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Utility project to impact Broadway St. traffic through March 29

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Heads up! Broadway St. utility project to impact traffic for two weeks

Heads up drivers! Starting tomorrow and running through Friday, March 29, a section of Broadway Street from the intersection of Jefferson Avenue to the entrance of the City Hall Parking Lot will be closed to traffic from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Entrance into and out of the City Hall Parking Lot will remain open. The road will reopen at 4:30 p.m. every night and remain open until 7 a.m. the next morning.

Commuters are encouraged to use alternate routes.

The closure will make way for utility work for the 2075 Broadway project, a new building involving office and retail uses, with some of the space pre-leased to CZI and The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. More information on the project here.

Firefighters rescue kitten trapped in drainage pipe

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Firefighters can still be counted on to rescue a cat in distress, at least in one San Mateo County town.

It wasn’t a cat stuck in a tree but a black kitten trapped in a water drainage pipe that summoned Menlo Park Fire Protection District firefighters to Selby Lane in Atherton around 4:30 p.m. Friday.

A resident called the fire station to report that she had heard a kitten crying all morning and discovered that it had slipped down the drainage pipe, according to a fire district news release. Firefighters used cellphone photos and video to locate the kitten trapped at least 14 feet below a concrete walking deck in a pipe that was only 4 inches in diameter.

At 5:16 p.m., San Mateo County Animal Control was called to the home to take over the rescue operation, but when its efforts failed, the firefighters were summoned back.

They tried reaching the kitten with a half-inch rescue rope line specific to human rescue operations, but that too failed.

Finally, fire engineer Joey Quadt and probationary firefighter Ryle Fitzgerald employed a noose system using twine in another effort to

retrieve the kitten. After about an hour of effort, they finally succeeded in freeing the kitten from the pipe.

The kitten was named “Ryle” after its rescuer, who was dubbed the “cat whisperer” by his crewmates and Animal Control officers. Fitzgerald is considering adopting the kitten, according to the fire district. “It’s always nice when we can share a positive conclusion to any type of interesting and complex rescue we perform with the general public,” fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said.

“It’s amazing all of the strange predicaments both humans and animals can get themselves into. Just when I think we’ve seen it all, something new comes along.”

Redwood City Parents Launch Campaign to Rebalance School Funding

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Redwood City School District schools to discontinue serving cholocate milk and fruit juices to cut down on sugar

A parent-driven campaign aimed at saving Redwood City schools from closing got off to a promising start last month at Orion school with 130 letters signed and mailed to local legislators.

The letters ask lawmakers to work to end an “equal but not equitable” school funding system that does not account for regional differences in cost of living. The inequity is partly to blame for a $10 million budget shortfall over three years that led the Redwood City School District to mark four of its 16 campuses, including Orion, for closing at the end of the school year.

The campaign was begun by a few Adelante Spanish Immersion parents upset that their program, like Orion’s, is being moved. They felt that the reorganization plan falls heaviest on the Latino community, and they resolved to do something about it.

At their own expense, the group, now expanded to 15 and representing several schools, prepared 1,000 sample letters, half of them translated to Spanish, and an accompanying brochure for distribution at all district schools. The brochure lays out in detail, with colorful graphics, the school funding system that puts Redwood City in its budget bind. It was written and produced by Vanja Douglas, a UCSF physician, and Ann Hynecek, a graphic designer.

“If we can convince our Legislature to allocate school funding with an adjustment for regional cost of living, the district would have enough additional revenue ($19.6 million) to keep all of our neighborhood schools open,” Douglas writes in the brochure, which is titled, “Parents – Raise Your Voices!”

The printed package ends with the names and mailing addresses of local assemblymen and senators and five state officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom. It suggests parents either sign and mail the sample letter or write their own.

The letter-writing campaign is one of the several ways the Redwood City school community is responding to the reorganization plan, which was adopted in November.

Most parents are resolved to make the best of it, according to district administrators, teachers and active parents asked for comment, but action and reaction runs the gamut from “goodbye” to “let’s pull together and make it better.”

Some are leaving the district or switching to charter schools. (“We have picked up a few students from families who are concerned about the changes planned in the district for next year,” said Alicia Yamashita, director at Connect, which is housed at Fair Oaks School.)

