I am extremely disappointed in the way my comments were presented in the staff report. They appear as if they came from MPC Ready. I wrote as an individual and I am no longer MPC Readys leader. I thought about not responding to your request for feedback and I wished I had done so. I never would have written so casually if I had thought my comments would appear as presented
With all that, I stand by my input.
Next time, I would inform respondents as to where their comments will appear. I thought you would attach my email to the staff report only. I did not realize that staff would put them in a table that makes them look like an official comment from an organization.
Writing as an individual,
Lynne Bramlett
650-380-3028
On Wed, May 21, 2025, 3:54 PM Lynne Bramlett > wrote:
Hi Nicole and Judy,
Thank you for reaching out. I am taking a trip tomorrow and I have not had the time to write before. Writing a thoughtful email to the City Council, for the public record, takes me between 4-8 hours. I prefer a more interactive forum. However, I will provide some input given your thoughtful request.
We have annual council goals. However, thats not the same as a community-led strategic planning process. Some comments:
* What would be the benefit/risk/downside of Menlo Park establishing its own Community foundation? That way, Menlo Park could obtain outside funding from philanthropy.
* I would prioritize nonprofits based in Menlo Park, such as Life Moves/Haven House. This way, we would know more about their work and also be in a position to partner beyond just giving money. The City also has nonprofits who may not know about your program, such as Friendly Voices which reduces loneliness and isolation in elderly adults.
* Housing insecurity, homelessness, food insecurity and mental health seem to be broad concerns impacting most communities. However, public safety needs prioritization too!
* I would like to see a new and improved model of how residents, government and community-based groups work together for disaster preparedness. You have the beginning of such a preparedness coalition but it needs nurturing! This would be a separate topic requiring much more thought and discussions. We have the illusion of "safety" that is only an illusion until the next disaster. Many non-profits now work in "disaster preparedness" or "climate change preparedness" but these efforts often focus on areas such as Belle Haven or East Palo Alto. Or, I see sporadic approaches that would benefit from a holistic plan with SMART goals. To me, we need a plan that serves all of Menlo Park as a wildfire could easily sweep into the Sharon Heights area and spread throughout. Earthquakes are an ever present possibility too and Menlo Park has hundreds of "soft story" residential buildings that could "fail" following the next quake. This could potentially displace thousands of residents. I would like to see SMART goals based on an inclusive planning process where all suitable stakeholders have a seat at the planning table. The Citys Advisory groups could also do more and many serving commissioners have expressed, to me, the desire to do more. The City could start an Emergency Preparedness Committee as a working committee that reports to Brandon Bond, and works from a work plan developed with him (and approved by Council.)
What was the process of collecting input into the recommendations? Those recently receiving funding could respond to a questionnaire. However, that had specific questions. The FAC offered to help Staff with the review and recommendations. However, that offer was not accepted. What would be the harm of involving a City advisory group in these kinds of reviews?
What is on the "score sheet"? Is there any reason it was not included in the staff report? (Or, perhaps I missed it.) Who was part of the scoring? What possible "bias" might exist, if any? How might a resident or a City Advisory Commission score the applicants?
What are the needs in Menlo Park? How do we know? To me, its more than time to go back to bi-annual City Satisfaction surveys such as the Community Survey that the City of Palo Alto conducts. This would allow Menlo Park to compare its results over time and to place its performance in context with other similar cities. I recommend the National Community Survey. As you may know, the last survey was conducted by a different firm and the results were a disappointment to the then City Council. No actionable recommendations.
What is the Citys current way of working with successful applicants? How might a closer relationship be established? What merit, if any, would exist if the successful applicants were each assigned to one of the Citys advisory committees? What else could be added to increase transparency and oversight?
Sincerely,
Lynne Bramlett
650-380-3028
On Wed, May 14, 2025 at 5:24 PM Casados, Nicole > wrote:
Hello,
You are receiving this email as a fiscal year 2023-24 funding recipient of the Menlo Park Community Funding Program.
At its May 13 meeting, the Menlo Park City Council received an informational item regarding proposed changes to the Community Funding Program (see attached document). While no action or decisions were made at this meeting, initial feedback from the survey was included on page 8 of the attachment.
The City Council is scheduled to hear an action item May 27 to consider adopting the updated policy, page 6 of the attached, and application, page 17 of the attached.
We encourage your feedback and comments to the proposed updates. Please respond to this email by 5 p.m., May 21, so they can be included in the materials for the May 27 meeting.
Thank you,
Nicole
[cid:ii_196f0f12ee25817f0141]
Nicole S. Casados (she/her)
Executive Assistant to City Manager
City Hall - 2nd Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 650-330-6611 | fax 650-328-7935
menlopark.gov
See www.pronouns.org to learn more about why I share my pronouns.
From: Casados, Nicole
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2025 8:59 AM
Subject: FW: Menlo Park Community Funding Program - Spring 2025 update
Hello,
You are receiving this email as a fiscal year 2023-24 funding recipient of the Menlo Park Community Funding Program.
The Menlo Park City Council is receiving an informational item on proposed changes to the program at the May 13 City Council meeting. Please note that this agenda item is for information only – no action will be taken, and the City Council will not be deliberating or making any decisions at this time. Attached is the May 13 agenda which lists this topic under M3 on page 3.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.; however, informational items are scheduled toward the end of the agenda and may be heard later in the evening.
We encourage you to share your thoughts and feedback on the proposed changes. You can send an email to city.council@menlopark.gov, reply to this email with comments and staff will forward to the full City Council, or plan to attend the meeting and speak during public comment on item M3.
Thank you,
Nicole
