft competitive proposals, and how to stay in compliance through project completion. Designed for small wastewater systems, each session focuses on a step in the funding application and management journey, equipping participants with tools and knowledge to increase their chances of funding success. This series runs every other Tuesday from January 13, 2026, through May 5, 2026 . Workshops and webinars are complimentary under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. EPA. Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! Teaching, the "profession that makes others possible," cannot be executed in isolation of others! James C. Young Project - Ken Schifftner Consulting Air Pollution Control - Balestie & Balestie Ingenieros www.facebook.com/industrialwastewater - www.PocketGoogle.com - www.DigitalProspection.com - www.MartinBalestie.com - www.GalopeApproach.com - www.TrumpetBible.com UNIVERSITY MENTOR University of Maryland: serving a third consecutive term as Computer Science Mentor Iribe Initiative Program https://engineeringfundamentals.com/1000Ace/z-Peer-Alumni-Mentoring-Agreement-Fall-2021-signed.pdf uc davis University of California, Davis (College of Engineering ENG 003 Introduction to Engineering Design Showcase Evaluator): volunteered highly technical feedback to a full one third of 45 presented student teams although initially scheduled to review just five projects https://engineeringfundamentals.com/1000Ace/Evaluator%20Assignments%20%26%20Team%20Info%20%28Sp22%29%20U%20California%20Davis.pdf University of Michigan: Chemical Engineering Mentoring Platform https://engineeringfundamentals.com/1000Ace/z-umich-chemical-engineering-mentor-ucan-chemical.pdf Penn State University: Engineering Design 100 Climate Resilience and Adaptation Design December 2025 https://engineeringfundamentals.com/1000Ace/penn-state-engineering-design-100-december-2025-invitation.pdf Critical Infrastructure Webinars and More - 2026 [] Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal for Wastewater Utilities Free Webinar Series (Wichita State; ongoing; next date to be confirmed) Join the Environmental Finance Center for a free webinar series on Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal. Attend any of the six sessions, each worth 1 CEU for wastewater operators! These monthly webinars are designed for wastewater plant operators and managers. Participate in the discussion and engage with other wastewater professionals. Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! p.s.: My good friends, my best friends computers NEVER fail to fail! You may receive duplicates of this message/others as at times I having email snafus/bounces. Feel free to get back to me ad lib, either via balestie@umich.edu and/or cc.: Martin Balestie < answers@engineeringfundamentals.com> (1) 917 300 3024 (on and off NEW NUMBER ). From:Martin Balestie To:Council, City Subject:Critical Infrastructure: lagoon systems, partitioning, summer operation, AWWA 6.1, SBRs, PFAs, wtp/wwtp cyber, fluid coolers (recent hires/area managers/most eng & science majors: env/chem/mech/civil/cyber/interdiscipl/pub policy) Date:Sunday, April 26, 2026 1:29:08 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi! Nice to touch base! Hope all is well! Just a short email (hope it makes it through). I'm helping get the word out as regards up and coming webinar series, i.e. lagoons systems, partitioning, summer operation, AWWA's free water audit software 6.1, SBRs, PFAs, intro to secondary treatment, cybersecurity for water and wastewater plants, closed circuit cooler intro, continuing funding and more. Feel free to pass along/forward to possibly available/interested parties/eng heads/area managers/recent hires. Applies to almost all eng/science/EPC areas: env/chem/mech/ civil/ cyber/interdiscipl/pub policy. Will be glad to redirect to registration links! Always happy my side to support engineering/education, recommended practice, student mentoring, industry/global outreach and much more. Global and digital go hand in hand! Have a nice week start and beyond. Stay safe, healthy and happy! Best of greetings from way down south "el Sur" ... Tschusssssssssssss!! Martin Teaching, the "profession that makes others possible," cannot be executed in isolation of others! Introduction to Water Distribution System Modeling (Part 1) Drinking Water Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026 Description: Water distribution system (WDS) hydraulic models are tools often used by engineers to perform complex hydraulic calculations during the design phase of a project. However, these models may also be used by system staff to improve knowledge and operations of their system, aid knowledge transfer, analyze system vulnerabilities, plan for future development, and troubleshoot problems in emergency scenarios. This webinar covers introductory topics related to WDS hydraulic modeling including what a hydraulic model is and why it is useful, how the model works, and an overview of model development. Learning Objectives: What hydraulic models are and why they are useful How hydraulic models work, including a brief history of early modeling efforts and the current state of modeling How to develop a model including key steps such as selecting modeling software, creating a network, adding node and link information, running simulations, and checking model predictions against reality Presenter: Steven W.H. Hoagland, Research Assistant Professor, Tennessee Water Resources Research Center Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! Geomembrane Baffle Curtains to Enhance Water and Wastewater Treatment (FGI) Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Geomembrane baffle curtains play a critical role in optimizing municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment processes. Their exceptional chemical resistance, flexibility, and tensile strength make them well-suited for directing flow and improving treatment efficiency in potable water reservoirs, wastewater lagoons, and industrial process water systems. By increasing hydraulic retention time and reducing short-circuiting, baffle curtains help enhance overall water quality and operational performance. These systems effectively eliminate dead zones and improve the removal of key contaminants such as BOD, COD, and TSS (total suspended solids). This webinar will explore the various geomembrane materials used in baffle curtain fabrication, along with common baffle curtain design configurations for ponds, reservoirs, underground clearwells, and above-ground storage tanks. It will also provide an overview of manufacturing and installation methods. Presenters: Brian Fraser & Justin Gouthreau (Layfield Geosynthetics) Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! Seasonal Challenges, Smart Solutions: Summer Operation of Wastewater Lagoons Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026 Description: As lagoon wastewater systems move into the summer months, warmer temperatures can create unique operational challenges that impact treatment performance, system health, and compliance. This one-hour webinar is designed specifically for licensed wastewater operators who manage lagoon systems and want practical, season- focused guidance. Participants will explore common warm-weather lagoon issues (including algae growth, odors, dissolved oxygen concerns, solids management, insect control, and storm-related impacts) and discuss realistic strategies to prevent problems before they escalate. The webinar will also highlight operational adjustments, routine monitoring practices, and protective measures that can help maintain stable treatment and extend the life of lagoon systems throughout the hottest months of the year. Learning Objectives: Identify key lagoon challenges that emerge during late spring and summer Understand practical operational strategies to maintain treatment efficiency in hot weather Implement approaches to managing algae, odors, and low dissolved oxygen Develop seasonal inspection and maintenance practices for lagoon protection Take proactive steps to prepare lagoons for summer conditions Presenter: Dr. Jason R. Barrett, Mississippi State University Understanding Water Loss using the AWWA Free Water Audit Software 6.1 Date: May 13, 2026 Description: How much treated water your system loses in a year? 30%? 40%? 60%? Are your losses the result of undetected leaks, metering issues, or something else? Do you know whether your water loss control activities are having any real impact? The first step to answering any of these questions is to perform an AWWA water audit using the standard Free Water Audit Software v6.1 (FWAS) – the time tested, industry standard tool for developing a clear understanding of non-revenue water in any sized utility. This session focuses not just on completing the water audit, but “Auditing for Action” to ensure that you are getting the most out of your efforts and optimize your outcomes when completing a water loss audit. After all, just doing an audit won’t save water or money – taking action based on your results is the key to effective water loss control. We will cover the latest version of the FWAS (6.1) with a focus on developing solid data for all the inputs, interpreting audit results correctly and determining what to do next. Learning Objectives: Understand the data a utility needs to collect in order to complete a water audit Learn how to input data into the AWWA M36 Water Audit Method Understand what data grades are and how to apply them to a water utility Understand how to interpret Water Audit Metrics Understand the overall importance of water loss auditing to the overall utility Presenter: Shannon Pepper, M.S., University of New Mexico Nonpoint Source Pollution, Understanding the Leading Cause of Water Quality Impairment Date: May 13, 2026 Description: Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is the leading cause of water quality impairment in the United States, affecting over 85% of impaired rivers and streams and 80% of lakes. Unlike point sources, NPS pollution comes from diffuse runoff—rain and snowmelt carrying nutrients, sediments, pathogens, and chemicals from agriculture, urban areas, construction sites, and septic systems into water bodies. