Last Tuesday night (December 13th) I was honored to be selected, by a unanimous vote of City Council, Mayor of Menlo Park for 2023. Councilmembers Drew Combs, Betsy Nash and Cecilia Taylor were also sworn in for their second terms. Cecilia Taylor was unanimously selected to be Vice Mayor for the upcoming year.
After being selected, I took the opportunity to say a few words (ok, more than a few). I reflected on the challenges of the past years and the leadership demonstrated by my colleagues, and City Staff, over this time. I also expressed my appreciation to residents throughout the City for entrusting me in this role, and to my family and friends for their support. To view my comments click here (minute 1:27:50) or read them here. You can also read excerpts from my comments in The Almanac's coverage here.
This week the Council will continue its reorganization business by bidding farewell to San Mateo County District 3 Supervisor-Elect, Councilmember Ray Mueller. This recognition will take place on Wednesday, December 21st, alongside the selection process for Councilmember Mueller's Menlo Park District 5 successor (see below for more information on the replacement process).
In addition to Wednesday's meeting about District 5, the Council will also meet again on Thursday, December 22nd to discuss the Housing Element. Thursday's meeting will be the Council's final meeting of the year, with the first meeting of 2023 scheduled to occur on Tuesday, January 10th. City Hall will be closed the last week of December and on Monday, January 2nd.
May you and your family and friends have a wonderful holiday season, and may we all have a healthy and happy 2023!
Warmly,
Meeting about District 5's City Council Seat
Wednesday, December 21st at 6pm
As mentioned above, Wednesday night's (December 21st) meeting will be about saying goodbye to District 5 Councilmember, Ray Mueller, and filling the District 5 Council seat. The agenda for Wednesday's meeting will be posted 24 hours in advance (at 6pm on Tuesday, December 20th) here.
Below is the sequence of events related to the filling of the District 5 seat that will occur this week:
Sunday evening (tonight!), December 18th - Staff will post on the City website the applications received to date. They will be located at https://menlopark.gov/City-Council at the bottom of the page under the "Council Vacancy" section.
Tuesday, December 20th at 5pm - Deadline to submit an application for appointment.
Wednesday, December 21st at 6pm - Candidates for the appointment will be interviewed by the City Council, and then Council is slated to make a selection. It is anticipated that the chosen candidate will be sworn in on the spot.
The above process/timing was designed to accommodate Councilmember Mueller's request to be part of the appointment process prior to him starting his new position as County Supervisor in the beginning of the new year.
Meeting about the Housing Element
Thursday, December 22nd at 6pm
On Tuesday, December 6th, the Council discussed the City's response to a letter it received from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The City Council was also scheduled to weigh in on potential Zoning Ordinance and El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan amendments associated with the Housing Element. These changes included increased densities and other ways to incentive development to potentially not only meet our State housing requirements, but also to also aid in the revitalization of our Downtown. Due to the absence of one of the councilmembers, the discussion about zoning changes was delayed until this Thursday's meeting (December 22nd). The agenda for Thursday's meeting is expected to be posted early this week at https://menlopark.gov/Agendas-and-minutes#section-2.
To view my comments from the Housing Element discussion on December 6th, please click here (minute 4:16:50).
Other Items of Interest
Today's items of interest are focused on climate action and steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint.
Youth Climate Action Bootcamp
Deadline to Apply is Friday, January 13th
Programs and Incentives Now Available from
Peninsula Clean Energy
As reported by PG&E, natural gas prices in California are expected to increase this winter. Please see below to learn about programs and incentives available from Peninsula Clean Energy to transition to all-electric:
