Diana Hawkins-Manuelian joined the Atherton City Council during what was an atypical time. The world was locked down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now she finds herself leading the town as it must complete its number one priority, like many other jurisdictions across the state, is to get its state-mandated housing plans across the finish line.

"You don't want to be the person who changes the whole nature of the town," she said. At the same time, Hawkins-Manuelian has emphasized the consequences of not submitting a compliant housing element, such as lawsuits and the "builder's remedy," a California provision that allows developers to bypass local land-use rules when cities fail to garner state approval for a long-range housing plan. The 2023-31 housing element plan requires the town to plan for 348 units over the next eight years.

Hawkins-Manulian, who mentors startups outside of her council work, describes herself as shy so campaigning during the pandemic, in some ways, was easier for her. Candidates put up lawn signs, but there was no door-to-door meet and greets.

When she joined the council in 2020, meetings were on Zoom. Once they did return to in-person, just a few masked members of the community would attend. But flash forward to January 2023 and residents and camera crews crowded (about 250) the town's new Council Chambers for the City Council's eleventh hour approval of its state-mandated housing. The state is calling on the town, and others, to include multifamily housing in the plan which is again due back to the state on Jan. 31.

"There was a lot of emotional stuff," she said, recalling the residents who attended the meeting wearing bright green and red T-shirts expressing their discontent with potential upzoning plots of land in their neighborhood from single to multifamily. She remembers residents holding hands as they awaited the council's vote on the housing plan. She got one call on her personal cellphone from an angry constituent.

"It's a heavy lift; a somewhat impossible task," she said during a Jan. 4 interview with The Almanac outside of the town's newest cafe, Mademoiselle Colette. This is her first time serving as the town's mayor, a one-year term that the council members typically rotate into. "Back then (last winter) we agreed less than we do now."

While other council members have been more hesitant to consider parts of town for multifamily housing, Hawkins-Manuelian has been more pragmatic in her approach. She and former council member Bob Polito advocated for repurposing the Gilmore House, currently occupied by Police Chief Steve McCulley, in Holbrook-Palmer Park with workforce housing. She said the site is still on the table and she likes it in particular because it could have its own entrance and exit.

She also initially supported upzoning lots along El Camino Real because they were along a major thoroughfare (before consultants discovered these smaller lots were not ideally sized because you need at least half an acre for a site to be included in housing plans as affordable housing.

"The problem is the city owns no (very little) land," she said. "You can't develop (or buy land) because it's so expensive here." She said her support of designating lots for development along El Camino put her right in the butt of some of the most impassioned residents.

The site near Golden State Warriors' star Steph Curry's home, 23 Oakwood Blvd., is currently the only potential multifamily housing site still on the table, she noted.

The council will send its latest draft back to the state in the coming months, Hawkins-Manuelian said.

How she got involved in Atherton's government

Her civic engagement began as a member of the town's Environmental Programs Committee, which she ultimately chaired before leaving for the council.

Hawkins-Manuelian has lived in Atherton for over 30 years now. She was the newcomer in a four-way contested race who landed the endorsement of incumbent Rick DeGolia and unseated longtime council member Cary Wiest.

Refocus on emergency preparedness

Last winter the town saw a number of major power outages and road closures caused by high winds that loosened tree roots, knocking down trees and power lines.

"I'd like to refocus on emergency preparedness and resilience," Hawkins-Manuelian said. "We have been experiencing more frequent and intense record breaking weather incidences, power outages, wide fire, smoke days and flooding, and the ever present threat of earthquakes. ... It's not an anomaly."

Last year, City Manager George Rodericks brought up the possibility of undergrounding power lines. He noticed an uptick in comments on Nextdoor of interest in moving utility lines from power poles to underground to reduce issues during storms. He suggested residents consider forming underground utility districts.

Underground power lines may not cause fires, but they can be damaged by lighting strikes, earthquakes, flooding and construction excavation, PG&E has said.

Since 1966, the town has required that utility services for any newly constructed dwelling unit be located underground from the utility pole to the structure, according to a 2023 newsletter from Rodericks. Though this requirement does not remove poles from the right-of-way, it does reduce the clutter of overhead wires.

Underground utility districts can take anywhere from three to five years (or more) to complete, Rodericks noted.

"In my experience, I have seen individual property owners' costs range from $15,000 to $50,000," he said at the time. "Costs can be assessed over a long-term funding horizon, such as 20-30 years."

Hawkins-Manuelian said a resident has been looking into Pebble Beach's undergrounding of its power lines.

The town doesn't qualify as a high fire zone, according to PG&E, so it can't get money from the utility company to pay for undergrounding, she noted.

She also noted that the new Town Hall also came with an emergency operations center.

Since last summer, the Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team (A.D.A.P.T.) began collecting information from elderly people in town so that neighbors can help them during an emergency. The group may be able to connect them with a resident who has backup battery power through a Tesla Powerwall.

Train museum

The town is in the midst of constructing the exterior of its new mini train museum at the former train depot.

The council will soon discuss how to outfit the interior of the 620-foot space.

Community involvement

Hawkins-Manuelian would like to conduct a townwide survey to gauge residents' priorities. The last time the town did such a survey was in 2014, she noted.

The town hasn't determined how the survey will be distributed.

The town also recently put together focus groups of senior citizens.

The deck in front of the library has become a community gathering place. The new cafe, which opened at the end of September, will have to contend with where its patrons will eat and sip on drinks given that there's no indoor seating. Hawkins-Manuelian said the town is considering if it can loan the cafe space in the former Council Chambers building for the cafe.

Town staff will present an Earth Day work plan to the council on Jan. 17 for their consideration and approval. The event, hosted annually in April, will return to its roots in the center of Atherton, the new mayor said. The day is primarily intended to educate residents on the importance of taking care of the planet and inspire individual

action, while also fostering community.

The town held the event in Holbrook-Palmer Park in 2022. It then partnered with East Palo Alto and Menlo Park to host a much larger celebration at Menlo-Atherton High School in 2023.

This year's event will take place on Sunday, April 21, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., according to event organizer and town of Atherton staffer Rachael Londer.

Menlo Park and East Palo Alto are also coordinating to host a Love Our Earth Festival, and they are aiming to host it on April 14, Londer said.

Plans for this year's Atherton event include a demonstration of how to use a fire extinguisher, Hawkins-Manuelian said.

"I would like to see us continue to build community and community engagement through more community events and activities at the park and new Town Center by the town and in collaboration with the library," she told residents during the December council meeting when she was appointed mayor.

Office hours

Hawkins-Manuelian will host office hours on Mondays from noon to 1 p.m. in the first floor administrative conference room at Town Hall, 80 Fair Oaks Lane. Appointments are not required.

Make an appointment with Hawkins-Manuelian directly at dhawkins-manuelian@ci.atherton.ca.us.