“The changes have caused us to give more serious consideration to private school, and to change the public school options we were most seriously considering, because some of them are being upended,” said Kirsten Heimpel, parent of an incoming kindergartner who lives in the Clifford School attendance area. “My sense is that others are taking similar steps.”

Most families are making the transition smoothly, according to district Director of Communications Jorge Quintana. He said more than 800 current Selby Lane, Fair Oaks, John Gill and Hawes students will move to a new school next year. In addition, about 600 Adelante and Orion students will move, with their alternative programs intact, to Selby Lane and John Gill, respectively.

“During our one-on-one meetings, each family was asked to select three options for their new school, and the vast majority of families were granted their first choice,” Quintana said. He said the district has worked with the Redwood City Teachers Association to allow all the Orion and Adelante teachers to stay with their programs. In addition, he said, the district is fostering the “pull-together” response by organizing get-acquainted field trips and campus tours for displaced families.

On March 2, for example, there will be a community-building party at Selby Lane, where the Adelante and Selby Lane Spanish Immersion programs will combine in August. “Families will hear more from the district about their new schools as details of the transition plan continue to come together,” Quintana said.

Regarding the letter-writing campaign, Quintana said district trustees at their Feb. 6 meeting expressed appreciation for the parent efforts.

For Kevin Sugar, president of the district teachers’ association, “It is heart- wrenching that teachers who have put their heart and soul into developing great collaborative programs will have to start over at new schools. There still is a lot of disillusionment and anger with families and teachers.

“That said, all we can do is make the best of a bad situation, and we are doing that. I’m in my 21st year, and there is still a lot to love in Redwood City schools.”

This story was published in the March print edition of Climate Magazine.

Rooster brought to Redwood City vet with highly contagious disease

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A rooster brought into a veterinary clinic in Redwood City tested positive for a disease that does not pose a risk to humans, but is highly contagious and fatal for poultry, San Mateo County officials announced today.

The Virulent Newcastle disease is presently under eradication in Southern California after being found there last year. The rooster brought to the Redwood City clinic had been brought over from Alameda County, shifting the investigation there, officials said after interviewing its owner.

“Why the bird was brought to Redwood City is a matter of speculation, but local and state agriculture officials do not believe Virulent Newcastle disease is present in San Mateo County,” the county’s statement said.

San Mateo County has small, relatively isolated poultry operations. Still, poultry and egg producers are being alerted, and anyone with chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese etc. should be observant about the health of their birds, the county says.

“They should purchase birds only from legitimate and reputable hatcheries and breeding operations, implement quarantine protocols before introducing new birds into flocks, and employ biosecurity measures as Virulent Newcastle disease can be carried long distances by waterfowl and other susceptible birds,” the county statement said. “Do not transport any poultry, unless you have confirmed it is not an area under quarantine.”

Those suspecting a flock may be affected, please call the Sick Bird Hotline at 866-922-2473

Kennedy Middle School adding to its famous Hall of Fame

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A radio sports anchor and an international climate change economist will be the newest members of the Kennedy Middle School Hall of Fame after ceremonies beginning at 7 p.m. March 21 at the school’s Gary Beban Gymnasium.

The induction, open to the public, will honor Steve Bitker, the morning-drive sports anchor at KCBS since joining the San Francisco Bay Area station 18 years ago, and Carter Brandon, for 23 years a World Bank economist working to focus global attention on adapting to climate change. Bitker and Brandon, both 1967 graduates of Kennedy, will share the speaker’s platform with Beban, the 1965 winner of the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top college football player.

Bitker has been the morning-drive sports anchor at KCBS since joining the station in April 1991 and has won many broadcasting awards. He is the author of “The Original San Francisco Giants” (Sports Publishing Inc.), which profiles every player of that 1958 team.

Brandon held leading positions at the World Bank in its environment, agriculture, social, poverty and climate change sectors. He moved in February to the World Resources Institute to work with the Global Commission on Climate Change Adaptation, led by former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Bill Gates and Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank CEO. For good measure, he’s a Rhodes Scholar and played bassoon in the Paris Symphony in 1972.

The Hall of Fame, one of the few in the country for a middle school, was founded in 2001 by physical education teacher Bret Baird, with Beban, former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry and former Redwood City Mayor Daniela Gasparini among the first of 24 members representing success in a variety of professions. Several of them will be at the March 21 ceremony, Baird said.