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus cause eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxic “dead zones,” such as those in Lake Erie and the Gulf of Mexico, threatening drinking water, ecosystems, and local economies. Under the Clean Water Act, most nonpoint sources remain largely voluntary and not federally enforceable. This webinar reviews key best management practices (BMPs), including nutrient management, cover crops, riparian buffers, green infrastructure, and constructed wetlands, along with emerging tools such as precision agriculture, machine learning watershed models, and smart stormwater systems. It concludes by emphasizing the need for coordinated action to address climate change, urbanization, and funding gaps to protect water resources. Presenter: Timothy Byrd, Baltimore County Dept. of Public works and Transportation Advantages and Design Flexibility of a True Batch SBR System for Industrial Wastewater Treatment (corporate webinar) Date: May 14, 2026 Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR): biological process where the phases of aeration, settling, and sludge removal alternate in each of usually two reactors. Since settling and sludge removal occur within the biological reactors, secondary clarifiers and sludge recirculation pumping are unnecessary, significantly simplifying the civil works and mechanical installation, and reducing the required footprint. Microorganisms and PFAS Remediation: Practical Insights for Small Water and Wastewater Systems Date: May 21, 2026 Description Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” are persistent contaminants that pose growing challenges for small water and wastewater systems. This presentation explores how aquatic microorganisms, particularly biofilms growing on submerged plants such as Vallisneria americana, respond to PFAS exposure. By examining both field and controlled studies, the session highlights how PFAS affects microbial communities and discusses the potential for certain bacteria to contribute to PFAS transformation or remediation. Participants will gain practical knowledge on microbial processes, monitoring considerations, and how biological approaches may support PFAS management in small systems. Presenter: Dr. Dong Hee Kang, Morgan State University. Wastewater Secondary Treatment Date: May 26, 2026 Description: Join us for part 1 of our two-part webinar on wastewater secondary treatment. This one-hour webinar is designed to train wastewater operators, utility board members, and municipal decision makers on secondary treatment and the role it plays in wastewater treatment. We will learn about the principles behind secondary treatment, discuss the activated sludge process and the associated components, and how to manage the various variables associated with activated sludge. Whether you're new to wastewater operations, managing day-to-day operations or overseeing infrastructure investments, you'll gain practical insights into this crucial treatment stage. Learning Objectives: - Introduce secondary treatment - Learn about the most common secondary treatment process, activated sludge - Understand components of activated sludge Presenter: A.J. Barney, University of New Mexico Introduction to Cybersecurity and Water/Wastewater Treatment Plants Date: June 4, 2026 Description: To raise awareness among utility workers, leaders, board members, and council members about the current threat of cyberattacks, this training event will introduce participants to cybersecurity tactics, vulnerabilities, common cyberattack methods, and the physical security aspects of cybersecurity. This workshop will include discussion of the Missouri Water Safety and Security Act, and we’ll feature a tabletop exercise designed to engage facilities in discussions that examine their current cyber-resilience. Trainers: Michelle DeHaven and John Colclazier, Wichita State University CEUs: This training is approved for 5.0 Renewal Training Hours for Drinking Water, Distribution, and Wastewater by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Fluid Coolers 101: Design, Applications and Selection (1.0 PDH) (corporate webinar) Date: May 7, 2026 Fluid coolers, also called closed circuit coolers provide heat rejection by means of direct evaporation over coils. Unlike open cooling towers, there is no contact between the process fluid and ambient air. [] Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal for Wastewater Utilities Free Webinar Series (Wichita State; ongoing) Join the Environmental Finance Center for a free webinar series on Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal. Attend any of the six sessions, each worth 1 CEU for wastewater operators! These monthly webinars are designed for wastewater plant operators and managers. Participate in the discussion and engage with other wastewater professionals. Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: Small Wastewater System Funding Series - Syracuse University Successfully securing and managing federal funding for publicly owned and decentralized wastewater treatment systems is no small task, especially with shifting program priorities and uncertainty about future allocations. This no-cost webinar series from the Capacity Collaborative will guide participants through the entire funding process: where to find nationally available funding, how to craft competitive proposals, and how to stay in compliance through project completion. Designed for small wastewater systems, each session focuses on a step in the funding application and management journey, equipping participants with tools and knowledge to increase their chances of funding success. This series runs every other Tuesday from January 13, 2026, through May 5, 2026 . Workshops and webinars are complimentary under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. EPA. Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! Teaching, the "profession that makes others possible," cannot be executed in isolation of others! James C. Young Project - Ken Schifftner Consulting Air Pollution Control - Balestie & Balestie Ingenieros www.facebook.com/industrialwastewater - www.PocketGoogle.com - www.DigitalProspection.com - www.MartinBalestie.com - www.GalopeApproach.com - www.TrumpetBible.com UNIVERSITY MENTOR University of Maryland: serving a third consecutive term as Computer Science Mentor Iribe Initiative Program https://engineeringfundamentals.com/1000Ace/z-Peer-Alumni-Mentoring-Agreement-Fall-2021-signed.pdf uc davis University of California, Davis (College of Engineering ENG 003 Introduction to Engineering Design Showcase Evaluator): volunteered highly technical feedback to a full one third of 45 presented student teams although initially scheduled to review just five projects https://engineeringfundamentals.com/1000Ace/Evaluator%20Assignments%20%26%20Team%20Info%20%28Sp22%29%20U%20California%20Davis.pdf University of Michigan: Chemical Engineering Mentoring Platform https://engineeringfundamentals.com/1000Ace/z-umich-chemical-engineering-mentor-ucan-chemical.pdf Penn State University: Engineering Design 100 Climate Resilience and Adaptation Design December 2025 https://engineeringfundamentals.com/1000Ace/penn-state-engineering-design-100-december-2025-invitation.pdf Critical Infrastructure Webinars and More - 2026 [] Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal for Wastewater Utilities Free Webinar Series (Wichita State; ongoing; next date to be confirmed) Join the Environmental Finance Center for a free webinar series on Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal. Attend any of the six sessions, each worth 1 CEU for wastewater operators! These monthly webinars are designed for wastewater plant operators and managers. Participate in the discussion and engage with other wastewater professionals. Feel free to forward/circulate to likely stakeholders/incumbent parties. Will be happy to redirect to registration links! p.s.: My good friends, my best friends computers NEVER fail to fail! You may receive duplicates of this message/others as at times I having email snafus/bounces. Feel free to get back to me ad lib, either via balestie@umich.edu and/or cc.: Martin Balestie < answers@engineeringfundamentals.com> (1) 917 300 3024 (on and off NEW NUMBER ). From:Robert Marinaro To:Council, City; Veenker, Vicki; Stone, Greer; Lythcott-Haims, Julie; Lauing, Ed; Reckdahl, Keith; Lu, George; Burt, Patrick Cc:Bulatao, Eric; Chris Schremp; Christine Schremp; Chip Wytmar; Sharon Elliot; Ceci Kettendorf; Robin Holbrook; Arthur Keller; Margaret Abe-Koga Subject:OSV on Louis Rd @ Gailen Ave Date:Saturday, April 25, 2026 8:26:05 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. This is the guy who usually parks in Mitchell Park. Now he has moved into our neighborhood and we don’t like it! This situation needs to be dealt with before it escalates more! As you can see he still has the sticker in his back window from the safe parking lot in Mountain View. This photo was taken Saturday 4/25 @ 7:00 am. Bob Marinaro From:MD Patel To:Council, City Cc:Transportation Subject:Real-time crossing data pilot ahead of Churchill Ave decision Date:Friday, April 24, 2026 10:54:21 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Ed Shikada and Palo Alto Transportation Team, With the May 11 decision on Churchill Avenue approaching, there’s an opportunity to bring real-time crossing data into both the immediate operations discussion and longer-term grade separation planning. TrainSnap provides live railroad crossing intelligence through solar-powered, rapidly deployable sensors - no city power or infrastructure required. The platform has been live in Portland for over a year, supporting 3,000+ commuters with real-time crossing visibility. To make this tangible for Palo Alto, I’d propose a simple starting point: 1. No-cost pilot at two crossings of the city’s choosing 2. Live dashboards for traffic operations and emergency response, including crossing-aware ETAs and routing Deployment timeline: ~2 weeks from permit approval to live data With support on permits and access, Palo Alto could have actionable crossing data online within weeks, well ahead of future corridor decisions. I’d welcome the opportunity to walk through Portland’s first-year results and outline what a rollout here would look like. Are you available for a brief call next week? Regards, MD Patel Founder, TrainSnap Inc. trainsnap.us From:Sungjune Park To:Mokhtar, Ahmad Cc:Love, Dominay; Council, City; Police; Clerk, City Subject:Accident at Ashton Ave construction site: Damaged car Date:Friday, April 24, 2026 9:46:10 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Hi - I would like to bring to your attention that there was an accident this morning, where one of the construction car hit my car parked in front of my house (699 Ashton Ave.) and damaged it. I am kinda fed up with this whole situation with noise, dust, and inconvenince that the multi- month construction work has caused. I personally am not seeing any upside on this public work yet I have been suffering this for months just because my property happens to be there. In fact, I am having to delay my own property remodeling due to all this. What is the city doing manage this? This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first mail to some recipients. