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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-10-13 City Council EmailsDOCUMENTS IN THIS PACKET INCLUDE: LETTERS FROM CITIZENS TO THE MAYOR OR CITY COUNCIL RESPONSES FROM STAFF TO LETTERS FROM CITIZENS ITEMS FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS ITEMS FROM OTHER COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES ITEMS FROM CITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND REGIONAL AGENCIES Prepared for: 10/13/2026 Document dates: 10/05/26 – 10/13/26 Note: Documents for every category may not have been received for packet reproduction in a given week. From:Daniel & Jennifer Orr To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Reject AT&T cell towers proposal Date:Tuesday, October 13, 2026 10:10:09 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Board Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, My family lives at 3030 Cowper Street. Just 26 feet away from our home—right outside the bedroom window of our child—stands a utility pole. Like many families who choose to call Palo Alto home, we invested in this community because of its commitment to high standards, safe environment, and excellent schools. We do everything in our power to protect the health, well-being, and future of our children. The prospect of increasingly powerful cell equipment being placed mere feet from our child’s bedroom window is deeply unsettling. No parent should have to lie awake at night worrying about the long-term impacts of active telecommunications equipment located practically inside their living space. The City Council unanimously recognized the importance of protecting residential areas when it voted to restore Architectural Review Board oversight and expressed a clear preference for significant setbacks from homes. I urge you to uphold those values and safeguard our residential streets. Please insist that AT&T respect our community standards by placing cell infrastructure far away from homes and protecting the peace of mind of Palo Alto families. Thank you for your leadership. Daniel and Jennifer Orr 3030 Cowper St., Palo Alto 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:Professional Plastics To:Council, City Subject:Professional Plastics - Supplier of Plastic Materials & Parts used by the Federal, State & Local Government Industry Since 1984 Date:Tuesday, October 13, 2026 9:15:12 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments andclicking on links. Professional Plastics logo Professional Plastics logo Home | My Account | Track Shipment | Contact Us | Shop Materials Learn More Featured Industry - Federal, State & Local Government (continue reading) Related Products View More Seaboard® HDPE HDPE Sheets Polycarbonate Sheet - GP PVC Sheet - Perforated Sheet About Professional Plastics, Inc. Look no further than Professional Plastics, Inc. As the market leader since 1984, our 23 full-service locations throughout the USA, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia are ready to serve you. Professional Plastics provides our customers with Superior Quality, Fast Deliveries and Competitive Prices. Our products meet the highest quality standards, and many of our locations meet ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, & AS9100D. Email: sales@proplas.com Phone: 1-888-995-7767 Web: https://www.professionalplastics.com/ 23 Locations in California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Utah, New York, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia. Join our Mailing List. © Copyright 2026, Professional Plastics. 1810 E. Valencia Dr. Fullerton, CA 92831. All Rights Reserved. Click here to Unsubscribe Thanks, Atalya Chale CSAdjustments eRecording Partners Network (ePN) 11055 Wayzata Blvd, Suite 250 Minnetonka, MN 55305 Accounting Main Line: 800-356-3950 Direct: 1-612-436-7709 AChale@GOePN.com www.GOePN.com From: Chale, Atalya Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 5:18 PM To: 'adminsvcs@paloalto.gov' <adminsvcs@paloalto.gov>; 'City.Clerk@PaloAlto.gov' <City.Clerk@PaloAlto.gov> Subject: RE: Santa Clara County, CA Package:27345404 Inst#:25986284 city tax refund Hi, Doc 25986284 Grant deed with an r and t code of 11911 vesting/ name correction had erroneously left taxes on the face of the GD. And should not have been charged $4,730.00 for county and $14,190.00 for city of palo alto. There was also no purchase price. Please refund city tax $14,190.00. Please send refund to: eRecording Partners Network LLC 11055 Wayzata Blvd, Suite 250 Minnetonka, MN 55305 Thanks, Atalya Chale CSAdjustments eRecording Partners Network (ePN) 11055 Wayzata Blvd, Suite 250 Minnetonka, MN 55305 Accounting Main Line: 800-356-3950 Direct: 1-612-436-7709 AChale@GOePN.com www.GOePN.com From:forest light To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Tuesday, October 13, 2026 8:28:25 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. It is my understanding that the Palo City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. The so-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were eliminated. Where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. As they restored ARB review, the Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This is sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the rejected “objective standards” ordinance. Please insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. On October 1, the ARB will be considering AT&T’s application to install cell towers on utility poles on Boyce, Guinda and Homer. All of the proposed towers are in close proximity to homes. In particular, please require AT&T to: -site its cell towers further from residents’ homes -locate radios and ancillary equipment underground -lower the height of the poles. Thank you. Michael Maurier From:Haeyeon Jeong To:Council, City Subject:Sfo landind route aircraft cause deadly pollution Date:Tuesday, October 13, 2026 6:51:38 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear whom.may concern, I am writing to express my serious concern and formally protest the heavy concentration of SFO arrival flights passing over residential neighborhoods in Palo Alto, California. Although aircraft associated with SFO frequently travel through our skies, the greatest concern is the substantial volume of SFO-bound aircraft flying over our community. A large number of SFO arrival flights pass over Palo Alto on their approach to the airport. I am especially concerned that when SFO operates all four runways instead of two, the resulting changes in air traffic could further increase our community's exposure to aircraft exhaust emissions, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and ultrafine particles. Even under current conditions, I frequently notice exhaust-like odors in areas of Palo Alto experiencing heavy aircraft traffic. When the air is stagnant, these odors become particularly disturbing, and I have personally experienced painful irritation in my eyes and throat. My concerns extend far beyond the air we breathe. Aircraft-related pollutants may settle on our homes, cars, backyards, gardens, trees, and soil, potentially contributing to long-term environmental contamination. These pollutants do not simply disappear after an aircraft passes overhead. Their potential accumulation in our residential environment raises serious concerns about long-term exposure and public health. This is not merely a complaint about aircraft noise or inconvenience. It is a serious environmental and public health concern that deserves immediate attention from SFO Airport Management. I strongly urge SFO to take the following actions: 1. Work directly with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to review and modify SFO arrival flight paths, with the goal of reducing the concentration of arriving aircraft over Palo Alto's residential neighborhoods. 2. Conduct a comprehensive and independent air quality assessment of aircraft-related pollution, including ultrafine particles, PM2.5, and other aviation emissions affecting Palo Alto. 3. Investigate the potential impact of operating four runways instead of two, particularly regarding changes in arrival flight patterns and possible increases in pollution exposure. 4. Explore alternative arrival routes and operational procedures that would reduce the environmental burden on Palo Alto residents without compromising aviation safety. 5. Provide a formal written response explaining what measures SFO is currently taking, or intends to take, to address these concerns. Palo Alto residents should not be forced to bear a disproportionate environmental and health burden for the operational efficiency of SFO. Airport operations must not come at the expense of the health, safety, and quality of life of surrounding communities. I urge SFO to recognize that aircraft-related pollution is not simply an airport operational issue. It is a matter that directly affects the daily lives, homes, and long-term well-being of residents living beneath these flight paths. We have the right to breathe clean air, enjoy our homes and gardens, and live without constant concern about potentially harmful aircraft emissions. I am requesting meaningful action, not merely an acknowledgment of this complaint. Please take immediate steps to work with the FAA to reconsider SFO arrival routes over Palo Alto and provide a substantive written response outlining your proposed actions. Thank you for your attention. I look forward to your response and to concrete measures that demonstrate SFO's commitment to protecting the health and environment of neighboring communities. Sincerely, Haeyeon Jeong From:Carl"s Gmail To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Date:Tuesday, October 13, 2026 12:43:09 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links.   Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely Carl & Mary Cimilluca Sent from my iPhone From:Wolfgang Himmelbauer To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 11:36:53 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Wolfgang Himmelbauer This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast Palo Alto Resident From:Melinda McGee To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 10:23:32 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgment, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Melinda McGee Palo Alto Resident since 1993 650-704-6236 From:sheree poon To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Clerk, City; Council, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 10:02:23 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. 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 Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Sheree From:Aram James To:Gary Gechlik; Lori Meyers Cc:Vicki Veenker; Bryna Chang; Lauing, Ed; Yudy 4PaloAlto; h.etzko@gmail.com; Braden Cartwright; Brian Hamachek; Brian Good; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; Marc Berman; Jeff Rosen; Jeff Conrad; Jeff Hayden; Jay Boyarsky; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; Dave Price; Brandon Pho; Lotus Fong; friends-request@foolsmission.org; Gerry Gras; Daniel Kottke; Sam Liccardo; board@pausd.org; Bill Newell; Zahra Billoo; CityCouncil; Council, City; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; City Attorney; city.council@gilroy.org; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Eduardo Guilarte; Shikada, Ed; Josh Becker; assemblymember.ahrens@assembly.ca.gov; South Skyline Association; Raymond Goins; planning.commision@cityofpaloalto.org; steven mcgill; Preminger, Steve; <michael.gennaco@oirgroup.com>; julie.ruhlin@oirgroup.con; ladoris cordell; Friends of Cubberley; Kaloma Smith; karen hall; walter wilson; Human Relations Commission; james pitkin; Khalia Parish ( Homeless Advocate); ParkRec Commission; dcombs@menlopark.gov; Nash, Betsy; KRISTEN JOHNSON Subject:U.S. Bombs Gaza Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 10:01:50 PM Attachments:F9E0EFFD-F960-4966-A1B8-5F394537DD90.png CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. From:Haiyue Yin To:PlannerOnDuty Cc:Council, City Subject:Public Notification Request & Neighbor Comments: 280–300 Lambert Ave (Application #23PLN-00073) Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 9:47:44 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear City of Palo Alto Planning Staff and City Council, I am a homeowner and resident at 270 Chestnut Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306, located on the immediately adjacent residential street southeast of the proposed 5-story, 45-unit residential development at 280–300 Lambert Avenue (Application #23PLN-00073 / prior file #21PLN- 00133). I am writing regarding the project information posted on the City's planning portal (https://www.paloalto.gov/News-Articles/Planning-and-Development-Services/300-Lambert- Avenue) and the submittal plan set (c1-300-lambert_sb330-plan.pdf). 1. REQUEST FOR NOTIFICATION LIST & STATUS INQUIRY Please add my contact information to the official Interested Parties / Public Notification List for Application #23PLN-00073 (and any subsequent formal planning applications, environmental reviews, Architectural Review Board hearings, or building permit submittals for 280 and 300 Lambert Avenue), as well as the adjacent 278 Lambert Avenue parcel. Please ensure I receive timely notice of all public hearings and environmental review publications. Could staff also please clarify the current procedural status of the project—specifically, whether a formal development application has been deemed complete following the March 2023 SB 330 pre-application, or if the file is currently inactive or awaiting revisions? 2. PRELIMINARY COMMENTS AND REQUESTED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL While recognizing that the applicant has invoked SB 330 and the Builder's Remedy, local authority over objective public health, safety, environmental remediation, and objective design standards remains fully preserved under state law. Based on the submittal plan set (c1-300- lambert_sb330-plan.pdf), I respectfully request that the City incorporate the following specific protections into the project evaluation and any future conditions of approval: • Shared Terrace Deck & Elevated Private Balconies (Privacy Screening & Noise Limits): The plans indicate an elevated shared outdoor terrace deck above the ground-level lobby/amenity room, alongside multiple upper-level private unit decks. Because these outdoor gathering areas overlook adjacent single-family residential properties, I request: 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 1) Strict operating hours for the shared terrace deck (e.g., closing at 10:00 PM on weeknights) and an explicit prohibition against outdoor amplified speakers; 2) Permanent visual privacy screening (such as frosted glass railings, privacy louvers, or evergreen planter buffers) along south- and southeast-facing terrace/deck perimeters to prevent direct downward sightlines into neighboring backyards. • Ground-Level Amenity Space, Bicycle Parking & Solid Waste Operations: The plans feature ground-level indoor amenity rooms, lobby spaces, a 70-space bicycle storage area, and waste/recycling facilities. I request that trash staging enclosures, recycling operations, loading docks, and mechanical exhausts be fully enclosed within the building envelope, acoustically insulated, and vented away from adjacent residential property lines to eliminate odor and noise spillage. • Environmental Site Remediation & Matadero Creek Protection: The site was historically operated as automotive repair shops and directly borders Matadero Creek. Excavating two subterranean levels for an 85-vehicle garage presents significant risks regarding contaminated soil, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and shallow groundwater disturbance. I request: 1) Verified Phase II environmental site assessment and mandatory regulatory sign-off (DTSC, Regional Water Quality Control Board, or County DEH) prior to issuing grading permits; 2) Continuous air and dust monitoring during soil excavation to safeguard neighborhood air quality; 3) Strict adherence to the City's Creek Protection Ordinance and riparian setbacks, ensuring that excavation and temporary dewatering do not undermine creek bank stability or impact localized hydrology. • Subterranean Garage Access, Traffic Safety & Foundation Vibration Protection: The 85-stall underground garage ramp exits directly onto narrow Lambert Avenue. In addition, deep excavation near older single-family foundations (including 1940s–1950s homes on Chestnut and Lambert) raises geotechnical concerns. I request: 1) Acoustic dampening on the garage ramp (prohibiting rattling metal trench grates) and light- shielding portals to prevent exiting vehicle headlights from shining directly across Lambert Avenue; 2) Pre-construction baseline structural crack surveys and continuous real-time vibration monitoring with strict stop-work thresholds to protect neighboring residential foundations during shoring and excavation; 3) A robust construction management plan prohibiting construction staging, truck queuing, or worker parking from spilling onto neighboring residential streets such as Chestnut Avenue. • Rooftop Mechanical Screening: At 65 feet in height, the proposed building will stand well above the surrounding residential fabric. I request that all rooftop HVAC compressors, elevator overruns, and mechanical equipment be set back substantially from the building parapet and fully enclosed within sound-attenuating screen walls to prevent continuous mechanical hum from affecting nearby homes. Please confirm receipt of this communication, confirm that my email address has been added to the public notification list, and enter this letter into the official public record for Application #23PLN-00073. Thank you for your service and dedication to our community. Sincerely, Haiyue Yin From:Aram James To:Lori Meyers; Gary Gechlik Cc:Reckdahl, Keith; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; Bryna Chang; Yudy 4PaloAlto; h.etzko@gmail.com; Brian Hamachek; Brian Good; Raymond Goins; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Nicole Chiu-Wang; Mora Oommen; Zelkha, Mila; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; james pitkin; Kaloma Smith; Jay Boyarsky; Marc Berman; Julie Lythcott-Haims; city.council@cityofmenlopark.org; Council, City; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; CityCouncil; board@pausd.org; assemblymember.ahrens@assembly.ca.gov; Friends of Cubberley; Lotus Fong; South Skyline Association; Emily Mibach; Daniel Kottke; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Sam Liccardo; Matt Schlegel; The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan; Zahra Billoo; vramirez@redwoodcity.org; Human Relations Commission; Josh Becker; josh@joshsalcman.com; Enberg, Nicholas; David S. Norris; PD Kristina Bell; Reifschneider, James; Doug Minkler; karen hall; Roberta Ahlquist; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; BoardOperations; Robert Salonga; Jeff Hayden; Jeff Rosen; Malinsky, Jason; Jay Boyarsky; Yolanda Conaway; Diana Diamond; EPA Today; Braden Cartwright; Yusra Hussain; Carla Torres Subject:From the archives of Avram Finkelstein Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 9:46:32 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. From:John D Melnychuk To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City Subject:Subject: Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 8:56:57 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, John Melnychuk Palo Alto, CA 94306 From:Annette Isaacson To:Council, City Subject:living in RVs Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 6:16:18 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council Members, I'm opposed to the idea of treating folks differently if they have a main residence somewhere else and are living in their RV so they can be close to work. Some gardeners, who work in Palo Alto, live in Los Banos. This is almost a 2 hour drive each way. I can understand why they would live in an RV if they work in Palo Alto. We need to find places for folks to park their RVS and ideally hook up to water and be able to dump their waste water. If we can't find enough parking spaces, perhaps folks who don't work in Palo Alto should be encouraged to find another place to live, but those who work here should be given priority. Sincerely, Annette Isaacson Midtown From:Mike Fallon To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 5:36:43 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, I’ve had ATT try to put up a cell tower 60 feet from my daughter’s bedroom window on Elsinore Drive in Palo Alto. Their placement made zero sense as it was not part of a node. After we protested, they reconsidered. The isolated location was caused by a BAN on them placing cell towers in the vicinity of schools across the street, You see fire stations, and schools are no go zones for cell towers, but not our residential bedrooms. As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. 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 Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Michael Fallon From:Ruthellen Dickinson To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 4:06:18 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, I was very pleased that the City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. The so-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out with that vote. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Ruthellen Dickinson -- Ruthellen Dickinson 650-493-8169 RuthellenDickinson@gmail.com From:Ardan Michael Blum To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Subject: Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 3:41:24 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision-making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Ardan Michael Blum This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:Jennifer Landesmann To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 3:33:40 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers and I understand that you will be considering AT&T’s application to install cell towers on utility poles on Boyce, Guinda and Homer, which are in a close radius in my neighborhood, and in close proximity to homes. Please insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you, Jennifer Landesmann From:MWarren To:Council, City; City Attorney Cc:Jensen, Christopher Subject:No camping approach to RV issue instead of parking regulations... Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 12:14:40 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i While reading the Daily Post's article "The courts would make an RV ban challenging" (Sept 3, 2026), the discussion revolved around parking regulations. In the case of people living in their RVs, focusing on the camping/human habitation aspect might provide a better way to address the issue at hand. The original 2013 ordinance no. 5206 adding 9.06.010 to Chapter 9.06 of Title 9 (Public Peace, Morals, and Safety) took that approach directly reading: "9.06.010 Human Habitation of Vehicles Prohibited It is unlawful for any person to use, occupy, or permit the use or occupancy of, any vehicle for human habitation on or in any street, park, alley, public parking lot or other public way. The following uses are exempt from the provisions ofthis section: any mobile living unit used for human habitation allowed by another provision of this code or required procedure of the city; and guests of city residents for up to forty-eight consecutive hours when parked adjacent to the resident's dwelling. For purposes of this section, ((human habitation" means the use of a vehicle for a dwelling place, including but not limited to, sleeping, eating or resting, either single or in groups and "vehicle" is defined as set forth in Section 670 of the California Vehicle Code, as amended." The later reworking toward business rental of RVs (in 9.06.010 - .060 in Ord. 5690 § 2 (part) and 2026: Ord. 5686 § 1 (part), 2025) has not successfully addressed the issue. Please move back toward the original 2013 ordinance or consider rolling back the owner occupied exception as well. Even with the current ordinances, enforcement could take advantage of banks' DMV registration of their vehicle loans. Those banks should be aware of section 9.06.010 - .060 . Banks' vehicle loan agreements typically include covenants that prohibit using a vehicle for illegal purposes and if an RV was rented out for human habitation on a public street and had an outstanding bank loan, notifying the bank could cause the bank to accelerate the loan(s). 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 Thank you, Mark From:Charlie Weidanz To:Council, City Subject:Two Events This Week Hosted By Sofia University Date:Monday, October 12, 2026 10:01:14 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Sofia University Doctor of Machine Learning Degree Program Flyer Introducing Sofia University’s New Doctor of Machine Learning Degree Program As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries, organizations increasingly need professionals who can move beyond using existing technologies to help shape the future of machine learning. Learning (DML) Information Session to learn more about our new doctoral program and its upcoming January 2027 launch. During this online session, attendees will explore the DML curriculum and learning experience, including advanced study in machine learning, deep learning, large language models, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics, and emerging technologies. You’ll also learn how the program combines academic depth with applied learning and Work Integrated Learning experiences, as well as its online and hybrid learning options. Designed for professionals in fields such as machine learning, data science, computer science, and engineering, the DML provides an opportunity to deepen technical expertise while preparing for advanced roles in leadership, research, and innovation. Join the Information Session Tuesday, October 13 5:00 PM PDT Online One session. A closer look at what’s next in machine learning. Discover Sofia University’s new Doctor of Machine Learning and explore whether advanced doctoral study in AI and machine learning is the right next step for your career. Register Here: DOCTOR OF MACHINE LEARNING – INFORMATION SESSION Official Film Release - Who Do You Think You Are? Promo Free Documentary Screening Comes to Sofia University’s Palo Alto Campus Sofia University invites the Palo Alto community to a free, in-person screening of the “Who Do You Think You Are?” on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 6:30 PM PDT at Sofia University’s Palo Alto campus. The 65-minute documentary explores compelling questions surrounding consciousness, identity, mindfulness, personal transformation, and human potential. Featuring insights from renowned psychologists, spiritual teachers, and individuals whose lives have been transformed—including Neale Donald Walsch, author of “Conversations with God”, and Patch Adams, MD—the film asks a timeless question: Who are we, really? Who Do You Think You Are? was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2025 Montreal Independent Film Festival and has been screened at universities, conferences, monasteries, ashrams, and film festivals around the world. Making this Palo Alto screening especially meaningful, filmmakers and former psychotherapists Alan Baiss and Joseh Garcia will be present, offering attendees the opportunity to experience the film alongside its creators. Following the screening, guests are invited to participate in a discussion exploring the film’s themes of self- discovery, consciousness, compassion, and our shared potential for transformation. Event Details Wednesday, October 14, 2026 6:30 PM PDT Sofia University – Palo Alto Campus 1069 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Admission: FREE *Space is limited, and advance registration is required. Reserve Your Free Seat Experience this internationally screened documentary in person and take part in the discussion with the filmmakers following the film. Register for the Free Palo Alto Screening Watch the Official Trailer Get a preview of Who Do You Think You Are? before joining us for the full screening. Watch the Official Trailer Meet the Filmmakers Learn more about Alan Baiss and Joseh Garcia and their work exploring consciousness, human potential, and personal transformation. Learn More About the Filmmakers Here Join us at Sofia University in Palo Alto for a unique opportunity to experience this thought-provoking documentary on the big screen, alongside its filmmakers, and connect with others through an evening of meaningful conversation, reflection, and discovery. This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe click here. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email at info@paloaltochamber.com. From:Ben Edem To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Clerk, City; Council, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Sunday, October 11, 2026 2:31:42 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Ben Edem Maplewood Avenue This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:Jerry Fan To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers!!!!! Date:Saturday, October 10, 2026 8:36:25 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision-making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Jerry Fan From:John Jacobs To:Council, City Cc:CeCi Kettendorf Subject:Community needs re fire department Date:Saturday, October 10, 2026 5:55:30 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Council Members: I’m sure you’re of the city’s own analysis recommending an addition engine company at Station 4 in order to improve performance. Yet Engine 64 and Medic 64 currently share one crew. The reasons community members feel strongly is because of the increased needs for services in a city that is growing in both needs and population, particularly in the south end of town. I hope you will give timely consideration to this matter so that residences can feel more secure that the community's needs will be met when needed, not only in our neighborhood but throughout Palo Alto. Thank you in advance and for all that you do to serve and improve our community. Sincerely, John Jacobs 3724 Ortega Court Palo Alto From:Sahana Mysore To:Council, City Subject:Undergrounding powerlines in new developments and major infrastructure projects Date:Saturday, October 10, 2026 5:26:09 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi everyone, I'm writing to ask if the city could prioritize undergrounding powerlines as part of upcoming new developments—like the downtown projects tied to SB 79—and major infrastructure work on roads like Embarcadero. Right now, the overhead powerlines are a major eyesore, especially at critical entry points into our city and in commercial corridors. Taking the opportunity during these big updates to put them underground would be delightful and make a huge difference for our neighborhoods. Thanks for considering it! Best, Sahana Mysore From:Celia Boyle To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Date:Saturday, October 10, 2026 4:04:23 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. Where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. I urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of the Municipal Code as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. Require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thanks, Sincerely, Celia Boyle and Jay Hopkins Barron Avenue, Palo Alto 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:Aram James To:Gary Gechlik Cc:South Skyline Association; SSA board watchers; Bryna Chang; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; Yudy 4PaloAlto; h.etzko@gmail.com; Brian Hamachek; Dave Price; Braden Cartwright; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; EPA Today; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Rose Lynn; Lynn Krug; Rick Callender; Riley Cooke; Gennady Sheyner; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations; Supervisor Otto Lee; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Robert Salonga; Roberta Ahlquist; Baker, Rob; Robert. Jonsen; Jeff Conrad; Jeff Rosen; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Penni Wilson; Gerry Gras; Daniel Kottke; Dana St. George; David S. Norris; Reifschneider, James; PD Kristina Bell; KRISTEN JOHNSON; Diana Diamond; Friends of Cubberley; Marc Berman; Josh Becker; Matt Schlegel; Templeton, Cari; Pacific GrovePD; City Attorney; Council, City; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Preminger, Steve; Sean Allen; frances.rothschild@jud.ca.gov; Burt, Patrick; Stone, Greer; Doug Minkler; karen hall; Patrick Marshall; Mora Oommen; Lori Meyers; Human Relations Commission; Nicole Chiu-Wang; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Anne Cribbs; cromero@cityofepa.org; Enberg, Nicholas; Zahra Billoo; Bill Newell; james pitkin; Jim Lawrence; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; GRP-City Clerk; GRP-City Council; Lotus Fong; Brandon Pho; Jennifer Morrow San José Spotlight; Nick Tasers SF; Palo Alto Weekly; SFChronicle.com; Donna Wallach; Bil Barber; Sean Webby; Steve Wagstaffe; Freddie.Quintana@sen.ca.gov; Perron, Zachary; Aldinette Lockett; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; Reckdahl, Keith; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Martinez, Nicolas; Goodell, Erin; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Jensen, Eric; Brian Good; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Damon Silver; Rodriguez, Miguel; Mei Gechlik; Raymond Goins; westernwheelersbicycleclub@wildapricot.org; Police; Palo Alto Daily Post; Palo Alto Free Press; steven mcgill; Sameena Usman; Zelkha, Mila; Tony Chen; Gardener, Liz; Roberta Ahlquist; Sheree Roth; Shepherd, Nancy Subject:-Ta-Nehisi Coates: Gaza genocide, witnessing Israel’s apartheid & the US elections | Real Talk" on YouTube Date:Saturday, October 10, 2026 3:55:09 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi Lori & Gary et al: For folks who don't have the time to read Ta-Nehisi Coates “ The Message " here is a compelling interview covering critical portions of his book -including a discussion of mainstream push back he received for further exposing the genocide in Gaza & the West Bank. Avram https://youtu.be/ZmUpkA-VYZs?is=5ocHk7P7IqVGL1Z0 On Sat, Oct 10, 2026 at 1:06 PM Gary Gechlik <garygech@gmail.com> wrote: Dear All, I want to re-iterate the importance of Marc Berman's October 20th event. I support Marc 100% because he is trying to make a difference and will make a difference. I am impressed with his hard work and commitment to solve our problems. I wanted to correct myself as to the prior meeting which was Woodside's Special Council Meeting that was on Sept 22, 2026 and is worthwhile to review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US1u84wWYKY I think it is very helpful to watch and see municipal government done right. These are regular people simply trying to solve a problem that has gone on for over forty years, open and notorious and deadly speeding, with white crosses all over the road. It is one of the most significant issues in our city of Palo Alto and in the neighboring areas. Sincerely, Dr. Gary A. Marc Berman Town Hall B. My Vote C. Jakub Solovsky - A Great Person and a Great Athlete! Jacob Solovsky, 34, died in a head-on collision on Highway 35 in Woodside when a black Porsche struck him. From:Sherry Listgarten To:Council, City; Robustelli, Sarah Subject:Plastic field maintenance @ Cubberley Date:Saturday, October 10, 2026 12:37:25 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi. I sent this earlier to cubberley@ and parks@, but I thought you would also be interested. The plastic field at Cubberley is not being maintained properly. Rather than collecting and disposing of the loose plastic strands from the field, someone is blowing them under/over the actual living soil/plants that surround the track. This has happened before, and it is really inexcusable. Here are a few pictures. It is especially bad on the far side of the turf field, across from the bleachers. We are polluting the soil, the redwoods, etc, with this plastic junk that will quickly become micro-plastics. IMO we have no business installing these fields if we are not going to maintain them properly, keeping plastic out of our natural environment. I was unable to find a contact for field maintenance on the city website. I hope you will let me know who the appropriate contact is. Thank you, -- Sherry. From:Aram James To:Gary Gechlik; Lori Meyers; Dave Price; Braden Cartwright; Preminger, Steve; steven mcgill; Steve Wagstaffe Cc:South Skyline Association; SSA board watchers; Bryna Chang; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; Yudy 4PaloAlto; h.etzko@gmail.com; Brian Hamachek; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; EPA Today; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Rose Lynn; Lynn Krug; Rick Callender; Riley Cooke; Gennady Sheyner; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations; Supervisor Otto Lee; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Robert Salonga; Roberta Ahlquist; Baker, Rob; Robert. Jonsen; Jeff Conrad; Jeff Rosen; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Penni Wilson; Gerry Gras; Daniel Kottke; Dana St. George; David S. Norris; Reifschneider, James; PD Kristina Bell; KRISTEN JOHNSON; Diana Diamond; Friends of Cubberley; Marc Berman; Josh Becker; Matt Schlegel; Templeton, Cari; Pacific GrovePD; City Attorney; Council, City; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Sean Allen; frances.rothschild@jud.ca.gov; Burt, Patrick; Stone, Greer; Doug Minkler; karen hall; Patrick Marshall; Mora Oommen; Human Relations Commission; Nicole Chiu-Wang; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Anne Cribbs; cromero@cityofepa.org; Enberg, Nicholas; Zahra Billoo; Bill Newell; james pitkin; Jim Lawrence; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; GRP- City Clerk; GRP-City Council; Lotus Fong; Brandon Pho; Jennifer Morrow San José Spotlight; Nick Tasers SF; Palo Alto Weekly; SFChronicle.com; Donna Wallach; Bil Barber; Sean Webby; Freddie.Quintana@sen.ca.gov; Perron, Zachary; Aldinette Lockett; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; Reckdahl, Keith; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Martinez, Nicolas; Goodell, Erin; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Jensen, Eric; Brian Good; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Damon Silver; Rodriguez, Miguel; Mei Gechlik; Raymond Goins; westernwheelersbicycleclub@wildapricot.org; Police; Palo Alto Daily Post; Palo Alto Free Press; Linda Jolley; planning.commision@cityofpaloalto.org; Zelkha, Mila; Emily Mibach; Marina Lopez; Lewis james; Sean James Subject:Watch ""My life will never be the same": Ta-Nehisi Coates on witnessing apartheid in Palestine | UpFront" on YouTube Date:Saturday, October 10, 2026 12:28:06 PM Attachments:IMG_5557.PNG CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. HI Lori & Gary et al: I am reading Ta-Nehisi Coates's book “The Message”; it is fabulous. His travels to the West Bank have changed his life. The horrendous treatment of the Palestinians by the Israelis, the IDF, and the settlers is like JIM CROW on steroids. At one point, Coates says: trying to defend the moral depravity of Israelis is like trying to defend cannibalism. That kinda says it all. I am a bit over three-quarters through the book and will no doubt reread the part about his travels to the West Bank at least once more. I highly recommend you all read this book; there's much to learn. Avram Finkelstein On Sat, Oct 10, 2026 at 10:37 AM Gary Gechlik <garygech@gmail.com> wrote: I would encourage everyone to attend. Enclosed is the key slide from CalTrans, L. Lee that was discussed at the Portola Valley City Council Special Session Meeting. While this next meeting will not be determinative of the issue, our joint presence can help Marc represent us professionally as our legislative representative. Marc is a father and a great guy, and I know for a fact that he really cares about people. Yes, I voted for Marc Berman, and I would vote for Marc again and again! I was quoted in Palo Alto Online as follows: Although he supports Measure J, which is expected to generate $15.6 million per year with a half-cent sales tax increase, he does not plan to endorse any other candidates in the race — and he has not received any endorsements for his campaign, either. Gechlik said this was an intentional choice to not seek endorsements. Well, for all his hard work and effort and success, I endorse Marc Berman, now, tomorrow, and when the time comes, if he decides to run again for Palo Alto City Council, he is the best of our best! We will succeed in making Skyline Boulevard Safer! We will remember always the life of Jakub Solovsky. The importance of Jakub's life to California will never be forgotten. Our road is not a raceway! Dr. Gary Gechlik DrGary.Vote   Assemblymember Marc Berman ABOUT | COMMITTEES | DISTRICT | NEWSROOM | RESOURCES Town Hall Hero Skyline Safety Solutions Town Hall Dear Gary, I am pleased to invite you to an in-person and virtual Town Hall meeting on safety conditions along State Routes 35 and 84 in rural San Mateo County. This Town Hall will bring together officials from across government and law enforcement to address the public safety issues along our mountain routes. I will be joined by Senator Josh Becker and Supervisor Ray Mueller as well as representatives from Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department for a discussion on the enforcement and engineering work being done to make SRs 35 and 84 safer for pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians and motorists. An audience Q&A session will follow panelist presentations. Please join us on October 20. Skyline Safety Solutions Town Hall Tuesday, October 20 6 – 7:30 p.m. Mountain Terrace 17285 Skyline Boulevard, Woodside, CA 94062 RSVP Livestream Submit questions in advance Event space is limited, so please RSVP if you plan to attend in person. This event will also be livestreamed and recorded. If you have any questions, please reach out to my District Office at (650) 324-0224. I hope to see you there. Sincerely, Signature Marc Berman Assemblymember, 23rd District Capitol Office P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0023 Phone: (916) 319-2023 Fax: (916) 319-2123 District Office 721 Colorado Avenue, Suite 101 Palo Alto, CA 94303 Phone: (650) 324-0224 Fax: (650) 324-7932 From:Lythcott-Haims, Julie To:Alice Smith Cc:City Mgr; Council, City Subject:Re: [CHOpinion] Fwd: The revolutionary art of fixing the thing people are complaining about Date:Saturday, October 10, 2026 8:07:37 AM Glad you weren't seriously injured Alice and thank you for bringing it to the city's attention. Julie Julie Lythcott-Haims (they/them) AI does not write my emails Council Member City of Palo Alto Schedule a meeting with me here: https://calendly.com/jlythcotthaims/zoom-office-hours On Oct 9, 2026, at 1:42 PM, Alice Smith <alice.smith@gmail.com> wrote: CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clickingon links. To my City Council and City Manager, An action to prevent a possible serious injury along the street where I live: Channing House, 520 Webster Street. I tripped on a tree root on Webster Street near the crosswalk at Homer on election day in June after delivering some ballots to the church. I was lucky that I fell safely. I went to City Hall and reported it to the desk on the front floor., pointing out where on the street the offending root was. The offending root is directly opposite the stairway down from the church door where I had been talking to a student who was reading on the front steps. Two women raced over and helped me up. Other than my dignity, I wasn't injured. But falls at 86 are not good events. I was a foot from the crosswalk; nonetheless, the root foreseeably will trip others leaving the church and crossing Webster, who are inadvertently not looking down at the street after stepping off the curb. This is an accident waiting to happen again. I urge the City to consider this a hazard needing either repair or a warning sign painted on it. Alice Schaffer Smith 850 Webster Street #520 Palo Alto, CA 94301 (c) 650 283 2822 “If the meanest man in the republic is deprived of his rights then every man in the republic is deprived of his rights.” —Jane Addams, 1903 On Fri, Oct 9, 2026 at 7:11 AM Ann Clark <annhclark1@gmail.com> wrote: The Palo Alto City Council should read and heed this. If you know someone personally on the City Council, please forward. There is a bigger issue here: trust. Excellent article! Ann Ann H. Clark 850 Webster St., Apt. 720 Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-324-7429 Begin forwarded message: From: Your Local Epidemiologist <yourlocalepidemiologist@substack.com> Subject: The revolutionary art of fixing the thing people are complaining about Date: October 9, 2026 at 3:01:40 AM PDT To: annhclark1@gmail.com Reply-To: Your Local Epidemiologist <reply+3lxajz&3lhgt3&&a536d50496fd1d1a79c32da245674264f881c1b049881c4e286adb3c5fd125cc@mg1.substack.com View in browser Enjoying this newsletter? Why not share it with a friend? The revolutionary art of fixing the thing people are complaining about Project Stethoscope, potholes, and everything in between KATELYN JETELINA AND CHELSEA CIPRIANO OCT 9 ∙PAID READ IN APP Happy Friday! We made it through the week. Friday posts are for paid subscribers and offer behind-the-curtain lessons that hopefully either help you in your job (we know a lot of you are in public health, health care, and community-based organizations) or pique your curiosity about the mental model of YLE. Raise your hand if you have hit a pothole in the past year. I bet you thought about raising your hand. You’re not alone. New York City had a massive pothole problem. One pothole outside a resident’s home got so deep that one woman joked on Twitter that you could see archaeological layers of cobblestones in it. Literally. Source: Twitter Potholes are annoying, frustrating, damaging (ruining cars), and unsafe (forcing people to swerve into traffic). They are a constant, visible reminder of a city’s inefficiency. This seems like a very small, niche problem, but instead of brushing it off, NYC made it a priority. And tackled it with a simple premise: fill potholes. Show that the government works for the people and can deliver on what they care about. And that’s what they did. The city just filled the 200,000th pothole in six months. There was no magic involved. They didn’t fix the highway, repair the bridges, or the infrastructure at large, but they fixed something that impacted people’s everyday lives. The city government simply listened with purpose, and acted on it. In doing so, they earned goodwill, a reputation for responsiveness, and ultimately, trust. So. What do potholes have to do with this moment in health? Awhole lot. Everyone in our professional world seems to be asking the same question over and over again: “How do we rebuild trust in [INSERT: health, public health, health care, academia, media, professional societies, each other]?” It makes us want to scream. Because it’s simple. Trust isn’t declared; it’s earned over and over and over again through a set of acts that make something or someone trustworthy. Trustworthiness means responsiveness, consistency, transparency, being human, admitting to mistakes, and actually executing. Trust in systems (and each other) has been eroding for years (decades?) in the U.S. because people are being repeatedly failed by the systems around them. Just look at the opioid epidemic, crippling health care costs, having to drive hours to get to a hospital, and the list goes on. And yes, bad actors intentionally sow doubt, too. So where does one begin? Listen. Like, truly listen to the concerns, frustrations, hopes, and dreams of families, neighbors, and communities. Many are trying to do better, but listening may not be what it sounds like. Let me explain… There are three aspects to listening that are really important: 1. People want to be heard. Listening starts with true, deep curiosity. Not curiosity with conceit, where “listening” is really just a setup to correct someone, and definitely not the patronizing kind, where people are treated as problems to be fixed rather than neighbors with real reasons for what they think. People can feel authentic curiosity, and they can feel when it’s missing. For far too long, our country’s institutions, including health care and public health, have systematically taken a top-down approach: here is the service, come get it. Here is this information from the ivory tower, now read it. As our friend and colleague Dr. Stefanie Friedhoff often says, this need more data, more facts, and more information, and then they will change their minds. Out in the wild, the information landscape is oversaturated. You can Google or ask ChatGPT anything these days. Also, everyone is screaming at everyone on social media. There are a billion newsletters now (yes, you’re currently reading one of them) and information has been decentralized. There’s so much information on social media and the internet, it’s amazing that anything breaks through. So people need navigators, but they are also demanding a far more participatory approach. In other words, they really just want to be heard. Figure by Your Local Epidemiologist 2. Listening requires a dramatic mental model shift. This means listening to the people you disagree with. Read things that make your blood boil. Have conversations with people. Listening doesn’t mean validating. It doesn’t mean abandoning evidence or values. It simply means seeking to understand, truly understand, what drives people’s fears, frustrations, hopes, and questions. Listening means power sharing, too. It means recognizing that expertise can come from fancy degrees, but also from lived experience. This doesn’t mean expertise is dead. It means it’s a dance with how it applies to people’s lives. When you show people their experiences matter, that their concerns are valid, even if misinformed, the door opens. That’s when people start to listen and engage in return. 