Menlo Park City Council
June 20, 2023

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov City Council

SPECIAL JOINT MEETING WITH THE MENLO PARK PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA
Date: 6/20/2023
Time: 5:00 p.m.

Locations: Zoom.us/join – ID# 890 3919 2702,
City Council Chambers
751 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 and
Belle Haven Branch Library
413 Ivy Dr., Menlo Park, CA 94025
City Councilmember Combs will be participating from:
739 St. Charles Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
Members of the public can listen to the meeting and participate using the following methods. If you have issues viewing the meeting, please email the city clerk at [email protected].

How to participate in the meeting
• Submit a written comment online up to one-hour before the meeting start time:
• [email protected]
• Access the meeting real-time online at:

Zoom.us/join – Meeting ID 890 3919 2702
• Access the meeting real-time via telephone at:
(669) 900-6833
Meeting ID 890 3919 2702
Press *9 to raise hand to speak
Watch meeting:
• Cable television subscriber in Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Atherton and Palo Alto:

Channel 26
• City Council Chambers
• Belle Haven Branch Library – available in English and Spanish Subject to Change: The format of this meeting may be altered or the meeting may be cancelled. You may check on the status of the meeting by visiting the city website menlopark.gov. The instructions for logging on to the webinar and/or the access code is subject to change. If you have difficulty accessing the webinar, please check the latest online edition of the posted agenda for updated information (menlopark.gov/agendas)
Special Session
A. Call To Order
B. Roll Call
C. Closed Session
City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov City Council and Menlo Park Planning Commission Joint Special Meeting Agenda June 20, 2023

C1. Closed session conference with labor negotiators pursuant to Government Code §54957.6 regarding labor negotiations with the Service Employees International Union Local 521 (SEIU), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 829 (AFSCME), and Confidential employees
Agency designated representatives: City Manager Justin I.C. Murphy, Administrative Services Director Brittany Mello, Assistant City Manager Stephen Stolte, City Attorney Nira Doherty, Special Counsel Charles Sakai
Not a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) project.

D. Call To Order
E. Roll Call
F. Study Session
F1. Receive an overview and provide feedback on the draft General Plan Environmental Justice and Safety Elements and provide direction/confirmation for next steps (Staff Report #23-142-CC) (Informe de Personal #23-142-CC) (Presentation)
Not a CEQA project.

G. Adjournment
At every regular meeting of the commission, in addition to the public comment period where the public shall have the right to address the commission on any matters of public interest not listed on the agenda, members of the public have the right to directly address the commission on any item listed on the agenda at a time designated by the chair, either before or during the commission’s consideration of the item.

At every special meeting of the commission, members of the public have the right to directly address the commission on any item listed on the agenda at a time designated by the chair, either before or during consideration of the item.

For appeal hearings, appellant and applicant shall each have 10 minutes for presentations.

If you challenge any of the items listed on this agenda in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Menlo Park at, or before, the public hearing.

Any writing that is distributed to a majority of the commission by any person in connection with an agenda item is a public record (subject to any exemption under the Public Records Act) and is available by request by emailing the city clerk at [email protected]. Persons with disabilities, who require auxiliary aids or services in attending or participating in commission meetings, may call the City Clerk’s Office at 650-330-6620.

Agendas are posted in accordance with California Government Code §54954.2(a) or §54956. Members of the public can view electronic agendas and staff reports by accessing the city website at menlopark.gov/agendas and can receive email notification of agendas by subscribing at menlopark.gov/subscribe. Agendas and staff reports may also be obtained by contacting the city clerk at 650-330-6620. (Posted: 6/15/2023) Community Development
City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov

STAFF REPORT
City Council
Meeting Date: 6/20/2023
Staff Report Number: 23-142-CC
Study Session: Receive an overview and provide feedback on the draft General Plan Environmental Justice and
Safety Elements and provide direction/confirmation
for next steps
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council and Planning Commission receive an overview and provide feedback on the City’s draft General Plan Environmental Justice and Safety Elements and provide direction/confirmation for next steps.

Policy Issues
The City is committed to advancing equity and addressing potential environmental health risks in Menlo Park. This is in line with Senate Bill 1000 (2016) which requires the adoption or review of an Environmental Justice Element (or environmental justice goals, policies and programs in other elements) upon the adoption or revision of two or more General Plan elements. The City is developing its first Environmental Justice Element and concurrently updating the Safety Element for compliance with Senate Bill 379 (2015) and State-required topics such as climate change adaptation and resiliency, and increased attention to wildfire and evacuation routes. The City adopted a Housing Element for the 2023 to 2031 planning period (6th Cycle) Jan. 31 and is currently addressing comments from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) received April 7. Proposed modifications to the Housing Element are anticipated to be discussed by the City Council at its June 27 meeting.

Background
The Housing Element for the 2023 to 2031 planning period, the preparation of the Environmental Justice Element, and the update of the Safety Element, collectively known as the Housing Element Update project, is a City Council priority. Beginning in 2021, the project has been a multiyear effort led in combination by staff and a team of consultants managed by the M-Group (see Attachment A for project webpage). At the onset of the project, the City Council identified three main goals of the project: balanced community, affordability focused and social justice. The City also committed to development of Menlo Park’s first Environmental Justice Element to advance equity and protect human health.

On Dec. 12, 2022, the City published the draft Environmental Justice and Safety Elements, following before outreach and engagement efforts discussed further in this report. The draft Environmental Justice and Safety Elements are provided as Attachments B and C, respectively. Along with the publication of the draft elements, an executive summary was prepared in English and Spanish (Attachment D).

On Jan. 31, the City Council adopted the 2023 to 2031 Housing Element (Attachment E) and certified the subsequent environmental impact report (SEIR), which covers the Housing Element Update project.

AGENDA ITEM F-1 Page F-1.1
Staff Report #: 23-142-CC

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov On Feb. 9 and 10, two community meetings, one in English and one in Spanish, were held at the Belle Haven Branch Library. These meetings provided an overview of the Environmental Justice and Safety Elements; revisited findings from community input to date; reviewed and discussed goals, policies and programs; and provided a forum for sharing and receiving feedback on the draft Elements. Nearly 100 individuals in total attended the meetings. The English and Spanish meeting presentation slides and video, as well as the information packets distributed, are provided as Attachments F through K.

Environmental Justice Element overview
The purpose of the Environmental Justice Element (commonly abbreviated as EJ Element) is to identify and address public health risks and environmental justice concerns, as well as foster the wellbeing of Menlo Park residents living in underserved or disadvantaged communities, discussed below. The element focuses on fair treatment and meaningful involvement for people of all races, cultures, incomes, and national origins with respect to the development, adoption, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

The EJ Element’s purpose and focus aligns with the regulatory context for EJ Elements established by State law. Further, there is a concept known as the “social determinants of health” that drives the goals, policies, and programs of the EJ Element and reflects what the City and community seek to prioritize for environmental justice. The regulatory context for EJ Elements and the social determinants of health are summarized below. Please refer to the Introduction section of the draft EJ Element for additional detail.

Regulatory context
There are several state laws that guide EJ Element development, outlined below. • Senate Bill 1000 (SB 1000) – 2016
• Local governments are required to analyze whether or not they have “Disadvantaged Communities”—the State of California-defined term—or “Underserved Communities”—the Menlo Park-preferred term—in their jurisdictions, and if there are, then the agency must develop an Environmental Justice Element.
• Throughout the EJ Element, “Underserved Communities” is used and is understood to be the same as the State-defined term “Disadvantaged Communities,” which is only used when quoting or referring to state law.
• There are seven topic areas required to be addressed by EJ Element goals, policies and programs, as shown in Table 1 below.

Page F-1.2
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City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Table 1: EJ element topic areas
Topic area Description
Prioritize the needs of underserved
communities
The EJ Element is a document that seeks to reduce or remove local disparities and inequities that exist by addressing and improving the social determinants of health in the underserved community neighborhoods.

Reduce pollution exposure
Pollution exposure occurs daily in nearly every community and can cause or worsen negative health outcomes. Menlo Park is striving for a physical environment that supports everyone’s good health and quality of life.

Improve access to public facilities
Quality access to public facilities and recreation opportunities has health-supporting benefits and encourages stronger connections between community members and their local government.

Promote food access Having good food access means that food is affordable, nutritious, and within an accessible distance from home.

Promote safe and sanitary housing Housing that is stable, in good repair, and suitable to different lifestyles is essential for individual and community wellbeing.

Promote physical activity A physically active lifestyle has health-supporting benefits.

Promote civic engagement
Creating transparency and increasing public engagement in local government planning and decision-making processes encourages more balanced policies and outcomes, and promotes awareness for all community members.
• Assembly Bill 1553 (AB 1553) – 2001
• The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) is the coordinating agency for environmental justice efforts and defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” Menlo Park’s EJ Element follows OPR guidance for EJ Element development.
• Health and Safety Code Section 39711
• The California Code defines disadvantaged communities and gives the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the responsibility for identifying such communities for investment opportunities. Menlo Park’s EJ Element uses the California Code definition for disadvantaged communities and uses the EPA’s tools for analysis, in conjunction with public input.1 Drivers of environmental injustice and social determinants of health Every aspect of people’s lives has implications for their health. Beyond access to and quality of health care, the characteristics of the neighborhoods where people live, work, play, learn and pray influence their

1 Health and Safety Code Section 39711(a) provides in part that “disadvantaged communities” shall be identified based on geographic, socioeconomic, public health, and environmental hazard criteria, and may include, but are not limited to, either of the following: (1) Areas disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative public health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation. (2) Areas with concentrations of people that are of low income, high unemployment, low levels of homeownership, high rent burden, sensitive populations, or low levels of educational attainment
Page F-1.3
Staff Report #: 23-142-CC

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov behaviors, experiences, and physical health in different ways. Health is heavily influenced by factors in a community that are not typically addressed by the health care system. These community and locationbased factors make up the “social determinants of health” (refer to Figure EJ-1 on Page EJ-10 within the draft EJ Element, Attachment B, for an illustrative graphic). Some people live in relatively healthy neighborhoods with characteristics that mostly support healthy living, such as landscapes that promote active lifestyles, access to medical care, clean housing and availability of nutritious food. On the other hand, relatively less healthy neighborhoods have a combination of physical, social, and economic conditions that can create significant barriers to health such as unhealthy housing, poor access to healthy food, inadequate or poorly maintained public spaces, unsafe streets, under-resourced schools and concentrated poverty.

This complex web of social determinants of health points to a common outcome: poorer and racialized people generally live shorter lives in worse health and under worse conditions than more affluent people who are not racialized. The EJ Element is a document that seeks to reduce or remove local disparities and inequities that exist by addressing and improving the social determinants of health in the underserved community neighborhoods.

Identifying underserved communities
Disadvantaged communities, a defined term, are areas throughout California that suffer from a combination of economic, health and environmental burdens. These burdens include poverty, pollution, and social and health indicators of risk and stress. Throughout the EJ Element, “Underserved Communities” is used and is understood to be the same as the State-defined term “Disadvantaged Communities,” which is only used when quoting or referring to state law. In accordance with OPR’s EJ Element guidelines, which recommend a “thorough screening analysis” and incorporation of community outreach, the project team evaluated the entire city and identified two underserved communities, Belle Haven and the Bayfront, generally the portion of Menlo Park located north of US-101 and within City Council District 1. Belle Haven and the Bayfront suffer from a combination of economic, health and environmental burdens; are disproportionately more Hispanic and Black than the rest of the city; and are made up of households that have been historically underrepresented in the planning process (and civic processes generally) in Menlo Park2. For more information, please refer to the existing setting section and Appendix EJ-A, Neighborhood Profiles of Environmental Justice Considerations, within the draft EJ Element (Attachment B).

Draft Environmental Justice element structure, goals, policies and programs The Environmental Justice Element is an entirely new element for Menlo Park’s General Plan and is organized into the following sections:
• Existing setting: This section identifies neighborhoods in Menlo Park that have concentrations of poverty and pollution that lead to disproportionately high rates of poor health outcomes. These neighborhoods are designated as “Underserved Communities” in the document. • Environmental Justice outreach: This section provides an overview of key findings from community engagement performed throughout the development of the element, as well as a discussion of engagement methodology.
• Goals, policies and programs: This section includes actions the City will take to prioritize underserved communities and address the environmental injustices identified through the existing conditions analysis and community engagement.
• Appendices: The appendices include supporting documents that provide more details on methodology or additional reports produced as part of the development of the element.

2 Communities of color are disproportionately living in low and moderate-resource areas. Within Menlo Park, the Hispanic/Latinx population consists of over half of the population living in low or moderate resource areas but only makes up seven percent of the population living in high resource areas (ABAG/MTC Housing Needs Data Report, April 2021).

Page F-1.4
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City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov The draft EJ Element has seven overarching goals and associated policies and programs that support the goals, similar to other General Plan elements. Below is a description of the goals, policies, and programs that comprise the EJ Element.
• Goals: Broad actions Menlo Park will pursue to work toward environmental justice. • Policies: Focused principles to guide decision-making that Menlo Park is adopting in order to achieve goals.
• Programs: Precise steps that Menlo Park will take in furtherance of policies and goals.

The EJ Element goals listed below align with statutory requirements and create a framework within which Menlo Park-specific policies and programs are being developed. • EJ Element Goal 1: Address unique and compounded health risks • EJ Element Goal 2: Reduce pollution exposure and eliminate environmental inequities • EJ Element Goal 3: Equitably provide appropriate public facilities to individuals and communities • EJ Element Goal 4: Promote access to affordable, healthy and high-quality foods • EJ Element Goal 5: Provide safe and sanitary homes for all residents • EJ Element Goal 6: Encourage physical activity and active transportation • EJ Element Goal 7: Create equitable civic and community engagement Because this is the City’s first endeavor to develop an EJ Element, it is acknowledged that this new longrange planning document is a starting point to evaluate and do things differently, with increased awareness, focus, intention and action toward environmental justice. It is the intent of the EJ Element to prioritize actions that will yield the greatest health improvements and the greatest reductions in health inequities in Menlo Park’s Underserved Communities. Achieving these goals will also require future efforts that build on the successes and challenges experienced during implementation of the policies and programs in this EJ Element. To ensure the City can respond to these successes and challenges, as well as address the changing needs and interests of Menlo Park’s Underserved Communities, the document is envisioned as a living, iterative element of the General Plan. To enable this, the EJ Element will establish an implementation and tracking plan. This plan will include guidance such as departments responsible for implementation, potential partners and anticipated funding sources; actions to track progress toward goals and regularly report that progress publicly; and processes to revise the element as needed to reinforce successes and address challenges over time.

Safety Element overview
The purpose of the Safety Element is to identify and appraise risks in the community and provide high-level strategies for mitigating risks and ensuring the wellness of the community, city services and infrastructure.

The Safety Element was adopted May 21, 2013, and since then, State law requires safety elements to include climate change adaptation and resiliency and increased attention to wildfire and evacuation routes.

Per the approved scope and budget, the update to the Safety Element purposely focuses on these topics in response to State law. The City has a combined Open Space and Conservation, Noise and Safety Elements document. The update work focuses on the Safety Element; the Open Space and Conservation and Noise Elements are unchanged.

Regulatory context
A Safety Element is required to identify unreasonable risks and provide policies for the protection of the community from such risks (Gov. Code § 65302(g)(1)). The traditional risks entailed are slope instability, seismic risks, flooding and fire. Since the previous Safety Element was adopted, there have been several regulatory updates, listed and summarized below.
• Senate Bill 1241 (SB 1241) – 2012
• Regarding wildfire hazards specifically, jurisdictions in a State Responsibility Area (SRA) or Page F-1.5
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City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov jurisdictions with Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ), are required to revise their Safety Element to include information about wildfire hazards and risks, as well as goals, policies, objectives and implementation measures for the protection of the community from unreasonable fire risk. • Menlo Park does not fall in an SRA or VHFHSZ. SB 1241 does not apply to Menlo Park’s Safety Element.
• Senate Bill 379 (SB 379) – 2015
• Jurisdictions are required to complete a vulnerability assessment; develop adaptation and resilience goals, policies and objectives; and develop a set of feasible implementation measures addressing climate change adaptation and resiliency.
• Senate Bill 1035 (SB 1035) – 2018
• Jurisdictions must review and update the Safety Element, as needed, upon each revision of the Housing Element or Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), but not less than once every eight years. • Senate Bill 99 (SB 99) – 2019
• Identify residential developments without at least two emergency evacuation routes. • Other regulatory context: Assembly Bill 747 (2019) requires local jurisdictions that have not adopted a LHMP before Jan. 1, 2022 to identify evacuation routes and their capacity, safety, and viability under a range of emergency scenarios in the Safety Element. Assembly Bill 1409 (2021) added the requirement to also identify evacuation locations. Menlo Park is part of the San Mateo County Multijurisdictional LHMP adopted in 2021, before Jan. 1, 2022. Therefore, the information required by AB 747 and AB 1409 do not apply to the current update of the Safety Element. However, this analysis will be required upon the next revision of the LHMP, which is updated at least every five years.

The Safety Element is supported by San Mateo County’s 2021 Multijurisdictional LHMP, the City of Menlo Park’s 2030 Climate Action Plan (CAP), and San Mateo County’s 2015 Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

Information for the aforementioned documents is provided in Attachments L through N.

Draft Safety Element goals, policies and programs
The update to the Safety Element includes new and modified policies and programs under the existing Safety Element Goal S1: Assure a Safe Community.3 Safety Element policies cover the topic areas listed below and specific implementing programs are associated with these topics. The list below highlights new policies and programs, but the document also includes various other modified and updated policies and programs.
• General safety
• New Policy: mitigation and disaster recovery funding
• Geologic and seismic safety
• Hazardous materials
• Flood control, tsunami and dam safety
• Fire safety
• Public safety and emergency response
• New Policy: Public health; heat adaptation
• New Programs: Senior outreach; public communication; public heat respite; heat island minimization; emergency preparedness for sensitive populations

3 The Safety Element organizes all policies and programs under one overarching goal: Goal S1 – Assure a Safe Community: Minimize risk to life and damage to the environment and property from natural and human-caused hazards, and assure community emergency preparedness and a high level of public safety services and facilities.

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City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Safety Element revisions also include updated information regarding hazardous waste and cleanup sites. In accordance with SB 379, the Safety Element draws from the 2021 LHMP to provide a vulnerability assessment; develop adaptation and resilience goals, policies and objectives; and develop a set of feasible implementation measures addressing climate change adaptation and resiliency. In accordance with SB 99, the Safety Element includes new mapping identifying residential developments without at least two emergency evacuation routes.

Community outreach and engagement
Throughout the Housing Element Update project, community outreach and engagement have been a significant and influential component of the work to develop the EJ and Safety Elements. The City is committed to an inclusive and equitable planning process. An inclusive and equitable planning process allows community members, especially residents of underserved communities, to provide input and contribute to the development of these long range planning documents. In March 2022, the City Council approved a professional services agreement amendment to include the addition of Climate Resilient Communities (CRC) and ChangeLab Solutions to the project team for expanded community outreach and additional expertise in preparing the EJ and Safety Elements. The City of Menlo Park conducted community outreach and engagement on its own as well as partnering closely with CRC, an organization that is intentionally focused and specialized in outreach and engagement efforts for underserved communities.

Outreach has included community meetings, pop-ups, English-Spanish translation/interpretation services, monolingual meetings in English or Spanish, door-to-door canvassing, surveys and more. Whenever possible, outreach has been conducted with the intent to “meet people where they are” to increase participation, engagement, and build relationships with the community. The below list highlights community outreach and key documents release dates for the EJ and Safety Elements completed thus far. • March through June 2021: Countywide LHMP Plan outreach events (12), including one focus group on sustainability and resiliency with Spanish language translation, and another focused on East Palo Alto, Belle Haven and North Fair Oaks; two virtual public workshops covering risk assessment and a review of the draft plan; and public meetings throughout the county, which reached over 600 people combined • June 2021: CRC community event for the Countywide LHMP • July 2021: Housing Element Update project introduction webinar • August 2021: Housing Element Update project survey
• August 2021: Virtual community meeting: Housing Equity, Safety and Environmental Justice • August 2021: Pop-up events: downtown farmers market (2), Belle Haven Shopping Center, Mi Tierra Linda
• April 2022: Neighborhood profiles of Environmental Justice considerations released • April 2022: Hybrid community meeting: Introduction to Environmental Justice and Safety • May 2022: CRC-led outreach meetings in Belle Haven (3) • May through July 2022: Environmental Justice and Safety survey • December 2022: Draft Environmental Justice and Safety Elements released • February 2023: Community meetings: Environmental Justice and Safety Elements (2) Analysis
Study sessions outline
To complement and build upon completed community outreach and engagement activities, two study sessions are proposed with focus on the Environmental Justice and Safety Elements. The study sessions are described below.
• Study session one (June 20)
• The purpose of the first study session is to present an overview of the Environmental Justice and Page F-1.7
Staff Report #: 23-142-CC

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Safety Elements; the regulatory context that guides the elements; the community outreach and engagement completed thus far; and the feedback themes received. The project team will present a recommended refinement framework for transforming the community feedback received on the public review drafts into action through a revised draft of each element. The project team seeks guidance/confirmation from the City Council and Planning Commission regarding the recommended refinement framework and next steps. The elements would be revised over the summer and tentatively brought for consideration by the Planning Commission and City Council in fall 2023. • Study session two (tentatively fall 2023)
• The purpose of the second study session is to present the revised draft elements, which would incorporate the community feedback, including recommended policies and programs and prioritization. The project team seeks guidance/confirmation from the City Council and Planning Commission that the revised elements are reflective of community and City Council and Commission feedback. Following study session two, additional refinements, as needed, would be made to the elements. Subsequently, the Planning Commission would make a recommendation regarding adoption of the elements to the City Council, and the City Council would be the final reviewing/approving body.

Since the release of the draft EJ and Safety Elements in December 2022, a number of individuals have submitted written comment to the City regarding the draft elements and the feedback is provided as Attachment O. These written comments are in addition to feedback collected at earlier outreach efforts and also through CRC’s network of engaged community partners and leaders, including the Belle Haven Climate Change Community Team (CCCT). CRC facilitates three CCCTs in the communities of East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks and Belle Haven. These cross-sector community groups are composed of residents, faith leaders, nonprofit organizers, and youth representatives focused on addressing climate resilience projects and programming needs at the neighborhood level. The Belle Haven CCCT has been engaged throughout the EJ and Safety Elements preparation.

To complement the feedback provided at the most recent February 2023 community meetings, CRC prepared a document with a collection of community-suggested revisions to the draft EJ Element policies and programs that reflects what CRC has heard through outreach thus far (Attachment P). This working document is based off the policies and programs presented in the draft EJ Element, has been supplemented with many community-suggested policies and programs and text revisions, and encapsulates all feedback the project team has received through the process in various forms. This extensive document was created with the intent for subsequent refinement and prioritization efforts and the recommended refinement framework is discussed further in this report.

Environmental Justice Element feedback themes
The below list highlights themes from public feedback received on the draft EJ Element, organized by the seven EJ Element goals. The project team has prepared these themes to summarize and reflect the large collection of individual comments leading up to study session one, including feedback provided at the February 2023 community meetings where participants were encouraged to share their thoughts and suggestions generally organized by EJ Element goal. Certain themes may relate to more than one goal, but are generally presented under the goal where most commenters expressed their feedback. This is intended to offer insight into what the priorities are for each goal, which aligns with statutory requirements.

Goal 1: Address unique and compounded health risks
• Asthma and other respiratory issues are community concerns that are increasing with more construction. • Heat-related health concerns can be supported with increased access to air-conditioned public spaces Page F-1.8
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City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov especially during heat waves.
• Danger to pedestrians, particularly children, can be minimized with more school crossing guards.

Goal 2: Reduce pollution exposure and eliminate environmental inequities • The rapid development of new buildings in and around the Belle Haven and Bayfront areas has resulted in significant concerns about pollution and traffic congestion. • Address traffic concerns with increased signage and reevaluating signal light timing with the objective of making it easier for residents to get into and out of their homes. During high traffic times, the congestion is frustrating (e.g., cut-through traffic on Hamilton Avenue, Newbridge Street and Chilco Street). • Address illegal dumping (e.g., Newbridge Street) and install cameras and lighting as a deterrent and to increase overall area security.
• Noise pollution is a concern, particularly from speeding cars and U.S. Highway 101. • Address flooding and pothole issues in Belle Haven and the Bayfront. • The City can explore providing incentives and support for air purification tools. Make it easier for community members to improve the quality of air within their homes. • Electrify buses to reduce pollution.

Goal 3: Equitably provide appropriate public facilities to individuals and communities • Increase the tree canopy in and around the Belle Haven and Bayfront area. There is significant difference in tree canopy and also tree care between the neighborhoods north and south of U.S.

Highway 101.
• Some individuals (e.g., elderly, disabled) need help caring for their trees and the City should assist. • Develop an urban forestry masterplan and measure the progress of an increasing tree canopy along the way.
• There is interest in planting more native trees. Ensure planted trees are not sappy, high maintenance, or have aggressive roots with potential dangers to plumbing. • The future programming and services of the Menlo Park Community Campus (MPCC) should prioritize educational classes and offerings tailored to the youth (e.g., tutoring and STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—programs); this also gives a safe place for young people to gather. • Provide new programs and high quality education to get people excited about MPCC. Adults can also benefit from skills training (e.g., language, financial literacy and homeownership classes). • The City can encourage the local hiring of community members to teach classes and programs. • Ensure MPCC programming and amenities (e.g., gym and pool) are affordable to residents (e.g., free or reduced fees).
• There is desire for a health clinic (serving families and seniors), pharmacy, bank and affordable grocery store.
• There is segregation in terms of school-access opportunity for Belle Haven students in comparison to the rest of Menlo Park.
• Provide animal waste disposal stations, enhanced street cleaning and more stop signs.

Goal 4: Promote access to affordable healthy and high-quality foods • Promote access to healthy and affordable foods (e.g., subsidized farmers market). • The relatively high cost and low quality of food provided at schools is a concern. • A farmers market located close to MPCC is desirable. Ensure options for mobile ordering and convenient pickup and have the market in a stable location close to other services. • Stores and services geared toward persons of color and seniors are desirable.

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City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Goal 5: Provide safe and sanitary homes for all residents • Build new housing sensibly and spread out higher density housing citywide. Currently, Belle Haven and Bayfront have the densest housing projects; spread density elsewhere, particularly near the downtown. • There is interest in building accessory dwelling units (ADUs) but concern for a lengthy, complicated and expensive process. High fees (e.g., utility connection fees) discourage ADU development. • The City should help with pest management.
• There is concern for the unhoused/homelessness (e.g., near U.S. Highway 101 ramps and Bayfront). • The City should explore rent control and/or tax breaks (e.g., property tax exemption) for low-income residents.
• Low-income and disabled residents need more financial aid and assistance with securing housing and housing repair services.
• The City should prioritize anti-displacement measures, inclusive of newer residential properties. • There is a perception that housing has increased in the city while education quality has decreased. • The City should prioritize affordable housing that is suitable to families (i.e., three or more bedrooms to address overcrowding).

Goal 6: Encourage physical activity and active transportation • Repair sidewalks and potholes and increase accessibility. • Increase lighting along streets and at parks. This is especially important for the safety of kids and seniors at night.
• Increase bike lanes and safe walkways.

Goal 7: Create equitable civic and community engagement • Prioritize more resources/information for low-income individuals, especially persons living with disabilities (e.g., how to apply for below-market-rate housing; PG&E utilities payment assistance; free/subsidized transit benefits—especially bus; how to install solar panels and available subsidies). • There is desire for increased City communication of upcoming construction projects and potential impacts, as well as existing programs and services offered and how to engage/participate. • Physical mail (e.g., newsletter) is felt to be effective. Many community members also read El Ravenswood and The Almanac.
• Utilize churches and schools/teachers to help distribute messages. • The provision of information in multiple languages and using simple text is vital. • Community members can self-mobilize and connect through social media. Community members can consider having ambassadors to represent their neighborhood (e.g., Belle Haven community ambassadors).
• There should be more engagement and attention paid to the neighborhoods north of Highway 101, especially from the City and elected/appointed officials. • Hold more public meetings (e.g., City Council) in Belle Haven where it is easier for those most affected by projects and decisions in the area to participate. Spanish language access is key and it is important to be considerate of fear/distrust in government, especially from immigrants. • Consider having a centrally located kiosk/one-stop-shop for information on City events and announcements.
• Engage the youth to be more civically involved and to serve as neighborhood ambassadors (e.g., Menlo Park's Youth Advisory Commission).

Page F-1.10
Staff Report #: 23-142-CC

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Safety Element feedback themes
The draft Safety Element includes one overarching goal – Assure a Safe Community – with underlying topic areas. The below list highlights themes from public feedback received regarding the draft Safety Element, organized by topic area.

General safety
• Develop policies for and manage risks related to the life sciences and bio-tech industry (e.g., planning for biosafety levels), in coordination with public health officials and leaders in community safety, hazardous materials management and emergency preparedness.

Geologic and seismic safety
• The Safety Element should acknowledge the presence and regulatory impact of applicable Earthquake Zone of Required Investigation Maps (EZRIM) prepared by the California Geological Survey (CGS). • Concerns for the HayWired Scenario4 and its potential impact on Menlo Park.

Public safety and emergency response
• The City’s approach to disasters is reactive, but should follow the “FEMA guidelines for a Whole Community preparedness approach” and “NFPA 1600 standards for emergency/disaster management programs.” The community needs a collaborative model that follows evidence-based practices.

In addition, the City received a letter from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) Dec. 15, 2022, regarding the draft Safety Element. In their letter, CalOES made two comments:
• The Safety Element must include language referring to the LHMP, and direct the reader to the location of the LHMP. The direction component can be done by inserting a weblink to the current LHMP, or by including directions to where it can be found. As long as the date or year of the current LHMP is not referenced, the jurisdiction will only have to make this change to the Safety Element once. • The Safety Element must clearly address sea level rise and severe weather, which were identified as medium- and high-risk hazards in Menlo Park by the LHMP.

Next steps and recommended refinement framework
This study session and the proposed second study session on EJ and Safety are opportunities for the community, Planning Commission, and City Council to provide feedback on the draft documents. The public comments and feedback received will inform the revision of the draft elements before adoption hearings.

Between Study Session One and Study Session Two, the project team seeks to refine and prioritize the community feedback into policies and programs suitable for inclusion in the draft Elements. The project team is evaluating the comments on the Safety Element and their consistency with the scope of work and will be incorporating edits into a revised draft document. The themes/topics that are outside the current scope of work will be noted as part of a response to comments document. These items could be considered at a future date as part of a separate work program should the City Council desire to pursue a comprehensive update to the Safety Element. This work would require additional time, staffing and/or consultant resources, and an augment in the budget.

The project team is recommending a framework or approach for incorporating the robust community feedback into revised and actionable policies and programs for the draft EJ Element. The recommended

4 The HayWired scenario depicts a scientifically realistic earthquake sequence, and its cascading impacts, that starts with a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the Hayward Fault. The scenario emphasizes connectedness: multi-hazards of an earthquake, interactions between critical infrastructure systems, and compounded effects in communities and economies. https://www.usgs.gov/programs/science-application-for-risk-reduction/science/haywired-scenario Page F-1.11
Staff Report #: 23-142-CC

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov refinement framework is listed below.

