When I was in high school back in the 1900's (as my kids like to say), I was very involved in a club called Junior Statemen of America, or JSA. Through my involvement with JSA, I got to practice leadership skills, gain debate practice, learn how government functions and have a great time with like-minded public service-oriented teenagers. As I went through college, and then into adulthood, I forgot about my time in JSA, until I started advocating for Safe Streets in Menlo Park and the skills I had acquired and lessons learned decades earlier started resurfacing. I really believe that my experience in JSA informed a lot about how I am today as a decision maker and I am grateful I had the opportunity when I was younger to be part of the organization.
Yesterday, I had the honor to speak to a group of current JSA students from all over the Bay Area at the Oakland Airport Hilton during their Spring Convention. JSA now stands for Junior State of America - they lost the "man," but other than that one change, being with JSA felt so familiar and uplifting. Seeing kids motivated to spend their Saturday morning listening to a speech from a random mayor, and passing the rest of the day debating, gave me hope for the future.
While the kids gave me hope that there will be a pipeline of future leaders, they did report that most of them are feeling quite pessimistic about the future of our country (see below).
When I further probed on which issues they care most about, or are concerned with, the overwhelming majority of them picked climate change, followed by a series of domestic issues (see below).
As a lover of the field of Statistics, I know that the above results from a self-selecting group of less than 70 high achieving, Bay Area students, is not representative of all youth. That being said, the findings do provide an interesting data point and serve to remind me of why I am serving as an elected official in the first place. The youth will indeed inherit the earth, but until they are ready to do so, it is up to all of us to be its caretakers. There is much is at stake, and many of the larger issues facing society, that get lots of attention on the national (and international) stage, have relevance in our community, and can be addressed at City Hall. How (or if) we tackle these issues, is the question and the challenge ahead. Our kids are watching.
Tuesday's (4/18) Special Council Meeting only contains two agenda sections:
Interviews with Planning Commission applicants (Item C1). Note that no action will be taken at this meeting. Appointments are scheduled for the April 25, 2023 City Council meeting.
Closed session conferences with legal counsel (Items D1, D2 and D3).
As always, information about how to attend and give comment, is available on page one of the agenda.
A Few Words about Closed Sessions
From time to time you may notice items on the Council agendas that are listed as "Closed Session." Closed sessions are just as suggested by their titles, closed to the public. This can feel counter to the public's right to have the work of government be conducted in the open, and contrary to the Brown Act, which mandates open government practices in California. The following information was written by the League of California Cities, and will hopefully help clarify the purpose and limitations of closed session meetings:
A closed session is a meeting of a legislative body conducted in private without the attendance of the public or press. A legislative body is authorized to meet in closed session only to the extent expressly authorized by the Brown Act.
The most common purposes of the closed session provisions in the Brown Act are to avoid revealing confidential information (e.g., prejudicing the city’s position in litigation or compromising the privacy interests of employees).
The Brown Act explicitly prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information acquired in a closed session by any person present, and offers various remedies to address breaches of confidentiality. It is incumbent upon all those attending lawful closed sessions to protect the confidentiality of those discussions.
Other Items of Interest
Below are some additional items of interest.
Letter Received by the City of Menlo Park on April 7th from the
California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD):
Additional Revisions Needed to Housing Element in Order to be Found in Substantial Compliance with State Law
As you may recall, the City of Menlo Park recently adopted its Housing Element, the state-mandated chapter of the General Plan that requires a city to identify opportunity sites for additional housing (at all income levels) every eight years. In addition to siting enough housing to meet our Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), Menlo Park, like all California cities, had to commit to develop programs that support the preservation of existing housing and the development of new housing (in large part through zoning changes).
Upon our adoption of the Housing Element at the January 31st Council meeting, the City sent the completed document to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review. After a 60 day review period, the City received a letter on April 7th from HCD which found that while the Menlo Park Housing Element "addresses many statutory requirements, additional revisions are necessary to substantially comply with State Housing Element Law."