3. Listening is different from hearing. Building trust doesn’t just require hearing. It takes energy because it means you have to actually do something with it. This is actively listening. It means coming back every week with this newsletter, consistently. It means executing. It means being transparent and being human. It means following the New York example and actually filling the potholes, instead of just talking about it. It means identifying the “potholes” in your life, and if you’re in a position to fix them (looking at you, health leader readers!) do so expeditiously. Show the people you serve that you’ve addressed *a thing* that is taking up time, money, and energy from their daily lives. Tell the people you’ve served, and tell us. We want to amplify these (often small, unseen) acts of radical listening and responding to needs. By listening, you will learn really important things. And buildtrust. Listening will reveal big blind spots. You will realize that issues bubble up earlier, before they become emergencies. And you will find that the community can help answer some of the most complex problems our communities face. For example, the Brown Information Futures Lab, in partnership with We Are Más, through true listening, found that Hispanic and Latino patients are delaying treatment, rationing medication, and taking on debt. And with listening came solutions. Source: Brown University and We Are Más. Community-based research and community engagement isn’t anything new. In fact, many on the front line, like community health workers, do this every day. There’s research and modelsgalore. But what’s missing? Incentives and scale. What gets heard on the front lines doesn’t consistently travel up to the people making decisions about operations, policy, and communications. Listening is rarely funded, measured, or rewarded. Not enough for communities to feel it consistently over time. But scaling is possible. Project Stethoscope (a program at YLE) found that creating a feedback loop across the state of California increased trust in public health institutions and leaders 68%. The results were even stronger among residents who are often left behind: Black and rural residents. This is also why the Common Health Coalition exists. No single institution can listen and meet every resulting need, or fill every pothole, on its own. Source: Project Stethoscope / YLE. Bottom line If you listen, people will notice because listening is that rare these days. Then, and only then, will you be able to start building trustworthy systems. If every human listened a little more, this world would be a better, and yes, healthier, place. Love, YLE and CC Chelsea Cipriano, MPH is the executive director of the Common Health Coalition. She fell into public health via EMS about 15 years ago and has been asking “why not” ever since she got here. Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with one goal: to “translate” ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. The YLE suite of newsletters reaches over 475,000 people across more than 132 countries. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribed LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Your Local Epidemiologist4140 Oceanside Blvd, Suite #159 - 1400Oceanside, CA 92056 Unsubscribe -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CHOpinion" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chopinion+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/chopinion/F2413D7B-D58F-4C66-B4A2- 40AD18CA2F07%40gmail.com. From:Aram James To:Lori Meyers; Gary Gechlik Cc:Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; Reckdahl, Keith; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; brianhama@gmail.com; h.etzko@gmail.com; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Raymond Goins; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; Jeff Rosen; Jay Boyarsky; Sam Liccardo; Templeton, Cari; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader forCalifornia Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; Josh Becker; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Supervisor Otto Lee; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Diana Diamond; District5@bos.sccgov.org; Nash, Betsy; Dennis Upton; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; Doug Minkler; Daniel Kottke; Dana St. George; Gerry Gras; Gennady Sheyner; Riley Cooke; Rick Callender; Sean Allen;WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; alphonso.lozano@santamonica.gov; Lewis james; Human Relations Commission; Palo Alto Renters" Association; Aldinette Lockett; Council, City; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; City Attorney; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; Perron, Zachary; Reifschneider, James; james pitkin; KRISTEN JOHNSON; <michael.gennaco@oirgroup.com>; Stephen Connolly; julie.ruhlin@oirgroup.con; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Henry Etzkowitz; Angel, David; Lotus Fong; Friends of Cubberley; Sheree Roth; frances.rothschild@jud.ca.gov; Bill Newell; Zahra Billoo; Jeff Hayden; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Matt Schlegel; Ann Ravel; rabrica@cityofepa.org; Anne Cribbs; cromero@cityofepa.org; Dave Price; Braden Cartwright; Emily Mibach; Penni Wilson Subject:Chair of Jewish Greens calls for Zack Polanski to resign after byelection loss — Guardian US Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 10:37:02 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hey Lori, 1. What do you say? Do you agree Zionism is racism? 2. That Israel should be replaced by a single Palestinian state? Looking forward to your answers. Gary, feel free to jump in as well. Avram Following the vote at the party conference to adopt the policy, which states that Zionism is racism and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state. Chair of Jewish Greens calls for Zack Polanski to resign after byelection loss - The Guardian https://apple.news/A7NLM0j-tT2mcE5mhpXCvKA?highlight=following%20the%20vote%20at%20the%20party%20conference%20to%20adopt%20the%20policy,%20which%20states%20that%20Zionism%20is%20racism%20and%20calls%20for%20Israel%20to%20be%20replaced%20by%20a%20single%20Palestinian%20state From:Meredith Einaudi To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please REJECT AT@T"s Proposed New Neighborhood Cell towers Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 9:42:16 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock,Vice Chair Rosenberg and members Chen,Hirsch and Jojarth, I am writing to strongly urge you to insist that AT@T respect the provision of our Municipal code and your own Aesthetic judgement as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular,please: 1.Require that AT@T site all towers farther from residents' homes. 2.Require that AT@T locate radios and ancillary equipment underground. 3.Require that AT@T lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,Meredith Einaudi This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:Charlie Weidanz To:Council, City Subject:Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce News & Events - October 9, 2026 Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 4:57:20 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Palo Alto Chamber Logo News & Events - October 9, 2026 Registration Extended: 2026 Athena Leadership Awards Presentation Next Thursday Palo Alto Museum for Palo Alto Rocks! Sofia University Doctor of Machine Learning Degree Official Film Release - Who Do You Think You Are? 2026 Passion For Change International Film Festival Stratford School Open House 15th Annual Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto Angel Award Event Yiaya Greek Yogurt Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Youth Community Services & Project Safety Net Seeking Sponsors for Nov. 7th United We Rise Event 2026 PATMA Commute Survey - Win a $200 Gift Card Mark Your Calendar Athena International 2026 Leadership Presentation promo Irene Wong portrait Peying Lee portrait Athena International logo Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce proudly presents the 2026 Annual ATHENA® Awards Thursday October 15, 2026 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm El Prado Hotel 520 Cowper St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Get Your Tickets Today >> The ATHENA award is given to honor exceptional woman leaders who demonstrate the highest levels of professional excellence, give back to their communities and, most importantly, assist other women in realizing their full leadership potential – and it is an international award, having been given to more than 6,500 recipients in over 500 cities and 8 countries. Locally it is awarded by our Chamber of Commerce. Register Online >> Event Info Palo Alto Museum for Palo Alto Rocks! Concert ®​ The Countdown Begins: Join the Palo Alto Museum for Palo Alto Rocks! Saturday, October 10 | 4:00–6:00 PM | Heritage Park, 300 Homer Avenue | FREE A new museum is coming to Palo Alto, and the celebration starts now. Ahead of our Spring 2027 grand opening, the Palo Alto Museum is hosting six monthly pop-ups, each one a new chapter in the story of our city. Chapter One is a free music party in the park, presented in partnership with the City of Palo Alto. Sheryl B and her Stellar 5 open with jazz and R&B, then Palo Alto's own Past Curfew brings rock classics. Add free ice cream, local music trivia, prizes, and Museum swag you can only get here, plus a chance to meet the team building the Museum. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, bring your neighbors, and come rock the park! Reserve your free ticket → https://paloaltomuseum.ticketing.veevartapp.com/tickets/view/list/palo- alto-rocks Want the best seat in the park? Become a Founding Member and enjoy a reserved seating area close to the stage, all while helping build Palo Alto's newest cultural home from the ground up. Become a Founding Member → https://paloaltomuseum.org/membership/ Sofia University Doctor of Machine Learning Degree Program Flyer Introducing Sofia University’s New Doctor of Machine Learning Degree Program As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries, organizations increasingly need professionals who can move beyond using existing technologies to help shape the future of machine learning. Sofia University invites prospective students to an upcoming Doctor of Machine Learning (DML) Information Session to learn more about our new doctoral program and its upcoming January 2027 launch. During this online session, attendees will explore the DML curriculum and learning experience, including advanced study in machine learning, deep learning, large language models, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics, and emerging technologies. You’ll also learn how the program combines academic depth with applied learning and Work Integrated Learning experiences, as well as its online and hybrid learning options. Designed for professionals in fields such as machine learning, data science, computer science, and engineering, the DML provides an opportunity to deepen technical expertise while preparing for advanced roles in leadership, research, and innovation. Join the Information Session Tuesday, October 13 5:00 PM PDT Online One session. A closer look at what’s next in machine learning. Discover Sofia University’s new Doctor of Machine Learning and explore whether advanced doctoral study in AI and machine learning is the right next step for your career. Register Here: DOCTOR OF MACHINE LEARNING – INFORMATION SESSION Official Film Release - Who Do You Think You Are? Promo Free Documentary Screening Comes to Sofia University’s Palo Alto Campus Sofia University invites the Palo Alto community to a free, in-person screening of the internationally festival-proven documentary “Who Do You Think You Are?” on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 6:30 PM PDT at Sofia University’s Palo Alto campus. The 65-minute documentary explores compelling questions surrounding consciousness, identity, mindfulness, personal transformation, and human potential. Featuring insights from renowned psychologists, spiritual teachers, and individuals whose lives have been transformed—including Neale Donald Walsch, author of “Conversations with God”, and Patch Adams, MD—the film asks a timeless question: Who are we, really? Who Do You Think You Are? was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2025 Montreal Independent Film Festival and has been screened at universities, conferences, monasteries, ashrams, and film festivals around the world. Making this Palo Alto screening especially meaningful, filmmakers and former psychotherapists Alan Baiss and Joseh Garcia will be present, offering attendees the opportunity to experience the film alongside its creators. Following the screening, guests are invited to participate in a discussion exploring the film’s themes of self-discovery, consciousness, compassion, and our shared potential for transformation. Event Details Wednesday, October 14, 2026 6:30 PM PDT Sofia University – Palo Alto Campus 1069 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, CA 94303 Admission: FREE *Space is limited, and advance registration is required. Reserve Your Free Seat Experience this internationally screened documentary in person and take part in the discussion with the filmmakers following the film. Register for the Free Palo Alto Screening Watch the Official Trailer Get a preview of Who Do You Think You Are? before joining us for the full screening. Watch the Official Trailer Meet the Filmmakers Learn more about Alan Baiss and Joseh Garcia and their work exploring consciousness, human potential, and personal transformation. Learn More About the Filmmakers Here Join us at Sofia University in Palo Alto for a unique opportunity to experience this thought-provoking documentary on the big screen, alongside its filmmakers, and connect with others through an evening of meaningful conversation, reflection, and discovery. ​ UNAFF 2026 Passion For Change International Film Festival Promo THE 29th UNAFF (UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION FILM FESTIVAL) CELEBRATES GROUNDBREAKING DOCUMENTARIES WITH 60 FILMS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD At a time when divisions here and abroad are more ominous than ever, this year’s theme PASSION FOR CHANGE continues our devotion to human rights with an emphasis on the energy, foresight and courage required to respond wisely to the increasing pace and challenges of our times. Many sessions will sell out fast! Get tickets now so you don't miss the chance to see worldview-changing documentaries, expert panels and talk with visiting filmmakers from around the world at the longest and oldest Palo Alto cultural event: Schedule: https://www.unaff.org/2026/schedule.html Tickets: https://www.unaff.org/2026/tickets.html Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKqjH_DutSk Support: https://www.unaff.org/2026/support.html Looking forward to see you at the 29th UNAFF! Stratford School Open House | October 24, 2026 | 9AM-1PM Discover the difference a Stratford education can make! Prospective families are warmly invited to explore our beautiful campus at our upcoming Fall Open House on Saturday, October 24th, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. During your visit, you will have the opportunity to meet our passionate campus leaders, expert teachers, and dedicated staff. You will also discover how our balanced approach to learning builds student confidence, and get an inside look at Stratford’s advanced STEAM- infused curriculum, our Mandarin Bilingual Program for Preschool & Pre-K, and our well-structured curriculum spanning from Early Preschool to 8th Grade. To ensure your dedicated time slot with our team, registration ahead of time is required. Register online to secure your appointment >> Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto Angel Award Flyer 15th Annual Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto Angel Award October 28, 2026, 5:30–7:30pm Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel 625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Purcase Tickets >> Learn More about our 2026 Angel Award Recipient >> Join us for the Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Celebration of Yiaya Greek Yogurt Friday, October 30, 2026 12:30 PM Location: 520 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 sponsors for our fundraiser, United We Rise: Together for Youth Wellbeing, on Saturday, Nov 7, 2pm-4pm at First Presbyterian Church Palo Alto, 1140 Cowper St, Palo Alto, CA 94301. We are seeking recommendations for organizations and businesses whom we might approach to ask for their support- we are grateful that Stanford Medicine Children's Health will be one of our lead sponsors. See the Sponsorship Letter Request and Sponsorship Form with more details >> At the event, guests will celebrate this new beginning while enjoying a bottomless ice cream sundae bar, jazz music, and a panel on youth wellbeing. Early bird tickets include a uniquely designed handmade bowl from our dear friends at the South Bay Ceramic Studio. Sponsors of the event will support a local collaborative community- based network working to further support youth wellbeing. Sponsors will gain visibility among thousands of YCS’s and PSN’s audience of engaged youth, families, schools, elected officials, healthcare professionals, and community organizations. Please visit the Event Sponsorship Form that outlines details on the benefits for each of the levels of support for our fundraiser. We are happy to discuss ways to tailor the sponsorship level. We would appreciate confirmation of sponsorship by Wednesday, October 23, 2026. Come share in our collective excitement about what is possible for youth, families and communities! Thank you for your kind consideration. Get Tickets for the Event on November 7, 2026 >> For Your Information 2026 PATMA Commute Survey Logo The Palo Alto Transportation Management Association (PATMA) surveys employees who work in Palo Alto to better understand commute habits and preferences. Your participation in this 3 min. survey will help us improve our program offerings. Enter a prize drawing at the end of this survey for a chance to win one of two $200 gift cards to spend in Palo Alto. Please direct any questions or comments to connect@paloaltotma.org. Thank you! TAKE SURVEY >> View the Events Calendar Learn More About The Chamber ​ PALO ALTO CHAMBER & VISITORS CENTER 355 ALMA STREET | PALO ALTO | CA | 94301 | 650-324-3121 WWW.PALOALTOCHAMBER.COM This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe click here. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email at info@paloaltochamber.com. OCTOBER 2026 The League's National Commitment toVoters The 2026 elections are a defining test of whether our From:LWV Palo Alto To:Council, City Subject:October LWVPA Voter: Join us THIS Saturday for the Fall Kick-off: "AI, Surveillance, and Democracy: Organizing Against Flock Cameras" Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 1:47:49 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Voters are navigating changing rules, attacks on trusted election infrastructure, misinformation, and efforts that could make participation harder.  The League of Women Voters is meeting this moment nationwide, helping people register, understand what is on their ballot, protect their freedom to vote, and turn out in every election. We will continue working with voters, election officials, partners, and our state and local League network so every eligible voter can participate and every ballot is counted. Message from our President By Lisa Ratner, President The ballots are coming - and should be here when you readthis! The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters will begin mailing ballots to all registered voters the week of Oct. 5. Watch your mailbox and begin to make your voting plan. How will you research candidates, propositions and measures to make your voting decisions? Tools to help you include VOTE411, Pros & Cons analysis of propositions and the Easy Voter Guide. View the recordings of local candidate forums for Palo Alto City Council) and PAUSD school board. How and when will you return your ballot? You have options: Early voting begins Oct. 5 at the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters office, 1555 Berger Dr., Bldg. 2, San Jose, or Go to one of the Vote Centers located throughout Santa Clara County. Some open as early as Oct. 24 and others open Oct. 31. All are open on Election Day, Nov. 3, or Return your ballot in an official Ballot Drop Box at sites throughout Santa Clara County, or Return your ballot through the U.S. Post Office. The return envelope is postage paid. Election officials recommend mailing the ballot at least a week before Election Day on Nov. 3. It must be postmarked by Nov. 3 to be counted. The postmark date is when the Post Office processes it, not when it was dropped off. Get it canceled by hand by taking it to a postal worker at the window. Do you know someone who isn't registered? Remind them: if you don't vote, someone else decides for you. Encourage them to register to vote before the Oct. 19 deadline - either online or by visiting the Registrar of Voters, 1555 Berger Dr., Bldg. 2, San Jose. Did you know that California employers are required to provide 2 hours paid time off for employees who don’t have sufficient time outside of working to vote? They can be given as much time as needed to vote but only a maximum of two hours paid. Employers may require workers to give advance notice they will need time off. Host a voting party to discuss ballot propositions that will bring your community together. Check out both the impartial analysis of the propositions and League recommendations here; https://lwvc.org/ballot-recommendations/ Need a ride to the polls? Lyft is partnering with LWV to provide discounted rides: Lyft's 2026 Voting Access Program: Rides to the Polls Advocacy By Lisa Ratner, Advocacy Chair LOCAL The League, after study, supports local Measure J for revitalizing Cubberley Center to enhance community services, repair of dilapidated buildings and infrastructure, affordable childcare, emergency response, and provide climate benefits. Despite concerns about funding, lack of a sunset, and potential regressive sales tax impact, the benefits of Measure J outweigh its shortcomings. Measure J responds to years of discussion between the city and PAUSD about the dire need to fix Cubberley, represents an equitable use of funds for part of the city lacking community resources, and provides citywide access to community services and partnerships to improve overall community life. Read “The Case for Measure J” in this newsletter. STATE Read about the 43 bills LWVC championed in the California legislature this session and its win in the California Supreme Court, which ordered the Riverside County Sheriff to return unlawfully seized ballots: https://lwvc.org/news/ NATIONAL LWVUS was a plaintiff in the Supreme Court case blocking the U.S. Postal Service from Restricting Mail Ballots. Read about that and other ways LWV is protecting democracy: https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases Sign Up for the Fall Kick-off! Join us for our fall members' kickoff meeting, with atimely speaker on AI and surveillance. Saturday, October 10 | 2:45-4:30 pm 4161 Alma St. (Etz Chayim Social Hall) Attorney and activist, Cara Silver, will speak on “AI, Surveillance, and Democracy: Organizing Against Flock Cameras,” followed by Q&A. Meet our new board members, learn about updates to our local program and hear highlights from the LWVUS annual convention. We’ll also review our committees. Doors open at 2:45pm. Program begins at 3:00pm. Registration link here. Cara Silver is a municipal attorney and a relatively new political activist. A practiced municipal lawyer for over 30 years, Silver has served as the City Attorney for Portola Valley, Acting City Attorney for Menlo Park, Senior Land Use Attorney for Palo Alto, Litigation Attorney for Santa Monica and most recently Planning and Land Use Attorney for Alameda. Silver specializes in land use law and urban planning and is especially passionate about drafting local ordinances linking multi-family housing with public transit and accounting for sea level rise and wildfires. She is a strong supporter of local government because of its immediate impact and problem-solving abilities. Silver's interest in political activism started with Trump 2.0. A member of Indivisible Palo Alto Plus (IPA+), she chairs the IPA+ Immigrant Rights Action Team, and helped create Safety Over Surveillance (SOS) Palo Alto, an anti-ALPR (automated license plate recognition) coalition of 14 organizations. She has participated in organizing several local democracy forums relating to immigration, mass surveillance and voting rights. Most recently, she has leveraged her knowledge of local government to advocate against Flock cameras and mass surveillance. Help Protect Democracy! Join fellow LWVPA volunteers at community events to share ballot measure pro/cons, hand out Easy Voter Guides and get out the vote! Email lwvpaoffice@gmail.com to let us know you can help. Protect elections across the state on Election Day (November 3) by partnering with the California Election Protection Alliance, the largest and longest running non- partisan election protection program in California. Sign up by October 13 for a 90- minute training. Mark your Calendar for “No Kings: Vote Early” on October 17! Let’s be there to remind people to check their registration and vote early. We will also share our Pro/Cons and Ballot recommendations. We’ll be at two events - register here - choose the one that best fits your schedule: Event One @ Noon-2pm: Meet in front of Boba Bliss at San Antonio & El Camino at noon. Event Two @ 2-4pm: Meet at Pioneer Memorial Park in Mountain View No Kings: Vote Early is a nationwide, nonpartisan day of voter participation on Saturday, October 17, 2026, encouraging eligible voters to make a plan, know their options, and cast ballots early where local rules allow. Visit VOTE411.org to see everything on your ballot, your polling place, and unbiased information on all your voting choices. Download the LWVC Easy Voter Guide for a comprehensive evaluation of the California Ballot. Share this information with friends & family. Or host a ballot study party! Vote with the League! After careful study and consideration given our national, state and local positions (our values), the League can recommend a position on issues. Here's what the League thinks about the issues in the November 3 election. Measure J: SALES TAX (Cubberley Community Ctr.) This measure authorizes a new sales tax in Palo Alto. QUESTION: Should the City of Palo Alto levy an additional 0.5% (½%) sales tax on sales and use transactions in Palo Alto to fund the acquisition of seven acres of the Cubberley campus and the improvement of the City-owned portion of the campus, and for other general purposes? The Case for Measure J: the LWV of Palo Alto supports Measure J, based on its alignment with several national, state, and local League Position Statements, and study on a local level. We agree that the documented community needs and potential citywide benefits of repairing, renovating, and expanding Cubberley Center outweigh concerns regarding Measure J's funding mechanism, lack of a sunset, lack of a legal spending guarantee, and the equity implications of a sales tax. Read the Measure J Pro/Cons here. SB 63: Regional Transit Measure A Regional Sales Tax Measure that would impose a sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. QUESTION: To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, and other transit services for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, and persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, and reliability; Repairing targeted roads and potholes; and Requiring financial transparency, oversight, and accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties and a 1% sales tax in San Francisco for 14 years, generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted? The LWV of the Bay Area supports SB63 - Regional Transit Measure - read why here. Read the full Regional Transit Measure Pros/Cons here. November 3 Ballot: Vote with the LWV of California In this election, California voters will choose a Governor, and other representatives for national, state, and local government. Voters will decide if judges on the state's Supreme Court should keep their positions. California voters will also be deciding on 14 state propositions that are explained in this PROS/CONS. Five of the propositions were placed on the ballot by the state legislature, and other propositions have been placed on the ballot by people who collected enough signatures. The State League has endorsed positions on the 14 ballot measures. Get the details here. View the Candidate Forum Recordings Candidate forums like these are one way the League makes democracy work! The League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and neighboring Leagues hosted Candidate Forums for the upcoming election. Listen to the candidates and learn where they stand on pertinent issues. Share with your friends, family and neighbors! LWVSSMC: Candidate Forum: CAAssembly District 23 The League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County hosted a nonpartisan candidate forum for California Assembly District 23. WATCH THE RECORDING LWV Los Altos - Mountain View: Santa Clara Valley Water District 7 Board of Trustees WATCH THE RECORDING. 9.19.26 - Palo Alto CityCouncil Candidate Forum WATCH THE RECORDING HERE (Photo by the Palo Alto Weekly/Palo Alto Online) 9.24.26 - Palo Alto SchoolBoard Candidate Forum Co-Sponsored by PTAC (Palo Alto Council of PTAs) WATCH THE RECORDING HERE (Photo by the Palo Alto Weekly/Palo Alto Online) FROM THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY: Protecting Our Elections: How to Prepare for Attacks on the Right to Vote Voting rights experts, Justin Lam of the Brennan Center for Justice, and Brittany Stonesifer of Common Cause California, discussed current threats to voting rights nationally and in California, efforts to safeguard our rights, and steps you can take. WATCH THE RECORDING HERE Stay Informed! Sign Up for LWV News & Alerts REGIONAL: Subscribe to LWVBA Bay Area Bytes STATE: sign up for LWVC Newsletter and LWVC Action Alerts NATIONAL: sign up for LWVUS Email News (scroll to the bottom) and LWVUS Action Alerts Can you lend a hand? Whether you have a few hours to give or are ready to take on a larger role, there is a place for you. Your time and talents can help us educate and engage voters and strengthen civic participation in our community. We hope you’ll join us! Reach out if you have any questions at contact@lwvpaloalto.org. We look forward to working with you! Coming up! O C T O B E R Sept. 24 - Oct. 13: ROV mails county election information guides to all registered voters 5: ROV mails vote by mail packets | 5 thru Nov. 2: Early voting at ROV office 10: Fall Kick-Off Meeting & Speaker - 2:45-4:30pm, Etz Chayim Social Hall 19: Last day to register to vote for Nov. 3 election with regular ballot 20 -Nov. 3: Conditional voter registration at any Vote Center or ROV office 24 thru Nov. 3: Vote Centers are open 27: Last day to request vote-by-mail replacement N O V E M B E R 3: ELECTION DAY! All vote centers open Contact your Members of Congress!Share your thoughts on how they shouldrepresent YOU. Reach them at: FEDERAL: US SENATE: Senator ALEX PADILLA | Senator ADAM SCHIFF US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Representative SAM LICCARDO (16th District) | Find your CA state representative CALIFORNIA: State Assembly District 23 (Palo Alto) - Assemblymember MARC BERMAN State Senate District 13 (Palo Alto) - Senator JOSH BECKER Not listed here? Find Your California Representatives Facebook Website Instagram Copyright © 2026 League of Women Voters Palo Alto, All rights reserved. From Voter Recipient List Email us at lwvpaoffice@gmail.com Our mailing address is: League of Women Voters Palo Alto 3921 E Bayshore Rd Ste 209 Palo Alto, CA 94303-4303 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Questions? Please contact communications@lwvpaloalto.org. From:Alice Smith To:City Mgr Cc:Council, City Subject:Re: [CHOpinion] Fwd: The revolutionary art of fixing the thing people are complaining about Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 1:42:47 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking onlinks. To my City Council and City Manager, An action to prevent a possible serious injury along the street where I live: Channing House, 520 Webster Street. I tripped on a tree root on Webster Street near the crosswalk at Homer on election day in June after delivering some ballots to the church. I was lucky that I fell safely. I went to City Hall and reported it to the desk on the front floor., pointing out where on the street the offending root was. The offending root is directly opposite the stairway down from the church door where I had been talking to a student who was reading on the front steps. Two women raced over and helped me up. Other than my dignity, I wasn't injured. But falls at 86 are not good events. I was a foot from the crosswalk; nonetheless, the root foreseeably will trip others leaving the church and crossing Webster, who are inadvertently not looking down at the street after stepping off the curb. This is an accident waiting to happen again. I urge the City to consider this a hazard needing either repair or a warning sign painted on it. Alice Schaffer Smith 850 Webster Street #520 Palo Alto, CA 94301 (c) 650 283 2822 “If the meanest man in the republic is deprived of his rights then every man in the republic is deprived of his rights.” —Jane Addams, 1903 On Fri, Oct 9, 2026 at 7:11 AM Ann Clark <annhclark1@gmail.com> wrote: The Palo Alto City Council should read and heed this. If you know someone personally on the City Council, please forward. There is a bigger issue here: trust. Excellent article! Ann Ann H. Clark 850 Webster St., Apt. 720 Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-324-7429 Begin forwarded message: From: Your Local Epidemiologist <yourlocalepidemiologist@substack.com> Subject: The revolutionary art of fixing the thing people are complaining about Date: October 9, 2026 at 3:01:40 AM PDT To: annhclark1@gmail.com Reply-To: Your Local Epidemiologist <reply+3lxajz&3lhgt3&&a536d50496fd1d1a79c32da245674264f881c1b049881c4e286adb3c5fd125cc@mg1.substack.com View in browser Enjoying this newsletter? Why not share it with a friend? The revolutionary art of fixing the thing people are complaining about Project Stethoscope, potholes, and everything in between KATELYN JETELINA AND CHELSEA CIPRIANO OCT 9 ∙PAID READ IN APP Happy Friday! We made it through the week. Friday posts are for paid subscribers and offer behind-the-curtain lessons that hopefully either help you in your job (we know a lot of you are in public health, health care, and community-based organizations) or pique your curiosity about the mental model of YLE. Raise your hand if you have hit a pothole in the past year. I bet you thought about raising your hand. You’re not alone. New York City had a massive pothole problem. One pothole outside a resident’s home got so deep that one woman joked on Twitter that you could see archaeological layers of cobblestones in it. Literally. Source: Twitter Potholes are annoying, frustrating, damaging (ruining cars), and unsafe (forcing people to swerve into traffic). They are a constant, visible reminder of a city’s inefficiency. This seems like a very small, niche problem, but instead of brushing it off, NYC made it a priority. And tackled it with a simple premise: fill potholes. Show that the government works for the people and can deliver on what they care about. And that’s what they did. The city just filled the 200,000th pothole in six months. There was no magic involved. They didn’t fix the highway, repair the bridges, or the infrastructure at large, but they fixed something that impacted people’s everyday lives. The city government simply listened with purpose, and acted on it. In doing so, they earned goodwill, a reputation for responsiveness, and ultimately, trust. So. What do potholes have to do with this moment in health? Awhole lot. Everyone in our professional world seems to be asking the same question over and over again: “How do we rebuild trust in [INSERT: health, public health, health care, academia, media, professional societies, each other]?” It makes us want to scream. Because it’s simple. Trust isn’t declared; it’s earned over and over and over again through a set of acts that make something or someone trustworthy. Trustworthiness means responsiveness, consistency, transparency, being human, admitting to mistakes, and actually executing. Trust in systems (and each other) has been eroding for years (decades?) in the U.S. because people are being repeatedly failed by the systems around them. Just look at the opioid epidemic, crippling health care costs, having to drive hours to get to a hospital, and the list goes on. And yes, bad actors intentionally sow doubt, too. So where does one begin? Listen. Like, truly listen to the concerns, frustrations, hopes, and dreams of families, neighbors, and communities. Many are trying to do better, but listening may not be what it sounds like. Let me explain… There are three aspects to listening that are really important: 1. People want to be heard. Listening starts with true, deep curiosity. Not curiosity with conceit, where “listening” is really just a setup to correct someone, and definitely not the patronizing kind, where people are treated as problems to be fixed rather than neighbors with real reasons for what they think. People can feel authentic curiosity, and they can feel when it’s missing. For far too long, our country’s institutions, including health care and public health, have systematically taken a top-down approach: here is the service, come get it. Here is this information from the ivory tower, now read it. As our friend and colleague Dr. Stefanie Friedhoff often says, this linear approach is based on the deficit model. It assumes people just need more data, more facts, and more information, and then they will change their minds. Out in the wild, the information landscape is oversaturated. You can Google or ask ChatGPT anything these days. Also, everyone is screaming at everyone on social media. There are a billion newsletters now (yes, you’re currently reading one of them) and information has been decentralized. There’s so much information on social media and the internet, it’s amazing that anything breaks through. So people need navigators, but they are also demanding a far more participatory approach. In other words, they really just want to be heard. Figure by Your Local Epidemiologist 2. Listening requires a dramatic mental model shift. This means listening to the people you disagree with. Read things that make your blood boil. Have conversations with people. Listening doesn’t mean validating. It doesn’t mean abandoning evidence or values. It simply means seeking to understand, truly understand, what drives people’s fears, frustrations, hopes, and questions. Listening means power sharing, too. It means recognizing that expertise can come from fancy degrees, but also from lived experience. This doesn’t mean expertise is dead. It means it’s a dance with how it applies to people’s lives. When you show people their experiences matter, that their concerns are valid, even if misinformed, the door opens. That’s when people start to listen and engage in return. 