Policies
The policy framework should emphasize funding processes such as budgeting and capital improvements first. This is to ensure that underserved communities in Menlo Park are being prioritized in program implementation and in City functions.

Programs

1. Reorganize programs. Related programs should be:
• Categorized by topics (e.g., healthy food access, climate change, transportation), • Placed into a logical order within a topic, and
• Cross-referenced, as applicable, across other General Plan elements (especially the Safety Element and Housing Element) and omitting duplicates.

2. Establish timeframes. Programs should be organized along short, medium and long-term time horizons.

Each of these time horizon terms should be defined.

3. Develop scoring criteria for program prioritization. In order to establish a priority level, programs should be scored based on the following criteria:
• Level of urgency or need for the action (especially including community input about needs), • Estimated level of effort or cost necessary to implement the action, and • Anticipated impact or value of the action to the community (which can be qualitative).

Considerations
According to this refinement framework, programs that have the highest level of urgency and/or require less effort or funds to complete should be prioritized as short term. That does not mean that long term programs would necessarily be a low priority. Long term programs that have a higher impact should be high-priority programs that would span a longer time horizon and may require phases. These programs should include identification of intermediate milestones and tracking of progress over time, including communication to stakeholders.

The policy and program refinement framework can be thought of as a way to inform decisions about where to first spend time, money and resources and then define realistic/achievable timelines for implementation.

Programs that cannot be achieved in the short, medium, or long term can be categorized as “future considerations.” The Environmental Justice Element will include a description of this prioritization process and a recommended process for incorporating any “future considerations” of programs in updates to the Environmental Justice Element or elsewhere as appropriate.

The project team is in the process of developing a matrix that can be used as a refinement/prioritization tool.

In this matrix, potential policies and programs can be grouped into categories and scored based on criteria specified above. An example program showing how each field in the matrix could be completed is provided as part of Attachment Q. The project team seeks guidance/confirmation from the City Council and Planning Commission regarding the recommended refinement framework. Community outreach will occur to advertise and invite participation for Study Session Two, when the policy and program framework and prioritization will be examined.

Impact on City Resources
As part of the fiscal year 2020-21 budget, the City Council appropriated nearly $1.5 million from the general fund to support the Housing Element Update (including preparation of the SEIR), which is a City Council priority. On March 14, the City Council approved an amendment to the professional services agreement Page F-1.12
Staff Report #: 23-142-CC

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov with M-Group, the City’s Housing Element Update project consultant, in the amount of $75,414, for an overall contract total of $1,547,466. The scope and budget supports the work and next steps that have been discussed, but does not provide funding for additional staffing or resources for the implementation of programs that would result from the EJ and Safety Elements. Funding for these programs would be reviewed separately and may require a budget amendment or allocation in future fiscal years.

Environmental Review
This study session item is not a project within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines §15378 and §15061(b)(3) as it will not result in any direct or indirect physical change in the environment. As part of the Housing Element Update process (i.e., Housing Element and Safety Element updates and a new Environmental Justice Element, and associated changes), a SEIR was prepared. On Jan. 31, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 6808 certifying the SEIR and associated CEQA actions. On Feb. 1, a Notice of Determination (NOD) was filed.

Public Notice
Public notification was achieved by posting the agenda, with the agenda items being listed, at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. A Weekly Digest article was electronically distributed June 5 to advertise the upcoming June 20 and June 27 Housing Element Update project meetings. English and Spanish flyers were placed at the Main Library, Belle Haven Branch Library, and City Hall to advertise the meetings; these flyers were also distributed by CRC through their community partners and networks. English and Spanish electronic messaging boards were placed at two locations, one in Belle Haven intersection of Ivy Drive and Willow Road, and another along Ravenswood Avenue adjacent to the Main Library, to advertise the meetings. The Housing Element Update project webpage was updated to advertise the June 20 and June 27 meetings and the City has posted about the meetings via the City’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms.

Attachments
A. Hyperlink – Housing Element Update project webpage: menlopark.gov/housingelement B. Hyperlink – Draft Environmental Justice Element – Published Dec. 12, 2022:
menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/community-development/documents/projects/housing-elementupdate/environmental-justice-element-20221212-public-review-draft.pdf C. Hyperlink – Draft Safety Element – Published Dec. 12, 2022:
menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/community-development/documents/projects/housing-elementupdate/safety-element-20221212-public-review-draft.pdf D. Hyperlink – Executive Summary – Menlo Park Environmental Justice and Safety Elements – Published Dec. 12, 2022: menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/executive-summary-english-and-spanishmenlo-park-environmental-justice-and-safety-elements.pdf E. Hyperlink – Housing Element – Adopted Jan. 31:
https://menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/community-development/documents/projects/housingelement-update/city-of-menlo-park-2023-2031-housing-element.pdf F. Hyperlink – Feb. 9 Environmental Justice and Safety Elements Community Meeting presentation slides (English): menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/20230209-environmental-justice-and-safetyelements-meetings-presentation_english.pdf G. Hyperlink – Feb. 9 Environmental Justice and Safety Elements Community Meeting video (English):

Page F-1.13
Staff Report #: 23-142-CC

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov youtube.com/watch?v=g0SmETQM0Ic
H. Hyperlink – Feb. 9 Environmental Justice and Safety Elements Community Meeting information packet (English): menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/20230209-environmental-justice-and-safetyelements-meeting-info-packet_english.pdf I. Hyperlink – Feb. 10 Environmental Justice and Safety Elements Community Meeting presentation slides (Spanish): menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/20230209-environmental-justice-and-safetyelements-meetings-presentation_spanish.pdf J. Hyperlink – Feb. 10 Environmental Justice and Safety Elements Community Meeting video (Spanish):
youtube.com/watch?v=r2fP0f5dwZg
K. Hyperlink – Feb. 10 Environmental Justice and Safety Elements Community Meeting information packet (Spanish): menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/20230209-environmental-justice-and-safetyelements-meeting-info-packet_spanish.pdf L. Hyperlink – San Mateo County 2021 Multijurisdictional LHMP: smcgov.org/ceo/2021-multijurisdictionallhmp M. Hyperlink – City of Menlo Park 2030 CAP: menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/City-ManagersOffice/Sustainability/Climate-Action-Plan N. Hyperlink – San Mateo County 2015 EOP:
hsd.smcsheriff.com/sites/default/files/downloadables/1%20-%20Emergency%20Operations%20Plan.pdf O. Public correspondence as of staff report publication P. CRC summary for community suggested EJ Element revisions Q. Sample Refinement Framework Matrix
Report prepared by:

Calvin Chan, Senior Planner
Report reviewed by:

Deanna Chow, Assistant Community Development Director
Page F-1.14
ID # Date First Name Last Name Affiliation
1 12/15/2022 Barbara Kelsey Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter 2 12/15/2022 Jared Peri California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)
3 12/19/2022 Erik Frost California Department of Conservation 4 12/21/2022 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
5 1/31/2023 Karen Williams
6 2/26/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
7 2/27/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
8 2/28/2023 Carolyn Ordonez
9 2/28/2023 Naomi Goodman
10 3/1/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
11 3/2/2023 Mark Schlocker
12 3/9/2023 Naomi Goodman
13 3/9/2023 Naomi Goodman
14 3/9/2023 Thomas Bolich
15 3/10/2023 Katherine Dumont
16 3/10/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
17 3/13/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
18 4/26/2023 Barbara Kelsey Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter 19 3/30/2023 Jon Johnston Menlo Park Fire Protection District ATTACHMENT O Page F-1.15
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 1 of 5

SAN MATEO, SANTA CLARA & SAN BENITO COUNTIES
December 15, 2022
Menlo Park Planning Commission
Deanna Chow, Assistant Community Development Director
[email protected]
Tom Smith, Acting Planner
Calvin Chan, Senior Planner
Subject: Menlo Park Safety Element Comments and Life Sciences / Biotech Developments Dear Ms. Chow and Members of the Planning Department,
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter’s Sustainable Land Use Committee (SLU) advocates on land use issues in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties and the Sierra Club’s Bay Alive Campaign advocates for healthy and climate resilient shoreline ecosystems and communities. In these roles, we offer these comments on the SAFETY ELEMENT of the General Plan.

By Ordinance 1025, Menlo Park added a Life Sciences Zoning District to its General Plan.

Life Sciences and Bio-tech has brought us many great advantages in saving lives and producing food. Bio-technology is a rapidly changing industry and new land use designation with emergent risks as it deals with a wide range of infectious agents from benign to extremely lethal. Though it comes with certain risks, these risks are not well understood.

Cities need to manage these new risks with a clear understanding of critical differences between biosafety levels (BSL) 1 through 4. This needs to be done with the assistance of the departments of public health, safety, hazardous materials and emergency preparedness. We include, below, Sierra Club's Guidelines for Biosafety Levels (BSL) in Biotech Laboratories and a short video of the differences between the basic types of bio-tech labs.

It is important to include management of these new and emergent risks in the Safety Element. #1 Page F-1.16
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 2 of 5 Historically, labs have been located in industrial zoning for public health reasons. In an urbanized setting, some of the biological infectious agents being studied, at BSL 2 and especially at BSL 3, and animal research could create a health emergency in the event of human error, accidents or in disasters such as serious seismic events.

Furthermore, siting of such facilities in shoreline areas, identified as flood zones and high liquefaction zones, can create potential vulnerabilities for the Bay ecology and human health should public infrastructure be compromised and emergency protocols fail.

Life Sciences labs, also, make notoriously impactful neighbors. This is because the labs require lighting on continuously (24/7) and the mechanical equipment required for safety regulations has a much higher decibel rating than normal office systems. Noise is, therefore, a significant issue. Sometimes, they need alarms that are necessarily loud. The proximity to residences in East Palo Alto raises issues of equity as the setbacks, to mitigate these impacts, appear to be relatively minimal at present, causing potential safety hazards and negative impacts for existing residential neighborhoods.

East Coast cities, where bio-tech has had a long history, provide early safeguards to guide development using their zoning and other review mechanisms, because bio-hazards can be potentially more serious than many other safety issues.

We hope Menlo Park will study and establish clear and effective new safety requirements for Life Sciences developments in your safety element, including required distances, monitoring and emergency procedures.

We look forward to working with you on achieving this. Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully Yours,
Gita Dev, FAIA, Co-Chair Jennifer Chang Hetterly
Sustainable Land Use Committee Bay Alive Campaign Lead
Cc: Menlo Park Planning Commission and City Council
James Eggers, Executive Director, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Gladwyn d’Souza, Conservation Chair, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter #1 Page F-1.17
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 3 of 5

Guidelines for
Biosafety Levels
(BSL) in Biotech
Laboratories This is a brief overview of biosafety levels for research laboratories, drawing from Lab Manager (www.labmanager.com)Updated Dec 27, 2021 ; November 15, 2021 and from the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health In light of numerous proposed biotech developments in highly urbanized locations, this document provides a starting point for identifying issues in facilities using biological materials. Proper facility location and design for research or clinical labs, permitting, and operations are essential to ensuring that people working in the facility are protected as well as the public and the environment outside the facility.

As a matter of public health and safety, cities must be rigorous in reviewing and approving these facilities.

A biosafety laboratory is a specialized biotech laboratory that deals with infectious agents. Biosafety labs may be devoted to research or to production activities and involve working with infectious materials or laboratory animals. It is essential to pay attention to the proper siting and design of these facilities, to proper protocols in using the facilities, and to procedures in the event of emergencies and disasters. Biological safety levels (BSL) are ranked from one through four, based on the agents or organisms used in the labs. Each higher level builds on the previous level, adding constraints and barriers.

The four biosafety levels were developed to protect against a world of select agents, including bacteria, fungi, parasites, prions, rickettsial agents and viruses (the largest group).

Studying the most infectious agents also means extensive security measures must be in place because of their virulence and potential to escape the lab and infect the surrounding population and/or environment or for use in bioterrorism. When the work involves vertebrate animals, additional precautions and safety requirements are necessary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are the main sources for biological safety information for infectious agents. The publication Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories https://www.cdc.gov/labs/BMBL.html is a principal reference. #1 Page F-1.18
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 4 of 5 Issues for City Planning Departments, County and City Departments of Public Health and Safety, City Planning Commissioners, and City Council Members to address when reviewing planning applications for developments including BIOTECH laboratories.

Incidents involving biological, chemical, physical, and radiological hazards can have a significant impact on the safety and health of workers in laboratory settings. In addition, consideration needs to be given to risks to the community and the environment in the event of accidents, disasters and building failure. This is particularly important if proposed developments are in proximity to vulnerable populations and fragile Bay ecosystems, and where risk of disruption from seismic disasters and sea level and groundwater rise is high.
• Determine the Biological Safety Levels While Level 1 labs are generally considered safe, Level 2 labs are not advisable where there is the potential for structural failure. San Francisco Airport and all area airports do not permit Levels 2, or above, within some Land Use Safety Compatibility Zones. In addition, structural or infrastructure failure for biosafety lab buildings on soils subject to liquefaction in seismic events, such as bay fill, should be carefully considered as it could pose a community and/or environmental safety risk. • Consider prohibiting Level 3, entirely, in urban and shoreline areas, because of public safety.

Level 4 labs are not to be considered.
• Consider risks from flooding and public infrastructure safety, including flooding and subsurface impacts from sea level and groundwater rise, for biosafety labs above Level 1. • Require the applicant to submit in writing the proposed BSL for the project with a provision that changing to a higher level BSL will not be allowed without prior review and approval by the city and county and may not be allowed at all if so determined by the city. • In the case of a speculative development where the final tenants or buyers may not be known during the city entitlements process, include the allowed BSL in the entitlements and in the EIR. After entitlement, require the developer to submit, in writing, the BSL for each company that is being considered for rental or purchase of space in the development, as they occur, before the lease or purchase is finalized, to ensure compliance. • Any change to the BSL level will need review at City Council level and may not be allowed.

In addition, re-evaluation under CEQA may be required.
• Require the applicant to identify the range of diseases to be studied and the agents to be used in the proposed facility.
• Require the applicant to define emergency protocols and safety design features for the building(s) and surrounding area, including Bay wetlands. • Require the applicant to define safety redundancy measures for HVAC and air exhaust systems, waste disposal and storm water management systems, water quality safety, etc. in the building(s) design and long-term use
• Require the applicant to identify if animals will be used in the research and how they will be housed, secured, and protected and waste removed.
• Require rigorous environmental assessments for any potential air or water pollution, or waste disposal materials generated by the facility, especially airborne particles or biohazardous materials. • Include a biological safety analysis and health impact report on potential short and longterm safety impacts on the city, the bay, and the regional environment. This should be a key component of the Environmental Impact Review process. • Require a monitoring and verification program to ensure that the facility is complying with the city requirements and the proponent's commitments to the city and all related regulatory agencies (e.g. fire dept, Cal-OSHA, CDC, USDA, etc.) including inspections and #1 Page F-1.19
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 5 of 5 violations reports.
#1 Page F-1.20
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 6 of 5 Reference:

CDC and NIH—Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories—6 th Edition
https://www.selectagents.gov/
Level 1
Biosafety level one, the
lowest level, applies to
work with agents that do
not consistently cause
disease in healthy adults
Non-pathogenic microbe
Biosafety level one, the lowest level, applies to work with agents that usually pose a minimal potential threat to laboratory workers and the environment and do not consistently cause disease in healthy adults. Research with these agents is generally performed on standard open laboratory benches without the use of special containment equipment. BSL 1 labs are not usually isolated from the general building. Lab personnel are trained and supervised on specific procedures by trained scientists.

Standard microbiology practices, e.g. mechanical pipetting and safe sharps handling, are usually enough to protect laboratory workers and other employees in the building. Routine decontamination of work surfaces occurs, and potentially infectious materials are decontaminated prior to disposal, generally by autoclaving. Standard microbiological practices also include hand washing and a prohibition on eating or drinking in the lab. Lab workers wear normal personal protective equipment. Biohazard signs are posted and access to the lab is limited whenever infectious agents are present.

Level 2
Biosafety level two covers
work with agents
associated with human
disease, i.e., pathogenic or
infectious organisms
posing a moderate hazard.

Influenza, salmonella,
Biosafety level two covers work with agents associated with human disease, i.e., pathogenic or infectious organisms posing a moderate hazard. Examples are the equine encephalitis viruses and HIV. Care is used to prevent percutaneous injury (needlesticks and cuts), ingestion and mucous membrane exposures in addition to the standard microbiological practices of BSL 1.

Caution is used when handling and disposing of contaminated sharps. The laboratory’s written biosafety manual details any needed immunizations (e.g., hepatitis B vaccine or TB skin testing).

Access to the lab is more controlled than for BSL 1 facilities. Immunocompromised persons with increased risk for infection may be denied admittance at the discretion of the laboratory director.

BSL 2 labs must also provide the next level of barriers, i.e., specialty safety equipment and facilities. Work with infectious agents involves a Class II biosafety cabinet, an autoclave, and an eyewash station. Self-closing lockable doors and biohazard warning signs are required at access points
Level 3
These are indigenous or
exotic agents that may
cause serious or lethal
disease via aerosol
transmission.

HIV, HSN1 flu, SARS-CoV2
plague, anthrax
Yellow fever, St. Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus are examples of agents requiring biosafety level 3 practices and controls. Work with these agents must be registered with all appropriate government agencies. These are indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or lethal disease via aerosol transmission. Beyond the BSL 2 practices and equipment, work in BSL 3 labs involves tighter access control and decontamination of all wastes in the facility.

More protective primary barriers are used in BSL 3 laboratories, including solid-front wraparound gowns, scrub suits or coveralls made of materials such as Tyvek® and respirators as necessary.

Facility design incorporates self-closing double-door access separated from general building corridors. The ventilation must provide ducted, directional airflow by drawing air into the lab from clean areas and with no recirculation
Level 4
Agents requiring BSL 4
facilities and practices are
extremely dangerous and
pose a high risk of lifethreatening disease.

Ebola, smallpox
Agents requiring BSL 4 facilities and practices are extremely dangerous and pose a high risk of life-threatening disease. Examples are the Ebola virus, the Lassa virus, and any agent with unknown risks of pathogenicity and transmission. BSL 4 facilities provide the maximum protection and containment, requiring complete clothing change before entry, a shower on exit, and decontamination of all materials prior to leaving the facility.

The BSL 4 laboratory contains a Class III biological safety cabinet or equivalent in combination with a positive-pressure, air-supplied full-body suit. Usually, BSL 4 laboratories are in separate buildings or a totally isolated zone with dedicated supply and exhaust ventilation. Exhaust streams generally are filtered through high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. #1 Page F-1.21
1 From: Peri, Jared@CalOES <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2022 3:16 PM
To: Chow, Deanna M <[email protected]>
Cc: Boemecke, Wendy@CalOES <[email protected]> Subject: Safety Element Update Comments‐ CITY OF MENLO PARK CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Cal OES has reviewed the CITY OF MENLO PARK HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE. Our office has a couple of comments.

The Safety Element addresses or will address the following hazards:
#2 Page F-1.22
2 Climate Change
Earthquake
Flooding
Wildfire
However, when reviewing your FEMA adopted Local Hazard Mitigation Plan we find that the identified medium and high risk hazards are as follows:

Earthquake
Flooding
Seal Level Rise
Severe Weather
Below Is the link to the California Office of Planning and Research Safety Element Guidelines General Plan Guidelines, Chapter 4: Required Elements (ca.gov) Required Contents the safety element must, consistent with Government Code Section 65302(g), provide for the protection of the community from any unreasonable risks associated with the effects of:
• Seismically induced surface rupture, ground shaking, ground failure • Tsunami, seiche, and dam failure
• Slope instability leading to mudslides and landslides • Subsidence
• Liquefaction
• Other seismic hazards identified pursuant to Chapter 7.8 (commencing with Section 2690) of Division 2 of the Public Resources Code, and other geologic hazards known to the legislative body
• Flooding
• Wildland and urban fires
• Climate change
As an additional note while you are making changes to your Safety Element, we wanted to point out some of the steps that are required to become AB2140 complaint. The jurisdiction must update the Safety Element of their general plan to include language referring to the LHMP, and direct the reader to the location of the LHMP. The direction component can be done by inserting a weblink to the current HMP, or by including directions to where it can be found. As long as the date or year of the current HMP isn’t referenced, the jurisdiction will only have to make this change to the Safety Element once. If the Safety Element has the year of the expired HMP, or the HMP is inserted into the Safety Element, it will have to be revised.
a. Sample language to add to the Safety Element includes: “The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) for the City of XYZ planning area was developed in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) and followed FEMA’s 2011 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan guidance. The LHMP incorporates a process where hazards are identified and profiled, the people and facilities at #2 Page F-1.23
3 risk are analyzed, and mitigation actions are developed to reduce or eliminate hazard risk. The implementation of these mitigation actions, which include both short-term and long-term strategies, involve planning, policy changes, programs, projects, and other activities. The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan can be found at this location (Insert web link, or the actual LHMP, or guidance to where the LHMP can be located).”
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment.

Jared Peri, Senior Emergency Services Coordinator
Hazard Mitigation Planning Division
California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
Mobile: (916) 524-3470
Email: [email protected]
Program Email: [email protected]
#2 Page F-1.24
1 From: Frost, Erik@DOC <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, December 19, 2022 2:42 PM
To: Smith, Tom A
Cc: Chow, Deanna M; Chan, Calvin; Sung Kwon; Geoff Bradley; Asher Kohn; Turner, Christopher R
Subject: RE: City of Menlo Park - Draft General Plan Safety Element Review CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Hi Tom et al.,
Thank you for sending the City’s Draft Safety Element for review. My only comment is in regard to the discussion and depiction of liquefaction and landslide hazards.

Figures S‐6 and S‐8 provide relevant and scientifically valid information regarding liquefaction and landslide susceptibility, however, CGS has also prepared Earthquake Zone of Required Investigation Maps (EZRIM) that cover the planning area. The Safety Element should acknowledge the presence and regulatory impact of these liquefaction and landslide zones. Additional information is available at the links below:
https://maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/EQZApp/app/
https://maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/informationwarehouse/index.html?map=regulatorymaps If you have any additional comments or questions, please feel free to call or email.

Erik
Dr. Erik Frost
Senior Engineering Geologist | Seismic Hazards Program
From: Smith, Tom A <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2022 1:47 PM
To: Thornburg, Jennifer@DOC <[email protected]>; Frost, Erik@DOC <[email protected]>
Cc: Chow, Deanna M <[email protected]>; Chan, Calvin <[email protected]>; Sung Kwon <skwon@m‐ group.us>; Geoff Bradley <GBradley@m‐group.us>; Olson, Brian@DOC <[email protected]>; Asher Kohn <akohn@m‐group.us>; Turner, Christopher R <[email protected]> Subject: RE: City of Menlo Park ‐ Draft General Plan Safety Element Review Thanks so much for the quick reply Jennifer. I submitted the draft Safety Element document at the website below (City of Menlo Park Safety Element - Public Review Draft – 20221212.pdf) and provided a description as well as my email address.

In terms of review time, do you have a sense for when we may expect any comments or a confirmation of the document’s completeness?
Thanks,
Tom
#3 Page F-1.25
2 Tom A. Smith
Principal Planner
City Hall - 1st Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 650-330-6730
menlopark.gov

From: Thornburg, Jennifer@DOC [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2022 11:10 AM
To: Smith, Tom A <[email protected]>; Frost, Erik@DOC <[email protected]> Cc: Chow, Deanna M <[email protected]>; Chan, Calvin <[email protected]>; Sung Kwon <skwon@m‐ group.us>; Geoff Bradley <GBradley@m‐group.us>; Olson, Brian@DOC <[email protected]>; Asher Kohn <akohn@m‐group.us>; Turner, Christopher R <[email protected]> Subject: RE: City of Menlo Park ‐ Draft General Plan Safety Element Review CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Good morning, Tom –
We will certainly accept an electronic copy of your draft Safety Element, and any instructions or communications that might go with that.

Feel free to upload those to our Box.com intake for essential facility reviews, using this link:
https://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/upload-school
Please also name your files to indicate this is a draft Safety Element, so that we can recognize it and route it expeditiously.

Let me know if you need anything further.

Regards,
‐ Jennifer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jennifer Thornburg
Senior Engineering Geologist | California Geological
Survey
California Department of Conservation
715 P Street, MS 19-01, Sacramento, CA 95814
Cell: (916) 639-6899
E: [email protected]

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This communication with its contents may contain confidential and/or legally privileged information. It is solely for the use of the intended recipient(s). Unauthorized interception, review, use or disclosure is prohibited and may violate applicable laws including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and destroy all copies of the communication. #3 Page F-1.26
3 From: Smith, Tom A <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2022 8:54 AM
To: Thornburg, Jennifer@DOC <[email protected]>; Olson, Brian@DOC <[email protected]>
Cc: Chow, Deanna M <[email protected]>; Chan, Calvin <[email protected]>; Sung Kwon <skwon@m‐ group.us>; Geoff Bradley <GBradley@m‐group.us>; Asher Kohn <akohn@m‐group.us>; Turner, Christopher R <[email protected]>
Subject: City of Menlo Park ‐ Draft General Plan Safety Element Review Good morning Jennifer and Brian,
The City of Menlo Park prepared an updated draft Safety Element of its General Plan and released it for public review yesterday, December 12. Would you be able to let us know if the Department of Conservation would accept an electronic copy of the draft Safety Element for review, or if we need to provide a mailed paper copy? If there are any instructions regarding to whom or where we need to send the document, we would appreciate your guidance in helping to make sure we address this requirement.

Thank you,
Tom Smith

Tom A. Smith
Principal Planner
City Hall - 1st Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 650-330-6730
menlopark.gov

#3 Page F-1.27
1 From: Lynne Bramlett [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2022 2:06 AM
To: _CCIN <[email protected]>
Cc: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Subject: Disappointment with Safety & Environmental Justice Elements CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear City Council,
I am out of the country and unable to attend your Dec 22 meeting to collect input on the Housing, Safety and Environmental Justice Elements.

Today, I write briefly to share my extreme disappointment with the limited public process for the Safety and Environmental Justice Elements. These should have received equal treatment with the Housing Element and all three presented in draft versions together, especially before approving Willow Village. The Safety and Environmental Justice had basically one public meeting (described as the Aug 26, 2021 one) with a public #4 Page F-1.28
2 audience mostly consisting of residents from Belle Haven. While a very important audience, especially for the EJ element, I did not consider it representative of the entire City. The surveys conducted by Climate Resilience Communities, an outside group, was limited in scope. As I understand the requirements of SB 1000, the environmental justice element is supposed to include deep and significant public engagement -- led by the community most impacted! The Safety and EJ elements also needed input from expert opinions. The Safety Element continued to skirt the major risk from the Hayward fault eruption. Council heard about this risk, in the form of the "HayWired Scenario" at a May 8, 2018 Study Session.

I have concerns about the contents of both the Safety and Environmental Justice Elements. Unfortunately, I don't have time to comment in detail until after my return, which may be too late for your approval process. I am concerned too that these plans have a high likelihood of not being put into operation. The 2013 Safety Element goals were mostly not operationalized. Meaning, we had a plan that wasn't actually implemented. Ditto the 2016 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan annex. The State requires yearly progress updates for ALL General Plan Elements -- not just the Housing Element. Can we start to follow State requirements for meaningful yearly reporting for ALL elements? The Open Space, Noise. Conservation Elements also need an at least public reporting process. You made a policy decision (thank you) requiring yearly updates for the 2021 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex. Please do the same for the City's complete suite of General Plan Elements.

Requests:

1. Please make a policy decision requiring the City to follow State law by providing yearly updates for all General plan elements? That would start to build in annual reporting and a way that Council and the public would have at least one yearly opportunity to stay informed.

2. Consider the City of Berkeley's example in the form of their Citizen Participation Element. I think you will need to build in policy changes for the City of Menlo Park to start having meaningful public engagement for major planning efforts. This is a great idea for the future.

3. Form a Blue Ribbon Commission, with a specific charter and work plan, focused on examining the City's planning efforts and then making a report to Council with recommendations.

Lynne Bramlett
#4 Page F-1.29
1 From: Karen Williams [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 4:30 PM
To: _CCIN <[email protected]>
Subject: Environmental justice element
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

I support rent control new housing , language culturally assistance for just cause relocation I support CRC #5 Page F-1.30
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, Feb 26, 2023, 12:45 PM
Subject: Prioritizing a Disaster Prepared Community -- Extensive Input into Safety Element -- Resending To: <[email protected]>
Cc: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Hello Council,
At your Feb 23 Emergency Meeting many members of the public expressed deep concerns about the City's response to the extended power outage situation and the prior one to the flooding in January. Better communication was frequently stressed along with a plan to reach the most vulnerable. Planning needs to be done BEFORE the disaster. Community-based groups want the City to follow the FEMA guidelines for a proactive Whole Community preparedness approach. Government efforts alone won't be nearly enough and the reactive approach is completely inadequate. I agree completely with the public's comments. A few mentioned earthquakes so I will link to the May 8, 2018 Study Session on the HayWired Scenario. That session included the direct warning of possible risk of litigation should enough people find out that the City could have done more to prepare this disaster, but did not act. Yet, following the scary briefing I only heard the then Mayor's general advice related to personal go bags. I'm interested in action to reduce the risk of loss of life, injury and damage to property. We also want to quickly rebuild after a disaster. However, I point out that the risk of litigation is real and, possibly getting increased, because more people are realizing that he City isn't doing enough. However, if we start acting to do what's recommended, I believe the risk goes way down.

I am sending my input into the Safety Element because I did not see my post on CCIN. I have fixed a few typos.

Otherwise, the input is the same. The knowledge of what we should be doing exists in terms of FEMA and disaster/emergency managers recommendations. We also have the NFPA 1600 standards for emergency/ disaster management programs, which include the requirement of an Advisory Committee. We need a collaborative model that follows evidence-based practices.

Safety_Element_V23.pdf
Lynne Bramlett
Organizing Member & President, MPC Ready
https://mpcready.org/
650-380-3028
#6 Page F-1.31
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 1 To: City Council of Menlo Park
From: Lynne Bramlett
Re: 2023-31 DRAFT Safety Element Public Input
Date: February 21, 2023
Dear Mayor Wolosin, Members of the City Council, City Manager and Senior Staff, I am writing to express my suggestions into the nature and scope of the draft 2023 Safety Element, and the public outreach and engagement process.

The Safety Element warrants a comprehensive update. The current draft is little changed from 2013. Resident volunteers would like to be part of a work team process that I suggest below.

Recommendations:

As soon as possible, set up a work group meeting between selected City Staff and consultants working on the Safety Element, Climate Resilient Communities and Belle Haven Action, MPC Ready, and residents who have submitted detailed input into the Safety Element and/or Reimagining Public Safety Initiative. Also invite the Police Chief, Fire Marshall, and a representative from the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Management. The team would review guidelines from the Calif. Office of Planning and Research and some best practice examples.

They would discuss and review input received to date and identify any needed maps, studies or other documentation needed to lend scientific credibility and authority. The work team should also establish an outreach and engagement strategy across various groups. They could divide up the work of reaching: the business and faith community, schools, nonprofits and community groups and neighborhood associations.

The Safety Element also needs a focused implementation plan.

