Editorial
Palo Alto mandate for open communication New City Council needs to tackle a decades-old issue of more timely release of staff reports before council meetings to build community trust
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or decades, residents, neighborhood groups and local newspapers have pushed for earlier release of city staff reports relating to City Council agenda items, without success. The city is still stuck on releasing the “council packetâ€? at 5 p.m. Thursday for meetings the following Monday night — a schedule dating from the 1950s when print was the only alternative. A good effort in 2001 and 2002 to get staff reports out sooner faltered in the face of departmental difficulties in meeting earlier deadlines. It suffered from inadequate council and administrative support and was abandoned. As we have said before, issuing staff reports on significant topics just days before a meeting where they are to be considered is unfair to the public. It invites suspicion on the part of the many Palo Altans who follow city business — especially when items affect their homes, neighborhoods or community services. The media and neighborhood groups just don’t have time to get the word out when important policy issues are to be discussed or decided. Even worse is a practice by some developers of coming in at the last minute with significant changes to projects before the council, even hand-delivered on the night of the council meeting. New Mayor Pat Burt Monday night made earlier notification a specific priority “to establish trustâ€? in the council and city. Other council members, including four new members who were sworn in Monday night, have listed early notification as a priority. Burt’s overall goal is to “try to achieve greater transparency and accessibility of government.â€? In addition to earlier release of council packets, he said the council should “have our meetings at a time when the public is still awake and the council is still awake.â€? At long last, a “wake-up callâ€? on the need for better, more timely communication. With electronic distribution, staff reports should be available online at least seven to 10 days before the meeting where the matter covered is to be considered, with reports available as soon as they are completed rather than in a big, multi-pound lump of information. When, for whatever reason, reports on significant matters can’t be out a week beforehand, then the matter should automatically be postponed a week, except perhaps in rare “emergencyâ€? situations where a tight deadline is involved. Each agenda should have some time for “spilloverâ€? items from a prior agenda if reports aren’t ready. When a developer comes in with substantial last-minute changes to a plan, the same policy should apply: an automatic postponement of the entire item. This would be an important incentive to developers to share information about changes in their projects in a timely manner, not “game the systemâ€? to try to avoid or minimize criticism. Burt’s second point about doing city business when everyone is awake is a great one. He is not the first to raise that issue: As far back as the 1960s, former Councilman Kirke Comstock would gather up his papers at 11 p.m. and bid his colleague’s goodnight, in a polite protest that after that time council members’ brains turn to pumpkin seeds. This “efficiencyâ€? of council meetings is an important but separate issue. It may relate to the size of the large nine-member council, but it definitely relates to how long each council member speaks to each item. Sometimes, well-edited brief comments are more effective than lengthy commentaries. But earlier information release should be the first priority of this council and administration. It is a vital component of the city’s “civic engagementâ€? priority of recent years, as if that were really needed in activism-rich Palo Alto. It is especially important if the city wants to increase the level of constructive engagement rather than the often negative criticisms heaped on city leaders. It is encouraging to see the unanimity in the election of Mayor Pat Burt and Vice Mayor Sid Espinosa, both of whom have demonstrated solid leadership skills and a broad base of knowledge about the community, its serious budget problems, energy needs, and land-use and demographic patterns. The council and community face huge economic challenges this year, and improved, more timely communication will be a key tool in dealing with those challenges. Page 14ĂŠUĂŠ >Â˜Ă•>ÀÞÊn]ÊÓä£äÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
Kishimoto’s leadership Editor, The Weekly named former Palo Alto mayor and state-assembly hopeful Yoriko Kishimoto “coalition builder of the year� for her work uniting cities on high-speed rail. “Kishimoto soaked up information, made connections ... organized community meetings ... “ Too bad she didn’t do all that before writing the October 2008 colleagues memo (with Larry Klein), “Request for the City Council to Support State Proposition 1A,� urging all citizens to vote for HSR. Conveniently, after HSR’s negative impacts became apparent and Peninsula residents were up in arms, Kishimoto ran to the head of the parade and declared herself its leader. In February 2009, at a meeting of the VTA Congestion Management Program and Planning Committee, Chairwoman Kishimoto “noted it may be a good idea to release a Memorandum of Understanding among HSR affected cities ... containing baseline common interests regarding HSR.� One of the common interests noted was “more time to review the plan.� Why didn’t Kishimoto review the plan before urging us to vote for it? There were certainly indications of problems. In September 2008 — before Kishimoto wrote her colleagues memo — nearly 200 people showed up at the Menlo Park City Council Chambers, voicing concerns about HSR. Why wasn’t Kishimoto uniting with other communities back then? Now that she’s running for state Assembly, Kishimoto’s press — thanks to “awards� like the Weekly’s — paints her as the heroine of Peninsula cities, lauded for her “leadership.� If HSR is an example of Kishimoto’s leadership, heaven help us if she’s elected to the state Assembly. Pat Marriott Oakhurst Avenue Los Altos
Plaza entertainment Editor, After Lytton Plaza re-opened, a choir of teenagers from a Mountain View church provided a marvelous program of Christmas carols. We were lucky to happen by, and hope they will come back next year earlier in the holiday season before so many people leave town and when the plaza has become known as the place to go for such good events! Mickey Bright Griffin Alma Street Menlo Park
Looking ahead Editor, As 2009 ends and 2010 begins, we say goodbye to one City Council and greetings to a new council. Writing as residents, we two, who sit on the Library Advisory Commis-
sion, are sincerely appreciative of the efforts of the outgoing council and excited to work with the new council. To the departing council members, thank you for your many hours reading our documents. Thank you for your supportive votes. Thank you for endorsing a bond measure, which will enhance library services well into this century. Thank you for your sense of duty and responsibility to the community. Your support was the groundwork for the largest project in Palo Alto in years. To the incoming council, we look forward to sharing with you the excitement of annual openings. Palo Alto will have renovated libraries in College Terrace (2010) and Downtown (2011), a new Library/Community Center in Mitchell Park (2012), and expanded community library space at Main (2013). These will provide space for expanded collections, more programs and services, more community rooms, more study space. It is evidence of what a community can do when it comes together. As the year ends, and councils change, it is a good time to reflect and look ahead with anticipation. There will be a lot of building dust
starting now and a lot to celebrate will follow. Raj Mashruwala Valerie Stinger Co-Vice Chairs, Library Advisory Commission
Taser concerns Editor, I’m really concerned that Tasering someone in the stomach could do damage to internal organs. I suggest someone in the Palo Alto city administration check with independent physicians, perhaps specialists at the Palo Alto Medical foundation and/ or Stanford Hospital, as to the risks of an electric jolt (specifically that amount delivered by a Taser for the five seconds or more it can be used) to the stomach area. It took Taser International many years before they recognized the risk to using the Taser on the chest. Meanwhile, people died. I would not count on this company or its paid consultants for an assessment of the risk of targeting the stomach. This could cause more deaths or injury to more people than targeting the chest. Natalie Fisher Ellsworth Place Palo Alto
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