Hi Salem,
Points well taken. Palo Alto’s current police chief was appointed by a
non-elected city manager by the name of Ed Shikada. The police chief is a
hypocritical fellow named Andrew Binder who claims to be all in for
community policing but lives an hour a way from Palo Alto in Morgan Hill.
This fact was never disclosed to the Palo Alto community at the time Binder
was appointed by City Manager Shikada to be our next police chief. At the
time the appointment process was going on in the summer of 2022 I was was
interviewed by former Palo Alto City Council member Greg Tanaka on the non
democractic police chief hiring process.
aram james on elected police chief police chief - Google Search
https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=aram%20james%20on%20elected%20police%20chief%20police%20chief&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:e89ef260,vid:mdW0CcwU660,
BTW: Im advised that currently the police chief in each city in Santa
Clara County, except those cities that rely on the Sherrif’s department for
policing, except one, is a white male. In fact the current interim police
chief of the town of Giroy is Palo Alto’s police chief’s brother Ken
Binder. Ken Binder retired from
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department after several decades with the
department in June of 2025. So much for diversity in the leadership
of law enforcement in Santa Clara County.
As an aside, all counties in California have an elected District Attorneys.
In contrast, only one county, San Francisco, has an elected public
defender. Years ago I was part of a movement to elect the public defender
in Santa Clara County the pushback by entrenched political interests was
enormous and our effort failed.
Why should we have an elected public defender you ask?
An AI search provided a better answer, more complete answer, than I can
give:
*AI Overview*
+4
Having an elected public defender is critical because it enhances the
political power of the office, making it easier to advocate for indigent
defense issues and bring them into the public discourse. Elected officials,
including public defenders, have a greater ability to influence policy and
funding decisions related to indigent defense. This can lead to improved
resources and representation for those who cannot afford legal counsel.
Heres why this matters:
- *Increased Political Influence:*
Elected public defenders can leverage their position to lobby for better
funding, resources, and policy changes within the criminal justice system.
- *Public Awareness:*
The election process itself can raise public awareness about the
challenges faced by indigent defendants and the importance of a robust
public defense system.
- *Accountability:*
Elected officials are directly accountable to the voters, which can
incentivize them to address the needs of their constituents, including
those who rely on public defenders.
- *Checks and Balances:*
Having an elected public defender can create a healthy balance of power
between the prosecution and the defense, ensuring a more equitable justice
system.
- *Constitutional Rights:*
Public defense systems are essential for upholding the Sixth Amendments
guarantee of the right to counsel
for
those accused of crimes.
My shorter answer would be that it is hard to imagine the Founding Fathers
accepting the idea that the District Attorney of each county, who is
responsible for filing charges against community members, would be elected
and directly accountable to the people. Meanwhile, the Chief Public
Defender of each county, tasked with ensuring a vigorous and
constitutionally appropriate defense for every client, would be appointed
by a local board of supervisors, who could hire or fire the public defender
at their discretion.
Aram
On Wed, Aug 6, 2025 at 4:03 PM Salem Ajluni wrote:
> An even better solution to the insularity and intentional distancing from
> constituents practiced by nearly all local government (not to mention state
> and federal government) is to make the key "permanent bureaucracy"
> positions—especially the City Manager—elected positions.
>
> While were at it, lets make the Chief of Police an elected position as
> is the case in the City of Santa Clara--the only municipality in California
> (and perhaps the U.S.) where this is the case.
>
> Santa Clara also has an elected City Clerk, though not an elected City
> Manager--at least not yet. Palo Alto has no elected Police Chief and no
> elected City Clerk, these being appointed by the Council like the City
> Manager.
>
> Salem
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Aram James
> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 6, 2025 2:49 PM
> *To:* Henry Etzkowitz
> *Cc:* Firoozeh Dastmalchi ; Trudy Willis <
> trudysw@sbcglobal.net>; Charles Spanhook ; Chunyan
> Zhou ; Brian Good ; Office
> of the Provost ; Dave Price ;
> Roseline Rasolovoahangy ; Avroh Shah <
> avrohshah@gmail.com>; Mariza Almeida ; Rebecca
> Eisenberg ; Hannah Lu ;
> Ellen Fox ; City Council <
> city.council@cityofpaloalto.org>; Gerry Gras ;
> Palo Alto Free Press ; Roberta Ahlquist <
> roberta.ahlquist@sjsu.edu>; Lotus Fong ; Liz Gardner <
> Gardnerjaqua@gmail.com>; Liz Kniss ; Emily Mibach
> ; Today EPA ;
> jason.green@bayareanewsgroup.com ;
> cromero@cityofepa.org ; Gennady Sheyner <
> gsheyner@embarcaderomedia.org>; Doug Minkler ;
> Gennady Sheyner ; Ed Lauing <
> Ed.Lauing@cityofpaloalto.org>; Ed Shikada ;
> Keith Reckdahl ; George.Lu@cityofpaloalto.org <
> George.Lu@cityofpaloalto.org>; Julie Lythcott-Haims <
> Julie.LythcottHaims@cityofpaloalto.org>; Patrick Burt <
> pat.burt@cityofpaloalto.org>; Vicki Veenker <
> Vicki.Veenker@cityofpaloalto.org>; board@pausd.org ;
> board@valleywater.org ; BoardOperations <
> BoardOperations@cob.sccgov.org>; jessica@speiser.net ;
> assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov <
> assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov>; josh@joshsalcman.com <
> josh@joshsalcman.com>; Mark Turner ;
> Andrew Binder ; CityCouncil <
> CityCouncil@morganhill.ca.gov>; michael.gennaco@oirgroup.com <
> michael.gennaco@oirgroup.com>; michael.foley@cityofpaloalto.org <
> michael.foley@cityofpaloalto.org>; james pitkin ;
> James Reifschneider ; Salem
> Ajluni ; Linda Jolley ; Don
> Austin ; Donna Wallach ;
> Donna Wallach ; Mila Zelkha ;
> Miguel Rodriguez ; Damon Silver <
> damon.silver@pdo.sccgov.org>; Sean Allen ; Raymond
> Goins ; rabrica@cityofepa.org ;
> craig.lee@cityofpaloalto.org ; WILPF
> Peninsula Palo Alto ; Palo Alto
> Renters Association ; Geoffrey Blackshire <
> geo.blackshire@paloalto.gov>; Jasso, Tamara <
> Tamara.Jasso@cityofpaloalto.org>; The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan <
> mayor@sanjoseca.gov>; Daniel Barton ; Pat M <
> p.marshall81@ymail.com>; Dana St. George ; Human
> Relations Commission ; Kaloma Smith <
> pastor@universityamez.com>; GRP-City Council ;
> DuJuan Green ; Anne Cribbs ;
> Anna Griffin ; city.council@menlopark.gov <
> city.council@menlopark.gov>; citycouncil@mountainview.gov <
> citycouncil@mountainview.gov>; Justin Zalkin
> *Subject:* Re: Israel’s democracy risks failure
>
> Hi Henry,
>
> Youve made some brilliant observations once again. Implementing a more
> robust participatory democracy, as you suggested with the Town Hall Meeting
> process, would be an excellent first step. Our city council model in Palo
> Alto undermines any change at true democracy. The current council seems
> more focused on protecting the elite, leaving the rest of us with just
> crumbs.