At minimum, I believe the following is needed:
• Make the Safety Element a standalone element. Separate out (and later update) the unchanged 2013 Noise, and Open Space and Conservation Elements. • Follow OPR Guidelines for Policy Language. As the OPR General Plan Guidelines, 2017, states: As policy priorities are established, formulating strong policy is a key first step. For example, rather than “consider implementing” use the work “implement.” also instead of using the phrase, “consider the development of,” use “develop and implement.” Additionally, to create more accountable policy language use “priority on” rather than “emphasis on” to highlight policy areas of particular focus.
• Make the document more useful as a planning-through-implementation document. Put useful context before grouped policies, programs and actions. I would start with a definition of the hazard and then supply concisely written Existing Conditions context applicable to Menlo Park. See the Town of Portola Valley example. The Existing Conditions information should be supported with footnote references to current reports, mapping tools, etc. from reputable sources. The reader needs the context to evaluate the proposed policies and programs, and make suggestions. Put the most important information first. Put more in an Appendix section, such as definitions. Add a short set of Objectives for policies, programs and/or actions.
• Add a table that lists all maps that Menlo Park has developed. • On the cover, list a Senior Staff Member contact for the Safety Element and contact information. Supply a Project team and remove the 2013 Acknowledgements. #6 Page F-1.32
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 2 • Include a summary of the Safety Element public outreach process. Include a table with public meetings, their dates and the number of attendees.

Background
Much has changed since 2013 when the original Safety Element was developed and when Menlo Park started the process of outsourcing its disaster preparedness through response. The Safety Element should incorporate evidence-based practices. Global climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of disasters, as is also the City’s higher density development.

Fortunately, the City Council agreed (June 2022) to add a new staff position dedicated to Emergency/Disaster Preparedness. Experts advise a senior leader, reporting into the City Manager or the governing body. A dedicated senior role reduces the possibility of this new role being pulled into various “special projects” for other department managers.

In parallel, the Fire District plans to establish a new Community Resilience Unit, which will include a Community Volunteer Coordinator. The Fire District’s leadership represents a foundation pillar for Menlo Park’s synergistic efforts to improve disaster resilience.

Suggestions for Revision of Policies, Programs and Actions I would slightly revise the original goal and then add six objectives to group the polices, programs and actions. The original goal had text following it that suggests the objectives. Anything in green font is the original. My suggestions are in red.

Safety Element Goal: Assure a Prioritize a disaster prepared and safe community
ELEMENT OBJECTIVES: The policies, programs and actions of the Disaster Preparedness and Safety Element are intended to achieve the following six objectives:

1. Establish and implement an effective disaster preparedness through recovery program that anticipates the potential for disasters, and incorporates communitybased disaster preparedness and response planning involving businesses, nongovernment organizations, faith community, schools and neighborhoods.

2. Plan for and regulate the uses of land to minimize exposure to hazards from either natural or human-related causes and to contribute to a disaster resilience community.

3. Reduce the potential for loss of life, injury, economic damage, and displacement resulting from earthquakes and associated hazards.

4. Reduce the potential for loss of life, injury, economic damage and displacement resulting from urban and wildland-urban interface fire, and associated hazards.

5. Reduce the potential for loss of life, injury, economic damage and displacement resulting from flooding, and associated hazards.

6. Provide public safety services of the highest quality. #6 Page F-1.33
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 3

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Disaster Preparedness
Table 1: Safety Element Implementation
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Implementation
Establish a specific work-team process focused on
systematic implementation of the Safety Element Goals,
Objectives, Policies, Programs and Actions
New Program: Yearly
Progress Report &
Work Plan
Work team to review Safety Element policies, programs
and actions and then develop a yearly progress report and work plan for review by the City Council. Team to include representatives from the Menlo Park Fire Protection
District, City Staff, City Advisory Committees, community stakeholder groups, schools, businesses and the faith
community. Additional agencies to be consulted in
developing the Action Plan include: utility providers,
adjacent communities, San Mateo County Health and
Department of Emergency Management, emergency
operations personnel and large landowners.

New Program: Planning
Fellowships &
Student Interns
Partner with local educational institutions to bolster inhouse Safety Element implementation capacity, and to help empower the next generation of planning, by
providing students and young professionals with valuable learn-by-doing experiences.
39 Program S1.P
Coordinate the
General Plan with
City Emergency
Planning Efforts
Work team to help Implement and coordinate the review
of the Safety element with other General Plan elements
and City emergency plans, the Local Hazard Mitigation
Plan (LHMP) and Emergency Operations Plan (EOP),
and make recommendations for necessary revisions
needed for internal consistency between plans.
37 Program S1.A Link
Revise the City’s
Housing and Safety
Elements
concurrently.

Work team continue to review and make
recommendations to City Council to revise the Safety
Element, as necessary, concurrently with updates to the General Plan Housing Element whenever new state
guidelines from _____ on new data or evidence related
to prevention of natural and human hazards becomes
available.
37 Program S1.B:

Maintain Up-toDate Hazard Maps
and Databases.

Maintain and publish at the City’s website links to Menlo Park developed databases and maps of geologic and other hazards to identify areas prone to hazards. Use for
planning purposes on an on-going basis concurrently
with updates to the General Plan Housing Element.
32 Policy S1.13:

Mitigation and
Disaster Recovery
Funding
Work team to identify ways to maximize opportunities to secure federal funding for mitigation and disaster
recovery projects. This could include inter-jurisdictional cooperations.
#6 Page F-1.34
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 4 Table 2: Role of Residents in Community Resilience
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Community
Disaster
Preparedness
Partnership
Establish a community disaster preparedness partnership across residents, businesses, schools, faith community, nonprofits and other relevant stakeholder groups.

New Policy: Disaster
Preparedness
Advisory Committee
Establish a Disaster Preparedness Advisory Committee.

See Town of Portola Valley example.

New Program: Volunteer
Engagement and
Experience
Establish a program designed to increase the number of
residents volunteering to advance public safety and
disaster preparedness. Provide project options, from “do it in a day” to long-term ones. For example, able-bodied
residents can be asked to help keep neighborhood storm
drains clear. Annually recognize and reward residents
volunteering at a yearly event.

New Action: Help
Residents Acquire
supplies
Encourage the acquisition of needed supplies, such as
safety googles, vests, contractor’s broom, canvas/leather gloves, rain boots and water proof pants, etc.

New Policy:

Neighborhood
Communication
Training
Work collaboratively with neighborhood-level disaster
preparedness organizations (i.e. HAM/FRS, CERT, MPC
Ready) to help neighborhoods add proficiency in amateur radio communication skills.

New Program: FRS and
HAM radio
acquisition
Publish the channels that residents should use as back-ups when power or the internet is down. Offer “loans” or give FRS/HAM radios to those part of an effort focused on
helping to build a neighborhood-level communication
network. Help train and supply radios, as needed, where the cost would otherwise prohibit participation.

New Action: Monitor
CCIN
Track, compile and make recommendations to City
Council about residents’ disaster preparedness and safetyrelated concerns and ideas posted to CCIN . #6 Page F-1.35
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 5 Table 3: Neighborhood-level Disaster Preparedness
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Communitypreparedness
Support
Work collaboratively with the Fire District and
community-based groups to support and extend efforts to provide education, emergency/disaster preparedness
training and supplies to the community to support
neighborhood-level disaster preparedness.

New Policy: Support
Neighborhoodlevel Efforts
Support organized efforts, such as Neighborhood Watch,
CERT and from MPC Ready, that help neighbors build
social connections, reduce the potential for crime, and build household and neighborhood-level disaster
preparedness.

New Program:

Increase
Prepared
Neighborhoods
Work collaboratively with community-based groups, and
neighborhood associations, to organize disaster
preparedness and other training activities on a block-byblock or neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. Highlight prepared neighborhoods at the City’s website. Help Fire District and community-based groups to organize more.

Help establish central assembly point locations within
each neighborhood for aid and information exchanges.

New Program:

Household
Readiness
Support and extend community-based efforts to increase
number of households prepared with 7-14 days of
emergency supplies. Establish a program designed to help all income levels get household ready.

New Policy:

Neighborhood
Disaster supply
caches
Establish a program designed to establish communitybased and neighborhood-maintained disaster supplies caches that may be used by residents during the first days immediately after a disaster until such time as City
services become available.

New Action: Adopt a
Storm Drain
Work with Fire District and neighborhood-level disaster preparedness organizations to establish an “Adopt a
Storm drain” program designed to proactively keep drains clear of debris. Drains to be adopted by “organized
neighborhoods.”
New Program:

Neighborhood
Training
Work collaboratively with neighborhood-level disaster
preparedness organizations (i.e., CERT and MPC Ready)
to train neighbors to lay sandbags, clear drains, identify and report issues and hazards, and monitor social media platforms for neighbors in need of help.
#6 Page F-1.36
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 6 Table 4: City’s Role in Leadership and Coordination
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: City’s
Leadership &
Coordination
Ensure that the city provides leadership and coordination of the private sector, public institutions and other public bodies in emergency and disaster preparedness through recovery planning.
31 Policy S1.4:

InterJurisdictional
Cooperation
Continue to Support and help to improve interjurisdictional collaboration, communication, cooperation and coordination with regard to public safety concerns related to natural hazards disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and mitigation. recovery.
36 Policy S1.35:

Disaster
Preparedness
Planning
Ensure Prioritize collaborative disaster preparedness
planning across the whole community in cooperation with other public agencies and appropriate public-interest
organizations. Encourage and support residents to organize in volunteer response groups AND neighborhood-level
disaster preparedness efforts. Collaborate with all related Public Safety Agencies, and community-based groups, for a coordinated response.

New Program:

Collaborative
Plan
Development
and Updates
Lead a collaborative “whole community” planning approach to update City’s Emergency Operations Plan. Include the roles and responsibilities for the stakeholders in the EOP, and in subsequent relevant plans. Also establish an action plan to develop other plans, such as the Pre-Disaster
Recovery Plan, Continuity of Government/Continuity of
Operations, Threats, Hazards, Risk Identification and
Stakeholder Preparedness Review. (THIRA). Representatives to include: community-based organizations, Fire District, schools, businesses, non-profits, Red Cross and other
relevant stakeholders.

New Action: Annual
Report: State of
Disaster
Preparedness
Prepare an annual report, in conjunction with the Fire
District, and relevant non-government organizations active in disasters, on the state of disaster preparedness in Menlo Park.

New Action:

Translations
Increase translational services at public meetings.

New Program:

Collaborative
Mitigation and
Response
Planning
Promote collaborative mitigation and response planning
with neighboring jurisdictions, other agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses and industries, educational
institutions, and residents.
37 Program S1.G
Share Hazard
Data with Other
Agencies
Participate in a cooperative countywide program known as ____, under the direction of ____, to pool natural hazard data developed through special studies or via the project review process and continue to update and implement the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
#6 Page F-1.37
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 7 Table 5: City Employee Preparedness
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Employee
Preparedness
Encourage, motivate and help ensure City employees get
individually and household prepared for disasters.

New Program:

Preparedness
Incentives
Devise a program helping employees to acquire 7-14 days of shelter-in-place supplies of water, food, medicine, and other necessities for each household member, including pets. Also support the ability of all able-bodied City employees to purchase a set of supplies and tools useful in their role as Disaster Service Workers. Items to include: contractor’s broom, weather or canvas/leather gloves, hard hat, safety googles, safety vests, a paddle for moving water, and
okay/help sign for windows.

New Action:

Disaster
Service
Worker
Training
Yearly review with City staff, at a public meeting attended by representation from the County Department of Emergency
Management and the Fire District, employee duties and
expectations as disaster service workers following a disaster.

New Program:

Menlo Park
CERT
Response
Team
Promote CERT training. Request that the Fire District provide CERT Training to City employees and provide incentives for participation. Hold post-training drills and other activities designed to create a trained and ready Menlo Park employee and resident CERT team with disaster response deployment protocols.

New Program:

FRS/HAM
Integration
Encourage employee training in the use of hand-held radios and the acquiring of the HAM radio license. Encourage
employees, especially those living in Menlo Park, to help support the building of neighborhood-level communication response protocols following a disaster.

New Action:

Financial
Preparedness
Hold training sessions focused on disaster financial
preparedness for City staff. Expand program to invite
community members.
#6 Page F-1.38
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 8 Table 6: Public Information and Warning Systems
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended modifications
36 Policy S1:37:

Emergency
Notification
System
Continue to support and improve on the Emergency
Notification System for disaster Information release in emergencies. Maintain official communication updates
to the city website and communication outlets (e.g.,
SMC Alerts and social media channels).

New Program: SMC
Alert Educational
Campaign
Establish a program designed to achieve 70% or higher
Menlo Park resident enrollment in SMC Alert.
36 Policy S1.40:

Public Health
Collaborate with County health services (and other
health services as appropriate) on communication and
mitigation/adaptation strategies during public health
crises, such as communicable and infectious diseases.
39 Program S.1R
Public
Communication
Develop communication protocols for disseminating
information to the Menlo Park Community, including
public-facing businesses (such as retail and
restaurants) and congregative living facilities during
public health crises.

New Program:

Reaching
Vulnerable
Populations
Establish clear plans and protocols for alerting the
more vulnerable members of the Menlo Park
community. Work with elected officials, other
jurisdictions, and community members to develop prescribed message templates to expedite release. Plan to include communications in Spanish, Mandarin and
other languages spoken by population segments. Plan
to include methods of reaching those without the
internet or mobile devices, the hearing and visual
impaired, etc. Establish who has authority to send alert notifications.

New Program: Test
City’s emergency
notification
systems
Regularly test the City’s 911 and other systems to
identify capacity issues. Determine if all public safety answering points (i.e., 911, 211, etc.) are integrated to handle surges in call volume. Determine staffing
requirements and establish a staffing plan. Include
stresses on emergency communication systems in
disaster exercise planning.

New Program: Reliable
amateur
communications
protocols
Work with Fire District, neighborhood-level disaster
preparedness organizations (i.e., MPC Ready), and the
HAM/FRS amateur radio community to develop, and
regularly test and practice, neighborhood-level
protocols designed to quickly relay accurate
information about block and neighborhood conditions
to the City’s designated contact point.
#6 Page F-1.39
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 9 Table 7: City’s Role in Public Education
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Public
Education
Programs
Work collaboratively with the Fire District, and relevant community-based organizations, to sponsor and support
comprehensive public education programs for emergency and disaster preparedness.
39 Program S1.Q
Senior
Outreach
Develop disaster preparedness outreach and education for sensitive populations including persons with disabilities and older adults. Engagement should include prevention, shelterin-place and evacuation plans. Special care should be given to engage individuals who require in-home support.

New Program:

Information
to new
tenants and
homeowners
Explore possible programs that would enable, encourage or require new landlords, property managers and realtors to provide information to new tenants and ne homeowners about emergency and disaster preparedness, evacuation routes and home safety.

New Program:

Expanded
Website
Information
Expand public awareness of specific hazards and risks by making available all relevant information in easily
understandable and downloadable form. Information to
include maps and reports on various hazards, information on vulnerability and risk reduction techniques, evacuation routes, emergency services and information on financial and technical assistance resources.

New Program:

Expanded
Outreach
Provide emergency and disaster preparedness information to residents through libraries, the city website, social media, radio and other locations.
36 Policy S1.36:

Community
Preparedness
Collaborate with Fire District, the County’s Department of Emergency Management, and community stakeholder groups
to Encourage improved safety programs for schools,
institutions and industries to promote greater public awareness of all types of hazards and appropriate response and support the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management in its efforts to promote Office of Emergency Management program on emergency disaster preparedness.
39 Program S1.O
Encourage
Disaster Drills
in Schools
Coordinate Collaborate with the Fire District, to encourage school districts in and local private schools to conducting disaster drills in schools, augmented with a community
awareness campaign on how, when and where children are to be reunited with their parents.

New Action:

Children and
Youth
Education
Work with Fire District to offer age-appropriate education and training programs related to teaching children and youth how to better prepare for disasters and emergencies, such as how to size up the safety of a scene, use a rope ladder to evacuate a multi-story building, etc.
#6 Page F-1.40
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 10 Table 8: At-Risk and Special Needs Communities
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended modifications
39 Program S1.U
Emergency
Preparedness
for Sensitive
Populations
Review and improve Develop disaster response capabilities, recovery operations and evacuation planning and recovery capabilities to protect and meet the needs of all members of the community, especially the most vulnerable and
disadvantaged. for sensitive populations in the event of earthquake or other disaster.

New Program:

Special needs
populations
Work with community-based organizations, and non-profits, to establish programs focused on the safety of special needs populations, including those with access and functional needs, mobility issues, those lacking personal transportation (car, scooter or bike) and electronic devices and access to the internet, and the low-income and unhoused populations.

New Policy:

Completeness
of Support for
Special
Populations
Ensure completeness and availability of identified
emergency/disaster supplies and resources and resources to all segments of the population, focusing especially on the most vulnerable. Include possible needs for temporary
shelter or housing, and items such as medical supplies and services, generators, pumps, sandbags, road and storm drain clearing and communication facilities.

New Policy:

Outreach to
Limited
English
Proficiency
Speakers
Ensure that all outreach and educational materials be
available in Spanish, and in other languages needed to reach population segments with limited English language
proficiency.

New Policy:

Unhoused
Safety
Work with County Public Health and other local government agencies, non-profits, and community-based organizations to devise plans focused on helping to protect the unhoused population in Menlo Park from emergencies and disasters.

New Program:

Baseline
Assessment of
Disaster
Readiness
Using FEMA recommended guidelines, work with
community-based organizations and other volunteers to
conduct a baseline assessment of disaster readiness, paying particular attention to gathering information on the most vulnerable.

New Program:

Financial
Assistance to
Reduce Risk
Identify or develop programs to provide financial incentives or assistance to low-income households for fire, earthquake and flooding home hardening, and other measures to reduce risk.

New Policy: Post
Disaster
Housing
Security
Prioritize assisting low-income households and renters to be able to remain in their housing following a disaster.
#6 Page F-1.41
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 11 Table 9: City’s Role in Response
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Staff
Training
City departments shall conduct an appropriate level of staff training addressing emergency/disaster readiness, evacuation routes, first aid, staging areas and procedures, continuity of services, and response and recovery operations
New Action: Whole
Community
Response
Training
Encourage and support coordinated response training between local and regional police, fire and public health agencies in preparation for natural and human-made disasters.

Incorporate CERTs.

New Program:

Disaster
Response
Training
Work collaboratively with the Fire District, and relevant community-based organizations, to educate and train residents in how to respond to emergency and disaster situations in their neighborhoods.

New Program:

Community
Exercises
Conduct community-facing drills, simulations and exercises to enhance disaster preparedness and build local capacity to better respond to impacts resulting from known hazards
New Program:

Plan testing
Test, maintain and revise the City’s disaster response plan(s) consistent with California Standardized Emergency
Management System (SEMS). Establish clear coordination of roles and expectations across the County Department of
Emergency Services, County Public Health, Fire District, neighboring jurisdictions, local school districts and schools, trained volunteers from relevant community-based
organizations and other agencies.

New Policy:

Reduce Post
Disaster
Damage
Establish and maintain a rapid plan to safely reduce potential post-disaster damage, and to rapidly access damage. Formulate and adopt damage assessment protocols and train appropriate inspection personnel, and volunteers, to implement these protocols.

New Program:

Volunteer
Force
Establish a rapid way to call up, train and deploy a volunteer force willing to help clear storm drains, safely remove debris, staff sandbag distribution centers, monitor creek water levels, and help with others related tasks before or following winter storms. Volunteer force could also be deployed to assist those requiring aid, such as by delivering sandbags or other supplies.

CERTs, volunteers with community-based organizations, and willing residents the foundation of this program. Supplement with a plan for spontaneous volunteers who want to help.

Police Chief or another designated City authority to work with volunteers.
#6 Page F-1.42
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 12 Table 10: Evacuation Routes & Emergency Assembly Points Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended modifications
36 Policy S1.338:

Emergency
Connectors
and
Evacuation
routes
Maintain Establish a system of emergency connectors and evacuation routes as part of the City’s disaster planning. and evaluate their capacity, safety and viability under a range of disaster and emergency scenarios.

New Policy:

Publicize
evacuation
routes
Designate and publicize evacuation routes and emergency service locations (hospitals, fire stations, etc.) within the city and sub region. Include existing City pathways and other pedestrian rights-of-ways and bike routes in the
published designated evacuation route map. Prioritize
undergrounding of utilities for designated routes, unless that would make the route less safe.

New Policy:

Establish
Emergency
Assembly
Points
Work with community-based organizations, and the Fire
District, to establish and publish a series of marked
Emergency Assembly Points.

Table 11: Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Post
Disaster
Recovery
Planning
Establish pre-event planning for post-disaster recovery as an integral element of the disaster preparedness program of the City Council and each of the City Departments.

New Program:

Continuity of
City
Government
Provide for the continuation of City government and
services following a major disaster. Establish plans,
including such aspects as emergency supplies, sufficient to carry out assigned disaster responsibilities.

New Action:

Decisionmaking
structure
Outline a structure and process for decision-and policymaking, involving elected officials and other relevant advisory commissions and committees. Specify roles,
priorities and responsibilities of the various departments within the City Organization. At least yearly, review and/or practice the established process and protocols via
simulations and/or drills.
#6 Page F-1.43
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 13 New Action: Disaster
Recovery Plan
Prepare a basic disaster recovery plan that outlines the major issues and tasks that are likely to be the key elements of community recovery. Examine issues such as debris
removal, provision of shelter, interim housing, restoration of services, interim business resumption facilities,
protection of key resources including historic ones,
standards for replacement of structures located in
hazardous areas and/or posing hazards, and restoring
neighborhood and community character.

New Action:

Integrate
community into
Recovery Plan
Integrate recovery planning as an element of the
community-based disaster response plan. Identify possible roles for community organizations, business, faith
community, schools and neighborhoods in the recovery
process.

New Policy: Post
Disaster
Interim
Housing
Strategy
Establish a post-disaster interim housing strategy.

New Program: Keep
Residents
Housed
Work with City Officials, the Red Cross and a coalition of stakeholders to develop a realistic post disaster housing recovery plan focused on keeping residents in Menlo Park after a major disaster. Plan needs to include temporary shelters while quickly enabling building owners to make repairs. Plan to focus on increasing the ability of residents to a) shelter in their homes or with a neighbor, b) in
temporary locations (such as mobile housing sites) near where they live, or with a Menlo Park resident willing to temporarily house displaced residents. These efforts should be supplemented by Red Cross-led shelter locations.

Program to include public education about the reality of life in a shelter (i.e., there are rules and typically they do not take pets) and the desirability of being prepared to shelter at home or in one’s backyard until services are restored.

New Action: Shelter
Location
Communication
Plan
Prepare a pre-need communication plan designed to
quickly publish locations of temporary and Red Cross
shelters.
#6 Page F-1.44
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 14

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Land Use to Promote Resilience
Table 12: Emergency Vehicle Access & Fire Flow (Water)
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
32 Policy S1.11:

Visibility and
Access to
Address Safety
Concerns
Require that development be designed to permit
maximum visibility and access to law enforcement,
ambulance, and fire control vehicles consistent with
privacy and other design considerations.
36 Policy S1.39:

Emergency
Vehicle Access
Require that all private roads be designed to allow access for emergency vehicles as a prerequisite to the granting of permits and approvals for construction.

New Program: Public
Notice:

Insufficient
Emergency
Routes
Publicly disclose new development locations without
sufficient emergency route access or capacity. Work with residents to develop plans designed to help mitigate for their risk. Ensure all are aware of their Zonehaven zone, and registered with SMC Alert and other alert systems.

New Policy: Fire
District
Response Time
Ensure that new roadways are developed in accordance
with Fire District adopted response time standards for
emergency vehicle access. Publish these standards at
City’s website. Update Municipal Code as needed.

New Program:

Development
Access to
Emergency
Vehicles
In all new development, require access to be provided in accordance with Fire District adopted response time
standards for emergency vehicle access, including
adequate widths, turning radii, hard standing areas, and vertical clearance.

New Program:

Widen Critical
Right of Ways
Develop a plan to widen critical rights-of-ways that do not provide adequate clearance for emergency vehicles.

For areas that are not feasibly accessible to emergency vehicles, develop a contingency plan for reaching and
evacuating people in need of treatment.

New Policy: Water
Supplies and
Fire Flow
Require adequate water supply and fire flow throughout
the city to meet fire demand during times of peak
domestic water demand through a cooperative
relationship with the local water districts serving Menlo Park.

New Policy: Higher
Water Flow
Require Fire District approval for larger housing projects that require higher water fire flow demands on water
infrastructure. Ensure needed mitigation efforts are
incorporated into project design, and adhered to in the implementation.

New Policy: Traffic
Calming
Devices &
Emergency
Vehicles
Require usage of Fire District approved traffic calming devices on non-primary Fire District response routes
only.
#6 Page F-1.45
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 15 Table 13: Location of New Development
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
31 Policy S1:

Location of
Future
Development
Permit development only in those areas where potential
danger to the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the community can be adequately mitigated to
moderate or below levels, as detailed in the City’s risk classification chart.
33 Policy S1.14:

Geotechnical
Studies
Continue to require site-specific geologic and
geotechnical studies, from certified engineering
geologists or other qualified professionals, for land
development or construction projects subject to
geologic hazards, including fault rupture, severe ground shaking, liquefaction. Landslides and collapsible or
expansive soils in areas of potential land instability as shown on the State and/or other local geologic hazard
maps or identified through other means.
33 Policy S1.15:

Potential Land
Instability
Prohibit development in areas of potential land
instability identified on State and/or local geologic
hazard maps, or identified through other means, unless
a geologic investigation by a qualified geologist
demonstrates hazards can be mitigated to a moderate or
below acceptable level as defined by the State of
California in __________ and/also consistent with
any applicable State and local standard and
requirement such as ____________.

New Program: EIR
Workshops
Hold public workshops on the Environmental Impact
Report process, designed to educate the public on the
process and procedure required by law and how to
make effective comments.
37 Program S1.D
Require Early
Investigation of
potential
Hazard
Conditions
Require that potential geologic, seismic, soils and/or
hydrological problems confronting public or private
development be thoroughly investigated at the earliest
states of the design process, and that these topics be
comprehensively evaluated in the environmental review
process by technical experts.
31 Policy S1.3:

Hazard Data
and Standards.

Integrate hazard data (food, earthquake, sea level rise, etc.) from ________and risk evaluations that follow
________criteria into the development review process
and maintain, develop and adopt up-to-date FEMA
standards, such as ___, ____ and ___ to reduce the
level of risk from natural and human caused hazards for all land uses.

New Action: Risk
Assessment
Chart
Develop, maintain, and update a risk assessment chart,
with any necessary references to State statues, and
include it in the Safety Element.
#6 Page F-1.46
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 16 37 Program S1.E
Modify the
Zoning and
Subdivision
Ordinances as
Needed to
Address Hazard
Mitigation
Modify the Zoning Ordinances as needed when new
information on natural hazards becomes available from
___________ , and to provide for hazard reduction
measures such as __________as part of the design
criteria for development review. Review the Subdivision Ordinance (No: __________) and modify as needed to
include hazard reduction in the process of dividing land for development.
37 Program S1.B:

Maintain Upto-Date Hazard
Maps and
Databases.

Maintain databases and maps of geologic and other
hazards, and post links to these at the City’s website, to identify areas prone to hazards for planning purposes on an on-going basis concurrently with updates to the
General Plan Housing Element.
31 Policy S1.5:

New Habitable
Structures
Require that all new habitable structures incorporate
adequate hazard mitigation measures as detailed in
_____________to reduce identified risks from natural
and human-caused hazards.

Table 14: Long-Range Hazard Considerations
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Adequate
Mitigation
Measures
Periodically review trends and projections of future fire, flood and earthquake risk and corresponding hazard risk reduction capabilities to ensure that mitigation measures are adequate.

New Program:

Review
ConnectMenlo
Conduct an objective outside review of the
ConnectMenlo Program-level EIR and zoning
ordinances to determine if new information on hazards
and risks warrants additional mitigation measures.

New Policy: Climate
Change Trends
Incorporate forecasted impacts from climate change into trends and projections of future risks and consideration of policies to address identified risk.

New Program:

National Policy
and NFPA 1600
Review
Periodically review national policy and National Fire
Protection Association NFPA 1600 standards for all
hazards disaster/emergency management and business
continuity programs and make relevant updates to the
City’s disaster/emergency preparedness efforts.

New Program:

Update Risk
Assessment Tool
Using best available data and tools, update the flood, fire and earthquake risk assessment regularly to account for climate change or other factors, and alert public and
private landowners in future high-risk areas regarding
changes in hazard severity or risk levels
New Program: Avoid
Expansion in
High-Risk Areas
Avoid significant expansion of new development, critical facilities, and infrastructure in areas subject to extreme threat or high risk from fires, flooding and/or
earthquake-related risk unless all feasible risk reduction measures have been incorporated into project designs or conditions of approval
#6 Page F-1.47
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 17 Table 15: Public Utilities & Critical Infrastructure
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Strengthen
Utilities
Promote the strengthening of planned utilities, the
retrofit and rehabilitation of existing weak structures and lifeline utilities, and the relocation or strengthening of certain critical facilities to increase public safety and minimize potential damage from seismic and geological
hazards.
31 Policy S1.2:

Location of
Public
Improvements
Avoid Prohibit locating new public improvements,
utilities and waste water treatment facilities in Menlo Park areas with identified flood, geologic and/or soil
hazards to avoid any extraordinary maintenance and
operating expenses, and risk to public health. When the location of public improvements utility is already there, establish and enforce effective mitigation measures.
32 Policy S1.6:

Design and
Location of
Utilities
Monitor appropriate location, design, construction,
maintenance and inspection standards for utility systems traversing hazard areas within the city limits. This would include evaluating and upgrading outdated systems and
infrastructure, integrating green infrastructure as much as practical, coordinating with the State Public Utilities Commission and location new utility systems away from
potential hazard areas.
37 Program S1.F
Work with the
Public utilities
Commission
Work with the California Public Utilities Commission to require public utilities to apply the policies in this element to the planning and operation of their facilities, and to coordinate their activities with local planning agencies. 36 Policy S1.33:

Location of
Critical
Facilities
Locate Menlo Park planned critical facilities (e.g.,
hospitals, schools, Emergency Operations Center (E.O.C.) to minimize impacts from hazards, and encourage critical facilities planned by outside agencies (e.g., hospitals or clinics, schools) to also locate these facilitates to minimize impacts from hazards.
36 Policy S1.34:

Continued
Functioning of
Utilities and
Critical Use
Facilities
(Essential
Service
Buildings)
Encourage local public utilities and service providers to locate and design facilities and systems to ensure
continued service in emergency conditions. Ask utility
providers to Maintain ensure structural and operational integrity of essential public facilities during flooding and other emergency conditions.
#6 Page F-1.48
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 18 Table 16: Hazardous Materials
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
33 Policy S1.18:

Potential Exposure
of New Residential
Development to
Hazardous
Materials
Minimize risk associated with hazardous materials by
assessing exposure to hazardous materials of new
residential development and sensitive populations near
existing industrial and manufacturing areas.

