Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,
I'd like to share my thoughts as you finalize priorities for our city on Tuesday night. My top priorities include environmental sustainability, anti-racist policies, and a vibrant downtown. Details on each are included below.
Environmental Sustainability - I would like to see us continue to prioritize anything that helps reduce the use of fossil fuels within our city so we can do our part to reduce global warming. From encouraging walking, biking, EVs, and public transit, to more trees, more solar, and supporting a supply chain that encourages organic and regenerative food production and consumption....let's have city policies support these needed changes.
Anti-Racist Policies - I strongly encourage Menlo Park to elevate its urgency and community involvement toward developing, implementing, overseeing, and communicating anti-racist policies and practices for our city. Our essential work starts by advancing the Racial Equity Baseline Project included in Tuesday’s Council Agenda, guided by the expertise of Dr. Terri Givens. Let us truly honor Black History Month by taking this critical first step out of respect for our past, present and future community members who deserve racial equity and reparation.
Vibrant Downtown - Last but not least, I would love to see a renaissance of our downtown as we begin to imagine a post-COVID future. From continued outdoor restaurant seating to special events that bring our community together, let's lay the groundwork now for an even stronger community in the future. In particular, I am concerned that rents are too high for many local, independent businesses to be able to operate in Menlo Park. This reduces the creativity and vibrancy of our community and I wonder what can be done to support them.
Thank you,
Nancy Larocca Hedley
Partridge Avenue