>
> Now, how can we prevent "Queen Vicki" from ascending to the throne in
> January 2026?
>
> Aram
>
> On Wed, Aug 6, 2025 at 2:05 PM Henry Etzkowitz wrote:
>
> Hi Aram
>
> Jeanne Fleming, United Neighbors entrepreneur, has a longer term idea,
> that she shared during a recent visit to Triple Helix Institute: make the
> Mayor more responsive to the public and at the same time create a
> countervailing power to reign in the out of citizen control consultocracy,
> our de-facto Palo Alto governance modality.
>
> The consultocracy, firms hired by the city Manager, with nominal Council
> input, provides narrow, virtually indistinguishable options, (cf airport,
> Cubberly). Operating at the behest of permanent city management, long term
> direction and priorities as well as specific project design are
> accomplished through a vitiated representative democratic guise (city
> council).
>
> Jeanne suggests (presuming it to be in the public domain to reiterate and
> credit her perspicacity) a more powerful elected Mayor that could be
> balanced by a yearly town meeting decision making assembly of voters, aka
> the New England town meeting. Having Participated in and observed this non
> representative, all citizen,
> Direct democracy format in Nantucket (with its quasi parties, virtually
> exclusive of summer residents, held in winter); it is nonetheless
> inspiring and potentially transferable.
>
> Both ideas would surely give pressing public issues like Gaza cease fire
> now
> And move Palo Alto airport to Moffett field, higher priority. At least
> that is the hope and intention. Of course there may be other ideas to
> accomplish the objective of a leaner, more productive, government.
>
> Cheers
> Henry Etzkowitz
> “Back to the Agora”
> 2024 Palo Alto City Council Candidate
> Neighbors for Environmental and Social Justice
> Mark your calendar for One October when Elon Musk/Tesla have a date in San
> Jose Superior court (civil) judge Monahan has admonished a judgement in
> default if no show a second time.
> Www.triple helix.net
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Aug 6, 2025, at 8:39 AM, Aram James wrote:
>
>
> Another excellent piece, Henry! The coronation of the gutless “Queen
> Vicki” for mayor in 2026 seems inevitable. What can we do as a community to
> push her towards declaring in favor of a ceasefire and finally speaking out
> on the ongoing genocide happening in real time before the eyes of the
> world. Even the far-white-wing Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene has called
> the slaughter of Palestinian children a genocide. How can we allow our city
> leaders to remain silent on this issue without protests and push back.
>
> Avram “Just Say No To Queen Vicki for Mayor in 2026. “ Finkelstein
>
> Source: ajc Marjorie Taylor Greene breaks from party by calling Gaza
> conflict a genocide https://share.google/k741qbCv5jWfOMXlY
>
> On Wed, Aug 6, 2025 at 12:54 AM Henry Etzkowitz wrote:
>
>
> >
> > The stellar legitimation of Israel, uniquely democratic among
> undemocratic states longe has lost face validity. The Knesset and courts
> have failed to remove Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister, hiding in
> plain sight from international justice.
> >
> > But failure to follow international rules of justice, although serious,
> is relatively minor in comparison to virtually uniform active and passive
> support for a leader who is carrying out a so called “Hannibal policy”
> against its own citizens, concomitant with steady escalation to a “Final
> Solution” in Gaza through food deprivation by withholding nutrition rather
> than air denial by forced
> > gas.
> >
> > Cease fire Now:flood in food!
> >
> > Who will be the contemporary Herbert Hoover to accomplish this
> objective? Given Stanford’s unique history, iconic tower and Institute in
> his honour, the University should speak out institutionally as Washington
> University, St Louis did in leading a university-industry coalition to
> oppose the Vietnam war
> >
> > In this era and region, Stanford should invite Palo Alto and its Silicon
> Valley spinoffs to call with one voice for Gaza cease fire.
> >
> > Sincerely
>
>
> >
> > Henry Etzkowitz
> > 1766 sand Hill Road
>
> > Palo Alto CA 94304
>
> > 646 701 2695
> > Neighbors for Environmental and Social Justice
> > 2024 Candidate for Palo Alto city council
> >
> > www.triplehelix.net
>
>