2026-09-30 - City Council Special Meeting

10:20I'm going to call to order the special meeting in progress. I'm going to call to order the

10:25special meeting of the Palo Alto City Council of September 30, 2026. Could you please call the roll?

10:33Councilmember Rechtel? Here. Mayor Vinkert? Here. Councilmember Stone? Councilmember Lowy?

10:42Here. Councilmember Burt? Here. Councilmember Liu? Here. Councilmember Lifcott-Hames? Here.

10:49For the record, six present. Thank you. Do we expect the Vice Mayor virtually?

10:58No. Okay. All right. Thank you. All right. Well, with that, we move on to agenda changes,

11:05additions, and deletions. So I will ask we don't have a city manager. I guess I'll ask the city

11:10clerk if there are any. If you're aware of it. Just as noted in the amended agenda, we have

11:15switched the order of the items and added a new closed session. All right. Thank you very much.

11:21All right. Well, we'll move on to special orders of the day, which is our opportunity to interview

11:28candidates for vacancies on the Human Relations Commission and the Planning and Transportation

11:33Commission. So Madam Clerk, do you have a preamble to that that you'd like to provide?

11:42Yes, thank you. So we will hear interviews for the Human Relations Commission and Planning

11:48and Transportation Commission this evening. We did have one candidate for the HRC withdraw,

11:54and due to some scheduling conflicts, one HRC candidate will be interviewed at the very end of

12:01our interviews tonight after the PTC interviews. Thank you. Oh, and I do see that the Vice Mayor is

12:09here. Vice Mayor, would you like to make your announcement about remote attendance?

12:14Yeah, I'll be attending remotely today under the, under the Brown Act.

12:24And just do you have, is there anyone over the age of 18 in the room with you? And if so,

12:28what's their relationship? No one's in the room with me. And I'm remote because I have the flu.

12:36Just cause. There it is. Yeah. Thank you. All right. Well, thank you for joining despite not

12:44feeling well. And Council Member Lau, you have something. I just want clarification. So it was

12:48the schedule that we have in front of us amended. Yeah, I'm about to address that. Okay, sorry.

12:53So thank you, Vice Mayor, for attending despite not feeling well. We are actually glad you are

12:59not in the room to share your bug. But yeah, from what I understand, Rona who will, will not be

13:09interviewing this evening. I believe that's correct. And so she was scheduled for 605.

13:16And due to some legitimate personal reasons, Ms. Dykewell will not be interviewing until the end.

13:26So what we're trying to do is to move the other applicants earlier if possible. So they are being

13:31notified. And I think we have one in the room at the moment. So we're going to try to still go

13:36straight through so we can get this done as efficiently as possible. So Council Member Lau,

13:41is that what you were concerned? Yeah, okay. All right, excellent. So with that, we're happy to

13:47hear from our applicants. What we do is provide 10 minutes per applicant. We invite a preliminary

13:54opening statement to us. Usually it's, you know, two or three minutes. And then we follow up with

13:58questions. And if there's still time, you can give a concluding statement. So starting with the

14:04Human Relations Commission, our first applicant is Katie Cozzi. Welcome.

14:10Hello, hello. Thank you. Good evening, Council. My name is Katie Cozzi. I am the current Vice

14:16Chair of the City of Palo Alto Human Relations Commission. I was appointed in May,

14:202023. And it has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve. I'm seeking reappointment

14:25for a full second term. For the past three years, I've served as the Commission's liaison

14:29to the police department and on our CDBG subcommittee. In my first year, I served on

14:34the Climate Change Subcommittee, working with the Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition on their

14:38frontlines communities report examining how flooding and extreme heat affect renters, local

14:43businesses, and vulnerable residents. And that work helped lay the foundation for the Youth

14:48Climate Advisory Board. However, of all the work I've done on HRC, there are three contributions

14:53that I am most proud of. The first is leading an in-depth policy listing session on pathways to

14:58home ownership for underserved communities. This was an issue Council had expressed interest in,

15:03and one I committed to exploring during my 2023 interview. The second is leading a

15:08listing session on childcare access, bringing together perspectives to better understand

15:12the barriers families and providers face and the opportunities for Palo Alto to address them.

15:17The third is our current work on CDAW implementation and recommendations.

15:20The childcare listing session I led became an important foundation for that work as

15:24childcare was part of Council's direction on CDAW, along with resources for survivors

15:29of gender-based violence and the unhoused. I'm hoping with reappointment to continue much of

15:34this work and more importantly, strengthen sharing institutional knowledge with newer

15:37commissioners. Thank you for considering my reappointment. And with that, I'll go to your

15:41questions. All right. Well, thank you, colleagues. Don't have the nifty buttons nor the screen

15:48indicia here. So if you'd like to speak, just please turn your microphone on. Council member.

15:57Thank you. So Katie, I saw your real three goals that you had. In addition to that,

16:05can you comment on any other projects in the HRC work plan that you think are particularly

16:12important? Oh, that's a very excited question because we had a very dense work plan this year.

16:16And we'll see. We'll see if we get we get to all of them. We're very ambitious. I think next year

16:23AI and its role in mental health is going to be probably something we really invest more time in.

16:30Right now we're in the middle. One of the subcommittees I'm serving on this year is

16:34our Housing and Economic Recovery and Development Subcommittee, which is focused on the needs of

16:39senior housing. We just had a listening session on seniors experience navigating affordable

16:45housing. And we were currently in the middle of shaping some recommendations out of that.

16:50So that is some other some other items that more might come along the pipeline.

17:00Okay. Thanks for all you did in a short short term. How do you feel this might sound like an

17:08odd question? But how are you feeling about the work plan in terms of the quantitative?

17:12Is it the right load? Is it a little bit too much? Or are you just dying to get three more

17:17things squeeze in there? Oh, man. It's like it's like I wrote that question for you. I would say

17:22that like this year, our work plan is covering a lot. What I would hope to focus on next year

17:33is when we're making the work plan, are we being as specific and pragmatic as possible with

17:41how these items fall within our scope? What is our role as our commission's body? What are we

17:47I would love us I would love if we had had more actionable things come out of this past year.

17:52And that's kind of what I'm paying attention to going into next year. So I would say like,

17:58maybe being a bit more refined when it comes to action items.

18:03Okay, thanks. Miss Cozy, thank you so much for your work on the commission. And congratulations

18:13on being vice chair. I noted you said my first goal is to make onboarding new commissioners as

18:18inclusive as possible. And I found that sentence to be very carefully crafted. I wonder if you

18:23could shed some light on what you mean by that what your concerns are, what you'd like to see

18:27happen differently. Sure. So one of the things that I reflect on in my service is during my

18:34first year, there was a commissioner, so smart, came to meetings so prepared. And one day she

18:42called me and she said, I'm having a really hard time understanding a lot of our processes. And I

18:49wish I had paid more attention to that because I was like, okay, this person is really capable,

18:54really showing up, we need to figure out where, where we can make improvements. Because especially

19:00on HRC, we're trying to get the voices of people who are underrepresented who might not be

19:05as familiar with government processes. So we have a lot of new commissioners, we have a lot of,

19:11we have all new staff members on HRC pretty much. And really, I think documenting processes

19:16and figuring out really actively communicating with new commissioners like, okay, what is making

19:21sense? Where do you need more support to help understand things? Thank you. Well, I'd like to

19:30follow up on the conversation we had in this room with the vice mayor, when we met with board and

19:35commission chairs, we talked about interaction with council. And could you tell us specifically

19:41with the HRC, you know, how it's going, how it could be better? Oh, or, or what you might like

19:50that perhaps we're not yet doing that's a better way to say that that council is doing or that HRC

19:57is doing or kind of both? How would you suggest if you suggest improving communications and or

20:07instructions interaction? That's the way okay interaction with the council. I think you gave

20:12very useful feedback in our mayor and vice mayor information session, which is like when we're

20:18submitting recommendations to council to do like a one page memo explaining a little bit of

20:22background about where our recommendations are coming from. I think that's very tangible. I'm

20:28one of the things I'm looking for for next year is just documenting onboarding processes for new

20:33members and checking in with new members and just making sure like those onboarding

20:38processes are clearly documented. And there's no questions as commissioners come on board.

20:44Thank you. Any further questions? The vice mayor has his hand. Thank you. I can't see it on my

20:51screen. I guess I have to look up that screen. Okay, great. Vice mayor, please. Great. Thank

20:56you. And thanks, Katie, for reapplying and for your service. What, what lesson have you learned

21:03from your first term on the HRC and how, how, how has that made you a stronger commissioner

21:10and to continue to, to just make you an even more effective commissioner for another term?

21:16I think it's two parts. It's kind of what I was talking about before with, especially with new

21:21commissioners, really communicating with them, making sure they feel welcome, making sure their

21:26understanding processes, getting any support they need to feel as confident as possible in the role.

21:32The other thing, which is a piece of feedback we got in one of the first HRC meetings I ever had

21:39and something I asked myself before every meeting because it does come up is to ensure that we are

21:45not treating communities as a monolith. And I think that goes to my point of being very specific

21:52and actionable about the issues we're trying to address, because listen, we usually have,

21:57we might have a one hour listening session on a very complex topic with communities that have

22:03very different history. And how do we make that as effective and concise as possible and make sure

22:09we're not treating communities as a monolith. And so that's what I always ask myself before going

22:13into commission meetings. Great. Well, it looks like you have close to a couple minutes if there's

22:21any. Oh, sorry, Keith. Yeah. Oversized vehicles are first. Thank you for reapplying. We appreciate

22:27your service. Oversized vehicles is a big issue in the city. And what do you think HRC's role

22:33should be in the oversized vehicle policies? Feel free to bring us in at any time if you need

22:39help communicating, helping with community relations with those communities, bringing those

22:45voices is, and we do have a standing RV dweller subcommittee where we do communicate with

22:51RV dwellers on a regular basis. So I would say, don't hesitate at any moment to bring us in to

22:56give feedback on specific issues. If there's an angle that we might be able to see that might be

23:00being overlooked. Okay. Thank you. Now, I think you'd like to close with. I'll just say it's been

23:11an absolute honor and privilege to serve. This is my favorite thing to do. I spent most of this

23:15year drafting a 45 page CDaw report based on your guidance. And I'm just would be so honored to

23:22continue to advance that work and as well as help new commissioners feel as confident and as

23:28empowered as possible in coming into this role. Thank you. Thank you for reapplying.

23:35With that, we can move on to our next candidate, Raizel Rosenberg. Welcome.

