The crepe myrtles are pretty. London planes are a perfect nuisance, dropping the seed balls and leaves. This is a perfectly idiotic waste of money

I'm not a tree guy, wouldn't know a crepe myrtle from a london plane. I do suspect that neither of these species are native to this area. I'm a fish and wildlife guy, and when it comes to enviornmental issues I am most concerned about screwing with mother nature. Non-native species, be they animal, fish or fauna are not a good idea. Add to that the fact that they take up room on the street, and this is a really dumb idea; but, I am sure they will get planted--only to need to be torn out when ECR has to be expanded to handle the traffic increases that are coming our way.

The crapemyrtles are lovely trees with pretty flowers that enhance downtown.
On the other hand, here is what Wikipedia has to say about the London Plane tree:"...it (London Plane tree) has a number of problems in urban use, most notably the short, stiff hairs shed by the young leaves and the dispersing seeds; these are an irritant if breathed in, and can exacerbate breathing difficulties for people with asthma. The large leaves can create a disposal problem in cities."
Menlo Park should not be wasting our tax dollars to remove our beautiful, well-established trees, nor should it even consider burdening us with messy trees known to create breathing and other problems in cities.
It ain't broke. Don't fix it.