New Action: Increased
notification of
development sites
with hazardous
materials
In public notices, staff reports, and other targeted or relevant communications pertaining to a particular
development site with known hazardous materials,
include prominent links to the State’s Department of
Toxic Substances Control, Cortese List along with status of “clean up.”
33 Policy S1.19:

Potentially
hazardous
Materials
Conditions
Investigation
Continue to require developers to conduct an
investigation, by a qualified specialist, of soils,
groundwater, and buildings affected by hazardous
materials potentially released from prior land uses in
areas historically used for commercial or industrial uses, and identify and implement mitigation measures to
avoid adversely affecting the environment or the health and safety of residents or new uses.
33 Policy S1.20:

Disposal of
Existing Hazardous
Materials on Sites
Planning for
Housing
Continue to require that sites planned for housing be
cleared of hazardous materials (e.g., paint, solvents,
chlorine) and the hazardous materials disposed in
compliance with State, county and federal laws.
33 Policy S1.17:

Hazardous
Materials
Regulations
Review and strengthen, if necessary, regulations for the structural design and/or uses involving hazardous
materials to minimize risk to local populations. Enforce compliance with current State and local requirements for the manufacturing, use, storage, transportation, and
disposal of hazardous materials, and the designation of appropriate truck routes in Menlo Park.
34 Policy S1.21:

Pipeline Safety
Require, to the extent practical, that new pipelines and other channels carrying hazardous materials be placed to avoid residential areas and in particular, areas where the population is less mobile.
38 Program S1.K
Track Remediation
Needs for Existing
Known Hazardous
Soils and Other
Hazardous
Materials.

Monitor remediation of existing known hazards, such as
contaminated soils and clean-up of leaking or abandoned underground storage tanks, and publish findings at the
City’s website. .
#6 Page F-1.49
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 19 38 Program S1.J
Require health and
Safety Plan for
Hazardous
Materials
Require the preparation of health and safety plans to be used to protect the general public and all workers in
construction areas from potentially hazardous materials.

The plan shall describe the practices and procedures to protect worker health in the event of an accidental
release of hazardous materials or if previously
undiscovered hazardous materials are encountered
during construction. The plan shall include items such as spill prevention, cleanup and evacuation procedures. The plan will help protect the public and works by providing procedures and contingencies that will help reduce the
exposure to hazardous materials.

Table 17: Improve City Mitigation Programs
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Aircraft
Safety
Work with the Federal Aviation Administration, the San
Francisco Airport, and local airports to establish aircraft corridors which minimize the exposure of Menlo Park
residents to excessive noise and potential harm from air traffic hazards.

New Policy: Train
Crossing
Safety
Use technology to improve safety at grade crossings while causing the least environmental harm, including Quiet
Zone improvements such as upgraded and updated warning
devices, additional gate arms, extended and raised
mediums, improved signage, and coordinated traffic
signals.
38 Program S1.N
Investigating
Potential
Impact of
Train
Derailment on
Emergency
Services
Coordinate with Caltrain and Union Pacific. Expand to
encompass emergency plans for all transit and paratransit operations.
36 Policy S1.41:

Heat
Adaptation
Support strategies to help reduce the heat island effect and minimize its effect on the Menlo Park Community.
39 Program S1.S
Public Heat
Respite
Incorporate public respite areas from heat when
remodeling or developing new public buildings and open
space. This could include landscaping, architectural, or design features as well as policies to allow community
members into public buildings on days and nights with
extreme heat.
#6 Page F-1.50
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 20 39 Program S1.T
Heat Island
minimization
Develop street tree and landscaping policies that minimize heat islands within Menlo Park, particularly in
Disadvantaged Communities (see Figure S.13.) Heat Island Effect Map. Incorporate innovative shade design, water
features and cooling centers at parks. Identify opportunities to implement cool corridors and other interventions to
improve pedestrian comfort. Install cool pavement material on city streets. Explore climate-adapted urban design
principles particularly for high heat areas, such as crossventilation, enhanced open space, use of cool material, green roofing and requirements for both heating and
cooling of buildings.

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Reduce Seismic Hazards
Table 18: Reduce Risk from Seismic Related Hazards
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Emergency
Water Storage
Establish enough water storage to serve as an
alternate drinking, sanitation, medical and firefighting water supply for at least 7 days in the event of a failure of water infrastructure delivery pipelines
and/or local water districts serving Menlo Park.
32 Policy S1.7:

Hazard
Reduction
Reform building code to require higher standards for
building safety and post-earthquake re-occupancy to
reduce post-disaster displacement of residents,
especially renters. Continue to require new
development to reduce the seismic vulnerability of
buildings and susceptibility to other hazards through
enforcement of the California Building Standards
Code and other programs.
37 Program S1.C:

Review
Building code
updates
Work with a coalition of City officials, design
professionals and community members to amend the
City of Menlo Park’s building code by _____ to
require higher standards for new buildings,
considering not only basic safety but also postdisaster usage and occupancy. Continue to review State Building Code updates and incorporate local
amendments as appropriate to require that new
construction be designed under the most current
safety standards. The review of updates should also
consider requirements for facilities housing sensitive
populations, such as seniors and persons living with
disabilities.
#6 Page F-1.51
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 21 38 Program S1.H
Enforce Seismic
Risk Analysis
and Adequate
Construction
Standards
Enforce seismic risk analysis and adequate
construction standards through the building permit
and inspection process.
38 Program S1.I
Review
Approach to
Buildings in
High Seismic
Risk Areas
Continue to support the California Residential
Mitigation Program’s (CRMP) Earthquake Brace &
Bolt program and consider establishing a program to
help both residential and non-residential property
owners identify if they own a building in a high
seismic hazards risk area or a seismically vulnerable
building, including soft-story buildings, and identify
what incentives exist to encourage repair or
demolition.

New Policy: Retrofit
Soft Story
Residential
Buildings
Prioritize the retrofitting of the City of Menlo Park’s most seismically vulnerable “soft-story” residential
buildings. Soft story buildings have one of the highest risks of significant damage during a large earthquake.

New Program: Softstory retrofitsWork with a coalition of City officials, retrofit experts, landowners and community members to make
recommendations designed to retrofit the hundreds of
seismically dangerous Menlo Park “soft-story”
buildings. Soft-story buildings share the following
characteristics: 1) Wood-frame construction of two
stories or more permitted according to building codes
of 1978 and before. 2) Ground floor portion of the
structure contains parking or other similar open
walls, which cause soft or weak structural elements.

Pursue State funding from new grant programs. Other
ideas could include an Earthquake Retrofit fair,
seismic retrofit ordinances, efforts to educate tenants on the risk, and to incent building owners to retrofit. 33 Policy S1.16:

Funding
Earthquake
Resistance
Improvements
Support State and Federal financial assistance or tax
incentive programs to encourage repair, demolition or
abatement of earthquake hazardous structures.

New Policy:

Strengthen
Utilities
Promote the strengthening of planned utilities, the
retrofit and rehabilitation of existing weak structures and lifeline utilities, and the relocation or
strengthening of certain critical facilities to increase public safety and minimize potential damage from
seismic and geological hazards.
#6 Page F-1.52
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 22

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Fire Hazards
Table 19: Reduce Fire Hazards & Risk
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Meaningful Fire
District Involvement
Meaningfully involve the Fire District in the
major project design and review process.

New Policy: Assist private
landowners in home
hardening
Use public and private funding, where
available, to the greatest extent practical to
assist private landowners in implementing
defensible space and building retrofits to
achieve a low-risk condition.
35 Policy S1.32: Fire
Resistant Design
Encourage new homes to incorporate fire
resistant design and strategies such as the use
of fire-resistant materials and landscaping, and
creating defensible space e.g., areas free of
highly flammable vegetation.

New Program: Reduce risk
of wildfire-urban
interface fires
Ensure public and private landowners
minimize the risk of wildfire moving from
wildland areas to developed properties, or from
property to property (including from embers)
by increasing structural hardening measures
(e.g., fire-rated roofing and fire-resistant
construction materials and techniques),
maintaining and improving defensible space.

New Program: WildfireUrban Interface riskreduction programDevelop a comprehensive wildfire-urban interface risk reduction program and associated
funding/financing for existing development to
improve defensible space, increase home and
structural hardening, and increase vegetation
and fuels management in areas of Menlo Park
at higher risk from fire.
32 Policy S1.10: Safety
Review of Development
Projects
Continue to require hazard mitigation, fire
prevention and adequate access for emergency
vehicles in new development. Make standards
easily accessible to the general public.
35 Policy S1.30: Fire
Equipment and
Personnel Access.

Require adequate access and clearance, to the
maximum extent practical, for fire equipment,
fire suppression personnel, and evacuation for
high occupancy structures. in coordination with
the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. Publish
these standards at the City’s website.
#6 Page F-1.53
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 23 38 Program S1.M Fire
Sprinkler
Requirements
Work with the Fire District to evaluate whether
to encourage sprinkler requirements that are
beyond State-Minimum Code.

New Program: Sprinklers in
downtown businesses
Work with the Fire District to develop an
incentive and funding/financing program
aimed at encouraging building owners to add
sprinklers to downtown City of Menlo Park
businesses that currently lack sprinklers.

Extend program to other small business zones,
as needed.

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Flooding and Dam Failure
Table 20: Flooding and Water Storage Facilities Failure Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Minimize
risk from flooding
Minimize injury, loss of life, property damage and
economic and social disruption caused by flooding
and inundation hazards.

New Policy: Municipal
Regulations
Ensure flood plain regulations in the municipal
code meet the latest FEMA requirements regarding
new construction, redevelopment and major
remodels.

New Action: Master
Storm Drainage
Report
Develop or update a Master Storm Drainage
Report to identify areas of the City’s drainage
system that may require update or modification.

New Action: Drainage
Improvement
Program
Develop a drainage improvement program that
identifies culverts and pipes that do not meet
current standards and/or natural drainages that
can benefit from natural systems enhancements.

New Policy: Impervious
surface
Employ strategies and design features that will
reduce the amount of impervious surface (i.e.,
paved area) within new development projects.

New Policy: Owner
Initiative and
Proactiveness
Encourage owners of buildings in flood-prone
areas to take appropriate measures to reduce the
likelihood of flood damage to their property.
34 Policy S1.26:

Creeks and
Drainage Ways
Seek to retain San Francisquito and Atherton
creeks/channels in their natural state in order to
prevent undue erosion of creek banks. Protect
creek-side habitat by limiting development near
creek bank and provide maintenance access along
creeks where appropriate.
#6 Page F-1.54
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 24 35 Policy S1.28:

Regional Water
Quality Central
Board (RWQCB)
Requirements
Enforce stormwater pollution prevention practices
and appropriate watershed management plans in
the RWQCB general National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System requirements, the San Mateo
County Water Pollution Prevention Program, and
the City’s Stormwater Management Program.

Revise, as necessary, City plans so they integrate
water quality and watershed protection with water
supply, flood control, habitat protection,
groundwater recharge, and other sustainable
development principles and policies.
35 Policy S1.29: Sea
Level Rise
Consider sea level rise in siting new facilities or
residents within potentially affected areas and
maintain up-to-date sea level rise inundation data
from U.S. Geological Survey. Data should indicate
the projected extent of flooding should the project
experience one (1) percent annual chance storm
with or without sea level rise.
• The baseline scenario shows flooding with a 1
percent annual chance storm.
• The mid-level scenario shows flooding with a 1
percent chance annual storm and 3.3 feet of sea
level rise.
• The high-end scenario shows flooding with a 1
percent annual storm and 6.6 feet of sea level
rise.
34 Policy S1.22: Flood
and Tsunami
Hazard Planning
and Mapping.

Consider the Actively monitor the threat of
flooding and tsunamis in planning and
management practices to minimize risk to life,
environment, and property. and Maintain and
publish tsunami hazard zones maps and flood
maps as new information is provided by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
and other regional agencies. Establish a detailed
risk-assessment evaluation tool designed to
objectively assess risk and to permit only uses and
development where damage and impacts to health
and safety can be minimized to a pre-established
level in the event of inundation.
#6 Page F-1.55
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 25 34 Policy S1.23: Flood
Damage Prevention
Continue to apply standards for any construction
projects (new structures and existing structures
proposed for substantial improvement) in areas of
special 100-year floodplain zone flood hazard in
accordance with FEMA and the Flood Damage
Prevention Ordinance, including the use of floodresistant construction materials and construction methods that minimize flood damage. To the
extent practical, locate new essential public
facilities outside of flood zones, such as City
operations facilities, police and fire stations, and
hospitals, unless risks are minimized.

New Policy: Evacuation
Planning
Require all essential and critical facilities in or
within 200 feet of a 100-year or 500-year flood
zones to develop disaster response and evacuation
plans that address the actions that will be taken in
the event of flooding.
34 Policy S1.24:

Potential Dam
Inundation
Consider potential of risks from dam inundation in
the development approval process by _______.

New Program: Dam
Education
Educate the public on the potential risks from
“sunny day” Bear Gulch and Felt Lake dam
inundation possibilities. Also educate the public as
to what to be aware of when traveling in other
areas with dams.

New Policy: Water
storage facilities
Evaluate and monitor water storage facilities to
determine which facilities might pose an
inundation hazard to downstream properties.
38 Program S1.L
Evaluate New
Community
Facilities Proposed
in Dam Inundation
Zones
Require that new community facilities located
within dam inundation zones evaluate the potential
for flooding and the impact on evacuation during
the development approval process and develop
appropriate evacuation plans and other mitigation
measures as part of the approval process.
34 Policy S1.25 Dam
Safety
Support programs by the California Division of
Safety of Dams to retrofit or replace dams or to
increase earthquake resistance of dams and
mitigate impacts of dam failures. State efforts to
inspect dams and evaluate dam safety
requirements shall also be supported. Notify
residents living in potential dam inundation areas
of dam retrofitting efforts, and their risks should
the dams fail before the retrofitting is completed.
34 Policy S1.27:

Erosion and
Sediment Control
Continue to require the use of best management
practices for erosion and sediment control
measures with proposed development in
compliance with application regional regulations.
#6 Page F-1.56
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 26

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Public Safety Services
Table 21: Public Safety Services
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
32 Policy S1.9:

Community Safety
Services and
Facilities
In Coordination with other agencies, maintain
adequate and cost-effective levels of safety services,
facilities and programs to address safety concerns in
Menlo Park.

New Policy: Adequate
equipment,
personnel and
support
Provide the Police Department with adequate
personnel, equipment and state-of-the art
technology to effectively combat crime, meet
existing and projected service demands and provide
crime prevention programs. These resources should
be provided before anticipated needs.

New Policy; Police
Involvement in
Review Process
Involve the City of Menlo Park Police Department in
the development project design and review process.

New Policy:

Community
Programs
Continue to support, develop and implement
programs that help to develop positive relationships
between the Police Department and community
members and increase mutual trust and respect.
32 Policy S1.12:

Provide a Safe
Transportation
System
Aligning with Circulation Element policies CIRC-1
through CIRC-1.9, provide and maintain a safe
circulation system that promotes a healthy, safe and
active community throughout Menlo Park.

New Policy: Reimagine
Policing
Prioritize efforts to reimagine community-based
policing in Menlo Park.

New Program: Working
Group
Continue the efforts begun in 2022 towards the idea
of making transformational reforms to public safety.

Create a small working group, that includes the
Police Chief or delegate, designed to identify areas
for greater synergy across long-range planning and
activities. Consider ideas such as establishing a new
Public Safety and Disaster Resilience Department.
#6 Page F-1.57
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 27 Table 22: Reduce Crime
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Crime
Preventative
Characteristics
and Design
Features
Promote and integrate crime preventative
characteristics into all phases of the planning and
development process. Maximize natural
surveillance through physical design features, such
as visible entryways from surrounding structures
and businesses; well-designed and visible walkways
and gates; well-lighted driveways, walkways and
exteriors, and landscaping that enhances visibility.

New Policy: well-lit
community
areas
Ensure that community areas and amenities such as
transit stopes, sidewalks, plazas, parks, trails and
bike paths are appropriately lighted, free of hiding
places, and frequently patrolled.

New Policy:

Complementary
uses
Maximize security of public spaces, recreational
facilities, and new development by encouraging
complementary uses that support safety.

New Policy: Crime
Prevention
Education
Provide crime prevention education programs,
including how to prevent or reduce bike thefts.

Table 23: Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Circulation
Improvements
Make circulation improvements, such as placing clear
signs for bikers and pedestrians, and providing buffers and traffic calming to tame automobile traffic around
pedestrians and cyclists. Work with the Fire District to ensure that traffic calming devices do not restrict
emergency vehicle access.

New Policy: Encourage
walking and
biking
Furnish streets with bike racks, benches, lighting and
landscaping, and repairing dangerous sidewalks, to
encourage bicycle riding and walking
New Policy: Safe
pedestrian and
bicycle movement
Enhance and maintain safe pedestrian and bicycle
movement through the integration of traffic control
devices, crosswalks, and pedestrian-oriented lightning, into the design of streets, sidewalks, trails and school routes throughout Menlo Park.

New Policy Safe
Routes for Kids
Support creation of safe routes that encourage children to walk or bike to schools and recreational facilities.

New Policy: Remove
impediments
Identify and attempt to remove impediments to
pedestrian and bicycle access associated with rail,
street, freeway and waterway crossings, and poorly
marked or maintained pathways and sidewalks.
#6 Page F-1.58
1 From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2023 3:56 PM
To: _Planning Commission
Subject: Fwd: Prioritizing a Disaster Prepared Community -- Extensive Input into Safety Element -- Resending
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear Planning Commission,
I thought that I should also send you my input into the Safety Element. Pages 14-23 include a particular focus on matters pertaining to new development. Please see the below email to the Council. The items in red font are my suggestions. The Planning Commission is an important recommending body. While your role seems more focused on approving projects, I hope that you will consider adding more oversight to your role as it pertains to public safety as part of the development process. I spent considerable time researching what other jurisdictions have implemented and I incorporated ideas I thought particularly applicable to Menlo Park. We are concentrating our development in a multi-hazard area with high-density. This is known to increase the potential of loss of life, injury and property damage following disasters.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I would attend your meeting but I have a prior engagement.

Thank you for your service to Menlo Park.

Lynne Bramlett
Organizing Member & President, MPC Ready
https://mpcready.org/
650-380-3028
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, Feb 26, 2023 at 11:45 AM
Subject: Prioritizing a Disaster Prepared Community -- Extensive Input into Safety Element -- Resending To: <[email protected]>
Cc: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Hello Council,
At your Feb 23 Emergency Meeting many members of the public expressed deep concerns about the City's response to the extended power outage situation and the prior one to the flooding in January. Better communication was frequently stressed along with a plan to reach the most vulnerable. Planning needs to be done BEFORE the disaster. Community-based groups want the City to follow the FEMA guidelines for a proactive Whole Community preparedness approach. Government efforts alone won't be nearly enough and the reactive approach is completely inadequate. I agree completely with the public's comments. A few mentioned earthquakes so I will link to the May 8, 2018 Study Session on the HayWired Scenario. That session included the direct warning of possible risk of litigation should enough people find out that the City could have done #7 Page F-1.59
2 more to prepare this disaster, but did not act. Yet, following the scary briefing I only heard the then Mayor's general advice related to personal go bags. I'm interested in action to reduce the risk of loss of life, injury and damage to property. We also want to quickly rebuild after a disaster. However, I point out that the risk of litigation is real and, possibly getting increased, because more people are realizing that he City isn't doing enough. However, if we start acting to do what's recommended, I believe the risk goes way down.

I am sending my input into the Safety Element because I did not see my post on CCIN. I have fixed a few typos.

Otherwise, the input is the same. The knowledge of what we should be doing exists in terms of FEMA and disaster/emergency managers recommendations. We also have the NFPA 1600 standards for emergency/disaster management programs, which include the requirement of an Advisory Committee. We need a collaborative model that follows evidence-based practices.

Safety_Element_V23.pdf
Lynne Bramlett
Organizing Member & President, MPC Ready
https://mpcready.org/
650-380-3028
#7 Page F-1.60
1 From: Carolyn Ordonez <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 2:08 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: Comments on environmental Justice draft
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

I want to start with the end of the draft. I live in the Flood Triangle and I consider myself interested in my neighborhood and how it fits into the city of Menlo Park. I receive a weekly newsletter from the city. I receive upcoming agenda items from councilwoman Nash weekly. I often attend city council meetings and planning commission meetings via zoom.

I never saw a survey who’s results are presented in the draft. I would have taken the survey. I don’t know what the outreach was but I surely was not informed.

Why is Flood Triangle, Lorelei Manor and Suburban Park always lumped together? All of Flood Triangle is directly adjacent to the 101 Freeway. A portion  of Suburban Park is adjacent and Lorelei Manor is not adjacent to 101 at all.

Flood Triangle is not in a flood zone. A portion of Lorelei Manor and Suburban Park are in a flood zone.

It is possible that Flood Triangle has a higher pollution Burden Score if the other two neighborhoods were not included in the average. The Pollution Burden score for the combined three neighborhoods is 71. 71 is incredibly close to the 75 that means so much to the environmental justice elements.

Please, separate the neighborhoods.

The Physical Description of Suburban Park, Flood Triangle and Lorelei Manor is incorrect on several points.

The bus service for the neighborhoods is only for the middle school students. No bus service for residents exists. I can not walk to Bay Road and stand at the bus stop and expect to get a ride anywhere. There is not a grocery store near by for all areas of the neighborhoods. There are not ‘ great transportation options’ here unless you want to get in your car.

Flood park is definitely in the neighborhood but is not maintained and doesn’t serve the neighborhoods. Soon the park will be under construction and not a useable space. Statements that are reality would be nice.

The description mentions Suburban Park as needing to exit on Bay Road. This is true for all three neighborhoods. I find a bias toward one neighborhood in the description.

I have felt since the day I moved to Menlo Park, 40 years ago, that the city of Menlo Park ignores the flood Triangle neighborhood. There is not ‘city wide equity’ and the housing element sites are reinforcing the inequality. We have a pollution burden rank of 18.6, a pollution burden score of 71.  These numbers are JUST about there to be included in an underserved community.

Both numbers indicate a problem and and do not fit section 39711, Health and Safety Code. ‘ Areas disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative public health effects, exposure or environmental degradation ‘.

Policy 1.4 Program 1.E
#8 Page F-1.61
2 ‘Systematically assess neighborhood connectivity infrastructure.’ If that means good quality roadways it is a frustrating exercise to get the City of Menlo Park to pay any attention to the streets of the Flood Triangle.

What does ‘access to public facilities mean’? Libraries, community centers? Not in my neighborhood.

Flood Triangle is caught in the middle, not underserved enough and not served enough. #8 Page F-1.62
1 From: Naomi Goodman <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 10:38 AM
To: _CCIN; _Planning Commission
Cc: Susan DesJardin
Subject: March 2 Webinar on Life Sciences/Biotech Safety Considerations for City Planning CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Members of the City Council,
I hope that members of the City Council and the Planning Commission will attend an upcoming webinar:

Planning For Life Sciences in Bay Area Communities.   This webinar, sponsored by the Sierra Club, will be informative for the Safety Element of the Housing Element Update. https://www.sierraclub.org/loma‐prieta/march‐2‐webinar‐planning‐life‐sciences‐bay‐area‐communities Life sciences/ biotech developments are being proposed and constructed at many locations along the Bayshore, from South San Francisco to Sunnyvale. Builders prefer biotech to office and light industry uses due to the premium price that they can get for these buildings.  Although I am not aware of any such developments proposed for Menlo Park at this time, it is important that the City have policies in place to protect residents and the environmental health of the Bay.

Naomi Goodman
Menlo Park
#9 Page F-1.63
1 From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 10:51 AM
To: _CCIN
Cc: _Planning Commission; Lynne Bramlett
Subject: Invitation to attend HayWired Scenario Exercise Toolkit Workshops this March CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Hello,
Please see the forwarded invitation to attend one of three trainings on the new HayWired Scenario Exercise toolkit. I signed up for the March 27 training in SF. The USGS briefed Menlo Park on the HawWired Scenario on May 8, 2018 at a Council Study Session. An eruption of the Hayward fault, as described in the HayWired Scenario, is predicted to have a significant serious impact to Menlo Park -- especially District 1. I hope that some of you will join me in attending at least one of the workshops.

Dear colleagues,
You are invited to attend one (or more) of three workshops in March that will provide an orientation to a new Haywired Scenario Exercise Toolkit. The workshops are designed for individuals interested in holding discussion-based exercises within their organization in order to improve planning, mitigation, preparedness, and recovery.

The Toolkit is based on the USGS HayWired Earthquake Scenario, which explores a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the Hayward Fault and the physical, technological, and societal impacts it will cause throughout the densely urbanized and interconnected Bay Area region. This comprehensive scenario report provides a wealth of information spanning many themes and topics.

To facilitate the use of this information, the United States Geological Survey, Earthquake Country Alliance, California Resiliency Alliance, and many other partners have designed a Toolkit for use by businesses, government agencies, non-profits, community groups, and other organizations to plan, lead, and learn from discussion-based exercises. #10
Page F-1.64
2 Each workshop will include an overview of the Toolkit and its accompanying Facilitator Tools that provide detailed guidance and useful imagery for many potential exercise ideas. This will be followed by group discussion-based exercises so that attendees can experience how they can put the Toolkit into action. Each workshop will use a different exercise idea from the Toolkit.

Workshop Locations and Dates:

United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park
Thursday, March 9, 2023
9 am – 12:30 pm
San Francisco Department of Public Works
Thursday, March 27, 2023
9 am – 12:30 pm
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Oakland
Thursday, March 29, 2023
1 pm - 4:30 pm

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER
We hope you can join us!
Monika Stoeffl, Executive Director, California Resiliency Alliance Mark Benthien, Executive Director, Earthquake Country Alliance (@ SCEC) #10
Page F-1.65
3 ------------------------------------------------------------ Each year, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) applies to FEMA for NEHRP state assistance, a portion of which is then subawarded to the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) to administer ECA’s earthquake education, outreach, and mitigation activities. Additional ECA activities are supported through SCEC’s funding from NSF and USGS, and at times other sponsors.

SCEC/ECA’s mailing address is:

University of Southern California
3651 Trousdale Parkway #169,
Los Angeles, CA 90089
To join ECA (free), complete our membership request form.

To discontinue your ECA membership and be removed from our email lists, please use our unsubscribe page.
#10
Page F-1.66
1 From: Mark Schlocker <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 11:04 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: Environmental Justice Element Feedback
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Hi Calvin,
2 topics from somebody who has experienced "poor environmental conditions" and "low levels of homeownership" per slide 21 in the Environmental Justice Element Community Meeting slides.

Poor environmental conditions:

These exist West of 101 as well. I've spent the last 4 years living in various locations in Menlo Park along Caltrain. The horn creates poor environmental conditions. My proposal is train grade separation like San Carlos, Belmont, and Hillsdale. Safer too. Better for traffic, sustaining the higher population density you are trying to achieve without ruining the quality of life of vocal homeowners.

Low levels of homeownership:

Everybody who didn't buy over 5-10 years ago is economically burdened. It's never going to be cheap here but cheap(er) would benefit many.

My proposal is to satisfy extreme single family housing demand at SRI/Parkline. Abolish/waiver your 7,000 square foot lot requirement. People will be plenty happy with half that. See Coronado, CA which did exactly that and the houses are still worth $2M-$3M on 3,500 sqft lots because people like them. 100 new SFH would take up 10 acres and you have 53 acres left for everything else. Bonus if you can do this with NO HOA.

Even doctors or dual tech can't afford a single family house here anymore. Only elites. It's not worth living here long-term anymore. More SFH inventory can help more people want to stay.

The solution is not more apartments. Pre-covid I lived in an older apartment that was never at capacity. Post-covid you see Springline open up with 183 units and they are not even half full after 7 months of trying to fill it. Offering 2 months free, still not full.

How does anybody expect to fill 400+ more apartments/condos at Parkline? Mark Schlocker
#11 Page F-1.67
1 From: Naomi Goodman <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 9, 2023 1:33 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: Comment on Draft Environmental Justice Element CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Mr. Chan,
Subject: Comments on Draft Environmental Justice Element, Public Review Draft Mr. Chan,
Please include the following considerations in the Environmental Justice Element.

1. Making a community welcoming to minorities requires not only policies to prevent displacement and gentrification, but also policies to preserve cultural resources and businesses valued by those minorities.  The Housing Element proposes to replace the only two Hispanic groceries in Menlo Park west of the freeway (El Rancho Market and La Hacienda) with housing.  These businesses provide essential services to Belle Haven and East Palo Alto.  If they are displaced, there needs to be city assistance to help them relocate in the same general area.

2. The rapid growth of the Life Sciences District, with five new projects in the works and many existing facilities in operation, poses risks to the health and safety of residents in Belle Haven and East Palo Alto.  Please see my March 9, 2023 comments on the Draft Safety Element for details. In addition, many life sciences facilities are bad neighbors: they operate 24/7 with accompanying truck traffic, have noisy HVAC systems, and loom over neighboring houses (1).  Added facilities will encourage highly‐paid technical staff to move to the area, worsening gentrification.  The placement of biotech facilities immediately adjacent to East Palo Alto homes poses an environmental justice concern. This should be recognized in the Environmental Justice Element even if these homes are not in Menlo Park. (1) Webinar:  Life Sciences/Biotech Safety Considerations for City Planning. Hosted by Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, March 2, 2023. https://sites.google.com/view/lifescienceswebinarinfo/home Please contact me if you have any questions.
#12 Page F-1.68
2 Naomi Goodman, MSPH
897 Woodland Ave
Menlo Park, 94025
650‐322‐2124
#12 Page F-1.69
March 9, 2023
1 To: Menlo Park City Council
From: Naomi Goodman, MSPH
Subject: Comments on Safety Element: 2022-2023 Update, Public Review Draft Councilors,
The Draft Safety Element of the Housing Update is missing several critical measures needed to protect the residents of Menlo Park from natural and manmade hazards. Please add these elements to the Safety Element with sufficient detail to define needed steps and a timeline for action.

1. Address impacts of legacy hazardous waste contamination on future land use East Menlo Park has an extensive history of industrial land use, dating back to the 1940s. The Draft Safety Element contains a list of sites with potential chemical hazards from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control EnviroStor database and Water Resources Board Underground Storage Tank and Cleanup Program Sites list. However, the plan does not specify how these listings will be used to guide project review or to ensure safety. By themselves, these sources are not sufficient to evaluate future risk to residents or workers at these sites, for the following reasons:
a. Sites that have been “closed” may have been cleaned up to levels that are not protective for a land use different from that evaluated in the closure action. b. Past site investigations did not test for chemicals that have recently been recognized as hazardous, such as per-and-poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), or the sites may have residual contamination at levels above recent, more stringent cleanup standards. c. Soil and groundwater contamination often migrates beyond property boundaries; contaminated groundwater may underly land distant from the source, posing a risk via soil vapor migration into buildings.
d. Sea level rise along the Bayshore has the potential to move buried contaminants to shallow soil or groundwater distant from the source.

Please add a requirement to the Safety Element to hire an independent consultant to review proposed projects in areas of the city with past industrial use, and to recommend whether further investigation is needed. The consulting firm should have expertise in the successive stages of a site assessment and cleanup: Phase 1/Phase 2 site investigations, chemical sampling and analysis, risk assessment, and hazardous waste site remediation. The Safety Element should define the criteria triggering each stage of the assessment. The Safety Element should provide for formation of a citizen task group to guide and review the results of the site assessments.