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:laurie miller To:Council, City Subject:youth suicide Date:Friday, April 24, 2026 9:30:33 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking onlinks. i Sorry, I forgot to forward the link... https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/science/988-youth-suicides-decline.html? campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20260424&instance_id=174591&nl=the- This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report From:laurie miller To:Council, City Subject:Suicide Prevention Date:Friday, April 24, 2026 9:27:07 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Good morning, I have just read in the NY Times that youth suicides have significantly dropped and it now has been attributed to the 988 hotline. There is also a recent restored option to press 3 for LBGTQ+ which accounts for 10% of suicide calls. Whether you close the Churchill crossing or not, this hotline is probably something worth emphasizing in all of our schools. As a teacher in a private school, I know this information has been used, and advocated by students to others. Laurie MIller 355 Ely Place Palo Alto This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report From:Chris Schremp To:edlauing@paloalto.gov; julielythcotthaims@paloalto.gov; keithreckdahl@paloalto.gov Cc:district5@bos.sccgov.org; Council, City; City Mgr; Robert Marinaro; Christine Schremp; Bulatao, Eric Subject:OSV Migration into Residential Neighborhoods Date:Thursday, April 23, 2026 2:38:55 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Council Members Lauing, Lythcott-Haims, and Reckdahl, I am writing to you today as a deeply concerned resident regarding the rapidly worsening situation with Oversized Vehicles (OSVs) on our streets. The issue continues to encroach on our residential neighborhoods. I have been actively raising this issue to the City Council for weeks, and there seems to be little progress. This is a critical safety and infrastructure failure. We are seeing OSVs parking on residential streets, blocking bike lanes, obstructing line-of-sight at intersections, and occupying street parking intended for tax paying residents. This creates significant hazards for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike—as evidenced by near-miss incidents I have recently documented and reported. As an active member of this community and a taxpayer, it is disheartening to witness the City’s apparent inability to manage this public safety hazard. We need an immediate, concrete plan to halt this migration and reclaim our streets. As members of the OSV Ad-Hoc Committee, what specific actions do you plan to take immediately to address this encroachment into residential areas? We are looking for definitive solutions and enforcement, not continued study or prolonged dialogue. I have attached photos of the latest incidents for your review. I look forward to your prompt response regarding the City's concrete path forward. Best regards, Chris Schremp From:Cynthia Fan To:Council, City Subject:state’s Urban Greening Grant as potential supplemental funding for grass playing field pilot Date:Thursday, April 23, 2026 2:28:28 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Idea: perhaps the city could gain some additional funding to supplement that being used for the grass playing field pilot by applying for this state grant… The 2024 Climate Bond (Proposition 4 (2024 California Climate Bond)) set aside substantial funding for projects that reduce extreme heat and expand community green space, including the Urban Greening Grant Program administered by the California Natural Resources Agency. This program specifically prioritizes projects that mitigate the urban heat island effect, provide cooling benefits, clean stormwater, and serve disadvantaged communities—making a well-designed natural grass playing field with shade, soil-based cooling, and public access a strong candidate if framed as a climate resilience and community cooling project rather than just an athletic facility. The concept proposal 30-day window opens in May, so now is the time to position eligible projects. More details here: https://resources.ca.gov/grants/urban-greening/ -Cynthia Fan From:herb To:Council, City; Clerk, City Cc:Planning Commission Subject:Accurate Communications to City Council of Board and Commission Deliberations Date:Thursday, April 23, 2026 12:01:13 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. In my prior email letter on this subject I sent you a copy of aletter to all City Council Members from Planning andTransportation Commission Chair Alan Akin and Vice Chair BrynaChang. The letter includes four numbered miscommunications, but Iinadvertently omitted the paragraph that introduced the thirdof the four examples cited by Akin and Chang. The missing paragraph follows the three paragraphs that beginwith the numeral "2". Please insert the following paragraph in the letter that Ipreviously sent you. The new paragraph is shown in bold face underscored typebetween the paragraphs that precede and follow it. ____________________________ As a consequence, though, both PTC and Mr. Girard felt that adesign known to be unacceptable had been forced through. 3. There was not a shared understanding of the implications ofa pilot project. The informal concept of a pilot project is that it can beundone if determined to be unacceptable. PTC suggested on September 24th that a straightforward resolution for Mr.Girard's concerns would be to undo the pilot bulb-out at EastCrescent. Herb Borock From:Star Teachout To:City Mgr Cc:Council, City; Star-Lack, Sylvia Subject:Improving connections/communication between city and residents Date:Thursday, April 23, 2026 11:12:28 AM Attachments:Screen Shot 2026-04-23 at 9.08.35 AM.png Screen Shot 2026-04-23 at 9.14.47 AM.png Screen Shot 2026-04-23 at 9.15.11 AM.png Screen Shot 2026-04-23 at 9.15.39 AM.png Screen Shot 2026-04-23 at 9.15.46 AM.png Dear city manager Shikada and councilmembers, While reading through a traffic analysis for the Fry’s development, it mentioned how Mountain View is more effective than Palo Alto at communicating with its residents. It would be a good investment of someone’s time to review and compare web sites with Mountain View. Having people identified on our web site with their areas of focus would help towards improving our communications, especially in these accelerated development (and sometimes divisive) times. It might also improve relationships/motivation for city employees to feel seen. A simple example on our current web page is the absence of a staff directory or any actual people listed in the Office of Transportation. The director isn’t even listed. One has to drill down to the meeting minutes level to find Sylvia Star-Lack, transportation manager, who is involved in important bicycle safety issues/programs. See Planning & Development for an excellent example of structure. Organizing and improving communication extends to other areas where we want residents involved in our city, and invested in our goals—mental health, business development, and community cohesion. Take a look at the City of MV’s subscription page—quite fabulous in its breadth and something we could implement. Below are the categories I selected as an example. Thanks for considering this idea, Star Teachout From:Hilari Varnadore To:Hilari Varnadore Subject:Join USGBC for Local Government Leadership Summit in Berkeley on May 27 Date:Thursday, April 23, 2026 10:33:56 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i I hope you will join me in Berkeley on May 27 for our next Local Government Leadership Summit! This event is co-located with the USGBC California conference at UC-Berkeley and will address local government leadership in building decarbonization and sustainability in Northern California. We’ll discuss the region’s successes, challenges and opportunities and work together to advance solutions and actionable next steps. You'll learn about USGBC’s program offerings for local governments, including LEED, LEED for Cities, and a suite of education, policy, and planning tools. Thanks to Sarah Moore’s team for serving as our host city and providing the welcoming remarks at the summit. We encourage you to share with colleagues in local government, including city and county planners, sustainability and resilience teams, building and facility managers, city/county managers, board and commission members, and elected officials as well as federal, state, and regional governments; NGOs; students, education and university partners, consultants and other companies that engage with local governments in the region. Participants with their LEED Green Associate or LEED AP will receive 3 continuing education credits. If you are attending the full conference, our summit is an add-on. If you are not, then you will use the separate link (below). Attending the Summit only: register here. This message needs your attention This is their first email to you. Mark Safe Report Attending both Summit and Conference: register here, select the General Admission or General Admission: Non-Profit/Government/Student ticket, and use code LGLS to select the Summit as an add-on. Reach out with any questions. I look forward to seeing you end of May! ~Hilari Hilari Varnadore Vice President, State and Local Government U.S. Market Transformation & Development U.S. Green Building Council | usgbc.org hvarnadore@usgbc.org Sign up here to stay informed about USGBC’s work with local governments to advance city-scale sustainability. Visit our LEED for Cities and Local Government Leadership Program sites to learn more. Interested in sponsoring our Local Government Leadership Program? View our sponsor prospectus here. From:herb To:Council, City; Clerk, City Cc:Planning Commission Subject:Accurate Communications to City Council of Board and Commission Deliberations Date:Wednesday, April 22, 2026 5:41:16 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. During her interview for re-appointment to the Planning andTransportation Commission, Vice Chair Bryna Chang expressed herconcern that the Commission's deliberations were not accuratelybeing communicated to the City Council by staff, and revealedthat she and the Commission Chair had sent a letter to all CityCouncil Members about the Commission's concerns. Chang said, "sometimes the context in which the PTC madedecisions had not been fully transmitted to Council. BrynaChang had been working with staff trying to surface issues thatmight be raised. Bryna Chang and Chair Akin recently wrote aletter to Council to flag some of the issues."