3. Listening is different from hearing. Building trust doesn’t just require hearing. It takes energy because it means you have to actually do something with it. This is actively listening. It means coming back every week with this newsletter, consistently. It means executing. It means being transparent and being human. It means following the New York example and actually filling the potholes, instead of just talking about it. It means identifying the “potholes” in your life, and if you’re in a position to fix them (looking at you, health leader readers!) do so expeditiously. Show the people you serve that you’ve addressed *a thing* that is taking up time, money, and energy from their daily lives. Tell the people you’ve served, and tell us. We want to amplify these (often small, unseen) acts of radical listening and responding to needs. By listening, you will learn really important things. And buildtrust. Listening will reveal big blind spots. You will realize that issues bubble up earlier, before they become emergencies. And you will find that the community can help answer some of the most complex problems our communities face. For example, the Brown Information Futures Lab, in partnership with We Are Más, through true listening, found that Hispanic and Latino patients are delaying treatment, rationing medication, and taking on debt. And with listening came solutions. Source: Brown University and We Are Más. Community-based research and community engagement isn’t anything new. In fact, many on the front line, like community health workers, do this every day. There’s research and modelsgalore. But what’s missing? Incentives and scale. What gets heard on the front lines doesn’t consistently travel up to the people making decisions about operations, policy, and communications. Listening is rarely funded, measured, or rewarded. Not enough for communities to feel it consistently over time. But scaling is possible. Project Stethoscope (a program at YLE) found that creating a feedback loop across the state of California increased trust in public health institutions and leaders 68%. The results were even stronger among residents who are often left behind: Black and rural residents. This is also why the Common Health Coalition exists. No single institution can listen and meet every resulting need, or fill every pothole, on its own. Source: Project Stethoscope / YLE. Bottom line If you listen, people will notice because listening is that rare these days. Then, and only then, will you be able to start building trustworthy systems. If every human listened a little more, this world would be a better, and yes, healthier, place. Love, YLE and CC Chelsea Cipriano, MPH is the executive director of the Common Health Coalition. She fell into public health via EMS about 15 years ago and has been asking “why not” ever since she got here. Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with one goal: to “translate” ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. The YLE suite of newsletters reaches over 475,000 people across more than 132 countries. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribed LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Your Local Epidemiologist4140 Oceanside Blvd, Suite #159 - 1400Oceanside, CA 92056 Unsubscribe -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CHOpinion" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chopinion+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/chopinion/F2413D7B-D58F-4C66-B4A2-40AD18CA2F07%40gmail.com. From:jfleming@right-thing.net To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T"s proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 12:26:19 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Jeanne Fleming Jeanne Fleming, PhD JFleming@Right-Thing.net 650-325-5151 From:Lynn Hollyn To:Council, City Cc:Jeanne Fleming Subject:att: Chair Adcock, VC Rosenberg, Chen, Hirsch and Jojarth Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 12:17:59 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Lynn Hollyn 455 Seale Ave -- lynn hollyn 1.650.799.1129 From:slevy@ccsce.com To:Council, City Cc:Lait, Jonathan; Armer, Jennifer; Nose, Kiely; Andrade, Alex Subject:Policy and Services item 1 Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 11:02:00 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Thank you for documenting that housing is currently widely replacing commercial uses including office and does not require measures to reduce office feasiblity I believe the report also makes the case for selected new office developments --that support our city ED goals --and that have positive fiscal impacts I support the staff recommendations on how impact fees and building standards should be handled. I hope that whatever the committee decides on PLAs that the effect will not be to hinder selective new office development. Steve P.S. I particularly liked the following finding in the staff report "Circumstances have changed since then. The City is now planning for significantly more housing than was contemplated at that time, and much of it is expected in larger, taller multifamily buildings. Growth at this scale and in this form may bring service and infrastructure needs that the earlier analysis did not account for. As part of its work on the City's area plans and the California Avenue SB 79 effort, staff is examining how higher- density development may affect utility infrastructure and the water flow needed for fire suppression." None of this suggests that housing is a fiscal burden to the City; housing remains a City priority and a State requirement. It suggests that the City should not assume the earlier fiscal findings still apply without further review, particularly when considering policies designed to reduce commercial development in favor of housing. An updated fiscal analysis would be a separate effort and is not part of this item. It would most likely occur when the City next updates its Comprehensive Plan. From:Piotr To:Council, City; City Mgr; UTL-Customer Service Subject:Poorly run project at Ross Rd and Allen Court Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 10:40:24 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Hi Council and Managers, I live at 793 Allen Ct, Palo Alto, CA 94303, and today the water was turned off without any warning. Why? There has been a huge project on Allen Ct and Ross for the past ten days, and there has been NO communication from the City. What are you all doing? This looks like utter insanity and incompetence from the staff that you all oversee. I have no clue what the department heads are thinking or your teams. Please let me know when the water will be turned on and how you will fix future communication issues with residents. This is a failure on your part. Greer Stone I will never trust anything you say and your endorsements are not worth anything. Terrible management from everyone. Waiting for Water, Piotr Uchman 650-954-7260 Pronouns: He/Him/His This message is intended only for the use of the Addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please erase all copies of the message and its attachments and notify us immediately. This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first mail to some recipients. Mark Safe Report From:Aram James To:Gary Gechlik; Vicki Veenker; Lori Meyers; Lauing, Ed; h.etzko@gmail.com; Council, City; brianhama@gmail.com; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Raymond Goins; Mohammed; Matt Schlegel; Mora Oommen; Nicole Chiu-Wang; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Penni Wilson; Human Relations Commission; Doug Minkler; Shankar Ramamoorthy; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; vramirez@redwoodcity.org; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; City Attorney; Lewis james; Emily Mibach; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; Dave Price; Gerry Gras; Gardener, Liz; Liz Kniss; Sam Liccardo; Sean Allen; Salem Ajluni; Sameena Usman; Zelkha, Mila; Zahra Billoo; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; Pacific GrovePD; Anna Griffin; editor@paweekly.com; Gennady Sheyner; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; Friends of Cubberley; Sheree Roth; Jeff Rosen; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Roberta Ahlquist; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Kaloma Smith; ladoris cordell Subject:Palestine update Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 8:59:22 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Friday, October 9, 2026 – Palestine: Israeli attacks kill nine Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday and Friday. Israeli settlers carry out at least 19 attacks across the occupied West Bank, targeting olive harvesters and property. Palestinian Authority plans to postpone November elections until September 2027. Nearly 22,000 Palestinian children killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza over three years, with more than 71,000 orphaned. Israeli military actions linked to deaths of at least 24 captives in Gaza, CNN investigation finds. Colombia to open Israel embassy in Jerusalem next week. From:Hiral Parekh To:shailo@gmail.com Cc:Lait, Jonathan; Sauls, Garrett; Shea, Kyle; Jeff Jeff; Gerhardt, Jodie; Sarah Smith Le; City Mgr; pdsdirector; Amy Amy; Ethan Lin; Borjon, David; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa; Council, City Subject:Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 8:35:58 AM Attachments:image011.png image009.png image012.png image006.png image005.png image004.png image008.png image003.png image010.png image001.png image013.png image002.png CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. The developer who built the house behind ours is flipping it and has now listed it. The original 3935 Duncan Place home was a 3-bed, 2-bath, 1,265-square-foot house purchased for $2.4M. The Developer built a 6-bed, 5-bath, 3,001-square-foot house which they are selling for $7.3M. It is very tall and has windows looking into our backyard and other neighbor's backyards. https://redf.in/vkGyA6 Hiral On Fri, Oct 2, 2026 at 2:44 PM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: However, do not ever feel comfortable dismissing our community as unproductive or disrespectful. We pay your exorbitant salaries and benefits. Do not disrespect us. If none of you wish to be accountable to tax payers and home owners, you can all resign. This message thread clearly demonstrates that none of your team is earning their paycheck. They have failed countless times and have ignored doing basic tasks. Please clean house and get people on your team who will actually work with the community in a timely and professional manner. This is not how a functioning local government and democracy works. You're all smart enough to know that. On Fri, Oct 2, 2026 at 1:31 PM Lait, Jonathan <Jonathan.Lait@paloalto.gov> wrote: Moved to BCC: Elisa Vargas, David Borjon, Jodie Gerhardt, Garrett Sauls, Kyle Shea, Jennifer Armer, PDS director Retained citymgr email which keeps the city manager’s office and city council informed of our progress. Shailo, Thank you for your emails. I am removing staff from future emails and would request that you continue your engagement directly with me. My review of this communication thread leaves me with the impression that it is neither productive nor particularly respectful. I have asked staff to not engage in further dialogue on this topic. I have placed a hold on any final inspection and occupancy related to this project. I have a copy of the plans and will personally review the project, specifically as it relates to the ADU and the concerns expressed about the offending windows and related glare. I am aware of the prior issue concerning the height of the main residence, which the neighbors brought to our attention, and as I understand it, has been since remedied. If there are specific code sections that you believe the project violates or is not in compliance with, you are welcome to share that with me, but that is not necessary. I hope to complete my review next week and will follow up with my findings and next steps. Thank you, Jonathan JONATHAN LAIT Director Planning and Development Department (650) 329-2679 | jonathan.lait@paloalto.gov www.paloalto.gov From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, October 2, 2026 10:55 AM To: Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> Cc: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov>; Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov>; Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com>; Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov>; Sarah Smith Le <sarahsmithle24@gmail.com>; Hiral Parekh <hiral.parekh@gmail.com>; City Mgr <CityMgr@paloalto.gov>; pdsdirector <pdsdirector@PaloAlto.gov>; Amy Amy <2955usa@gmail.com>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov>; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa <Elisa.Vargas@PaloAlto.gov>; Council, City <city.council@PaloAlto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Weeks of no response. You would all lose your jobs in a functioning organization. On Thu, Oct 1, 2026 at 7:00 AM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: Ms. Armer, Kyle, and Garrett - You have not adequately addressed ANY of the items that are neighborhood has brought up repeatedly for years now. Please resign from your positions if you are not going to serve our community. Our taxes pay your salaries. City Council - Please review this staff budget. Why are these people on the payroll? On Thu, Sep 24, 2026 at 4:20 PM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: Dear Ms. Armer, I am writing to follow up on the unresponded formal complaint submitted on September 8 concerning the ongoing construction at 3935 Duncan Pl, following up on our previous correspondence from September 14. The Planning Department's continued lack of response and refusal to address these documented issues is unacceptable. The department cannot continue to shield itself behind narrow code interpretations while ignoring the severe, ongoing privacy and safety impacts this project imposes on neighboring residents. We expect the Planning Department to exercise its administrative authority and take concrete, actionable steps to hold this development accountable. Specifically, we demand that the City withhold final inspection sign-offs and the Certificate of Occupancy for 3935 Duncan Pl until the following are completed: 1. An independent, inter-departmental review of the project's window placements, height calculations, and overall code compliance. 2. Independent, on-site field verification of the grade measurements and line-of-sight impacts. We look forward to your immediate response confirming that final sign-off has been paused pending these reviews. Sincerely, Shailo Rao On Mon, Sep 14, 2026 at 8:23 PM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: Jennifer, It's been a week and no response. Do your job. On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 7:33 AM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: Jennifer, Thank you for your response. However, your email continues the Planning Department’s troubling pattern of hiding behind selective, narrow readings of the municipal code while absolving itself of any duty to protect the privacy, safety, and livability of long-term Palo Alto residents. The assertion that the City has "evaluated whether these provisions apply" and has "no leverage" to intervene collapses under the documented facts of this project. We require the following issues to be placed squarely into the administrative record and addressed by city leadership: 1. The Department’s Track Record of Oversight on this Exact Parcel Your response asks the neighborhood to trust that staff has properly interpreted and applied every applicable code standard to this build. That trust has been thoroughly eroded by this department’s track record on this exact address: The Planning and Building Department previously reviewed, approved, and permitted a 23-foot-tall structure on this very lot—in blatant violation of the strict 17-foot Single-Story Overlay requirement. That massive, illegal error was not caught by staff’s internal reviews; it was uncovered only because our entire neighborhood was forced to do the department’s job, comb through the plans, and file formal complaints to force the City to rescind its mistake. Given that the City already committed a fundamental regulatory failure on this parcel, the reflexive assertion that the current window layout and ADU specifications are completely lawful and beyond review carries no credibility. 2. Abdication of Duty: Telling Taxpayers to Absorb the Costs of City Errors Acknowledging that shifting the mitigation burden to adjacent homeowners "comes at a cost to you" while brushing it off as "not a unique circumstance" is an unacceptable response from municipal officials. The City allowed a speculative house flipper to install clear, operable windows pointed directly into the private, floor-to-ceiling glass living spaces and children’s study rooms of adjacent Eichlers. Suggesting that long-term tax-paying residents should now spend thousands of dollars to plant mature trees, sacrifice their own open space, block their sunlight, and surrender usable yard area to shield against an invasive build is completely upside down. Any required physical buffer, screening, or architectural retrofit belongs on the developer’s property, paid for by the developer. The victims of poor planning should not be billed for the City's oversight. 3. The Fiction of "Zero Leverage" The statement that the City "does not hold leverage over the property owner" is legally and procedurally incorrect: The City holds the ultimate administrative leverage: the Final Building Inspection sign-off and the Certificate of Occupancy. A permit issued on defective premises or through administrative oversight does not grant a developer blanket immunity against municipal nuisance abatement or health and safety enforcement under California Civil Code § 3479. Furthermore, by accepting the developer’s clever labeling of this ADU as a "studio" to bypass egress privacy rules under PAMC 18.09.040(D), the City has facilitated a glaring loophole. If a future owner puts up a simple partition wall to create a bedroom, those clear, operable windows instantly become non-compliant egress windows facing an interior property line without the required opaque glazing. The City is knowingly signing off on a latent code violation. 4. Active Nuisance and Failure to Regulate Basic Neighborhood Harmony Dismissing our complaints regarding the blinding, overnight illumination by claiming the Dark Sky ordinance is not retroactive misses the core issue: Blasting stadium-level construction lighting directly into 5 to 6 neighboring bedrooms through the night is not a matter of whether a specific new ordinance applies—it is an active, actionable private and public nuisance under common law and general municipal police powers. That the Building Inspection Manager had to personally phone the job site just to get lights switched off proves that this developer has operated with total disregard for the community throughout the entire process. Next Steps & Formal Escalation Since Planning staff has repeatedly stated its inability or unwillingness to exercise administrative authority to protect our families, we will not allow this issue to be quietly closed out. 1. Withhold Final Sign-Off: We formally demand that the City withhold the final Certificate of Occupancy for 3935 Duncan Place until an independent, inter-departmental review is conducted on the window operability, grade calculations, and side-yard clearances. 2. City Leadership Review: This entire record—including the initial 23-foot permitting blunder, the multiple verified after-hours citations, the photo documentation of direct privacy intrusion, and staff’s written refusal to require on-site remediation—is being submitted directly to the City Manager, the City Attorney, the Planning and Transportation Commission, and the City Council. If the City Council's adopted policies in 2023 created loopholes so porous that speculative flippers can strip established residents of basic home privacy, then elected leadership needs to confront that failure directly on this case study before final sign-off is granted. Sincerely, Shailo Rao On Fri, Sep 4, 2026 at 4:42 PM Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> wrote: Shailo, As staff noted previously, there are instances where the City can apply privacy measures to ADU projects through its objective review process for a building permit. Those are specifically limited to ADUs built under Table 2 of PAMC Section 18.09.040 and the City’s privacy regulations under (k)(2) apply when an egress window faces a neighbor and/or when non-egress windows face a neighbor on an ADU where the first finished floor is two feet or more above grade. Staff have evaluated whether these provisions apply to this project and have determined that they do not. Separately, the City can only apply its Privacy Guidelines for Two-Story homes when application has been proposed; this is not a process available to homes in a single-story overlay. Staff has suggested some alternatives to consider minimizing impacts from this development and while we understand this comes at a cost to you, it is not a unique circumstance. The City does not hold leverage over the property owner to do more than what is required by the code in place at the time the permit was issued. The City’s recent Dark Skies ordinance only covers exterior lighting fixtures for the building – not interior fixtures or lighting from the building. Additionally, it came into effect after this permit was issued. City staff will look to update its ADU code in the future to ensure the privacy standards we can apply are meeting the community’s needs, but those standards would not be retroactively applicable to this project. While we will continue efforts to encourage the contractor to address the concerns and reduce impacts, we cannot require additional changes to this project that go beyond our code requirements. Sincerely, Jennifer JENNIFER ARMER, AICP Assistant Director Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2191 | jennifer.armer@paloalto.gov www.paloalto.gov From: Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> Sent: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 9:23 AM To: shailo@gmail.com <shailo@gmail.com> Cc: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 Shailo, I appreciate the documentation that you have provided. I find that full understanding is better accomplished through conversation and would welcome the opportunity, should you want to meet. Based on your email below, we will respond to your requests via email. You can expect a response by the end of the week. Sincerely, Jennifer JENNIFER ARMER, AICP Assistant Director Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2191 | jennifer.armer@paloalto.gov www.paloalto.gov From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 1, 2026 5:35 PM To: Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> Cc: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. This can be accomplished over email. Agenda 1. Hear neighbor concerns/project history (Shailo) -- This has been documented over countless emails and Police Reports. Our community has reported everything. Unfortunately these reports have been largely ignored. 2. Describe State mandates and City's regulations/options (Garrett) -- Your turn. 3. Discuss next steps (all) -- Thanks in advance for doing your job. On Tue, Sep 1, 2026 at 5:30 PM Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> wrote: Shailo, Below is my expectation for this meeting. I would welcome your input. Agenda 1. Hear neighbor concerns/project history (Shailo) 2. Describe State mandates and City's regulations/options (Garrett) 3. Discuss next steps (all) Goal: Common understanding of issues, concerns, constraints, and options. Sincerely, Jennifer JENNIFER ARMER, AICP Assistant Director Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2191 | jennifer.armer@paloalto.gov www.paloalto.gov From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 1, 2026 4:59 PM To: Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> Cc: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Please provide a clear agenda for this meeting, including the meeting goal. On Tue, Sep 1, 2026 at 3:35 PM Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> wrote: Hi Shailo, Fridays are a difficult day for site visits and in-person meetings, but I believe you have already had the chance to have Garrett out to the site. With a goal of having an in- person conversation soon, would tomorrow at 2pm or 2:30pm at City Hall be an option for you? Sincerely, Jennifer JENNIFER ARMER, AICP Assistant Director Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2191 | jennifer.armer@paloalto.gov www.paloalto.gov From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 1, 2026 1:49 PM To: Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> Cc: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Thank you Jennifer. How about this Friday 8:30 at our house 3905 Duncan Pl, Palo Alto, CA 94306? On Tue, Sep 1, 2026 at 8:38 AM Armer, Jennifer <Jennifer.Armer@paloalto.gov> wrote: Good Morning Shailo, Thank you for your detailed emails and efforts to address this situation. I would like to suggest that you, Garrett, and I meet to discuss your concerns and the options and constraints in this situation. For now, I have moved all the other email recipients to bcc, so they don't need to be part of our work to find a time to meet, but if you have other neighbors who wish to join us, please let me know. Is there generally a day of the week and/or time of day that will work well for you? I prefer an in-person meeting if we can find a time that works. Sincerely, Jennifer JENNIFER ARMER, AICP Assistant Director Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2191 | jennifer.armer@paloalto.gov www.paloalto.gov From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2026 4:43 PM To: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Cc: Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov>; Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com>; Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov>; Sarah Smith Le <sarahsmithle24@gmail.com>; Hiral Parekh <hiral.parekh@gmail.com>; City Mgr <CityMgr@paloalto.gov>; pdsdirector <pdsdirector@PaloAlto.gov>; Amy Amy <2955usa@gmail.com>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov>; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa <Elisa.Vargas@PaloAlto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi Garrett, Kyle, and Planning Leadership, Thank you for the updates regarding the temporary outreach to the project manager on the lighting issues. However, suggesting that adjacent homeowners should spend thousands of dollars to plant mature landscaping on our own properties to shield against an invasive build completely misplaces the burden of this project’s impacts. The surrounding neighborhood should not bear the financial, spatial, and logistical burden of mitigating a speculative developer’s poor site design. The City has an administrative duty of care to protect the livelihood, privacy, and safety of its established tax-paying residents. We ask that the Planning and Development Services leadership review the following critical points before any final inspections, approvals, or occupancy certificates are granted: 1. Shifting the Remediation Burden is Inappropriate Suggesting that established homeowners plant screening trees on their side of the fence fails basic planning fairness: Our properties are historic Eichlers built around signature glass architecture and established backyard footprints. Forcing neighbors to eliminate their own sunlight, open yard space, and property functionality to shield against clear windows that never should have been approved in this orientation is an unreasonable demand. Any required landscape buffer, physical screening, or architectural mitigation belongs on the developer’s parcel, not on the surrounding community. 2. Operational Band-Aids Do Not Solve the Permanent "Lighthouse" Effect While we appreciate Kyle contacting the site manager regarding job site lighting, this only addresses an active construction infraction. As demonstrated by the photographs submitted across multiple nights, the elevation and unrestricted window placement create an intrusive "lighthouse" beaming directly into the bedrooms and living areas of 5 to 6 neighboring families. Once construction finishes and the house is sold, city staff will not be calling the new tenant every evening. A permanent architectural remedy is required now, while the City still holds regulatory leverage before sign-off. 3. The Failure of Local Enforcement vs. Holistic City Authority The Planning Department continues to rely on technicalities—treating this structure as a "studio" to bypass egress privacy rules and citing grade thresholds to avoid window restrictions. Relying on these technical loopholes ignores the City’s broader authority under PAMC Chapter 18.12/18.40 (Single-Family Residential Compatibility) and California Nuisance Law (Civil Code § 3479). A Single-Story Overlay was enacted specifically to protect neighborhood light, air, and character. Allowing a speculative developer to construct high, un-screened viewing planes that directly look into our children's study and living spaces represents an active breakdown in local zoning protections. Required Conditions for Final Sign-Off To resolve this issue equitably before occupancy is permitted, we demand that the City attach the following mandatory conditions to 3935 Duncan Place: 1. Mandatory Removal of Invasive Windows: Require the developer to completely remove all clear, operable side- and rear-facing windows overlooking 3905 and 3881 Duncan Place. These walls must be enclosed as solid walls or retrofitted strictly as high, fixed non-operable openings with zero operability or direct line of sight into private living spaces. 2. On-Site Developer Landscaping: Require the developer to install tall, evergreen privacy trees and screening on their property boundary before final inspection sign-off. 3. Lighting & Photometric Compliance: Mandate fully shielded, downward-directed fixtures (Dark Sky compliance) and automated cut-off timers on all exterior/interior boundary-facing illumination. We are not asking for special treatment; we are asking the City of Palo Alto to enforce basic standards of safety, privacy, and neighborhood compatibility. We look forward to an update from Director Lait and department leadership on how the City intends to enforce these necessary mitigations prior to final sign- off. Sincerely, Shailo Rao On Thu, Aug 27, 2026 at 8:16 AM Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> wrote: Hi all, It sounds like Kyle spoke to the project manager who agreed to ensure the lights are turned off at the end of the day. If that hasn’t been happening, please let us know and we’ll follow up with them. Unfortunately, our code doesn’t have requirements for landscape screening between properties whether it’s an ADU or a new home and adjacent properties unless they go through the two-story design review process so we cannot require those to be implemented here. We do have privacy measures for ADUs that meet certain criteria which we described before this one does not meet. I have seen other scenarios where neighbors will plant landscaping on their side of the property to provide them more privacy. I understand your frustrations with this project and the limits of the City’s ordinances. Unfortunately, even if the codes change in the future, I haven’t seen us retroactively apply these standards to projects that have permits issued before that ordinance took effect. Best regards, Garrett Sauls Principal Planner Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2471 | Garrett.Sauls@PaloAlto.gov Parcel Report | Palo Alto Municipal Code | Online Permitting System | Planning Application Forms & Handouts | Permit Applications Mapped | Schedule An Appointment From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2026 4:51 PM To: Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov> Cc: Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com>; Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov>; Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov>; Sarah Smith Le <2955usa@gmail.com>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov>; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa <Elisa.Vargas@PaloAlto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. What's the long term solution? On Thu, Aug 20, 2026 at 12:11 PM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: Thank you Kyle, but assuming this unprofessional construction company even complies, this is nothing more than just a temporary bandaid. What's the long term solution to the lighthouse created by this house flipper's cheap design? Please be proactive here. The city should never have approved these plans and allowed the construction of this eyesore to get this far. This light was also on for for 2 straight nights. You acted way too slowly here again. You completely ignored Hiral Parekh's email 2 nights ago. Do better. On Thu, Aug 20, 2026 at 11:08 AM Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov> wrote: Good morning Jeff, I reached out to project manager yesterday regarding lights being left on throughout the night. He returned my call this morning and I have requested that all lights are off at the end of the day. Thank you Kyle Kyle Shea, CASp Building Inspection Manager Planning and Development Department O: (650) 617-3507 C: (650) 313-1897| Kyle.Shea@PaloAlto.gov www.PaloAlto.gov From: Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2026 9:38 AM To: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Cc: shailo@gmail.com; Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov>; Sarah Smith Le <sarahsmithle24@gmail.com>; Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov>; Hiral Parekh <hiral.parekh@gmail.com>; City Mgr <CityMgr@paloalto.gov>; pdsdirector <pdsdirector@PaloAlto.gov>; Amy Amy <2955usa@gmail.com>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov>; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa <Elisa.Vargas@PaloAlto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. I am writing to bring an urgent local issue to your attention regarding a major oversight in city planning and code enforcement in Palo Alto. The City of Palo Alto recently allowed real estate developers and speculators to construct a massively tall and oversized new house right in the middle of our traditional Eichler neighborhood. Because iconic Eichler homes feature expansive glass walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and continuous open outdoor spaces, living here is like living in a "fishbowl." Constructing such a massive structure right next to us feels like erecting a giant "lighthouse" directly over these fishbowls. Furthermore, these developers routinely keep all the electric lights on bright late into the night. The harsh light beams directly through the glass windows of 5 to 6 neighboring homes, severe disrupting residents' sleep. Despite these invasive conditions, the City has failed to enforce basic protections: Developers have not been required to turn off or dim lights at night. No temporary blackout curtains have been mandated to prevent light from shining into neighboring windows. Developers have not been required to plant tall privacy trees to buffer the visual and lighting impact on adjacent properties. Jeff Huang 3881 Duncan Place Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov>於 2026年8月20日週四，上午8:07寫道： Good morning, Shailo, After speaking with the Chief Building Official and Planning Director, they agreed that Kyle and mine’s on-site measurement confirmed that the proposed building is consistent with the City’s regulations. As they are consistent with the requirements in our municipal code, we cannot require that the applicant do more than that. To your concerns around the tree roots and protection measures, please connect with my colleague Peter Gollinger in Urban Forestry: Peter.Gollinger@PaloAlto.gov. Best regards, Garrett Sauls Principal Planner Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2471 | Garrett.Sauls@PaloAlto.gov Parcel Report | Palo Alto Municipal Code | Online Permitting System | Planning Application Forms & Handouts | Permit Applications Mapped | Schedule An Appointment From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2026 8:27 PM To: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Cc: Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov>; Sarah Smith Le <sarahsmithle24@gmail.com>; Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov>; Hiral Parekh <hiral.parekh@gmail.com>; Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com>; City Mgr <CityMgr@paloalto.gov>; pdsdirector <pdsdirector@PaloAlto.gov>; Amy Amy <2955usa@gmail.com>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov>; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa <Elisa.Vargas@PaloAlto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. How could this be approved by the city? On Wed, Aug 19, 2026 at 7:56 PM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: It has been 48 days without a response. On Tue, Aug 18, 2026 at 6:07 PM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: Please respond. This house flipper has created a dangerous situation. They can literally look directly into our kid's study room, living room, and kitchen. We can do the same for their cheaply constructed house. They are also making all neighbors uncomfortable with their viewing area. Please inspect this construction's current state. There are zero fire access reasons for this invasive design, On Thu, Jul 2, 2026 at 8:00 AM Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> wrote: Hi Garrett, Thank you for your response and for performing the on-site measurement with Kyle. We appreciate your transparency regarding the methodology used under PAMC 18.04.030(64)(B) and your consultation with the Chief Building Official. While we understand that your department is executing a literal application of the text regarding studio egress, we cannot accept that a technical loophole should absolve a speculative project from holistic city compliance. Because this build creates an active, permanent privacy and safety intrusion into our homes, we are maintaining our formal complaint. However, rather than placing the burden on the surrounding neighborhood to absorb this impact or spend personal time drafting municipal petitions, the burden of proof and administrative due diligence must rest squarely on the applicant and the City. To resolve this conflict and ensure absolute compliance before any further structural inspections or occupancy permits are signed off, we request that the City mandate the following actions: 1. Developer Must Provide a Certified Topographic and Civil Survey While we appreciate your field tape-measurement, a manual measurement does not substitute for a certified engineering layout on a sloped R-1 lot where inches dictate code compliance. Because we formally contest the grading baselines used by the applicant, the City should require the developer to submit a certified, stamped topographic survey from a licensed civil engineer validating the exact, un-altered pre-construction natural grade. Construction progress on the ADU envelope should be placed on an administrative hold until the developer funds and provides this precise data to your department for verification. 2. Mandatory Inter-Departmental Referral to Urban Forestry The structural footprint, foundation excavation, and utility trenching for this ADU run directly along our shared property lines, deeply encroaching into the Tree Protection Zones (TPZ) of our mature, established landscaping. Under PAMC Chapter 8.10, the developer is legally required to maintain strict protection protocols. We request that the Planning Department formally refer this project to the Urban Forestry Division to open an active field investigation file. The developer should be required to submit an independent arborist's report proving that their excavation has not permanently compromised or damaged the protected root systems of adjacent properties. 3. Planning Department Referral to City Council on ADU Ordinance Failures You mentioned that the City Council adopted these rules in 2023 believing they were appropriate. However, this project stands as a textbook case study of how speculative builders can easily manipulate "studio" designations and minor grading thresholds to completely subvert the single-story overlay protections of Palo Alto's historic Eichler neighborhoods. As the administrative body overseeing these codes, we request that the Planning Department flag this active enforcement failure directly to the Planning Commission and City Council as part of your department's ongoing monitoring of state and local ADU policy impacts. The onus shouldn't be on the residents to write policy petitions to fix a clear regulatory gap that your team has now physically witnessed on-site. Moving Forward Ultimately, our neighborhood group is asking for a livable, common-sense resolution. The simplest way for the developer to clear these administrative hurdles, satisfy the neighborhood, and avoid a prolonged timeline is to immediately retrofit the highly invasive windows with factory-frosted opaque glazing or high clerestory openings. Until the developer provides a certified civil survey and arborist compliance verification, we request that the city withhold further inspection sign-offs on the 3935 Duncan Pl structure. Thank you for your continued partnership and for ensuring our city codes are held to the highest standard of accountability. Warm regards, Shailo On Wed, Jul 1, 2026 at 9:21 AM Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> wrote: Hi Shailo, Kyle Shea and I were able to go out to the property last week to evaluate the height of the structure. Looking at the property, we noted the following: 1. The height of the ADU and window placement comply with the requirements I referenced before. To determine this, we took a measurement from existing grade at the adjacent properties which reflected what grade was prior to construction (consistent with how we measure grade based on PAMC 18.04.030(64)(B) for R-1 lots with slope changes of less than 10%) and measured to the first finished floor inside the building. The height did not exceed two feet which is the threshold for when the ADU privacy requirements must be incorporated into the structure. 2. Kyle and I spoke with the Chief Building Official about your concerns about the windows not being classified as EERO windows. The Chief Building Official echoed our previous response that the residential building code only requires one emergency escape and rescue opening. The door is designated as the required opening for this studio and so these windows would not be considered as egress windows. In addition, the windows which face your property are physically limited by the placement of the fence and would not qualify as egress points from the structure. As a result, we cannot apply our ADU privacy regulations to these windows. The City does not have privacy measures for single-story homes, only two-story homes. Council adopted privacy regulations for second dwelling units, but they only apply under the circumstances that I highlighted before. In this case, we are unable to apply these rules to this project. Best regards, Garrett Sauls Principal Planner Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2471 | Garrett.Sauls@PaloAlto.gov Parcel Report | Palo Alto Municipal Code | Online Permitting System | Planning Application Forms & Handouts | Permit Applications Mapped | Schedule AnAppointment From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 11:52 PM To: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Cc: Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov>; Sarah Smith Le <sarahsmithle24@gmail.com>; Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov>; Hiral Parekh <hiral.parekh@gmail.com>; Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com>; City Mgr <CityMgr@paloalto.gov>; pdsdirector <pdsdirector@PaloAlto.gov>; Amy Amy <2955usa@gmail.com>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov>; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa <Elisa.Vargas@PaloAlto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi Garrett, Thank you for the update and for arranging the upcoming site visit with the inspection manager. We genuinely appreciate your proactive approach in verifying whether the physical construction matches the approved plan sets. While we acknowledge your point regarding the explicit tiering of certain rules under the single-story overlay, we must firmly push back on the notion that the City lacks any administrative framework to address severe, deleterious privacy impacts caused by single-story primary dwellings or ground-level ADUs. Before your site visit, we ask that your department evaluate the following established planning principles and municipal hooks, which we stand by firmly: 1. Palo Alto Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines Apply to All Dwellings While PAMC Chapter 18.12 and the Single-Story Overlay (S-Overlay) regulate specific structural metrics like height and floor-area ratios, primary single- family home approvals remain fundamentally bound by the City of Palo Alto Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines (adopted by City Council resolution). These compatibility standards do not expire or become optional simply because a home is single-story. The guidelines explicitly dictate that window placement must minimize direct privacy impacts on adjacent neighbors, specifically recommending the offset of windows, utilization of high-sill/clerestory openings, and obscured glass when facing the primary living spaces of adjacent properties. The developer’s choice to place low, clear, operable windows directly parallel to our historic, floor-to-ceiling Eichler glass walls directly violates the core compatibility tenets of these city-adopted standards. 