PLATFORM
SAFE STREETS
Palo Alto has been slow and indecisive on road safety.
As a community, we encourage our schoolchildren to cycle to school – at the same time, we’re years behind schedule on the latest iteration of our Bicycle and Pedestrian plan. Within city hall, we've see traffic calming initiatives languish without a clear mandate, in some cases despite years of study and community advocacy.
On council, George will push the city to commit to a Vision Zero goal of zero traffic deaths. We can cut red-tape, build better infrastructure, and ultimately improve the safety and livability of our city.
AFFORDABLE and INCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOODS
We have a regional housing crisis, and Palo Alto needs more housing.
George envisions a Palo Alto that more teachers, first-responders, young families, and seniors can afford to live in. This means prioritizing (1) housing at all income levels, (2) real neighborhood planning, and (3) tenant protections.
Housing is one of the best things we can do for our climate, support our schools, and create more opportunity for our workers. We should focus housing in a transit oriented way and reduce sprawl. We can also build housing in a way that preserves or enhances our canopy, walkability, and community.
The status quo is to plan indecisively in the smallest possible increments. This is why we have lot-by-lot zoning across much of El Camino, which limits our ability to have cohesive neighborhoods and investment in retail.
The framework of our Housing Element can move the needle, but we need housing leaders in City Hall to actually implement the Housing Element faithfully. People are the solution, not the problem.
RETAIL VIBRANCY
Since Covid, we've lost vibrancy Downtown and on Cal Ave. We also see actual blight in parts of Midtown and El Camino. Today, our own policies are preventing recovery and regeneration.
The city should take a strong stance on simplifying permits and streamlining zoning, while investing in streetscapes and events programming. We need safe, clean, and clear streets at a minimum.
To actually fill retail vacancies, George will push to reduce the uncertainty, complexity, and fees that are the status quo in Palo Alto. George has heard so many horror stories (inspectors that won't come for months; permits that take over a year; block-by-block zoning of what retail uses are permitted), and is committed to helping businesses succeed here.
CLIMATE and the ENVIRONMENT
Palo Alto should continue to be a leader on climate. George is committed to both preserving our natural resources and reducing our climate footprint.
Palo Alto’s goal to reduce GHG emissions by 80% against 1990s baselines by 2030 is excellent. It’s the aggressive, metrics-driven policy we should be doing everywhere. At the same time, we need renewed focus to actually achieve this goal. George will support existing programs (home electrification, EV charging, solar), and work with city staff to expand coverage across rental and multifamily households.
George does not support the expansion of the Palo Alto Airport. Every effort should be made to improve safety within the airport's existing footprint, and minimize disruption for our neighbors and natural environment.
George will prioritize canopy coverage goals in a way that is spread fairly throughout the city, and is proud to be endorsed by Susan Rosenberg, a co-founder of Canopy.
BETTER GOVERNANCE
Palo Alto is proposing a $1 billion budget (inclusive of utility spending) with a $300 million general fund. Every year, we have tremendous opportunities to improve Palo Alto, but need to be more disciplined and effective with our decision making and spending.
On Caltrain grade separations from car traffic, we've been planning for a decade, but haven't even selected a design and are only now working on early engineering plans. We need careful studies and community feedback, but we also need to move forward with defined milestones and a sense of fiscal responsibility.
George will work with the council and staff to move efficiently on projects that benefit the community.
PUBLIC SAFETY
We need to be able to walk at night, park our bikes, and live in our homes with peace of mind.
We should enable police with police reasonable tools (including cameras and license plate readers) and at minimum pre-Covid staffing levels. We need to make sure we are responsive to residents, and also able to enforce traffic laws. We can do this transparency in a way that respects privacy, and we should also explore community alternatives for some non-emergency calls.
We need to staff our fire departments, and get adequate fire engine and staffing coverage throughout the city. Our response times already lag behind some neighboring cities, and we need to support our Fire Department.
SOUTH PALO ALTO
We need city investment to be fairly spread throughout the city, with quantifiable goals and outcomes.
We need to meet goals for canopy coverage. We need to make Cubberly work for residents.
Most importantly, we need to plan. The city has planned to put 2000+ homes along the San Antonio Corridor for years, but has not even started an area plan. The last area plan from the city took 7 years. We have to move faster, with a common sense focus on residents, so we can actually plan for more parks, transit, and retail along San Antonio.