(Page 16 of 18, City Council Meeting, Summary Minutes:03/23/2026) Although every Council Member received a copy of that letter,it never appeared in any City Council agenda packet, because itwas addressed to each Council Member individually, instead ofbeing addressed to City.Council@CityofPaloAlto.org as indicatedon the City Clerk's website as the address for sending lettersthat would be forwarded to all Council Members and that wouldalso be included in the next Agenda Packet. The issue raised by Akin's and Chang's letter was about oneplanning issue, but it applies to others as well, and if theletter had been publicly available when it was sent lastOctober, other individuals would have had the opportunity toinform the Council that the concerns expressed by Akin andChang on behalf of the Commission have occurred repeatedly andneed to be addressed by the Council. A copy of Akin and Chang's October 27, 2025 letter appearsbelow this email from me, and copy of the attachment referredto by Akin and Chang's letter appears below their letter. Thank you for your consideration of these comments. ------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:58:12 -0700 From: Allen Akin <akin@arden.org> To: <Ed.Lauing@paloalto.gov>, <Vicki.Veenker@paloalto.gov>,<Pat.Burt@paloalto.gov>, <George.Lu@paloalto.gov>,<Julie.LythcottHaims@paloalto.gov>,<Keith.Reckdahl@paloalto.gov>, <Greer.Stone@paloalto.gov> CC: <Ria.Lo@paloalto.gov>, <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov>, Subject: Follow-up regarding the Crescent Park Traffic CalmingProject Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council Members: Please see the attached letter, which provides context for theCrescent Park Traffic Calming Project in particular and PTCreview processes in general. Best Regards,Allen Akin--------------------------------------------------------Mayor Lauing, Vice Mayor Veenker, Honorable Council Members: At the Planning and Transportation Commission’s request, wewrite to make you aware that the Crescent Park Traffic CalmingProject suffered from miscommunications that affected CityCouncil, PTC, City Staff, and residents (especially Mr. Girand,the resident nearest the East Crescent bulb-out). As we see it: 1. PTC intent was miscommunicated to Council, which thenapproved the item prematurely as part of the consent calendar. In June 2023, PTC reviewed the results of pilot installationsfor the Project. As stated in the PTC Summary Minutes for June14, 2023, PTC made the following recommendation to Councilregarding the three components of the project, and notably didnot recommend the East Crescent bulb-out for permanentinstallation without change: “To make permanent number one [bollards for University Ave bikelane] and number three [traffic circle at Center]... Also, PTCrecommended that number two [bulb-out at East Crescent] neededmore work and that the bulb-out be made more suitable withdirect input from adjacent property owners. “Commissioner Lu understood that location two would remain inplace during the redesign and that Council would evaluate theproposal”…“Vice-Chair Chang noted part of the motion was that locationtwo would return to PTC for review if approved by Council topursue permanent installation. “[Office of Transportation Senior Engineer] Mr. Bhatiaannounced all three locations would come back to PTC forreview.” In November 2023 when the item was brought to Council, it wasplaced on the consent calendar as “Approval to Proceed withDesign of Improvements for Permanent Installation of theTraffic Calming Pilot Project in the Crescent ParkNeighborhood” and Council approved the item. The Staff Report on the consent calendar item did notaccurately represent PTC’s motion, and instead stated: recommended to the City Council that the staff be authorized toproceed with the design of permanent improvements. However, inresponse to concerns raised by the fronting property owners,the PTC further recommended that the staff work with theadjacent property owners to gather their input for the concernsof those directly affected in designing the permanentimprovements.” 2. There was not a shared understanding of the project reviewand approval process. After the pilot installations were analyzed to create finaldesigns, a review was placed on the PTC agenda as an ActionItem. PTC recommended approval of the traffic circle atHamilton and Center, but did not recommend approval of thebulb-out at East Crescent. PTC requested that TransportationStaff interview Mr. Girand and refine or redesign the treatmenton East Crescent before PTC could recommend approval, thencontinued the item. When the item returned to PTC on September 24th it had beenreclassified as a Study Session, implying PTC approval was nolonger needed. From Transportation Staff’s point of view, thedesign had been approved by Council on the consent calendar andno additional PTC recommendation was expected or required.Therefore from Planning Staff’s point of view, the originalclassification as an Action Item had been in error. As a consequence, though, both PTC and Mr. Girand felt that adesign known to be unacceptable had been forced through. The informal concept of a pilot project is that it can beundone if determined to be unacceptable. PTC suggested onSeptember 24th that a straightforward resolution for Mr.Girand’s concerns would be to undo the pilot bulb-out at EastCrescent. However, simply implementing the pilot project triggered apermanent consequence: All modified intersections must bebrought into compliance with the ADA, and the pilot itself isconsidered a modification. As a result, the non-ADA-compliant access ramp that Mr. Girandhas depended upon must be removed and replaced with a curb-height concrete pad, even if the piloted modifications were notapproved and the temporary bulb-out and stop signs wereuninstalled. 4. Two separate pieces of the traffic calming project, thetraffic circle at Hamilton and Center and the bulb-out at EastCrescent, were linked in a way they should not have been. The traffic circle has enthusiastic community support and thePTC also gave its endorsement of the circle in June 2023.However, installation of the traffic circle cannot proceeduntil the controversy over the bulb-out is resolved becauseboth parts of the project were quoted in a single engineeringconsultant contract. According to Transportation Staff,obtaining new, separate contracts for each piece of the projectwould result in substantial cost increases because so much time has elapsed and construction has become more expensive. We are considering process improvements to prevent similarsituations in the future: 1. PTC believes that projects of this type are in its purview,and final designs should be subject to review andrecommendation. 2. Council Staff Reports should be reviewed early by the PTCliaison so that miscommunications can be resolved, ideallybefore the Reports are distributed to Council. 3. During hearings PTC should produce more formal summaries ofconclusions that Staff can convey to Council. 4. PTC Liaisons should speak to Council more frequently. We hope this summary has clarified matters. As always, we areavailable to answer your questions and we are grateful for youradvice. Allen AkinChair Bryna ChangVice-Chair From:Palo Alto Council of PTAs To:Council, City Subject:Please RSVP—Palo Alto Council of PTAs is waiting for you! Date:Wednesday, April 22, 2026 5:31:39 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. evite Submit Your RSVP PTAC Honorary Service Awards 2026 View & RSVP 72 guests attending See Who's Coming Event details Friday, April 24, 2026 5:30PM - 8:00PM Add to calendar The Hub 3215 Porter Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 View Map This email was sent to city.council@paloalto.gov because you have been invited to an event by Palo Alto Council of PTAs. Even if you have opted-out of receiving Evite marketing communications, you may still receive emails with relevant information based on your upcoming Invitation events or recent activity. Evite® and Life's Better Together® are the registered trademarks of Evite, Inc. © 2026, Evite, Inc. All rights reserved. Evite invitations and services may include other trademarks of their respective owners. Privacy Policy | Event Notification Settings | Block this Host | Do Not Sell My Info Evite 310 E. Colorado St. Glendale, CA 91205 From:gel@theconnection.com To:City Mgr; Council, City Subject:Reworking Embarcadero UnderPass Date:Wednesday, April 22, 2026 10:16:06 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hello City Council, I read that you want to make superficial changes around the Embarcadero underpass. I suggest that the underpass be remodeled to accommodate 4 lanes for both Embarcadero and Alma above. This underpass was built in the mid 1930’s and probably short of money and a probably a compromise was made. Let’s fix this real issue. Traffic is heavy for both Alma and Embarcadero. Take Care, Gary Lindgren 585 Lincoln Ave. Palo Alto CA 94301 650-326-0655 Check Out Latest Seismometer Reading I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Chinese proverb Be Like Costco…do something in a different way Don’t trust Atoms…they make up everything Fortune Favors The Brave A part of good science is to see what everyone else can see but think what no one else has ever said. The difference between being very smart and very foolish is often very small. So many problems occur when people fail to be obedient when they are supposed to be obedient, and fail to be creative when they are supposed to be creative. The secret to doing good research is always to be a little underemployed. You waste years by not being able to waste hours. It is sometimes easier to make the world a better place than to prove you have made the world a better place. Amos Tversky From:Humphrey, Sonia Cc:LAFCO Subject:TAC Meeting on 4/22/2026 - Additional Meeting Materials Available Date:Tuesday, April 21, 2026 4:32:01 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i The following additional information has been added to the April 22, 2026 LAFCO TAC Meeting Agenda: PowerPoint Presentations, Draft Community Survey, and Draft Service Review Criteria. The agenda and these materials, can be viewed online at: https://santaclaralafco.org/meetings/countywide-water-and-wastewater-service-review-technical- advisory-committee-tac-meeting. Best regards, Sonia Humphrey, LAFCO Clerk LAFCO of Santa Clara County 777 North First Street, Suite 410 San Jose, CA 95112 (408) 993-4709 This message needs your attention You've never replied to this person. Mark Safe Report From:gel@theconnection.com To:Council, City Subject:Dark Sky Lighting Date:Tuesday, April 21, 2026 4:06:35 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hello City Council, Last night there was an interesting story about reducing the city light level