23:48Good evening, council. My name is Raizel Rosenberg, and I currently serve on Palo Alto's human

23:52relation commission. Thank you again for recognizing the work I put into preparing to

23:56serve on the HRC by appointing me to this open partial term. It has been an absolute privilege

24:02and I would welcome the opportunity to continue serving on this available full term. Since April,

24:07I have served as a commission's liaison to Avenida's, worked on our subcommittees focused

24:11on the emerging needs funds, CDaw implementation and community engagement, including planning

24:17October's nonprofit fair that is coming up on October 11. During my tenure, the commission has

24:23worked to support Palo Alto's first pride celebration, better understand senior housing

24:27needs reviewed the JED report examined how wildfires affect vulnerable residents and

24:31reviewed CDBG funding while considering expanding his rep. If appointed to a full term, I would

24:37focus on four priorities. First, it has been fantastic to go from volunteering on Palo Alto

24:42pride to stepping into the role of Commissioner. I would help build on that success of Palo Alto's

24:46inaugural pride celebration, while creating other opportunities that bring residents and community

24:50organizations together as I have done with helping plan October's community impact fair. Second,

24:56I would like the commission to examine how AI and technology affect mental health. I would love to

25:01work with our libraries, schools, mental health experts and other community partners to organize

25:05an educational session on technology safety, responsible AI use and well being. Third,

25:10I would continue supporting the long term implementation of Palo Alto's CDaw ordinance.

25:14As a member of the CDaw subcommittee, I researched how other cities implement CDaw and how to

25:18right size those policies to fit Palo Alto. Fourth, I would welcome opportunities to engage

25:23with residents of Buena Vista and members of our RV dwelling community. As a Spanish speaking

25:28renter who has lived in both a mobile home park and a motel, I would bring relevant lived

25:32experience, empathy and a commitment to culturally and linguistically accessible engagement.

25:37I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve and I'd be honored to continue bringing my skills

25:40commitment to follow through on the commission. Thank you for consideration and I'll open to

25:44your questions. All right, well, thank you for reapplying. Colleagues, Councilmember Lefert-Hams.

25:52Thank you, Ms. Rosenberg. Appreciate your reapplying. Thank you for your service thus far.

25:58How do other cities implement CDaw? What examples can you share with us and what

26:03might be applicable in our city? Yeah, there are a couple of ones that we examined already

26:07in our CDaw subcommittee. One that comes to mind is for contractors to share gender equity

26:12aggregate data so that when we're looking at bids, we can make sure that we're following

26:16through with folks who have the same priorities for our city. The other is just making sure we

26:21have access to needs for, let's say, victims of certain abuse and other accessibility add-ons.

26:31Thank you. So, Reiswell, can you share with us kind of what you found in your onboarding

26:53process as you became a commissioner and then also what other significant projects you either

27:03have been involved with or are anticipating doing so in this next year's work plan? Yeah,

27:09so I'll break that down into two parts. First, regarding my onboarding, I remember

27:14being a little bit lost. Going into orientation, being overwhelmed with the Brown Act, where

27:19every text I sent was against the law, double checking with emails. And I do have to say that

27:24Vice Chair Koussi has been an absolute savior in this regard. She really helped me understand

27:30what we need to do, what rules are mean when you're actually applying them, and how we can

27:36actually influence the city council. So, I think in terms of onboarding, it really did come from

27:41Vice Chair Koussi. And then towards the second part of the question, I'm just going to repeat

27:47it to make sure I understood it correctly. It was in addition to those four priorities,

27:52what else I'd like to work on. As well as what things have been most fulfilling over the last

27:59year. Okay. I think I really enjoyed my work on the emerging needs funds. I think that the new,

28:08it was a rubric that Sophie Pigman had presented to us so we could grade all of the applicants.

28:13And I, as coming from an engineer background, I really like when you can have data to support

28:17your decisions. And I think that's really important, especially with city money. And so,

28:21I was really passionate about making sure that we were using those numbers to support where we

28:25wanted to go and not just our emotional ties or our cultural background. And then in terms of

28:31something I'm looking forward to, it is the AI and mental health as well as I do hope the chance

28:35to work with our RV dwellers community more so. Thank you for reapplying. I think grant making

28:46and CDBG in general is one of the most important things that HRC does. And with a fresh perspective,

28:55you mentioned a little bit about the rubric, but can you give more feedback on the process,

29:01how you found it, whether you have any ideas for, yeah, further improving grant giving going

29:07forward? Yeah, I do really appreciate the rubric. So I will sing its praises again. I think staying

29:14honest with ourselves when we're filling it out and also trying to make sure that when folks are

29:20evaluating the application, they only go by information on the application. This led to

29:24some conflict or not conflict, but disagreement because folks had either known the nonprofit or

29:30known other people who are involved with it. And so they could bring this extra knowledge

29:34that wasn't in the application. So it's hard for other commissioners to base their decisions when

29:39they aren't privy to that. So I think making sure to stick to the application and having

29:44stricter guidelines about that and following the rubric would help a lot.

29:51Okay. Thank you for reapplying. We appreciate the service. In your application, you talk about

29:57wildfire and how that impacts vulnerable people. Usually we think of wildfire as being emergency

30:02response or the firefighters, but in this case, it's HRC. So what should the HRC be addressing

30:07and what should council be addressing? I unfortunately do not have a formal recommendation

30:12for council at this moment, but I do think continuing our listening sessions with our vulnerable

30:17populations to see how wildfires are affecting their housing. I do know from wildfires that

30:23have been in the past years, there are still folks who are waiting on homes. There are still

30:26folks who are transient and needing places to go. So I think when we open up our doors and say,

30:32hey, we're here to listen to you as HRC, we can better understand really where the problem lies

30:37and how we can draft a recommendation to city council for it. And even considered actions that

30:42potential actions that the city could do, or is that still very preliminary?

30:46Yeah, very preliminary.

30:47Okay. Thank you.

30:48I might ask a similar question with respect to the Buena Vista residents in terms of

30:55what the council can do and what the commission can do. Because you've referenced all these

31:00reasons that working with that community appeals to you and you have skills to bring to that.

31:06But it talks about the commission's future work. What do you contemplate that to be?

31:12I think it would be continuing to help understand what the issues that Palo Alto's RV dwellers are

31:19facing. I know that recently council approved the pilot permit program on Coyote Hill and

31:24Embarcadero Road. And those are also folks who are living in RV dwellers. And I think the HRC

31:30can help understand and develop ideas to address and fix the unresolved issue because Buena Vista

31:38has needs of the community. There's extra space that you need when you're living in an RV. There's

31:43noise concerns. Where do you do your homework? It's the whole combination of issues. And I

31:48think getting HRC to understand and really listen to them so they can draft a specific

31:55action plan to the city council is what would be most valuable.

32:01Okay. I think no lights and no vice mayor hands. So if you'd like to leave us with any

32:08closing thoughts, please do. Thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you this evening.

32:13I would just like to restate. I'm really passionate about working on the human relations

32:19commission and I would be super grateful for the opportunity to continue. That's about all I'll

32:27say. Thank you so much. Thank you for reapplying. Okay. Wow. We're on time even a couple minutes

32:35early. So we will move on to our next applicant. Aji? Okay. Welcome. Okay. Okay. All right. Good

32:54evening council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you again. This is my second time

32:59applying to the HRC and I appreciated the opportunity to interview previously. My name

33:05is Aji Olide and I'm applying for the partial term. A little about me professionally. I hold

33:11a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia tech and an MBA from Duke's school

33:15of business. I previously spent 10 years at Google and engineering program management and

33:22M&A following consulting and management consulting roles at Deloitte and Accenture

33:26and my career began in aerospace. I think the more interesting aspect is what I bring as an

33:32actual person, not my resume. I was born and raised in Georgia by two parents who immigrated

33:37to the US in the 70s. I moved to California over a decade ago. Before kids, I traveled extensively,

33:45visited over 22 countries. It was a hobby and a passion for me, which I hope to resume with my

33:50children when they are older. I have a child at Palo Verde Elementary and another entering

33:56preschool and an aging mother who lives with me. My children are of mixed race and enjoy the

34:00cultural learnings that come from South India and Nigeria. I currently serve on the board for the

34:07Friends of the JMZ, which is a nonprofit organization that serves to expand access

34:12to nature and science education through community engagement and support of the Palo Alto Junior

34:19Museum itself. I also serve on the Silicon Valley Theater Works production house. I previously

34:27served on the board of directors for SF CASA or San Francisco CASA. If you're not familiar with

34:31CASA, California has 44 local CASA programs serving almost every county in California.

34:38These programs work in partnership with local juvenile courts, recruiting,

34:43and supporting court-appointed volunteers who advocate for children and youth in the foster

34:48care system. I decided to serve on these boards because how their missions resonated with what

34:53I care about, which is elevating and supporting communities that are so needing and deserving

34:59of advocacy. Silicon Valley Theater Works contributes to a more compassionate Silicon

35:06Valley enriched by artistic excellence. Much like this commission, it serves as the voice

35:11of the community but through an artistic lens. Our productions cover over a multitude of subjects

35:16including neurodiversity, classism, and anti-Semitism. Similarly, the Palo Alto Junior

35:21Museum is a place where children and caregivers can come to learn, explore, play, and get

35:27curious about science and nature. We host Super Family Sundays, which are free exclusive evening

35:33events designed for families with children who have physical disabilities and learning

35:37differences. So why the HRC? This experience would, my experiences would be especially valuable

35:46as the HRC considers how to support the implementation of the JED Foundation's

35:51report recommendations. I have extensive experience guiding board-level conversations

35:56about the needs of vulnerable young people, helping families navigate systems of support,

36:01creating pathways to trusted adults, and ensuring that young people's voices

36:06will meaningfully inform decisions. As both a parent and someone carrying across generations,

36:11I was particularly drawn to the HRC's recent CDOT audit of caregiving resources in Palo Alto.

36:19My years of nonprofit board experience have taught me how to keep meetings focused and

36:23productive, work within established procedures, and make space for different perspectives.