2. Address safety for existing and future Life Sciences developments In 2002, Menlo Park created a Life Sciences District to attract life sciences research and development (R&D) facilities. These facilities are attractive to cities because they produce revenue; however, they pose significant hazards that are not addressed in the Safety Element, or in Chapter 16.44 of the Municipal Code that created the District. #13 Page F-1.70
March 9, 2023
2 It is critical that Menlo Park adopt language in the Safety Element to address the potential hazards of life sciences R&D, particularly with the proximity of the Life Sciences District to residential areas and schools in Belle Haven and East Palo Alto. The Safety Element should state the acceptable limits on the level of risk to human health and the environment as defined by allowable Biosafety Level (BSL), with increasing risk represented by BSL-1 to BSL-41. A Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter, Nov 11, 2022 white paper2 gives an apt summary of the risks:
“Bio-tech labs deal with a wide range of infectious agents from benign to lethal.

Therefore, it comes with a certain level of risk. However, these risks are not well understood. Cities need to manage the risks with a clear understanding of differences between biosafety levels (BSL) 1- 4. “
“In an urbanized setting, some of the biological infectious agents being studied, at BSL 2 and 3, and animal research could create a health emergency in the event of human error, accidents or in disasters such as serious seismic events. Furthermore, siting of such facilities in shoreline areas, identified as flood zones and high liquefaction zones, can create potential vulnerabilities for the regional Bay ecology and human health should public infrastructure be compromised and emergency protocols fail.” There are currently five proposed Life Sciences R&D projects under review in East Menlo Park, in an area that already has a high concentration of such facilities and is identified by the U.S.

Geological Survey as a high liquefaction zone3:
 1050 O’Brien Drive and 1320 Willow Road
 1030 O’Brien Drive
 1105 and 1165 O’Brien Drive
 1350 Adams Court
 CSBio Phase 3 (1075 O’Brien Drive)
There are currently no policies or ordinances in Menlo Park, San Mateo County, or the State of California that regulate the risk level of activities in these facilities or give the city power to withdraw an operating permit if unsafe conditions exist.

I urge the Council to place a temporary ban on BSL-3 facilities until appropriate controls can be put in place at the City or County Level. BSL-4 facilities should never be situated near residential areas.
1 See background on biosafety levels and regulatory approaches on Page 4 of this letter. 2Planning Review and Entitlements of Biotech Developments. Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, Nov. 11, 2022 https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/2023- 02/BioTech%20Biosafety%20Level%20Laboratories%20guidelines%2011-11-22.pdf 3 USGS Liquifaction Susceptibility Map,
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/education/geologicmaps/kml/liquefaction.kmz #13 Page F-1.71
March 9, 2023
3 I concur with the recommendations of the Sierra Club white paper. These points should be addressed in the Safety Element.
#13 Page F-1.72
March 9, 2023
4 Biosafety Levels and Regulatory Approaches – Background As detailed in a recent webinar4, The National Institutes of Health defines four risk groups (RG) for bioscience research. Examples of organisms in each risk group are shown below.

Four biosafety levels (BSL) are defined for life sciences laboratories, BSL-1 through BSL-4, in order of increasing requirements to prevent harm to humans and the environment through release of a living organism (e.g., inoculated test animal, infectious agent). The BSL for a particular laboratory is based on a risk assessment that considers the RG of the organism and the use to which it is put. As the BSL level increases, government laboratories must adhere to increasingly stringent standards for equipment, worker protection, decontamination, waste disposal, release incident reporting, etc.

Unfortunately, privately owned biotech R&D facilities, such as the development projects pending in District 1, are not required to adhere to the National Institute of Health requirements for BSL levels 1 through 3. Below the BSL-4 level, there are no constraints on the type of research that is conducted other than US-EPA and OSHA standards that apply to all industries that use hazardous chemicals.

Municipalities that host life sciences facilities have adopted two different paths to minimize risks. Some have placed a blanket ban on BSL-3 labs, while others have required review by an advisory committee of citizens with a life science background, trained in the NIH procedures. In general, smaller cities similar to Menlo Park have opted for a ban, given the difficulty of training volunteers in the review process and dealing with the required monitoring and auditing duties. The webinar page in Footnote 1 lists examples of towns and cities in the Boston, MA-area that have enacted policies and ordinances. 4 Webinar: Life Sciences/Biotech Safety Considerations for City Planning. Hosted by Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, March 2, 2023. https://sites.google.com/view/lifescienceswebinarinfo/home #13 Page F-1.73
March 9, 2023
5 3. Seismic Risk
As a lifelong California resident, I am acutely aware of earthquake risks. Driving from my home in the Willows to downtown Menlo Park, I pass dozens of soft-story buildings. These are typically two- to eight-unit apartments or condominiums with residential areas built over parking, often supported by nothing more than a few poles. An example of a soft-story building is shown in Figure 1:

Figure 1 Example of a four-unit, soft-story building

Soft-story buildings can fail catastrophically in a strong earthquake, with possible loss of life and housing stock. Although the Safety Element mentions plans to encourage retrofit of these buildings, that will not result in timely action. We need to be more proactive.

To understand the magnitude of the problem, in November 2021 I undertook an informal survey to estimate the number of multi-unit buildings having residential units over parking, in the entirety of Menlo Park. This was done by viewing buildings in Google Maps Street View and 3D mode. I marked properties containing potential soft-story buildings on county parcel maps. The determination whether these are in fact soft-story requires inspection by a structural engineer.

An example of my survey output is shown in Figure 2, for the Mills Tract neighborhood; parcels containing apparent soft-story buildings are marked in purple. Similar maps were prepared for other neighborhoods with a high concentration of multi-unit buildings. A total of 239 parcels were identified that contain potential soft-story buildings. This survey, while of uncertain accuracy, gives a sobering picture of the magnitude of the problem. Many of these parcels contain multiple buildings, and the units per building typically vary from two to eight. The count also includes much larger buildings with underground garages that may or may not meet current earthquake codes. Thus, the total number of housing units at risk may be several thousand and the number of residents potentially affected may be as high as 5,000. #13 Page F-1.74
March 9, 2023
6 Figure 2. Mills Tract parcels containing potential soft-story buildings (purple) These results point to the need to conduct a more rigorous survey and to find ways to incentivize or require owners to retrofit or replace these buildings. A “soft-story” retrofit ordinance, such as those in Palo Alto and Berkeley, could be coupled with financial incentives to replace the buildings with taller structures, to help meet a future state housing allocation.

For the Safety Plan, please include the following actions to be undertaken as soon as possible:
 Hire a structural engineer to conduct a survey of soft-story units across Menlo Park  Develop a soft-story retrofit ordinance applicable to multi-unit buildings  Apply for state or federal funding to support loans or grants for building retrofits Please contact me if you have any questions.

Naomi Goodman, MSPH
897 Woodland Ave
Menlo Park, 94025
650-322-2124
Cc:

Calvin Chan, Senior Planner, City of Menlo Park
Planning Commission, City of Menlo Park
#13 Page F-1.75
1 From: Tom Bolich <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 9, 2023 12:31 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: COMMENTS ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PLAN
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Back on May 31, 2022, I provided comments on your Draft Housing Element to the City Council relative to Site 38 on Sheridan Drive, adjacent to Suburban Park, and it appears that those concerns have not been fully addressed in your Draft Environmental Justice proposal. Specifically, in the following two sections: Element 5.3 - Housing Distribution, and in Housing Element-Chapter 8, Program H2.B - Protect Existing Housing.

As I pointed out in my previous correspondence, while I understand that SB-1 mandates require each city in California to update their General Plan Housing Element and your Environmental Justice Plan, I would question why you failed to keep your 2nd “Specific Purpose” – Maintain Quality of Life, in mind when you considered the various sites around Menlo Park for higher density housing. Quality of Life Point #9 clearly says that the city should only “encourage new housing in locations supported by existing or planned infrastructure.” Site 38 ia served by relatively narrow streets with only two outlets to Bay Road, and which is nowhere near any of the facilities or infrastructure required (as defined by your own Housing document) to serve high-density housing - facilities such as schools, transit service or Caltrain, commercial businesses or grocery stores. As a result, Site #38 has an AFFH score of only 2 out of a possible 7.

Placing a multi-story, high-density housing development on the old Flood School property Site #38 would therefore appear to be in direct opposition to your own stated Environmental Justice goals, as stated in Chapter 8 of the Housing Element under Program H2.B, to preserve and protect the quality and quantity of existing housing within Menlo Park neighborhoods. Adding between high density housing at the end of Sheridan Drive, whose only outlet would be Hedge Road, would severely impact the existing quality of life on this existing neighborhood.

I would therefore urge you to please focus the Environmental Justice Plan’s Housing Distribution on those sites located closer to downtown Menlo Park where they would be in proximity to major transportation corridors (El Camino Real) and public transit (Caltrain), along with all the other required infrastructure described under AFFFH goals. By selecting sites closer to the downtown area, you would also better address your Policy LU-2.1 on Neighborhood Compatibility, ensuring that the new residential development is compatible with the scale, look, and feel of the surrounding neighborhood and the city’s character.

Thank you for considering these comments in the context of the City’s Environmental Justice Plan! Yours truly,
Thomas Bolich
#14 Page F-1.76
1 From: Katherine Dumont <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2023 4:50 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: Feedback on EJE & SE
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear Senior Planner Chan,
I support prioritizing the EJ&S Element policies and programs that were identified by city-sponsored outreach to Belle Haven and Bayfront--the two communities most adversely affected by climate change and past discriminatory policies.

These include:

Support for Complete streets and funding of transportation infrastructure improvements to support cyclist and pedestrian safety and to mitigate automobile congestion and air pollution.

Support and funding for programs aimed at providing Safe and Healthy Housing for underserved communities, including:
 Anti-Displacement Policies to protect low-income residents, including tenant protection programs
 Zoning and land use decisions that support affordable housing being distributed throughout the city
 Protecting residents from the effects of sea-level rise, groundwater rise, and extreme heat.

Support and fund programs to support equitable access to healthy food and community resources.

In the meeting I attended, there was a lot of frustration expressed about the lack of action by the City; community members felt the city had ignored their feedback in the past. Therefore, ongoing community engagement and outreach, done in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manner, is especially important.

Thank you,
Katherine Dumont
Menlo Park resident
#15 Page F-1.77
1 From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2023 1:06 PM
To: _CCIN
Cc: Chan, Calvin; Lynne Bramlett
Subject: Environmental Justice Element Input
Attachments: Memo_EJ_Input_LynneBramlett.pdf
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear City Council and Staff,
Please see my attached input into the Environmental Justice Element. The input focuses on these key areas:

1. The document should be more concisely written and better organized. I offer my services to help.

2. The history portion should be fact-based. It omitted key details.

3. The elephant in the room is the development pipeline in District 1. This is a major cash cow for the city.

Development needs addressing.

4. Outreach. I would like a table with public meetings and the numbers attending, and perhaps categorization. While I realize the EJ element rightly focuses on District 1, it is also a way to educate residents across all of Menlo Park. To me, many are unaware of the City's concentration of development in District 1. Getting them informed would be important to later efforts focused on reducing the development revenue stream. More residents need to know about the direct harm development is causing to people.

5. Goals, Policies and programs. I believe these need major work. I did not focus on these as I know the Climate Resilient Communities led effort has done so. I have been unable to join their efforts due to my travel schedule. However, I agree with their ideas. I also agree with the input you have received from resident Naomi Goodman.

I would like the city to form a working group composed of staff and representatives from Belle Haven focused community organizations and then work to revise the draft before the next revision goes out for public review.

Lynne Bramlett
650-380-3028
#16 Page F-1.78
To: City Council of Menlo Park
Cc: Calvin Chan
Re: Public Input into City’s Draft EJ Element
Date: March 10, 2023
Overall Comments:

1. The document should be more concisely written and better organized. It includes repetitive information, wordy sentences and “self-congratulatory” statements. A capable editor is needed. All unnecessary information should be removed. Less important information should go into an Appendix. The Neighborhood Profiles seem unnecessary.

They took up much space and I think they could confuse people into believing that injustice has been spread, more or less evenly, throughout Menlo Park. Many residents, I believe, have no idea as to the extent of the development and past injustices. So, I would remove the neighborhood profiles. I offer my services to help improve this document as a written piece.

2. The history portion should be fact-based. It omitted financial and other relevant details of the City’s history with its former Las Pulgas Redevelopment agency. It also omitted the ConnectMenlo exercise, which did not follow State requirements for an authentic general plan update. It presented Menlo Park as a City voluntarily interested in preparing an Environmental Justice Element. However, Menlo Park is required to prepare one, or to revise its existing General Plan Elements to include Environmental Justice features. The document referred to the ConnectMenlo Guiding Principles as meaningful.

Unfortunately, these are platitudes only that lack measurement and reporting.

3. The elephant in the room is the development pipeline in District 1. This shows no sign of abating. Efforts to slow or temporarily halt the development have not succeeded.

For decades, the District 1 development has been a major “cash cow” for Menlo Park. The development is creating most of the environmental injustices. If the City sincerely cared about environmental justice for District 1, I would expect to see specific draft policies, programs or actions focused on fixing the root-cause of the problem: development. The development represents a major conflict of interest between the public good and the city’s desire for the revenue. It’s time for the city to evaluate ways to reduce the city’s dependence on development revenue coming from District 1. Policies related to same would be appropriate to include in this EJ Element.

4. Outreach. Please add concise table with public meetings and how many attended.

5. Goals, Policies and Programs. These were often vaguely worded. There were so many, they needed prioritization and a plan to implement them. As noted above, I saw none directly related to fixing the root-cause of the injustice: development in District 1.

The Climate Resilient Communities efforts have led to many valuable suggestions for improving the EJ Element. I support these efforts. I also ask the City to take a more collaborative approach to the next revision. Work with a core team to revise the draft. #16 Page F-1.79
1 From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2023 12:58 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Cc: Lynne Bramlett
Subject: Re: Environmental Justice Element Input
Attachments: CMP_Email_Logo_100dpi_05d92d5b-e8e3-498f-93a6-d0da509bd602111111111.png CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Thank you Calvin. The Safety Element input that I submitted earlier has suggested policies and programs related to development in District 1. They could be added to the EJ Element. The EJ Element is also supposed to be community driven with significant public engagement and leadership from the impacted community. CRC is not based in Belle Haven. They are paid by Menlo Park. I see a conflict of interest.

We need local Belle Haven leadership to drive further input and the revision process. A coalition of stakeholders should take this process over. The lack of any development related policies, in the city's draft is extremely troublesome.

Based on my understanding of the SB1000 legal requirements, Menlo Park is grossly out of compliance. This needs rectifying.

Lynne
On Mon, Mar 13, 2023, 12:11 PM Chan, Calvin <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello Lynne,
Thank you for the correspondence. I have shared with other members of the project team.

Calvin
Calvin Chan
Senior Planner
City Hall - 1st Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 650-330-6763
menlopark.gov
*Note our emails have changed to @menlopark.gov
#17 Page F-1.80
2 From: Lynne Bramlett [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, March 10, 2023 1:06 PM
To: _CCIN <[email protected]>
Cc: Chan, Calvin <[email protected]>; Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]> Subject: Environmental Justice Element Input

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear City Council and Staff,

Please see my attached input into the Environmental Justice Element. The input focuses on these key areas:

1. The document should be more concisely written and better organized. I offer my services to help.

2. The history portion should be fact-based. It omitted key details.

3. The elephant in the room is the development pipeline in District 1. This is a major cash cow for the city.

Development needs addressing.

4. Outreach. I would like a table with public meetings and the numbers attending, and perhaps categorization. While I realize the EJ element rightly focuses on District 1, it is also a way to educate residents across all of Menlo Park. To me, many are unaware of the City's concentration of development in District 1. Getting them informed would be important to later efforts focused on reducing the development revenue stream. More residents need to know about the direct harm development is causing to people.

5. Goals, Policies and programs. I believe these need major work. I did not focus on these as I know the Climate Resilient Communities led effort has done so. I have been unable to join their efforts due to my travel schedule. However, I agree with their ideas. I also agree with the input you have received from resident Naomi Goodman.

I would like the city to form a working group composed of staff and representatives from Belle Haven focused community organizations and then work to revise the draft before the next revision goes out for public review.

Lynne Bramlett
650-380-3028
#17 Page F-1.81

SAN MATEO, SANTA CLARA & SAN BENITO COUNTIES
April 26, 2023
Menlo Park Planning Commission and
David Hogan, Sr. Contract Planner
Community Development
701 Laurel St.

Menlo Park, CA 94025
Via email: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Sierra Club Comments on prohibiting BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs in Menlo Park Dear Mr. Hogan and Menlo Park Planning Commissioners,
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter’s Sustainable Land Use Committee advocates for land use issues and the Chapter’s Bay Alive campaign advocates for the ecological health of San Francisco Bay. We are concerned about the potential safety hazards of life sciences projects situated close to residential areas and to the Bay. The Menlo Park Life Sciences District is of particular concern because it is in an area of moderate to high liquefaction susceptibility1 and one that could be impacted in the future by sea level rise. We also note its adjacency to residential neighborhoods in East Palo Alto.

We strongly recommend that no Biosafety Level (BSL)-3 labs be permitted in Menlo Park, and that BSL-4 labs also be excluded. We recommend that, if this project is approved, the permit stipulate that the facility not be equipped or permitted for Biosafety Level (BSL)-3 or BSL-4 activities, which pose the greatest risk if there is a release of dangerous, contagious organisms.

We understand from comments at the Planning Commission study session on this project that Menlo Park does not currently have any BSL-3 labs. There are currently no BSL-4 labs in California.

Four biosafety levels (BSL), BSL-1 through BSL-4, are defined for all life sciences laboratories, in order of increasing requirements, to prevent harm to humans and the environment through 1CA Dept of Conservation Regulatory Maps, CGS Warehouse, Zones of Required Investigation https://maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/informationwarehouse/regulatorymaps/ MTC/ABAG Hazard Map:
https://mtc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=4a6f3f1259df42eab29b35dfcd086fc8 #18 Page F-1.82
release of a living organism (e.g., inoculated test animal, infectious agent, infected worker, accidents).2 The BSL is determined based on the inherent danger of the organism and the type of research conducted. As the BSL level increases, federally funded laboratories must adhere to increasingly stringent National Institute of Health (NIH) standards for equipment, worker protection, decontamination, waste disposal, release incident reporting, and so forth. Unfortunately, privately funded research and privately owned biotech R&D facilities, such as that proposed for 1125 O’Brien, are not required to adhere to the NIH requirements for BSL levels 1 through 3. BSL-4 labs, which work with highly lethal agents such as Ebola, should never be allowed near residential areas.

Recently, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter organized a webinar titled Planning for Life Sciences Development for Bay Area Cities.
3 The event featured experts from the
Boston/Cambridge area, a historic hub for life sciences in the US, and included biosafety experts. An important fact emerged: several cities in the greater Boston/Cambridge metropolitan area have reversed their biosafety policies to no longer allow BSL-3 or BSL4 labs in their cities, and more are joining their ranks. Some do not even allow BSL-2 labs. Please see a list of cities and links to their ordinances included HERE.

Why have they made these changes? With decades of experience with the industry and the growing awareness of the increasingly lethal agents used in BSL-3 “highcontainment” labs, cities are now “walking-back” from allowing the high-risk labs into their communities.4
BSL-3 “high-containment” labs involve the higher-risk pathogens that are relatively very difficult to control, as they are usually airborne and very contagious when released. They require complete dependence on mechanical systems that can fail through human error, mechanical failure or disasters5. They work better in institutions such as universities that have layers of safety oversight committees to ensure an understanding of risks, transparency, regular reporting and inspections, and biosafety procedures for worker, public and environmental safety.
2 Activities and projects conducted in biological laboratories are categorized by biosafety level. The four biosafety levels are BSL-1, BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest (maximum) level of containment. There are additional specific rules and designations for animal research (ABSL), agricultural research (BSL-Ag), and other types of research. These other types of labs require their own specific set of rules and regulations, because they are dealing with larger organisms, such as plants, animals, and insects. https://www.phe.gov/s3/BioriskManagement/biosafety/Pages/Biosafety-Levels.aspx 3 “Planning for Life Sciences Development for Bay Area Cities,” a Webinar for Municipal Leaders, March 2, 2023 4 “The asymmetric threat posed by biological weapons will continue to increase as new tools and techniques are developed …by the society-wide economic, emotional, and government-destabilizing impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, it can be argued that the total cost of this pandemic—including the loss of life and the stress to the economy—could be rivaled only by the deployment of an atomic bomb.” https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/engineered-pathogens-and-unnatural-biologicalweapons-the-future-threat-of-synthetic-biology/ 5 Boston University, June 1, 2016: “A malfunctioning network switch at BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) resulted in a shutdown of parts of the lab’s ventilation monitoring system …The University has suspended BSL-3 research until the outside engineers’ review recommended remedial work to prevent future ventilation system malfunctions.” #18 Page F-1.83
Menlo Park does not have processes in place to protect residents and the environment from risks at these facilities, nor are there any other local or state regulatory agencies with responsibility for ensuring that private biotech labs do not impact the community. ● There is no mention of biohazards, biosafety, or biosecurity in the Menlo Park Safety Element6, in Connect Menlo7, or in the zoning ordinance that established the Life Sciences District. The City is completely unprepared for a biohazard release incident. ● San Mateo County Environmental Health staff have reported8 that they have no authority or responsibility for biohazard incidents, with the exception of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The State hazardous materials databases, which the fire department and emergency responders depend upon, include chemical and radiological hazards but do not include biological hazards. The federal government does not regulate or oversee privately funded biotech labs and the research they do other than licensing companies to work with hazardous organisms.
● The City’s Life Sciences zone heavily impacts the East Palo Alto and Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhoods, already impacted and vulnerable residential areas and school sites, potentially endangering children and other residents with unknown infectious agents. ● This facility would be located within a few hundred yards of sensitive natural ecosystems that affect the Bay itself. Flooding and seismic events are known hazards in this part of the Bay Area, therefore ecological impact concerns of BSL-3 labs are a critical issue.

The federal government and the scientific community are expressing increasing concern about the growth of new risky research in privately funded BSL-3 labs and the lack of oversight9. Several recent news articles have elaborated on these concerns.10 11 Without 6 https://menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Development/Planning-Division/Comprehensiveplanning/Housing-Element/2023-2031-Housing-Element-Update/Safety-Element 7https://menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Development/Planning-Division/Comprehensiveplanning/ConnectMenlo 8 In a meeting with the San Mateo County Office of Environmental Health and the Sierra Club Biosafety working group on January 9, 2023 and including San Mateo County Supervisor Pine and staff on February 2, 2023. 9 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have formed an advisory committee, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). The NSABB has held meetings in 2022 and 2023 about Biosafety, with specific focus on Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight (PC3O) and Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC). In a transcript of a NSABB Sept 2022 meeting a board member notes:
“We have to deal with the problem of domestic research that’s not funded by the US government. That’s a big chunk right now, especially out here in the west with Silicon Valley.” 10 You should be afraid of the next “lab leak”, NY Times Nov 23, 2021. “ In fact, the most concerning aspect about high containment biolabs is that, considered as a collective, they may only be as safe as the worst lab among them. A breach or a breakdown at one could imperil us all.” 11 “Research with exotic viruses risks a deadly outbreak, scientists warn” Washington Post, April 11, 2023. #18 Page F-1.84
proper regulation or oversight required by the NIH or other public health agencies, allowing the proliferation of these facilities without appropriate controls presents a significant risk to public safety.

In Summary

1. We strongly urge you to reject the establishment of any BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs in Menlo Park.

2. With respect to the 1125 O’Brien EIR, which does not address the concerns expressed in this letter, we request that the EIR evaluate the potential impacts on human health and the environment of an accidental release of a spectrum of biological agents that would potentially be allowed based on the BSL levels that Menlo Park decides to allow for the building and that the building infrastructure will be designed to accommodate in the future.

For example, if HVAC systems could be designed to include BSL-2 or BSL-3 with its positive air pressure requirements, the EIR should evaluate the consequences of a failure of that system and its impact on nearby residents and ecological receptors.

Please note that, besides biosafety, this letter does not address any of the other issues which should be reviewed regarding this project, such as impacts on the nearby communities of EPA and Belle Haven, including noise (the city’s noise standards for labs’ HVAC equipment will need setbacks greater than in Menlo Park’s current Life Sciences ordinance or sound barrier enclosures for rooftop equipment), lab lighting (requiring shades after hours for neighbors’ protection), air quality of lab exhausts, shading by tall HVAC equipment, climate action plan impacts due to requests to allow gas-fired HVAC equipment and exemption from reach codes needed for climate action plan goals, excessive water and energy consumption, and other sustainability and environmental concerns.

Respectfully submitted,
Gita Dev, Co-Chair, Sustainable Land Use Committee, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Gladwyn d’Souza, Chair, Conservation Committee, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Cc: Menlo Park City Council members
James Eggers, Executive Director, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Jennifer Chang Hetterly, Campaign Lead, Bay Alive, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Dave Pine, Chair, Board Of Supervisors, San Mateo County <[email protected]> Ray Mueller, Board of Supervisors District 3, San Mateo County <[email protected]> Len Materman, OneShoreline, San Mateo County <[email protected]> A growing number of scientists are reconsidering the dangers of prospecting for unknown viruses and conducting other high stakes work with pathogens
#18 Page F-1.85
“Excellence In Service”
March 30, 2023
Deanna Chow – Assistant Community Development Director
Re: Response to comment for the City of Menlo Park Safety Element: 2022‐2023 Update.

Please find the following recommendations for consideration and inclusion to the Safety Element for building future resiliency for the City of Menlo Park.

Pg. 9   SB99 – City of Menlo Park and MPFPD shall identify and prioritize residential development without two evacuation routes and determine applicable solutions.

AB747.  Even though we have an adopted LHMP, we recommend determining viability of the evacuation routes with projected population increases, continued road sharing and reducing road width or lanes.

Menlo Park Fire Protection District strongly recommends that the Fire District adopted Primary Response Routes, which are also recognized in the City of Menlo Park Housing/Safety Element be adopted as evacuation routes.  These evacuation routes shall then be prioritized to be maximized for traffic flow and not allow restrictions be placed on them.  Flexibility can be designed for safe traffic flow and then be optimized easily for evacuations.

Pg 31 – Safety Goal.   The safety goal S1 – Assure A Safe Community.   This includes community emergency preparedness.  Being aware of the risks and potential is key to implementing community preparedness.   The City of Menlo Park is immediately adjacent and in an area of influence to a High Severity Wildland Interface Zone.  Highway 280 is the physical barrier.  We need to recognize that we have a community that is at risk to the WUI and should be identified to be prepared as such.

We recommend that the area West of Alameda de las Pulgas be identified as an adjacent area of influence to the WUI and incorporate safety measures to aid in prevention and conflagration in this community.

We strongly recommend a new Policy that would require Class A roofing and non‐combustible siding for all new construction.

S1.32 states this and should be stronger in identification.

Pg 35 – Fire Safety Policies.

S1.30 – Require adequate access and clearance, to the maximum extent practical, for fire equipment, fire suppression personnel, and evacuation for high occupancy structures in coordination with the MPFPD.    Practice has been to be minimum with continued road width reductions, and reducing traffic lanes and increasing traffic calming.  Maximum needs to be practiced and encouraged in high density development areas and wildfire areas of influence.

S1.38   Emergency Connectors and Evacuation Routes.   Menlo Park is bifurcated by the railroad tracks and does not have any major arteries that connect West/East.  Planning for increased mobility across the City, evacuation routes that can accommodate increased traffic flows need to be a priority along with slowing traffic for safety concerns.

Menlo Park Fire Protection District
170 Middlefield Road • Menlo Park, CA 94025 • Tel: 650.688.8400 • Fax: 650.323.9129 Website: www.menlofire.org • Email: [email protected]
Fire Chief
Mark Lorenzen
Board of Directors
Chuck Bernstein
Gary Bloom
Virginia Chang-Kiraly
Robert Jones
Robert J. Silano
#19 Page F-1.86
“Excellence In Service”
Pg 74.  Section VII.    Safety Background
The background is clear in identification of fire hazard severity areas and maintaining operation of essential public facilities, designing adequate infrastructure, evacuation routes with capacity and locations.  This Safety Element addresses climate change and requires climate adaptation and resiliency strategies.

The MPFPD strongly recommends this identification and recommends stronger building code requirements for areas of influence to WUI, improved evacuation routes, reduction of hazardous trees and improved vegetation planning and management.

Pg 77 survey results show that residents’ main concerns are drought and wildfire and smoke respectively.  We need to address those concerns proactively within the City of Menlo Park.

Pg 101 – Economic Assets.    Climate change may disrupt development through impacts to infrastructure and building.  Without upgrades to infrastructure, issues such as strained power grid, rising costs for construction, or worsening roads could become more common due to wildfires, more frequent droughts, and less precipitation.

Identify improving adopted and recognized primary response and evacuation routes.

Pg 102.  The Menlo Park Fire District facilities are not identified as Vulnerable facilities.

Thank you for your consideration!
Jon Johnston
Division Chief/Fire Marshal
#19 Page F-1.87
DRAFT

Environmental Justice Goal 1: Address
unique and compounded health risks
Policy 1.1: Prioritize programs that address the unique and compounded health risks in Underserved Communities.

Policy 1.2: Reduce climate vulnerability in Underserved Communities.

Policy 1.3: Strengthen efforts to collaborate with residents in Underserved Communities on public improvement projects.

Policy 1.4: Prioritize active transportation (walking, bicycling, wheelchair, etc.) improvements, transit incentives, and neighborhood connectivity in Underserved Communities.

Program 1.A: Prioritize addressing the needs of Underserved Communities in the development of the City’s 5-year Capital Improvement Plan.

Program 1.B: Prioritize the needs of those in Underserved Communities when developing Department workplans and
budget recommendations. The departments shall coordinate to ensure consistency and reduce duplication of programs and services for the Underserved Communities and streamline efforts where feasible. Workplans should have specific, measurable goals with achievable deadlines.

Program 1.C: Seek grants that will specifically help address issues in Underserved Communities such as safe housing, increased tree coverage, recreational resources, active transportation, environmental concerns, air quality, and other issues. Apply for at least three of these grants annually, beginning in the year following adoption of this element.

Program 1.D: Ease the permitting process for temporary
street closures in Underserved Communities to facilitate farmers’ markets, arts and craft fairs, bicycle and pedestrian events, and other public events. Inform residents and
organizations in Underserved Communities of the permitting process and how to apply.

Program 1.E: Prioritize infrastructure funding allocated to the City from regional, statewide, and federal entities towards public improvement needs in Underserved Communities and to
address climate change.

Program 1.F: In urban forest management planning, focus efforts for planting street trees in Underserved Communities.

Program 1.G: Consider community solutions for addressing concerns related to parking (e.g., idling and noise, parking availability challenges) and explore the creation of Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) programs.

Program 1.H: Ensure that disaster preparedness planning as described in the Safety Element includes multilingual and multimodal outreach in Menlo Park’s Underserved
Communities.

Program 1.I: An analysis of spending in Underserved
Communities versus the city at-large should be prepared every two years and the results presented publicly to City Council by 2025.