His message to current Kennedy students: “This could be you!”

“It’s always a fun community event,” Baird said. “There is audience participation and entertainment by school music groups.”

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD: Diana Reddy, who won a hotly and closely contested race for Redwood City City Council last November, got her start as a candidate at a very early age indeed. At a January event at the home of Alyn Beals, Jr., Reddy disclosed the details of their early childhood education in politics. Both were in the sixth grade at Lincoln School running for student body offices. His presidential slogan was “Don’t Be Heels, Vote for Beals,” which took him to victory.

Her campaign slogan for vice president was “Don’t Be a Banana, Vote for Diana.” That one didn’t seem to have as much a-peel and she lost.

Lincoln School, by the way, was located at Whipple Avenue and Oakdale Street and was razed in 1974 because of … declining enrollment.

Sound familiar?

CONGRATS: Congratulations to Redwood City resident Bill Schulte, a long-time volunteer with Sustainable San Mateo County, who will receive the organization’s Ruth Peterson Award at its 20th annual award dinner on April 4.  A 55-year county resident, Schulte has been involved with SSMC for more than 13 years, serving on the board from 2006 and as its chair from 2008 to 2014.

REDWOOD SHORES CONTEST: Residents and workers from Redwood Shores have an opportunity to enter a contest about something that promises to be exciting – and boring too. Silicon Valley Clean Water, a multi-city agency that operates the wastewater facility on Radio Road, has a major project underway to replace and rehabilitate the entire conveyance system that serves much of southern San Mateo County. Part of the project includes building three miles of tunnel to the treatment plant. A huge Tunnel Boring Machine (aka a TBM) will be arriving in July, which will dig out the tunnel and install a new pipeline underground, sparing everyone the prolonged disruption and delays that would occur with open-cut trenching along Redwood Shores Parkway. The tunneling will occur up to 60 feet below the busy arterial.

Tradition dictates that a TBM can’t begin work until it has been named, a sign of good luck for the project ahead. The TBM that will be deployed in Redwood Shores can be named after a real or fictitious person, character, or thing, and the name should be reflective of SVCW’s mission. Besides getting the winning name displayed on the TBM, the winner will get a rare opportunity for the ultimate Redwood Shores underground tour – inside the TBM.

The contest is open to Redwood Shores residents and workers 18 and older. For complete rules and information, go to https://svcw-rescu.org.

In a similar contest, the name “Chessie” was selected for a project at Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. The abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who helped rescue fugitive slaves via the Underground Railroad, has been honored at least twice with TBMs called “Harriet.” In Fort Wayne, Indiana, the name “MaMaJo” was created from the first two letters of the city’s three rivers.

This story was published in the March print edition of Climate Magazine.

Political Climate with Mark Simon: Developer plans for Salt Ponds appear DOA

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that development of the Cargill Salt Ponds in Redwood City is not subject to federal environmental regulations was lacking only one thing – the sound of a starter’s pistol. Immediately, we were off to the races.

Developer DMB Associates, in a demonstration of unbridled optimism that seems distinctive to developers, announced it will engage in a lengthy process of “public engagement” to produce a project that eventually could win support and, ultimately, approval by the City Council.

Yes. Well. Good luck on that.

Just as immediately, postings began flying around in support of prior proposals by DMB dating back to 2009. That proposal called for 1,400 housing units and for half the available land (and wetlands or marshlands or sloughs or salt ponds) to be open space.

And that was before San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine convinced everyone that sea-level rise is a real concern. As far as I can tell, the last DMB plan didn’t include dikes. But it could work, if you define waterfront property as sea water up to the third floor of your eight-story condo. Or maybe something on stilts – like homes in the Louisiana bayou.

Anyway, just as immediately, postings also started flying around expressing opposition to development of the Cargill site as anything other than open space (or more wetlands or sloughs, but definitely not salt ponds). This included those who found the ruling one more thing to dislike about the Trump administration, amid the hope that DMB may suffer by association.

The council that discussed this proposal in 2009 was substantially different than the one that will consider it now, and it’s an interesting quandary for the current council, which is under a clear mandate to build more housing, but not big, new developments and not ones that might be underwater in 10 years.

DMB said it would be looking for “sustainable solutions” to all the challenges facing the area, and this is their own list: “crippling congestion, dangerous flooding, sea-level rise, housing shortages, and a deficit of necessary open space fort parks and marshlands restorations.” I don’t know about you, but I’m disappointed the list doesn’t include a power-hitting left fielder for the Giants.