36:27I bring some of those same skill sets to my professional work as a director of AI Strategy

36:31and Operations at Walmart. Throughout my career, I brought people together to organize complex

36:37work and turn ideas into practical solutions. I would be grateful for the opportunity to bring

36:42that experience to the HRC. All right, well, thank you very much for that. I appreciate it,

36:56and we appreciate you reapplying. Councilmember Rectal. Thank you for applying. Thank you all

37:02for your work with TheatreWorks and J&Z. Those are both very good organizations. One thing in

37:08your application, you talk about CASA and how that relates to the Jed Foundation. The Jed

37:12Foundation has a lot of really good suggestions, but they're very hard. And how do you have any

37:17ideas how the city can help implement those? Well, I think the mission's a very complementary

37:24right and go hand in hand. There's, you know, overlapping, the overlapping group that you're

37:32trying to serve as young people, and the Jed Report refers to, you know, mental help within

37:36the youth. I think one thing that really stood out for me was that the recommendations

37:44seem very balanced. So it was not only about being proactive and expanding training throughout

37:52the community for people to be able to identify when there's an issue, which is a big, I think,

37:56a big deal. But then also, there's some things on the reactive end as well, trying to make sure

38:03that we remove access maybe to traditionally dangerous, minimized traditionally dangerous

38:14situations, for instance, the guards at the railroads, etc. So I think, you know, if you

38:20look into the foster care system, obviously, you know, these are problems that are mental

38:25health issues, you know, are some of the the larger problem as well within that community.

38:31And so they're, you know, quite complementary. I don't know if I answered your question, but

38:35okay. Thank you. Well, thank you for applying. And you and some of the other candidates

38:45present a real dilemma for us as a council, because we have a slew of very strong candidates

38:52and two positions open and two incumbents who have been doing a good job. So for you and the

39:01other candidates, I very much want to encourage you to continue to offer your interest in serving

39:10our community and give us opportunities to take you up on it. One area, as you spoke about the

39:17GED Foundation, and really the follow ups that we're going to be doing. I don't know if you

39:23know that Project Safety Net has just announced what had been a year long process of being folded

39:32into youth community services. And are you familiar with that approach of a community

39:40collaborative of bringing together a lot of different organizations, like the Friends of

39:46the, I mean the Junior Museum, which I hadn't thought of as kind of part of that ability to

39:55expand youth mental health. And whether you have thoughts on that group participating in

40:04something like Project Safety Net. Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know,

40:08complementary missions and focus, I attended the, I think, Say Yes to Jay rally that occurred

40:17at Coverly a few weekends ago. You know, and I know that there are potentially in the future,

40:25you know, spaces to help foster, you know, conversations around it and support the youth

40:31where youth can come and feel like they have a safe space. And so I think it's all connected,

40:35it's all part of an ecosystem. It would be, I think, a little myopic maybe or limiting to

40:44think that all of these, these issues in these communities operate in silos, it's all connected,

40:49whether it's acknowledged or not. So yes. And so second, the observation that our job is hard

41:00because we have so many amazing applicants from all the various commissions because this

41:04city is filled with so many amazing people. But the good news is that for this particular one,

41:10there are two positions plus a third partial term for two years instead of three. So we get one,

41:17it's still going to be hard because there's lots of great applicants. But we have a little more

41:21flexibility. I was, I appreciated your comments about the audit of the caregiving infrastructure,

41:31both for senior care and childcare. And you go on to talk a little bit more about some of the

41:38senior listening session. But tell me about childcare. Did you get much of a sense of where

41:47the issues are with that and where you think the place to start in terms of addressing it?

41:52I think it even from my own position, you know, I think one of the things is awareness,

41:58awareness of what exists, putting systems in place or approaching it in a systematic way,

42:08so an instructed way so that people or families that are seeking childcare don't have to navigate

42:15a somewhat fragmented system. Even for myself, it's confusing, right? And so I think that

42:23there's some opportunity there to build a little bit more cohesiveness and messaging

42:29and access to information for families that might be as tech savvy or might not be as an

42:35ingrained network within the community. Yeah.

42:41Right. Thank you for that thought. You have 10 seconds.

42:48Okay. Okay. My closing statement. Yes. Thank you again for considering my application for

42:53the partial term. You know, I followed the HRC very closely. I bring boards, years of boards

43:00experience focus on serving youth and I would be honored to put all of my experience to work

43:05with the commission. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. All right. Great. And so now we will

43:16move on to Cynthia Wood. Cynthia, you should now be able to unmute yourself.

43:23Great. Thank you. Good evening, mayor and council members and also vice chair,

43:32Cassie and commissioner Rosberg. Thank you so much for the work you do and also to all the

43:39my fellow applicants. My name is Cynthia Wood and I am interested in serving in the Palo Alto

43:44Humans Commission because I believe that every resident from our low-income seniors and youth

43:50to our workforce deserves like the central workforce deserves an equitable supportive

43:56and driving community. Personally, I serve as a principal AI and data scientist at Genentech

44:02where I focus my work on analyzing social determinants of health in data to identify

44:08and close healthcare gaps. In short, part of my career is built around using data to understand

44:14how basic needs like housing stability, financial insecurity and access to services directly shape

44:20human well-being and community health. Locally, I put principles into action as I am the board

44:28chair of Palo Alto Community Child Care where we advocate for accessible early childhood education

44:34at the city, county and state level. I also oversee policy and financial governance and support

44:44initiatives that keep Palo Alto families afloat. Also to my fellowship with the Palo Alto

44:51Chamber of Commerce, I was able to meet some of you and engage with businesses and civic leaders

44:58to better understand the opportunities and challenges that our wonderful city has.

45:06Something that motivates me to join the Human Relations Commission is the opportunity to

45:11combine an analytical background with a passion to serve a community and the three priorities

45:18that I hope to champion if I were to join. One is housing affordability and below market rate

45:25sustainability. As I mentioned before in my social determinants of health work, housing stability

45:32consistently proves to be one of the major drivers for a lot of health barriers and also through my

45:42work with nonprofits, I see how housing costs severely impact our essential workforce,

45:48including the early educators who care for our children and strain the fixed income seniors.

45:55I agree with what I've heard in some of the meetings on expanding youth mental health

46:02resources by working with local schools and nonprofits. As a Palo Alto parent with two

46:10children in the district, I truly care about all the children in the district, not my own. I do

46:19feel like we do have an opportunity to give them more resources. The third one is protecting

46:27family safety nets and by using data driven evaluation to maximize the impact of the

46:33funding that could be given to different programs. In short, I would like to join

46:40the commission because I would bring structure oversight, and a commitment to listen and help

46:47the community. Thank you for your consideration. >> Thank you very much, colleagues.

47:02>> Thank you for applying. I would like to hear thoughts that you may have on gaps that we have

47:13in the community from your standpoint of your role at PAC and how it affects both the

47:28youth who are served by child care and the parents who have those needs.

47:35What gaps do you see that we have today? >> Well, I think I am extremely proud of the work

47:44that we do at PAC last year. We serve 900 children, but there are more children in need

47:51for after school care, for infant/toddler and preschool care. There are families that would

47:59like to be considered. Actually, being able to expand our services so that all Palo Alto families

48:11who want to join and have access to child care could have it. I believe that is one of the

48:20gaps that I think we could always improve on. Early childhood education is extremely important.

48:29It's the time where children develop a lot of personality, and it is often seen as just

48:40after school care, but this is where education continues to happen, and where they actually

48:46develop friendships forever. If we can support more families, that would be something that would

48:53be really great to partner with. One thing that I am actually supporting a lot is the possibility

49:08of having additional PAC centers. We are actually endorsing Measure J, which would give the

49:18opportunity to perhaps have another center there, or if not, some extracurricular activities that

49:25children could have there at Coverley. There are a lot of possibilities to serve more families

49:32through the partnership with PAC and the city. Thank you. Yes, thanks a lot for applying,

49:42and I can see from your background and your comments that you're passionate about these

49:46issues. I'd like to hear a few more details in the goals section where you said you wanted

49:52to promote fair treatment of all residents, especially those related to vulnerable

49:57populations. Do you have sort of a framework for that or where you would start or what the

50:02outcomes would be? It's just a bit general. I agree with you that it is definitely general.

50:12One thing that the city has done is that there's a lot of work that has already been done, so

50:21I would first come in and take a look at everything that it has done, like from the

50:27unhoused to the seniors, the partnerships with Aveniras or with other organizations, so that

50:38these relationships could be maximized to full potential. It wouldn't be reinventing the wheel.

50:45It's taking an opportunity of the partnerships that already exist to reach out to these

50:54populations, and also take a look at the gaps. Where are the areas that the city has

51:03populations being underserved that we are not addressing now? That's another one, so gap

51:10finding would be the next one. Okay, thank you. Colleagues, anything further? Okay, if not,

51:27you have a couple minutes if you'd like to share any final thoughts with us. Thank you for letting

51:36me come through the interview and for your time, and I do appreciate the work you do and

51:43that everyone that is applying for the position. I think even despite of the outcome, I think we

51:50can all partner to have great outcomes for the city, and yes, hopefully next time I'll get to

51:58meet you in person. I did have a conflict, but thank you for arranging for me to join the Assume.

52:06All right, well thank you very much. We appreciate you working us into your schedule as well.

52:11Thank you. Okay, all right, so we can move on to our next applicant, which is Hayley Hannah,

52:19so welcome to the podium. I don't know if I pronounced your name right, so apologies.

52:27Oh, thanks. Oh, good, good to know. Thank you, you did pronounce my name correctly.

52:34Good evening Council members, honored to be here this evening to speak with you.

52:38I was first introduced to the power of local government as a high schooler in North Carolina.

52:43I attended their girls state program where we spent a week simulating state parliamentary

52:48proceedings. This really drove me to my current career path where I've spent the past 11 years

52:53either working directly within county government or in my current role supporting county governments

52:57and maximizing the delivery and effectiveness of behavioral health and housing services.

53:02In my career as an epidemiologist, I've personally spent nights working in temporary

53:06shelters for people who are unhoused during inclement weather, provided data for needs

53:10assessments and county resolutions, along with providing recommendations to the board of

53:14supervisors, conducted community-wide surveys in multiple languages to ensure we heard from all

53:20community members, managed community grants, and interviewed diverse community residents

53:24directly about what they'd like to see change. I've also volunteered for events that provide

53:29services to people experiencing homelessness in California and North Carolina and served as

53:35executive co-chair of a university relay for life where we secured over 200,000 in donations

53:40annually. All of this work has taught me that the most actionable changes happen on the ground of

53:45our communities and I'm driven to be part of that in my own. In my current work, I have deep

53:50knowledge of California legislative policies, particularly those that impact mental health,

53:55substance use, and housing services, including how they impact county and city funding streams.

54:01As a renter in Palo Alto, I recognize the high cost of living and uncertainty renters face.