2. Strict Field Verification of the ADU "Two-Foot Grade" Threshold (PAMC 18.09.040(E)) We are very glad the inspection manager is visiting the site, as this is where paper schematics must confront real-world topography. Because the lot at 3935 Duncan Pl sits on a natural slope relative to 3905 and 3881 Duncan Pl, a measurement that looks compliant on a flat blueprint can easily manifest as a violation in the field. We formally request that the inspector measure the finished floor height relative to the actual, pre-existing natural grade at our shared property lines, rather than an artificial benchmark or modified grade fill imported by the construction crew. If the physical framing or concrete slab sits 2 feet or more above the true adjacent grade facing our yards, the privacy mandates of Section 18.09.040(E) must be retroactively enforced. 3. The Predictable "Studio" Loophole and Future Enforcement Burden By designating the ADU as a "studio" to establish the entry door as the sole legal path of egress, the developer has bypassed the window privacy rule (18.09.040(D)) on paper. However, if a future occupant adds a cosmetic partition wall to create a separated sleeping area—a highly predictable layout modification for a speculative flip—these exact windows will instantly become non-compliant, unpermitted egress openings. The City should not permit a speculative builder to bake a structural code conflict into the property's footprint, leaving long-term residents to bear the future enforcement burden. Coordinating the Site Visit We remain fully committed to working collaboratively with your office to find an equitable, livable solution. A simple, permanent remedy—such as requiring the developer to use factory-frosted opaque glazing or high-set window retrofits on the walls facing our properties—fully protects our families' privacy without reducing the developer's built square footage. Please let us know the scheduled date and time of your site inspection. We would like to ensure we are home to grant you and the inspection manager access to our backyards, allowing you to see the exact, unfiltered line of sight from our living spaces. Warm regards, Shailo On Wed, Jun 24, 2026 at 8:14 AM Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> wrote: Hi Shailo, Thank you for your email. We appreciate the concerns you raised previously in addition to the items you noted in your email below from yesterday. I am coordinating with the inspection manager to go to the site to determine whether they have built their project according to the approved plans we have on file. If there are any issues that I note which affect the need for privacy measures for the ADU, then I will let all you know. Can you clarify which specific provisions you are referencing in section 3 below regarding privacy from the single-family home? Palo Alto has a design review process and privacy measures for two-story homes, but we do not have privacy measures for single-story homes except as they apply to ADU/JADUs under PAMC 18.09.040 and .050. Given that the properties within this area have a single-story overlay, a two-story home would not be permissible where we would apply privacy measures. If there is a separate neighborhood organization for the eichler neighborhood that manages architectural style or design through CC&Rs, that is a private entity and rules that come from it are only privately enforceable. I stand by the response I provided before regarding egress windows and when privacy measures apply. The Council adopted ordinance, and the conversations I had with them around this issue in 2023, discussed many of the concerns you raised. Ultimately, they adopted these rules and felt they were appropriate. If you have any questions, let me know. Best regards, Garrett Sauls Principal Planner Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2471 | Garrett.Sauls@PaloAlto.gov Parcel Report | Palo Alto Municipal Code | Online Permitting System | Planning Application Forms & Handouts | Permit Applications Mapped | Schedule AnAppointment From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 9:05 AM To: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Cc: Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov>; Sarah Smith Le <sarahsmithle24@gmail.com>; Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov>; Hiral Parekh <hiral.parekh@gmail.com>; Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com>; City Mgr <CityMgr@paloalto.gov>; pdsdirector <pdsdirector@PaloAlto.gov>; Amy Amy <2955usa@gmail.com>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov>; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa <Elisa.Vargas@PaloAlto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Mr. Sauls and Ms. Vargas-Aguilera, Thank you for your response dated May 1, 2026. We appreciate the Planning Department's technical review of the architectural plans for 3935 Duncan Pl. However, we strongly disagree with your narrow interpretation of the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC). The current construction creates an unprecedented, severe privacy intrusion that directly violates both the letter and the legislative intent of Palo Alto’s zoning ordinances. This correspondence serves as our formal Notice of Zoning Non-Compliance. We urge the Planning Department to issue an immediate Stop Work Order (Cease and Desist) on all window installations and wall enclosures facing our interior property lines until these issues are legally resolved. We submit the following points for the administrative record: 1. Defective "Studio" Designation and Egress Loophole (PAMC 18.09.040(D)) Your letter notes that because the applicant labeled the structure a "studio unit" rather than a traditional one-bedroom, the entry door is designated as the primary egress path, thereby rendering PAMC 18.09.040(D) inapplicable to the windows. As a matter of law and public safety, this interpretation is deeply defective: Secondary Egress Reality: Under California Building Code (CBC) Chapter 10, any window of sufficient dimension in a habitable space can and will function as a secondary emergency escape and rescue opening. Violation of Mandatory Code Language: PAMC 18.09.040(D) states explicitly: “Where feasible, egress windows... shall not face towards an adjacent interior property line. If this is not feasible, then these windows shall utilize opaque glazing on the whole window.” The code uses the mandatory term “shall.” The "Where Feasible" Standard: The developer had ample alternative orientations (frontage, rear yard depth, or internal courtyard layout) to place these windows. Positioning large, clear, operable windows directly looking into our historic Eichler floor-to-ceiling glass walls fails the legal test of "feasibility." Labeling a unit a studio to bypass neighborhood privacy mandates constitutes an impermissible circumvention of local zoning restrictions. 2. Physical Fact-Checking of Finished Grade Height (PAMC 18.09.040(E)) Your review of the developer's submitted blueprint sets indicates that the first finished floor is not two feet or greater from grade. We formally challenge the accuracy of the applicant's submitted grade charts: Due to the specific topographical slope of the lots on Duncan Pl, the structure's physical height relative to the actual, existing natural grade bordering 3905 and 3881 Duncan Pl creates a severe, elevated vantage point. Plan sets submitted by speculative house-flippers often rely on idealized or altered "finished grades" rather than existing natural topography. We demand an independent, on-site measurement by a city building inspector to verify the exact distance from the actual ground level to the top of the subfloor framing before any further structural inspections are approved. 3. Failure of the Primary Residence to Meet Neighborhood Compatibility Standards Our initial filing concerned privacy violations stemming from both the ADU and the main residential structure. Your response omitted any mention of the primary home. While the 2023 City Council discussions you cited may have limited certain uniform privacy restrictions on one-story ADUs, they absolutely did not strip the City of its authority or duty to enforce privacy mandates on primary single-family residential construction. Under Palo Alto's Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines and Contextual Standards (PAMC 18.12/18.40), new structures must be compatible with the existing neighborhood fabric. Constructing clear, direct-sight windows facing the private, glass-walled rears of established Eichler homes violates these long-standing city development standards. 4. Demand for Immediate Administrative Action A house flipper operates on an abbreviated timeline to maximize profit and exit the community, leaving permanent, irreparable damage to the privacy, safety, and property values of long-term residents. To prevent this matter from escalating to formal litigation under California’s private nuisance laws and Article I, Section 1 of the California Constitution (Inalienable Right to Privacy), we request that the City immediately take the following actions: 1. Halt Construction / Issue a Stop Work Order on the framing, window installation, and siding of the walls directly facing 3905 and 3881 Duncan Pl. 2. Mandate a Corrective Plan Revision requiring the developer to retrofit all side/interiors-facing windows on both structures to utilize high-set, non- operable clerestory windows or permanent, factory-installed opaque/frosted glazing. 3. Conduct an On-Site Inspection alongside the affected neighbors to verify the actual visual impact and lines of sight from our living rooms. We are fully prepared to protect our families and our community's architectural integrity through all available administrative and legal channels. We look forward to your prompt response and the scheduling of an immediate on-site inspection. Sincerely, Shailo Rao Resident and Property Owner, 3905 Duncan Pl On Tue, May 12, 2026 at 8:08 AM Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> wrote: Good morning Shailo, Thank you for sharing this additional information. We are going to the Planning and Transportation Commission tomorrow to discuss changes to our ADU ordinance if you want to attend and provide your feedback and experience. The item will be heard around 6:15pm and you are welcome to attend virtually or in person to provide that feedback. Please note that the project complies with our code requirements and any changes to the code in the future would could not be applied retroactively to this project. Best regards Garrett Sauls Principal Planner Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2471 | Garrett.Sauls@PaloAlto.gov Parcel Report | Palo Alto Municipal Code | Online Permitting System | Planning Application Forms & Handouts | Permit Applications Mapped | Schedule An Appointment From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, May 11, 2026 6:14 PM To: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> Cc: Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov>; Sarah Smith Le <sarahsmithle24@gmail.com>; Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov>; Hiral Parekh <hiral.parekh@gmail.com>; Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com>; City Mgr <CityMgr@paloalto.gov>; pdsdirector <pdsdirector@PaloAlto.gov>; Amy Amy <2955usa@gmail.com>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov>; Vargas-Aguilera, Elisa <Elisa.Vargas@PaloAlto.gov>; Reckdahl, Keith <Keith.Reckdahl@paloalto.gov> Subject: Re: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Please see attached photos. The house flipper has created a mess where they can look directly into both of houses (living / dining areas). This is an invasion of our privacy and risks the safety of our families. If current city codes allow for this situation, they need to be updated. This should not be happening in our community. On Mon, May 4, 2026 at 2:38 PM Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov> wrote: Hi Shailo, Thank you for reaching out and I apologize I didn’t respond sooner as I had to confirm a couple things before responding. Firstly, I am removing Brian from this thread as he is on leave. I have included his manager, Elisa Vargas-Aguilera, to this thread instead. Looking into the project further, I have the following feedback: 1. PAMC 18.09.040(D) identifies that egress windows either need to face neighboring property lines or utilize opaque glazing on the whole of the window. Egress windows are windows that are required for emergency exiting in the event of a fire or other life safety event. Typically, these are required from individual bedrooms but in this case, the applicant proposed a studio unit which doesn’t have a closed off bedroom separate from the rest of the unit. When a studio unit is proposed, the entrance to the unit serves as the egress. In speaking with the inspection manager, he confirmed that the plans do not call out the proposed windows as egress windows. Unless these windows were egress windows, we cannot apply this rule to the project. 2. PAMC 18.09.040(E) identifies that when the first finished floor of the ADU is two feet or greater in height from grade, then non-egress windows that face a neighboring property must have a five-foot sill height (if operable) or use opaque glazing on the window (up to five feet from the finished floor of the unit). As shown in the images below from the plan set, the proposed structure’s first finished floor is not two feet or greater from grade. Unfortunately, we cannot apply this rule to the project either. For some context, I spoke with the Planning Commission and City Council about these rules in 2023 and at that time, there wasn’t majority support to uniformly apply privacy rules to one-story ADUs, just to two-story structures with these specific caveats for certain circumstances. We appreciate the concerns that you’ve raised and want to continue to work with you when there are construction related issues that come up which you highlighted before. Hopefully, those haven’t continued since we spoke last. If you have any questions, please let me know. Best regards, Garrett Sauls Principal Planner Planning and Development Services Department (650) 329-2471 | Garrett.Sauls@PaloAlto.gov Parcel Report | Palo Alto Municipal Code | Online Permitting System | Planning Application Forms & Handouts | Permit Applications Mapped | Schedule AnAppointment From: Shailo Rao <shailo@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, May 1, 2026 7:31 AM To: Sauls, Garrett <Garrett.Sauls@paloalto.gov>; Gerhardt, Jodie <Jodie.Gerhardt@paloalto.gov> Cc: Sarah Smith Le <sarahsmithle24@gmail.com>; Shea, Kyle <Kyle.Shea@paloalto.gov>; Hiral Parekh <hiral.parekh@gmail.com>; Jeff Jeff <3325usa@gmail.com>; City Mgr <CityMgr@paloalto.gov>; pdsdirector <pdsdirector@PaloAlto.gov>; Amy Amy <2955usa@gmail.com>; Reynolds, Brian <Brian.Reynolds@paloalto.gov>; Ethan Lin <erzhenlin@gmail.com>; Borjon, David <David.Borjon@paloalto.gov> Subject: Formal Neighborhood Complaint Regarding Violation of ADU Zoning Ordinance 18.09.040 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. To the Palo Alto Planning and Development Services Department: We, the residents of 3905 Duncan Pl and 3881 Duncan Pl, are writing to formally submit a collaborative complaint regarding the ongoing construction at 3935 Duncan Pl. While we support the thoughtful addition of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) within our community, the current development at this address demonstrates a clear disregard for Palo Alto’s privacy standards and specific zoning ordinances, creating an untenable situation for our families. 1. Violation of ADU Zoning Code 18.09.040 The construction of the ADU and main residence includes clear, operable windows that directly face the interior property lines of our homes. This design stands in direct violation of Palo Alto Municipal Code 18.09.040 (D) and (E), which outlines clear standards for privacy and window placement: Sill Height and Operability (18.09.040.E): Because the first finished floor of this unit is elevated, the current installation of low, clear, operable windows violates the requirement for a minimum five-foot sill height for operable windows or opaque glazing for the lower half of non-operable windows. Glazing Requirements (18.09.040.D): The windows at 3935 Duncan Pl are currently clear and operable, directly overlooking our private living spaces. Per the code, egress windows must utilize opaque glazing. 2. Impact on Privacy and Safety Our homes are classic Eichler designs, characterized by signature floor-to-ceiling glass walls at the rear. This architectural style relies heavily on the privacy of our backyards. The windows at 3935 Duncan Pl are positioned such that they have a direct, unobstructed line of sight into our: Kitchens and dining areas Family rooms Study rooms and private home offices This is not merely a matter of aesthetics; it is a significant safety and privacy concern. Our households include young children whose daily activities are now completely visible to a revolving door of contractors and future occupants of a "spec" house. 3. Community Standards and Past Precedents When we remodeled our own homes, we worked closely with the City to ensure our designs respected our neighbors' privacy. For instance, the wall at 3905 Duncan Pl facing 3881 Duncan Pl utilizes high-set, non-operable windows to ensure no line of sight into the neighbor’s yard. The developer at 3935 Duncan Pl has shown a pattern of disruption and disregard for these established community norms. As this project is a "house flip," the current owners lack a long-term stake in the harmony of our street, yet their construction choices will leave a permanent negative impact on the privacy and property values of our established homes. 4. Requested Action We respectfully request that the City of Palo Alto Code Enforcement Division conduct a site inspection to verify these violations. We ask that the following corrective measures be mandated before any final permits are signed off: 1. Relocate all windows facing 3905 and 3881 Duncan Pl with opaque/frosted glazing with no viewing ability as required by Code 18.09.040. 2. Modify operable windows to comply with the five-foot sill height requirement to prevent direct overlooking. We value the character of Palo Alto and the safety of our neighborhood. We are happy to meet with a city inspector on-site to demonstrate the severity of the privacy intrusion from our vantage point. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and for your dedication to maintaining the standards of our community. Sincerely, Shailo Rao Resident of 3905 Duncan Pl From:Peggy Phelan To:Council, City Subject:Fw: AT&T Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 8:20:46 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. ________________________________________ From: Peggy Phelan <pphelan@stanford.edu> Sent: Friday, October 9, 2026 8:17 AM To: arb@PaloAlto.gov Cc: city.council@PaloAlto.gov; City.Clerk@PaloAlto.gov Subject: AT&T Please STOP these endless appeals from AT&T. We do not want or need more cell towers in Palo Alto. I have sent you MANY MANY MANY emails to this effect and they keep coming back. It's like wack-a-mole. I have never received any reply fom anyone at the addresses above. This is rude. I have been relieved that the ARB keeps rejecting the proposals but, really, can you refuse to accept any more appeals? Please do the right thing (once more). Peggy Phelan From:Haeyeon Jeong To:Council, City Subject:Air and land pollution Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 7:09:00 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of theorganization. Be cautious of opening attachmentsand clicking on links. To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally express my deep concern regarding the severe air and environmental pollution caused by the current airplane routing over my residential area. Recently, the impact has become a significant health hazard. The diminished air quality has led to persistent physical discomfort, including severe respiratory difficulties, as well as red and watery eyes. This is a serious matter that directly affects the well-being of local residents. I kindly urge your office to review the current flight paths and implement the necessary measures to mitigate these environmental and health impacts. I look forward to your prompt response and a resolution to this urgent issue. Sincerely, Haeyeon Jeong From:Aram James To:Gary Gechlik; Lori Meyers; Vicki Veenker; h.etzko@gmail.com; brianhama@gmail.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; Lauing, Ed; Josh Becker; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Bains, Paul; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Burt, Patrick; Julie Lythcott-Haims; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Supervisor Otto Lee; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Jay Boyarsky; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations; Bill Newell; Zelkha, Mila; Zahra Billoo; Kaloma Smith; EPA Today; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Braden Cartwright; Brian Good; Sheree Roth; Shepherd, Nancy; Nicole Chiu-Wang; Mora Oommen; Carol Brouillet; Yusra Hussain; Yolanda Conaway; William Armaline; Steve Wagstaffe; Jeff Rosen; Jay Boyarsky; Malinsky, Jason; Council, City; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; City Attorney; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; Pacific GrovePD; GRP-City Council; Lewis james; PD Kristina Bell; David S. Norris; Human Relations Commission; ParkRec Commission; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; Sam Liccardo; Lotus Fong; Friends of Cubberley; Ann Ravel; Raymond Goins; Diana Diamond; Emily Mibach; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com Subject:Stop US aid_5.5x5.5 Date:Friday, October 9, 2026 3:36:23 AM Attachments:Stop US aid_5.5x5.5.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. From:Aram James To:Lori Meyers; Gary Gechlik; h.etzko@gmail.com; EPA Today; Diana Diamond; brianhama@gmail.com; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Emily Mibach; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; Braden Cartwright; Brian Good; <michael.gennaco@oirgroup.com>; Rodriguez, Miguel; Doug Minkler; Doug Fort; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Mora Oommen; Jeff Conrad; Human Relations Commission; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; steven mcgill; Preminger, Steve; Jeff Rosen; Jay Boyarsky; Sean Allen; Council, City; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; City Attorney; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Matt Schlegel; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; Yolanda Conaway; Dave Price; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; Nicole Chiu-Wang; james pitkin; Penni Wilson; Zahra Billoo; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; Sameena Usman; Raymond Goins; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Susan Hayase; Supervisor Otto Lee; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Embarcadero Media Support; Seanjames143@yahoo.com; Lewis james; Reckdahl, Keith; Stone, Greer; Tom DuBois; DuJuan Green Cc:Julie Lythcott-Haims; Jim Vivian etc; Bill Newell; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Josh Becker; Templeton, Cari; Cait James; Tim James; Marina Lopez Subject:Watch ""My life will never be the same": Ta-Nehisi Coates on witnessing apartheid in Palestine | UpFront" on YouTube Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 11:59:35 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. https://youtu.be/LbPJPt77Vbo?is=VsCa-gYTJgbqe9kq From:kip husty To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Asking you to reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 9:39:46 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, I am urging the ARB to reject AT&T's proposed new cell towers in Palo Alto neighborhoods that are being reviewed this October, 2026. As you know, the city council restored ARB review for new cell towers, throwing out previous perversions such as 'objective standards' and granting unilateral authority to the Planning Director. These fit industry greed ('interests' is way too general of a term, 'greed' is more descriptive in the current political economy), not the interests ('greed' does not generally apply to protection of one's home, a real concern for homeowners and something the ARB review is meant to address). AT&T's proposal does not give adequate setback distance, but falls within the industry friendly, property owner threatening guidelines that have been over- turned. We have subjective standards of the ARB and Palo Alto Municipal Code to give the guidance to which all new cell tower proposals should comply, Please reject their and make it clear that we are a city of laws that respond to the community first, not private 'interests'. Thank you, kip husty Palo Alto From:Amy Kacher To:City Mgr; Council, City; Clerk, City; Architectural Review Board Subject:Cell tower on Guinda and Homer Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 9:37:50 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization.Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. I wrote in great support of that out of concern that AT&T will again try to place poles in front of homes. This is happening now in my neighborhood and I ask that you stop it. Guinda and Homer is the location. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision-making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Amy Kacher Dana Ave hey, we are all just people From:Marianne Jacobi To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 6:23:23 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you are aware, in May 2025, the Palo Alto City Council voted unanimously to restore Architectural Review Board (ARB) oversight of new cell tower installations. This decision eliminated the previously established “objective standards” and the Planning Director’s unilateral authority over these proposals. As a result, the placement and design of new cell towers are once again subject to Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the ARB’s independent aesthetic review and judgment. Importantly, in restoring ARB oversight, the City Council unanimously expressed a preference for substantial setbacks between cell towers and residential homes—a significant departure from the 20-foot minimum previously permitted under the repealed objective standards. I am writing to urge the Board to uphold both the intent of the City Council’s decision and the provisions of our Municipal Code when reviewing AT&T’s proposals. Specifically, I ask that the Board require AT&T to: Increase setbacks to provide greater separation between cell towers and nearby residences. Place radios and associated equipment underground to minimize visual impacts. Reduce pole heights to ensure installations are less intrusive and more compatible with surrounding neighborhoods. The restoration of ARB oversight provides an important opportunity to ensure that these installations are thoughtfully designed and appropriately located, with due consideration for the residents most directly affected. Thank you for your time, consideration, and commitment to preserving the character of Palo Alto’s residential neighborhoods. 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 All best, Marianne Jacobi From:Richard Simoni To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s new neighborhood cell towers without revised siting, undergrounding of related equipment, and pole height modifications Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 5:36:34 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, Cell tower locations and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. In restoring ARB review in May 2025, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its newly proposed neighborhood cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground, and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Richard Simoni Palo Alto, CA From:Leo Pov To:Council, City Subject:Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 5:28:21 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Leo Povolotsky 35 years of residency in Palo Alto This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report From:Leonard Schwarz To:Architectural Review Board; Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:AT&T and proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 5:25:57 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. ! Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Leonard Schwarz Webster St. This message could be suspicious Similar name as someone you've contacted. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:Sharleen Fiddaman To:Council, City Subject:Fwd: Cell towers: PLEASE ACT NOW Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 5:21:58 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Sharleen Begin forwarded message: From: jfleming@right-thing.net Date: October 8, 2026 at 4:52:44 PM PDT To: jfleming@right-thing.net Cc: jerry.fan@gmail.com Subject: Cell towers: PLEASE ACT NOW  Dear Neighbors, If you haven’t already done so, please write to the Architectural Review Board now and let them know your views about AT&T’s application to install two cell towers in close proximity to residents’ homes. The hearing takes place one week from today, on the morning of Thursday, October 15th. Below is our original email to you about the then-three AT&T cell towers, along with a sample letter to the ARB. In haste, Jeanne & Jerry For United Neighbors From: jfleming@right-thing.net <jfleming@right-thing.net> Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 5:03 PM This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report To: jfleming@right-thing.net Cc: jerry.fan@gmail.com Subject: Cell towers update ... and a request Dear Neighbors, On October 1, the Architectural Review Board will be considering AT&T’s application to install cell towers on utility poles on Boyce, Guinda and Homer. All of the proposed towers are in close proximity to homes. Hence we would greatly appreciate it if you would send a brief email—as soon as you conveniently can—to the Board asking them to insist that AT&T locate the cell towers as far as possible from people’s homes and to insist as well that AT&T place the radios underground, rather than on the poles. Below is a sample letter that you are welcome to use for this purpose or to modify as you like. Thank you, as always, for your support for cell tower policies and practices that put residents first, not the telecom industry. Our best, Jeanne & Jerry For United Neighbors SAMPLE EMAIL FOR THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD Please be sure to CC City Council and the City Clerk. And please either BCC Jeanne (JFleming@Right-Thing.net) on your email or otherwise let her know that you’ve written to the ARB. It helps for us to have an accurate count of how many letters the ARB has received from United Neighbors. … Thank you! To: arb@PaloAlto.gov; CC: city.council@PaloAlto.gov; City.Clerk@PaloAlto.gov; Subject: Please reject AT&T’s proposed new neighborhood cell towers. Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May, 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision-making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, [Your Name] From:Alice Holmes To:Architectural Review Board; Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:AT&T and proposed new neighborhood cell towers Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 5:15:39 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. ! Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, As you know, City Council voted unanimously in May 2025, to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. So-called “objective standards” for these facilities—as well as unilateral decision- making by the Planning Director—were thrown out. Now, where cell towers are to be located and what they can look like must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. Tellingly, in restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes, to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground and to lower the height of the poles. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Alice Holmes This message could be suspicious Similar name as someone you've contacted. No employee in your company has ever replied to this person. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:Becky Wolf-Loretz To:Jensen, Christopher; City Mgr; Shikada, Ed Cc:Hoyt, George; Council, City; Riley Cooke; Lauing, Ed; Stone, Greer; Lythcott-Haims, Julie; julie.lythcott@paloalto.gov; Shea, Kyle; Reckdahl, Keith; Lu, George; Veenker, Vicki Subject:RE: URGENT FORMAL ADA TITLE II REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUEST — REMOVAL OF SOPHIE PIGMAN AS MY REQUIRED CITY CONTACT; REPEATED DENIAL OF MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION; NOTICE OF VIOLATION CASE NO. 26PCE-00218; DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVOR PROTECTIONS Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 11:56:15 AM Attachments:2BE4C46C-19E1-4FE5-91D5-37CF2DF2AAA8.png CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. October 8, 2026 TO: Christopher Jensen, City Attorney christopher.jensen@paloalto.gov CC: George Hoyt, ADA Coordinator; City Manager; Palo Alto City Council RE: URGENT FORMAL ADA TITLE II REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUEST — REMOVAL OF SOPHIE PIGMAN AS MY REQUIRED CITY CONTACT; REPEATED DENIAL OF MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION; NOTICE OF VIOLATION CASE NO. 26PCE-00218; DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVOR PROTECTIONS Dear City Attorney Jensen: I am submitting this correspondence as a formal request for reasonable accommodation under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12132 and 28 C.F.R. § 35.130(b) (7), and as a request for independent review of the City of Palo Alto’s treatment of my repeated requests for assistance. I am formally requesting that Sophie Pigman be removed immediately as my required point of contact with the City of Palo Alto. I am also requesting that this accommodation be evaluated by someone independent of Ms. Pigman and the City personnel whose conduct is the subject of my complaints, including Mr. Hoyt. The City has not protected me. I have spent more than a year reporting dangerous housing conditions, disability-related concerns, retaliation, interference with my housing rights, and circumstances affecting vulnerable residents at the Opportunity Center. It is not simply the mold. It is the contradictory statements, the withheld or delayed information, the repeated referrals, the unexplained changes to enforcement findings, the exclusion of residents from discussions affecting their homes, and the City’s continued insistence that I communicate through individuals whose conduct I have already formally challenged-and who have a vested interest in the outcome. I have documented C-PTSD and am a survivor of serious domestic violence. These repeated interactions are aggravating my disability and triggering trauma associated with being controlled, denied information, and prevented from obtaining meaningful help. I have repeatedly disclosed these circumstances to the City. I should not have to sacrifice my mental and physical health to obtain access to municipal government. I. SOPHIE PIGMAN — MONTHS OF REQUESTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NOTICE OF VIOLATION PROCESS The written record establishes that I repeatedly requested information concerning the April 28, 2026 Notice of Violation issued against the Opportunity Center and sought meaningful participation in proceedings affecting my residence. May 22, 2026: I wrote to City officials, including Ms. Pigman, asking whether Abode had formally appealed the Notice of Violation, when the appeal had been submitted, what process applied, and whether residents could obtain the relevant records. I requested documentation concerning the NOV, inspections, environmental findings, and communications between the City and Abode. June 18, 2026: I sent Sophie Pigman and the City Manager an email specifically entitled “Request to participate in appeal process and Public records request overdue.” I expressly stated: “I also want to formally state that I wish to participate in the appeal process concerning the Notice of Violation and the conditions at the Opportunity Center.” I explained that I had firsthand knowledge of conditions in Unit 205 and asked how I could submit evidence, testimony, photographs, and comments for consideration. June 23, 2026: After receiving no meaningful instructions regarding participation, I contacted Senior Code Enforcement Officer Elisa Vargas directly. I advised her that I intended to participate and requested the appeal, hearing information, submission deadlines, and identity of the person overseeing the proceedings. I specifically explained that I had already communicated my desire to participate to Sophie Pigman and the City Manager’s Office. July 2, 2026: I formally documented my attempts to obtain appeal-related records through the City’s Building Division and my conversation with George Hoyt. I explained that I had repeatedly attempted to participate and had been denied meaningful information about the process. July 6, 2026: Sophie Pigman responded in writing: “A Notice of Violation is not an appealable action as it does not impose a penalty. Under the City’s process, only a citation may be appealed, and no citation has been issued in this matter.” She further stated: “Because no appeal has been filed, there is no appeal document, hearing date, meeting, proceeding, submission deadline, or appeal hearing officer information to provide.” July 15, 2026: Ms. Pigman again stated that the NOV was not appealable and that there was no appeal hearing, document, or witness testimony process. July 27, 2026: I wrote Ms. Pigman again, challenging the conflicting information residents had received and requesting the documents Abode submitted, any internal City evaluations, and explanations of whether the NOV was modified, withdrawn, suspended, or reconsidered. These were not casual inquiries. I repeatedly asked to be heard in a process directly affecting my health, my safety, my home, and my ability to defend myself against eviction. II. THE MAY 1 ABODE SUBMISSION AND CONTRADICTORY REPRESENTATIONS I have subsequently reviewed public records identifying a May 1, 2026 submission from Abode entitled “Appeal of Notice of Violation.” That document raises serious questions about the representations I received from the City. The distinction between a formal statutory appeal and an informal administrative challenge matters. If the City regarded Abode’s submission as something other than a formal appeal, it should have explained what process was actually occurring. According to the records I reviewed, City personnel were communicating with Abode regarding a forthcoming Notice of Violation as early as February 3, 2026—well before the formal NOV was issued on April 28. I understand those communications included Lief Christensen and Georgette Brown and discussed anticipated enforcement action and ongoing coordination concerning property conditions. I was not informed of that history while repeatedly requesting information and assistance. I am appalled by the disparity. Abode appears to have received advance communication, access to City personnel, meetings, additional inspections, and opportunities to challenge enforcement findings, while residents repeatedly asking for participation were told there was no appeal process. I demand an independent examination of the complete record, including the role of City Attorney’s Office personnel, Code Enforcement, building officials, and the City Manager’s Office. Please explain: 1. Exactly what Abode submitted on May 1, 2026, and how the City classified it. 2. Whether that submission was accepted as an appeal, objection, reconsideration request, or informal challenge. 3. Which officials evaluated Abode’s submission. 4. What meetings, inspections, negotiations, or other proceedings occurred afterward. 5. Whether those proceedings contributed to changes in the original NOV. 6. Why residents requesting an opportunity to provide firsthand evidence were not included or given comparable access. 7. Why Sophie Pigman repeatedly stated that no appeal had been filed without explaining the May 1 submission and the process used to consider Abode’s objections. 8. What City records document the February communications concerning the anticipated NOV. I am also requesting review of communications with journalist Riley Cooke concerning the appeal process, including any representations that no appeal was available or had occurred. I am entitled to accurate information about government proceedings affecting my home. III. UNIT 205 — THE CITY’S MOLD REPRESENTATIONS AND SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTIVITY The handling of the conditions in my former home, Unit 205, has further undermined my confidence in the City’s explanations. On July 2, 2026, George Hoyt told me there was no mold in my room and no mold on my exterior window ledge, as I documented in my contemporaneous email. I challenged the basis for those assertions. I had video documenting approximately 47% moisture at the exterior window ledge, photographs showing deterioration and moisture-related damage, and longstanding complaints concerning the window, wall, and surrounding building materials. The original Notice of Violation documented serious water intrusion and mold-related concerns at the property. After I moved out on August 11, 2026, I observed repair activity associated with my former unit, including work around the exterior window and ledge area I had repeatedly identified. See attached photo. I also observed holes drilled into concrete in the same exterior area about which I had complained. Why was repair or investigative activity occurring in the area I repeatedly identified if the City maintained that my concerns were unfounded? I understand that repair activity alone does not establish precisely what was discovered. That is why I am demanding the underlying work records, photographs, inspection findings, scope of work, and testing results. I also obtained independent laboratory sampling. The evidence I have reported includes approximately 4,000 Chaetomium spores per square centimeter and 240 Aspergillus/Penicillium-like spores per square centimeter from the living-room corner wall, as well as subsequent laboratory findings associated with Unit 205. I also obtained an inspection by a mold-detection dog. I have repeatedly encountered objections to the City’s reliance on outside testing or evidence. If the City declined to accept or consider independently obtained sampling or the mold- detection dog’s findings, I demand the written policy, technical standard, and factual basis for that decision. I recognize that laboratory sampling, canine detection, visual inspection, and air testing are different forms of evidence. They do not necessarily establish identical conclusions. But it is not reasonable to dismiss material evidence without explaining what it shows, what it does not show, and how the City evaluated it. I want an independent review of the City’s statements that no visible mold was observed, the laboratory findings, the subsequent repair activity, and the evidence supporting any representations that Unit 205 was safe. The City must distinguish between not observing visible mold and establishing that mold or concealed moisture damage was absent. Those are not interchangeable findings. IV. MY PREVIOUS OBJECTIONS TO SOPHIE PIGMAN WERE ALREADY DOCUMENTED My request to stop communicating through Sophie Pigman is not new. On July 1, 2026, I specifically informed ADA Coordinator George Hoyt that I did not consent to the City’s designation of Sophie Pigman as my primary point of contact. On July 8, I requested mediation regarding her continued involvement and my concerns about potential conflicts of interest. On September 18, I again explained that routing my concerns through Sophie was not producing substantive answers. When her out-of-office message identified Gerald Gonzalez as an alternate contact, I forwarded my request directly to him. On October 7, 2026, I wrote to City Attorney Jensen that continued referrals back through Sophie were no longer sufficient. That same afternoon, I wrote directly to Lief Christensen: “This letter is for you, not Sophie Pigman. I do not want to talk to Miss Pigman anymore.” I could not have been clearer. Yet on October 8, I received an email from Sophie stating: “I want to reiterate that I am the main point of contact.” This is exactly the arrangement I have repeatedly objected to. Whether this latest email resulted from an internal communication failure or an intentional decision to maintain the existing arrangement, the City has been repeatedly placed on notice that this communication structure is unacceptable to me and is contributing to disability- related harm. V. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, PTSD, AND DISABILITY-RELATED HARM I am a survivor of domestic violence with an active Domestic Violence Restraining Order. I have experienced prolonged coercive control, financial abuse, and other serious forms of abuse. I have repeatedly explained to the City that the experience of requesting assistance and being passed from person to person without meaningful intervention triggers the same trauma I experienced during my marriage. In my October 7 letter to City Attorney Jensen, I specifically explained: “In all honesty, my requests for help are triggering me because they all seem to lead back to passing me around - just like my ex-husband did.” I have documented PTSD and other disabilities. I am not claiming that every frustrating government interaction constitutes discrimination. I am explaining that the cumulative effect of the City’s repeated communication failures, contradictory representations, lack of meaningful responses, and insistence that I continue dealing with a disputed contact person has become a disability-access issue. Ms. Pigman was also involved in the flea-related incident during which my emotional support animal, Kayden, nearly died. That incident remains deeply traumatic to me. These experiences have destroyed my confidence in her ability to serve as a safe or effective intermediary. I am additionally asserting applicable protections under the Violence Against Women Act in connection with the federally assisted housing matters underlying my complaints. My domestic violence history and disability-related accommodation needs must not become additional barriers to being heard. VI. FORMAL ADA ACCOMMODATIONS REQUESTED Pursuant to Title II of the ADA, I request: 1. Immediate removal of Sophie Pigman as my designated or required City point of contact, including for matters concerning the Opportunity Center, public records, code enforcement, disability accommodations, and resident advocacy. 2. Assignment of an alternative management-level official who has not participated in the conduct I am challenging and who can coordinate responses across City departments. 3. Independent review of this accommodation request, including review of my July 1 objection, July 8 mediation request, September 18 request for escalation, October 7 correspondence, and October 8 response. 4. Direct written communication with the officials responsible for decisions, rather than mandatory routing through an intermediary whose role I have formally disputed. 5. A meaningful opportunity to submit records, photographs, laboratory findings, witness information, and resident testimony concerning the City’s handling of the NOV and subsequent enforcement activities. 6. Written explanations for any refusal to consider independently obtained evidence, including laboratory results and information from the mold-detection dog. 7. Written acknowledgment of my disability-related communication needs and domestic violence survivor safety concerns, with appropriate confidentiality protections. 8. An independent official to receive and review any future complaints involving Sophie Pigman, George Hoyt, or other officials whose conduct is being challenged. 9. Confirmation that no adverse action or retaliation will be taken because I requested accommodations, asserted applicable housing protections, or continued advocating for residents. 10. An effective interim accommodation while this request is being evaluated, so that urgent matters can proceed without requiring me to communicate with Sophie Pigman. If the City believes any requested modification would fundamentally alter its operations or otherwise cannot be granted, I request an individualized written determination explaining the basis for that conclusion and identifying an effective alternative. VII. INDEPENDENT REVIEW AND PRESERVATION OF RECORDS I am requesting that the City preserve all relevant documents and communications concerning: ● Abode’s anticipated Notice of Violation, including communications beginning in February 2026; ● The April 28 NOV and Abode’s May 1 submission; ● Meetings and discussions that resulted in additional inspections or changes to enforcement findings; ● Communications concerning my requests to participate and the instructions provided to Sophie Pigman; ● The City’s handling of independent mold evidence and the conditions in Unit 205; ● Repairs, investigative work, testing, and remediation occurring after my departure; ● My prior ADA accommodation requests, objections to designated contacts, and mediation requests. I am not asking the City to accept my interpretation of every record without investigation. I am asking the City to examine the complete record instead of continuing to address each event as though it occurred independently of everything that preceded it. The continued exclusion of residents from meaningful consideration while the property operator received direct access to City personnel is a matter requiring accountability. VIII. IMMEDIATE RESPONSE REQUESTED City Attorney Jensen, I am asking you to personally ensure that this formal accommodation request receives independent consideration. Because George Hoyt’s conduct and statements are also among the matters I am challenging, I request that he not serve as the decision-maker concerning my accommodation or the related complaints. Please provide written acknowledgment within two business days, designate an interim alternative contact immediately, and identify who will make the accommodation determination and when I can expect that decision. I also request a direct meeting with appropriate City leadership to review the NOV history, conflicting evidence, and outstanding resident safety concerns. I have spent an extraordinary amount of time documenting these events, requesting help, complying with government procedures, and advocating for residents who are frightened or unable to navigate these systems themselves. I lost my own housing during this advocacy. Mr. Wilson, a 90-year-old disabled veteran, continues to need protection and meaningful assistance. Cynthia Gonzalez remains without stable housing. I should not have to fight my own local government to be heard while simultaneously fighting to protect residents whose circumstances are even more vulnerable than mine. I am done accepting acknowledgments in place of substantive answers. I am done being routed through people whose conduct I have already challenged. And I am done being told that processes do not exist while documentary evidence raises serious questions about the processes afforded to others. I am requesting a reasonable accommodation, independent review, and a direct path to meaningful resolution. Please respond accordingly. Respectfully, BECKY WOLF Founder of the Opportunity Center Single Side Tenant Union Disability and Housing Rights Advocate #SilenceIsNotSurvivable From:Patricia Clough To:Council, City Subject:Museum and Heritage Park Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 10:54:12 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i To All Council Members: I live at 837 Waverley St directly across the street from Heritage Park. I've lived here for 35 years. We've weathered the possible expansion of the Palo Alto Clinic years ago and when that failed, we worked with Summerhill on their development plans and fought for a park. Summerhill was mostly a good working partner, in my view. They listened and heard our plea for the park. We are grateful the city did too. I can't imagine the museum being a rental venue for corporate and private parties. We are a neighborhood of families, densely populated with restricted parking. The park is our park, we fought for it - all of it, and we use it. So does the city - for 4th of July celebrations and occasional movies and daytime music for families. The museum is now a lovely, historic feature - but as a museum, not a rental venue. I will attend your hearing on this matter. I imagine many of us will - we know each other. We care. We hope you do too. Pat Clough Homeowner 837 Waverley St. for 35 years This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first email to your company. Mark Safe Report From:Scott To:Council, City Subject:Reminder - You’re invited to California Electeds and Pastors Zoom Call (October 27, 2026) Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 9:49:35 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Elected Official, During a recent conversation with a county supervisor, I was struck by something he shared with me. In all his time serving in public office, no one had ever asked if they could pray with him. That conversation inspired something I believe is long overdue. We are bringing together elected officials and pastors from across California for a statewide online gathering focused on one simple purpose: to encourage, support, and pray for those who carry the responsibility of public leadership. Our hosts include a California state senator, a member of Congress, and pastors from diverse backgrounds throughout the state. This is not a political event, a debate, or an opportunity to advance an agenda. Regardless of party affiliation or political differences, we believe every person serving in public office deserves dignity, compassion, and prayer. As both a pastor and a three-term city councilman, I understand firsthand some of the pressures that come with public service. My hope is that this gathering will remind you that you are not alone and that there are people across California who genuinely care about you. We would be honored to have you join us. [Click the link below to learn more and register] Sincerely, Scott Thomson Pastor | City Councilman Author, The Watchman's Call scott@rolo.life 530-370-3570 Tuesday, October 27, 2026 10:00 AM California Electeds and Pastors Zoom Call Register Scott Thomson 3210 Oro Dam Blvd East , Oroville, CA 95965 US Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy From:Mark Rubin To:provost@stanford.edu; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; president@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com; tglynch@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu Cc:alumnipresident@stanford.edu; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; kevin.kish@gmail.com; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; Council, City; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov Subject:Stanford Must Act Now: SJP Calls All-Day October 7 Vigil to Honor "Martyrs" on Hamas Massacre Anniversary Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 9:44:56 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, Mark Rubin References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs Get Outlook for Android From:Charlie Weidanz To:Council, City Subject:Athena Awards in 1 Week! - Get Your Tickets Now Before They Sell Out Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 9:01:30 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Athena International 2026 Leadership Presentation promo Irene Wong portrait Peying Lee portrait Athena International logo Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce proudly presents the 2026 Annual ATHENA® Awards Thursday October 15, 2026 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm El Prado Hotel 520 Cowper St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Get Your Tickets Today >> The ATHENA award is given to honor exceptional woman leaders who demonstrate the highest levels of professional excellence, give back to their communities and, most importantly, assist other women in realizing their full leadership potential – and it is an international award, having been given to more than 6,500 recipients in over 500 cities and 8 countries. Locally it is awarded by our Chamber of Commerce. Register Online >> ®​ Event Info This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe click here. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email at info@paloaltochamber.com. From:Karen L. Baker To:micheler@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; tglynch@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu Cc:Council, City; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; kevin.kish@gmail.com; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov Subject:Stanford SJP Plans Oct. 7 “Vigil” Hamas Massacre Anniversary Date:Thursday, October 8, 2026 8:17:19 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. ! Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: This message could be suspicious The sender's email address couldn't be verified. This is their first email to your company. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford is told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now: does Stanford comply? Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, Karen L. Baker References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs Karen Leba Baker Developing Women Leaders for the Homefront & the Global Stage www.businessaspleasure.com (512) 985-7664 From:Aram James To:jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; Vicki Veenker; Dave Price; Gennady Sheyner; Gary Gechlik; Raymond Goins; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; brianhama@gmail.com; h.etzko@gmail.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; Mo Soumaoro; Diana Diamond; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Friends of Cubberley; walter wilson; David S. Norris; PD Kristina Bell; Dave Price; Gerry Gras; Daniel Kottke; Angel, David; Dana St. George; Human Relations Commission; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; Doug Minkler; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; steven mcgill; Stephen Connolly; Sean Allen; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Henry Etzkowitz; board@pausd.org; planning.commision@cityofpaloalto.org; BoardOperations; Gennady Sheyner; Riley Cooke; Rick Callender; Salem Ajluni; Sam Liccardo; Braden Cartwright; Enberg, Nicholas; Reifschneider, James; Josh Becker; Jay Boyarsky; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); ladoris cordell; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Jeff Rosen; Roberta Ahlquist; Robert Salonga; Carol Brouillet; mike braxton; dcombs@menlopark.gov; Seanjames143@yahoo.com; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Emily Mibach; EPA Today; Bryan Gobin; Jose Valle; Raj Jayadev; rabrica@cityofepa.org; Anne Cribbs; Anna Griffin; Ann Ravel; Ann James; Professor Quintanar; Kaloma Smith; Ted Smith; Templeton, Cari; Carla Torres; Susan Hayase; Sheree Roth; Lori Meyers; Jeff Conrad; cotton.gaines@cityofpaloalto.org; Lotus Fong; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Goodell, Erin; Jensen, Eric; Reckdahl, Keith; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Supervisor Otto Lee; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Supervisor Betty Duong; Board of Directors; Lewis james; Senator Becker; sean james; Bill Newell; Jim Lawrence; james pitkin; Council, City; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; City Attorney; Zahra Billoo; Sameena Usman; Colsaria Henderson; ParkRec Commission; Burt, Patrick; Stone, Greer; Gardener, Liz; Jeff Hayden; yolanda; Yolanda Conaway; Dennis Upton; Yusra Hussain Subject:Watch "Ban Tasers in Palo Alto Press Conference" on YouTube Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 11:40:12 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. https://youtu.be/PkIx9gOH2zc?is=NUueujFPz-kdc5Jy From:Турарбек Базарбаев To:Veenker, Vicki Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City; City Mgr Subject:Meeting Request with the Mayor of Palo Alto Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 10:54:16 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i ar Mayor Vicki Veenker, n behalf of the Akimat (City Hall) of Astana and Astana Innovations JSC, we This message needs your attention This is their first email to your company. This person's name has non-English characters. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast ng tangible benefits to both communities. e propose to discuss the following areas of potential cooperation: Exchange of experience in smart city solutions, digital governance, and urban velopment; Support for startups and technology companies, including mutual access to novation ecosystems and soft-landing programs; Academic, research, and talent exchanges, including joint educational and entorship initiatives; Facilitation of business and investment contacts between our cities; Organization of joint events, delegations, and forums. a result of our visit, we would be pleased to explore the signing of a emorandum of Understanding (or a Sister City Agreement) that would ablish a framework for long-term, mutually beneficial cooperation between tana and Palo Alto. e would be grateful if you could consider receiving our delegation at a time nvenient for you, during October 12, 2026. The delegation will be led by Deputy Head of the Department of Digitalization and Public Gizat Amirgali, Chairman of the of Astana Innovations JSC. We remain fully flexible of Astana Innovations at or +7 (701) 999 2295. rarbek Bazarbayev ad of Department of Tech Cooperation & Projects of Astana Innovations (701) 999 2295 From:upcomingsales@friendspaloaltolib.org To:Council, City Subject:October 2026 Book Sale - Friends of the Palo Alto Library Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 10:30:05 PM BOOK SALE NEWSLETTER THIS WEEKEND AT CUBBERLEY Visit our web site CUBBERLEY USED BOOK SALES Saturday October 10 Main Room General Sale 11am - 4pm Bargain Room 9:30am - 4pm Children's Room 10am - 4pm Music Pop Up Sale 10am - 2pm Dollar Sale 10am - 3pm Sunday October 11 All Rooms 1pm - 4pm 4000 Middlefield Road Palo Alto NE corner of the Cubberley Community Center (650) 213-8755 www.fopal.org Maps and Directions More information on the sales Donate your used books, DVDs, &c ALL NET PROCEEDS GO TO HELP PALO ALTO LIBRARIES Main Room In our Main Room, prices are way below what used book stores charge. Hardcover books start at $3 and softcover books start at only $2. No numbered tickets this month! Please note that due to crowding during the first two hours of the Book Sale, no strollers, rolling carts, etc. can be brought into the Main Room. This is for the safety of shoppers and volunteers alike. By 12:30 or so, the crowd thins out and shoppers are welcome to bring these items into the sale. Children's Book Sale The Children's Room is located in the portable next to the soccer field near Greendell School. It is entirely filled with children's books and toys. You'll find picture books, school age fiction and non-fiction, fiction for teens, award winners, non-English titles, CDs and DVDs, and books for parents and teachers, many for 50 cents or $1. Strollers are welcome in the Children's Room at any time. Bargain Books in H-2 The Bargain Room is located in Rooms H-2 and H-3 of the Cubberley main campus, between our Main Room and Middlefield Road. On Saturday, paperbacks are $1, hardcovers are $2, and children's books are 50 cents each. The room also contains many records, CDs, and DVDs at $1 each. On Sunday, the room opens at 1 pm and all prices are half off. Or, save even more on Sunday by buying green FOPAL reusable bags from us for $4/ea (or bring your own grocery-size reusable bag) and stuffing them with any items in the room for $5/bag. Fill four bags at $5/bag and fill a fifth bag FREE! Library News The Library wants you to know that immediately after the close of our sale on Saturday the Palo Alto Museum is hosting a free music party in Heritage Park ahead of their grand opening in Spring 2027. You can find out more, and about later events, and find out about ticketing here. The Library also wants you to know that they will be closed for Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, October 12. And the Library has several events for Halloween later in the month. See their event calendar for more info. You could find out about these sorts of things in a slightly more timely manner by subscribing to the Library's mailing list. Like us, they send one or two messages per month, more usually one. You can find out about other things they want you to know from the Palo Alto City Library Blogs page. Or you can subscribe to them with an RSS reader. -Frank McConnell Mystery We have 20 books in the award-winning "Montalbano" series, along with several DVDs of the T.V series. You will find them all on a bottom shelf near the "newest Mysteries" section. We also have many Vintage Mysteries including novels by Ed McBain, Ross McDonald, Dashiell Hammett and many more. Throughout the section you'll find old favorites and new authors you may want to try. -Jenny Munro Home & Crafts October harvest time is a maker's delight for pumpkin carving and Halloween costume extravaganzas. Check out our home and craft offerings at this month's book sale to inspire your crafty creations. Peruse our top Crafts shelf, full of knitting and crocheting titles, from Boho Crochet: 20 Hip and Happy Projects, to Susan B. Anderson's Itty-Bitty Nursery and Itty-Bitty Hats. Further down the shelves are wonderful things to make, from candles and wreaths, to beadwork and jewelry; we even have books on button design. You've gotta love these two titles: The Hippie Handbook: How to Tie-Dye a T-Shirt, Flash a Peace Sign ... , and Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt. Look for paper dolls and coloring books, plus a good selection of origami favorites. Did I mention quilting? Try First-Time Quiltmaking or Happy Quilts! There are multiple books on papercraft, and a unique title: Fairy Houses - Everywhere. Don't miss our embroidery, needlepoint, and cross-stitch resources. You can also create gorgeous fall flower arrangements from our floral arts books. New in October are books on nature crafts - perfect for fall. In Fashion, we celebrate several designers, including: Vivian Westwood, Cecil Beaton, Christian Lacroix, and Oscar de la Renta. If you're looking for all the right moves, we have The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette, plus many style, beauty, and skincare titles. For the designer in you, find splendid references on costume and fashion history. Below our Fashion shelf, look for Home ideas, with a myriad of titles on decorating, essays on the home, aids for maintenance and repair, in addition to home building and remodeling. Not to be missed, search for regional and international interior designs, from California to Italy. Bellissimo! eShelf photos can be found at <https://fopalbooks.com/crafts.html>. -Virginia Perry Antiques & Collections New in the month of October is an array of art glass: Dale Chihuly: A Celebration, Glass: An Artist's Medium, Depression Glass, Masterpieces of American Glass, Early American Glass, and Twentieth Century Glass. You'll also find jewelry, everything from Fabergé to costume jewelry. There are several books on the art of the carousel, painted ponies and all. We have splendid new toys and dolls, including Japanese Dolls. Don't miss our furniture and rug collections, or ceramics, silver, and gold, in addition to stamps and coins. Just for fun, take a look at Sneaker Freaker, some interesting running shoes from the early 2000s. Check out my favorite, The Art of the Aloha Shirt. Shop for new guides on collecting, caring for, and the repair of antiques you won't want to miss. eShelf photo can be found at <https://fopalbooks.com/crafts.html. -Virginia Perry Poetry Fresh October brings the pheasant; Then to gather nuts is pleasant. Gather books from FOPAL's sale. You'll find treasures without fail. Of new books there is such a wealth There's none from last sale on the shelf. All others have gone to their doom Though Rumi takes up lots of room With rhymes collected for a while, All treasures bound to make you smile. https://fopalbooks.com/poetry.html -Mandy MacCalla Children's Room Pumpkins and witches and ghosts--oh my! We have enough Halloween books to fill a cauldron, most priced at 50 cents. It's frightful, how many we have this season. This month the Non-fiction table features books about animals (including insects), with many beautiful oversized books. Spiders, anyone? Many of our customers took advantage of our flash sale of Harry Potter books last month. We continue to price them competitively at $4 each. School-age Fiction is also overflowing with hardback Wimpy Kids books, and we have a selection of Dork Diaries books as well. The Geronimo Stilton series of chapter books is also popular, and we have lots of them, all colorfully illustrated. Because of the success of the movie "The Odyssey," books on Greek mythology are currently popular. Look for them in the Classics section, where you'll find a beautifully illustrated Treasury of Greek Mythology and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes. Also in Classics is A. A. Milne's Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh, and a gorgeous edition of The Complete Swan Lake Trilogy by artist Chris Van Allsburg. This month we are featuring the beautiful books of Brian Selznick, full of breathtaking pictures and lots of humor. Selznick's books have won countless awards and many have been made into movies. You'll find Big Tree, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and Wonder Struck displayed just as you enter the School-age Fiction section. On the World Languages shelves you'll find more than our usual quota of German and Spanish books, in addition to books in many other languages including Russian, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Dutch, Hindi, etc. Are your children reading more now that school's in session? We have loads of sets of books for early readers at 50 cents or $1 per set. Also popular series books from Level 1 to Level 4, and a large assortment of Dr. Seuss and Elephant and Piggie books too. Look on the Beginning Readers shelves and tables and the Seuss book cart. The Parenting section offers books on life with teens and kids with special needs, in addition to lovely journals and photo albums for new parents and grandparents. The Activity section is bursting with giftable toys, games, puzzles, crafts, and party favors- -many, many items are brand new! We've even reserved a special table with toys and games for infants and toddlers, including LOVEVERY toys and bags of classic wooden blocks. As the holiday season draws near, stock up on presents! Consider giving the older children in your life a board game, plus a card game, plus a graphic novel--all for less than $10.00 total! If you've ever wondered, "Where in the world...?", look for an Oregon Science globe, geography flash cards, and many map puzzles, including one featuring US national parks and interstate highways. Among our usual robust math and science offerings, we have science kits and mathematics manipulatives--perfect for a classroom or a home school setting. And, as usual, our graphic novel shelves are overflowing! -Carolyn Davidson Sociology/Anthropology The Sociology/Anthropology section will offer 639 books during the October sale. As usual, the collection includes books on culture, social movements, race and ethnicity, politics, religion, human societies, and the study of civilizations around the world. Two featured books offer particularly thought-provoking perspectives on contemporary society. Blood Oil: Tyrants, Violence, and the Rules That Run the World by Leif Wenar examines the political and ethical consequences of the global trade in natural resources. Wenar argues that consumers in wealthy countries can unknowingly support authoritarian governments and violent regimes through purchases of oil and other resources. He explores how international trade rules developed and proposes ways to make the global economy more transparent and less supportive of political violence. Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton examines a different but equally pervasive concern: our desire for social recognition and fear of falling behind others. De Botton explores why modern societies can make people feel that their worth depends on wealth, success, and the opinions of others. Drawing on philosophy, literature, art, and history, he considers possible ways to free ourselves from the pressures of status. Humor As usual we have a wide variety of cartoons on the top shelf with 20 books in all, 13 from the New Yorker including two of their Complete Cartoon volumes. This month's Wodehouse collection has 21 books to offer followed on the shelf by an assortment of UK related humor. Also displayed on that shelf we have the Best of Myles, the first time this particular book has made an appearance. Myles na Gopaleen [Myles of the Ponies] aka Brian O'Nolan aka Flann O'Brien was an Irish Civil Servant, a satirical columnist for the Irish Times, and a novelist. James Joyce said he was Ireland's greatest writer and he should know. Here's an opportunity to sample some of his work. -Nigel Jones Computers Last minute donation of several recent, useful-looking texts on computer security: look up up to the Security and Hacking topic in the far upper left. Plus a variety of recent books in the Web Design topic, middle-middle, and Graphics & Media, upper middle. Well, actually-- there's new things in almost every topic. -David Cortesi Politics "Our culture is just a series of checks and balances. The whole idea that we're in a battle between tyranny and freedom - it's a series of pendulum swings." -Jon Stewart. To truly understand this idea, come to the Politics section of the Main Room to read books about the current situation of America and interact with the past and future of this country. With the upcoming midterms, it's important to remember that the role of political parties isn't to argue, it's to represent all of the citizens in the United States of the United States to ensure the security of the country. This sentiment is echoed in books like Speeches by Barack Obama, and isn't only unique to America. Even overseas, countries are realizing the importance of security in the modern age of technology. As Palo Alto has our Flock cameras, books like Guaranteeing America's Safety in the 21st Century by William J. Parker III, Ph.D. explain both the consequence of surveillance technology and the maybe semi-hidden benefits it may bring. Come check out the Politics section this October to learn about the political subculture of Palo Alto, and how it plays out relative to America! -Emma Chen Judaica Browse the Judaica section for books on the Jewish religion and culture including editions of the Torah and other basic texts, Kabbalah, Jewish history, the Holocaust, memoirs, Israel, Jewish Women, the Jewish American Experience and other related subjects. Special this month - Voices and Visions - a large format book containing images of posters and quotes originally designed for Jewish organizations. From the Old Marketplace: A Memoir of Laughter, Survival, and Coming of Age in Eastern Europe Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski: Creating a Life in the Shadow of History Judaism for Beginners - comic book format A Jewish Understanding of the New Testament Uriel Acosta - A Specimen of Human Life. A tragic story of religious intolerance in the early 17th century. Judaism Unbound (Bound) Provocative Conversations About the Jewish future with Visionary Thinkers and Practitioners Dancing in God's Earthquake: The Coming Transformation of Religion Most fiction with Jewish themes will be found in Modern Literature/Classics or Current Fiction. Books entirely in Hebrew are shelved in the European Languages section. Shelf photos at <https://fopalbooks.com/judaica.html> -Charlotte Epstein, Judaica Section Manager Self Help/Personal Growth As always I've placed some interesting 'featured books' on the top shelves. This month we had an abundance of books on Relationship donated, so I've placed then together (with a label) in the New Books bay; check out the regular Relationship sub-section also. There were also many new donations of both 'Addiction' and 'Grief/Loss' which I put in the respective sub-sections. There are several copies of a few of the Popular on Amazon books: Designing Your Life and The Power of Now (and also a 50 card Set). I've marked the books below the normal soft and hardback price. Fans of Louise Hay will find a Heal Your Life Companion Book and a nice Affirmation Cards and Kit on display. There are 4 books by Byron Katie, known for her self-inquiry method, called 'The Work'; I have found The Work beneficial in my journey toward becoming my best Self. Lastly, grouped together on display, are books by Michael Singer, author of The Untethered Soul, who guides us to free ourselves from limitations and to find inner Peace. Check it all out and Enjoy the Moment, Peace for ALL Beings, -Marnie Cameras From instant prints, to classic 35mm film, to modern action footage, we have it all. This month's camera section features vintage Polaroids, several film SLRs, and even a GoPro. -CAMelot Philosophy In Philosophy for October we have some fine looking books including ones on Diderot, Spinoza, Hempel and Wittgenstein. The Wittgenstein, The Time of Magicians is an overview of him and selected other philosophers. Something to look forward to: Next month we will try something new and have a collection of books related to a single topic--The Continental Philosophers--based on Simon Critchley's book of the same name. -Nigel Jones Ephemera Check out the Ephemera section if you are interested in vintage political pamphlets, art guides from across the world, newspaper clippings from the 80s, and many more treasures starting from 1920. -Clara Manolache Mitchell Park Store Mitchell Park is starting to think of the holidays and gifts that you might find at the MP Store. Our new special on the front kiosk is Fiction. We're stocking the shelves with books that would be great for your holiday gifting. One of the shelves will be dedicated to Historical Fiction. Our Home and Crafts special has been extremely successful. So much so that we are continuing it on the other side of the kiosk. The books cover a variety of interests from knitting to home repair to beauty tips, etiquette, floral arranging, coloring books, etc. Poetry makes a lovely gitt and our Poetry section has a very nice selection with lots more books in our inventory. From Keats to T. S. Eliot, to Maya Angelou, there's sure to be a poet that strikes your fancy. You can't miss our large format books and we try to find the most attractive ones which are also the most informative books in their category. They look good on your coffee table in addition to being a font of knowledge. Remember that all the library stores are open during library hours. The Mitchell Park store is staffed with volunteers on a daily basis who are able to assist you. We're usually there in the mid-afternoon every day but Sunday. Our shelves are restocked every day. -Suzanne Little Bargain Room We have a full table of 25 cent comic books at the front of the room, come early for best pick. The Bargain Room is fully loaded, so loaded that we have a dollar sale outside the Main Room on Saturday! Full or overflowing sections: Art, Home & Crafts, Children's, CDs, Vinyl, Magazines, Computers, Sci-Fi, Self Help, Poetry, Travel, Foreign Languages, New Age, Games, Music, Politics, Science, etc. -The Boogie Woogie Frugal Boy From Bargain Room B Comics and Science Fiction and Fantasy In Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga, almost three shelves of manga instead of the usual two, including some in Chinese translation. There's a complete turnover from last month in the comic magazine boxes, and more variety in eras plus some less commonly seen titles like Marvel's "The 'Nam". Science Fiction and Fantasy leads off with a small collection of books about SF, historical and critical. Traditional horror has more contemporary writers than usual, but still a few of the classics. Quite a lot of Stephen King and Anne Rice this month, even after almost selling out in September. I thought I had managed to clear out all the Star Trek books last month, but here's another batch; these are nice-condition hardcovers. The last installment of the great-condition paperbacks from the '60s on is on the shelf. As a nostalgia special, look for the nice HC copy of Stranger in A Strange Land with the green "Fallen Caryatid" cover. Don't get too excited, it's the book club edition and ex-lib with pasted in card pocket. Shelf pictures at fopalbooks.com. -Rich McAllister History The theme in History this month is Romans and Revolutions. FoPAL got a donation of books on the Roman Empire, most in very good condition, including a complete set of Norwich's history of Byzantium. In Russian History there are new books on the last Romanovs, the Revolution, and Russia's presence in Central Asia. US History is featuring books on the 1960s and the social movements of that time. If you are (or know) someone who is interested in older books, we have a few from the early 1900s in very good condition. And of course, the usual run of history books ranging from the very serious tomes on the big issues to the odd lighter works on assorted subjects. -Lin McAllister DOLLAR SALE!!!! Outside of our Main Room (next to the Music Pop-Up) we will be having a Dollar Sale. We have had a big donation of books but no time to sort it out, so... Unsorted and unvetted books to the Dollar Sale! We will also have a bunch of tools from a recent donation, every tool...ONE DOLLAR EACH! And last but least, we have 78s! All 78s are four for a DOLLAR! 10 am to 2 pm: Everything $1.00! What doesn't sell Saturday will go to the Bargain Room. -Cheapskate Nate Measure J Ballot Palo Alto on the Nov. 3 Election Ballots for the Nov. 3 election are arriving in the mail and Palo Alto residents are being asked to vote on Measure J, which is intended to support the redevelopment of Cubberley. Besides providing a home for FOPAL, Cubberley also hosts dozens of other non-profit groups, with hundreds of community members visiting the site every day for dance classes, youth sports, performances, childcare, senior services, artist studios, and much more. Once the measure passes, it will enable other valued local non-profits to invest in new facilities at the site, such as a public gym/wellness center, professional theatre, makerspace, and more, for all of us to enjoy. If this measure doesn't pass, the school district has the option to sell or lease the parcel to a private school or other entity, potentially losing a tremendous resource for our community. You can find more information about Measure J here, including FAQs, a place to add your endorsement, ask for a lawn sign, get involved, or make a donation to support this measure. I hope you will join us in supporting this effort with a Yes vote on Measure J. -Henry Yu, FOPAL President Donations We accept donations on Monday through Friday from 3-5 pm in the Main Room, and on Saturday with extended hours from 1-5 pm. But we close to donations in the week before the sale so that we can prepare the Main Room for the sale, which means that we are closed for donations from Sunday October 4 through Sunday October 11. Please hold your donations until Monday October 12. Please read our donation guidelines before you bring materials to us. Also look at that page if you need to bring us a donation larger than six boxes or outside our usual donation times, it has information on scheduling appointments and requesting a pickup. In addition to books, vinyl, DVDs, CDs, toys, etc. We now accept the following types of donations: Cameras Tools Watches Clocks Typewriters See our full list of accepted donations at fopal.org/donate. Suggestions? We're always eager to hear your suggestions for ways to improve our book sale. Please email us at suggestions@friendspaloaltolib.org. This notice comes to you from the non-profit organization Friends of the Palo Alto Library. No trees were felled in the making of this e-mail. Visit our web site. Become a member by joining online. Be sure to receive your own free copy of this e-mail notice so that you'll know about all special upcoming books sales. To sign up, just e-mail us. We carefully protect the privacy of your e-mail address. We will not share your e-mail address with any other organization and we will not use it for any purpose other than to send you these notices. If you do not wish to receive these e-mail notices in the future, please reply with the words "Remove Me" in the first line of the text. From:Aram James To:Braden Cartwright; Emily Mibach; Diana Diamond; Gennady Sheyner; Council, City; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Reckdahl, Keith; Human Relations Commission; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Reckdahl, Keith; Fernandez, Lisa; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Khalia Parish ( Homeless Advocate); Nicole Chiu-Wang; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Mora Oommen; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; james pitkin; Goodell, Erin; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Jensen, Eric; Reifschneider, James; Enberg, Nicholas; Nick Tasers SF; Martinez, Nicolas; HRW Silicon Valley; h.etzko@gmail.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; brianhama@gmail.com; Gary Gechlik; Gardener, Liz; Liz Kniss; steven mcgill; Roberta Ahlquist; Bill Newell; PD Kristina Bell; David S. Norris; Nash, Betsy; dcombs@menlopark.org; City Attorney; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; Burt, Patrick; Daniel Kottke; KEVIN JENSEN; EPA Today; Board of Directors; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Gerry Gras; Angel, David; Dana St. George; Malinsky, Jason; Sean Allen; Mo Soumaoro; Daniel A. Opoku Subject:Re: Taser settlements -deaths and serious injuries Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 10:07:03 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. a On Wed, Oct 7, 2026 at 9:58 PM Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: From:Aram James To:Braden Cartwright; Emily Mibach; Diana Diamond; Gennady Sheyner; Council, City; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Reckdahl, Keith; Human Relations Commission; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Reckdahl, Keith; Fernandez, Lisa; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Khalia Parish ( Homeless Advocate); Nicole Chiu-Wang; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Mora Oommen; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; james pitkin; Goodell, Erin; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Jensen, Eric; Reifschneider, James; Enberg, Nicholas; Nick Tasers SF; Martinez, Nicolas; HRW Silicon Valley; h.etzko@gmail.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; brianhama@gmail.com; Gary Gechlik; Gardener, Liz; Liz Kniss; steven mcgill; Roberta Ahlquist; Bill Newell; PD Kristina Bell; David S. Norris; Nash, Betsy; dcombs@menlopark.org; City Attorney; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; Burt, Patrick; Daniel Kottke; KEVIN JENSEN; EPA Today; Board of Directors; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Gerry Gras; Angel, David; Dana St. George; Malinsky, Jason; Sean Allen; Mo Soumaoro; Daniel A. Opoku Subject:Taser settlements -deaths and serious injuries Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 9:59:29 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. From:Sahana Mysore To:Council, City Subject:Downtown Palo Alto not looking so good these days... Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 6:08:02 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council, I am writing to express my growing concern over the visible decline and apparent lack of investment in Downtown Palo Alto. Downtown should be the vibrant, welcoming heart of our city and our premier commercial center. Instead, residents and visitors are increasingly met with neglected infrastructure, persistent storefront vacancies, escalating traffic safety hazards, and unaddressed public health concerns. If we want Downtown to remain an attractive destination for families, local commerce, and civic life, the City Council must treat its revitalization as an immediate priority. Below are three critical areas that demand concerted municipal action. 1. Transportation, Parking, and Street Safety Our downtown transportation network is struggling under increasing pressure, and neighborhood livability is eroding as a result: Cut-Through Traffic on Residential Streets: Navigation applications like Google Maps are routing regional through-traffic off arterials and directly down quiet downtown residential side streets. These streets were never engineered to absorb high- speed commuter shortcuts. Lack of Traffic Calming and Four-Way Stops: Crucial intersections continue to lack four-way stop signs or modern traffic calming. As a result, vehicles regularly speed past our neighborhood parks where young children are playing, creating unnecessary hazards for families and pedestrians. Overflowing Street Parking: Downtown side streets remain congested with curbside parking, reducing visibility at crosswalks and intersections while frustrating residents who cannot park near their own homes. Subpar Bicycle Infrastructure: Despite Palo Alto’s long-standing reputation as a cycling-friendly community, Downtown lacks modern, continuous, and physically separated bike lanes. Mixing cyclists with bumper-to-bumper parked cars and speeding through-traffic discourages everyday riders and fails to meet contemporary urban safety standards. 