at night on the PBS News Hour TV program. The setting was in Denmark and they are running an experiment and using red colored lighting. In this case they were trying to protect bats as they are light blinded with white lighting. The story sounded interesting as it reminded me of your new ordinance on night lighting. The City should do it’s part and reduce street lighting. How about red lights. Or orange light, I believe these are sodium lights. BTW, I just ordered some red LED light bulbs from Amazon for our porch to see how it works. Take Care, Gary Lindgren 585 Lincoln Ave. Palo Alto CA 94301 650-326-0655 Check Out Latest Seismometer Reading I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Chinese proverb Be Like Costco…do something in a different way Don’t trust Atoms…they make up everything Fortune Favors The Brave A part of good science is to see what everyone else can see but think what no one else has ever said. The difference between being very smart and very foolish is often very small. So many problems occur when people fail to be obedient when they are supposed to be obedient, and fail to be creative when they are supposed to be creative. The secret to doing good research is always to be a little underemployed. You waste years by not being able to waste hours. It is sometimes easier to make the world a better place than to prove you have made the world a better place. From:Carina Rossner To:Council, City; Carina Rossner Subject:910 Webster Street plans are dangerous and a poor fit Date:Tuesday, April 21, 2026 12:19:45 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. ! Not a good fit in mass or shadows for the single family homes around it. The intersection of Channing and Webster is already dangerous and complicated with a lot of elderly trying to use the crossing and Channing traffic speeding. Adding a ton of extra residents and cars to that intersection is wrong. And the prices noted for the apartments are a net loss of low cost housing - NOT what this city needs. Carina Rossner This message could be suspicious The sender's email address couldn't be verified. This is their first mail to some recipients. Mark Safe Report From:Gabe Molitor To:Council, City Subject:Dear city council members this is your friend Gabe molitor and the reason for this mobile cell phone email message is because I also think that there should also be exceptions to the open container law if it’s in a clear reusable plastic container that... Date:Tuesday, April 21, 2026 11:04:36 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Sent from my iPhone From:Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo To:Council, City Subject:Highlights From The Friends’ 3rd Annual Spring Breakfast Date:Tuesday, April 21, 2026 8:00:56 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Highlights From The Friends’ 3rd Annual Spring Breakfast April 21, 2026 Dear Friends, Over the past three years, the Friends’ Spring Breakfast has shown just how deeply our community is committed to investing in future scientists. The JMZ is truly a community gem where children can explore, discover, and develop a lifelong curiosity for science and the natural world. At the same time, we know that access to hands-on science education is not equitable across our region. This is why each year, we come together to share the mission of the Friends and the impact that our work brings to children in underserved communities. Thanks to your generosity, this year’s event raised more than $60,000—funding engaging, hands-on science lessons for over 3,000 elementary school students. Through these experiences, students will not only build foundational science knowledge, but also gain confidence and begin to see themselves as scientists. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to our panelists, board members, and ambassadors, whose contributions made our event both meaningful and memorable. If you would like to further support this work, we invite you to make a gift today. Warmly, Lauren Angelo President, Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Thank You For Investing In Our Future Scientists On March 29th, we hosted our third annual Spring Breakfast, welcoming new and longstanding supporters of the Friends. This was the first time the event was held at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, and the abundance of blooming florals and greenery certainly put the spring in Spring Breakfast! As guests arrived, they were greeted by Friends Ambassadors – Lee Harper, Kat Burton, and Jasmin Ibarra Cortes – who introduced guests to some of our scaly and furry friends. Friends Ambassador Lee Harper introduces a guest to Kermit, a bearded dragon. Pallavi Rao, Friends Board Member and Co-Chair of the Access & Inclusion Committee, opened the program by reminding us why we gathered on this beautiful morning: to ensure that every child has the opportunity to explore, discover, and imagine what is possible through science. While the JMZ is an invaluable resource for many families, access to these types of experiences is not universal. By funding the JMZ’s Science Outreach Program in underserved schools, we are proud to bring high-quality, hands-on science education directly to students in East Palo Alto, eastern Menlo Park, and Redwood City. Spring Breakfast guests are immersed in the program and the panel's conversation. Our panel of science and education leaders were introduced by Neeta Kannan, Friends Board Member and Development Committee Member. Neeta moderated a dynamic discussion with Eco Wonder School Director Amina Burrell, Technology and Education Investor CeeCee Schnugg, and the Principal of Addison Elementary School Jeff Downing. The panel shared how their respective early experiences shaped their passion for science and nature, highlighted how their work in science and education builds a sense of curiosity and discovery for children, and explained the importance of investing in STEM education. Their insights underscored a central theme: early exposure to science can shape confidence, open pathways, and expand what children believe is possible. Neeta Kannan and the panel engage in a discussion on early STEM experiences. To close out our morning, Friends Board Members and Event Committee Co-Chairs, Sally Loverro and Rebecca Bridges, introduced The Wonder Circle, our new donor appreciation program, which will officially launch in July. The program will recognize several giving levels, each offering opportunities for engagement, recognition, and unique experiences with the JMZ, as your philanthropic investment grows. Stay tuned for additional information! Sally Loverro and Rebecca Bridges thank guests for attending Spring Breakfast. We are deeply grateful to the many supporters who helped make this event possible. Special thanks to Brian Krippendorf for generously providing photography that captured the spirit of the morning, and to Anu Roy for designing the beautiful centerpieces featuring greenery from the JMZ’s California Dinosaur Garden. Centerpieces featuring greenery for the JMZ adorn each table. Because of your continued support, we are able to expand access to joyful, hands- on science learning for children across our region. If you would like to invest in our future scientists, please make a donation today. DONATE TODAY Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo | 1451 Middlefield Road | Palo Alto, CA 94301 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice From:g To:Council, City Subject:Railroad crossings and public safety. Date:Tuesday, April 21, 2026 8:00:31 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. My suggestion is to have the Caltrains and freight trains run at a walking speed through Palo Alto from the Palo Alto station to the Mountain View station and from the Mountain View station to the Palo Alto station in the same way as speed limits on school zones are posted on city streets. The only cost is reprinting Caltrain schedules. No expensive road designs. From:Palo Alto Council of PTAs To:Council, City Subject:Vicki Veenker, RSVP to PTAC Honorary Service Awards 2026 Date:Monday, April 20, 2026 9:40:52 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. evite PTAC Honorary Service Awards 2026 Vicki Veenker, you're invited! View & RSVP See Who's Coming This email was sent to city.council@paloalto.gov because you have been invited to an event by Palo Alto Council of PTAs. Even if you have opted-out of receiving Evite marketing communications, you may still receive emails with relevant information based on your upcoming Invitation events or recent activity. Evite® and Life's Better Together® are the registered trademarks of Evite, Inc. © 2026, Evite, Inc. All rights reserved. Evite invitations and services may include other trademarks of their respective owners. Privacy Policy | Event Notification Settings | Block this Host | Do Not Sell My Info Evite 310 E. Colorado St. Glendale, CA 91205 From:John Beard To:Council, City Subject:Public Comment for Tonight"s (4/20/2026) City Council Meeting - Item No. 4 Date:Monday, April 20, 2026 4:29:43 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council, I write regarding Item No. 4 on tonight’s agenda for the City Council meeting. The analysis in the staff report (at PDF p. 4) discusses how the project seeks a deviation from the current zoning district’s maximum height requirement of 35 feet. The analysis, however, does not discuss how even if the zoning were to change to PC, Palo Alto Municipal Code section 18.38.150(b) would apply, which is the special height requirement for sites abutting R-1 and R- 2 districts. I note, though, that the table at PDF p. 11 refers to the “PC Special Requirements for Height,” which is found at Municipal Code section 18.38.150(b). The table shows that the PC Special Requirement for Height is 35 feet. Thank you, John Beard John Beard | Of COunsel | SSL LaW FIrM LLP | 1 Post Street, Suite 2100 | San Francisco, CA 94104| Direct: 415.243.2667 | Main: 415.814.6400 | Fax: 415.814.6401 | Email: jbeard@ssllawfirm.com   This email and any attachments may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or attorney work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies.  