Welcome to my first District 3 newsletter! The goal of these periodic emails is to:
Keep you up to date on local affairs;
Solicit your feedback on upcoming key decisions; and
Share ways to get involved and to have your voice be heard.
Feel free to share this email with your friends and neighbors.
Sincerely,
How to Access Menlo Park City Council Meetings
Regular City Council Meetings/Agendas
Menlo Park City Council meetings are at 5pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month.
The 2021 City calendar is here (subject to change).
Agendas are published 72 hours prior to the meeting - usually on Thursday afternoons/evenings.
Sign up to receive an email notification as soon as agendas become available on the Notify Me page of the City's website.
Due to the pandemic, all public meetings are taking place online. Each meeting agenda contains login and call-in information.
Participate/Share Feedback
Members of the public can make a live public comment for up to 3 minutes (subject to change) for each agenda item.
Emails can also be sent to the entire City Council to city.council@menlopark.org (note: emails sent to the entire City Council are publicly accessible via the City's email log here).
Do you have a problem that just needs to be reported to the City (graffiti, illegal dumping, tree issues, etc.)? Menlo Park has a new app for that! Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search "Simplicity Menlo Park". The app contains a "Report a Problem" tab that will allow you to send in your concern. Try it out and let me know what you think.
If you have any questions about how to contact the City, access city meetings or anything else, please let me know.
Menlo Park Goings On
Lots going on in Menlo Park! Below are some things that may be of interest:
City Council Goal Setting - Each year the City Council meets to establish its priorities for the upcoming year, vis-a-vis available resources. This important meeting is currently being scheduled. I'll keep you posted.
Race, Prejudice & Policy: A Three Part Conversation on Segregation and its Legacy on Education Around Menlo Park - The Menlo Park City School District is hosting a series of conversations with community members and local organizations that are open to all. The first of the three (online) events is at 6:30pm on Wednesday, January 6th (tomorrow!) and is titled "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America…and Menlo Park." For more information about this and all events, including registration information, please visit http://www.mpcsdspeakerseries.com/events.html (be sure to scroll down the page to find the event).
Virtual Events - Looking for some family fun? Throughout the pandemic the City of Menlo Park has been hosting family-friendly zoom events. This week and next there is "Shelter-in-Play Bingo" (Friday, January 8th at 6pm) and "Shelter-in-Play Family Trivia" (Friday, January 15th at 6pm).
Menlo Park: Open for Business - The Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce keeps an up-to-date list of restaurants and retail establishments that are open. Please do what you can to support our local community businesses - and always wear a mask and maintain social distance.
Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) - The first two (Menlo Uptown and 111 Independence Drive) of many projects in the Bayside under ConnectMenlo General Plan are making their way through the development review process. The Draft EIRs for those two are now online and available for comment until 5pm on February 2nd. Verbal comments can also be made at the Planning Commission meeting on Monday, January 11th at 7pm. For more information about these two projects and the EIR process visit https://www.menlopark.org/1774/Development-Projects-Environmental-Docum.
The first meeting of my four-year term was on December 15, 2020. After a recognition of outgoing Councilmember Catherine Carlton and last year's Mayor, Cecilia Taylor, I was sworn in by my family (shown above). Council then selected Drew Combs to serve as Mayor and Betsy Nash to serve as Vice Mayor. Council members were also appointed to various city and regional committees as liaisons and board members. You can see a list of my appointments on the City's website here.
* The observations expressed in this email are my own, and are not an expression of the Menlo Park City Council.