Anything can happen, I suppose, and, as I said, you have to admire sustained, if not sustainable, optimism. But from this rowboat, DMB’s plans look DOA.

THE OLD COLLEGE TRY: By golly, in my day, celebrities and wealthy people didn’t have to bribe colleges to accept their under-performing kids. The colleges just let them in. Being rich and famous ain’t what it used to be.

In a more serious note, my parents took great pride, as Depression-era, native Californians and taxpayers, that the state college system was created on their watch. When they were growing up, college was for rich kids, people with connections and some athletes. That anyone could go to college and at a reasonable price – well, it was a big deal to them.

Amid this admissions scandal, which seems focused more on prestigious private schools, it would be nice if the controversy was a catalyst for more attention and more resources devoted to one of the great equalizing institutions in our state. A generation ago, I taught some journalism classes at my alma mater, San Jose State University. At the start of every class, I would ask for a show of hands: How many of you are the first member of your family to go to college? Routinely, 80 percent would raise their hands.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING: State Senate candidate Josh Becker, whose campaign says he should be described as a public interest entrepreneur, whatever that is, posted something in the midst of the admissions scandal that seemed an odd commentary on a system fraught with over-emphasis on test scores and getting into the “right” school. Herewith his posting: “Access to top schools is not an equal playing field – that’s why I support CollegeSpring – started by two entrepreneurial Stanford students, its mission is to provide high-quality test prep to ALL students not just those that can afford $700 classes. Please consider supporting CollegeSpring.”

INNOVATING INNOVATORS: Last week was what has become one of the more popular public events – the annual Innovators lunch put on by the San Mateo County Economic Development Association. It’s a showcase for a handful of young, up-and-coming companies that have been spawned in San Mateo County.

This year’s lineup was just as astonishing as in years past. The companies included Brava, which has developed a “Pure Light Oven” that makes the microwave look like a Model T; Etagen, developers of a new “linear generator” that is more efficient and low cost; Juntos, which is pioneering the way we connect with our financial institutions; and Zuora, which is expanding the “subscription economy” and which could mean the end to our need to own stuff. The most exciting was Mango Materials, which is converting methane gas into biopolymer products – in essence, biodegradable plastic. Not only could this be a significant answer to the problem of plastic proliferation, but the company was founded and is led by three women.

Samceda CEO Rosanne Foust said that in the 12 years since the Innovators event has begun, 49 companies have been recognized – and 42 are still headquartered in San Mateo County.

It’s a continuing theme of mine, but I don’t think it can be said enough: Tech is here to stay and it is transforming the local economy, along with everything else.

Contact Mark Simon at mark.simon24@yahoo.com.

*The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Climate Online.

These citizen ‘extras’ play key roles in Redwood City government

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Minimum wage in Redwood City set to increase

In sports lingo, they might be called the “farm team” or the “junior varsity;” in the theater, the “understudies.” Except that, for the several dozen members of Redwood City’s all-volunteer boards and commissions, there’s no guarantee of moving up – and often not even a desire to. (At least at first.) They put in long hours before and during public meetings, do research, talk to city staffers, advance ideas, volunteer at city functions and perform other duties, assigned and otherwise.

“I love Redwood City, and if I’m lucky enough to be in a position to contribute, there’s a lot of satisfaction in doing that,” says Rick Hunter, whose attitude is typical of these off-the-clock public servants. “I’ve met a lot of people and it’s a great way to learn about the city and get involved.”

“Support-wise and all, I think we do make a difference,” adds Barb Valley, a book-loving Lockheed retiree who joined the Library Board six years ago. “I really feel like I’m engaged, like I’m doing something. And I love telling people about the library.”

Known around City Hall as “the BCCs,” there are over a dozen boards, committees and commissions, three of which (the Planning and Port Commissions and the Library Board) are required by Redwood City’s charter. The mission can be broad and obvious (the Civic Cultural or Parks, Recreation and Community Services commissions for example), or specific (the Board of Building Review deals with the Building Code and permit appeals and the Senior Affairs Commission with programs for the senior population.) The City Council appoints members of all the BCCs except for the Historic Resources Advisory and the Architectural Advisory committees, which are appointed by the Planning Commission. 

