I'm sure East Palo Alto leaders will change when Mayor Mueller "Ray-splains" how single-family zoning isn't ~totally exclusionary even though it is~. Keep fighting for 1950s-style development patterns, Ray!! You really picked a winning side here.

Menlo Park and Palo Alto councils don’t get it. The same for many residents. There is no such thing as “local control” when it comes to things like traffic and other infrastructure pressures. There is no way to “slow grow” our way out of these issues as long as the region keeps growing. 75% of the traffic is flow-through, not attributable to local residents. The only relief comes from making smart decisions as a region, and by giving up the myth of local control when it comes to density and traffic planning..

BTW - one of my great laughs is “local control” of Caltrain grade separation. Every city pretends they can pick their own solution, and bumble around with it for 20 years.

I agree with MP Council Member Taylor that one of the drivers for SB50 is that local control of this issue has failed to adequately address the housing crisis. Further, if one is opposing a bill that is designed to address a known problem, use "yes and" language to address its shortcomings.

What I meand by this is you acknowledge the problem od housing "yes, we have a real issue that is affecting our community" followed by the "and" statement, such as "and it requires an approach tailored address the complexities of transportation, power, telecommunications, water and sewer, and other infrastrcture issues that are regional in nature and not beholding to the parochial interests of a given cit or town."

If EPA, MP, PA and other cities each go their own way on this we will not address the issue. By putting this through the business as usual political process, the end result will take years to complete, be driven by developers, banks, tech companies and other money interests at the expense of displacing the poor.

While there may be some racist and classist motivations that drive some NIMBYs, I beleive that the majority of the citizens in this area recognize that we have a problem with housing and transportation but are not sure what to do about it and are concerned about things getting worse. At the same time, those of us who own our home benefit from the scaricity of real estate are we watch our equity increase. We are conflicted but deep down we recognize that you "can't have your cake and eat it too."

This is why I think we need something to break the mold. SB 50 is a blunt instrument and imperfect, but it is a start and a means of forcing us to think and act more creatively and with an urgency we've not had before.

Regards,

Steve Taffee, Menlo Park

The state has a process where it gives Cities housing numbers to produce. The City of Menlo Park is compliant with the process. So spare us the argument: “the Councils haven’t done their job and the state needs to take control.” The City has done what the state required. If the state wants more housing it should give bigger numbers and let the City figure it out.

@tafee, not everyone is your age and bought their house decades ago. The unjust enrichment argument is inflammatory. There are plenty of people barely making their mortgage payments or refinance payments in this town at the market rate for the home they bought.

Those making inflammatory accusations about exclusionary, and “possibly” racist, or classist motivations against neighbors for owning in a single family neighborhood is unfortunate.

Get Real - your city wasn't compliant, and that's why it was sued.

Eight years ago Menlo Park was sued! The City is created THOUSANDS of units since then. Seems like the system works fine to me. If the State wants more housing, give cities accurate numbers. If a City doesn’t comply, sue em.

Thousands of units?! Thanks for the laugh.

Actually there are thousands of housing units already in development in Menlo Park. Here are just a few of the housing projects pending:

Web Link

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In development isn't the same as thousands of units built since 2010 and I'm well aware of what's in development.

I am fine with all the housing the "state" wants to build. I would just hope that they also build new playgrounds, schools, soccer fields, community swimming pools to go with that. Oh, I see. They just want to cram more people in and not pay for all that stuff. So basically, the towns that managed their population well and became great places to live, are now the ones who will lose.