54:07Many of us could be one lost job or significant financial or medical event away from losing our

54:12physical housing. My family members and myself have benefited from our rapid emergency care

54:18and high quality health care. However, it's partially driven by my own privilege and deeper

54:22knowledge of our Medicaid system. The needs assessment identified that this type of access

54:28is not something that all of us experience in Palo Alto. As a substance use researcher,

54:33I also recognize that mental health and substance use are intertwined and there's an opportunity

54:38to better address gaps in substance use prevention and treatment, which will improve mental health

54:42outcomes and quality of life for families and their family members that are suffering from

54:47these conditions. Throughout my career, I've directly supported community programs that

54:51address the issues identified in Palo Alto's human services needs assessment. The needs

54:57assessment identified that long and confusing application processes were a barrier to accessing

55:01services. I know earlier there was a question about if there would be potential improvements

55:06that Palo Alto could make to the grant giving process. I think that we could require agencies

55:11applying for city grants to have clear work plans for supporting residents with these applications

55:16so that they can better maximize use of these services. Along those lines, I also think the

55:21commission has an opportunity to support grant applicants by holding learning sessions about how

55:26to apply for agencies that maybe haven't had access to grants in the past. We have a chance

55:31to support people most affected by the conditions we're addressing. I know from experience that

55:36those who have lived through it themselves are often the best positioned and in most need of

55:40the ability to enact change. I'm excited to use my skills and knowledge to support the human

55:45services resource allocation process, uplift community voices to ensure everyone has an

55:49opportunity to have their voices heard and infuse my passion for equity and justice as a commissioner.

55:58Well, thank you very much. Colleagues, are we not worn out yet?

56:08Thank you, Hailey, and I'm really fascinated by not only your background as an epidemiologist,

56:17but your particular focus on mental health and your director research for the California Mental

56:25Health Services Authority. That's a very specialized and special expertise area. So,

56:39have you had a chance to dive deeply into both the programs that we have existing in our community

56:48on youth mental health and really the entire spectrum of focus from upstream positive mental

56:56health to interceding to crisis to means restriction and postvention. So, any thoughts

57:07on where our greatest needs are today and whether informed by the GED report or otherwise?

57:16Yeah, thank you for the question. I have seen myself being a resident some of the

57:21physical mean reductions, like I know the people that are either the borders at Caltrain or the

57:26people who are spending time there. I know 24/7 to support people in those moments. I think those

57:30are extremely important because catching people in those moments of crisis, so they have an

57:35opportunity to be intervened and get the help that they need. I think there's a real opportunity

57:40and I felt this way reading through the needs assessment and even the HRC work plan to better

57:45address potentially substance use and how that could be intertwined with mental health needs.

57:50I didn't see a lot of mention of substance use prevention or substance use treatment access,

57:54and I know from my family's own personal experience that substance use and mental

58:00health are often like inextricably linked and sometimes exacerbate one another. One drives the

58:06other in terms of a substance use disorder or mental health condition. So, I think there's a

58:11real opportunity to enhance things like naloxone access so that if people have overdosed as a means

58:17of suicide, for example, that there's materials available should they be potentially suffering

58:22from an opioid overdose. I think there's also opportunities for substance use prevention,

58:27kind of layered in with youth mental health prevention. So, I think it's probably my bias

58:33coming from that lens of where most of my research has been, but I definitely was seeing a gap I

58:37think in the substance use prevention programming or mentioning and the existing resources.

58:45I want to pick up on that because I certainly took note of in your application the discussion

58:53of substance use disorders and listening to you talk about the interrelationship with housing

59:00status. And my daughter has researched substance use disorders at UCLA and NIH and now at Cornell,

59:08and so I hear about this a lot and how it's intertwined with other things. So, I want to

59:15ask more about the interaction with housing status and particularly we have this issue we're

59:22dealing with in town with OSB dwellers and these dwellers are there for a variety of

59:29reasons, some of which are related to substance use disorders. If we discern that is the case

59:35with a given person, how would you suggest we handle that? Yeah, that's a great question.

59:44I also, when I was in Marin County, we had a similar, I wouldn't say issue, but we had a

59:50similar area where there were people who were living in an RV and a particular part of town

59:55and I spent some time speaking with them about what kind of treatment they would like what they

1:00:00They would like the county to do to better support their needs.

1:00:03I think the biggest thing in a lot of those cases is us going to where they are and not

1:00:08making it more difficult for them to access or having it be only in one part of town,

1:00:12for example.

1:00:13So outreach services that are directly in the community are pretty huge.

1:00:17I also think with substance use treatment, coercive treatment is generally not as successful

1:00:23as treatment with people already.

1:00:24So building trusting relationships through harm reduction providers and again other community

1:00:29resources where they're kind of always there for people when people need something, that

1:00:34can often be the path to someone then reaching out and saying, "Hey, today I'm ready to stop

1:00:37using and I'd like you to help connect me to someone."

1:00:40So I think we could potentially have providers that spend time in those areas and actually

1:00:47build relationships with people, build trusted relationships with people and help be a resource

1:00:52for them to really help them be connected to the services they'd like.

1:00:56I like that I think the relationship aspect is really important but even shy of that,

1:01:01it reminds me that I know my daughter went out in Washington, D.C. and to your point

1:01:06to go where the need is, groups of students who would go with naloxone and you can't

1:01:13really do that wrong.

1:01:15And so do we have anything like that around here that you're aware of, both Stanford

1:01:19students or others?

1:01:20Not that I've witnessed personally and I think that's why that stuck out to me in

1:01:23the needs assessment because I haven't witnessed it personally as a resident and I worked

1:01:26with a community collaborative in Marin County where we were doing that in the community

1:01:30and we had close connections with harm reduction providers that were spending a lot of time

1:01:34in the community and then I myself as an epidemiologist was out interviewing and speaking

1:01:37with people.

1:01:39I believe Santa Clara County probably does but how much time they might be spending

1:01:43in the city themselves, I'm not sure.

1:01:46There's also some cities like San Rafael and Marin County has implemented safe streets

1:01:50teams so there are some cities that have similar programs.

1:01:53Yeah.

1:01:54Interesting.

1:01:55Thank you.

1:01:56All right.

1:01:57Well, I think you have about half a minute.

1:01:58If there's any thoughts you'd like to leave us with.

1:02:00I also thought about wildfire improvement being in public health or some things from

1:02:03my past experience.

1:02:05I think there could be a greater awareness of safety resources that are sent during those

1:02:09events through public safety alerts because I know myself during some of those events

1:02:14have not received those personally.

1:02:16Also support for financial support for air purifiers and potentially emergency shelters

1:02:20for people who are experiencing homelessness so they're able to get out of that air during

1:02:25those events.

1:02:26Thank you for the opportunity.

1:02:28Great.

1:02:29Well, thank you for applying.

1:02:30All right.

1:02:31So we will move on to our next applicant who is Ellen Bob.

1:02:37Welcome.

1:02:44Okay.

1:02:45There was a commemoration on King Plaza a couple of weeks ago for the 25th anniversary

1:02:53of the 9/11 attacks.

1:02:55One speaker really stood out to me.

1:02:57After 9/11, she said she was afraid to walk outside in her hijab.

1:03:01She homeschooled her son afraid of what might happen to him.

1:03:04It was only when she moved to Palo Alto, she said, that she felt safe sending him to school.

1:03:10I sat a little straighter in my folding chair.

1:03:13This is the Palo Alto that I am proud to be part of.

1:03:17I am not denying that there are incidents of Islamophobia, racism, queerphobia, antisemitism

1:03:22or other kinds of isms or phobias in our community.

1:03:26But it is not who we aspire to be.

1:03:29I believe the HRC can step in in a variety of areas to help our city become more just

1:03:35and fair.

1:03:36A few years ago, I took one of those internet tests to reveal my top strengths.

1:03:44It was surprisingly insightful.

1:03:46First, I love to learn.

1:03:49That's useful because the HRC is tasked with learning all sorts of things.

1:03:54And that sounds fun to me.

1:03:55After I zoomed the last HRC meeting, you'd be surprised to learn how many of my friends

1:04:00heard from me about the challenges facing residents of BMR housing.

1:04:05I'm a problem solver.

1:04:07Once I learned that there is something that needs repair, I love to jump in and figure

1:04:11out how we might fix it or to identify what else we need to know or who else we need

1:04:16to talk to or how we might find the money to do it.

1:04:21I'm a coach.

1:04:23Part of the work of the HRC is to help individuals and organizations figure out how to best

1:04:27work within the city structure.

1:04:30I'm a strategist.

1:04:31I always think about what is the best way to accomplish our goals?

1:04:34What are the obstacles to our success?

1:04:36Can we turn this into a five-point plan?

1:04:39Finally, I'm an empathizer.

1:04:42When I studied to become a mediator to participate in the Palo Alto Mediation Project, I thought

1:04:46I would learn how to be non-partial.

1:04:48Instead, I learned how to be multi-partial.

1:04:53How do I really listen to a story to discern what is important to the teller?

1:04:57It is only by consistently bringing curiosity and compassion that we can understand how

1:05:02to make Palo Alto more just and fair.

1:05:07In addition to these core strengths, I bring an unusual confluence of experience.

1:05:11I owned a small business two blocks from here for 25 years.

1:05:14I managed a nonprofit for 15 years.

1:05:16I've served on and led nonprofit boards, and I've collaborated on projects with people

1:05:21from many faith communities.

1:05:24While other applicants bring a lot of expertise about specific arenas that the HRC is likely

1:05:29to address, I bring very strong skills around process and effectiveness, and I walk into

1:05:36any situation, both open-hearted and open-minded.

1:05:40I welcome your questions.

1:05:42All right, well, thank you very much.

1:05:46Colleagues, who is not burned out?

1:05:48Please, ask me a hard question.

1:05:51Councilmember Lowing is raring to go.

1:05:53First, I'm going to make a comment, which I appreciate you talking about HRC as a place

1:05:58where we're keeping people safe.

1:06:00A lot of times, people think that safety has to do with police and fire.

1:06:06It's way broader than that, but we don't talk about that enough.

1:06:09That, as part of the mission statement of HRC, is kind of appealing.

1:06:13I want to give you a chance to talk more about your superpower, or at the end, you

1:06:19talk about, at the end of your application, in a nonprofit, I'd say, or a city.

1:06:26We often don't know what issues are going to come up during our tenure, and how somebody

1:06:31handles that new issue without any background or basis is really important, so you say that's

1:06:36a superpower, but let's hear why.

1:06:38Well, so I think part of it is just that readiness to learn and not be afraid to, you

1:06:45know, you have to learn no vocabulary.

1:06:46You have to learn a new metrics.

1:06:48How do we measure this?

1:06:49Is how they're measuring something make a lot of sense, right?

1:06:54And then, you know, who do we need to bring in, and then to really listen, right?