2. Affordability, Safety, and the Humanitarian Crisis Downtown faces a complex disconnect between regional housing initiatives, everyday cost of living, and deteriorating street-level conditions: Street-Level Homelessness and Public Health: There is a visible increase in unhoused individuals congregating in the commercial core. Many appear to be transient individuals from outside Palo Alto suffering from severe, untreated physical and behavioral health conditions (the relatively young guy at Lytton and Waverley is in such bad shape that he's on the verge of losing his legs and it's tragic to see him). This is creating an acute sense of anxiety, vulnerability, and diminished safety—particularly after dark on quieter side streets. The Disconnect on Affordability: While the City advances plans for high-density subsidized housing developments along corridors like Lytton Avenue, basic affordability for day-to-day amenities has vanished. Around the corner on University Avenue, small, casual dining options have largely disappeared, making basic visits cost- prohibitive for ordinary residents and working-class visitors alike. Civic Spaces as De Facto Shelters: Individuals regularly sleep directly outside the Downtown Library on Hamilton Avenue. Relying on public library steps as an overnight refuge is neither humane for those in need nor fair to the broader community trying to access public services. 3. Civic Infrastructure Maintenance and Commercial Health The overall physical condition of Downtown suggests basic upkeep has fallen down the priority list: Deteriorating Parks and Green Spaces: Downtown parks show extensive neglect, characterized by large, dry brown patches and failing landscaping. While water conservation is essential, responsible park management requires sustainable turf alternatives or efficient irrigation—not allowing our central green spaces to wither. Unwelcoming Public Facilities: The Downtown Library should serve as an open, family-friendly anchor. Because individuals camp directly across its entryways, many parents, young children, and seniors feel uncomfortable or anxious navigating the entrance, effectively compromising access to a key public resource. Persistent Retail and Storefront Vacancies: Alongside deferred maintenance on public walkways and bike routes, Downtown continues to suffer from prominent retail vacancies. A major commercial center cannot thrive when darkened windows and deteriorating streetscapes dominate the pedestrian experience. Downtown Palo Alto generates substantial sales tax, business revenue, and civic identity for our city. Allowing its public assets to degrade while neighborhood streets absorb regional gridlock is unsustainable. I urge the Council to direct staff to implement concrete traffic-calming measures, audit downtown maintenance and park irrigation, coordinate with county health and outreach teams to restore clear and dignified access to our library, and pursue targeted strategies to revitalize our retail core. Thank you for your service and for your attention to all of these issues! Sincerely, Sahana Mysore 115 Waverley St From:Kim Green To:lsarafan@thekey.com; titlevi@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; tglynch@stanford.edu Cc:gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; kevin.kish+1584@gmail.com; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; Council, City; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov Subject:SJP"s October 7 terror laundering & harassment of Jews Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 5:34:27 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Leaders, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." This is a continuation of the civil rights infringement already occurring at Stanford. It is not a 1A issue, but rather a matter of harassment and incitement against Jewish community members. Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, Kim Green References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs kim green | writer From:Charlie Weidanz To:Council, City Subject:Introducing Our New Member Spotlights in October Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 4:17:45 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Palo Alto Chamber Logo Introducing Our October New Member Spotlights Opus 1 Music Studio Learn and Play® Montessori School Pamela Walsh Gallery The NetSys Group, Inc. Opus 1 Music Studio Logo Celebrating 20 Years of Music Education & Community Opus 1 Music Studio Palo Alto | Watch Video >> Watch Video >> For 20 years, Opus 1 Music Studio has been part of the Palo Alto and Mountain View communities, helping students of all ages discover the joy of making music. Founded in 2006 as a small after school studio, Opus 1 has grown into three Bay Area campuses, with more than 1,400 weekly students and 50 professional, conservatory- trained, world class teachers, teaching Piano, Violin, Cello, Guitar and Voice. Through private lessons, group classes, recitals, examinations and performances, our goal has remained the same: to provide serious music education in an environment that is warm, encouraging and joyful. We also understand how busy family life can be, which is why we offer flexible and convenient online scheduling, making it easier for families to fit music lessons into their schedules and accommodate their busy lives. From a child's very first notes to advanced students performing on prestigious stages, we believe music education is about much more than learning an instrument. It builds confidence, discipline, creativity and a lifelong appreciation for music. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are incredibly grateful to the thousands of students, families, teachers and staff who have been part of the Opus 1 community over the years. “Music education is about more than teaching notes and technique. It is about helping each student discover confidence, creativity and joy, while bringing people together through a shared love of music. That sense of community has always been at the heart of Opus 1.” — Doris Lellouche, Co-Founder & Director Twenty years after our first students walked through our doors, we are excited to begin our next chapter with the Grand Opening of our new Palo Alto campus at 3401 El Camino Real. With expanded facilities, beautiful teaching spaces and more opportunities for our students to learn, perform and connect, we look forward to serving Palo Alto, Mountain View and the surrounding communities for many years to come. We can't wait to welcome you to our new home for music! Learn More >> Learn and Play® Montessori School Logo Learn and Play® Montessori School Learn and Play® Montessori School, a trusted bay area early learning provider, is proud to serve the Palo Alto community with high-quality early education and care for toddlers through kindergarten-aged children. Learn and Play Montessori School is dedicated to creating a nurturing, engaging, and thoughtfully prepared environment where children feel supported as they learn, explore, and grow. At Learn and Play® Montessori School, children are encouraged to develop independence, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning through hands-on experiences and a carefully designed Montessori approach. Our classrooms provide a calm and structured setting where children participate in meaningful activities that support early academics, social-emotional development, creativity, and curiosity. Our enrichment opportunities include: Montessori Philosophy Mandarin language exposure STEM and science exploration Creative art experiences Reading, storytelling, and circle time activities We are excited to welcome new families into our refreshed learning environment, featuring new flooring, freshly painted walls, and updated classroom materials and shelves designed to enhance each child’s daily learning experience. Join Us for a Tour! Families and community members are invited to visit Learn and Play® Montessori School Palo Alto. This is a wonderful opportunity to tour our campus, meet our teachers, explore our classrooms, and learn more about our Montessori-inspired approach to early education. We invite you to schedule a tour through our website and discover how Learn and Play® Montessori School Palo Alto helps children build strong foundations for lifelong success. Learn More >> Opus 1 Music Studio Logo PAMELA WALSH GALLERY Pamela Walsh Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Palo Alto, California, representing a dynamic roster of established, emerging, and historically significant artists. The gallery presents painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media works with a particular interest in abstraction, figuration, materiality, and artistic process. The gallery’s program brings together artists working across generations and practices, creating dialogue between contemporary art and important movements in art history, including the Bay Area Figurative tradition. Acts of Making | Pamela Walsh Gallery GALLERY PROGRAM Solo exhibitions Group exhibitions Curated thematic exhibitions Special projects and events The gallery works closely with artists, collectors, art advisors, designers, and institutions to encourage meaningful engagement with contemporary art. REPRESENTED ARTISTS Myles Bennett · Andrew Faulkner · KL Folgner · Carolyn Meyer · Fernando Reyes · Ellen Richman · Michael Dickey · Yoko Kubrick · Craig Waddell · Diane Warner-Wang · Danielle Eubank · Ruth Hunter · Larry Horowitz · Nathan Oliveira · Raul de la Torre · Don Scott Macdonald · Petra Schott · Jeffrey Beauchamp Read More about Pamela Walsh Gallery and see more exhibits on their Member Spotlight Page >> Pamela Walsh Gallery 540 Ramona St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 650.300.6315 Tue-Sat 11am-6pm Sun-Mon by appointment Instagram: @pamelawalshgallery Website: www.pamelawalshgallery.com The NetSys Group, Inc. Logo The NetSys Group, Inc. Managed IT Technology should move your organization forward—not slow you down. The NetSys Group delivers fully managed IT services that keep your systems running smoothly, securely, and efficiently. From day-to- day support to long-term strategy, we have everything you need to maintain a reliable and productive technology environment. 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The NetSys Group Promo Learn More >> Learn More About The Chamber ​ PALO ALTO CHAMBER & VISITORS CENTER 355 ALMA STREET | PALO ALTO | CA | 94301 | 650-324-3121 WWW.PALOALTOCHAMBER.COM This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe click here. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email at info@paloaltochamber.com. DONATE From:Aram James To:Sean Allen; Human Relations Commission; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Josh Becker; gstone22@gmail.com; Gennady Sheyner; Dave Price; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; Raymond Goins; Matt Schlegel; Diana Diamond; brianhama@gmail.com; Lauing, Ed; Vicki Veenker; Council, City; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations Subject:Re: Today FAC Filed a Lawsuit Against L.A."s Word Ban Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 3:15:26 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. On Tue, Oct 6, 2026 at 2:07 PM Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: Dear Aram, In July, I wrote to you about a letter FAC and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent to the Los Angeles City Council objecting to Council Rule 7, which prohibits the use of the n-word and c-word during public meetings. We also objected to another rule that allows the council to bar violators of the first rule from attending future meetings. Our letter clearly laid out how these rules violate the First Amendment and the Brown Act, California’s open meetings law. The council ignored our letter, despite our clear warning that a lawsuit was imminent if the rules were not repealed. Censorship doesn’t get more blatant than this. So today, with FIRE, we’re suing the City of Los Angeles. Laws like these cannot go unchallenged, because while a ban on certain foul words may seem harmless enough today, it can – and will – lead to more severe incursions on free speech rights tomorrow. In fact, the L.A. City Council president has said this is just the beginning. “We’re going to try to get in all the terms,” he told the L.A. Times. Just earlier this summer, FAC opposed the City of Inglewood’s attempt to bar a Black Lives Matter activist and the family members of a man who died in police custody from attending public meetings after they were accused of disrupting one meeting by protesting the young man’s death. To silence one or a few speakers can easily lead to silencing all speakers. We won’t let this stand. With thanks, David Snyder Executive Director Today our ask is simple: FIGHT CENSORSHIP. SUPPORT FAC Follow us to receive the latest news and updates: Copyright © 2026 First Amendment Coalition, All rights reserved. First Amendment Coalition · 534 4th Street, Ste. B · San Rafael, CA 94901 · USA update your preferences or unsubscribe View email in browser From:Winter Dellenbach To:Council, City Subject:Buena Vista Relocation update Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 12:48:42 PM Folks - residents just got this taped to their homes, dated October 6. I have no idea if this will actually result in Relocation in October given the many prior delays. Fingers crossed. Winter Dellenbach From:Haeyeon Jeong To:Council, City Subject:Deadly Air and land pollution because of airplanes. Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 10:22:33 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally express my deep concern regarding the severe air and environmental pollution caused by the current airplane routing over my residential area. Recently, the impact has become a significant health hazard. The diminished air quality has led to persistent physical discomfort, including severe respiratory difficulties, as well as red and watery eyes. This is a serious matter that directly affects the well-being of local residents. I kindly urge your office to review the current flight paths and implement the necessary measures to mitigate these environmental and health impacts. I look forward to your prompt response and a resolution to this urgent issue. Sincerely, This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report Haeyeon Jeong From:Mark Rubin To:boardoffice@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; tglynch@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com Cc:assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; kevin.kish@gmail.com; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; Council, City Subject:Stanford: Address SJP"s October 7 Vigil Honoring "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Wednesday, October 7, 2026 9:21:59 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: This message needs your attention This is their first email to your company. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, Mark Rubin References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs Get Outlook for Android 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 it’s also going to be costing the legal United States citizens taxpayers about a half a million dollars more to remove the lea... Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 11:36:02 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Sent from my iPhone From:Lori wainen linberg To:Council, City Subject:Help- on hospice cannnot get my mail Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 7:27:41 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear mayor and council I have written you before because this it happened several times seems the keys to our mailboxes in my apartments are made very cheaply and people break into the amount of regular basis causing us to go without Mail for months at a time. This time we were notified on September 23 to go through the end of the month. I have yet to hear from you! I am on Hospice. I am quite ill. It is quite difficult for me to do anything. Never mind get to a post office in East Palo Alto in which we have no transportation to. I have VTA access for handicap individuals, but they can’t go to East Palo Alto, nor can you transit that you took away are free Senior transit and gave us the free rides neither can I not that I could stand at the post office every day in case you don’t know this nowadays, all of our Hospice supplies, medications need needs bills and our upcoming elective material is in the mail. I’ve been very thankful to be able to talk to Sam Liccardo’s office and I thought I was getting lots of help and told every day that I had been congressionally approved for a HARDSHIP delivery due to My Hospice and that my mail would arrive today at my door, but every day I get nothing. Then I try to call all the numbers which by the way are all fake. You call one number in the middle of the day and it tells you every time please call during regular business hours. All the other numbers do not go to any individual and it is not on the topics I am calling about. Several of the numbers are attached to several people’s names who call me and tell me I’ll be getting my mail the next day when I never do and that they’re fixing the box, but it never happens. My health is deteriorating because of the stress this is causing. I don’t know how I’m going to get my next medication’s. No one is willing to help offer us find a way to figure this out and no one cares which shows me that Palo Alto has now turned like the rest of America and decided that old people and infirm people are useless and worth nothing. That hurts! Tomorrow if I do not get my mail and I do not get proper phone numbers or proper information I will be bringing My Hospice bed and all my needs to the East Palo Alto Post Office and I will be moving in and I will not be leaving until you figure this out because this should not be something that takes so long to figure out. First of all Sam Liccardo’s office said there is no reason for it to take that long to replace that menu Locks. Perhaps it’s because we’re Webster Wood. Then they kept saying they don’t know what went wrong and why I didn’t get my mail delivered to my door. Then they promised me that it will happen in the next day and nothing happens over and overnight again this is not helping my health at this time. This is an added stress I do not need you are causing me as a disabled person and extraordinary amount of unneeded distress. I will call Attorneys if you don’t get on it and do something about it because I’m really really angry and fed up and if you think I’m just complaining, I hope it never happens but just try try to imagine through the possibility that you’re capable of empathy that you daughter or your mother or your loved one is dying and this is happening to you Please come up with a plan and have it done by tomorrow! I’ve asked nicely several times and I’m not getting anywhere. I have 15 emails approving me through my doctors note through the HARDSHIP delivery clause through your paperwork approved. What is the holdup? Please help a neighbor who barely has that much time anyway because this is gonna make a big mess for my son and now I have to talk to my attorney about that. I need your help now not the next day now and several of the people in this building who do not have the nerve to talk to you because this is Webster Wood our struggling and not taking their medicine because they don’t have it. That’s perfectly fine with you because you don’t know, but it could kill them.. Please resolve this issue tomorrow Lori W Linberg 924 Middlefield Road Palo Alto California 9430 650-283-5053 Sent from my iPhone From:Meir Messingher Lang To:deanofstudents@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; tglynch@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu Cc:assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; kevin.kish+1550@gmail.com; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; Council, City; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; alumnipresident@stanford.edu Subject:Critical: SJP"s October 7 Vigil at Stanford Honors "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 5:17:42 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Please pay detailed attention to what is happening, we need you to Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs Sent from my mobile From:Orit Osman To:tglynch@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; micheler@stanford.edu; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu Cc:assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; kevin.kish@gmail.com; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; Council, City; alumnipresident@stanford.edu Subject:Stanford Must Act Now: SJP Calls All-Day October 7 Vigil to Honor "Martyrs" on Hamas Massacre Anniversary Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 3:44:50 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. ! Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. This message could be suspicious The sender's email address couldn't be verified. No employee in your company has ever replied to this person. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, Orit Osman References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs From:Shul office To:pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; tglynch@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; lsarafan@thekey.com Cc:supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; kevin.kish@gmail.com; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; Council, City Subject:Action Needed: SJP"s October 7 Vigil at Stanford Honors "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 3:03:14 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: This message needs your attention This is their first email to your company. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, Norman Rosenblum Brooklyn NY References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs From:atkinsonkim@pacbell.net To:Council, City Subject:AT&T paint "vandalism" Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 2:37:52 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Palo Alto City Council, Can you please stop AT&T from defacing our properties and curb strips, with their un- washable neon paint markings ? These neon graffiti-esque marks are ugly, and devalue our properties. Temporary markings are ok, using tape, or chalk. There is some neon orange tape out on the sidewalk now. The tape is ok. It can be removed when the job is done. The paint cannot be. I just now spoke with an AT&T workman out on the street-- he says he has no idea how to erase the neon orange paint markings when the job is done. He has no material or liquid solution for cleaning the hideous neon orange paint off our sidewalk, when their job is done. He knows of no way to erase the marks. This defacement is an outrage and must be stopped: bright neon orange, in front of our property, and on the street. From a lifelong resident and property tax payer in Palo Alto: Please clean this up with AT&T. They don’t own our roads and tree-lined sidewalks. Kim Atkinson 1753 Middlefield Road This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report From:Aram James To:Matt Schlegel; Sean Allen; Raymond Goins; Richard Konda; Human Relations Commission; Council, City; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; h.etzko@gmail.com; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Josh Becker; Raj Jayadev; walter wilson; Gary Gechlik; Liz Kniss; Gardener, Liz; Henry Etzkowitz; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Roberta Ahlquist; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Penni Wilson Subject:Re: Christa Pike Conscious and Speaking Following Failed Execution Attempt Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 2:24:47 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. On Tue, Oct 6, 2026 at 2:02 PM Stacy Rector <info@tennesseedeathpenalty.org> wrote: CHRISTA PIKE CONSCIOUS AND SPEAKING FOLLOWING FAILED EXECUTION ATTEMPT Statement from Randy Spivey and Kelly Gleason from the TN Office of the Post Conviction Defender, and Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen from Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee, attorneys for Christa Pike Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care. Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery. We are incredibly grateful to the first responders and the medical team at the hospital who treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her. We also want to thank thousands from all over the world who sent messages offering prayers and support for Christa.  Christa’s life has been extraordinarily difficult. She survived multiple childhood rapes, which political leaders in this state acknowledge leave lifelong scars. She survived nearly 30 years of solitary confinement and, more recently, escalating restrictive confinement leading up to her execution date. She survived two complete rounds of lethal injection per Tennessee’s protocol, despite her attorneys’ warning to the state of specific challenges with her veins. She is the only person known to have survived a complete execution attempt in the U.S. Christa is a survivor and will take recovery one day at a time. We continue to ask the Governor of Tennessee to commute Christa Pike’s sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, please click here. DONATE From:Aram James To:Sean Allen; Human Relations Commission; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Josh Becker; gstone22@gmail.com; Gennady Sheyner; Dave Price; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; Raymond Goins; Matt Schlegel; Diana Diamond; brianhama@gmail.com; Lauing, Ed; Vicki Veenker; Council, City; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations Subject:Today FAC Filed a Lawsuit Against L.A."s Word Ban Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 2:07:54 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Aram, In July, I wrote to you about a letter FAC and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent to the Los Angeles City Council objecting to Council Rule 7, which prohibits the use of the n- word and c-word during public meetings. We also objected to another rule that allows the council to bar violators of the first rule from attending future meetings. Our letter clearly laid out how these rules violate the First Amendment and the Brown Act, California’s open meetings law. The council ignored our letter, despite our clear warning that a lawsuit was imminent if the rules were not repealed. Censorship doesn’t get more blatant than this. So today, with FIRE, we’re suing the City of Los Angeles. Laws like these cannot go unchallenged, because while a ban on certain foul words may seem harmless enough today, it can – and will – lead to more severe incursions on free speech rights tomorrow. In fact, the L.A. City Council president has said this is just the beginning. “We’re going to try to get in all the terms,” he told the L.A. Times. Just earlier this summer, FAC opposed the City of Inglewood’s attempt to bar a Black Lives Matter activist and the family members of a man who died in police custody from attending public meetings after they were accused of disrupting one meeting by protesting the young man’s death. To silence one or a few speakers can easily lead to silencing all speakers. We won’t let this stand. With thanks, David Snyder Executive Director Today our ask is simple: FIGHT CENSORSHIP. SUPPORT FAC Follow us to receive the latest news and updates: First Amendment Coalition · 534 4th Street, Ste. B · San Rafael, CA 94901 · USA update your preferences or unsubscribe View email in browser From:Freed, Gary (gary) To:boardoffice@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; tglynch@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu Cc:Council, City; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; kevin.kish@gmail.com; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; alumnipresident@stanford.edu Subject:Action Needed: SJP"s October 7 Vigil at Stanford Honors "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 1:58:59 PM Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, GLF References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs Sent via handheld device. Please excuse brevity and spelling errors. ********************************************************** The contents of this message and any attachments may be confidential and privileged. Please do not share contents without the permission of the author. If you believe this message has been received in error, please inform the sender, and then delete the message. Your receipt of this message is not intended to waive any applicable privilege. From:Jan Pepper To:lsarafan@thekey.com; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; tglynch@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; Office of the Provost; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; Office of the President; boardoffice@stanford.edu Cc:assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Council, City; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov Subject:Stanford Must enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation: SJP Calls for October 7 Vigil to Honor "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 1:35:59 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation.” Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op.[3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy-eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It 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 publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student- fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, Jan Pepper Stanford BS ’76, MBA’81 References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza-and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify-terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti- Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs From:Scott To:Council, City Subject:You’re invited to California Electeds and Pastors Zoom Call (October 27, 2026) Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 1:15:35 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious ofopening attachments and clicking on links. Let’s get together We’re hosting a new event, and we’d love to see you there. Join us for California Electeds and Pastors Zoom Call, October 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Register soon because space is limited. We hope you’re able to join us! Tuesday, October 27, 2026 10:00 AM California Electeds and Pastors Zoom Call Tickets Scott Thomson 3210 Oro Dam Blvd East , Oroville, CA 95965 US Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy From:Fariba Ghodsian To:tglynch@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu Cc:Council, City; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; kevin.kish@gmail.com; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov Subject:Critical: SJP"s October 7 Vigil at Stanford Honors "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 12:42:03 PM Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op.[3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy-eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension. [10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student- fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza-and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify-terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs Dr Fariba Fischel Ghodsian ________________________________ DAFNA Capital Management, LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser and a Qualified Professional Asset Manager This email transmission is intended only for the use of the individual or individuals to whom it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please telephone us immediately at (310) 954-3200 and delete this transmission and any attachments completely. Any dissemination, distribution, copying, or other use of this transmission or any of its content by any person other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. All email sent to or from this address will berecorded by the DAFNA Capital Management, LLC corporate email system and is subject to archive, monitoring and/or review, by and/or disclosure to, someone other than the recipient. From:Aram James To:board@pausd.org; Council, City; Sean Allen; Raymond Goins; Matt Schlegel Subject:Riot police fire teargas as 250,000 take part in schools protests across France — Guardian US Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 12:17:25 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Riot police fire teargas as 250,000 take part in schools protests across France - The Guardian https://apple.news/A1oSM05EKTlS0bzEy3zALnQ From:Dalya Horowitz To:deanofstudents@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; provost@stanford.edu; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com; micheler@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; tglynch@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu Cc:Council, City; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; kevin.kish+561@gmail.com; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov Subject:Stanford: Address SJP"s October 7 Vigil Honoring "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 11:22:08 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant 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:Sam A. Harrison To:deanofstudents@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; titlevi@stanford.edu; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; lsarafan@thekey.com; tglynch@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu Cc:alumnipresident@stanford.edu; senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; kevin.kish+1020@gmail.com; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov; Council, City; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov Subject:Stanford Must Enforce Rules: SJP"s October 7 Vigil Honors "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 10:51:05 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. 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 An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, Sam A. Harrison References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs Sent from Gmail Mobile From:Hylan Slobodkin To:tglynch@stanford.edu; pete.cerneka@stanford.edu; titlevi@stanford.edu; micheler@stanford.edu; provost@stanford.edu; president@stanford.edu; deanofstudents@stanford.edu; jonathan.levin@stanford.edu; boardoffice@stanford.edu; mtoyoda@wscuc.org; lsarafan@thekey.com Cc:senator.ochoabogh@senate.ca.gov; speaker.rivas@assembly.ca.gov; senator.umberg@senate.ca.gov; boardoperations@cob.sccgov.org; Council, City; assemblymember.kalra@assembly.ca.gov; alumnipresident@stanford.edu; kevin.kish@gmail.com; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; supervisor.simitian@bos.sccgov.org; gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov; senator.becker@senate.ca.gov Subject:Stanford: Address SJP"s October 7 Vigil Honoring "Martyrs" of Hamas Massacre Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 10:50:13 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Note Additional Recipients: Kimberly Richey, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice; US Rep. Tim Walberg, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce; US Rep. Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; State Rep. Mike Fong, Chair, California Assembly Committee on Higher Education; State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Chair, California Senate Committee on Education; Megan Pierson, Vice President for University Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Stanford University; Anti-Defamation League (ADL); Louis D. Brandeis Center; North American Values Institute (NAVI); United Christian Coalition; Members of the Press. Dear Linda E. McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education; Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and Chair of the Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism; Maria Toyoda, President and CEO, WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC); And: President Levin, Provost Martinez, Chair Sarafan, Vice Provost Rasmussen, Vice President and General Counsel Lynch, and Lily Sarafan Chair Board of Trustees: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University has called an all-day "vigil" in White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre, to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs." Its post speaks of "three years of escalated genocide" and "seventy-eight years of resistance," says nothing about the people Hamas murdered and kidnapped that day, and ends with "Resistance until liberation." Stanford is under an open federal Title VI investigation, has a warning letter from the Department of Education, and has its own faculty-led report finding antisemitism on campus "widespread and pernicious." It is out of time for another October of statements after the fact. What SJP Is Doing This Week: This message needs your attention This is their first email to your company. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast An Instagram post from stanfordsjp announces a vigil at White Plaza on Wednesday, October 7. The post reads "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance," invites students to "honor our Palestinian comrades and martyrs," and closes with "Resistance until liberation." The graphic is headed "VIGIL," reads "October 7th / All-Day / White Plaza," and carries the line "Every martyr is a universe."[1] The same message went out on Fizz under the verified name "Stanford SJP," where it carried a score of 986. On Fizz, "genocide," "Palestinian," "martyrs," and "Palestine" are spelled with substituted look-alike characters, an apparent effort to get around keyword filters.[2] The post also announces "Art builds" at "576 and Harmony House," inviting students to "support the cause." Stanford lists 576 Alvarado as a University Residential Education co-op. [3] The post presents October 7, 2023 as the start of "escalated genocide." It does not mention the roughly 1,200 people Hamas murdered or the roughly 250 it kidnapped that day.[4] "Seventy- eight years of resistance" reaches back to 1948, the year Israel was founded. In SJP's telling, everything since is "resistance," and October 7 falls inside it. SJP scheduled a day of honoring "martyrs" on the anniversary of the day Hamas massacred civilians in Israel. It has not told the Stanford community who those "martyrs" are. Stanford must make SJP answer that question publicly. The Documented Pattern at Stanford: On the first anniversary, SJP held a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m.[5] On the second, SJP circulated flyers for a "Vigil in Honor of Our Martyrs," and members of the Stanford community warned in The Stanford Daily that using that word on that date reads as celebrating the massacre.[6] At the White Plaza event, an SJP organizer said the vigil was for "martyrs that have been genocided, starved and killed," while Hillel held a rally for the hostages Hamas still held.[4] In October 2026, SJP is doing it a third time, with the same word, "martyrs," and a larger stage: a banner reading "Every martyr is a universe" and an event running all day. Stanford Is Already Under Federal Investigation: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation of Stanford in December 2023. On March 10, 2025, OCR sent Stanford and 59 other universities a letter warning of "potential enforcement actions" if they did not meet their Title VI obligations to protect Jewish students.[7] Stanford's own subcommittee reached the same conclusion. In its June 2024 report, the University's Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias found antisemitism at Stanford "widespread and pernicious," drawing on more than 300 accounts from students, faculty, and staff.[8] Stanford has been told by the federal government and by its own committee. The question now is what it does. Stanford's Own Rules Provide the Authority to Act: Stanford writes and enforces its own conduct rules. Students are bound by the Fundamental Standard, the Honor Code, and the Student Conduct Charter, and the Office of Community Standards administers them.[9] In April 2024, after violations of University policy in White Plaza, Stanford told students that violations "will not be overlooked," that names had been submitted to the Office of Community Standards, and that sanctions could go up to suspension.[10] Stanford has also said it is committed to White Plaza being a space where all individuals can safely and openly express their views.[11] Stanford is not powerless. It has written the rules, runs the process, and has used them in this same plaza before. Responsibility Extends Beyond Student Affairs: The Board of Trustees, chaired by Lily Sarafan, is custodian of the University and answers for its federal civil rights exposure.[12] The Provost is Stanford's chief academic and budgetary officer, and student affairs falls within that office.[13] The Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Michele Rasmussen, oversees the division that includes the Dean of Students.[14] The Vice President and General Counsel advises the President, Provost, and Board on the University's legal obligations, including its dealings with federal investigators.[13] A university under an open federal Title VI investigation cannot responsibly let a group host an all-day event to "honor martyrs" on October 7 without making sure its own rules are enforced, its Jewish and Israeli students are protected, and its resources are accounted for. This is not a call for Stanford to punish speech merely because it is offensive. It is a call for Stanford to enforce its own conduct rules, protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment and intimidation, account for every University resource that touches this effort, and answer for its federal Title VI exposure. Immediate Corrective Actions Necessary: 1. Enforce every University rule governing the use of White Plaza and other campus spaces, event conduct, and the use of University names, marks, communication channels, and resources against SJP and any renamed, successor, or affiliated group, for the October 7 event and every event that follows. 2. Impose meaningful consequences under the Fundamental Standard and the Student Conduct Charter on any student who harasses, intimidates, or targets Jewish or Israeli students, or who violates University policy in connection with the October 7 event. Those consequences must be real and proportionate, not a warning email. 3. Require SJP's leaders to state publicly who the "martyrs" they are honoring are, and whether they include members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations. 4. Formally designate October 7 as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Hamas massacre which includes 49 murdered Americans, with a University-led observance honoring the roughly 1,200 people murdered and the hostages taken. 5. Provide visible security and a standing reporting channel for Jewish and Israeli students during the October 7 event and the days around it. 6. Determine whether 576 Alvarado, or any other University-operated residential space, University funds, student-fee funds, accounts, or communication channels were used in connection with SJP's October 7 programming, including the "Art builds," and stop any such use immediately. 7. Complete an accounting of all University and student-fee resources provided to SJP since October 2023, including funding, facilities, accounts, communication channels, and event support. 8. Conduct a formal Title VI and campus-climate review of whether this repeated conduct has contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, and provide the findings and all relevant evidence to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[7] 9. Require the Board of Trustees, the Provost, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, and the General Counsel to review the findings, including which recommendations of the University's 2024 antisemitism subcommittee have been carried out and which have not.[8] 10. Issue a written public response within seven days explaining what Stanford investigated, what it found, which University policies were violated, who was held accountable, and what corrective action was taken. Request to Federal and Accreditation Recipients: We ask Secretary McMahon, the Department of Education, the Office for Civil Rights, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and Chair Terrell's Justice Department Task Force on Antisemitism to include SJP's October 7 event in their review of Stanford's Title VI compliance, and to ask Stanford what it has done since OCR's March 2025 warning to protect Jewish students. We ask the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development to seek answers from Stanford's leadership on the same questions. We ask President Toyoda and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Stanford's accreditor, to examine whether Stanford is maintaining a campus environment consistent with its accreditation standards and its own policies. The federal government has opened an investigation and warned Stanford of enforcement. Stanford's own committee has documented antisemitism on its campus. SJP is now calling a third October 7 gathering to honor "martyrs," on an all-day stage in White Plaza. Stanford cannot keep waiting. Enforce the rules, protect Jewish students, and account for every resource. Enough is enough. Sincerely, References: [1] Students for Justice in Palestine at Stanford (@stanfordsjp), Instagram post, "Three years of escalated genocide. Seventy-eight years of resistance.," and "VIGIL" flyer, October 2026. [2] Stanford SJP, Fizz post, "3 years of escalated genocide. 