Applicants must exhibit an interest in civic involvement, be a registered voter 18 or older and, with some exceptions, be residents of incorporated Redwood City. Some positions have additional requirements or preferred areas of expertise; for instance, only licensed architects who live or work in the Redwood City area can serve on the architectural committee, and members with relevant educational and professional expertise are sought for the historical body.  

With two exceptions, BCCs serve advisory roles and don’t have decision-making power. (Planning Commission actions stand unless overturned on appeal to the City Council, and the Port Commission is autonomous.) Mayor Ian Bain and Vice Mayor Diane Howard, both of whom got their start on city commissions, say the BCC volunteers, who develop annual work plans for their groups, serve a critical advisory role and provide valued feedback.

Says Howard: “They are doing work the council would never have the time to accomplish. We could try. We can do a portion of it.  But they do so much work and bring it back and we’re the beneficiaries of it because it helps us make better decisions.”

Vacancies seem to come in waves. The city went through one of its biggest recruitments over a year ago to fill 28 seats, but just made five more appointments in January. Recruiting is currently underway for three more positions.

In making appointments, Mayor Bain says he looks for experience relevant to the particular commission; diversity, including diversity of opinion; and “the right personality fit. People who we think are going to get along together. One bad apple can ruin the whole bunch.” For commissions with a heftier workload (Planning and the Port), often long-time residents or those with demonstrated prior service get the edge over those with a lesser track record.

Ralph Garcia, who owns Ralph’s Vacuum & Sewing Center on Main Street, had put in almost 11 years on the Planning Commission before being selected for the port board in 2005. “The first time I applied (for a commission) I was turned down, which is what usually happens. It was suggested that I get to know the council members.”

What motivates the volunteerism by this well-known downtown business leader might surprise people. The son of a single mother, Garcia grew up with unsupervised time on his hands and became a frequent denizen of juvenile hall. “I was not a well-behaved child and I felt sort of like I needed to give back to the community,” he says. 

He and current Planning Commissioners Nancy Radcliffe and Ernie Schmidt feel good about years of volunteer efforts bearing fruit, such as in the downtown revival and the creation of Courthouse Square. “I recognize that the decisions we make, yes, could have significant impact,” says Schmidt, who has also run twice for City Council. He stressed the importance of community input in coming to decisions. “It’s not just about seven Planning Commissioners coming to a decision on their own. It really takes a village.”

Rightly or not, the Port and Planning commissions tend to be viewed as more prestigious, although many who end up on the City Council climbed up on other rungs (or not at all.) Planning Commissioners have a particularly heavy load, receiving mega-reading packets the Thursday before their twice-monthly meetings. “I always go out and walk the project,” says Radcliffe. “If you don’t see it in real life, how can you make a decision?”  She says she hasn’t lost any friends because of her decisions, “but I’ve had people who have been mad at me for a bit.”

Though Mike Lynch acknowledges that “the stakes are much higher” at Planning Commission meetings, he still recalls how contentious things got several years ago when he was vice chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, when a trial dog park was proposed at Stulsaft Park to the consternation of some of the neighbors. After many years on that body, Lynch, 72, opted to switch to the Senior Affairs Commission about nine months ago. He acknowledges that “it’s probably viewed as a sleepier type of commission where there’s not as much going on” but says the group is focused on doing what’s best for seniors.

Hunter’s first foray into BCCs began years ago when a middle school cross country running program he started at his kids’ school went citywide. He got onto the parks commission and was enjoying it, but when an opening came up for an unexpired term on the Planning Commission a couple of years ago, he went for it. Hunter served for a year and a half and felt “pretty bad” when he didn’t get the votes to be reappointed.

Hunter ran for City Council last year and, after an agonizing seesawing count that ended three weeks after the November election, was edged out by Diana Reddy.  Undaunted, Hunter applied for a Planning Commission vacancy, and, as of January is back on it.

“(It was) unanimous. Finally, an election that exceeded my expectations,” he says with a laugh. Hunter highly recommends commission service to others.  “You may not get appointed. I know City Council members who say their involvement started with the boards and commissions and they didn’t get appointed, more than once.”

