August 2025 Newsletter

Upcoming Council Items: Downtown Housing Development RFP and Pool Fees Increase

• Housing RFP - At its meeting on August 26, the city council will review a staff proposal to issue an Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop affordable housing on 3 downtown parking lots. This agenda item represents the latest step in the plan, outlined in the city’s housing element, to develop 345 housing units on the city-owned lots. Possible council action this week comes as there is an effort to require voter-approval before the parking lots can be developed. Additionally, there is a lawsuit challenging the city council’s authority to repurpose the parking lots. I have previously expressed a preference for waiting for a resolution of at least the voter initiative effort before moving forward. But I look forward to the staff presentation and hearing from residents as part of determining how the council should proceed at this stage.

• Pool Fees Increase - At the August 26 meeting, the city council will also consider a proposal to increase non-resident fees and lane rental fees at the city’s pools. It important to note that these measures may help address the financial challenges the pool operator is experiencing but they alone will not solve them.

License Plate Reader Program Comes Under Scrutiny

A recent newspaper article reported that the police department shared license plate data in violation of the city’s policy. I wanted to take this opportunity to share my thoughts on this matter. The city should hold itself to the highest standard across all its actions and all the services it provides. I want to acknowledge that there’s evidence that we missed this mark as the license plate reader program was rolling out. It appears that license plate data was inadvertently shared with the police department of a small town in Illinois and the Houston Police Department. It is my understanding, based on discussions with the City Manger and Chief of Police, that corrective action was taken as soon as this became apparent. Additionally, it is my understanding that the data was shared with these two agencies as part of large scale data sharing activities and not focused on Menlo Park’s data. I have seen no indication that there was intent to share data in violation of our policies or that sharing this data resulted in any specific harm to anyone. But I’m open to reviewing any evidence that suggest otherwise. Nonetheless, this is a very important matter and in the weeks ahead I’ll be looking for additional clarity on how this occurred and the implementation of new procedures to prevent it from happening again. But to be clear, I remain supportive of this program, the police department and the police chief.

Background

With all that being said, I think it’s important to revisit how the city came to launch this license plate reader program. The program was discussed in depth over the course of two city council meetings. There was initially not support from a majority of the city council due to concerns about increased surveillance and data collection. The license plate reader proposal returned to council, and ultimately received the support of a majority of council members, in part, because it offered police an additional tool in investigating (and ultimately preventing) home break-ins. I very much appreciate the concern of those in our community about ever-expanding surveillance and data collection. I think these voices of caution provide an important perspective. And it is a perspective that I have shared with regards to some surveillance efforts. In my first year on council, I led the effort to discontinue Menlo Park’s use of red-light cameras. I remain supportive of this specific program, but I also understand that it must not only adhere to all relevant policies and regulations but our values as a community.

Sanitary District Master Plan

Menlo Park’s advisory representative to the East Palo Alto Sanitary District Board, Dianne Otterby, provided a recent update. The board oversees services to East Palo Alto and a number of homes in the Willows. In July, the Board passed a Master Plan for the District which addresses immediate, ongoing, and future needs. The plan was developed by San Francisco-based civil engineering firm Freyer & Laureta. There are no rate changes and none anticipated in the near future. Last year, the East Palo Alto Sanitary District, which was an independent agency, became a subsidiary of the City of East Palo Alto.

City Proclamations to be awarded to Alpine Little League and the Peninsula School

At the meeting on August 26, it’ll be my privilege as mayor to award proclamations to both Alpine Little League and the Peninsula School. The proclamation to Alpine Little League is to acknowledge its longstanding contributions to the development of young people in our community and to recognize the recent run of the Alpine Little League 12U All-Star team that took them all the way to the Little League West Regional Tournament. The proclamation to the Peninsula School is to honor and recognize that institution’s 100th anniversary this year. Since its founding, the school has both developed a national reputation and played a critical role in the development and growth of thousands of Menlo Park students.

Sister City Visit, State of the City Address and Community Office Hours

• Galway Visit - During a recent trip, I was able to meet with city officials in Galway, Menlo Park’s sister city, including current mayor Mike Cubbard (second from left) and former mayor Eddie Hoare (left). Hoare visited Menlo Park in 2023 during his tenure as Galway mayor.

• State of the City Address – We’ve finalized a date and place for this year’s State of the City Address. The speech will take place on September 23 (Tuesday) in the Willows neighborhood. It will be hosted by both the Haven and the Neighborhood Pizza Guy. Additional details to follow.

• August/September Community Office Hours - For the month of September, all community office hours (9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27) will be hosted at Peet’s Coffee on Santa Cruz Avenue. The final Community Office Hours for August (8/30) will be hosted at Neighborhood Pizza Guy/Cafe Zoë. Office hour sessions are held from 9 AM to 10 AM.