This past week's horrific, racist killing of Asian Americans in Georgia underscores the ongoing need to condemn injustices, reflect on our local policies and take actions in order to make our community safe and inclusive for all. This week's City Council agenda contains an item about working with the Race, Equity and Leadership department of the National League of Cities to address systemic and structural inequities in Menlo Park (Agenda Item C1), and a proclamation denouncing stigmatization, racism and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (Agenda Item F1).
As stated by the Race, Equity and Leadership department of the National League of Cities, on p. C-1.4 of the staff report, "improving equity within systems and structures requires political will, a readiness among all participants to not do business as usual, and commitment from top local leaders, public agencies, civil society and the community." I'm committed and ready. I hope you are too.
Sincerely,
City Council Meeting Tuesday, March 23rd at 5pm
Tuesday (3/23/21) night's City Council's agenda is here. Like all City Council meeting agendas, it includes links to staff reports for each item, login/call-in information and ways to weigh in on the issues being discussed.
In addition to the agenda items mentioned in my letter above (C1 and F1), below are additional agenda items coming before Council on Tuesday:
C3. Provide direction on the five-year capital improvement plan. The city's Capital Improvement Plan or "CIP", outlines city infrastructure projects to be developed, maintained, improved upon and built new over a 5-year rolling time frame. Projects in the CIP can include roll-over projects prioritized in previous years, projects outlined in master planning documents (for example, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the Transportation Master Plan and the Water System Master Plan), and new capital needs not previously identified. This agenda item lists which projects are slated to receive funding in the 2021-2026 CIP, and the criteria to be used to prioritize these projects. The development of the CIP is a critical step leading to the adoption of the coming 2021-2022 city budget.
H3. Receive and accept the 2020 housing element annual progress report and the annual housing successor report. This is the first of two agenda items at this meeting related to the Housing Element, a chapter of our city's General Plan that outlines policies and implementation programs to facilitate the construction of new housing and the preservation of existing housing to meet the needs across all economic levels through the city. Item H3 is a report on how Menlo Park is performing vis-à-vis state-mandated housing production goals for the period from 2015 to 2023. The table below illustrates how the city is doing against its 8-year cycle target of 655 total units, across a variety of income levels. For those of you who are not familiar with the terminology on the chart, RHNA stands for Regional Housing Needs Allocation, the number of housing units that Menlo Park is mandated to permit. As you can see, the city's success in reaching its number varies greatly by income level.
I2. Authorize the city manager to negotiate a scope of work and fee and execute an agreement with the M-Group for the housing element (2023-2031) update and related work. This second agenda item related to housing kicks-off the planning for the next 8-year cycle of housing production - beyond 2023. Note that in the upcoming cycle, referred to as RHNA 6 (the previous, current cycle is RHNA 5), Menlo Park will need to site housing for approximately 3,000 units, a 358% increase from the last cycle. As stated in the Staff Report, the process of updating our Housing Element to meet state requirements is also "an opportunity to take a deeper dive at historical land use practices and look toward the future through a lens of equity and sustainability." I will be keeping you updated - stay tuned.
I3. Review 2030 climate action plan progress for goals No. 1 through No. 6 and provide direction to staff for 2021 implementation. In July 2020, the City Council adopted a bold Climate Action Plan (CAP) with the goal to reach carbon neutrality (zero emissions) by 2030. The CAP outlines 6 actions ranging from the conversion of all existing buildings (including single family homes) to all-electric to expanding electric vehicle charging for multifamily properties to developing an adaptation plan to protect the community from sea level rise and flooding. This item outlines progress made towards these goals and seeks Council direction on further action. If you haven't already, I highly recommend that you read our city's Climate Action Plan - it does an excellent job outlining the problem and the benefits of taking bold action.
J6. Update on American Rescue Plan Act funds. On March 11th, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan of 2021 that includes $1.9 trillion in stimulus measures. Included is funding for local municipalities. Menlo Park is expected to receive approximately $6.53 million in aid, which may be spent over the course of several years. This one-time money represents about 10% of our city's fiscal year 2020-21 amended General Fund budget. I look forward to working with the community, my fellow council members and staff on how to best utilize these funds.
Other agenda items include a request for proposals for the installation of a renewable power microgrid at the soon-to-be-built Menlo Park Community Campus in Belle Haven, a recap of City Council direction on goal setting and priorities (see reference to agenda item J5 below under UPDATE) and more. Again, you can see the full list of items to be discussed and ways to give feedback, on the agenda here.
UPDATE from Recent City Council Meetings
Below are a few updates from recent City Council meetings:
GOAL SETTING DISCUSSED MORE:On Tuesday, March 9, the City Council provided further guidance to city staff about priorities to pursue in the coming year. This coming Tuesday (3/23) night's city council meeting includes Agenda Item J5 which summarizes the projects still under consideration to be priorities for the coming year. According to Tuesday's staff report for J5, the goal setting process will continue at the April 13th city council meeting.
JOINT MEETING HELD: On Tuesday, March 16th, the Menlo Park City Council and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District held a joint meeting. Agenda items included the possible sale of City land to the Fire District and Emergency/Disaster Preparedness. You can read about the meeting in The Almanac here. I look forward to working with our partner agencies in the years ahead to best serve our common constituents.
Other Items of Interest
Below are a handful of additional items that may be of interest.
California Rent Relief: The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 provides funding to support renter protection laws signed by Governor Newsom. Eligible renters can apply for assistance with unpaid rent and utilities. California landlords who have one or more eligible renters can apply to get reimbursed for 80% of each eligible renter’s unpaid rent between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, if they agree to waive the remaining 20% of unpaid rent for that specific time period. Undocumented renters are eligible. For more information visit housingiskey.com.
City Advisory Body Recruitment Open Until April 16th: Have you ever wanted to get more involved in local government? Now is your chance! Below is a list of upcoming vacancies* for various Menlo Park commission and committees. Deadline to apply is April 16th. The application is here. *Note: For many of these positions, an "incumbent" commissioner may reapply. Sometimes it can take a few tries to get appointed. Please feel free to reach out if you have questions.