Program 1.J: Create an Urban Forest Master Plan for the City of Menlo Park by 2026, which includes goals and
milestones for Urban Canopy Expansion with a focus on
Underserved Communities. Plant at least 75 trees in
ATTACHMENT P Page F-1.88
DRAFT

Underserved Communities annually and expand City watering capacity until the UFMP is adopted.

Program 1.K: Within one year of Element approval and for each subsequent year of the planning period, issue a public report measuring progress, outcomes, and implementation of Environmental Justice Element Policies and Programs. Present the progress report publicly to City Council.

Program 1.L: Map tree canopy gaps in underserved areas
within one year of element adoption and prioritize urban canopy expansion in communities vulnerable to urban heat effects, utilizing tools such as the Tree Equity Score.

Program 1.M: Within two years of Element adoption, begin renovating and retrofitting candidate public buildings in Underserved communities to serve as Climate Resilience Hubs as outlined by the California Strategic Growth Council.

Candidate buildings should be places where the community already regularly gathers, such as libraries, community centers, or the Belle Haven Substation.

Program 1.N: By 2026, create policy for land under the
jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works to require preservation of mature trees (defined as any species greater than 11.5” in diameter measured 54” above grade) during infrastructure modifications using solutions to retain them such as bulb-outs, basin expansion, and sidewalk re-routing.

Program 1.O: Immediately following Element adoption,
review any ongoing, approved, or pending plans for
development and proactively coordinate with developers to help preserve existing trees, immediately replace any that require removal, and explore opportunities to transplant trees and vegetation that has to be removed for development to other places within Underserved Communities. Consider requiring multiple new trees be planted foreach mature tree removed.

Program 1.P: Support grant applications and projects from CBOs, non-profits, and research institutions that will specifically help address issues in Underserved Communities such as safe housing, increased tree coverage, recreational resources, active transportation, environmental concerns, air quality, and other issues.

Program 1.Q: Build city capacity, by hiring additional staff and dedicating additional resources, within the City Arborist department to implement equitable canopy expansion
procedures and promote and maintain healthy and vibrant trees.

Environmental Justice Goal 2: Reduce
pollution exposure and eliminate
environmental inequities
Policy 2.1: Prioritize pollution reduction, air quality, and water quality programs that reduce inequitable exposure in
Underserved Communities.

Policy 2.2: Maximize the positive impacts on environmental quality of Menlo Park’s planning efforts.

Policy 2.3: Advance jurisdiction-wide collaboration to
continually refine nature-based climate solutions that sequester carbon, restore ecosystems, mitigate flooding, and conserve biodiversity.

Policy 2.4: Implement regenerative land management
practices at the city scale. Practice drawdown, reduce
emissions, and improve watershed and human health.

Page F-1.89
DRAFT

Policy 2.5: Integrate urban greening into planned and future city infrastructure projects, including road improvements, parks, and private development, such as bioswales, raingardens, and habitat restoration.

Policy 2.6: Focus urban greening projects in areas lacking tree canopy and other urban greenery to provide health and safety benefits to residents, with a focus on underserved communities.

Program 2.A: Work with the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District (BAAQMD) and other agencies to improve quality of local air quality monitors and to minimize exposure to air pollution and other hazards in Underserved Communities.

Program 2.B: Work with any identified significant stationary pollutant generators to minimize the generation of pollution through best available control technologies.

Program 2.C: Work with Caltrans to evaluate potential
mitigation measures to reduce noise and air quality impacts from adjacent freeways and highways, particularly those impacting Underserved Communities.

Program 2.D: Review existing standard conditions of
approval for discretionary projects and consider potential additions/enhancements that could further mitigate
environmental issues that may arise during construction Program 2.E: Consider amending the Zoning Code to allow neighborhood-serving retail uses within neighborhoods at key nodes to provide opportunities for retail services and microfulfillment within one-quarter mile of all residences. Permit these neighborhood-serving uses with reduced parking requirements to encourage non-motorized travel to neighborhood retail.

Program 2.F: Within 3 years of Element adoption, work with Caltrans and other agencies to review truck routes and
otherwise pursue reductions to diesel emissions in Underserved Communities.

Program 2.G: Implement and periodically update the City’s 2030 Climate Action Plan to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Program 2.H: Ensure that zoning and other development
regulations require adequate buffering between residential and industrial land uses.

Program 2.I: Ensure the sustained engagement and
involvement of underserved communities in long term
adaptation planning projects related to sea-level rise and coastal flooding. Maintain membership of and partnership with the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority during their oversight of levee installations and expansions protecting underserved communities.

Program 2.J: Require and incentivize green infrastructure in future developments and when possible, use green
infrastructure as a preferred alternative.

Program 2.K: Develop a program to work with public and
private landowners to decrease the risk of flooding by advancing watershed management projects that reduce and/or store runoff during rainfall events, including the installation of green infrastructure and Low Impact Development (LID) practices, and improve the condition in the floodplain, for example through floodplain restoration or improvement.

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Program 2.L: Restore and enhance parks, natural lands and large open spaces and explore expansion of the City’s natural areas preservation system through land transfers and
acquisitions of undeveloped/unprotected private and public lands by 2030.

Program 2.M: Adopt a comprehensive and multidepartmental strategy to integrate greening into new city project planning and development.

Program 2.N: Design roadway projects to be attractive and, where possible, to include trees, landscape buffer areas, public art, public space, and other visual enhancements. Emphasize tree planting and landscaping along all streets.

Program 2.O: Establish requirements for major development and redevelopment projects to construct and maintain urban greening projects in the adjacent public right of way.

Program 2.P: Within two years of element adoption, require greening in all new development and redevelopment that
supports other community benefits, such as shade for walking and biking routes. Include greening elements as a primary project scoring criteria for bike improvements.

Program 2. Q: Focus green stormwater improvements for
areas at risk of flooding with an emphasis on underserved communities.

Program 2.R: Coordinate with responsible parties to prevent sewage discharges near the community during large stormwater events. In the event of occurrence, conduct proactive,
extensive, and prolonged community outreach and education to inform underserved communities of protective actions and risks.

Report instances of discharge to City Council promptly.

Program 2.S: Within two years of Element adoption convene a Disaster Preparedness and Response commission or working group dedicated to improving coordination between volunteer groups, area CERTs, Menlo Park Fire Protection District, Schools, Faith leaders, City Staff and other first response organizations.

Program 2.T: After element adoption, conduct annual
disaster preparedness fairs in Underserved Communities and regularly conduct proactive outreach and engagement to
encourage residents to sign up for emergency alert systems.

Program 2.U: Provide material and logistical support to volunteer organizations, NGOs, and CBOs active in times of disaster.

Program 2.V: Within 3 years of Element adoption, update floodplain management regulations to align with the latest State and OneShoreline recommendations and incorporate future conditions brought on by climate change, including future increases in flooding, sea level rise, and groundwater rise.

Program 2.W: Within two years, maximize the Benefits of the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS) to the greatest extent possible to reduce the costs of flood insurance on Underserved Communities. The City should establish participation in CRS and realize the full extent of the program’s benefits, which reduce flood insurance premiums and can help save lives and property when a flood occurs.

Program 2.X: Within one year of element adoption, work with SAMTrans, Meta, and any other large employers who use
buses within city jurisdiction to ensure only electric buses are running through communities or create a feasible path to earliest possible implementation. Coordinate with School Districts to support their adoption and use of electric buses.

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Program 2.Y: Within 3 years create an illegal dumping hotline or reporting website to streamline responses and amelioration of illegal dumps. Coordinate with Recology to ensure illegal trash dumps are cleared within 72 hours. Conduct proactive outreach to ensure families are aware of free trash pickup days.

Program 2.Z: Ensure efforts by other agencies to ameliorate hazardous, polluted, or toxic sites are incorporating sea-level rise and groundwater rise in their remediation decisions. Report progress on site cleanup annually to City Council and affected communities.

Program 2.AA: Within one year of Element adoption, begin proactive education and outreach about Air Quality and
protective actions that can be taken to minimize exposure.

Support the distribution of air purifiers or other air cleaning devices within underserved communities and vulnerable
residents and include reports on progress every other year.

Program 2.AB: Within two years of Element adoption, install cameras in areas where garbage is regularly dumped. Post signs outlining the consequences of illegal dumping in locations where it regularly occurs.

Program 2.AC: Encourage shared commute programs and
alternative methods of travel for city events, meetings, and official business.

Program 2.AD: Consider installing distributed solarpanels and battery storage over city owned parking lots for resiliency and heat reduction.

Program 2.AE: Reduce Minimum Parking Requirements and
Set parking Maximums for commercial development.

Program 2.AF: Work with public utilities to identify
opportunities to move electrical cables underground to promote resilience during storms.

Explore reclassification of streets in disadvantaged communities to reduce speed limits and limit cut-through traffic and allowed uses.

Program 2.AG: Within three years of Element Adoption,
coordinate with Caltrans to install improved vegetative buffers between adjacent freeways and highways to reduce noise and air quality impacts.

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Environmental Justice Goal 3: Equitably
provide appropriate public facilities to
individuals and communities
Policy 3.1: Prioritize public facility programs that provide appropriate public facilities in Underserved Communities.

Policy 3.2: Public facilities shall be accessible to all community members, especially those in Underserved Communities.

Policy 3.3: Support community health programs and best practices that increase access to public health resources for Underserved Communities in collaboration with County health services.

Policy 3.4: Encourage a range of health services in locations that are convenient and accessible to the community.

Policy 3.5: Coordinate with local school districts, transit agencies, and other public agencies to provide adequate public facilities, improvements, and programs in Underserved Communities
Program 3.A: Ensure the City provides equitable public
improvements (e.g., siting and funding) to Underserved Communities.

Program 3.B: Consider high-speed internet access as essential infrastructure to be provided in Underserved Communities. This is critical to reduce/eliminate inequities in communication and educational opportunities. Work with internet service providers to support affordable access for low-income households, potentially in partnership with neighboring jurisdictions or state agencies. Conduct community workshops to improve internet literacy and technological skills.

Program 3.C: Work with local stakeholders (such as school districts or companies) to analyze joint use agreements at local schools to enable recreational fields to be used by the community at appropriate times within one year of Element adoption.

Program 3.D: Consider affordable childcare and after school care (particularly on-site after school care) as community amenities eligible for City funding support in Underserved Communities.

Program 3.E: Provide a park system that provides all residents of all ages, income levels, genders, and lifestyles, with access to parks, community centers, sports fields, trails, libraries, and other amenities.

Program 3.F: Ensure that new public facilities are well designed, energy efficient, maintained, and compatible with adjacent land uses.

Program 3.G: Fully implement the City’s Transportation Master Plan in Underserved communities within four years of Element Adoption. Support citywide efforts to create a network of safe, accessible (including ADA accessible where appropriate) and appealing pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Issue a report on progress two years following element adoption.

Program 3.H: Encourage local transit providers to establish and maintain routes and services that provide Underserved Communities with convenient access to health service facilities.

Program 3.I: Continue to pursue strategies including partnerships with other transportation providers to provide a comprehensive system of para-transit service for seniors and people of all abilities and enhance service within the city and to regional public facilities, especially for access to health care and other needs.

Program 3.J: Identify means of support for a city-wide
paramedicine program providing health care delivery, pop-up clinics, and home visits, especially to those most vulnerable or underserved, such as seniors and residents of Underserved Communities through partnering with health care services.

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Program 3.K: Provide a community health clinic in Belle Haven through partnerships or other agreements with a health care specialist within 5 years of Element Adoption. Work with developers to prioritize the inclusion of a pharmacy in addition to plans to develop a grocery store.

Program 3.L: Offer yoga classes at new community center.

Program 3.M: Offer substantially reduced costs for recreation activities, particularly to residents of underserved communities.

Program 3.N: Explore opportunities to sponsor regular
community physical activites, such as walking groups or hiking programs for each age group.

Program 3.O: Provide a community bank or banking services in Belle Haven through partnerships or other agreements with a banking specialist within 8 years of Element Adoption.

Program 3.P: Provide public restroom facilities at all parks within 3 years of Element Adoption.

Program 3.Q: Ensure equitable access to programs at the new community center by ensuring subsidized rates and proactive, multilingual, and multimodal outreach for residents of underserved communities.

Program 3.R: Expand hours for public recreation facilities to at least 9pm Monday through Friday to allow working people to take advantage of the facilities and remain open on weekends.

Program 3.S: Work with relevant departments to install
infrastructure allowing for easily disposal of pet and animal waste at parks and along highly trafficked streets.

Program 3.T: Monitor programming at community centers for usage, popularity, and equitable accesss. Update programming and outreach methods to address inequitable access.

Program 3.U: Ensure there is a safe, well-lit, and highly visible path connecting residential areas to the new community center.

Program 3.V: Include murals that reflect the diversity and culture of underserved communities at community centers and throughout the neighborhood. Include community artifacts and testaments to community history in the community center.

Program 3.W: Ensure community programming for all age groups, including older teens and older adults not considered seniors.

Program 3.X: Honor all culturally relevant holiday events at the community center to foster a feeling of belonging among all residents.

Program 3.Y: Work with schools to understand preferred amenities and activities that can be included at community center.

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Environmental Justice Goal 4: Promote
access to affordable healthy and highquality foods
Policy 4.1: Prioritize adequate food access to fresh and healthy foods for all residents, particularly those in Underserved Communities.

Program 4.A: Work with grocery stores and online food
service delivery and meal providers to provide increased access to high-quality affordable and healthy food. Encourage and support the acceptance of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program), CalFresh, and any other governmental food assistance program and reduced or waived delivery fees to combat food insecurity.

Program 4.B: Encourage and facilitate the establishment and operation of a farmer’s market(s), farm stands, ethnic markets, mobile health food markets, and convenience/corner stores (that sell healthy foods including fresh produce) in Underserved Communities. Within one year, coordinate and implement a recurring physical farmer’s market at the Community Center or Library in underserved communities.

Program 4.C: Encourage healthy food options including
vegan and vegetarian options at all municipal buildings and at City events where food is made available by the City. Prefer providing food from local small businesses or local farmers.

Program 4.D: Encourage and simplify the process of
developing community gardens within or adjacent to
neighborhoods and housing development sites. This could include allowing community gardens as an amenity in required open space areas of new multifamily and mixed-use
development projects, identifying properties suitable for community gardens on vacant or undeveloped lots, or other opportunities for community-supported agriculture within the community. Facilitate the creation of one new community garden within three years of Element adoption.

Program 4.E: Facilitate the installation of community gardens at senior centers and senior housing facilities. Facilitate the completion of at least one such installation within three years of Element adoption.

Program 4.F: Inform low-income households and people
experiencing homelessness about food assistance programs through multilingual fliers, community events, information at shelters and food banks, as well as other appropriate outreach methods and the Homeless Outreach Team. Connect them with CBOs or non-profits who can help them apply and receive assistance.

Program 4.G: Offer free or subsidized space at Farmer’s Markets for local farmers who offer healthy, fresh, and affordable food for Underserved Communities. Conduct
widespread outreach and engagement to advertise these
markets.

Program 4.G: Create programs that make smaller planter
boxes or garden beds accessible for apartment dwellers.

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Environmental Justice Goal 5: Provide safe
and sanitary homes for all residents
Policy 5.1: Prioritize housing programs that provide safe and sanitary homes in Underserved Communities.

Policy 5.2: Maintain and develop safe and sanitary housing across all locations and affordability ranges.

Policy 5.3: Support housing development distribution
throughout the city and not concentrated within Menlo Park’s Underserved Communities.

Program 5.A: Identify and resolve, to the extent feasible, any potential toxic soil contamination, particularly in Underserved Communities.

Program 5.B: Support the Low Income Household Water
Assistance Program (LIHWAP) administered by the California Department of Community Services and Development with
outreach to potentially eligible households.

Program 5.C: As part of an anti-displacement strategy, create a rental inventory to determine renter stability, monitor price fluctuations and evictions in the community, and determine the number of vacant homes by the first quarter of 2025.

Program 5.D: Create or partner with providers to provide a multilingual tenant protection hotline for renters with questions.

If such resources already exist, conduct proactive outreach and education to inform the community of available resources. Hold culturally competent, in-language outreach workshops at least three times per year, beginning no later than 2024. Provide an annual update on progress.

Program 5.E: As part of an anti-displacement program and to ensure stable housing, create a right to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction. Conduct community outreach, education, an engagement to ensure renters are aware of this resource.

Include progress reports on usage annually.

Program 5.F: Create a Community Land trust or other fiscal vehicle to purchase land to develop for deeply affordable housing.

Program 5.G: Create a program/conduct community outreach to help prospective first-time homeowners navigate the process.

Reach out to NGOs/CBOs who conduct this work to facilitate workshops for residents in underserved communities.

Program 5.6: Within two years of Element adoption, conduct a feasibility analysis to determine the potential to expand current rent control laws to apply to single family homes and newer construction. Explore possibilities for exceeding rent control standards established by state law.

Program 5.7: As a condition for City-level incentives for electrification of rental properties, that any upfront investment costs are not passed along to tenants through rent increases, or by other means. This ordinance should go into effect by January 2024, along with other high priority Housing Element antidisplacement programs, as described in Housing Element Program H2.EProgram 5.8: Explore the creation of a new
ordinance to prohibit rent increases for a period of time following a code enforcement against a landlord.

Environmental Justice Goal 6: Encourage
physical activity and active transportation
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Policy 6.1: Prioritize programs that encourage physical activity in Underserved Communities.

Policy 6.2: Support physically active lifestyles through investment in complete streets and active transportation (walking, bicycling, wheelchair, etc.) and safety in Underserved Communities
Policy 6.3: Prioritize the implementation of traffic and transit improvements in Underserved Communities that reduce the speed of vehicles, limit cut through traffic, and make streets comfortable and accessible places for everyone to use.

Policy 6.4: Integrate green stormwater infrastructure into traffic calming improvements.

Program 6.A: Identify and eliminate, barriers to outdoor physical activity, such as damaged, incomplete, blocked, or littered sidewalks and bike paths, lack of safe street crossings and direct connections, excessive speeding, insufficient lighting, and lack of landscaping and shade trees along streets in Underserved Communities.

Program 6.B: Develop and implement education campaigns
to increase the safety and comfort of people waking, bicycling and taking transit. These efforts should include education for people using all modes.

Program 6.C: Within two years of Element adoption, install on Ivy Dr., Hamilton Avenue, and at public buildings and parks, adequately bright lighting to encourage walking and safe travel.

Subsequently, conduct community outreach to identify other streets and locations with inadequate lighting.

Program 6D: Within two years of Element Adoption,
create safe pedestrian street crossings at all Willow Road intersections.

Program 6E: Within one year of Element Adoption,
coordinate with CalTrans to change traffic light timing for left turns into the neighborhood when there is no West bound traffic.

Program 6F: Install barriers to excessive speeds and
stop signs that flash when car approaches
Program 6G: Within one year of element adoption, begin the process of removing polls, signs, or other impediments in the center of sidewalks and place in street or in the public right of way. Coordinate with relevant agencies and authorities or seek waivers for instances of conflict with state mandates.

Program 6H: Work with RCSD to hire crossing guards.

Program 6I: Install bike lanes on Ivy Drive.

Program 6.J: Within a year of Element Adoption, improve the enforcement of speed limits in Underserved communities, particularly around schools during drop-off and pick-up periods.

Program 6.K: When upgrading or installing transportation infrastructure, prioritize the usage of Universal Design principles and design strategies that allow access for all people.

Program 6.M: Prioritize opportunities to expand pedestrian connections within and between neighborhoods.

Environmental Justice Goal 7: Create
equitable civic and community engagement
Policy 7.1: Prioritize civic and community engagement programs that enhance the participation and inclusion of Underserved Communities.

Policy 7.2: Keep residents informed about governmental meetings and actions.

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Policy 7.3: Treat all members of the community fairly and promote equity and capacity building toward creating a healthy environment and just community.

Policy 7.4: Ensure transparency and accessibility in government and decision making.

Program 7.A: Promote and evaluate capacity-building efforts to educate and involve traditionally underrepresented populations and those in Underserved Communities, in the public decision-making process.

Program 7.B: Partner with community-based organizations that have relationships, trust and cultural competency with target communities to outreach on local initiatives and issues.

Program 7.C: Distribute City information such as numbers to call for enforcement, programs, housing needs, and general City information in Underserved Communities and in appropriate languages.

Program 7.D: Create internal policies to ensure representation from all districts on City boards and commissions within one year of Element adoption.

Program 7.E: Ensure that all City activities are conducted in a fair, predictable, and transparent manner.

Program 7.F: Inform the public on decisions – and seek feedback on decisions – using multiple communication methods, including traditional and online forms of communication.

Program 7.G: Proactively engage the community in planning decisions that affect their health and well-being.

Program 7.H: Evaluate protocols around scheduling of public meetings to allow for a wide range of participation options.

Program 7.I: Initiate outreach efforts as early as possible in the decisionmaking process before significant resources have been invested.

Program 7.J: Support local media, including alternative media, in publicizing accurate information and the community’s opinions about planning efforts in the city.

Program 7.K: Inform the public on City-run and other programs that provide support for household rehabilitation, utility bill expenses, and other costs that put low-income households at risk of displacement.

Program 7.L: Utilize culturally appropriate approaches to public participation and involvement.

Program 7.M: Conduct broad outreach on public hearings that affect the environment in languages used by the community.

Program 7.N: Provide all written notices and other announcements in multiple languages.

Program 7.O: Offer interpretation services at all meetings and workshops on issues affecting the environment.

Program 7.P: Consider offering childcare at key meetings and workshops on environmental issues affecting entire neighborhoods and the city as a whole.

Program 7.Q: Annually evaluate the City’s progress in involving the broader community in decisions affecting the environment and quality of life.

Program 7.R: Conduct open meetings on issues affecting land use and the environment.

Program 7.S: Coordinate outreach efforts between City departments to avoid duplication and ensure that all Menlo Park community stakeholders receive notification and information.

Program 7.T: Develop educational workshops for City staff to understand social injustice and housing needs pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Program 7.U: Consistently provide training for decision makers, City staff, applicants, and public on social justice issues that affect community members.

Program 7.V: Fund bias and sensitivity training for law enforcement who may interact with historically discriminated groups, particularly people with disabilities and developmental disabilities by 2025. Include an annual progress report.

Program 7.W: Continually evaluate City laws, ordinances, practices that hinder equity.

Program 7.X: Within two years of Element adoption, hire and train two dedicated outreach worker to connect residents in underserved communities with pre-existing city and state resources as well as encourage resident participation in public meetings, events, and decision making.

Program 7.Y: Within two years of Element adoption develop and implement a system to compensate City Councilors and Planning Page F-1.98
DRAFT

Commissioners for the time they spend in their positions to make the positions more accessible to residents of Underserved Communities.

Program 7.Z: Twice annually, beginning immediately following Element Adoption, conduct City Council meetings in Underserved Communities. Program 7.AA: When a meeting will have a
disproportionate effect on an Underserved Community, look to schedule all public meetings regarding that topic in underserved communities.

Program 7.AB: Within two years, establish policies and practices to fairly compensate residents from underserved communities for their time and expertise in service of city projects.

Program 7.AC: Conduct annual evaluations of outreach
methods to ensure equitable engagement in public processes from residents of underserved communities. Adjust outreach strategies to reflect best practices and results.

Program 7.AD: Consider the creation of a Para-Transit services like shuttles to help residents attend public functions.

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Goal # Program # Sample Program Text Program Topics Sample Program # Lead City Department or Division
Supporting City Deparment or Division and other resources FundingSource Urgency Effort/Cost Impact Program Score Staff Recommendation Goal # the program will fall under in the Revised Public Review Draft EJ Element Revised Public Review Draft EJ Element Program #
Program text in the CRC-generated document that collected community suggestions and was published for June 20, 2023 Study Session (Staff Report Attachment Q) Topic(s) that the program can be categorized by (e.g., healthy food access, climate change, transportation) Program # in the CRC-generated document that collected community suggestions and was published for June 20, 2023 Study Session (Staff Report Attachment Q) City department/division with primary lead responsibility Supporting City department/division or other resources such as communitybased organizations Potential primary funding source
Level of urgency or need for the action (especially including community input about needs)Rating of 1-3 with 3 being the highest urgency Estimated level of effort or cost necessary to implement the action)Rating of 1-3 with 3 being the highest effort/cost Anticipated impact or value of the action to the community (which can be qualitative)Rating of 1-3 with 3 being the highest impact Urgency rating +Effort/Cost rating+Impact ratingA higher score generally - but not always - equals a program that will be prioritized Staff recommendation for program text and prioritization based on refinement of community feedback and program scoring 4B
Inform low-income households and people
experiencing homelessness about food assistance programs through multilingual fliers, community events, information at shelters and food banks, as well as other appropriate outreach methods and the Homeless Outreach Team. Connect them with CBOs or nonprofits who can help them apply and receive assistance.

Healthy Food Access; PublicPrivate Partnerships

4.F Housing Division
Outreach Partners, Homeless Outreach Team, Non-Profit Organizations General Fund, Outside Grants
3115
Collaborate with community-based organizations and/or nonprofits to inform lowincome households and people experiencing homelessness about food assistance programs Begin outreach by mid2024.

Sample Refinement Framework Matrix

ATTACHMENT Q
Page F-1.100
City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Oficina del administrador de la ciudad
AGENDA DE REUNIÓN ESPECIAL
Fecha: 20/06/23
Hora: 5:00 p.m.

Ubicación: Zoom.us/join – ID# 890 3919 2702
Salón del Ayuntamiento
751 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025
Biblioteca de Belle Haven
413 Ivy Dr., Menlo Park, CA 94025
AVISO DE PUBLICACIÓN DEL INFORME
El Informe del Personal No. 23-142-CC Recibir una visión general y proporcionar comentarios sobre el documento preliminar de los Elementos de Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad del Plan General, y proporcionar indicaciones/confirmación para los próximos pasos. Estará disponible el 20 de junio de 2023.

Los miembros del público pueden ver las agendas electrónicas y los informes del personal accediendo al sitio web de la Ciudad en menlopark.gov/agendas y puede recibir notificaciones de publicaciones en la agenda suscribiéndose en menlopark.gov/subscribe.

Las agendas e informes también se pueden obtener poniéndose en contacto con el Oficina del Secretario Municipal a 650-330- 6620. (Publicado el 16/6/2023.)
AGENDA ITEM F-1 Page F-1.1
Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov

INFORME DEL PERSONAL
Consejo Municipal
Fecha de la reunión: 20/06/2023
Número de informe del personal: 23-142-CC
Sesión de estudio: Recibir una visión general y proporcionar comentarios sobre el borrador del Plan General de
Justicia Ambiental y Elementos de Seguridad y
proporcionar dirección/confirmación para los
próximos pasos.

Recomendación
El personal recomienda que el Consejo Municipal y la Comisión de Planificación reciban una visión general y proporcionen comentarios sobre el borrador del Plan General de la Ciudad sobre Justicia Ambiental y Elementos de Seguridad y proporcionen dirección/confirmación para los próximos pasos.

Cuestiones políticas
La ciudad se compromete a promover la equidad y abordar los posibles riesgos para la salud ambiental en Menlo Park. Esto está en línea con el Proyecto de Ley del Senado 1000 (2016) que requiere la adopción o revisión de un Elemento de Justicia Ambiental (o metas, políticas y programas de justicia ambiental en otros elementos) tras la adopción o revisión de dos o más elementos del Plan General. La Ciudad está desarrollando su primer Elemento de Justicia Ambiental y actualizando simultáneamente el Elemento de Seguridad para cumplir con el Proyecto de Ley del Senado 379 (2015) y los temas requeridos por el Estado, como la adaptación al cambio climático y la resiliencia, y una mayor atención a los incendios forestales y las rutas de evacuación. La Ciudad adoptó un Elemento de Vivienda para el período de planificación de 2023 a 2031 (6º Ciclo) el 31 de enero y actualmente está abordando los comentarios del Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Comunitario de California (HCD) recibidos el 7 de abril. Se prevé que el Consejo Municipal debata las modificaciones propuestas al Elemento de Vivienda en su reunión del 27 de junio.

Antecedentes
El Elemento de Vivienda para el período de planificación de 2023 a 2031, la preparación del Elemento de Justicia Ambiental y la actualización del Elemento de Seguridad, conocidos colectivamente como el proyecto de Actualización del Elemento de Vivienda, es una prioridad del Concejo Municipal. A partir de 2021, el proyecto ha sido un esfuerzo de varios años dirigido en combinación por el personal y un equipo de consultores gestionados por el Grupo-M (véase el Anexo A para la página web del proyecto). Al inicio del proyecto, el Consejo Municipal identificó tres objetivos principales: comunidad equilibrada, asequibilidad y justicia social. La ciudad también se comprometió a desarrollar el primer Elemento de Justicia Medioambiental de Menlo Park para promover la equidad y proteger la salud humana.

El 12 de diciembre de 2022, la Ciudad publicó el borrador de los Elementos de Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad, después de los esfuerzos de divulgación y participación discutidos más adelante en este informe. Los borradores de los Elementos de Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad se proporcionan como Anexos Page F-1.1
Desarrollo comunitario
AGENDA ITEM F-1
Informe de personal nº: 23-142-CC

Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov B y C, respectivamente. Junto con la publicación de los elementos preliminares, se preparó un resumen ejecutivo en inglés y español (Anexo D).

El 31 de enero, el Consejo Municipal aprobó el Elemento Vivienda 2023 a 2031 (Anexo E) y certificó el subsiguiente informe de impacto ambiental (SEIR), que abarca el proyecto de actualización del Elemento Vivienda.

El 9 y 10 de febrero, dos reuniones de la comunidad, una en inglés y otra en español, se celebraron en la Biblioteca Belle Haven Branch. Estas reuniones proporcionaron una visión general de la Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad Elementos; revisado los resultados de la comunidad de entrada hasta la fecha; revisado y discutido objetivos, políticas y programas, y proporcionó un foro para compartir y recibir comentarios sobre el proyecto de Elementos. Cerca de 100 personas en total asistieron a las reuniones. Las diapositivas y el video de las presentaciones de las reuniones en inglés y español, así como los paquetes de información distribuidos, se adjuntan como Anexos F a K.

Visión general del elemento de justicia ambiental
El propósito del Elemento de Justicia Ambiental (comúnmente abreviado como Elemento EJ) es identificar y abordar los riesgos para la salud pública y las preocupaciones de justicia ambiental, así como fomentar el bienestar de los residentes de Menlo Park que viven en comunidades desatendidas o desfavorecidas, que se discuten a continuación. El elemento se centra en el trato justo y la participación significativa de personas de todas las razas, culturas, ingresos y orígenes nacionales con respecto al desarrollo, la adopción, la aplicación y el cumplimiento de las leyes, normativas y políticas medioambientales.

El propósito y el enfoque del Elemento EJ se alinean con el contexto normativo para los Elementos EJ establecido por la ley estatal. Además, hay un concepto conocido como los "determinantes sociales de la salud" que impulsa los objetivos, políticas y programas del Elemento EJ y refleja lo que la Ciudad y la comunidad buscan priorizar para la justicia ambiental. A continuación se resume el contexto normativo de los Elementos de Justicia Ambiental y los determinantes sociales de la salud. Para más detalles, consulte la sección Introducción del borrador del Elemento Justicia Ambiental.

