Hi everyone - Ive been attending the recent city budget meetings as well as the environmental justice (EJ) element meetings and I commend everyone (staff, council, nonprofit leaders, concerned community members) for the huge amount of work thats gone into both the budget process, the EJ element, and the feedback solicited from the underserved communities of Menlo Park. The EJ element is an incredibly important guiding document for the city to have. At the same time, we cannot wait for this element to be finalized before taking action to address historical and current inequities. Below are some specific ideas for how this might be actioned.
1) I would love to see each of the citys departments allocate money and staff time for the upcoming budget cycle to serve the Belle Haven and Bayfront neighborhoods. Perhaps we can tag/flag programs or projects in your internal systems for easier reporting later. For example, the MPCC could be included, as well as tree planting activities, any other amenities coming online as a result of the Meta project, and the $4.5MM for low income housing upgrades and electrification. The community clearly wants change, and they want communication about that change, so having an easy way to track past/current/future priorities and activities that serve the Belle Haven and Bayfront communities is key. And an easy way to track activities across all the city departments is essential as well.
2) It seems that there is an abundance of funding available at the federal and state level to right historical and current wrongs. Id love to see our city and associated nonprofits go after as much funding as we can. (Link to recent White House briefing on investments: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/19/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-makes-historic-investments-to-build-community-climate-resilience/)
3) I encourage all commissioners and staff members (and community members) to learn about the history of our community so they can take historical and current inequities into account when they are recommending programs and policies. Below are links to slides and recordings from a meeting that happened last Friday.
Slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XAluolzI-sbC38ekJjQtDHOUboH6_KCE/view?link_id=3&can_id=ec42689631475c11330dc408060d2ff9&source=email-today-prepare-for-action-menlo-park-environmental-justice-a-virtual-gathering&email_referrer=email_1963750&email_subject=tonight-at-6pm-speak-up-for-environmental-justice-at-menlo-park-city-council
Meeting recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oppi7dRPPzZ7ambxuAeqxpN6IuOR9XLG/view?link_id=2&can_id=ec42689631475c11330dc408060d2ff9&source=email-today-prepare-for-action-menlo-park-environmental-justice-a-virtual-gathering&email_referrer=email_1963750&email_subject=tonight-at-6pm-speak-up-for-environmental-justice-at-menlo-park-city-council
Thanks everyone!
Nancy Larocca Hedley