Legal Advice Disclaimer: You should recognize that responses provided by this e-mail means are akin to ordinary telephone or face-to-face conversations and do not reflect the level of factual or legal inquiry or analysis which would be applied in the case of a formal legal opinion. A formal opinion could reach a different result. From:Humphrey, Sonia Cc:LAFCO Subject:Now Available - Agenda for April 22, 2026 LAFCO Countywide Water and Wastewater Service Review Technical Advisory Committee Meeting 1 Date:Monday, April 20, 2026 4:14:32 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i The agenda for the April 22, 2026 LAFCO Countywide Water and Wastewater Service Review Technical Advisory Committee Meeting 1 has been posted on the LAFCO website at this weblink: https://santaclaralafco.org/meetings/countywide-water-and-wastewater-service-review-technical- advisory-committee-2026-04-22. Additional meeting materials will be available on the website tomorrow. Best regards, Sonia Humphrey, LAFCO Clerk LAFCO of Santa Clara County 777 North First Street, Suite 410 San Jose, CA 95112 (408) 993-4709 This message needs your attention You've never replied to this person. Mark Safe Report From:Becky Wolf-Loretz To:Council, City Subject:Public comment - 4-20-26 city council meeting – 20 26–20 30 Santa Clara County community plan to end homelessness Date:Monday, April 20, 2026 4:02:47 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Good evening. My name is Rebecca Wolf. I want to say something plainly: no one can succeed in any type of supportive housing unless they feel safe. If a person does not feel safe where they live, they cannot stabilize, heal, sleep, rest, plan, work, participate in services, or move forward in any meaningful way. Safety is not an extra. It is not a luxury. It is the foundation of everything else. Too often, systems act as though once a person is indoors, the job is done. It is not. Being housed is not the same as being safe. Being placed is not the same as being stable. And a person who is living in fear, being retraumatized, getting sick, unable to sleep, or afraid to speak up is not truly out of crisis. That is not success. That is a failure being hidden behind a housing statistic. So as Palo Alto discusses the Santa Clara County draft 2026 to 2030 plan to end homelessness, I urge you to stop measuring success only by placements, occupancy, or numbers on paper. Measure whether people are actually safe. Measure whether the housing is healthy. Measure whether people can remain there without being harmed. Measure whether disability access exists in reality, not just on a brochure. Measure whether complaints are taken seriously and acted on. Measure whether people with lived experience are actually shaping decisions, not just being invited to speak after the decisions are already made. I also want to raise the role of leasing staff and property-management staff in supportive housing. These are often the first people who hear when someone is in danger, being harassed, becoming medically unstable, experiencing disability-related harm, or living in unsafe conditions. There must be clear escalation duties, real accountability, and mandatory trauma- informed training. Residents should not be left in danger because the staff member who received the report decided it was someone else’s problem. If supportive housing is truly supportive, then the people running it cannot be allowed to ignore warnings, minimize harm, or pass the buck when someone’s safety is on the line. Without safety, there is no housing retention. Without safety, there is no healing. Without safety, there is no stability. This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first email to you. Mark Safe Report Without safety, there is no path out of homelessness. Please do not call it success when people are technically housed but too unsafe, sick, or traumatized to function. Ending homelessness must mean more than moving people indoors. It has to mean giving them a real chance to live, recover, and rebuild. Thank you. From:Leanne McAuliffe To:Burt, Patrick; Lu, George; Lauing, Ed; Stone, Greer; Veenker, Vicki; keith.reckdahl@paloalto.org; julie.lythcotthaims@paloalto.org; Council, City Subject:Public Comment Questions -Council Meeting April 20, Agenda Item AA2 - PFAS for MayField - testing incomplete Date:Monday, April 20, 2026 3:59:31 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Council Members, Regarding the PFAS test results for Mayfield that were very recently added to the Agenda: These results indicate PFAS are in the products tested. Why was no targeted testing done to establish which PFAS they are? (This should be done and targeted testing is currently available for 70 PFAS at Eurofins) It also appears that testing was not does with the Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP) to further establish what might leach off the products over time with degradation due to exposure to the elements, UV rays and abrasion that happens with use and maintenance. Why was testing not repeated with SPLP? Where are the results? If testing was not done with SPLP, this should be done. Exactly what components were tested? Also, why are the pages 18 and pages 20 through 27 are unreadable? Kind regards, Leanne McAuliffe (The report tries to dismiss the amount of PFAS present in the samples since PFAS are in other products. However, other products generally don't cover around 80,000 sqft of an outdoor play area, while being allowed to breakdown into the environment and leach into soil, ground and storm water and the air, all while thousands of uniquely vulnerable children are exposed as they play on the surface.) From:Wing Yew Poon To:Council, City Cc:Menz & Poon Subject:proposed conversion of Cubberley Pavilion to a theater Date:Monday, April 20, 2026 3:59:08 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i My wife and I have been going to the Cubberley Pavilion for social ballroom dancing. We went for a number of years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and started going again a couple years ago. We have really enjoyed the spacious venue for dancing. We are concerned about losing this space for dancing and that alternative venues offered in exchange will not work as well. We believe that many other groups also use the space for sports and will suffer from losing the use of the Pavilion. We hope that the city will reconsider this proposed conversion of the Pavilion to a theater. Is the theater really as needed and beneficial to its proposed users as the current uses bring to the groups now utilizing the space? Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Wing Yew Poon This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first email to your company. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:Brian O"Neill To:Council, City; Clerk, City Cc:Burt, Patrick; Lauing, Ed; Lu, George; Lythcott-Haims, Julie; Reckdahl, Keith; Stone, Greer; Veenker, Vicki; Lait, Jonathan; Prior, Christine; Asher Orion Subject:RE: Agenda Item 11 - 531 Stanford Date:Monday, April 20, 2026 2:16:49 PM Attachments:2026.04.20 Isaac Winer Declaration re 531 Stanford Ave - EXECUTED.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Council, Additional exhibits were added to the folder. In addition, we inadvertently left out the declaration of the Isaac Winer in the prior submittal, which is attached to this email. Thank you, Brian Brian O’Neill Patterson & O’Neill, PC Office: (415) 907-9110 Direct: (415) 907-7702 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 950 San Francisco, CA 94104 brian@pattersononeill.com www.pattersononeill.com This email may contain privileged or confidential material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Review or distribution by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the original sender and delete all copies. Nothing in this email or any attachments should be regarded as tax advice unless expressly stated. From: Brian O'Neill Sent: Monday, April 20, 2026 11:59 AM To: City.Council@PaloAlto.gov; Clerk, City <city.clerk@paloalto.gov> Cc: Pat.Burt@PaloAlto.gov; Ed.Lauing@PaloAlto.gov; George.Lu@PaloAlto.gov; Julie.LythcottHaims@PaloAlto.gov; Keith.Reckdahl@PaloAlto.gov; Greer.Stone@PaloAlto.gov; Vicki.Veenker@PaloAlto.gov; Lait, Jonathan <jonathan.lait@paloalto.gov>; Christine.Prior@PaloAlto.gov; Asher Orion <asherorion88@gmail.com> Subject: Agenda Item 11 - 531 Stanford Dear Council: Please see the attached response to the Staff Report submitted on behalf of the Appellant for Agenda Item 11 on tonight’s agenda regarding the Demolition Order for 531 Stanford. The Exhibits are too large to submit via email, and can be accessed here: https://pattersononeill.egnyte.com/fl/dWtdKVrdhVCj Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Sincerely, Brian O’Neill Patterson & O’Neill, PC Office: (415) 907-9110 Direct: (415) 907-7702 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 950 San Francisco, CA 94104 brian@pattersononeill.com www.pattersononeill.com This email may contain privileged or confidential material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Review or distribution by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the original sender and delete all copies. Nothing in this email or any attachments should be regarded as tax advice unless expressly stated. From:mickie winkler To:Council, City Subject:support for 910 webster st project Date:Monday, April 20, 2026 12:33:38 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear City Council members. A quickee to support the project before you tonight and to note that, as a car-driving resident of Channing House, there are absolutely no traffic issues in the neighborhood. Thank you, Mickie Winkler, former mayor menlo park. Mickie Winkler 650-324-7444 office 650-335-5540 cell MickieWinkler.com This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report -1- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 531 Stanford Avenue Case No. 24PCE-00203 I, Isaac H. Winer, declare as follows: 1. I am a licensed attorney in the State of California. I am an attorney representing the management of 531 Stanford Avenue in Palo Alto (the “Property”). I make this declaration based on personal knowledge of the following facts, except to those matters stated on information and belief (i.e., my understanding), and as to those matters, I believe them to be true. If called as a witness to testify, I could and would competently testify thereto. I make this declaration, and it is intended solely, for the purposes of the legal proceeding referenced above. 2. I am informed and believe that the companies involved in the ownership (“Ownership”) and management of the Property have been almost exclusively owned and/or controlled by Taiwanese nationals. The management is led by a Taiwanese American who was born in Taiwan and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in her young adult years over forty years ago (the “Property’s management”, “Management for the Ownership” or “Management”). 