Former Mayor Dick Claire has been on both sides of the appointments process often enough to get whiplash. First named to the Planning Commission in 1978, he got off in 1982 when he was elected to the City Council, serving two decades, with a one-year break. “I retired from the council in 2003 and 22 days later I was a Planning Commissioner again. They had reduced the terms to three years instead of four. There were some (commissioners) they didn’t really like and wanted to be able to move them off gracefully.”

He moved to the Port Commission in 2007 in part because he was upset about the port being stuck with the multi-million-dollar clean-up cost of a former fuels tank farm on port-owned land. He’d like to stick it out long enough to see the nine-acre site redeveloped and generating revenue and notes that a developer is eyeing it for a warehouse.

In an effort to ensure that the various BCCs are working in synch with the council, Mayor Bain has each prepare a work plan that responds to the city’s seven strategic priorities. “I see myself as the leader of the volunteers. … I need to provide direction and guidance and a framework to operate, the same as you would in a corporation.” That said, “I love it when people don’t agree with me and they provide a different perspective. I want to hear those ideas and have a discussion.”

There is occasional discord between council and BCC members, which factored into a charter change on the November ballot asking voters to set term limits for commissioners, like City Council members. The measure passed and the BCCs are now limited to four consecutive four-year terms.

“I’ve never believed in term limits,” Claire counters. “I voted against a lot of individuals. If you want to get rid of a commissioner, you just vote them off.”

Ken Rolandelli is nearing 40 years of service on the Historic Resources Advisory Committee (up there with Port Commissioner Dick Dodge), with a year left in his term. Thanks to his committee’s efforts, the city has a historic preservation ordinance, and has designated a number of landmarks and historic districts. The Diller Chamberlain store at 726 Main St., Redwood City’s most historically important building, would have been razed after the 1989 earthquake were it not for the committee, according to Rolandelli.

“There’s a lot of notches on the belt. We’ve had a lot of successes. Yeah, it’s gratifying to me.”

Rolandelli says it’s hard enough to find people to serve on the historic resources committee, let alone qualified applicants with expertise and training. “Just getting someone who likes old stuff isn’t going to do it,” he says.

Steve Howard, the physician-husband of the vice mayor, served for many years on the Architectural Review Committee, filling a spot for a citizen at large. Initially only an advisory body, the board managed to get elevated to an integral part of the review process, and “I think the good developers actually appreciated it. … And I think at the end of the day, most of them thought they ended up with a better project.” It can be hard for professionals in the same field to be candid about others’ work, he adds. “I didn’t have that problem. I was much more blunt.”

He quit the committee several years ago when its role was cut back and the “review” committee became the Architectural Advisory Committee. It now meets “as needed.”

“It was a very pro-development council at the time and I think they felt that we were slowing the process and they wanted to speed it up,” Howard says. “They decided that it should be an advisory committee to planning. So basically you don’t do anything unless planning asks you to take a look at this.  And I just felt that they cut us off at the knees. I wrote them a letter and said I can’t be part of this process. I think you’ve done a disservice to the community.”

Diane Howard got her start in city government long ago when she was appointed to the Housing and Human Concerns Committee.  Running for office someday hadn’t even entered her mind, but to anyone thinking of doing so Howard always suggests a board, committee or a commission as a first step: “It lays the foundation for how does government work? Who are the players? I learned so much in those first 10 years, I wouldn’t trade it.”

Michael Smith is a relative newcomer both to the city and the Planning Commission, which he joined last June. A management consultant who works with small- to medium-sized companies, Smith lived previously in Harlem, New York, which he says is experiencing issues familiar to Redwood City, among them changing demographics, income levels and “shifting of the landscape.” Smith, who is also an adjunct assistant business professor at Cañada College, looked for ways he could contribute after he relocated almost three years ago. He is trying to “give voice” to people in the community who might not have one.

Smith, 34, joined a church and got involved in several nonprofit organizations, as well as the city’s advisory committee on the plan for El Camino Real. A renter, he’s also co-chair of the Palm Park Neighborhood Association. 

“The people of Redwood City are extremely welcoming,” he says. Not only has he never received any kind of pushback, that’s what drove him to feel that a relative newcomer could serve on a commission alongside long-time residents. “I truly believe that, especially in Redwood City, people are interested in making lives better,” he says. “I don’t think it’s a question of wanting to do it but knowing how.”

This story was published in the March print edition of Climate Magazine.