1:06:59I think listening is underrated.

1:07:02And I think in dealing with difficult problems in the city, when you really listen and the

1:07:11residents can feel you listening, right, that already breaks down a lot of anger and

1:07:16opens people up to begin to start working towards solution, did I answer your question?

1:07:24If that's what you stand for, I'm sure.

1:07:32So I was, your comments early on about the member of the community who had said that

1:07:44they finally felt safe from being in Palo Alto.

1:07:49And it struck me that we as a community that really sets high expectations for ourselves

1:07:59so often dwell on self-criticism and what we don't yet do well enough.

1:08:06And certainly we want to continue to identify those gaps and address them.

1:08:11But there's also a value to positive social norms, and how do we promote them?

1:08:21And in doing so, promote a growing of a more positive environment because we model those

1:08:34norms as opposed to the hypercritical that we can also fall into.

1:08:41So I just want to ask you to further talk about that role that we could play in the

1:08:48community.

1:08:49Well, I think when we bring people together for different activities, different programs,

1:08:57friends of mine who are part of the singing resistance group sang at the farmer's market

1:09:02this past weekend.

1:09:03And they couldn't get over what a positive experience it was.

1:09:07And I'm like, of course it is that farmer's market you get onto California Avenue, and

1:09:11you can just feel the joy.

1:09:14I don't know how one can feel joy, but there's an energy when you're on those weekend mornings

1:09:19walking around the city.

1:09:21So I think that, yes, it's this event for 9/11.

1:09:27There were people of all different religious traditions of political-- I mean, again,

1:09:31there's a limit of the range of political positions, honestly, but a range of political

1:09:35positions.

1:09:36But a lot of different religious and national backgrounds were altogether sharing this commitment

1:09:43to living together in our city, for everyone to feel safe, for everyone to feel respected,

1:09:47for everybody to feel together.

1:09:49So I think we have these opportunities, and I think we should create more of them for

1:09:54people-- because again, it is so easy, because there are terrible things that happen.

1:09:58Like I don't want-- bad things happen.

1:10:01And people are mean to people for no good reason.

1:10:05Sometimes they're mean for good reasons.

1:10:06But most of the time, right, people get triggered and they do or say something bad, right?

1:10:12But that's not the majority of what happens here, right?

1:10:14You're absolutely right.

1:10:15Most of the time, this is a lovely place to live.

1:10:18That doesn't mean we should be nonchalant, right?

1:10:20We need to be constantly working towards incremental improvements to be paying attention

1:10:25to things we hear, like what can we do to create these norms, to create actual policies

1:10:31that make people safer, right?

1:10:34But it's not a disaster here.

1:10:37I just have a quick follow-up question.

1:10:42When you were talking about the 9/11 event and the diverse political perspectives, it

1:10:49struck me that I've been to that event many times and love it, that that diversity of

1:10:56that event is between left and further left politically.

1:11:00And we have diversity there.

1:11:02We have in our community a portion of the community, not a majority, who's more conservative,

1:11:09who really feel, in many cases, marginalized by those of us in the majority.

1:11:16Can you speak to that?

1:11:18I think they're not wrong.

1:11:24There was a story a few years ago of a man who wore a MAGA hat into the Starbucks that

1:11:29used to be on El Camino Way, and he was harassed, like he was threatened.

1:11:33He was like, a person should be able to walk around Palo Alto with a hat with something

1:11:37we disagree with, right?

1:11:39We should, again, back to that curiosity and compassion question, I would hope that as

1:11:44a community, we could approach Mr. Filler and say to him, why are you supporting President

1:11:51Trump?

1:11:53He was harassed by a human relations commissioner, actually.

1:11:56Well, I can promise you, if I join the commission, I will speak respectfully and thoughtfully

1:12:03to everyone in our community.

1:12:05I don't know if there's much time to answer this.

1:12:10But last night, when we were at a candidate forum put on by a Muslim group, and a couple

1:12:17people came up to me afterwards and said, hey, that unity statement you did with now

1:12:22the Vice Mayor, Mayor then, Chris Stone, we'd like to see that lived into more in terms

1:12:28of doing things across cultures, across faiths.

1:12:31And you mentioned that in your statement, and I'm-- do you have 10 seconds of thoughts?

1:12:3615.

1:12:37Again, I think we have a lot of different-- it's just a matter of helping people organize.

1:12:42Right?

1:12:43And that's something that I would be delighted to focus on if I were to be on the HRC.

1:12:47It's certainly not fair to throw out that question with so little time.

1:12:5110 seconds.

1:12:52Explain it.

1:12:53Yeah, exactly.

1:12:54Anyway, thank you so much for your time.

1:13:02My pleasure.

1:13:05Yes.

1:13:06OK.

1:13:07So now we're to the point where Ms. Hu was scheduled and is not appearing, and Ms. Dykewell

1:13:13was put to later.

1:13:14And so I just want to ask the clerk's office, have we been able to move up with Mr. Siegel

1:13:19on Zoom?

1:13:20We've been in touch with the three PTZ candidates, and Jeff Watt and Christopher Cow are able

1:13:27to move up.

1:13:29And we expect them around 605, 615.

1:13:33And we have not heard yet from Mr. Siegel.

1:13:36OK.

1:13:37Well, why-- pardon me?

1:13:40That would make Mr. Siegel third, but it is correct time slot.

1:13:44Exactly.

1:13:45All right.

1:13:46So why don't we go forward, Mr.-- so first of all, moving on to the planning and transfer

1:13:51transportation commission.

1:13:53Can we go forward with Mr. Watt?

1:13:56He has not arrived just yet.

1:13:58OK.

1:13:59And Mr. Cow is not as either, but we're expecting them.

1:14:03All right.

1:14:04Well, let's just take a quick recess until one of them does.

1:14:08And then we'll-- yeah, I don't think that's either of them either.

1:14:14So all right.

1:14:15We will recess until somebody arrives that we can talk to.

1:14:18All right.

1:21:43Well, I'm going to call our council meeting back to order, and we will move on to our

1:21:49planning and transportation commission interviews.

1:21:53And we're going to take them slightly out of the order in the packet.

1:21:57And let me just do a brief preamble, just since what we do is we have 10 minutes per

1:22:04applicant.

1:22:05Usually, applicants give a minute or two, sort of an opening introductory statement.

1:22:09And then we ask questions for a while.

1:22:11And if there's time left, you can give us some final thoughts.

1:22:14So with that, I understand that Mr. Christopher Cow is here.

1:22:19And if you wanted to step up to that podium, you can turn on-- she'll turn on the mic.

1:22:24And just whenever you're ready, go ahead and introduce yourself to us.

1:22:32And thanks for coming early.

1:22:33Sorry about the time change.

1:22:35No.

1:22:36It's not a problem.

1:22:38Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and council members.

1:22:41My name is Chris Cow.

1:22:42I work as a software engineer in General Motors Autonomous Driving Division, which actually

1:22:48happens to be moving to Palo Alto next year.

1:22:51And thank you for your time.

1:22:53So after college, I moved to East Palo Alto for my robotics career.

1:22:58Since that time, I've fallen in love with Palo Alto's trees, gardens, bikeable streets,

1:23:04great restaurants, really amazing people.

1:23:06I've had a lot of great conversations in the cafes.

1:23:10And I've realized that creating, maintaining, and improving a place like this takes planning.

1:23:15And I found that land use and transportation are best planned together.

1:23:18Let me start with transportation.

1:23:22I chaired East Palo Alto's Public Works and Transportation Commission, where I served

1:23:26for three years.

1:23:28And I took part in San Mateo County's Safe Routes to School program, where our team

1:23:32installed three temporary traffic circles for kids getting safely to school by partnering

1:23:37with local schools.

1:23:38Two of them became permanent roundabouts because they were successful.

1:23:43And the third is actually on its way.

1:23:45Let's first follow the process, then make it permanent.

1:23:49That's how I like to work.

1:23:52Traffic doesn't stop at a city line either.

1:23:57Over the years after getting stuck on East Bay Shore many times, I flew a drone over

1:24:01Laura Lane near the Silicon Valley International School on the east side of 101.

1:24:07And I noticed that the signal was giving green to turns with no cars, while traffic backed

1:24:12up during evening rush hour up to Embarcadero pretty far back, making it hard for East

1:24:17Palo Alto residents and also Palo Alto residents to reach 101 too.

1:24:23And the solution was I worked with East Palo Alto's Public Works team and kept this a

1:24:26professional to professional conversation, which reached out to Palo Alto's Public Works.

1:24:32And Palo Alto's Public Works cleaned the cameras to fix it.

1:24:35And by my estimate, I think this saved about 13 hours, 13,000 hours of driving a year.

1:24:42That led me to the San Mateo County Transportation Authority's Community Advisory Committee,

1:24:47where we advised on two half-cent sales tax measures.

1:24:51And during my time at the TA, I learned that in 2019, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto and the

1:24:58Metropolitan Transportation Commission had synchronized the signals on University Avenue

1:25:03between Ginda and O'Brien and Mendel Park, East Palo Alto.

1:25:08And the impact was immediate.

1:25:10Evening rush hour travel time between downtown Palo Alto and the Dunbar and dropped from

1:25:15about 70 minutes to 19 minutes.

1:25:18And unfortunately, it seems to have gone a lot worse in speaking with engineers in both

1:25:23cities.

1:25:24They've admitted that it has worsened, and I regularly see it on University.

1:25:29I think we can make traffic better for Palo Alto residents.

1:25:33That's why I also joined East Palo Alto's Planning Commission, where I served, and why

1:25:38this Planning and Transportation Commission appeals to me.

1:25:42During my time on the East Palo Alto Planning Commission, I learned that the role is advisory.

1:25:47If Council gives direction, I'll respect it and help you carry it out well.

1:25:52I've seen what can happen when Planning Commissioners don't follow what Council members have followed,

1:25:58and I don't think it's very productive.

1:26:01And unfortunately, that goes for state law, too.

1:26:03I've been following SB 79 very closely, and I do have concerns about how much it narrows

1:26:10local say.

1:26:11But ultimately, my job is to help you use the tools Palo Alto has.

1:26:16So thank you, and I'd be honored to serve on the Planning and Transportation Commission.

1:26:19All right.

1:26:21Well, thank you, and thank you for applying.

1:26:24Council Member Liz Scott-Hams.

1:26:25Thank you.

1:26:26Thank you, Mr. Cau.

1:26:27Lovely to have somebody here who's been a Planning Commissioner in a nearby city and

1:26:32county.

1:26:34So thank you for applying.