Contexto normativo
Existen varias leyes estatales que guían el desarrollo del Elemento EJ, que se describen a continuación. • Proyecto de ley del Senado 1000 (SB 1000) - 2016
• Los gobiernos locales deben analizar si en sus jurisdicciones existen o no "comunidades desfavorecidas" -término definido por el Estado de California- o "comunidades subatendidas" - término preferido por Menlo Park- y, en caso afirmativo, el organismo debe elaborar un Elemento de Justicia Ambiental.
• A lo largo del Elemento de Justicia Ambiental, se utiliza el término "Comunidades Desatendidas" y se entiende que es el mismo que el término definido por el Estado "Comunidades Desfavorecidas", que sólo se utiliza cuando se cita o se hace referencia a la legislación estatal. • Los objetivos, políticas y programas del Elemento EJ deben abordar siete áreas temáticas, tal y como se muestra en la Tabla 1 a continuación.

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Informe de personal nº: 23-142-CC

Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Tabla 1: Áreas temáticas del elemento EJ
Área temática Descripción
Dar prioridad a las necesidades de las
comunidades desatendidas
El Elemento EJ es un documento que pretende reducir o eliminar las disparidades y desigualdades locales existentes abordando y mejorando los determinantes sociales de la salud en los barrios de las comunidades desatendidas.

Reducir la exposición a la contaminación
La exposición a la contaminación ocurre a diario en casi todas las comunidades y puede causar o empeorar los resultados negativos para la salud. Menlo Park se esfuerza por conseguir un entorno físico que favorezca la buena salud y la calidad de vida de todos.

Mejorar el acceso a las instalaciones
públicas
Un acceso de calidad a las instalaciones públicas y a las oportunidades recreativas tiene beneficios para la salud y fomenta conexiones más fuertes entre los miembros de la comunidad y su gobierno local.

Promover el acceso a los alimentos Tener un buen acceso a los alimentos significa que éstos sean asequibles, nutritivos y estén a una distancia accesible de casa.

Promover viviendas seguras e higiénicas Una vivienda estable, en buen estado y adecuada a diferentes estilos de vida es esencial para el bienestar individual y comunitario.

Promover la actividad física Un estilo de vida físicamente activo tiene beneficios para la salud.

Promover el compromiso cívico
Crear transparencia y aumentar la participación pública en los procesos de planificación y toma de decisiones de los gobiernos locales fomenta políticas y resultados más equilibrados, y promueve la concienciación de todos los miembros de la comunidad. • Proyecto de ley de la Asamblea 1553 (AB 1553) - 2001
• La Oficina de Planificación e Investigación del Gobernador (OPR) es la agencia coordinadora de los esfuerzos de justicia ambiental y define la justicia ambiental como "el trato justo de las personas de todas las razas, culturas e ingresos con respecto al desarrollo, adopción, aplicación y cumplimiento de las leyes, reglamentos y políticas ambientales. "El Elemento EJ de Menlo Park sigue las directrices de la OPR para el desarrollo del Elemento EJ.
• Sección 39711 del Código de Salud y Seguridad
• El Código de California define las comunidades desfavorecidas y otorga a la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de California (EPA) la responsabilidad de identificar dichas comunidades para las oportunidades de inversión.

El Elemento EJ de Menlo Park utiliza la definición del Código de California para las comunidades desfavorecidas y emplea las herramientas de análisis de la EPA, junto con las aportaciones del público. 1 Factores de injusticia medioambiental y determinantes sociales de la salud Todos los aspectos de la vida de las personas tienen implicaciones para su salud. Más allá del acceso y la calidad de la atención de salud, las características de los vecindarios donde la gente vive, trabaja, juega, aprende y reza influyen de distintas maneras en sus comportamientos, experiencias y salud física. La salud 1 El artículo 39711(a) del Código de Salud y Seguridad establece, en parte, que las "comunidades desfavorecidas" se identificarán en función de criterios geográficos, socioeconómicos, de salud pública y de riesgos medioambientales, y podrán incluir, entre otros, los siguientes: (1) Zonas desproporcionadamente afectadas por la contaminación medioambiental y otros peligros que puedan provocar efectos negativos en la salud pública, exposición o degradación medioambiental. (2) Zonas con concentraciones de personas de bajos ingresos, alto desempleo, bajos niveles de propiedad de la vivienda, alta carga de alquileres, poblaciones vulnerables o bajos niveles educativos.

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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov está fuertemente influida por factores de una comunidad que el sistema de salud no suele tener en cuenta.

Estos factores comunitarios y basados en la ubicación constituyen los "determinantes sociales de la salud" (consulte la Figura EJ-1 en la página EJ-10 dentro del borrador del Elemento EJ, Anexo B, para ver un gráfico ilustrativo). Algunas personas viven en barrios relativamente sanos con características que, en su mayoría, favorecen una vida sana, como paisajes que promueven estilos de vida activos, acceso a atención médica, viviendas limpias y disponibilidad de alimentos nutritivos. Por otro lado, los vecindarios relativamente menos sanos presentan una combinación de condiciones físicas, sociales y económicas que pueden crear importantes barreras para la salud, como viviendas insalubres, escaso acceso a alimentos sanos, espacios públicos inadecuados o mal mantenidos, calles inseguras, escuelas con escasos recursos y pobreza concentrada. Esta compleja red de determinantes sociales de la salud apunta a un resultado común: las personas más pobres y racializadas suelen vivir menos tiempo, con peor salud y en peores condiciones que las personas más acomodadas y no racializadas. El Elemento EJ es un documento que pretende reducir o eliminar las disparidades y desigualdades locales existentes abordando y mejorando los determinantes sociales de la salud en los barrios de las comunidades desatendidas.

Identificación de comunidades desatendidas
Comunidades desfavorecidas, un término definido, son zonas de toda California que sufren una combinación de cargas económicas, sanitarias y medioambientales. Estas cargas incluyen la pobreza, la contaminación y los indicadores sociales y sanitarios de riesgo y estrés. A lo largo del Elemento EJ, se utiliza el término "comunidades desatendidas" y se entiende que es el mismo que el término definido por el Estado "comunidades desfavorecidas", que sólo se utiliza cuando se cita o se hace referencia a la legislación estatal. De acuerdo con las directrices sobre el elemento EJ de la OPR, que recomiendan un "análisis de selección exhaustivo" y la incorporación de la divulgación comunitaria, el equipo del proyecto evaluó toda la ciudad e identificó dos comunidades desatendidas, Belle Haven y Bayfront, en general la parte de Menlo Park situada al norte de la US-101 y dentro del Distrito 1 del Consejo Municipal. Belle Haven y Bayfront sufren una combinación de cargas económicas, sanitarias y medioambientales; son desproporcionadamente más hispanos y negros que el resto de la ciudad; y están formados por hogares que históricamente han estado infrarrepresentados en el proceso de planificación (y en los procesos cívicos en general) en Menlo Park2. Para obtener más información, consulte la sección sobre el entorno existente y el apéndice EJ-A, Perfiles vecinales de las consideraciones de justicia ambiental, dentro del borrador del Elemento EJ (anexo B).

Proyecto de estructura, objetivos, políticas y programas del elemento Justicia Medioambiental El Elemento de Justicia Ambiental es un elemento totalmente nuevo para el Plan General de Menlo Park y está organizado en las siguientes secciones:
• Entorno existente: Esta sección identifica los vecindarios de Menlo Park que tienen concentraciones de pobreza y contaminación que conducen a tasas desproporcionadamente altas de malos resultados de salud. Estos vecindarios se designan como "Comunidades desatendidas" en el documento. • Alcance de la justicia ambiental: Esta sección proporciona una visión general de los principales resultados de la participación de la comunidad realizada a lo largo del desarrollo del elemento, así como una discusión de la metodología de participación.
• Objetivos, políticas y programas: Esta sección incluye las medidas que tomará la ciudad para dar prioridad a las comunidades desatendidas y abordar las injusticias medioambientales identificadas a través del análisis de las condiciones existentes y la participación de la comunidad. • Apéndices: Los apéndices incluyen documentos de apoyo que ofrecen más detalles sobre la 2 Las comunidades de color viven desproporcionadamente en áreas de recursos bajos y moderados. En Menlo Park, la población hispana/latina constituye más de la mitad de la población que vive en zonas de recursos bajos o moderados, pero solo representa el siete por ciento de la población que vive en zonas de recursos altos (ABAG/MTC Housing Needs Data Report, abril de 2021).

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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov metodología o informes adicionales elaborados como parte del desarrollo del elemento.

El borrador del Elemento EJ tiene siete objetivos generales y políticas y programas asociados que apoyan los objetivos, similares a otros elementos del Plan General. A continuación se describen las metas, políticas y programas que componen el Elemento EJ.
• Metas: Acciones generales que Menlo Park llevará a cabo para trabajar por la justicia medioambiental. • Políticas: Principios orientativos para la toma de decisiones que Menlo Park adopta para alcanzar sus metas.
• Programas: Medidas concretas que Menlo Park adoptará para promover las políticas y metas.

Las metas del Elemento EJ enumerados a continuación se ajustan a los requisitos legales y crean un marco dentro del cual se están desarrollando políticas y programas específicos para Menlo Park. • Meta 1 del Elemento EJ: Abordar los riesgos sanitarios únicos y agravados • Meta 2 del Elemento EJ: Reducir la exposición a la contaminación y eliminar las desigualdades medioambientales
• Meta 3 del Elemento EJ: Proporcionar equitativamente instalaciones públicas apropiadas a individuos y comunidades.
• Meta 4 del Elemento EJ: Promover el acceso a alimentos asequibles, saludables y de alta calidad • Meta 5 del Elemento EJ: Proporcionar viviendas seguras e higiénicas a todos los residentes. • Meta 6 del Elemento EJ: Fomentar la actividad física y el transporte activo • Meta 7 del Elemento EJ: Crear un compromiso cívico y comunitario equitativo Debido a que este es el primer esfuerzo de la Ciudad para desarrollar un Elemento EJ, se reconoce que este nuevo documento de planificación a largo plazo es un punto de partida para evaluar y hacer las cosas de manera diferente, con mayor conciencia, enfoque, intención y acción hacia la justicia ambiental. La intención del Elemento EJ es dar prioridad a las acciones que produzcan las mayores mejoras sanitarias y las mayores reducciones de las desigualdades sanitarias en las Comunidades Subatendidas de Menlo Park. El logro de estas metas también requerirá esfuerzos futuros que se basen en los éxitos y desafíos experimentados durante la implementación de las políticas y programas de este Elemento EJ. Para garantizar que la ciudad pueda responder a estos éxitos y desafíos, así como abordar las necesidades e intereses cambiantes de las comunidades marginadas de Menlo Park, el documento se concibe como un elemento vivo e iterativo del Plan General. Para ello, el Elemento EJ establecerá un plan de implementación y seguimiento. Este plan incluirá orientaciones tales como los departamentos responsables de la aplicación, los socios potenciales y las fuentes de financiación previstas; acciones para realizar un seguimiento de los avances hacia las metas e informar públicamente de dichos avances con regularidad; y procesos para revisar el elemento según sea necesario para reforzar los éxitos y abordar los retos a lo largo del tiempo.

Descripción del elemento de seguridad
El propósito del Elemento de Seguridad es identificar y evaluar los riesgos en la comunidad y proporcionar estrategias de alto nivel para mitigar los riesgos y garantizar el bienestar de la comunidad, los servicios de la ciudad y la infraestructura. El Elemento de Seguridad se adoptó el 21 de mayo de 2013 y, desde entonces, la ley estatal exige que los elementos de seguridad incluyan la adaptación al cambio climático y la resiliencia, así como una mayor atención a los incendios forestales y las rutas de evacuación. Según el alcance y el presupuesto aprobados, la actualización del Elemento de Seguridad se centra intencionadamente en estos temas en respuesta a la ley estatal. La Ciudad tiene un documento combinado de Espacio Abierto y Conservación, Ruido y Elementos de Seguridad. El trabajo de actualización se centra en el Elemento de Seguridad; los Elementos de Espacios Abiertos y Conservación y de Ruido no se modifican.

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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Contexto normativo
Un Elemento de Seguridad debe identificar los riesgos irrazonables y proporcionar políticas para la protección de la comunidad frente a tales riesgos (Código del Gobierno § 65302(g)(1)). Los riesgos tradicionales son la inestabilidad de laderas, los riesgos sísmicos, las inundaciones y los incendios. Desde que se adoptó el anterior Elemento de Seguridad, se han producido varias actualizaciones normativas, que se enumeran y resumen a continuación.
• Proyecto de ley 1241 del Senado (SB 1241) – 2012
• En lo que respecta específicamente a los riesgos de incendios forestales, las jurisdicciones en un Área de Responsabilidad Estatal (SRA) o las jurisdicciones con Zonas de Muy Alta Gravedad de Riesgo de Incendios (VHFHSZ), están obligadas a revisar su Elemento de Seguridad para incluir información sobre los peligros y riesgos de incendios forestales, así como las metas, políticas, metas y medidas de aplicación para la protección de la comunidad contra el riesgo irrazonable de incendios. • Menlo Park no cae en un SRA o VHFHSZ. SB 1241 no se aplica al elemento de seguridad de Menlo Park.
• Proyecto de ley 379 del Senado (SB 379) – 2015
• Las jurisdicciones deben completar una evaluación de la vulnerabilidad; desarrollar metas, políticas y objetivos de adaptación y resiliencia; y desarrollar un conjunto de medidas de aplicación viables que aborden la adaptación al cambio climático y la resiliencia. • Proyecto de ley del Senado 1035 (SB 1035) – 2018
• Las jurisdicciones deben revisar y actualizar el Elemento de Seguridad, según sea necesario, en cada revisión del Elemento de Vivienda o del Plan Local de Mitigación de Peligros (LHMP), pero no menos de una vez cada ocho años.
• Proyecto de ley 99 del Senado (SB 99) – 2019
• Identificar las urbanizaciones sin al menos dos vías de evacuación de emergencia. • Otro contexto normativo: La Ley de la Asamblea 747 (2019) requiere que las jurisdicciones locales que no hayan adoptado un LHMP antes del 1 de enero de 2022 identifiquen las rutas de evacuación y su capacidad, seguridad y viabilidad bajo una serie de escenarios de emergencia en el Elemento de Seguridad. La Ley de la Asamblea 1409 (2021) añadió el requisito de identificar también los lugares de evacuación. Menlo Park es parte del LHMP Multijurisdiccional del Condado de San Mateo adoptado en 2021, antes del 1 de enero de 2022. Por lo tanto, la información requerida por AB 747 y AB 1409 no se aplica a la actualización actual del Elemento de Seguridad. Sin embargo, este análisis se requerirá en la próxima revisión del LHMP, que se actualiza al menos cada cinco años.

El Elemento de Seguridad está respaldado por el LHMP Multijurisdiccional 2021 del Condado de San Mateo, el Plan de Acción Climática (PAC) 2030 de la Ciudad de Menlo Park y el Plan de Operaciones de Emergencia (EOP) 2015 del Condado de San Mateo. La información para los documentos antes mencionados se proporciona en los Anexos L a N.

Proyecto de metas, políticas y programas del Elemento de Seguridad La actualización del Elemento de Seguridad incluye políticas y programas nuevos y modificados bajo el actual Objetivo S1 del Elemento de Seguridad: Garantizar una Comunidad Segura.3 Las políticas del Elemento de Seguridad cubren las áreas temáticas enumeradas a continuación y los programas de 3 El Elemento de Seguridad organiza todas las políticas y programas bajo una meta global: Meta S1 - Garantizar una Comunidad Segura: Reducir al mínimo los riesgos para la vida y los daños al medio ambiente y a la propiedad derivados de peligros naturales y causados por el hombre, y garantizar la preparación de la comunidad para emergencias y un alto nivel de servicios e instalaciones de seguridad pública.

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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov aplicación específicos están asociados a estos temas. La siguiente lista destaca las nuevas políticas y programas, pero el documento también incluye otras políticas y programas modificados y actualizados. • Seguridad general
• Nueva política: financiación de la mitigación y la recuperación tras una catástrofe • Seguridad geológica y sísmica
• Materiales peligrosos
• Control de inundaciones, tsunamis y seguridad de las presas • Seguridad contra incendios
• Seguridad pública y respuesta a emergencias
• Nueva política: Salud pública; adaptación al calor
• Nuevos programas: Divulgación entre las personas mayores; comunicación pública; respiro público ante el calor; minimización de la isla de calor; preparación ante emergencias para poblaciones vulnerables.

Las revisiones del Elemento de Seguridad también incluyen información actualizada sobre residuos peligrosos y lugares de limpieza. De acuerdo con SB 379, el Elemento de Seguridad se basa en el LHMP 2021 para proporcionar una evaluación de la vulnerabilidad; desarrollar metas, políticas y objetivos de adaptación y resiliencia; y desarrollar un conjunto de medidas de implementación factibles que aborden la adaptación y resiliencia al cambio climático. De acuerdo con SB 99, el Elemento de Seguridad incluye nuevos mapas que identifican los desarrollos residenciales sin al menos dos rutas de evacuación de emergencia.

Relaciones con la comunidad y compromiso
A lo largo del proyecto de actualización del Elemento Vivienda, la divulgación y el compromiso de la comunidad han sido un componente significativo e influyente del trabajo para desarrollar los Elementos Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad. La ciudad está comprometida con un proceso de planificación inclusivo y equitativo. Un proceso de planificación inclusivo y equitativo permite a los miembros de la comunidad, especialmente a los residentes de comunidades marginadas, dar su opinión y contribuir al desarrollo de estos documentos de planificación a largo plazo. En marzo de 2022, el Consejo de la Ciudad aprobó una enmienda al acuerdo de servicios profesionales para incluir la adición de Climate Resilient Communities (CRC) y ChangeLab Solutions al equipo del proyecto para ampliar el alcance comunitario y la experiencia adicional en la preparación de los Elementos EJ y de Seguridad. La ciudad de Menlo Park llevó a cabo actividades de divulgación y participación de la comunidad por su cuenta y en estrecha colaboración con CRC, una organización intencionadamente centrada y especializada en actividades de divulgación y participación de las comunidades desfavorecidas. La divulgación ha incluido reuniones comunitarias, popups, servicios de traducción/interpretación inglés-español, reuniones monolingües en inglés o español, sondeos puerta a puerta, encuestas y mucho más. Siempre que ha sido posible, las actividades de divulgación se han llevado a cabo con la intención de "conocer a la gente donde está" para aumentar la participación, el compromiso y establecer relaciones con la comunidad. La siguiente lista destaca la divulgación comunitaria y las fechas de publicación de documentos clave para los elementos de justicia ambiental y seguridad completados hasta la fecha.
• De marzo a junio de 2021: Eventos de divulgación del Plan LHMP en todo el condado (12), incluido un grupo de enfoque sobre sostenibilidad y resiliencia con traducción al español, y otro centrado en East Palo Alto, Belle Haven y North Fair Oaks; dos talleres públicos virtuales que cubren la evaluación de riesgos y una revisión del borrador del plan; y reuniones públicas en todo el condado, que llegaron a más de 600 personas combinadas.
• Junio de 2021: Evento comunitario del CRC para el LHMP del Condado • Julio de 2021: seminario web de presentación del proyecto de actualización del elemento vivienda Page F-1.7
Informe de personal nº: 23-142-CC

Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov • Agosto de 2021: Encuesta sobre el proyecto de actualización del elemento vivienda • Agosto de 2021: Reunión virtual de la comunidad: Equidad en la vivienda, seguridad y justicia medioambiental
• Agosto de 2021: Eventos emergentes: mercado de agricultores del centro (2), centro comercial Belle Haven, Mi Tierra Linda
• Abril de 2022: se publican los perfiles vecinales de las consideraciones de Justicia Medioambiental • Abril 2022: Reunión comunitaria híbrida: Introducción a la justicia medioambiental y la seguridad • Mayo de 2022: reuniones de divulgación dirigidas por el CRC en Belle Haven (3) • De mayo a julio de 2022: encuesta sobre justicia medioambiental y seguridad • Diciembre de 2022: se publica el borrador de los elementos de justicia ambiental y seguridad • Febrero de 2023: Reuniones comunitarias: Justicia medioambiental y elementos de seguridad (2) Análisis
Esquema de las sesiones de estudio
Para complementar y aprovechar las actividades de divulgación y participación comunitaria realizadas, se proponen dos sesiones de estudio centradas en los elementos de justicia ambiental y seguridad. Las sesiones de estudio se describen a continuación.
• Primera sesión de estudio (20 de junio)
• El propósito de la primera sesión de estudio es presentar una visión general de los Elementos de Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad; el contexto normativo que guía los elementos; la divulgación y el compromiso de la comunidad completados hasta el momento; y los temas de retroalimentación recibidos. El equipo del proyecto presentará un marco de perfeccionamiento recomendado para transformar los comentarios de la comunidad recibidos sobre los borradores de revisión pública en acciones a través de un borrador revisado de cada elemento. El equipo del proyecto solicita la orientación/confirmación del Consejo Municipal y de la Comisión de Planificación en relación con el marco de perfeccionamiento recomendado y los próximos pasos. Los elementos se revisarán durante el verano y se someterán a la consideración de la Comisión de Planificación y el Consejo Municipal en otoño de 2023.
• Segunda sesión de estudio (otoño de 2023)
• El propósito de la segunda sesión de estudio es presentar el borrador revisado de los elementos, que incorporaría los comentarios de la comunidad, incluidas las políticas y programas recomendados y el establecimiento de prioridades. El equipo del proyecto busca la orientación/confirmación del Consejo Municipal y de la Comisión de Planificación de que los elementos revisados reflejan los comentarios de la comunidad y del Consejo Municipal y la Comisión.

Tras la segunda sesión de estudio, se introducirán en los elementos las mejoras necesarias. A continuación, la Comisión de Urbanismo recomendaría al Consejo Municipal la adopción de los elementos, y el Consejo Municipal sería el órgano final de revisión/aprobación.

Desde la publicación del borrador de los Elementos de Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad en diciembre de 2022, varias personas han presentado comentarios por escrito a la Ciudad con respecto a los elementos del borrador y los comentarios se proporcionan como Anexo O. Estos comentarios por escrito se suman a los comentarios recogidos en los esfuerzos de divulgación anteriores y también a través de la red de CRC de socios y líderes comunitarios comprometidos, incluyendo el Equipo Comunitario de Cambio Climático de Belle Haven (CCCT). CRC facilita tres CCCT en las comunidades de East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks y Belle Haven. Estos grupos comunitarios intersectoriales están formados por residentes, líderes religiosos, organizadores sin ánimo de lucro y representantes juveniles centrados en abordar proyectos de resistencia Page F-1.8
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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov climática y necesidades de programación a nivel de barrio. El CCCT de Belle Haven ha participado en la preparación de los elementos de justicia ambiental y seguridad.

Para complementar la retroalimentación proporcionada en las reuniones comunitarias más recientes de febrero 2023, CRC preparó un documento con una colección de revisiones sugeridas por la comunidad al borrador de políticas y programas del Elemento EJ que refleja lo que CRC ha escuchado a través de la divulgación hasta el momento (Anexo P). Este documento de trabajo se basa en las políticas y programas presentados en el borrador del Elemento EJ, se ha complementado con muchas políticas y programas sugeridos por la comunidad y revisiones de texto, y recoge toda la información que el equipo del proyecto ha recibido a lo largo del proceso en diversas formas. Este extenso documento se creó con la intención de perfeccionarlo y priorizarlo posteriormente, y el marco de perfeccionamiento recomendado se trata más adelante en este informe.

Temas de las reacciones al elemento de justicia ambiental La siguiente lista destaca los temas de los comentarios públicos recibidos sobre el borrador del Elemento EJ, organizados por las siete metas del Elemento EJ. El equipo del proyecto ha preparado estos temas para resumir y reflejar la gran cantidad de comentarios individuales recibidos hasta la primera sesión de estudio, incluidas las opiniones expresadas en las reuniones comunitarias de febrero de 2023, en las que se animó a los participantes a compartir sus ideas y sugerencias, organizadas generalmente por metas del Elemento Justicia Ambiental. Algunos temas pueden estar relacionados con más de una meta, pero en general se presentan bajo la meta en el que la mayoría de los participantes expresaron su opinión. Con ello se pretende ofrecer una visión de cuáles son las prioridades para cada meta, lo que se ajusta a los requisitos legales.

Meta 1: Abordar los riesgos sanitarios únicos y agravados • El asma y otros problemas respiratorios son preocupaciones comunitarias que aumentan con el incremento de la construcción.
• Los problemas de salud relacionados con el calor pueden paliarse con un mayor acceso a espacios públicos con aire acondicionado, especialmente durante las olas de calor. • El peligro para los peatones, sobre todo los niños, puede reducirse al mínimo con más guardias de paso escolar.

Meta 2: Reducir la exposición a la contaminación y eliminar las desigualdades medioambientales • El rápido desarrollo de nuevos edificios en las zonas de Belle Haven y Bayfront y sus alrededores ha suscitado gran preocupación por la contaminación y la congestión del tráfico. • Abordar los problemas de tráfico aumentando la señalización y reevaluando el horario de los semáforos con el objetivo de facilitar a los residentes la entrada y salida de sus casas. Durante las horas de mayor tráfico, la congestión es frustrante (por ejemplo, el tráfico de corte en Hamilton Avenue, Newbridge Street y Chilco Street).
• Abordar los vertidos ilegales (por ejemplo, en Newbridge Street) e instalar cámaras e iluminación como medida disuasoria y para aumentar la seguridad general de la zona. • La contaminación acústica es motivo de preocupación, sobre todo por el exceso de velocidad de los automóviles y la autopista 101.
• Abordar los problemas de inundaciones y baches en Belle Haven y el frente de la bahía. • La ciudad puede estudiar la posibilidad de ofrecer incentivos y ayudas para las herramientas de purificación del aire. Facilitar a los ciudadanos la mejora de la calidad del aire en sus hogares. • Electrificar los autobuses para reducir la contaminación.

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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Meta 3: Proporcionar equitativamente instalaciones públicas adecuadas a individuos y comunidades • Aumentar el dosel arbóreo en y alrededor del área de Belle Haven y Bayfront. Existe una diferencia significativa en el dosel arbóreo y también en el cuidado de los árboles entre los vecindarios al norte y al sur de la autopista 101 de Estados Unidos.
• Algunas personas (ancianos, discapacitados, etc.) necesitan ayuda para cuidar de sus árboles y el Consejo Municipal debe prestarles asistencia.
• Desarrollar un plan maestro de silvicultura urbana y medir el progreso de un dosel arbóreo cada vez mayor a lo largo del camino.
• Existe interés por plantar más árboles autóctonos. Asegúrese de que los árboles plantados no sean frondosos, requieran mucho mantenimiento o tengan raíces agresivas con posibles peligros para las tuberías.
• La programación y los servicios futuros del Menlo Park Community Campus (MPCC) deben dar prioridad a las clases y ofertas educativas adaptadas a los jóvenes (por ejemplo, tutorías y programas STEM - ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas-); esto también proporciona un lugar seguro para que los jóvenes se reúnan.
• Ofrecer nuevos programas y educación de alta calidad para que la gente se entusiasme con el MPCC. Los adultos también pueden beneficiarse de la formación en habilidades (por ejemplo, clases de idiomas, conocimientos financieros y propiedad de la vivienda). • La ciudad puede fomentar la contratación local de miembros de la comunidad para impartir clases y programas.
• Garantizar que la programación y los servicios del MPCC (por ejemplo, gimnasio y piscina) sean asequibles para los residentes (por ejemplo, tarifas gratuitas o reducidas). • Se desea una clínica de salud (que atienda a familias y personas mayores), una farmacia, un banco y una tienda de comestibles asequible.
• Existe segregación en términos de oportunidades de acceso a la escuela para los estudiantes de Belle Haven en comparación con el resto de Menlo Park.
• Proporcionar estaciones de eliminación de residuos animales, mejorar la limpieza de las calles y aumentar las señales de Alto.

Meta 4: Fomentar el acceso a alimentos asequibles, sanos y de calidad • Promover el acceso a alimentos sanos y asequibles (por ejemplo, mercado de agricultores subvencionado).
• El costo relativamente elevado y la baja calidad de los alimentos que se ofrecen en las escuelas son motivo de preocupación.
• Es deseable un mercado de agricultores situado cerca del MPCC. Garantizar opciones de pedidos móviles y recogida cómoda y tener el mercado en una ubicación estable cerca de otros servicios. • Son deseables tiendas y servicios orientados a personas de color y mayores.

Meta 5: Proporcionar viviendas seguras e higiénicas a todos los residentes • Construir nuevas viviendas con sensatez y repartir las de mayor densidad por toda la ciudad.

Actualmente, Belle Haven y Bayfront cuentan con los proyectos de vivienda más densos; distribuya la densidad en otros lugares, especialmente cerca del centro de la ciudad. • Existe interés en construir unidades de vivienda accesorias (ADU), pero preocupa que el proceso sea largo, complicado y caro. Las altas tasas (por ejemplo, las tasas de conexión de servicios públicos) desalientan el desarrollo de ADU.
• El Consejo Municipal debe ayudar con la gestión de plagas. • Preocupación por las personas sin hogar (por ejemplo, cerca de las rampas de la autopista 101 y Page F-1.10
Informe de personal nº: 23-142-CC

Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Bayfront).
• La ciudad debería explorar el control de los alquileres y/o las exenciones fiscales (por ejemplo, la exención del impuesto sobre bienes inmuebles) para los residentes con rentas bajas. • Los residentes con bajos ingresos y discapacitados necesitan más ayudas económicas y asistencia para conseguir vivienda y servicios de reparación de viviendas. • La ciudad debe dar prioridad a las medidas contra el desplazamiento, incluidas las propiedades residenciales más nuevas.
• Existe la percepción de que la vivienda ha aumentado en la ciudad mientras que la calidad de la educación ha disminuido.
• La ciudad debería dar prioridad a las viviendas asequibles adecuadas para familias (es decir, con tres o más dormitorios para hacer frente al hacinamiento).

Meta 6: Fomentar la actividad física y el transporte activo • Reparar aceras y baches y aumentar la accesibilidad.
• Aumentar la iluminación de las calles y los parques. Esto es especialmente importante para la seguridad nocturna de niños y ancianos.
• Aumentar los carriles bici y las pasarelas seguras.

Meta 7: Crear un compromiso cívico y comunitario equitativo • Dar prioridad a más recursos/información para las personas con bajos ingresos, especialmente las personas con discapacidad (por ejemplo, cómo solicitar una vivienda por debajo del precio de mercado; ayuda para el pago de los servicios públicos de PG&E; prestaciones de transporte gratuitas/subvencionadas, especialmente autobús; cómo instalar paneles solares y subvenciones disponibles).
• Existe el deseo de una mayor comunicación por parte de la ciudad de los próximos proyectos de construcción y sus posibles impactos, así como de los programas y servicios existentes que se ofrecen y cómo comprometerse/participar.
• El correo físico (por ejemplo, el boletín) se considera eficaz. Muchos miembros de la comunidad también leen El Ravenswood y The Almanac.
• Utilizar iglesias y escuelas/maestros para ayudar a distribuir mensajes. • Es vital facilitar la información en varias lenguas y utilizando textos sencillos. • Los miembros de la comunidad pueden automovilizarse y conectarse a través de las redes sociales.