78 years of resistance.," October 2026. [3] Stanford Residential Education, "576 Alvarado." https://resed.stanford.edu/houses/row-houses/576-alvarado [4] "'Rally for Hostages' led by SIA in honor of Oct. 7 attacks," The Stanford Daily, October 8, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/hillel-rally-for-hostages-oct7-attack/ [5] "Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East," Stanford Report, October 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/remembering-oct-7-and-learning-about-israel-gaza- and-the-middle-east [6] "From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror," The Stanford Daily, October 7, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/10/07/from-the-community-affirm-free-speech-do-not-glorify- terror/ [7] "Education Department letter warns Stanford about campus antisemitism," The Stanford Daily, March 11, 2025. https://stanforddaily.com/2025/03/11/doed-letter-warns-campus-antisemitism/ [8] Stanford University Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, "It's In The Air: Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at Stanford and How to Address It," June 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/156588/ASAIB-final-report.pdf [9] Stanford Office of Community Standards, "The Fundamental Standard and Honor Code." https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ [10] "Message to students regarding White Plaza," Stanford Report, April 26, 2024. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/04/message-to-students-regarding-white-plaza [11] "Students protest IDF soldier's presence on campus," The Stanford Daily, April 27, 2026. https://stanforddaily.com/2026/04/27/students-protest-idf-soldiers-presence-on-campus/ [12] Stanford University, "Leadership and Governance." https://www.stanford.edu/about/leadership-and-governance/ [13] Stanford Facts, "University Administration," University Cabinet as of September 10, 2026. https://facts.stanford.edu/admin-finances [14] Stanford Student Affairs, "Who We Are." https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/about-student-affairs Blessings and peace, Hylan Slobodkin Sent from my iPhone From:Annette Ross To:City Mgr Cc:Bryna Chang; Council, City; Robert Marinaro; Annette Ross Subject:OSV Dilemma Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 10:40:44 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. + Bryna Chang b/c I think she is likely to be elected to City Council and Robert Marinaro b/c he has accomplished what your staff did not and what you did not require them to do. I am on the distribution list that is associated with the exceptional effort by Robert Marinaro to focus City attention on the out-of-control OSV problem. One word comes to mind and that word is ENOUGH! It should not take a full court press by residents to get you to effectively manage any situation. Under your lead, the OSV problem has only worsened. This is not good management. I was at the CC meeting at which one RV dweller stood up and proudly informed CC that RV dwelling in Palo Alto has allowed him to buy property in Santa Cruz - and build there. Translation: Palo Alto is being tooled. The residents and businesses in Palo Alto that are enduring the impacts of your inaction deserve relief. And a public apology. From:Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce To:Council, City Subject:Final Days To Register: 2026 Athena Leadership Awards Presentation is Next Week! Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 9:01:54 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Athena International 2026 Leadership Presentation promo Irene Wong portrait Peying Lee portrait Athena International logo Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce proudly presents the 2026 Annual ATHENA® Awards Thursday October 15, 2026 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm El Prado Hotel 520 Cowper St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Get Your Tickets Today >> The ATHENA award is given to honor exceptional woman leaders who demonstrate the highest levels of professional excellence, give back to their communities and, most importantly, assist other women in realizing their full leadership potential – and it is an international award, having been given to more than 6,500 recipients in over 500 cities and 8 countries. Locally it is awarded by our Chamber of Commerce. Register Online >> ®​ Event Info This email was sent on behalf of Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce 355 Alma St Palo Alto, CA 94301.To unsubscribe click here. If you have questions or comments concerning this email or services in general, please contact us by email at info@paloaltochamber.com. From:Zihao Lin To:Council, City Subject:Request for Review of Non-Emergency Dispatch Interaction and Welfare-Check Guidance Date:Tuesday, October 6, 2026 12:24:38 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear Palo Alto City Council Members, I am writing to request your assistance in reviewing an interaction with the Palo Alto Police Department’s non-emergency dispatch service concerning a welfare check. On October 5, 2026, at 9:58 p.m., I called because I had not seen an elderly neighbor who lives alone for an extended period and had noticed an unpleasant odor nearby. Concerned about her safety, I asked about a welfare check. A friend was also present during the call. The dispatcher instructed that only one person could speak. When I asked about the welfare check, the dispatcher told me, in substance, that calling at that time meant requesting officers to respond immediately. I found the dispatcher’s tone and manner dismissive. My purpose in calling the non-emergency line was to report the concern and obtain guidance on an appropriate response. Because it was late at night, I also wanted to avoid unnecessarily disturbing my neighbor if she was safe. I expected the dispatcher to assess the information and explain whether an immediate check was necessary or whether a daytime check or another approach could be considered. I recognize that a potential threat to life may warrant an immediate response. However, I was left unclear whether the dispatcher had assessed my report as presenting that risk or was describing a general rule that any welfare-check request made at night must result in a response that night. I would appreciate your assistance in reviewing the call and clarifying whether the dispatcher’s conduct and explanation were consistent with department policy. I can provide additional details needed to locate the call. Thank you for your attention. Sincerely, Zihao Lin From:Aram James To:Vicki Veenker; Raymond Goins; Gary Gechlik; Sean Allen; Sam Liccardo; Jeff Conrad; Reckdahl, Keith; h.etzko@gmail.com; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; Council, City; Mora Oommen; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Burt, Patrick; Kaloma Smith; Henry Etzkowitz; Lauing, Ed; Shikada, Ed; Matt Schlegel; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Diana Diamond; Dave Price; EPA Today; Braden Cartwright; brianhama@gmail.com; Bains, Paul; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Roberta Ahlquist; Sheree Roth; Lori Meyers Subject:Re: Bryna “ sundown law” Chang Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 10:34:16 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Bryna “ Sundown law” Chang P.S. She’s a real piece of work! A "sundown law" refers to historical municipal ordinances or local customs in the United States that required non-white people—primarily African Americans, but sometimes Jewish, Chinese, or Native Americans—to leave a town or neighborhood by sunset. [1, 2, 3] Communities that enforced these rules were known as sundown towns. [1] Meaning and History Definition: Towns or suburbs that purposefully maintained an all-white population by banning non-whites from staying, living, or walking in the municipality after dark. Timeframe: Most prevalent from roughly 1890 through the mid-20th century, persisting until the passage of federal legislation. Origins: They arose following the Reconstruction era alongside white supremacist backlashes and Jim Crow-era segregation. They were common outside the Deep South, particularly in Midwestern and Western states. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Enforcement and Impact Warning Signs: Many municipalities posted literal warnings at city limits, such as signs stating, "Nigger, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on You Here". Methods: Enforcement relied on local ordinances, housing covenants, police escorts, threats, arson, and extrajudicial mob violence or lynchings. Travel Danger: These policies forced Black motorists and travelers to carefully plan routes and rely on resources like the Negro Motorist Green Book to find safe lodging before nightfall. Legal Status: Formal sundown laws and racial housing covenants were rendered illegal by the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act). However, researchers note that the demographic and economic impacts of historical exclusion continue to affect modern community diversity. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] Further Exploration Explore the comprehensive Encyclopaedia Britannica Overview on Sundown Towns. From:Rodrigo Baptista To:O"Kane, Kristen Cc:Cubberley; Deml, Amanda; Heistein, Ben; Council, City; Patricia Smith; Jeff Greenfield; ParkRec Commission Subject:Re: Cubberley Updates and Monthly Meetings Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 9:55:05 PM Attachments:image001.png image002.png IMG_1365.heic IMG_1367.heic IMG_1364.heic IMG_1363.heic IMG_1366.heic CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. ! Hi Kristen, I hope you had a great weekend. What would be the best way to start a discussion about adding permanent lighting at Cubberley as part of the complex renovation and including it in the conceptual plan? Is there a particular person or group I should reach out to? Who's leading the project? I’d also like to explore permanent lighting for fields 1, 2, and 3 at Greer Park. With limited residential housing nearby, this could be an opportunity to expand the hours for outdoor recreation without identifying a new site. Our club would love to work with the city to expand access to playing fields in Palo Alto. I understand that the city has other priorities, but our club is willing to take on much of the initial work to help get this initiative started for the benefit of our community. On a separate note, the lights at Mayfield Soccer Complex have been out for several months (photos attached). We have reached out to the city but have not yet received an update. Is there anything we can do to help move the repairs forward? We continue to pay for our field reservations, but with darkness now around 7pm, it has been challenging to use the fields after the sunset. I'd appreciate more details on the repair timeline so we can plan accordingly and keep our members informed. Thanks, Rodrigo On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 4:23 PM Rodrigo Baptista <rodrigo.baptista@pasoccerclub.org> This message could be suspicious The sender's email address couldn't be verified. Mark Safe Report wrote: Hi Kristen, I hope all is well with you. Thank you for the clarification. I’m glad to hear that the City will continue leasing the fields from the school district and that the parks team is addressing the field condition and irrigation issues. I appreciate you considering future improvements and adding permanent lights as a separate project. We have been renting temporary lights for the winter months at cubberley for the last 10 years and with that much money we could have paid for the permanent lights at the site. Rodrigo On Fri, Sep 4, 2026 at 10:14 AM O'Kane, Kristen <Kristen.O'Kane@paloalto.gov> wrote: Hi, Rodrigo, Thanks for reaching out. The fields aren’t included in the conceptual plan, but the City is intending to continue leasing them from the school district. I know our parks team are working on some irrigation issues now, and if there are ways we can improve in the future, we could certainly look at that as a separate project. Ben is sending you a more detailed response to your email sent to City Council. Thank you, Kristen From: Rodrigo Baptista <rodrigo.baptista@pasoccerclub.org> Sent: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 9:12 AM To: Cubberley <Cubberley@PaloAlto.gov> Cc: O'Kane, Kristen <Kristen.O'Kane@paloalto.gov>; Deml, Amanda <Amanda.Deml@paloalto.gov> Subject: Re: Cubberley Updates and Monthly Meetings CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Becautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi Kristen and Amanda, I hope all is well with you. Thank you for keeping us informed about this project. I think we can all agree that the redevelopment presents a great opportunity to improve the Cubberley Complex. What could the project mean for the soccer fields? Are there any proposals to include them in the redevelopment plan? We would especially like to propose adding permanent lights at the turf field. Also, the irrigation system at the grass fields is below standard and needs to be upgraded. Could those improvements also be incorporated into the project? Of these priorities, I believe adding permanent lights to the turf field is the most important and should be included in the facility’s redevelopment plan. Please let me know. Thanks Rodrigo On Mon, Aug 31, 2026 at 11:51 AM Cubberley <Cubberley@paloalto.gov> wrote: Dear Cubberley Tenants, Thank you to those who joined us at our meeting in June where we shared updates on the Cubberley project and answered questions. Attached is the presentation and meeting notes. We will begin holding monthly tenant meetings in September and will cover a range of topics related to the facility and the Cubberley Project. Meetings will be in person and on Zoom. To ensure we offer a time that is convenient for most tenants, please select which days and timeframes you or another leader in your organization are generally available. For example, if Wednesday afternoons typically work for you, select Wednesday 4 – 5:30pm. If that time works for most people, we will schedule a meeting If the poll doesn’t work for you, please reply to this message with your preferred meeting day(s) and time. Preferred regular meeting times (View/vote in browser) Thank you, Kristen KRISTEN O’KANE Community Services Director (650) 463-4908 | Kristen.O’Kane@paloalto.gov www.paloalto.gov -- Rodrigo Baptista Executive Director I Palo Alto Soccer Club | Silicon Valley Soccer Academy C: 650-704-4456 rodrigo.baptista@pasoccerclub.org https://pasoccerclub.org/ 4000 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto, CA -- Rodrigo Baptista Executive Director I Palo Alto Soccer Club | Silicon Valley Soccer Academy C: 650-704-4456 rodrigo.baptista@pasoccerclub.org https://pasoccerclub.org/ 4000 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto, CA -- Rodrigo Baptista Executive Director I Palo Alto Soccer Club | Silicon Valley Soccer Academy C: 650-704-4456 rodrigo.baptista@pasoccerclub.org https://pasoccerclub.org/ 4000 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto, CA From:Aram James To:bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Raymond Goins; h.etzko@gmail.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; brianhama@gmail.com; planning.commision@cityofpaloalto.org; ParkRec Commission; Council, City; Gary Gechlik; Human Relations Commission; Jeff Conrad; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; City Attorney; Matt Schlegel; Dave Price; Reckdahl, Keith; Lotus Fong; Dave Price; Gennady Sheyner; Riley Cooke; Lauing, Ed; EPA Today; Roberta Ahlquist; Sean Allen; Gennady Sheyner; Diana Diamond; Brandon Pho; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; city.council@menlopark.gov; Ann Ravel; Daniel Kottke; Braden Cartwright; Emily Mibach; Gerry Gras; Human Relations Commission Subject:Re: . Gaffe My Ass Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 9:34:15 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. 10-6-2026 Dear Mayor, Allowing Bryna Chang to present as chair of Planning and Transportation, in the waning days of the election, is absolutely bull shit.At least of 4 of her supporters are currently on the council and each asked her soft ball questions. She should have been allowed to present after the November 3, election. She even had a Bryna for council pin visible to viewers. All other city council candidates should now be given equal time. I am copying this to our city attorney and members of the press. Aram James On Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 8:44 PM Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: From the archives of Avram Finkelstein Gaffe My Ass Oh, now right-wing supremacist city council candidate Bryna Chang wants you to believe that her racist rant plain, simple and direct so no one would fail to understand the meaning of her words, now wants you to believe she didn't mean it. Just a gaffe, you know. I’ll tell you the reason she now wants to recharacterize her plain and simple bigoted language as a gaffe, because she got caught with her pants down. Liar liar pants on fire. Now she claims she’s just a good old ordinary person who just wants to step up and serve the community. Contrast this with her campaign speeches, where she tells us she grew up in Tony Palo Alto and earned not one but two master's degrees from Stanford. Does that sound ordinary to you? I don’t think so, nor should you. She even wants to distance herself from own words -by claiming she’s understands poverty. In fact she now claims some of her “best friends” and family were poor people. You’re so full of shit, Bryna Chang!! Next she claims to be a rookie politician who should not be expected to be held accountable for her bigoted statements. Contrast this with her campaign speech and literature touting her political expertise and experience on the city council stepping stone, Palo Alto’s prestigious Planning and Transportation Commission. In fact she was chair of that committee not once but twice. Political rookie my ass!! Would you buy a used car from Bryna Chang? Not me! Not you! Once a racist always a racist. Avram P.S. If elected she intends to impose the new Jim Crow, keeping black, brown, and poor people, with their RVs in isolated, far-away locations without easy access to services. Out of sight out of mind. So poor old Bryna Chang doesn't have to be reminded of these folks. What a champion for the people. From:Aram James To:bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Raymond Goins; h.etzko@gmail.com; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; brianhama@gmail.com; planning.commision@cityofpaloalto.org; ParkRec Commission; Council, City; Gary Gechlik; Human Relations Commission; Jeff Conrad; citycouncil@mountainview.gov; City Attorney Subject:Re: . Gaffe My Ass Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 8:44:39 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. From the archives of Avram Finkelstein Gaffe My Ass Oh, now right-wing supremacist city council candidate Bryna Chang wants you to believe that her racist rant plain, simple and direct so no one would fail to understand the meaning of her words, now wants you to believe she didn't mean it. Just a gaffe, you know. I’ll tell you the reason she now wants to recharacterize her plain and simple bigoted language as a gaffe, because she got caught with her pants down. Liar liar pants on fire. Now she claims she’s just a good old ordinary person who just wants to step up and serve the community. Contrast this with her campaign speeches, where she tells us she grew up in Tony Palo Alto and earned not one but two master's degrees from Stanford. Does that sound ordinary to you? I don’t think so, nor should you. She even wants to distance herself from own words -by claiming she’s understands poverty. In fact she now claims some of her “best friends” and family were poor people. You’re so full of shit, Bryna Chang!! Next she claims to be a rookie politician who should not be expected to be held accountable for her bigoted statements. Contrast this with her campaign speech and literature touting her political expertise and experience on the city council stepping stone, Palo Alto’s prestigious Planning and Transportation Commission. In fact she was chair of that committee not once but twice. Political rookie my ass!! Would you buy a used car from Bryna Chang? Not me! Not you! Once a racist always a racist. Avram P.S. If elected she intends to impose the new Jim Crow, keeping black, brown, and poor people, with their RVs in isolated, far-away locations without easy access to services. Out of sight out of mind. So poor old Bryna Chang doesn't have to be reminded of these folks. What a champion for the people. From:Tina Chow To:Architectural Review Board Cc:Council, City; Clerk, City Subject:Please reject new AT&T neighborhood cell towers Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 5:56:59 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i Dear Chair Adcock, Vice Chair Rosenberg, and Members Chen, Hirsch, and Jojarth, In May 2025, City Council voted unanimously to restore Architectural Review Board review for new cell towers. This means that new cell towers must comply with the provisions of Palo Alto’s Municipal Code and the subjective judgments of the ARB. In restoring ARB review, City Council unanimously expressed a preference for a significant setback from homes. This stands in sharp contrast to the twenty-foot rule that existed in the now defunct “objective standards” ordinance. I am writing to urge you to insist that AT&T respect the provisions of our Municipal Code and your own aesthetic judgement, as well as the wishes of our unanimous City Council. In particular, please require AT&T to site its cell towers further from residents’ homes and to locate radios and ancillary equipment underground. Thank you for putting residents first! Tina Chow This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast From:Aram James To:Gary Gechlik Cc:Raymond Goins; steven mcgill; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; h.etzko@gmail.com; brianhama@gmail.com; Dave Price; Braden Cartwright; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; EPA Today; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Rose Lynn; Lynn Krug; Rick Callender; Riley Cooke; Gennady Sheyner; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations; Supervisor Otto Lee; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Robert Salonga; Roberta Ahlquist; Baker, Rob; Robert. Jonsen; Jeff Conrad; Jeff Rosen; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Penni Wilson; Gerry Gras; Daniel Kottke; Dana St. George; David S. Norris; Reifschneider, James; PD Kristina Bell; KRISTEN JOHNSON; Diana Diamond; Friends of Cubberley; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Josh Becker; Matt Schlegel; Templeton, Cari; Pacific GrovePD; City Attorney; Council, City; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Preminger, Steve; Sean Allen; frances.rothschild@jud.ca.gov; Burt, Patrick; Stone, Greer; Doug Minkler; karen hall; Patrick Marshall; Mora Oommen; Lori Meyers; Human Relations Commission; Nicole Chiu-Wang; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Anne Cribbs; cromero@cityofepa.org; Enberg, Nicholas; Zahra Billoo; Bill Newell; james pitkin; Jim Lawrence; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; GRP-City Clerk; GRP-City Council; Lotus Fong; Brandon Pho; Jennifer Morrow San José Spotlight; Nick Tasers SF; Palo Alto Weekly; SFChronicle.com; Donna Wallach; Bil Barber; Sean Webby; Steve Wagstaffe; Freddie.Quintana@sen.ca.gov; Perron, Zachary; Aldinette Lockett; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; Reckdahl, Keith; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Martinez, Nicolas; Goodell, Erin; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Jensen, Eric; Brian Good; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Damon Silver; Rodriguez, Miguel; Mo Soumaoro; Mohammed; Angel, David; Dan Okonkwo; Dave Price; Carol Brouillet; nick.enberg@cityofpaloalto.org; Nicole Chiu-Wang Subject:Re: Asian Law Alliance & NAACP, Coalition: "Asleep on a Bench, Tased, Neck Broken" — Taser Ban Press Conference Wed. Oct. 7, Palo Alto PD Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 4:43:06 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. On Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 4:38 PM Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: October 5, 2026 Dr. Gechlik, I respect your education. But neither medical school nor law school teaches police use of force, and that's what we're discussing. My background: thirty-four years in California law enforcement — patrol, custody, tactical units. Most of that time my job was training. I taught officers at every level, in patrol and in the jails: use of force policy, use of force law, de-escalation, communication. Part of my patrol service was on the Stanford campus working alongside Palo Alto PD. Both the Sheriff's Office and Stanford's Department of Public Safety recognized me for high arrest activity with among the lowest complaint rates. I've used force, I've commanded others who used it, and I've answered for it afterward. You wrote that we should be objective and stick to the facts. Good. Let's start with yours. You said officers were called because private security's requests were "being criminally ignored." The man was asleep. You can't ignore a request nobody made to you. There's no crime in sleeping on a bench and none in failing to answer something you never heard. The trespass didn't exist until police created it. Neither did the resisting charge. You also frame this as Taser or firearm. It was never that. Here's what the officer actually had in front of him: Back up and create distance Keep talking Wait for the cover he'd already requested twice on the recording A control hold Pepper spray The baton Policy 308.5 requires every Palo Alto officer to carry on duty He used none of them. He asked for cover twice, then fired before it arrived — which is exactly why nobody was there to help the man he'd just dropped. He lay face down bleeding about three minutes. The backup he should have waited for before walking up is the backup he ended up waiting for afterward. You're right that officers can skip levels of the continuum when the threat calls for it. But that assessment includes the officer's own capabilities and the disparity between him and the person in front of him. A young officer, alone by choice, against an elderly, visibly thin, disoriented man, over a misdemeanor. Officers are also trained to weigh the risk a tactic creates against the offense that prompted it. That's why most agencies won't pursue a car for running a stop sign. It isn't that the driver doesn't deserve the ticket. It's that the pursuit endangers the public, the driver, and the officer — over a stop sign. Agencies have been sued and people have died teaching us that lesson. Same analysis here. This weapon creates a known risk of catastrophic injury. The reason for the contact was a trespass notice on a sleeping man. The risk never matched the reason. I've trained in martial arts my whole life. My instructors said something I never forgot: beating someone you already know you can beat doesn't make you tough. It makes you a bully. That's not sentiment — it's the same disparity analysis every academy teaches. When the gap is that wide, the question stops being whether you can and becomes whether you should. Before you write anything else about when this weapon is appropriate, read the manufacturer's warnings. I've attached them — Axon's eight-page law enforcement warnings, effective September 20, 2022: Probe deployment can cause bone fractures, "including compression fracture to vertebrae" Avoid deployment where a person may fall on a hard surface or can't protect themselves in a fall Under "Higher Risk Populations" — avoid use on the elderly, the infirm, and people of low body-mass index; the device has not been scientifically tested on them; use only where the situation justifies an increased risk Avoid targeting the head, neck, and area of the heart Across all eight pages, there is not one circumstance described in which deployment carries no risk of great bodily injury or death in that document. Not one. The manufacturer doesn't say this weapon is dangerous in unusual situations. It says every deployment carries a risk of great bodily injury or death, then spends eight pages telling officers how to reduce a risk it never once claims to eliminate. The closest it comes to reassurance is that the device is designed to reduce — not remove — the likelihood of death or serious injury, measured against shooting the person. Now look at what this man actually suffered. A laceration to his head. A fractured vertebra in his neck. And he lay there bleeding for minutes before anyone attended to him. Here's what most people miss. Everybody assumes the broken neck came from the fall. Maybe it did. But Axon's own warning says the device itself can cause "fractures to bone, including compression fracture to vertebrae" — from the muscle contraction, before anybody hits the ground. So this man was exposed to two separate mechanisms capable of breaking his neck: the current that seized his muscles, and the concrete he couldn't brace against. The manufacturer warns about both. The officer was certified on a document that warns about both. The NAACP, along with a coalition of civil rights organizations, has taken this to medical professionals — cardiologists among them, including physicians at Valley Medical Center. We handed them the manufacturer's document and asked them to read it. Their assessment was that this is a deadly force weapon. Not "less lethal." Deadly force. And that isn't only a doctor's opinion. It's Palo Alto's own standard. Policy 300.1.1 defines deadly force as any force creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, and defines serious bodily injury to include bone fracture. The manufacturer states in writing that this device fractures vertebrae. So either that definition means something or it doesn't. The Department should explain, in writing, how a weapon carrying those warnings is measured against its own definition of deadly force. Axon's own position is that twenty-four people have died from its weapons — eighteen from head or neck injuries in falls caused by the deployment. Reuters documented more than a thousand deaths following police encounters involving these weapons. This man hit his head on concrete and broke a bone in his neck. He is in the exact category where the manufacturer admits eighteen people died. The only difference is how he landed. If a civilian had done that to a sleeping man over a trespass notice, you and I both know what section of the Penal Code would be on the complaint. The Department's own manual is against this too: Policy 309.5.2 — generally avoid use on the elderly, people with obviously low body mass, and anyone whose position could cause collateral injury including falls; avoid the head, neck, and area of the heart. The probes struck his upper chest and head. Policy 300.3 — force must be proportional to the seriousness of the suspected offense Policy 300.3.5 — de-escalation is mandatory where reasonable and feasible On private property: Stanford Shopping Center is open-air and open to the public, and under Pruneyard, California treats centers like that as quasi-public. But the simpler point is this — a landowner's rights don't decide how much force a city may use serving that landowner's paperwork. You're running for office, so understand where this lands. The public you'd serve doesn't stop at the city line. Arrest a man in Palo Alto and he's booked into a county jail; if he's hurt, he's treated at a county hospital. Palo Alto makes the call, the County carries it, and every taxpayer in the county pays for it. What changes from city to city isn't the behavior — it's the response. In wealthier cities, policing is expected to move unhoused people along and enforce small offenses that elsewhere get a conversation, a referral, or nothing. I'm not guessing. I spent decades in this county's custody operation, including intake. I watched who came through and which agencies brought them. Now put a man in a suit and a Rolex asleep on that same bench. Nobody calls. No officer is dispatched. Nobody ends up in a neck brace charged with resisting the arrest that broke it. That's the criminalization of homelessness, whatever else anyone wants to call it. Two more things from inside the profession. The DOJ's annual use of force report records officer age. In 2020, nearly eighty percent of officers involved in reportable force incidents were under forty. Over fifty was under four percent. The report doesn't track years of service, and some of that is assignment. But it matches what I watched and taught for a career. Judgment and patience develop over time and they bring force down. Experience includes getting hurt. An officer who's been injured, or lost a fight, moves differently the next time — more distance, more patience, more attention to what's actually in front of him. That's not weakness. That's knowing what these encounters cost. And there's something people in this work don't say out loud: a few officers treat high force numbers like a badge of honor. They're wrong, and they're a problem for every other officer out there. Force that wasn't necessary burns community trust — people calling, talking, cooperating, testifying — and that trust belongs to all of them, not just him. In my experience those numbers say more about insecurity than courage. Supervision and use of force review exist to catch exactly that. As a man asking to oversee a police department, I'd want you to care about that at least as much as you care about defending it publicly. I'm available if you want to talk. Sean Allen President, NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley Branch #1067-B (408) 444-6725 The following is offered in my personal capacity only, not on behalf of the Branch: You're asking for votes, and you practice at Good Samaritan, in my community. A man's neck is broken and your response is that the officer was "well within his rights" and the property owner's rights must be respected. That tells me how you see people like him — and people like me. You're entitled to your view. I'm entitled to mine, and I wouldn't want to be your patient. — Sean Allen, resident, Santa Clara County Disclaimer: The NAACP is a nonpartisan organization. It does not support, oppose, or endorse any candidate for public office. Any views expressed above regarding Dr. Gechlik's candidacy, his practice, or my personal choices as a patient are my own, offered solely in my individual capacity as a resident of Santa Clara County, and are not the position of the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley Branch, its Executive Committee, the California Hawaii State Conference, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or any coalition partner. The substantive discussion of use of force policy, manufacturer warnings, and departmental practice in this message is issue advocacy on a matter of public concern and is not related to any election or candidacy. On Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 2:17 PM Gary Gechlik <garygech@gmail.com> wrote: If you don’t mind removing from the list. I have reviewed the case and the video documentation in detail. The officer was well within his rights. Tasers are appropriate use of force to prevent the unnecessary discharge of semi automatic weapons which have been used in prior cases where officers were charged by a criminal perpetrator and the officer engaged in self defense leading to the death of the perpetrator. Police officers have rights to safety and professional civil liberties. The Stanford Shopping is private property and the rights of Stanford must be respected. The officers were called because the requests of private security was being criminally ignored. In reviewing cases as candidates, I feel we must be objective and hold ourselves to the facts. This is what any city manager or city worker would request in terms of evaluating their performance in terms of satisfying their state mandated duties they are contracted to perform through their employment contracts. I have been on record in every forum that I support the rights of our staff to be treated with equal dignity and respect concordant with their educational commitment, their training, their respect for protocol, and their genuine desire to serve the citizens of Palo Alto, at times, even at risk to their own lives in their desire to be helpful. The Palo Alto Police Force is outstanding. Sincerely, Dr. Gary Gechlik, M.D., J.D. From:Aram James To:Gary Gechlik Cc:Raymond Goins; steven mcgill; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; h.etzko@gmail.com; brianhama@gmail.com; Dave Price; Braden Cartwright; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; EPA Today; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Rose Lynn; Lynn Krug; Rick Callender; Riley Cooke; Gennady Sheyner; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations; Supervisor Otto Lee; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Robert Salonga; Roberta Ahlquist; Baker, Rob; Robert. Jonsen; Jeff Conrad; Jeff Rosen; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Penni Wilson; Gerry Gras; Daniel Kottke; Dana St. George; David S. Norris; Reifschneider, James; PD Kristina Bell; KRISTEN JOHNSON; Diana Diamond; Friends of Cubberley; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Josh Becker; Matt Schlegel; Templeton, Cari; Pacific GrovePD; City Attorney; Council, City; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Preminger, Steve; Sean Allen; frances.rothschild@jud.ca.gov; Burt, Patrick; Stone, Greer; Doug Minkler; karen hall; Patrick Marshall; Mora Oommen; Lori Meyers; Human Relations Commission; Nicole Chiu-Wang; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Anne Cribbs; cromero@cityofepa.org; Enberg, Nicholas; Zahra Billoo; Bill Newell; james pitkin; Jim Lawrence; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; GRP-City Clerk; GRP-City Council; Lotus Fong; Brandon Pho; Jennifer Morrow San José Spotlight; Nick Tasers SF; Palo Alto Weekly; SFChronicle.com; Donna Wallach; Bil Barber; Sean Webby; Steve Wagstaffe; Freddie.Quintana@sen.ca.gov; Perron, Zachary; Aldinette Lockett; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; Reckdahl, Keith; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Martinez, Nicolas; Goodell, Erin; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Jensen, Eric; Brian Good; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Damon Silver; Rodriguez, Miguel; Mo Soumaoro; Mohammed; Angel, David; Dan Okonkwo; Dave Price; Carol Brouillet; nick.enberg@cityofpaloalto.org; Nicole Chiu-Wang Subject:Re: Asian Law Alliance & NAACP, Coalition: "Asleep on a Bench, Tased, Neck Broken" — Taser Ban Press Conference Wed. Oct. 7, Palo Alto PD Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 4:38:55 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. October 5, 2026 Dr. Gechlik, I respect your education. But neither medical school nor law school teaches police use of force, and that's what we're discussing. My background: thirty-four years in California law enforcement — patrol, custody, tactical units. Most of that time my job was training. I taught officers at every level, in patrol and in the jails: use of force policy, use of force law, de-escalation, communication. Part of my patrol service was on the Stanford campus working alongside Palo Alto PD. Both the Sheriff's Office and Stanford's Department of Public Safety recognized me for high arrest activity with among the lowest complaint rates. I've used force, I've commanded others who used it, and I've answered for it afterward. You wrote that we should be objective and stick to the facts. Good. Let's start with yours. You said officers were called because private security's requests were "being criminally ignored." The man was asleep. You can't ignore a request nobody made to you. There's no crime in sleeping on a bench and none in failing to answer something you never heard. The trespass didn't exist until police created it. Neither did the resisting charge. You also frame this as Taser or firearm. It was never that. Here's what the officer actually had in front of him: Back up and create distance Keep talking A control hold Pepper spray The baton Policy 308.5 requires every Palo Alto officer to carry on duty He used none of them. He asked for cover twice, then fired before it arrived — which is exactly why nobody was there to help the man he'd just dropped. He lay face down bleeding about three minutes. The backup he should have waited for before walking up is the backup he ended up waiting for afterward. You're right that officers can skip levels of the continuum when the threat calls for it. But that assessment includes the officer's own capabilities and the disparity between him and the person in front of him. A young officer, alone by choice, against an elderly, visibly thin, disoriented man, over a misdemeanor. Officers are also trained to weigh the risk a tactic creates against the offense that prompted it. That's why most agencies won't pursue a car for running a stop sign. It isn't that the driver doesn't deserve the ticket. It's that the pursuit endangers the public, the driver, and the officer — over a stop sign. Agencies have been sued and people have died teaching us that lesson. Same analysis here. This weapon creates a known risk of catastrophic injury. The reason for the contact was a trespass notice on a sleeping man. The risk never matched the reason. I've trained in martial arts my whole life. My instructors said something I never forgot: beating someone you already know you can beat doesn't make you tough. It makes you a bully. That's not sentiment — it's the same disparity analysis every academy teaches. When the gap is that wide, the question stops being whether you can and becomes whether you should. Before you write anything else about when this weapon is appropriate, read the manufacturer's warnings. I've attached them — Axon's eight-page law enforcement warnings, effective September 20, 2022: Probe deployment can cause bone fractures, "including compression fracture to vertebrae" Avoid deployment where a person may fall on a hard surface or can't protect themselves in a fall Under "Higher Risk Populations" — avoid use on the elderly, the infirm, and people of low body-mass index; the device has not been scientifically tested on them; use only where the situation justifies an increased risk Avoid targeting the head, neck, and area of the heart Across all eight pages, there is not one circumstance described in which deployment carries no risk of great bodily injury or death Read that last one again, because it's the whole thing. There is no safe-use case anywhere in that document. Not one. The manufacturer doesn't say this weapon is dangerous in unusual situations. It says every deployment carries a risk of great bodily injury or death, then spends eight pages telling officers how to reduce a risk it never once claims to eliminate. The closest it comes to reassurance is that the device is designed to reduce — not remove — the likelihood of death or serious injury, measured against shooting the person. Now look at what this man actually suffered. A laceration to his head. A fractured vertebra in his neck. And he lay there bleeding for minutes before anyone attended to him. Here's what most people miss. Everybody assumes the broken neck came from the fall. Maybe it did. But Axon's own warning says the device itself can cause "fractures to bone, including compression fracture to vertebrae" — from the muscle contraction, before anybody hits the ground. So this man was exposed to two separate mechanisms capable of breaking his neck: the current that seized his muscles, and the concrete he couldn't brace against. The manufacturer warns about both. The officer was certified on a document that warns about both. The NAACP, along with a coalition of civil rights organizations, has taken this to medical professionals — cardiologists among them, including physicians at Valley Medical Center. We handed them the manufacturer's document and asked them to read it. Their assessment was that this is a deadly force weapon. Not "less lethal." Deadly force. And that isn't only a doctor's opinion. It's Palo Alto's own standard. Policy 300.1.1 defines deadly force as any force creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, and defines serious bodily injury to include bone fracture. The manufacturer states in writing that this device fractures vertebrae. So either that definition means something or it doesn't. The Department should explain, in writing, how a weapon carrying those warnings is measured against its own definition of deadly force. Axon's own position is that twenty-four people have died from its weapons — eighteen from head or neck injuries