As stated on Menlo Park's Housing Element webpage FAQ, "If a city does not comply with State law, it can be sued. In addition to facing significant fines, a court may limit local land use decision-making authority until the jurisdiction brings its Housing Element into compliance. Additionally, local governments may lose the right to deny certain projects. These and other consequences are established in state law; Housing Elements are subject to regulatory oversight by the California Department of Housing and Community Development."
You can read the City's official press release on this development here. Stay tuned for next steps.
Complete Streets Commission Meeting on Monday, April 17th at 6:30pm
Includes Three Big District 3 Transportation Topics
Three big transportation-related items are before the Complete Streets Commission on Monday night, April 17th (tomorrow!), all of which directly impact District 3. The meeting begins at 6:30pm and information about how to attend and make public comment can be found on page one of the agenda. The items are:
Menlo Park Tenants' Rights Educational Workshop
Tuesday, April 18th (in Spanish) and Wednesday, April 19th (in English)
Curious about tenant resources and rights? Come to a Menlo Park Tenants' Rights Educational Workshop. There will be a Spanish and English workshop and child care and food will be provided.
Spanish workshop
Tuesday, April 18
6–7:30 p.m.
Belle Haven Branch Library
413 Ivy Drive
English workshop
Wednesday, April 19
6–7:30 p.m.
Belle Haven Branch Library
413 Ivy Drive
The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County will lead the workshop and will cover a variety of topics, including evictions, rent increases, problems with the conditions of your place and lease agreement rules. You'll gain valuable knowledge and resources to help you navigate the often-confusing world of tenant rights.
Register in advance for each workshop here. For questions, call or text 650-999-0545.
Rainbow Kids Webinar
Wednesday, April 19th at 4pm
Rainbow Kids provides practical strategies and tools for parents, caregivers and educators of young children, who are forming foundational concepts of gender, families, and love in their early years. While these topics can feel unfamiliar and complex, Rainbow Kids helps adults engage and support young children as they explore who they are and who is in their world.
The 90-minute training (with 30 min of Q&A) is led by Azisa Todd (Lead Trainer and Events Coordinator, San Mateo County Pride Center) and Nathanael Flynn (early childhood educator and co-author of Supporting Gender Diversity in Early Childhood Classrooms). It provides age-appropriate information and guidance on topics such as understanding LGBTQ+ identities, practicing pronouns and inclusive language, and managing the messages children receive every day about gender, families and love.
Click here for more information about Rainbow Kids, and to register for the April 19th webinar (other dates also available).
San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA) Reach 2 Update Community Meeting (Includes Pope-Chaucer Bridge)
Thursday, April 20th at 6:30pm
The San Francisquito Creek JPA, and cities of Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and East Palo Alto and JPA member Valley Water, have scheduled a neighborhood workshop on Thursday, April 20th at 6:30pm on the status of the San Francisquito Creek Reach 2 project. Join this neighborhood meeting to learn about next steps for the project, including the Newell Street Bridge replacement, Channel Widening and Top-of-Bank work, and the Pope-Chaucer bridge replacement.
Love Our Earth Festival
Saturday, April 22nd from 11am to 4pm
Join the City of Menlo Park and community partners at the Love Our Earth Festival on Saturday, April 22nd from 11am to 4pm. The Love Our Earth festival will feature a food marketplace including live vegan cooking demos on induction cooktops, a Goodwill donation drive, free bicycle repairs, an electric vehicle showcase, 50+ exhibitors/vendors, live music, family activities including story times and a live lizard show, a speaker series offered in English and Spanish, an electric landscaping tools demonstration, and more! The event will be held at Menlo-Atherton High School and more information can be found here.
Bike to Wherever Days Coming in May - Pledge to Ride
Menlo Park in the Lead!
Nothing like a little competition to get Menlo Park residents fired up! As I covered in my last newsletter, and in my award winning (haha) video encouraging residents to pledge to ride, Bike to Wherever Days is coming up May 18th to 20th. Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition is keeping a leaderboard to track which city has the most pledged riders (it's free to pledge!) and Menlo Park went from #2 to a strong first place position! Let's keep our lead over our neighboring cities. Pledge to ride here!