1:26:35It was a great example that you gave about the lights on either side of the freeway

1:26:38and East Palo Alto and Palo Alto not being timed in a way that was useful and what you

1:26:43did to hack that.

1:26:45I wonder if you have noticed additional opportunities for regional collaboration around land use

1:26:52or transportation, public works.

1:26:55Yes, that's a great question.

1:26:56Thank you.

1:26:58I think one thing I've been following closely also is the San Francisco Creek Joint Powers

1:27:03Authority Project.

1:27:05I actually recently led a bike tour between different agencies.

1:27:11We invited some East Palo Alto Council members, East Palo Alto's Public Works, Mandel Park

1:27:15had their safer outs, SFCJPA had staff members present, and also the TA, the funding source.

1:27:23And I think Palo Alto's invited to you.

1:27:25I'm not sure if they had attended.

1:27:27And I see a lot of opportunities there.

1:27:31I've been in some conversations recently with some Palo Alto residents actually in the Crescent

1:27:37Park neighborhood who had been concerned about some of the encampments in the creek.

1:27:42And ultimately, I think that now that reach one has been completed, I think the future

1:27:49reaches need a lot of collaboration.

1:27:52And even during that meeting, hearing the engineers talking to each other, I remember

1:27:56we were standing at university in Woodland and the East Palo Alto engineer said something

1:28:02about a project and the SFCJPA engineers eyes lit up because they're like, "Oh, wow.

1:28:05We didn't realize that this was being done at the same time."

1:28:09And so I think there's a lot of opportunity for collaboration there.

1:28:20Yes.

1:28:23So I did want to ask you, Chris, you served on the East Palo Alto Planning Commission

1:28:29until last month?

1:28:31That's correct.

1:28:32Until, actually, I actually moved to Palo Alto two weeks ago.

1:28:37So as soon as I moved, I gave my notice and resigned because I was a Palo Alto resident.

1:28:42Oh, so you gave, okay, just that recently.

1:28:46So I mean, you've been in our neighboring city for a number of years and participated,

1:28:53but it's very unusual for someone to apply to such an important commission having resided

1:28:59here for two weeks.

1:29:02And I just, I think part of the issue is having people needing to really have an understanding

1:29:13of the breadth and depth of the community issues.

1:29:18Certainly some of those, pardon me, you've had exposure to from being in East Palo Alto.

1:29:26But tell me why you think that it would be appropriate to appoint you just having arrived

1:29:35like this.

1:29:36Yeah.

1:29:38I think Councilmember Burr, you're definitely right and I have a lot to learn.

1:29:43Even though I have been following some of the plans, I do still look forward to reading

1:29:49like the general plan closer and the number of the specific plans, like the San Antonio

1:29:53area plan.

1:29:56I think the value that I can add to the Palo Alto Planning and Transportation Commission

1:30:01is some more of the regional, like some regional perspective as well.

1:30:10I know Palo Alto has historically done a tremendous job on utilities and planning.

1:30:17And I think that there are some limitations that we can do better on with partnership.

1:30:22For example, like the Quiet Zones with Mendel Park, I thought that was a really smart partnership

1:30:26with East Palo Alto, of course.

1:30:30And expect your question though, about why appoint someone who's newer.

1:30:34I think even though I've moved here two weeks ago, I have actually been attending a lot

1:30:41of call to meetings over the last few years.

1:30:43For example, last year I was at a Palo Alto town hall, I've been to a number of Chamber

1:30:47of Commerce events.

1:30:49So I do look forward to ramping up as fast as I can and learning.

1:30:53I think one of the ways that I was able to acclimate to the East Palo Alto Planning

1:30:59Commission when I joined is that one, first I had watched the meetings before, I've been

1:31:05following the Palo Alto Planning Commission, but I made an effort to have a one-on-one

1:31:10pretty quickly with each of the members, just to try and learn from their experiences.

1:31:16And I think that's something I plan to do if appointed to Palo Alto.

1:31:21Yeah, can I just ask quickly, so how long were you in East Palo Alto and have any of

1:31:27these jobs that are mentioned here or are any of them in Palo Alto?

1:31:32Sure.

1:31:33Can you, oh, the volunteer experiences on the commissions?

1:31:36Well, no.

1:31:37So how long have you lived in East Palo Alto?

1:31:39And then I just wondered whether any of them met a J.P. Morgan chain, any of those.

1:31:44Sure, yeah.

1:31:45I moved to East Palo Alto in 2020.

1:31:47I was a resident there until September, like earlier this month, so six years.

1:31:53And during that time, I had worked at Meta, worked at Cruise, which got acquired by General

1:31:59Motors, and then I currently continue to work at General Motors as a Palo Alto resident.

1:32:06Yeah, you'll have to go quick on this one, but so my question was, it seems like Palo

1:32:12Alto has quite a complexity of distinct neighborhoods, which to me is different from not as many

1:32:18distinct neighborhoods.

1:32:20So it's clearly not just a template that you can put on.

1:32:24How do you see about the, what do you think about the learning curve in terms of stepping

1:32:27into this complexity?

1:32:28Okay, yeah, I'm hearing the question, Councilmember, about the stepping into complexity, learning

1:32:34about all the different nuances between different parts of Palo Alto.

1:32:38Yeah, that's a good question.

1:32:41I think that, well, in East Palo Alto, I had encountered something like this as well,

1:32:47even though it's only two square miles, there's actually, there was a lot of historical tension

1:32:51between different neighborhoods.

1:32:54One of my planning commissioners actually taught me that at my first meeting, and I

1:32:58reached out and had a coffee chat, and that was really productive to learning the difference

1:33:03between those neighborhoods.

1:33:04I think for Palo Alto, I've been following a lot of the Palo Alto Weekly and different

1:33:12news reports actually over the last few years, and I've learned a lot about the different

1:33:16neighborhoods to there.

1:33:17For example, I know in CalAv, there's been a lot of concerns about the Molly Stone building,

1:33:26and when we were also looking for a place to live in Palo Alto, I had met with our

1:33:33planning department, which is excellent, the planning staff, and they shared with

1:33:37me like the South of Forest Master Plan.

1:33:39I'm going to have to cut you off at that point, and we'll give the other applicants

1:33:43an extra minute.

1:33:44I just wanted to give you a chance to answer that question.

1:33:46Okay, thank you.

1:33:47All right, well thank you so much for applying and for coming early.

1:33:49Okay, thank you.

1:33:50Thank you.

1:33:53All right.

1:33:54Although, yeah, so now I can move to Mr. Watt.

1:34:01All right, so we're just going to go backwards in order for planning.

1:34:05So basically, I think you know the drill, but we have an 11-minute time period tonight,

1:34:10so you can take a couple minutes up front to give us whatever preliminary statement

1:34:15you'd like, and we'll ask you some questions.

1:34:17Thank you.

1:34:18All right, good evening, Mayor, Council Members, I'm Jeff Watt, and I'm grateful to be considered

1:34:25again.

1:34:26So you have my application, it's the same one I submitted earlier this year.

1:34:30There really isn't a whole lot of change, but I want to use my time to share a few

1:34:35things that are new since the last interview.

1:34:38So first of all, in my application, I think I may have shared this before, I'm a board

1:34:43member of the Palo Alto Historical Association, and I'm proud to say that I've completed

1:34:48the application to elevate the El Palo Alto tree to state historical landmark.

1:34:54That was submitted to the State Office of Historic Preservation at the end of May, and

1:34:59they're currently processing it, and I have to thank the City Manager's Office for providing

1:35:04a letter of support for that.

1:35:06So that probably will take around a year for a decision, but hopefully we'll get that

1:35:09approved, and the City Manager also approved a new plaque in the El Palo Alto park if it

1:35:15goes through.

1:35:16Secondly, I've spent the past few months trying to get more familiar with the state

1:35:19housing laws, including the density bonus law on SB 79, what they would mean for our

1:35:27city.

1:35:28This actually has some impact on my own neighborhood, so I have a lot of interest in this.

1:35:32And I think that my background on the planning commission would be helpful because I'm very

1:35:38familiar with making pragmatic decisions under time constraints, and I would really

1:35:42welcome the chance to put that to use for the community.

1:35:46And finally, I just want to make it clear that my interest in history really shouldn't

1:35:50be read as an opposition to growth.

1:35:52I mean, I know from studying the history of every area that growth has been a constant.

1:35:56Even before Palo Alto was a town, this area has grown for almost 200 years.

1:36:01And I think when it's managed thoughtfully, it really can serve us well.

1:36:04So I've been a resident here, I've called Palo Alto home for over 30 years, and I really

1:36:08care deeply about the growth of the town.

1:36:12And I understand that we have state laws that we need to follow.

1:36:17But as much as possible, I really want to preserve the character of the town that's

1:36:22made it an early attractive place for people who live for generations.

1:36:25And I really believe in high density housing, where it makes sense in areas that are served

1:36:31by transit and where mobility is suitable for high density housing.

1:36:35It's obviously downtown Cal Avenue, along El Camino, where we have frequent bus service

1:36:43and on San Antonio.

1:36:47And yeah, I'll leave it at that.

1:36:50Thanks for the time and welcome any questions.

1:36:52All right.

1:36:56Well, thank you very much.

1:36:57Colleagues, any questions?

1:36:58Council member rectal.

1:37:01Okay.

1:37:02Yeah, thank you for playing it again.

1:37:11I looked at your analysis that you did about the stream protection and it was pretty impressive

1:37:15that really impacted your neighborhood.

1:37:19Another thing that impacted your neighborhood is birds have glass and you talk about what

1:37:23your thoughts on that subject are and how the city handled it.

1:37:27I think that the planning and transportation commission recommendation and the council's

1:37:33decision, I think was a very pragmatic approach, especially for residents in single family

1:37:40and residential areas.

1:37:41There really is no residential solution right now for etched glass, which your residents

1:37:46can use.

1:37:47So I think it made sense to not require that, although it's still required to have decals

1:37:54and films west of Foothill, which I think is not a significant burden.

1:37:59So I think that that was a very pragmatic choice.

1:38:02I think one thing that I may be a little bit disappointed about is just in kind of

1:38:06the broader sense, I think there's other things that could be done to help with the

1:38:13bird life.

1:38:14For instance, I think it's pretty well known that the cats are primary source of bird

1:38:18death, both feral and domestic house cats.

1:38:20I know that's difficult to control, but there may be things we could do there.

1:38:23And then also I think landscaping is very critical positioning of vegetation and fountains,

1:38:28bird feeders, those sorts of things.

1:38:29Those are pretty low hanging fruit to reduce bird deaths, but I think overall, I think

1:38:35it was a very pragmatic decision given the state of the residential glass availability.

1:38:44Thank you.

1:38:49Oh, go ahead, George.

1:38:50Okay.

1:38:51Can you speak to a housing project and/or traffic improvement in the recent-ish, but

1:38:58we can be brought here, past that you would like to see more of in Palo Alto?

1:39:02Well, I know there's a number of projects that have been approved recently along San

1:39:10Antonio Road.

1:39:12So I think that that's appropriate to have that kind of development along San Antonio

1:39:16Road.

1:39:17You know, I do think that there's mobility issues there that need to be addressed.

1:39:21I'd like to see that improvement.

1:39:22I think that's going to be addressed through the San Antonio Road Area Plan, but I think

1:39:26that's an ideal place to have that kind of development.

1:39:35So Jeff, we have the Planning and Transportation Commission that too often is alternately

1:39:42the Planning Commission and then the Transportation Commission.

1:39:46The concept actually was that the Commission would look at those two areas and their relationship

1:39:52to each other.

1:39:54Can you speak to what you see as where we should have the focus in our development,

1:40:05primarily of housing in the community, and what we need to do to address the commensurate

1:40:13transportation challenges?

1:40:15Well, I think, as I said in my remarks, I believe in transit-oriented development and

1:40:24placing that development close, primarily close to the Caltrain stations.

1:40:27I think, you know, Caltrain does have its own plan to evolve their service to make

1:40:34it much more frequent, much more efficient over the next decade or so.

1:40:38So I think there's going to be great opportunity to have much better transit along that corridor.

1:40:45So I think that really is the prime opportunity.

1:40:49On San Antonio Road, I think that there's not as much opportunity close to the Caltrain

1:40:55station there.

1:40:56So I think there needs to be a lot of attention paid to the mobility further north along

1:40:59the road, you know, more than half a mile away from the station.

1:41:01And then, of course, on El Camino, I think that's, you know, also a great place for

1:41:05housing with the frequent bus transit, I think that that potentially could be improved

1:41:08quite a bit there as well.

1:41:10Colleagues?

1:41:24You're welcome.

1:41:25Are you still telling him he is?

1:41:31I think we're a little worn out.

1:41:43Well, is there anything that you've seen recently sort of observing the PTC that makes

1:41:52you want to suggest things that they should do differently?

1:41:57Well, maybe it's not so much the PTC itself, but I guess the planning process in general,

1:42:04I think one in one area I felt like maybe there could have been more community engagement

1:42:11was on the stream corridor protection ordinance, which I think will be coming in the council

1:42:15early November.

1:42:16So this has been going on for a couple of years now.

1:42:20I have to say quite honestly that I knew about it because I read about it in the weekly.

1:42:24I think that was maybe late 2024.

1:42:28Most of the neighbors I have in my neighborhood, which are close to the creek, had no idea

1:42:34about that until it was well underway.

1:42:37So my understanding is that when there's something that impacts citywide, that notifications

1:42:42are not sent out.

1:42:43But I think in that case, for SCPO, you know, the city maybe could have had some better

1:42:48outreach to residents that were close to the creek to try to get them engaged earlier.

1:42:52Because it seems like a lot of people didn't know about it until it was kind of late in

1:42:56the process.

1:42:57But I would have to say that the PTC was very thoughtful in listening to all the comments

1:43:04from residents.

1:43:05I think, you know, the Edgewood neighborhood had a lot of issues about safety that were

1:43:08taken into account.

1:43:09I think maybe there's still some lingering issues about the five foot gap they have

1:43:14between their fence and the creek.

1:43:19And in the Esther Clark Park neighborhood of the area west of Foothill, I think there

1:43:23was some very thoughtful response to a lot of residents' concerns about the 150 foot

1:43:29setback that was proposed there.

1:43:31So I think in the end, you know, it worked out well and I think you'll probably see the

1:43:34ordinance has pretty broad support from residents as well as environmental groups like the

1:43:40Bird Alliance, but I believe there could have been probably better community engagement

1:43:46on that one up front, which is not really a PTC issue, but more of just general planning

1:43:50issue.

1:43:51Thank you.

1:43:52Madam Clerk, did you start at 11 or did you start at 10?

1:43:56At 10.

1:43:57Okay, so we actually have another minute 20 if anyone has another question.

1:44:01I'll have a quick follow up.

1:44:02In your application, you talk about data driven decisions.

1:44:06Is there a type of data that you think that the city could use in improved planning?

1:44:10Well, you know, I haven't looked at the detail what data is available, but you know, I think

1:44:17the kind of things that I think should be looked at would be, you know, things like

1:44:21I know there's, for instance, walkshed data that I've seen for other cities that map

1:44:25out how long does it take to walk to transit to libraries to these different services?

1:44:29I don't know if that's readily available for Palo Alto.

1:44:32I've seen other cities where you can just pull it up and see what that looks like.

1:44:36You know, I like to see metrics that support the analysis and decisions being made.

1:44:42That's just one example, but there's probably others I'd have to look at it more closely,

1:44:46though.

1:44:47Okay, thank you.

1:44:49All right.

1:44:50Well, do you have any last thoughts for us?

1:44:51No, I mean, I just would really like to be able to serve the community.

1:44:58I've been here for more than 30 years, like I said, and I'd like to give back.

1:45:01I have a lot of experience with a lot of the planning issues based on following it

1:45:06for many years and being kind of personally involved with a number of issues recently.

1:45:11Great.

1:45:12Thank you for the time.

1:45:13Thank you for applying.

1:45:14All right.

1:45:15Let's wrap up our PTC applications, and so if you could, so let's move to Mr. Segal,

1:45:23who I understand is online.

1:45:27Okay, welcome, and go ahead and start when you're ready.

1:45:33We can hear you.

1:45:34I take it you've been watching us and we know we started doing the preliminary statement

1:45:38and then we'll ask any questions we have, so please go ahead.

1:45:40Yeah, I want to start by apologizing for being on Zoom.

1:45:45When the meeting was, the time was moved, I just wasn't able to get there on time.

1:45:50My name is Tom Segal.

1:45:51I'm a 20-year resident of the City of Palo Alto, about half of that time as a renter

1:45:58and half of the time as a homeowner.

1:46:01I'm primarily a small business owner, that's how to find myself.

1:46:05I founded and ran three small businesses in the community.

1:46:09One of them has since moved to San Mateo.

1:46:14I've been quite involved with city planning kind of considerations through my six years

1:46:21on the Citizen Oversight Committee of the Palo Alto School District, which I wrapped

1:46:27up about two years ago at this point.

1:46:31These three children in Palo Alto schools and just very committed to helping kind of

1:46:39the city in any way I can, and I want to thank you for considering my candidacy.

1:46:47All right, well, thank you very much.

1:46:55Councilmember Liu.

1:46:57Thank you for applying.

1:46:59Can you speak about your familiarity with safe routes to school and maybe more extensively

1:47:04and specifically interventions or transportation improvements we can or should consider for

1:47:14student safety?

1:47:18So I live in the South Gate neighborhood.

1:47:22So my kids attended Palo Alto school, high school.

1:47:26So they're very familiar with some of the challenges, the mental health challenges,

1:47:32and the unfortunate deaths that have happened, biking is another one, and I would actually

1:47:39include a lot of the motorized ones that have been popping up and making sure that

1:47:46can happen in a safe environment.

1:47:49And there's the protections and the infrastructure for that.

1:47:55Those are two that come to mind.

1:48:01If I can squeeze in, I'd love to hear a little bit more about the kind of road and

1:48:04interventions or bike safety improvements you might consider or think that we should

1:48:11do.

1:48:13So number one for me is sort of achieving separation of pedestrians and bicyclists from

1:48:21for motorists, and that includes on the one hand, the Caltrain transitions, but also

1:48:29creating sort of dedicated biking and pedestrian areas that don't intersect with motorized

1:48:38or big old traffic.

1:48:40I like the idea of the bike boulevards, for instance, and kind of heading to this over

1:48:44time.

1:48:45I know that's not something that can be done overnight, for instance.

1:48:49Thank you.

1:48:52Thank you.

1:49:02Okay.

1:49:03Thanks, Tom, for applying.

1:49:06Good to see you again.

1:49:11You mentioned bike safety.

1:49:12And one thing we've considered is Vision Zero.

1:49:15And that would be dramatically lower speeds and also things like no right on red.

1:49:20And both those are unpopular with the city or with the citizens, but would improve safety.

1:49:26And so how do you do a trade like that?

1:49:31I think we've particularly in the neighborhood where I live, we have a lot of no right on

1:49:39red.

1:49:41It's not being observed very diligently, and it's very more of a habit than a conscious

1:49:48choice that a lot of the motorists are making.

1:49:50So enforcing those provisions that are already in place, I think can actually already make

1:49:58kind of significant contributions to that.

1:50:01I do believe that lower speed limits or certainly enforcing the current speed limits but also

1:50:08lowering is a good idea, quite honestly.

1:50:12From a small business owner's perspective, I do want to make sure that access to local

1:50:17businesses can be preserved as we're doing that.

1:50:21And that has been sometimes not as much of a consideration.

1:50:26So I want to make sure that we kind of are responsible in terms of trading safe on neighborhoods

1:50:36by enforcing what's already there and doing more.

1:50:40Good.

1:50:41Thank you.

1:50:43Yeah.

1:50:46Thanks for applying.

1:50:47I wanted to know if you had any specific, how you feel a connection is between the consumers

1:50:54and the builders and the retailers, meaning generally builders would rather not put in

1:51:00retail because it takes up space if they could put in units.

1:51:04And residents generally want retail because they can get a cup of coffee or a hammer to

1:51:08put up the pictures when they get in.

1:51:12So how do you think that we should address that and sort of solve that conundrum?

1:51:16Yeah.

1:51:18I've been actually quite close to this on El Camino.

1:51:21There are some of you may know this, close California Avenue, the Turkish grocery store.

1:51:27And that had many with JG markets at some point before.

1:51:30And it's been very hard for some of these local businesses to gain a foothold.

1:51:36And I think it is very important that we as we create more housing, which we should,

1:51:42that also results in livable community for those families who move in.

1:51:47And so having these animities nearby, having small business and having entertainment options

1:51:53and all that in walking distance is really important.

1:51:57So I think builders need to create these opportunities, particularly at the kind of

1:52:05ground floor level, and, you know, that just adds to the, or helps maintain the character

1:52:11of the city.

1:52:12And builders need to create that.

1:52:15We're also seeing quite honestly, really sometimes, you know, rents for businesses making certain

1:52:22business models just impossible.