Redwood City renters rally against steep rent increases

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Political Climate with Mark Simon: Controversial districting process will change status quo

Redwood City Mayor Ian Bain said Monday city staff will look into complaints by a group of residents and affordable housing advocates who say renter’s protections passed by City Council last year are insufficient.

Renters of Duane Street Apartments and their supporters rallied outside City Hall Monday before speaking out during public comment at the council meeting. They say the property’s new owners are seeking rent increases from 66 to 230 percent because renter’s protection laws have failed to protect them.

Amid an ongoing crisis in the supply of affordable housing on the Peninsula, City Council passed two ordinances last year aiming to protect renters. One of the ordinances, which took effect Jan. 1, requires landlords to provide tenants with at least a 1-year lease and prohibits rents from being increased until after the 1-year lease period ends. The ordinance offers leeway for renters and tenants who agree in writing to briefer lease terms. The second law provides relocation funds in the case of certain evictions.

On Jan. 1, tenants at the Duane Street Apartments said they were offered one year lease terms under the new ordinance, but with massive rent increases. One tenant says her rent will increase by 120 percent, from $1,040 to $2,300, if she accepts a one-year lease; or by 140 percent, from $1,040 to $2,500, if she stays month to month.

In a rally notice on the Faith In Action website, tenants complained the rent increase notices followed months of construction on vacant units at the 26-unit property.

“The laws are unfortunately so riddled with loopholes that they do not merit the name protection,” said Daniel Saver, senior housing attorney at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto.   

In a statement, the property’s management company Homewood Ventures cited high property taxes and needed upgrades and repairs as reasons for the rent increase. Owners “held off as long as possible to increase rents while staying in compliance with [Redwood City’s] new ordinance,” the statement said.

Ten units with pre-existing tenants have been offered one year leases, according to Homewood Ventures. Some of those tenants haven’t received rent increases since 2014, while others have yet to see an increase during their tenancy, the company said.

“We are already in discussions with several tenants that are interested in the one year lease, and others that are inquiring about the terms and discounted pricing we are offering them for the renovated units,” the statement says. “We have also given the tenants a tiered rental increase option with 90 days instead of the required 60 days notice, should the tenant choose to stay on a month to month basis.”

Homewood Ventures says it has met with city officials regarding the buildings and plans and “will continue to work with them, as well as the tenants.”

After public comment at council Monday, Mayor Bain told renters and advocates, “we heard you.”

“We’re going to talk with our staff, take a look at our ordinances, make sure they are applied correctly, and if there are changes that need to be made we’ll take a look at those as well,” the mayor said.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include statements made by Homewood Ventures, property management company for Duane Street Apartments.

Man arrested in assault at Capri Motel

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A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with an assault on a female victim at a Redwood City motel early Sunday.

Scott Thompson, 36, is in custody in connection with the assault that was reported at the Capri Motel at 2380 El Camino Real, police said.

Redwood City police responded to the motel about 4:30 a.m. after someone called 911 saying a female victim in room 220 was “hurt really bad,” police said.

Responding officers said the victim was bleeding profusely from the head. She told officers she’d been assaulted by Thompson and that he fled the scene. She was transported to Stanford Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

Officers found Thompson walking northbound on El Camino Real, arrested him and then booked him into County Jail.

Police are asking anyone with additional information regarding this incident to contact the Redwood City Police Department at 650-780-7100 or the Redwood City Police Department’s Tip Line at 650-780-7107.

Caltrain ‘Bikes Board First’ procedure starts today

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Caltrain to offer free rides for New Year's Eve revelers

The policy is taking effect following what Caltrain called a successful pilot program last year that occurred at high bike ridership stations, including Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Hillsdale and 22nd Street. On social media, Caltrain posted an instructional video on the procedure for riders.

“The new procedure allows riders with bicycles to board first into the designated bike cars once exiting passengers have alighted,” the transit agency said. “Riders without bikes are encouraged to board on non-bike cars.”

Caltrain asks riders to look for the Bike Car sign near train doors to indicate which train cars allow bikes on board. Caltrain has two types of train cars, Gallery and Bombardier. Gallery trains have two bike cars limited to 40 bikes per car, while Bombardier trains have three bike cars limited to 24 bikes per car.

Bike riders who have been bumped, or not allowed to board due to overcapacity, are being asked to fill out this Bike Bump Form to help Caltrain determine and act upon trends.

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