3. It is my understanding that, in 2010, Fortune Sun, Inc. (“Fortune”) purchased the business and property commonly known as 531 Stanford Avenue, Palo Alto, California d/b/a Stanford Terrace Inn (“STI”) located very close to the campus of Stanford University. STI was a well-known hotel property in Palo Alto that had operated for many decades prior to Fortune’s ownership, hosting many guests including many visitors to Stanford and individuals working and studying at Stanford. I am informed and believe that some of these guests were faculty members who used STI as their residence for months and even years. Over the years, I Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -2- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 understand that STI generated many millions of dollars in revenue, which resulted in millions of dollars in transient tax revenue for the City of Palo Alto (the “City”). 4. Fortune operated STI profitably for approximately seven years until it sold STI to Aurora Rising, Inc. (“Aurora”) in early 2018, per my understanding. I am informed and believe that Aurora operated STI profitably until the COVID pandemic hit the global economy and, in particular, the hospitality industry in the Spring of 2020. As a result of COVID, STI rapidly lost customer lodgings and, I understand, began to operate at a loss and had to lay off most of its staff. Few customers remained, and I understand that all of these were non-transient residents; specifically, the remaining customers were Stanford faculty members who continued to reside at the Property. As a result, I am informed and believe that STI ceased generating transient tax revenue for the City. 5. On or about June 18, 2021, I understand that the City sent a letter to the Management expressing preliminary interest in purchasing the Property for possible inclusion in the State’s Project HomeKey program to provide housing for unhoused residents. The letter was an inquiry only, not a formal offer, and requested a response by July 6, 2021. On or about June 22, 2021, Management replied to the City that the Property was under long-term lease, planned for redevelopment as a high-end hotel, and not for sale. I am informed and believe that the City did not take no for an answer and sent similar inquiries subsequently in 2022. 6. On or about May 2, 2023, I understand that the City sent an email to Palo Alto business stakeholders, including the Property’s management, regarding an affordable housing resource fair on May 13, 2023. On or about May 13, 2023, Management wrote to the Assistant to the City Manager expressing interest in developing an affordable housing project consisting of 400 units – 320 for seniors and 80 for low-income individuals. 7. On or about May 14, 2023, I understand that Management wrote to Mr. Lait, stating an intent to submit a conceptual housing plan in accordance with State housing element requirements but aspiring to collaborate with the City in the re-development of the Property. Management clarified that the submission was not intended as a Builder’s Remedy application, but requested that the City review it under similar streamlined criteria, reserving the right to have it treated as a Builder’s Remedy application if collaboration was not feasible. Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -3- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 8. On or about May 15, 2023, I understand that Mr. Lait referred Management to a subordinate, Jodie Gerhardt, and asked Ms. Gerhardt to follow-up but Ms. Gerhardt failed to. 9. On May 17, 2023, I understand that Management submitted a second version of a five-story senior/BMR housing plan to Mr. Lait to request that it be considered for adoption in the City’s Housing Element re-zoning process to be completed by the end of 2023. Management further stated that if the City could not support inclusion by that deadline, the submission should be treated as a Builder’s Remedy application dated May 17, 2023, and to request that any related requirements be provided to Management within 72 hours. 10. After Ms. Gerhardt failed to follow-up, in or about June 2023, I am informed and believe that Management unilaterally scheduled a meeting with Ms. Gerhardt using the City’s online calendaring system. On the date of that meeting, I understand that Management’s representative was in the hospital tending to her dying husband and was unable to attend the meeting. Instead, I understand that she phoned Ms. Gerhardt to notify her of this development and spoke with Ms. Gerhardt about the housing plan, specifically inquiring if Management needed to submit any additional information for the application to be considered. I understand that Ms. Gerhardt responded that Management merely needed to submit some template application forms to accompany the substantive housing plan. As I understand it, however, Ms. Gerhardt never sent the forms. 11. From June 2023 into September 2023, I am informed and believe that the medical situation of the husband deteriorated further, and Management’s representative spent virtually the entire time with her husband in the hospital. I understand that her husband passed on September 9, 2023, and she was compelled to deal with family matters for the remainder of the year. I am informed and believe that relevant City officials were generally aware of these unfortunate developments. 12. On or about February 28, 2024, the City sent a “Courtesy Notice” to Ownership regarding the City’s intention to inspect the STI and adjacent properties because a City code enforcement investigation had apparently determined that the Property appeared to be used for sleeping purposes which may not align with current regulations. In said notice, the City stated as follows: Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -4- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 “Our intention is not to escalate the matter in a non-cooperative manner. In fact, our goal is just to ensure the well-being of everyone involved. To address potential life and safety concerns, it is important that we conduct a simple inspection of the property/parcels.” 13. In the same February 28, 2024 “Courtesy Notice,” the City asked the Ownership to respond by the very next day (i.e., immediately) to arrange a meeting. 14. Shortly thereafter, the Ownership Management’s representative phoned Ms. Gerhardt to ask why the notice had been sent. I understand Ms. Gerhardt explained that, during the COVID pandemic, the Palo Alto City Council had passed a new ordinance prohibiting lodging facilities from hosting guests longer than thirty days and that, as a result of STI’s then use of the building as a lodging club, it was likely that STI would lose its grandfathered conditional use permit to use the building as a hotel despite the fact that the hotel was located in a residential neighborhood. 15. In early March 2024, Management retained land-use counsel Dana Kennedy of Miller Starr Regalia to assist with development planning and to respond to the City’s courtesy inspection notice, per my understanding. 16. On or about March 11, 2024, Kennedy sent a letter on behalf of Management to the City’s Lead Code Enforcement Officer Brian Reynolds acknowledging the City’s February 28 “Courtesy Notice” and expressed the Ownership and Management’s commitment to lawful operation of the Property, requested a cooperative dialogue to allow the student tenants to remain through the school year while compliance issues were addressed. 17. That same day, March 11, 2024, the City issued a Final Notice to Inspect, which asserted that the Property was being used for living purposes contrary to regulations, required inspection by March 14, 2024, and warned that failure to cooperate could result in an inspection warrant or interruption of utility services. 18. Also on March 11, 2024, Reynolds emailed Kennedy to thank her for the response but stated the City could not discuss future redevelopment plans for the Property until Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -5- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 the City had determined whether immediate life and safety issues existed, and warned that tenant displacement might occur absent inspection cooperation. 19. In the days following, it is my understanding that Kennedy sought to engage City representatives in constructive dialogue regarding both the code-enforcement issues and redevelopment plans. 20. On March 18, 2024, Kennedy emailed Gerhardt following a meeting earlier that day to express appreciation for the discussion and noting that an architect had nearly completed plan sets for two possible projects: one maintaining and expanding the existing building under a Builder’s Remedy submission, and another involving full redevelopment with increased residential density through re-zoning. Kennedy invited Gerhardt to meet with her and the Property’s Management to review both options and collaborate toward a housing solution. 21. In her email of March 18, 2024, Kennedy called attention to the fact that either plan presented “an exciting opportunity to build significant housing, including a meaningful number of affordable units.” 22. On the same afternoon (March 18, 2024), Gerhardt had emailed Kennedy to confirm her contact information and summarize her guidance: that the hotel use had been regulatorily abandoned, the Property was zoned RM-30, and private clubs or fraternities were not allowed. I understand that Kennedy had proposed two potential approaches: a mid-term conversion of the existing building to multi-family use permitting 11–21 units, and a long-term redevelopment encompassing the Property and adjacent parcels at 2080, 2086, and 2098 El Camino Real. Gerhardt cautioned that discussions of future development did not alter the asserted immediate health and safety issues requiring prompt correction by Code Enforcement. 23. While these planning discussions were ongoing, the City continued preparations for inspection. Under mounting pressure from City officials, Management ultimately consented to permit the inspection of the Property. 24. On March 18, 2024, the City conducted a full inspection of the Property, sending more than ten officials, including code enforcement, building, and fire officials. I understand that many officials arrived in uniform with badges, conducted an aggressive and comprehensive search, and photographed and documented technical code violations throughout the premises. Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -6- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 25. On or about March 21, 2024, the City issued a formal Notice of Violation citing extensive deficiencies, including lack of fire sprinklers and alarms, high combustible storage, unpermitted electrical and structural work, corroded plumbing, blocked egress routes, and inoperable elevators. The Notice required immediate fire-watch services by the very next day (March 22, 2024), evacuation of upper floors, and numerous corrective actions by March 25, 2024, and warned of possible declarations of substandard conditions, fines, or abatement orders if compliance was not achieved. 