Dear City Council, Tonight, you will discuss the City’s COVID-19 responses. While I’m writing as an individual, I am the Co-Chair of MPC Ready. If I had the time, I would have coordinated my response with the entire Board. Unfortunately, this is not possible today. I will attach a memo with the below suggestions. I'm also attaching a memo that I sent Mike Noce earlier today related to Block Coordinator coverage. City of Menlo Park Police Department (MPPD) – Recommendations 1. Pass a Policy that the MPPD refrain from all non-essential activities during the COVID-19 emergency. Background: If the MPPD has any discretionary time, I believe that it should be used towards more important purposes. MPC Ready asked our City liaison if the MPPD could drop off COVID-19 information flyers at local stores with the request that the stores put them in the grocery bags. (The flyers would also include information about MPC Ready’s Block Coordinator Recruitment Drive.) Our City liaison told us that the MPPD would not do out of personal safety concerns. If they didn’t like our first suggestion, we will make another. Or, they can take on a Council-directed initiative. They have discretionary time that could be put to better use. As evidence: Example #1: Parade on Sunday night. As my husband and I approached, while out walking, we saw honking cars going into the Burgess parking lot behind where the Police park. As we walked by, I saw 10-20 Police cars all lit up with flashing lights, and some Police Officers standing around. The Parade of cars then kept driving around inside the lot. Here’s the link to the MPPD’s Instagram post (top left). https://www.instagram.com/p/B-n5L9klky4/ Example #2: Visit to a home for a 10-year-old’s Birthday. On April 6, the below NextDoor post was made. “Hi Everyone Last night was magical.... It was my daughter’s 10th birthday...... it was raining and we’re in quarantine mode and like every parent out there I wanted to do something special for her.. I called the Menlo Park Police and asked if they can come to our house and make it special, they came with their siren, lights and wished [Name withheld] a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and it was out of this world experience for us....... my daughter is the happiest 10 year old THANK YOU MENLO PARK POLICE.” The COVID-19 times require an all-hand-on-deck laser-like focus. While the MPPD surely meant well, as did the parent, these activities send the wrong message to me and to others. Instead of non-essential activities, the MPPD could safely drop off Block Coordinator yard signs so anyone driving by would know where the Block Coordinators live, along with seeing how to sign up. The City of Palo Alto Office of Emergency Services also plans yard signs and their template could be leveraged for MP’s purposes. I also wrote Chief Bertini on April 3, 2020, to introduce him to MPC Ready and to ask that MPC Ready be connected to the COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center. I have yet to receive his response. City of Menlo Park Staff –related recommendations 2. Pass a Policy that redirects all non-essential staff efforts into ones focused on fighting the spread of COVID-19, and in supporting our most vulnerable residents. My suggestions: a. Develop, coordinate an drive a concerted focus in Area 29 across local governmental agencies, supplemented with volunteer support; b. Hire temporary Communications and Information dissemination help for the City’s Public Information officer; c. Write the residents serving on the MP Advisory Committees and Commissions to ask them to consider becoming a Block Coordinator, if they haven’t yet; d. Ask City employees, who live in Menlo Park, to become a Block Coordinator; e. Work with MPC Ready to develop and distribute Block Coordinator yard signs; f. Work with MPC Ready to develop and place 3-5 Block Coordinator recruitment banners in well-trafficked areas; g. Do direct, targeted mailings where the need for Block Coordinators is the greatest; h. Establish one central call-in number, and staff it with City Staff and volunteers, that residents can call for help. Many do not use the internet; and i. Prepare signs with a form of “Help Needed” on one side and “I’m Okay” on the other. Leverage the idea planned by the City of Palo Alto Office of Emergency Services. Other Comments This is also the time for our individual Council members to take highly visible actions, related to slowing COVID-19’s spread within their districts. Please also see the memo regarding the MPC Ready Organization’s current Block Coordinator (and up) coverage across Menlo Park and its adjacent unincorporated County Areas that are part of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. Cordially, Lynne Bramlett Received on Tue Apr 07 2020 - 16:39:45 PDT