1:52:24You know, and as I talk to my fellow business owner, I am not a storefront business.

1:52:28I'm not a retail business, but it's really hard to do that.

1:52:31And so getting, having the availability, but also having reasonable economic rates

1:52:36to actually try, you know, to grow some of these businesses is really important.

1:52:41So I think developers should do their share.

1:52:43And I feel actually very strongly about that.

1:52:45Okay.

1:52:48Thank you.

1:52:53Yeah.

1:52:55Yeah.

1:52:56Thank you.

1:52:57Thank you, Mr. Siegel.

1:52:58Where are you?

1:52:59There you are.

1:53:00My screen.

1:53:01Appreciate your applying.

1:53:02I noted in your application that you said that you have built an ADU.

1:53:06And I wonder if you have any feedback for the city about the process of doing so and

1:53:13the like.

1:53:14Yeah.

1:53:17So we've got one of the kind of earlier ADUs, I think, 2021.

1:53:23I think there were still a lot of things that have been worked out in the process.

1:53:27And I think a lot of things have improved since, but the approval process at the time

1:53:33took over nine months.

1:53:34And so that was one thing that stood out.

1:53:36It's probably better at this point.

1:53:39It was very restrictive, you know, what we could do.

1:53:43And there was just a lot of back and forth.

1:53:46And as a result, it was at the time, but also the costs that associated with some of these

1:53:54was much higher than we anticipated.

1:53:57And I think that is and think since then, I think some of the regulations regarding,

1:54:04you know, what can be done and how it's done have been loosened, which I think is a good

1:54:08thing.

1:54:09And, you know, just allowing, you know, some, you know, more housing to be built faster.

1:54:15ADU style is, I think, a good thing.

1:54:19Thank you.

1:54:23So, Tom, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the transformation of our community and with

1:54:32the over 20 percent plan for growth in housing in just an eight year period.

1:54:41What's your vision for how that can be accomplished while retaining what are the urban design

1:54:53and suburban design characters of different parts of our community?

1:54:59I am actually, I'm excited about contributing to this process of helping the city meeting

1:55:06the housing goals.

1:55:08I think it's an interesting and exciting problem for me to work on.

1:55:15I'm welcoming the new developments.

1:55:17And in addition to just creating housing, these needs to create livable communities,

1:55:23you know, for those new comos, but, you know, also retain the little character for those

1:55:28residents who already here that includes, you know, having walkable, you know, anemones

1:55:34available, whether that is, you know, entertainment, whether that's shopping, whether that is creating

1:55:39community spaces, which is one that, you know, I've personally missed, you know, creating

1:55:44also more opportunities for, for instance, you know, coffee shops to be open after five

1:55:49or six p.m.

1:55:51And so making sure that it's in addition to the housing availability and creating that,

1:55:58you know, in an efficient manner, it is also everything around it that makes it, you know,

1:56:06kind of an call, like an integrated experience.

1:56:10So newcomers, you know, are being welcome, feeling welcome in the community, but can

1:56:15also connect to others who are there.

1:56:25Yeah.

1:56:26So I don't see any other questions.

1:56:28So if you have any final comments that you'd like to leave us with, please go ahead.

1:56:32First, thank you for the questions.

1:56:36The reason why I'm, obviously many reasons I'm excited to join, but one, I really would

1:56:40like to bring the small business perspective to the Palo Alto Transportation Planning

1:56:46Commission.

1:56:47I think it's important one that's not been as loud of a voice and obviously helping

1:56:52me the housing mandate.

1:56:54So it's really the two that I would be excited to contribute to.

1:56:58And thank you again for your consideration.

1:57:00All right.

1:57:01Well, thank you very much for applying and for joining us tonight.

1:57:04Thank you.

1:57:05Okay.

1:57:06All right.

1:57:07So that concludes the Planning and Transportation Commission applicants.

1:57:11And so now I want to go back to our final Human Relations Commission applicant.

1:57:16And I know you've had quite a day, so I'm glad that Ms. Dykewell persisted and is here.

1:57:22And so I would welcome you to the podium.

1:57:26And you can start with just an initial introductory statement of whatever sort you'd like.

1:57:31Hi.

1:57:32First of all, thank you for giving me a chance tonight.

1:57:36I didn't think I was going to be here.

1:57:38My son is waiting for me outside.

1:57:42You have seen most of the things that I've done for this community in my 30 years of

1:57:48being a resident of Palo Alto.

1:57:53If you were to ask me for some names or referrals or recommendations, they will describe me

1:57:58to you as dedicated, resourceful, not afraid to do anything.

1:58:06If I'm soliciting for donations, they know that I give it back.

1:58:13And therefore, if I believe in this cause, you should be able to believe in it too.

1:58:18And so I write my own check before I ask somebody for a check.

1:58:22They also know that I am a project manager, and I do what I said I'm going to do.

1:58:31I don't have a presentation because I wasn't really sure that it was tonight.

1:58:36Also, I would tell you about my current community activities that I'm doing, because the things

1:58:44that you are seeing there have been things that I've done.

1:58:49I just came from a community coalition for the Rotary.

1:58:55I am with the Palo Alto Rotary Club and met some nonprofits.

1:59:00It's a seminar in San Jose, and it was a wonderful experience for me because now I see who we

1:59:06are working with and who we think have the same values that we would be partnering with

1:59:14them.

1:59:16I also have been working with the housing component and, of course, I'm the membership

1:59:23committee chair for the League of Women Voters.

1:59:26And I heard a couple of you, the candidates here with PTC, I think I would like to let

1:59:35you know that being a real estate agent, I see that the need for housing for this community

1:59:42is for the old folks who have been living here and they may have their five million

1:59:51dollar homes, but there's no place for them to go to.

1:59:54I would like to make sure that they have a place to go to staying in Palo Alto.

2:00:00Thank you for joining us today. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you for joining us today.

2:00:30There are the same line. That's and that's why I'm still here. I have an opportunity to go to LA to be with my son but I wanted to be here because this is where all my my my friends are. And I'm continuing to have new friends. I just had a and I like to entertain and and have a sit sitting down dinner with friends, my clients at my home because that's it's it's the friendship.

2:00:59The camaraderie the stories that you that you share and and and the family activities and things that I can help them with if they if they need to know more about where to go or the amenities of a Palo Alto. I am very much into helping the community, giving back to the community and that's why I haven't stopped.

2:01:23The only time that I sat with my husband passed away and then when I came back, I'm ready to move on and be me again. And so here I am. I am very good at you tell me what you need and I will get it done. If you tell me that you you you want, you know, you want to engage with or be on the on the arbitration committee.

2:01:47I have done that for many years for the Palo Alto community for the Palo Alto real estate for the whole California Association of realtors. I have been a member and chaired the legislative committees. I've chaired many of the communities of the realtor that that makes me be more able to help when whether it's public relations, whether it's membership committee, whether it's the marketing committee.

2:02:13I used to chair a marketing committee for the realtors after a meeting with the Rotary the one that meets on Friday morning and then I go from from from Avenida then I run to the from from the church and I went to Avenida and we do another meeting there at nine at nine at eight thirty nine thirty and then we start the broker store.

2:02:36I am I don't know why I get my energy, but I know that being with the community and being with with people like mine. That's what motivates me. And that's what gives me energy.

2:02:47So I'm not going to bore you because I, you know, this is my second second interview and and I've given you another, you know, just updated the ones that I've I sent this time. And thank you so very much for giving me the opportunity again.

2:03:05Thank you for applying and also thank you for all the good work that you do in this community.

2:03:09Thank you.

2:03:11So when you look at the HRC in this work plan, what's the biggest thing that you think the HRC has to work on?

2:03:16I think you need to work. I know that this that you that the city, the council and the different commissions, you are very good at the community outreach.

2:03:27But the people that come to you outreach meetings are the same people you need to go to get the word out.

2:03:35And and that's why I will. I told the legal members I'll be a good membership committee because that's what I'm good at.

2:03:43I invite them to a one on one for coffee. And in fact, my second current one that I'm doing is the emergency preparedness for for Midtown.

2:03:53And I was knocking on doors and every single door on my from Loma Verde in El Dorado.

2:04:02That's my and then all the different courts. And you will be surprised at how much you learn from them and how much they want to give back.

2:04:10So that's what I like to do. And so that's what I'm good at.

2:04:16I also know about about how to to appreciate volunteers because, you know, sometimes you you're, you know, you get some and you lose some.

2:04:30But but, you know, you lose them because you don't say thank you or you don't ask them, how else can I help you?

2:04:36Or if you know what they know what what their careers are, then you will know how to place them in a different programs or or activities that you need.

2:04:47But but this community likes to be engaged. Thank you. Thank you.

2:04:53So when you're describing the dinners at your home, it made me think that you're creating a place of belonging for all of these people.

2:05:02Yes. And as a city and as a council, we talk about that as a value and a priority.

2:05:08And so I'm wondering what more do you think we should do as a city to make all of our residents feel a sense of belonging here?

2:05:16I think I mentioned that to you at one point about having a just a happy hour or a town hall or something.

2:05:26No particular speeches, just gather around and you will learn more about them than saying this is, you know, we're going to talk about downtown improvement.

2:05:41There's no particular topic and just let them know that you really, really want to know, learn more about them, that you will stop talking and you'll listen to them.

2:05:50So the little, the little coffees, I think they would appreciate that. And actually, when I was knocking on doors, they asked, they did not even know that we have an emergency preparedness program.

2:06:04And they didn't even know about Measure J. You know, those things, they you have a conversation with them and they know more and then they know that you're really doing this and they can appreciate more of your volunteer to their community.

2:06:19Got it. Any other questions, colleagues?

2:06:26All right. Well, there's about a minute left if there's some concluding thoughts that you would like to leave us with.

2:06:34I know you're doing a lot, but please do more. Know your neighbors. Thank you.

2:06:40Well, thank you very much. All right. And I believe that concludes our interviews for the evening.

2:06:47So we will wrap up that item, the item 2 special order of the day.

2:06:54And so now next is our closed session on three items, public employee performance evaluations, conference with labor negotiator and conference with real property negotiators.

2:07:10Madam Clerk, do we have any public comment on any of these three items?

2:07:14We do not have any public comment and no hands are raised on Zoom.

2:07:18Okay, well then I guess with that I would entertain a motion to go into closed session as I move second. All right.

2:07:46The motion carries unanimously. Okay, great. Well, then we will then recess into closed session.

5:57:10All right, we are back from closed session.

5:57:12We have no reportable action and we are adjourned for the evening.