26. In sum, after years of cooperative engagement with the City regarding potential redevelopment of the Property, I believe the Ownership’s decision not to sell the Property or repurpose it in accordance with the City’s preferred high-density housing agenda led to a campaign of retaliation by the City. I believe the City was dissatisfied with the Ownership and Management’s asserted independence and unwillingness to relinquish control of the site, and the City responded with an unnecessarily aggressive inspection and a hyper-technical Notice of Violation designed to portray the Property and its management in a very bad light. 27. In my opinion, a number of the cited “violations” were inaccurate, immaterial, or grossly overstated, which I believe was to create a false impression that the Ownership’s and Management’s representative was a negligent “slumlady” rather than a reputable and conscientious manager who had long operated a three-star hotel and, during difficult post- pandemic years, allowed Stanford students to reside in quality accommodations at a fraction of market value. I believe the City’s actions reflect not a neutral enforcement process, but a retaliatory effort to punish Ownership and Management for refusing to conform to the City’s preferred redevelopment ambitions. 28. Overall, in my view, interactions between the City and Management’s representative and her counsel revealed that the City’s motivation was, in my opinion, not only retaliatory but also discriminatory and malicious. 29. For example, in or about early April 2024, one City official represented to me that the City would not post a notice of fines to be paid to the residents of the Property for one week in order to give Management time to help relocate the residents. However, a notice of fines was posted by the City within one day of promising not to do so for a week. With Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -7- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 approximately twenty-three residents at issue as I understand it, the fines required Management to pay over $300,000 in total to the residents within 24 hours. 30. Thereafter, enforcement and remediation efforts ensued for over one year including, but not limited to, the City requiring alleged hazardous materials remediation in order to “close” the Property as mandated by the City. Although the Ownership and Management endeavored to comply with extensive and repeatedly modified hazmat remediation demands by the City, I understand that the City now contends that the hazmat remediation is still not complete. 31. In addition, I am informed and believe that the City also attempted to expand its inspections to the property next door at 2098 El Camino Real that is under different ownership than the Property but under the same Management, even no code violations had been asserted by the City, to my knowledge. In one particular instance, on or about April 25, 2024, I understand that one City official attempted to conduct a surprise inspection at 2098 El Camino Real without notifying me even though I had understood from the City that it would contact me first regarding any further or new inspections involving my client (i.e., Management for both 2098 El Camino Real and the Property as the representative of the owners). In addition, I am informed and believe that when my client representative asked the City official to schedule the visit with me involved, he made a veil threat that there would be trouble if she did not admit him to the property. As a result, I understand that my client representative allowed the official to look inside the property from its entry and, after seeing it, he indicated it looked satisfactory. I also understand that, during the visit, my client representative indicated that another City official had wanted to participate in a visit to that property following my client representative’s efforts to reorganize the furniture in the property for better display. The visiting official assured her that the inspection would be off the record and he would not mention the visit to the other official. 32. In early September 2025, I understand that the Property Ownership submitted an application to the City for development of the Property based on California SB-330/AB130 expedited housing development with CEQA exemption in order to streamline the planning and approval process. Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -8- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 33. On or about October 17, 2025, the City mailed a Notice and Order of Demolition to the vacant Property. The Notice and Order set forth an aggressive and burdensome scheme of demands, requiring Ownership to apply for deconstruction and demolition permits within thirty days, complete hazardous-material closures, disconnect all utilities, obtain multiple environmental and grading permits, and fully demolish and remove the building by May 18, 2025 under threat of criminal prosecution, civil abatement, receivership, and daily fines if compliance was not achieved. The order further warned that failure to act could result in City- authorized demolition, cost recovery, and the filing of a building lien. 34. Ten days after the Notice and Order was issued, with the deadline to appeal rapidly approaching, in response to my call to request an extension of time to appeal the Notice and Order, one City official inaccurately alleged that I had spoken with said official on October 17, 2025 to notify me of the order and also inaccurately alleged that I had acknowledged receipt of such notice. However, no such conversation occurred, and no such acknowledgement was ever made by me. 35. The City’s Notice and Order of Demolition disregarded the extensive record of collaboration between Management, its counsel, and City officials concerning a consensual and cooperative deconstruction and demolition of the Property. Specifically, as early as May 2025, I had spoken directly with a City official about conducting a voluntary demolition through a cooperative process with the City. In early September 2025, the City itself proposed several meeting dates to advance that process, and on September 11, 2025, Management’s representative and I along with Management’s new land use counsel, Brian O’Neill, met in person with City officials to discuss a collaborative and orderly deconstruction plan. During that meeting, a City official stated that if demolition was not completed by the time a T-Mobile cellular tower lease expired in November 2027, the City would exercise its eminent domain powers to take ownership and possession of the Property from the owners. 36. Consistent with the September 11, 2025 meeting, on September 15, 2025, I understand that Mr. O’Neill’s office submitted a formal deconstruction and demolition permit application through the City’s online portal, accompanied by a cover email confirming the submission, requesting fee information and permit issuance timing, and advising that Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -9- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 Ownership was coordinating with T-Mobile to relocate essential 911 communications equipment. 37. During the September 11, 2025 meeting, the City representatives advised that they would afford Ownership (and its Management) sufficient time to work with T-Mobile to relocate the cell phone towers and to enable T-Mobile to do the same. However, in my view, the Notice and Order did not enable this as a practical matter – it put Ownership and T-Mobile in the position of having to accomplish what may not be accomplishable within the time parameters of the Notice and Order, potentially disrupting essential 911 service to the Palo Alto area. It seemed to me that the City was not concerned about such a disruption even though, in my prior interactions with the City, it had been an urgent concern. 38. Despite my clients’ good-faith efforts, the City’s Notice and Order to Demolish that was issued barely one month later ignored the parties’ cooperative progress and intentions mutually stated both before and at the September 11, 2025 meeting. In short, I believe that the Notice and Order to Demolish was issued in bad faith and in abrogation of the parties’ stated intentions and thus, in my opinion, constituted further evidence of unfair treatment of the Ownership and its Management. 39. This view is also supported by my understanding that, between the initial development submissions in May 2023 and the September 2025 demolition application, the City had rejected approximately ten independent permit applications submitted by the Property owners and there was little effort to assist Ownership or Management with these applications. To the contrary, in my view, it seemed that the City did quite a bit to ignore or obstruct those redevelopment initiatives. 40. In my view, substantially throughout the City’s enforcement and remediation actions, City officials engaged in a pattern of unprofessional and discriminatory conduct toward the Ownership’s representative who, as noted above, is Asian-American. One official made derogatory remarks concerning her ethnicity, asserting that her being Asian made her allegedly paranoid in dealings with City officials and supposedly incapable of complying with City ordinances. To be clear, and I paraphrase here, but official essentially relayed that Ownership’s Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353 -10- DECLARATION OF ISAAC H. WINER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 PAT T E R S O N & O` N EI L L , PC 23 5 MON T G O M E R Y STR E E T , SUI T E 95 0 SAN FRA N C I S C O , CAL I F O R N I A 94 1 0 4 representative’s type was always looking for cheap ways to solve serious problems. My clients had and have continued to expend a significant amount of money to address issues that I believe were overly exaggerated and aggravated from the get-go by what I view as the City’s retaliatory and over-reaching conduct. 41. One of my key takeaways from the foregoing is that the City has been repeatedly reluctant to cooperate with the Property’s Ownership and Management unless they pursue plans to develop the Property as the City sees fit, and this beyond the mere requirements of the law. To the extent Ownership and Management do not yield to the City’s will, they are punished. I declare, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that the foregoing is true and correct. Signed on the 20th day of April, 2026 in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. ____________________________________ Isaac H. Winer Docusign Envelope ID: 1D77314B-579F-8329-80D7-55E4C35A6353