in falls caused by the deployment. Reuters documented more than a thousand deaths following police encounters involving these weapons. This man hit his head on concrete and broke a bone in his neck. He is in the exact category where the manufacturer admits eighteen people died. The only difference is how he landed. If a civilian had done that to a sleeping man over a trespass notice, you and I both know what section of the Penal Code would be on the complaint. The Department's own manual is against this too: Policy 309.5.2 — generally avoid use on the elderly, people with obviously low body mass, and anyone whose position could cause collateral injury including falls; avoid the head, neck, and area of the heart. The probes struck his upper chest and head. Policy 300.3 — force must be proportional to the seriousness of the suspected offense Policy 300.3.5 — de-escalation is mandatory where reasonable and feasible On private property: Stanford Shopping Center is open-air and open to the public, and under Pruneyard, California treats centers like that as quasi-public. But the simpler point is this — a landowner's rights don't decide how much force a city may use serving that landowner's paperwork. You're running for office, so understand where this lands. The public you'd serve doesn't stop at the city line. Arrest a man in Palo Alto and he's booked into a county jail; if he's hurt, he's treated at a county hospital. Palo Alto makes the call, the County carries it, and every taxpayer in the county pays for it. What changes from city to city isn't the behavior — it's the response. In wealthier cities, policing is expected to move unhoused people along and enforce small offenses that elsewhere get a conversation, a referral, or nothing. I'm not guessing. I spent decades in this county's custody operation, including intake. I watched who came through and which agencies brought them. Now put a man in a suit and a Rolex asleep on that same bench. Nobody calls. No officer is dispatched. Nobody ends up in a neck brace charged with resisting the arrest that broke it. That's the criminalization of homelessness, whatever else anyone wants to call it. Two more things from inside the profession. The DOJ's annual use of force report records officer age. In 2020, nearly eighty percent of officers involved in reportable force incidents were under forty. Over fifty was under four percent. The report doesn't track years of service, and some of that is assignment. But it matches what I watched and taught for a career. Judgment and patience develop over time and they bring force down. Experience includes getting hurt. An officer who's been injured, or lost a fight, moves differently the next time — more distance, more patience, more attention to what's actually in front of him. That's not weakness. That's knowing what these encounters cost. And there's something people in this work don't say out loud: a few officers treat high force numbers like a badge of honor. They're wrong, and they're a problem for every other officer out there. Force that wasn't necessary burns community trust — people calling, talking, cooperating, testifying — and that trust belongs to all of them, not just him. In my experience those numbers say more about insecurity than courage. Supervision and use of force review exist to catch exactly that. As a man asking to oversee a police department, I'd want you to care about that at least as much as you care about defending it publicly. I'm available if you want to talk. Sean Allen President, NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley Branch #1067-B (408) 444-6725 The following is offered in my personal capacity only, not on behalf of the Branch: You're asking for votes, and you practice at Good Samaritan, in my community. A man's neck is broken and your response is that the officer was "well within his rights" and the property owner's rights must be respected. That tells me how you see people like him — and people like me. You're entitled to your view. I'm entitled to mine, and I wouldn't want to be your patient. — Sean Allen, resident, Santa Clara County Disclaimer: The NAACP is a nonpartisan organization. It does not support, oppose, or endorse any candidate for public office. Any views expressed above regarding Dr. Gechlik's candidacy, his practice, or my personal choices as a patient are my own, offered solely in my individual capacity as a resident of Santa Clara County, and are not the position of the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley Branch, its Executive Committee, the California Hawaii State Conference, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or any coalition partner. The substantive discussion of use of force policy, manufacturer warnings, and departmental practice in this message is issue advocacy on a matter of public concern and is not related to any election or candidacy. On Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 2:17 PM Gary Gechlik <garygech@gmail.com> wrote: If you don’t mind removing from the list. I have reviewed the case and the video documentation in detail. The officer was well within his rights. Tasers are appropriate use of force to prevent the unnecessary discharge of semi automatic weapons which have been used in prior cases where officers were charged by a criminal perpetrator and the officer engaged in self defense leading to the death of the perpetrator. Police officers have rights to safety and professional civil liberties. The Stanford Shopping is private property and the rights of Stanford must be respected. The officers were called because the requests of private security was being criminally ignored. In reviewing cases as candidates, I feel we must be objective and hold ourselves to the facts. This is what any city manager or city worker would request in terms of evaluating their performance in terms of satisfying their state mandated duties they are contracted to perform through their employment contracts. I have been on record in every forum that I support the rights of our staff to be treated with equal dignity and respect concordant with their educational commitment, their training, their respect for protocol, and their genuine desire to serve the citizens of Palo Alto, at times, even at risk to their own lives in their desire to be helpful. The Palo Alto Police Force is outstanding. Sincerely, Dr. Gary Gechlik, M.D., J.D. From:Aram James To:bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Gary Gechlik; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; h.etzko@gmail.com; brianhama@gmail.com; Raymond Goins; Dave Price; Braden Cartwright; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; EPA Today; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Rose Lynn; Lynn Krug; Rick Callender; Riley Cooke; Gennady Sheyner; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations; Supervisor Otto Lee; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Robert Salonga; Roberta Ahlquist; Baker, Rob; Robert. Jonsen; Jeff Conrad; Jeff Rosen; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Penni Wilson; Gerry Gras; Daniel Kottke; Dana St. George; David S. Norris; Reifschneider, James; PD Kristina Bell; KRISTEN JOHNSON; Diana Diamond; Friends of Cubberley; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Josh Becker; Mora Oommen; Jennifer Morrow San José Spotlight; Mo Soumaoro; Angel, David; Dan Okonkwo; Daniel A. Opoku; Daniel Barton Cc:Matt Schlegel; Templeton, Cari; Pacific GrovePD; City Attorney; Council, City; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; steven mcgill; Preminger, Steve; Sean Allen; frances.rothschild@jud.ca.gov; Burt, Patrick; Stone, Greer; Doug Minkler; karen hall; Patrick Marshall; Lori Meyers; Human Relations Commission; Nicole Chiu-Wang; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Anne Cribbs; cromero@cityofepa.org; Enberg, Nicholas; Zahra Billoo; Bill Newell; james pitkin; Jim Lawrence; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; GRP-City Clerk; GRP-City Council; Lotus Fong; Brandon Pho; Nick Tasers SF; Palo Alto Weekly; SFChronicle.com; Donna Wallach; Bil Barber; Sean Webby; Steve Wagstaffe; Freddie.Quintana@sen.ca.gov; Perron, Zachary; Aldinette Lockett; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; Reckdahl, Keith; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Martinez, Nicolas; Goodell, Erin; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Jensen, Eric; Brian Good; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Damon Silver; Rodriguez, Miguel Subject:Re: Asian Law Alliance & NAACP, Coalition: "Asleep on a Bench, Tased, Neck Broken" — Taser Ban Press Conference Wed. Oct. 7, Palo Alto PD Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 4:35:56 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 4:19 PM Sean Allen <sallen6444@yahoo.com> wrote: October 5, 2026 Dr. Gechlik, I respect your education. But neither medical school nor law school teaches police use of force, and that's what we're discussing. My background: thirty-four years in California law enforcement — patrol, custody, tactical units. Most of that time my job was training. I taught officers at every level, in patrol and in the jails: use of force policy, use of force law, de- escalation, communication. Part of my patrol service was on the Stanford campus working alongside Palo Alto PD. Both the Sheriff's Office and Stanford's Department of Public Safety recognized me for high arrest activity with among the lowest complaint rates. I've used force, I've commanded others who used it, and I've answered for it afterward. You wrote that we should be objective and stick to the facts. Good. Let's start with yours. You said officers were called because private security's requests were "being criminally ignored." The man was asleep. You can't ignore a request nobody made to you. There's no crime in sleeping on a bench and none in failing to answer something you never heard. The trespass didn't exist until police created it. Neither did the resisting charge. You also frame this as Taser or firearm. It was never that. Here's what the officer actually had in front of him: Back up and create distance Keep talking Wait for the cover he'd already requested twice on the recording A control hold Pepper spray The baton Policy 308.5 requires every Palo Alto officer to carry on duty He used none of them. He asked for cover twice, then fired before it arrived — which is exactly why nobody was there to help the man he'd just dropped. He lay face down bleeding about three minutes. The backup he should have waited for before walking up is the backup he ended up waiting for afterward. You're right that officers can skip levels of the continuum when the threat calls for it. But that assessment includes the officer's own capabilities and the disparity between him and the person in front of him. A young officer, alone by choice, against an elderly, visibly thin, disoriented man, over a misdemeanor. Officers are also trained to weigh the risk a tactic creates against the offense that prompted it. That's why most agencies won't pursue a car for running a stop sign. It isn't that the driver doesn't deserve the ticket. It's that the pursuit endangers the public, the driver, and the officer — over a stop sign. Agencies have been sued and people have died teaching us that lesson. Same analysis here. This weapon creates a known risk of catastrophic injury. The reason for the contact was a trespass notice on a sleeping man. The risk never matched the reason. I've trained in martial arts my whole life. My instructors said something I never forgot: beating someone you already know you can beat doesn't make you tough. It makes you a bully. That's not sentiment — it's the same disparity analysis every academy teaches. When the gap is that wide, the question stops being whether you can and becomes whether you should. Before you write anything else about when this weapon is appropriate, read the manufacturer's warnings. I've attached them — Axon's eight- page law enforcement warnings, effective September 20, 2022: Probe deployment can cause bone fractures, "including compression fracture to vertebrae" Avoid deployment where a person may fall on a hard surface or can't protect themselves in a fall Under "Higher Risk Populations" — avoid use on the elderly, the infirm, and people of low body-mass index; the device has not been scientifically tested on them; use only where the situation justifies an increased risk Avoid targeting the head, neck, and area of the heart Across all eight pages, there is not one circumstance described in which deployment carries no risk of great bodily injury or death Read that last one again, because it's the whole thing. There is no safe-use case anywhere in that document. Not one. The manufacturer doesn't say this weapon is dangerous in unusual situations. It says every deployment carries a risk of great bodily injury or death, then spends eight pages telling officers how to reduce a risk it never once claims to eliminate. The closest it comes to reassurance is that the device is designed to reduce — not remove — the likelihood of death or serious injury, measured against shooting the person. Now look at what this man actually suffered. A laceration to his head. A fractured vertebra in his neck. And he lay there bleeding for minutes before anyone attended to him. Here's what most people miss. Everybody assumes the broken neck came from the fall. Maybe it did. But Axon's own warning says the device itself can cause "fractures to bone, including compression fracture to vertebrae" — from the muscle contraction, before anybody hits the ground. So this man was exposed to two separate mechanisms capable of breaking his neck: the current that seized his muscles, and the concrete he couldn't brace against. The manufacturer warns about both. The officer was certified on a document that warns about both. The NAACP, along with a coalition of civil rights organizations, has taken this to medical professionals — cardiologists among them, including physicians at Valley Medical Center. We handed them the manufacturer's document and asked them to read it. Their assessment was that this is a deadly force weapon. Not "less lethal." Deadly force. And that isn't only a doctor's opinion. It's Palo Alto's own standard. Policy 300.1.1 defines deadly force as any force creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, and defines serious bodily injury to include bone fracture. The manufacturer states in writing that this device fractures vertebrae. So either that definition means something or it doesn't. The Department should explain, in writing, how a weapon carrying those warnings is measured against its own definition of deadly force. Axon's own position is that twenty-four people have died from its weapons — eighteen from head or neck injuries in falls caused by the deployment. Reuters documented more than a thousand deaths following police encounters involving these weapons. This man hit his head on concrete and broke a bone in his neck. He is in the exact category where the manufacturer admits eighteen people died. The only difference is how he landed. If a civilian had done that to a sleeping man over a trespass notice, you and I both know what section of the Penal Code would be on the complaint. The Department's own manual is against this too: Policy 309.5.2 — generally avoid use on the elderly, people with obviously low body mass, and anyone whose position could cause collateral injury including falls; avoid the head, neck, and area of the heart. The probes struck his upper chest and head. Policy 300.3 — force must be proportional to the seriousness of the suspected offense Policy 300.3.5 — de-escalation is mandatory where reasonable and feasible On private property: Stanford Shopping Center is open-air and open to the public, and under Pruneyard, California treats centers like that as quasi-public. But the simpler point is this — a landowner's rights don't decide how much force a city may use serving that landowner's paperwork. You're running for office, so understand where this lands. The public you'd serve doesn't stop at the city line. Arrest a man in Palo Alto and he's booked into a county jail; if he's hurt, he's treated at a county hospital. Palo Alto makes the call, the County carries it, and every taxpayer in the county pays for it. What changes from city to city isn't the behavior — it's the response. In wealthier cities, policing is expected to move unhoused people along and enforce small offenses that elsewhere get a conversation, a referral, or nothing. I'm not guessing. I spent decades in this county's custody operation, including intake. I watched who came through and which agencies brought them. Now put a man in a suit and a Rolex asleep on that same bench. Nobody calls. No officer is dispatched. Nobody ends up in a neck brace charged with resisting the arrest that broke it. That's the criminalization of homelessness, whatever else anyone wants to call it. Two more things from inside the profession. The DOJ's annual use of force report records officer age. In 2020, nearly eighty percent of officers involved in reportable force incidents were under forty. Over fifty was under four percent. The report doesn't track years of service, and some of that is assignment. But it matches what I watched and taught for a career. Judgment and patience develop over time and they bring force down. Experience includes getting hurt. An officer who's been injured, or lost a fight, moves differently the next time — more distance, more patience, more attention to what's actually in front of him. That's not weakness. That's knowing what these encounters cost. And there's something people in this work don't say out loud: a few officers treat high force numbers like a badge of honor. They're wrong, and they're a problem for every other officer out there. Force that wasn't necessary burns community trust — people calling, talking, cooperating, testifying — and that trust belongs to all of them, not just him. In my experience those numbers say more about insecurity than courage. Supervision and use of force review exist to catch exactly that. As a man asking to oversee a police department, I'd want you to care about that at least as much as you care about defending it publicly. I'm available if you want to talk. Sean Allen President, NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley Branch #1067-B (408) 444-6725 The following is offered in my personal capacity only, not on behalf of the Branch: You're asking for votes, and you practice at Good Samaritan, in my community. A man's neck is broken and your response is that the officer was "well within his rights" and the property owner's rights must be respected. That tells me how you see people like him — and people like me. You're entitled to your view. I'm entitled to mine, and I wouldn't want to be your patient. — Sean Allen, resident, Santa Clara County Disclaimer: The NAACP is a nonpartisan organization. It does not support, oppose, or endorse any candidate for public office. Any views expressed above regarding Dr. Gechlik's candidacy, his practice, or my personal choices as a patient are my own, offered solely in my individual capacity as a resident of Santa Clara County, and are not the position of the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley Branch, its Executive Committee, the California Hawaii State Conference, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or any coalition partner. The substantive discussion of use of force policy, manufacturer warnings, and departmental practice in this message is issue advocacy on a matter of public concern and is not related to any election or candidacy. On Sun, Oct 4, 2026 at 10:01 PM Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: October 4, 2026 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Coalition Calls for a Ban on Tasers in Palo Alto and in Santa Clara County Jails After a Man's Neck Is Broken at Stanford Shopping Center When: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 1:00 p.m. Where: Palo Alto Police Department, 250 Sherman Avenue, Palo Alto Who: Asian Law Alliance; CAIR San Francisco Bay Area; Silicon Valley De-Bug; Coalition for Justice and Accountability; NAACP San José/Silicon Valley Branch PALO ALTO, Calif. — A coalition of civil rights and community organizations will hold a press conference Wednesday to call for an end to Taser use in Palo Alto and in Santa Clara County's jails. What happened. On July 19, 2026, Stanford Shopping Center security called Palo Alto police to remove a man asleep on a bench in a publicly accessible area. According to the department's account and body-worn camera footage, an officer woke him, the man stood up disoriented, and the officer fired a Taser, striking him in the chest, an area Axon directs officers to avoid. He fell face-first onto concrete, suffering a gash to his forehead and a fractured vertebra in his neck. The coalition believes he lay face down and bleeding for an excessive time before a second officer and medical help arrived. The alleged offense was trespassing. Why it matters. The coalition believes the force was excessive, unnecessary, and in violation of department policy and the manufacturer's warnings. Axon's eight-page warning to law enforcement (attached) states that the Taser itself can tear muscles and fracture vertebrae, and that a fall onto a hard surface can break a neck. It warns that the risk of great bodily injury or death is greater for people who are elderly, mentally ill, under the influence, of low body weight, exhausted or highly excited, or who have heart or respiratory conditions. Of the 24 deaths Axon itself acknowledges, 18 were caused by falls, and a Reuters investigation documented more than 1,000 deaths following police Taser use in the United States. Because the manufacturer acknowledges that every use carries a risk of great bodily injury or death, the coalition's position is that a Taser must be treated as a deadly weapon. This man appeared to be elderly, unhoused, mentally ill, and frail, and he was standing on concrete. An alleged trespass did not justify that level of force. Being homeless is not a crime. Being mentally ill is not a crime. Resting in a place open to the public is not a crime. An old pattern. Removing people from public spaces because they are poor or unhoused echoes the "sundown town" practices that once drove Black residents, and later poor residents, out of communities by nightfall. That attitude is still voiced openly. At a September 10, 2026 candidate forum, discussing RV dwellers and unhoused residents, Palo Alto City Council candidate Bryna Chang said: "We've got to get the poor, and bad actors to move along." The County connection. OIR Group, led by Michael Gennaco, has served as Palo Alto's independent police auditor since 2006 and is also the oversight body for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, where it supported the Sheriff's Taser pilot in the County jails. The Sheriff is Palo Alto's former police chief. The Board of Supervisors will receive a report on the pilot on November 17. On September 17, jail deputies reportedly Tased a man on an upper tier near the stairs after he was attacked by someone staff had released. No one will meet with the community. At least two coalition organizations have asked the Palo Alto police chief to meet on policing policy, and he has refused. The Sheriff has done the same. The coalition calls on: the Palo Alto City Council to ban Tasers; the City to terminate the officer; the District Attorney to investigate and prosecute the officer for assault with a deadly weapon (Penal Code § 245) and assault by a public officer under color of authority (Penal Code § 149), because he disregarded the manufacturer's warnings and used force far beyond what an alleged trespass warranted; the Board of Supervisors to end the Sheriff's Taser pilot and ban Tasers in the County jails; both the City and the County to have these incidents reviewed by an oversight entity independent of OIR Group. Resources: Palo Alto Online, "Update: Taser victim in Stanford mall arrest identified" (Sept. 15, 2026): https://www.paloaltoonline.com/police/2026/09/15/probe-launched- after-officer-fires-taser-injures-man-at-stanford-mall/ Palo Alto Police Department news release and footage: https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Police/Public-Information- Portal/News-Releases Reuters, "Reuters finds 1,005 deaths in U.S. involving Tasers, largest accounting to date" (2017): https://www.reuters.com/article/world/reuters-finds-1005-deaths-in- us-involving-tasers-largest-accounting-to-date-idUSKCN1B21AH/ Axon, "TASER Handheld CEW Warnings, Instructions, and Information: Law Enforcement" (attached): https://axon.cdn.prismic.io/axon%2F3cd3d65a-7500-4667-a9a8- 0549fc3226c7_law-enforcement-warnings%2B8-5x11.pdf Sent from my iPhone From:Humphrey, Sonia Cc:LAFCO Subject:LAFCO Regular Meeting (10/7) Canceled and Rescheduled as Special Meeting (10/7@1:30 PM) Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 4:24:03 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i The regular LAFCO meeting scheduled for October 7, 2026 at 1:15 PM has been CANCELLED due to LAFCO not being able to meet the Brown Act noticing requirements. The LAFCO meeting is now RESCHEDULED as a special meeting for October 7, 2026 at 1:30 PM in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose. The agenda packet for the Special Meeting is now available on the LAFCO website: https://santaclaralafco.org/meetings/lafco-special-meeting-2026-10-07-133000. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. 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:Humphrey, Sonia Cc:LAFCO Subject:LAFCO Regular Meeting (10/7) Canceled and Rescheduled as Special Meeting (10/7@1:30 PM) Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 4:20:37 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i The LAFCO meeting is now RESCHEDULED as a special meeting for October 7, 2026 at 1:30 PM in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose. The agenda packet for the Special Meeting is now available on the LAFCO website: https://santaclaralafco.org/meetings/lafco-special-meeting-2026-10-07-133000. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. 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:CeCi Kettendorf To:Chris Schremp Cc:Veenker, Vicki; Council, City; Lauing, Ed; Shikada, Ed; Lythcott-Haims, Julie; Reckdahl, Keith; Stone, Greer; Robert Marinaro; Jo Ann Mandinach; Annette Ross; Penny Brennan; Zohar Gillai; Martin Cuyegkeng; Jenny Lee; Josh Becker; Marc Berman; Leslie Bulbuk; Nicole Fernandez; Margaret Abe-Koga; Bulatao, Eric; Nick Marinaro; Jennifer Kain; Roger Smith; Peter Xu; Loren Brown; Dana Dahlstrom; Chris Berg; Taly Katz; Barry Katz; John Schafer; Jeanette Baldwin; Alina Martinez; Micah Murphy; Danielle Dunne; David Famero; Carly Lake; Sandy Freschi; Theron Bullman; Dave Stellman; Dave Stellman; Steve Wong; Lydia Kou; Patrick Kelly; Osbaldo Romero; Bryna Chang; Bill McLane; Lester Wong; Cathi Lerch; John Lerch; Stacey Tomson; CMEI Wong; DMA Wong; Jin Wong; Maggie Madlangbayan; K Norris; Elidia Tafoya; Scott Hayes; Victor Sloan; John Seltzer; Kandace Kopensky; Moiz Sonasath; Peter Longanecker; Karsyn Smith Development; Raphael Zahnd; Riley Cooke; Baird, Nathan; Palo Alto Daily Post; Gennady Sheyner; Louis Hsiao; Ann Lafargue Balin; Mary Gallagher; Maury Green; Terry Holzemer; Joseph Hirsch; William Ross; Arthur Keller; Becky Sanders; Kevin Mayer; Boris Folsch; Ian Halker; Richard Willits; Heather Brownlee; Ken Brownlee; Robin Holbrook; Cassandra Paige; Brad Watson; Alisa Pendicini; Ron Ellickson; Titan Gu; Stephanie Wansek; Colin Swindells; Aki Hirsa; Oksana Selavri Subject:Re: Disbelief Regarding Daily Post Article: Misleading Statements vs. Ground Reality Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 3:50:08 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. It is time to fire Ed Shikada, City Manager. It is time to actually conduct a thorough vetting process for hiring such an important city executive, which was not conducted when Ed Shikada was hired, in haste. It may be appropriate to consider who is on city council in this upcoming election and what their response is to this issue and others. CeCi Kettendorf and Luke Brennan On Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 6:43 PM CeCi Kettendorf <cecihome@gmail.com> wrote: Thank you, Chris. You are spot on. CeCi Kettendorf and Luke Brennan On Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:52 PM Chris Schremp <chrisschremp88@gmail.com> wrote: I read Mayor Veenker’s recent interview in the Palo Alto Daily Post with a sense of complete disbelief. To publicly claim that "we’re finally getting to the point where we’re resolving it more fully"—and to frame the city's handling of oversized vehicles as a success story for a re- election campaign—is entirely disconnected from what is happening on our streets every single day. More than 40 residents and local business owners showed up at the August 24 Council meeting demanding an outright, full ban of OSVs and an end to poorly crafted pilot programs that have no chance of addressing the root issue. To suggest now that critics and residents are somehow "encouraged" by this slow, multi-pronged approach completely glosses over the frustration in our community. We aren't encouraged by administrative delays and endless pilot proposals—we are exhausted by them. Furthermore, the recent flood of emails, photos, 311 reports, and safety concerns raised by residents and local businesses is direct proof that the situation on the ground is regressing, not progressing. It is deeply concerning to watch the Mayor dismiss a citywide ban by claiming people will just end up in our parks, while completely ignoring that OSVs are already parked right in front of our neighborhood parks—like Mitchell Park and Ramos Park on East Meadow Drive—blocking school bike lanes, taking up resident and business parking spots and operating hazardous equipment like "High Voltage" trailers. It is equally baffling to read assurances about "leads" on private parking lots and calls for corporate employers to step up, when that same hypothetical talk has been recycled for years while our residential streets in South Palo Alto and Ventura carry the full burden. It is easy to take a patient, wait-and-see attitude about state housing laws when OSVs aren't parked outside your own front door month after month. But South Palo Alto and Ventura residents deserve better than campaign spin and hand-waving over basic public safety. We don't need vague assurances about progress that exists only in newspaper interviews. We need this Council to acknowledge the real conditions on the ground, stop delaying, and set a firm deadline to vote on an outright citywide ban under PAMC § 10.44.020 before Election Day. Chris Schremp Palo Alto Resident & Stakeholder From:CeCi Kettendorf To:Chris Schremp Cc:Veenker, Vicki; Council, City; Lauing, Ed; Shikada, Ed; Lythcott-Haims, Julie; Reckdahl, Keith; Stone, Greer; Robert Marinaro; Jo Ann Mandinach; Annette Ross; Penny Brennan; Zohar Gillai; Martin Cuyegkeng; Jenny Lee; Josh Becker; Marc Berman; Leslie Bulbuk; Nicole Fernandez; Margaret Abe-Koga; Bulatao, Eric; Nick Marinaro; Jennifer Kain; Roger Smith; Peter Xu; Loren Brown; Dana Dahlstrom; Chris Berg; Taly Katz; Barry Katz; John Schafer; Jeanette Baldwin; Alina Martinez; Micah Murphy; Danielle Dunne; David Famero; Carly Lake; Sandy Freschi; Theron Bullman; Dave Stellman; Dave Stellman; Steve Wong; Lydia Kou; Patrick Kelly; Osbaldo Romero; Bryna Chang; Bill McLane; Lester Wong; Cathi Lerch; John Lerch; Stacey Tomson; CMEI Wong; DMA Wong; Jin Wong; Maggie Madlangbayan; K Norris; Elidia Tafoya; Scott Hayes; Victor Sloan; John Seltzer; Kandace Kopensky; Moiz Sonasath; Peter Longanecker; Karsyn Smith Development; Raphael Zahnd; Riley Cooke; Baird, Nathan; Palo Alto Daily Post; Gennady Sheyner; Louis Hsiao; Ann Lafargue Balin; Mary Gallagher; Maury Green; Terry Holzemer; Joseph Hirsch; William Ross; Arthur Keller; Becky Sanders; Kevin Mayer; Boris Folsch; Ian Halker; Richard Willits; Heather Brownlee; Ken Brownlee; Robin Holbrook; Cassandra Paige; Brad Watson; Alisa Pendicini; Ron Ellickson; Titan Gu; Stephanie Wansek; Colin Swindells; Aki Hirsa; Oksana Selavri Subject:Re: Disbelief Regarding Daily Post Article: Misleading Statements vs. Ground Reality Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 3:44:05 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Thank you, Chris. You are spot on. CeCi Kettendorf and Luke Brennan On Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:52 PM Chris Schremp <chrisschremp88@gmail.com> wrote: I read Mayor Veenker’s recent interview in the Palo Alto Daily Post with a sense of complete disbelief. To publicly claim that "we’re finally getting to the point where we’re resolving it more fully"—and to frame the city's handling of oversized vehicles as a success story for a re- election campaign—is entirely disconnected from what is happening on our streets every single day. More than 40 residents and local business owners showed up at the August 24 Council meeting demanding an outright, full ban of OSVs and an end to poorly crafted pilot programs that have no chance of addressing the root issue. To suggest now that critics and residents are somehow "encouraged" by this slow, multi- pronged approach completely glosses over the frustration in our community. We aren't encouraged by administrative delays and endless pilot proposals—we are exhausted by them. Furthermore, the recent flood of emails, photos, 311 reports, and safety concerns raised by residents and local businesses is direct proof that the situation on the ground is regressing, not progressing. It is deeply concerning to watch the Mayor dismiss a citywide ban by claiming people will just end up in our parks, while completely ignoring that OSVs are already parked right in front of our neighborhood parks—like Mitchell Park and Ramos Park on East Meadow Drive—blocking school bike lanes, taking up resident and business parking spots and operating hazardous equipment like "High Voltage" trailers. It is equally baffling to read assurances about "leads" on private parking lots and calls for corporate employers to step up, when that same hypothetical talk has been recycled for years while our residential streets in South Palo Alto and Ventura carry the full burden. It is easy to take a patient, wait-and-see attitude about state housing laws when OSVs aren't parked outside your own front door month after month. But South Palo Alto and Ventura residents deserve better than campaign spin and hand-waving over basic public safety. We don't need vague assurances about progress that exists only in newspaper interviews. We need this Council to acknowledge the real conditions on the ground, stop delaying, and set a firm deadline to vote on an outright citywide ban under PAMC § 10.44.020 before Election Day. Chris Schremp Palo Alto Resident & Stakeholder From:Vera Maksymiuk To:Council, City Subject:Fwd: Concern About Rising Utility Costs for Palo Alto Residents Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 2:58:20 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. i ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Vera Maksymiuk <veramaksymiuk@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 2:55 PM Subject: Concern About Rising Utility Costs for Palo Alto Residents To: <uac@paloalto.gov> Dear Members of the Utilities Advisory Commission, I am a Palo Alto resident writing because I am increasingly concerned about the affordability of our municipal utility bills. Our most recent household bill is approximately $239. What struck me when looking at the breakdown was how little of that total is actually within our control through ordinary conservation: approximately $77 is wastewater, $28 is refuse, $44 is electricity, and $82 is gas. We can certainly make changes to reduce our gas and electricity consumption, and we intend to do so. But more than $100 of the bill is wastewater and refuse alone. I understand that maintaining reliable infrastructure costs money and that rates have to reflect the City's actual expenses. At the same time, the City's own FY2027 projections showed significant increases for residential customers, including approximately 16% for wastewater and 9% for gas. For households already dealing with rapidly rising costs of living in Palo Alto and the Bay Area, increases of that size are difficult to absorb year after year. I'm particularly concerned about residents who fall into the gap between qualifying for income-based assistance and actually being able to comfortably afford these increases. A household can earn too much to qualify for assistance without being financially insulated from a utility bill that continues to rise. I hope the Commission and City Council will consider not only whether rates recover the City's costs, but also how quickly those increases are being passed on to residents, whether there are ways to reduce or phase in particularly steep increases, and whether additional This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first email to you. Mark Safe Report affordability measures could be created for households that do not meet existing low-income thresholds. I appreciate having a locally owned utility and the ability to raise these concerns directly with the people overseeing it. Thank you for considering the impact these increases are having on residents. Sincerely, Vera Maksymiuk Palo Alto resident From:Aram James To:Raymond Goins; Richard Konda; Susan Hayase Cc:steven mcgill; bryna@changforcitycouncil.com; Gary Gechlik; Vicki Veenker; Lauing, Ed; yudy4paloalto@gmail.com; h.etzko@gmail.com; brianhama@gmail.com; Dave Price; Braden Cartwright; jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; EPA Today; Julie Lythcott-Haims; Rose Lynn; Lynn Krug; Rick Callender; Riley Cooke; Gennady Sheyner; board@pausd.org; BoardOperations; Supervisor Otto Lee; Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; Robert Salonga; Roberta Ahlquist; Baker, Rob; Robert. Jonsen; Jeff Conrad; Jeff Rosen; WILPF Peninsula Palo Alto; Penni Wilson; Gerry Gras; Daniel Kottke; Dana St. George; David S. Norris; Reifschneider, James; PD Kristina Bell; KRISTEN JOHNSON; Diana Diamond; Friends of Cubberley; assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov; Josh Becker; Matt Schlegel; Templeton, Cari; Pacific GrovePD; City Attorney; Council, City; planning.commission@cityofpaloalto.0rg; ParkRec Commission; Preminger, Steve; Sean Allen; frances.rothschild@jud.ca.gov; Burt, Patrick; Stone, Greer; Doug Minkler; karen hall; Patrick Marshall; Mora Oommen; Lori Meyers; Human Relations Commission; Nicole Chiu-Wang; Ruth Silver Taube (rsilvertaube@scu.edu); Anne Cribbs; cromero@cityofepa.org; Enberg, Nicholas; Zahra Billoo; Bill Newell; james pitkin; Jim Lawrence; CityCouncil; city.council@gilroy.org; GRP-City Clerk; GRP-City Council; Lotus Fong; Brandon Pho; Jennifer Morrow San José Spotlight; Nick Tasers SF; Palo Alto Weekly; SFChronicle.com; Donna Wallach; Bil Barber; Sean Webby; Steve Wagstaffe; Freddie.Quintana@sen.ca.gov; Perron, Zachary; Aldinette Lockett; Sam Liccardo; Salem Ajluni; Reckdahl, Keith; Shankar Ramamoorthy; Martinez, Nicolas; Goodell, Erin; eric.figueroa@cityofpaloalto.org; Jensen, Eric; Brian Good; Jessica Speiser, Educational Leader for California Democratic Delegate, Assembly District 23; supervisor.abe-koga@bos.sccgov.org; Damon Silver; Rodriguez, Miguel Subject:Re: Asian Law Alliance & NAACP, Coalition: "Asleep on a Bench, Tased, Neck Broken" — Taser Ban Press Conference Wed. Oct. 7, Palo Alto PD Date:Monday, October 5, 2026 12:20:13 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. On Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 11:32 AM Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: Thanks, Raymond!! On Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 10:26 AM Raymond Goins <goinsrayl@gmail.com> wrote: THIS IS THE FOOTAGE THAT WE WILL BE DISCUSSING. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGb9USh_6eY Raymond Goins On Mon, Oct 5, 2026 at 8:03 AM steven mcgill <playsvibes@sbcglobal.net> wrote: I am glad to your hard work is finally paying off! Good for you Aram!!! On Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 10:01:54 PM PDT, Aram James <abjpd1@gmail.com> wrote: October 4, 2026 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Coalition Calls for a Ban on Tasers in Palo Alto and in Santa Clara County Jails After a Man's Neck Is Broken at Stanford Shopping Center When: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 1:00 p.m. Where: Palo Alto Police Department, 250 Sherman Avenue, Palo Alto Who: Asian Law Alliance; CAIR San Francisco Bay Area; Silicon Valley De-Bug; Coalition for Justice and Accountability; NAACP San José/Silicon Valley Branch PALO ALTO, Calif. — A coalition of civil rights and community organizations will hold a press conference Wednesday to call for an end to Taser use in Palo Alto and in Santa Clara County's jails. What happened. On July 19, 2026, Stanford Shopping Center security called Palo Alto police to remove a man asleep on a bench in a publicly accessible area. According to the department's account and body-worn camera footage, an officer woke him, the man stood up disoriented, and the officer fired a Taser, striking him in the chest, an area Axon directs officers to avoid. He fell face-first onto concrete, suffering a gash to his forehead and a fractured vertebra in his neck. The coalition believes he lay face down and bleeding for an excessive time before a second officer and medical help arrived. The alleged offense was trespassing. Why it matters. The coalition believes the force was excessive, unnecessary, and in violation of department policy and the manufacturer's warnings. Axon's eight-page warning to law enforcement (attached) states that the Taser itself can tear muscles and fracture vertebrae, and that a fall onto a hard surface can break a neck. It warns that the risk of great bodily injury or death is greater for people who are elderly, mentally ill, under the influence, of low body weight, exhausted or highly excited, or who have heart or respiratory conditions. Of the 24 deaths Axon itself acknowledges, 18 were caused by falls, and a Reuters investigation documented more than 1,000 deaths following police Taser use in the United States. Because the manufacturer acknowledges that every use carries a risk of great bodily injury or death, the coalition's position is that a Taser must be unhoused, mentally ill, and frail, and he was standing on concrete. An alleged trespass did not justify that level of force. Being homeless is not a crime. Being mentally ill is not a crime. Resting in a place open to the public is not a crime. An old pattern. Removing people from public spaces because they are poor or unhoused echoes the "sundown town" practices that once drove Black residents, and later poor residents, out of communities by nightfall. That attitude is still voiced openly. At a September 10, 2026 candidate forum, discussing RV dwellers and unhoused residents, Palo Alto City Council candidate Bryna Chang said: "We've got to get the poor, and bad actors to move along." The County connection. OIR Group, led by Michael Gennaco, has served as Palo Alto's independent police auditor since 2006 and is also the oversight body for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, where it supported the Sheriff's Taser pilot in the County jails. The Sheriff is Palo Alto's former police chief. The Board of Supervisors will receive a report on the pilot on November 17. On September 17, jail deputies reportedly Tased a man on an upper tier near the stairs after he was attacked by someone staff had released. No one will meet with the community. At least two coalition organizations have asked the Palo Alto police chief to meet on policing policy, and he has refused. The Sheriff has done the same. The coalition calls on: the Palo Alto City Council to ban Tasers; the City to terminate the officer; the District Attorney to investigate and prosecute the officer for assault with a deadly weapon (Penal Code § 245) and assault by a public officer under color of authority (Penal Code § 149), because he disregarded the manufacturer's warnings and used force far beyond what an alleged trespass warranted; the Board of Supervisors to end the Sheriff's Taser pilot and ban Tasers in the County jails; both the City and the County to have these incidents reviewed by an oversight entity independent of OIR Group. Resources: Palo Alto Online, "Update: Taser victim in Stanford mall arrest identified" (Sept. 15, 2026): https://www.paloaltoonline.com/police/2026/09/15/probe- launched-after-officer-fires-taser-injures-man-at-stanford-mall/ Palo Alto Police Department news release and footage: https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Police/Public- Information-Portal/News-Releases Reuters, "Reuters finds 1,005 deaths in U.S. involving Tasers, largest accounting to date" (2017): https://www.reuters.com/article/world/reuters-finds-1005-deaths- in-us-involving-tasers-largest-accounting-to-date- idUSKCN1B21AH/ Axon, "TASER Handheld CEW Warnings, Instructions, and Information: Law Enforcement" (attached): https://axon.cdn.prismic.io/axon%2F3cd3d65a-7500-4667-a9a8- 0549fc3226c7_law-enforcement-warnings%2B8-5x11.pdf Sent from my iPhone