Los miembros de la comunidad pueden considerar la posibilidad de tener embajadores que representen a su vecindario (por ejemplo, los embajadores de la comunidad de Belle Haven). • Debería prestarse más atención y compromiso a los vecindarios situados al norte de la autopista 101, especialmente por parte de la ciudad y de los funcionarios electos y designados. • Celebrar más reuniones públicas (por ejemplo, del Consejo Municipal) en Belle Haven, donde es más fácil que participen los más afectados por los proyectos y decisiones de la zona. El acceso en español es clave y es importante tener en cuenta el miedo/la desconfianza en el gobierno, especialmente por parte de los inmigrantes.
• Considerar la posibilidad de disponer de un quiosco/ventanilla centralizada para obtener información sobre eventos y anuncios de la ciudad.
• Involucrar a los jóvenes para que participen más cívicamente y actúen como embajadores del vecindario (por ejemplo, la Comisión Asesora de la Juventud de Menlo Park).

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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Temas de las reacciones al Elemento de Seguridad
El proyecto de Elemento de Seguridad incluye una meta global –Garantizar una comunidad segura –con áreas temáticas subyacentes. En la lista que figura a continuación se destacan los temas de las opiniones públicas recibidas en relación con el proyecto de Elemento de Seguridad, organizados por áreas temáticas.

Seguridad general
• Desarrollar políticas y gestionar los riesgos relacionados con la industria de las ciencias de la vida y la biotecnología (por ejemplo, planificación de los niveles de bioseguridad), en coordinación con los responsables de salud pública y los líderes en seguridad comunitaria, gestión de materiales peligrosos y preparación para emergencias.

Seguridad geológica y sísmica
• El Elemento de Seguridad debe reconocer la presencia y el impacto normativo de los Mapas de Zonas Sísmicas de Investigación Requerida (EZRIM) preparados por el Servicio Geológico de California (CGS). • Preocupación por el escenario HayWired4 y su posible impacto en Menlo Park.

Seguridad pública y respuesta a emergencias
• El enfoque de la ciudad ante las catástrofes es reactivo, pero debería seguir las "Directrices de la FEMA para un enfoque de preparación de toda la comunidad" y las "Normas NFPA 1600 para programas de gestión de emergencias/catástrofes". La comunidad necesita un modelo de colaboración que siga prácticas basadas en pruebas.

Además, la ciudad recibió una carta de la Oficina de Servicios de Emergencia del Gobernador de California (CalOES) el 15 de diciembre de 2022 en relación con el borrador del Elemento de Seguridad. En su carta, CalOES hizo dos comentarios:
• El Elemento de Seguridad debe incluir un lenguaje que haga referencia al LHMP, y dirigir al lector a la ubicación del LHMP. El componente de dirección puede hacerse insertando un enlace web al LHMP actual o incluyendo indicaciones sobre dónde encontrarlo. Siempre que no se haga referencia a la fecha o el año del LHMP actual, la jurisdicción sólo tendrá que realizar este cambio en el Elemento de Seguridad una vez.
• El Elemento de Seguridad debe abordar claramente la subida del nivel del mar y las inclemencias meteorológicas, que fueron identificados como peligros de riesgo medio y alto en Menlo Park por el LHMP.

Próximos pasos y marco de perfeccionamiento recomendado Esta sesión de estudio y la segunda sesión de estudio propuesta sobre Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad son oportunidades para que la comunidad, la Comisión de Planificación y el Consejo Municipal aporten sus comentarios sobre los borradores de los documentos. Los comentarios del público y las opiniones recibidas servirán de base para la revisión de los borradores antes de las audiencias de aprobación. Entre la Sesión de Estudio Uno y la Sesión de Estudio Dos, el equipo del proyecto busca refinar y priorizar los comentarios de la comunidad en políticas y programas adecuados para su inclusión en el borrador de los Elementos. El equipo del proyecto está evaluando los comentarios sobre el Elemento de Seguridad y su coherencia con el ámbito de trabajo e incorporará las modificaciones al borrador revisado del documento. Los temas que queden fuera del ámbito de trabajo actual se incluirán en un documento de respuesta a los comentarios. 4 El escenario HayWired describe una secuencia de terremotos científicamente realista, y sus impactos en cascada, que comienza con un seísmo de magnitud 7,0 en la falla de Hayward. El escenario hace hincapié en la conectividad: los riesgos múltiples de un terremoto, las interacciones entre los sistemas de infraestructuras críticas y los efectos agravados en las comunidades y las economías. https://www.usgs.gov/programs/science-application-for-risk-reduction/science/haywired-scenario Page F-1.12
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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov Estos temas podrían considerarse en una fecha futura como parte de un programa de trabajo separado en caso de que el Consejo Municipal desee llevar a cabo una actualización exhaustiva del Elemento de Seguridad. Este trabajo requeriría tiempo adicional, personal y/o recursos de consultoría, y un aumento del presupuesto.

El equipo del proyecto recomienda un marco o enfoque para incorporar los sólidos comentarios de la comunidad en políticas y programas revisados y viables para el borrador del Elemento EJ. El marco de refinamiento recomendado se enumera a continuación.

Políticas
El marco político debe hacer hincapié en los procesos de financiación, como la elaboración de presupuestos y las mejoras de capital en primer lugar. De este modo se garantiza que las comunidades desfavorecidas de Menlo Park reciban prioridad en la aplicación de los programas y en las funciones municipales.

Programas

1. Reorganizar los programas. Los programas relacionados deben ser:
• Categorizados por temas (por ejemplo, acceso a alimentos sanos, cambio climático, transporte), • Colocados en un orden lógico dentro de un tema, y
• Referencias cruzadas, según proceda, con otros elementos del Plan General (especialmente el Elemento de Seguridad y el Elemento de Vivienda) y omisión de duplicados.

2. Establecer plazos. Los programas deben organizarse en función de horizontes temporales a corto, medio y largo plazo. Conviene definir cada uno de estos horizontes temporales.

3. Desarrollar criterios de puntuación para la priorización de programas. Para establecer un nivel de prioridad, los programas deben puntuarse en función de los siguientes criterios:
• Nivel de urgencia o necesidad de la acción (incluyendo especialmente las aportaciones de la comunidad sobre las necesidades),
• Nivel estimado de esfuerzo o coste necesario para ejecutar la acción, y • Impacto previsto o valor de la acción para la comunidad (que puede ser cualitativo).

Consideraciones
De acuerdo con este marco de refinamiento, los programas que tienen el mayor nivel de urgencia y/o requieren menos esfuerzo o fondos para completarse deben priorizarse como de corto plazo. Esto no significa que los programas a largo plazo tengan necesariamente una prioridad baja. Los programas a largo plazo que tengan un mayor impacto deberían ser programas de alta prioridad que abarcarían un horizonte temporal más largo y podrían requerir fases. Estos programas deben incluir la identificación de hitos intermedios y el seguimiento de los avances a lo largo del tiempo, incluida la comunicación a las partes interesadas.

El marco de perfeccionamiento de políticas y programas puede considerarse una forma de fundamentar las decisiones sobre dónde invertir primero el tiempo, el dinero y los recursos y, a continuación, definir calendarios realistas/alcanzables para su aplicación. Los programas que no puedan realizarse a corto, medio o largo plazo pueden clasificarse como "consideraciones futuras". El Elemento de Justicia Medioambiental incluirá una descripción de este proceso de priorización y un proceso recomendado para incorporar cualquier "consideración futura" de los programas en las actualizaciones del Elemento de Justicia Medioambiental o en cualquier otro lugar, según proceda.

El equipo del proyecto está elaborando una matriz que pueda utilizarse como herramienta de refinamiento/priorización. En esta matriz, las políticas y programas potenciales pueden agruparse en Page F-1.13
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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov categorías y puntuarse en función de los criterios especificados anteriormente. En el Anexo Q se incluye un programa de ejemplo que muestra cómo podría completarse cada campo de la matriz. El equipo del proyecto solicita la orientación/confirmación del Consejo Municipal y de la Comisión de Planificación en relación con el marco de perfeccionamiento recomendado. Se llevarán a cabo actividades de divulgación comunitaria para anunciar e invitar a la participación en la segunda sesión de estudio, en la que se examinará el marco político y programático y el establecimiento de prioridades.

Impacto en los recursos de la ciudad
Como parte del presupuesto del año fiscal 2020-21, el Consejo Municipal asignó casi $1.5 millones del fondo general para apoyar la Actualización del Elemento Vivienda (incluida la preparación del SEIR), que es una prioridad del Consejo Municipal. El 14 de marzo, el Consejo Municipal aprobó una enmienda al acuerdo de servicios profesionales con el Grupo-M, el consultor del proyecto de Actualización del Elemento Vivienda de la Ciudad, por un importe de $75.414, para un contrato total de $1,547,466. El alcance y el presupuesto apoyan el trabajo y los próximos pasos que se han discutido, pero no proporcionan financiación para personal o recursos adicionales para la implementación de programas que resultarían de los Elementos de Justicia Ambiental y Seguridad. La financiación de estos programas se revisaría por separado y podría requerir una modificación o asignación presupuestaria en futuros ejercicios fiscales.

Revisión medioambiental
Este punto de la sesión de estudio no es un proyecto en el sentido de la Ley de Calidad Ambiental de California (CEQA) Directrices § 15378 y § 15061 (b) (3), ya que no dará lugar a ningún cambio físico directo o indirecto en el medio ambiente. Como parte del proceso de actualización del Elemento de Vivienda (es decir, actualizaciones del Elemento de Vivienda y del Elemento de Seguridad y un nuevo Elemento de Justicia Ambiental, y cambios asociados), se preparó un SEIR. El 31 de enero, el Consejo Municipal adoptó la Resolución nº 6808 por la que se certificaba el SEIR y las acciones CEQA asociadas.

El 1 de febrero se presentó una Notificación de Determinación (NOD).

Aviso público
La notificación pública se realizó mediante la publicación del orden del día, con los puntos del orden del día enumerados, al menos 72 horas antes de la reunión. Un artículo del Weekly Digest fue distribuido electrónicamente el 5 de junio para anunciar las próximas reuniones del proyecto de Actualización del Elemento Vivienda del 20 y 27 de junio. Se colocaron volantes en inglés y español en la Biblioteca Principal, la Biblioteca Belle Haven y el Consejo Municipal para anunciar las reuniones; estos volantes también fueron distribuidos por CRC a través de sus socios y redes comunitarias. Se colocaron tableros electrónicos de mensajes en inglés y español en dos lugares, uno en la intersección de Belle Haven de Ivy Drive y Willow Road, y otro a lo largo de la Avenida Ravenswood adyacente a la Biblioteca Principal, para anunciar las reuniones. La página web del proyecto de Actualización del Elemento Vivienda se actualizó para anunciar las reuniones del 20 y 27 de junio y la Ciudad ha publicado acerca de las reuniones a través de las plataformas de Facebook, Instagram y Twitter de la Ciudad.

Archivos adjuntos
A. Hipervínculo - Página web del proyecto de Actualización del Elemento Vivienda:
menlopark.gov/housingelement
B. Hipervínculo - Borrador del Elemento de Justicia Ambiental - Publicado el 12 de diciembre de 2022:
menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/community-development/documents/projects/housing-elementupdate/environmental-justice-element-20221212-public-review-draft.pdf Page F-1.14
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Ciudad de Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov C. Hipervínculo - Borrador del Elemento de Seguridad - Publicado el 12 de diciembre de 2022:
menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/community-development/documents/projects/housing-elementupdate/safety-element-20221212-public-review-draft.pdf D. Hipervínculo - Resumen Ejecutivo - Menlo Park Justicia Ambiental y Elementos de Seguridad - Publicado el 12 de diciembre de 2022: menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/executive-summary-english-and-spanishmenlo-park-environmental-justice-and-safety-elements.pdf E. Hipervínculo - Elemento Vivienda - Adoptado el 31 de enero:
https://menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/community-development/documents/projects/housingelement-update/city-of-menlo-park-2023-2031-housing-element.pdf F. Hipervínculo - Diapositivas de la presentación de la Reunión Comunitaria sobre Justicia Medioambiental y Elementos de Seguridad del 9 de febrero (inglés):
menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/community-development/documents/projects/housing-elementupdate/20230209-environmental-justice-and-safety-elements-meetings-presentation_english.pdf G. Hipervínculo - Video de la reunión comunitaria sobre justicia medioambiental y elementos de seguridad del 9 de febrero (en inglés): youtube.com/watch?v=g0SmETQM0Ic H. Hipervínculo – 9 de febrero. Justicia medioambiental y elementos de seguridad Paquete informativo de la reunión comunitaria (Inglés): menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/20230209-environmental-justice-and-safetyelements-meeting-info-packet_english.pdf I. Hipervínculo - Diapositivas de la presentación de la Reunión Comunitaria sobre Justicia Ambiental y Elementos de Seguridad del 10 de febrero: menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/20230209-environmental-justice-and-safetyelements-meetings-presentation_spanish.pdf J. Hipervínculo - Video de la reunión comunitaria sobre justicia medioambiental y elementos de seguridad del 10 de febrero: youtube.com/watch?v=r2fP0f5dwZg
K. Hipervínculo – 10 de febrero. Justicia Ambiental y Elementos de Seguridad. Reunión Comunitaria paquete de información (español): menlopark.gov/files/sharedassets/public/communitydevelopment/documents/projects/housing-element-update/20230209-environmental-justice-and-safetyelements-meeting-info-packet_spanish.pdf L. Hipervínculo - Condado de San Mateo 2021 Multijurisdictional LHMP: smcgov.org/ceo/2021- multijurisdictional-lhmp
M. Hipervínculo – Ciudad de Menlo Park 2030 CAP: menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/CityManagers-Office/Sustainability/Climate-Action-Plan N. Hipervínculo - EOP 2015 del Condado de San Mateo:
hsd.smcsheriff.com/sites/default/files/downloadables/1%20-%20Emergency%20Operations%20Plan.pdf O. Correspondencia pública a partir de la publicación del informe P. Resumen del CRC para las revisiones del Elemento EJ sugeridas por la comunidad Q. Ejemplo de matriz del marco de perfeccionamiento
Informe elaborado por:

Calvin Chan, Planificador Senior
Informe revisado por:

Deanna Chow, Subdirectora de Desarrollo Comunitario
Page F-1.15
ID # Date First Name Last Name Affiliation
1 12/15/2022 Barbara Kelsey Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter 2 12/15/2022 Jared Peri California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)
3 12/19/2022 Erik Frost California Department of Conservation 4 12/21/2022 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
5 1/31/2023 Karen Williams
6 2/26/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
7 2/27/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
8 2/28/2023 Carolyn Ordonez
9 2/28/2023 Naomi Goodman
10 3/1/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
11 3/2/2023 Mark Schlocker
12 3/9/2023 Naomi Goodman
13 3/9/2023 Naomi Goodman
14 3/9/2023 Thomas Bolich
15 3/10/2023 Katherine Dumont
16 3/10/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
17 3/13/2023 Lynne Bramlett MPC Ready
18 4/26/2023 Barbara Kelsey Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter 19 3/30/2023 Jon Johnston Menlo Park Fire Protection District ATTACHMENT O Page F-1.16
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 1 of 5

SAN MATEO, SANTA CLARA & SAN BENITO COUNTIES
December 15, 2022
Menlo Park Planning Commission
Deanna Chow, Assistant Community Development Director
[email protected]
Tom Smith, Acting Planner
Calvin Chan, Senior Planner
Subject: Menlo Park Safety Element Comments and Life Sciences / Biotech Developments Dear Ms. Chow and Members of the Planning Department,
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter’s Sustainable Land Use Committee (SLU) advocates on land use issues in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties and the Sierra Club’s Bay Alive Campaign advocates for healthy and climate resilient shoreline ecosystems and communities. In these roles, we offer these comments on the SAFETY ELEMENT of the General Plan.

By Ordinance 1025, Menlo Park added a Life Sciences Zoning District to its General Plan.

Life Sciences and Bio-tech has brought us many great advantages in saving lives and producing food. Bio-technology is a rapidly changing industry and new land use designation with emergent risks as it deals with a wide range of infectious agents from benign to extremely lethal. Though it comes with certain risks, these risks are not well understood.

Cities need to manage these new risks with a clear understanding of critical differences between biosafety levels (BSL) 1 through 4. This needs to be done with the assistance of the departments of public health, safety, hazardous materials and emergency preparedness. We include, below, Sierra Club's Guidelines for Biosafety Levels (BSL) in Biotech Laboratories and a short video of the differences between the basic types of bio-tech labs.

It is important to include management of these new and emergent risks in the Safety Element. #1 Page F-1.17
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 2 of 5 Historically, labs have been located in industrial zoning for public health reasons. In an urbanized setting, some of the biological infectious agents being studied, at BSL 2 and especially at BSL 3, and animal research could create a health emergency in the event of human error, accidents or in disasters such as serious seismic events.

Furthermore, siting of such facilities in shoreline areas, identified as flood zones and high liquefaction zones, can create potential vulnerabilities for the Bay ecology and human health should public infrastructure be compromised and emergency protocols fail.

Life Sciences labs, also, make notoriously impactful neighbors. This is because the labs require lighting on continuously (24/7) and the mechanical equipment required for safety regulations has a much higher decibel rating than normal office systems. Noise is, therefore, a significant issue. Sometimes, they need alarms that are necessarily loud. The proximity to residences in East Palo Alto raises issues of equity as the setbacks, to mitigate these impacts, appear to be relatively minimal at present, causing potential safety hazards and negative impacts for existing residential neighborhoods.

East Coast cities, where bio-tech has had a long history, provide early safeguards to guide development using their zoning and other review mechanisms, because bio-hazards can be potentially more serious than many other safety issues.

We hope Menlo Park will study and establish clear and effective new safety requirements for Life Sciences developments in your safety element, including required distances, monitoring and emergency procedures.

We look forward to working with you on achieving this. Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully Yours,
Gita Dev, FAIA, Co-Chair Jennifer Chang Hetterly
Sustainable Land Use Committee Bay Alive Campaign Lead
Cc: Menlo Park Planning Commission and City Council
James Eggers, Executive Director, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Gladwyn d’Souza, Conservation Chair, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter #1 Page F-1.18
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 3 of 5

Guidelines for
Biosafety Levels
(BSL) in Biotech
Laboratories This is a brief overview of biosafety levels for research laboratories, drawing from Lab Manager (www.labmanager.com)Updated Dec 27, 2021 ; November 15, 2021 and from the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health In light of numerous proposed biotech developments in highly urbanized locations, this document provides a starting point for identifying issues in facilities using biological materials. Proper facility location and design for research or clinical labs, permitting, and operations are essential to ensuring that people working in the facility are protected as well as the public and the environment outside the facility.

As a matter of public health and safety, cities must be rigorous in reviewing and approving these facilities.

A biosafety laboratory is a specialized biotech laboratory that deals with infectious agents. Biosafety labs may be devoted to research or to production activities and involve working with infectious materials or laboratory animals. It is essential to pay attention to the proper siting and design of these facilities, to proper protocols in using the facilities, and to procedures in the event of emergencies and disasters. Biological safety levels (BSL) are ranked from one through four, based on the agents or organisms used in the labs. Each higher level builds on the previous level, adding constraints and barriers.

The four biosafety levels were developed to protect against a world of select agents, including bacteria, fungi, parasites, prions, rickettsial agents and viruses (the largest group).

Studying the most infectious agents also means extensive security measures must be in place because of their virulence and potential to escape the lab and infect the surrounding population and/or environment or for use in bioterrorism. When the work involves vertebrate animals, additional precautions and safety requirements are necessary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are the main sources for biological safety information for infectious agents. The publication Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories https://www.cdc.gov/labs/BMBL.html is a principal reference. #1 Page F-1.19
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 4 of 5 Issues for City Planning Departments, County and City Departments of Public Health and Safety, City Planning Commissioners, and City Council Members to address when reviewing planning applications for developments including BIOTECH laboratories.

Incidents involving biological, chemical, physical, and radiological hazards can have a significant impact on the safety and health of workers in laboratory settings. In addition, consideration needs to be given to risks to the community and the environment in the event of accidents, disasters and building failure. This is particularly important if proposed developments are in proximity to vulnerable populations and fragile Bay ecosystems, and where risk of disruption from seismic disasters and sea level and groundwater rise is high.
• Determine the Biological Safety Levels While Level 1 labs are generally considered safe, Level 2 labs are not advisable where there is the potential for structural failure. San Francisco Airport and all area airports do not permit Levels 2, or above, within some Land Use Safety Compatibility Zones. In addition, structural or infrastructure failure for biosafety lab buildings on soils subject to liquefaction in seismic events, such as bay fill, should be carefully considered as it could pose a community and/or environmental safety risk. • Consider prohibiting Level 3, entirely, in urban and shoreline areas, because of public safety.

Level 4 labs are not to be considered.
• Consider risks from flooding and public infrastructure safety, including flooding and subsurface impacts from sea level and groundwater rise, for biosafety labs above Level 1. • Require the applicant to submit in writing the proposed BSL for the project with a provision that changing to a higher level BSL will not be allowed without prior review and approval by the city and county and may not be allowed at all if so determined by the city. • In the case of a speculative development where the final tenants or buyers may not be known during the city entitlements process, include the allowed BSL in the entitlements and in the EIR. After entitlement, require the developer to submit, in writing, the BSL for each company that is being considered for rental or purchase of space in the development, as they occur, before the lease or purchase is finalized, to ensure compliance. • Any change to the BSL level will need review at City Council level and may not be allowed.

In addition, re-evaluation under CEQA may be required.
• Require the applicant to identify the range of diseases to be studied and the agents to be used in the proposed facility.
• Require the applicant to define emergency protocols and safety design features for the building(s) and surrounding area, including Bay wetlands. • Require the applicant to define safety redundancy measures for HVAC and air exhaust systems, waste disposal and storm water management systems, water quality safety, etc. in the building(s) design and long-term use
• Require the applicant to identify if animals will be used in the research and how they will be housed, secured, and protected and waste removed.
• Require rigorous environmental assessments for any potential air or water pollution, or waste disposal materials generated by the facility, especially airborne particles or biohazardous materials. • Include a biological safety analysis and health impact report on potential short and longterm safety impacts on the city, the bay, and the regional environment. This should be a key component of the Environmental Impact Review process. • Require a monitoring and verification program to ensure that the facility is complying with the city requirements and the proponent's commitments to the city and all related regulatory agencies (e.g. fire dept, Cal-OSHA, CDC, USDA, etc.) including inspections and #1 Page F-1.20
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 5 of 5 violations reports.
#1 Page F-1.21
Sierra Club Loma Prieta, Sustainable Land Use Committee BioSafety Guidelines Rev. March 28, 2022 Page 6 of 5 Reference:

CDC and NIH—Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories—6 th Edition
https://www.selectagents.gov/
Level 1
Biosafety level one, the
lowest level, applies to
work with agents that do
not consistently cause
disease in healthy adults
Non-pathogenic microbe
Biosafety level one, the lowest level, applies to work with agents that usually pose a minimal potential threat to laboratory workers and the environment and do not consistently cause disease in healthy adults. Research with these agents is generally performed on standard open laboratory benches without the use of special containment equipment. BSL 1 labs are not usually isolated from the general building. Lab personnel are trained and supervised on specific procedures by trained scientists.

Standard microbiology practices, e.g. mechanical pipetting and safe sharps handling, are usually enough to protect laboratory workers and other employees in the building. Routine decontamination of work surfaces occurs, and potentially infectious materials are decontaminated prior to disposal, generally by autoclaving. Standard microbiological practices also include hand washing and a prohibition on eating or drinking in the lab. Lab workers wear normal personal protective equipment. Biohazard signs are posted and access to the lab is limited whenever infectious agents are present.

Level 2
Biosafety level two covers
work with agents
associated with human
disease, i.e., pathogenic or
infectious organisms
posing a moderate hazard.

Influenza, salmonella,
Biosafety level two covers work with agents associated with human disease, i.e., pathogenic or infectious organisms posing a moderate hazard. Examples are the equine encephalitis viruses and HIV. Care is used to prevent percutaneous injury (needlesticks and cuts), ingestion and mucous membrane exposures in addition to the standard microbiological practices of BSL 1.

Caution is used when handling and disposing of contaminated sharps. The laboratory’s written biosafety manual details any needed immunizations (e.g., hepatitis B vaccine or TB skin testing).

Access to the lab is more controlled than for BSL 1 facilities. Immunocompromised persons with increased risk for infection may be denied admittance at the discretion of the laboratory director.

BSL 2 labs must also provide the next level of barriers, i.e., specialty safety equipment and facilities. Work with infectious agents involves a Class II biosafety cabinet, an autoclave, and an eyewash station. Self-closing lockable doors and biohazard warning signs are required at access points
Level 3
These are indigenous or
exotic agents that may
cause serious or lethal
disease via aerosol
transmission.

HIV, HSN1 flu, SARS-CoV2
plague, anthrax
Yellow fever, St. Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus are examples of agents requiring biosafety level 3 practices and controls. Work with these agents must be registered with all appropriate government agencies. These are indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or lethal disease via aerosol transmission. Beyond the BSL 2 practices and equipment, work in BSL 3 labs involves tighter access control and decontamination of all wastes in the facility.

More protective primary barriers are used in BSL 3 laboratories, including solid-front wraparound gowns, scrub suits or coveralls made of materials such as Tyvek® and respirators as necessary.

Facility design incorporates self-closing double-door access separated from general building corridors. The ventilation must provide ducted, directional airflow by drawing air into the lab from clean areas and with no recirculation
Level 4
Agents requiring BSL 4
facilities and practices are
extremely dangerous and
pose a high risk of lifethreatening disease.

Ebola, smallpox
Agents requiring BSL 4 facilities and practices are extremely dangerous and pose a high risk of life-threatening disease. Examples are the Ebola virus, the Lassa virus, and any agent with unknown risks of pathogenicity and transmission. BSL 4 facilities provide the maximum protection and containment, requiring complete clothing change before entry, a shower on exit, and decontamination of all materials prior to leaving the facility.

The BSL 4 laboratory contains a Class III biological safety cabinet or equivalent in combination with a positive-pressure, air-supplied full-body suit. Usually, BSL 4 laboratories are in separate buildings or a totally isolated zone with dedicated supply and exhaust ventilation. Exhaust streams generally are filtered through high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. #1 Page F-1.22
1 From: Peri, Jared@CalOES <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2022 3:16 PM
To: Chow, Deanna M <[email protected]>
Cc: Boemecke, Wendy@CalOES <[email protected]> Subject: Safety Element Update Comments‐ CITY OF MENLO PARK CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Cal OES has reviewed the CITY OF MENLO PARK HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE. Our office has a couple of comments.

The Safety Element addresses or will address the following hazards:
#2 Page F-1.23
2 Climate Change
Earthquake
Flooding
Wildfire
However, when reviewing your FEMA adopted Local Hazard Mitigation Plan we find that the identified medium and high risk hazards are as follows:

Earthquake
Flooding
Seal Level Rise
Severe Weather
Below Is the link to the California Office of Planning and Research Safety Element Guidelines General Plan Guidelines, Chapter 4: Required Elements (ca.gov) Required Contents the safety element must, consistent with Government Code Section 65302(g), provide for the protection of the community from any unreasonable risks associated with the effects of:
• Seismically induced surface rupture, ground shaking, ground failure • Tsunami, seiche, and dam failure
• Slope instability leading to mudslides and landslides • Subsidence
• Liquefaction
• Other seismic hazards identified pursuant to Chapter 7.8 (commencing with Section 2690) of Division 2 of the Public Resources Code, and other geologic hazards known to the legislative body
• Flooding
• Wildland and urban fires
• Climate change
As an additional note while you are making changes to your Safety Element, we wanted to point out some of the steps that are required to become AB2140 complaint. The jurisdiction must update the Safety Element of their general plan to include language referring to the LHMP, and direct the reader to the location of the LHMP. The direction component can be done by inserting a weblink to the current HMP, or by including directions to where it can be found. As long as the date or year of the current HMP isn’t referenced, the jurisdiction will only have to make this change to the Safety Element once. If the Safety Element has the year of the expired HMP, or the HMP is inserted into the Safety Element, it will have to be revised.
a. Sample language to add to the Safety Element includes: “The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) for the City of XYZ planning area was developed in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) and followed FEMA’s 2011 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan guidance. The LHMP incorporates a process where hazards are identified and profiled, the people and facilities at #2 Page F-1.24
3 risk are analyzed, and mitigation actions are developed to reduce or eliminate hazard risk. The implementation of these mitigation actions, which include both short-term and long-term strategies, involve planning, policy changes, programs, projects, and other activities. The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan can be found at this location (Insert web link, or the actual LHMP, or guidance to where the LHMP can be located).”
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment.

Jared Peri, Senior Emergency Services Coordinator
Hazard Mitigation Planning Division
California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
Mobile: (916) 524-3470
Email: [email protected]
Program Email: [email protected]
#2 Page F-1.25
1 From: Frost, Erik@DOC <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, December 19, 2022 2:42 PM
To: Smith, Tom A
Cc: Chow, Deanna M; Chan, Calvin; Sung Kwon; Geoff Bradley; Asher Kohn; Turner, Christopher R
Subject: RE: City of Menlo Park - Draft General Plan Safety Element Review CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Hi Tom et al.,
Thank you for sending the City’s Draft Safety Element for review. My only comment is in regard to the discussion and depiction of liquefaction and landslide hazards.

Figures S‐6 and S‐8 provide relevant and scientifically valid information regarding liquefaction and landslide susceptibility, however, CGS has also prepared Earthquake Zone of Required Investigation Maps (EZRIM) that cover the planning area. The Safety Element should acknowledge the presence and regulatory impact of these liquefaction and landslide zones. Additional information is available at the links below:
https://maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/EQZApp/app/
https://maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/informationwarehouse/index.html?map=regulatorymaps If you have any additional comments or questions, please feel free to call or email.

Erik
Dr. Erik Frost
Senior Engineering Geologist | Seismic Hazards Program
From: Smith, Tom A <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2022 1:47 PM
To: Thornburg, Jennifer@DOC <[email protected]>; Frost, Erik@DOC <[email protected]>
Cc: Chow, Deanna M <[email protected]>; Chan, Calvin <[email protected]>; Sung Kwon <skwon@m‐ group.us>; Geoff Bradley <GBradley@m‐group.us>; Olson, Brian@DOC <[email protected]>; Asher Kohn <akohn@m‐group.us>; Turner, Christopher R <[email protected]> Subject: RE: City of Menlo Park ‐ Draft General Plan Safety Element Review Thanks so much for the quick reply Jennifer. I submitted the draft Safety Element document at the website below (City of Menlo Park Safety Element - Public Review Draft – 20221212.pdf) and provided a description as well as my email address.

In terms of review time, do you have a sense for when we may expect any comments or a confirmation of the document’s completeness?
Thanks,
Tom
#3 Page F-1.26
2 Tom A. Smith
Principal Planner
City Hall - 1st Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 650-330-6730
menlopark.gov

From: Thornburg, Jennifer@DOC [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2022 11:10 AM
To: Smith, Tom A <[email protected]>; Frost, Erik@DOC <[email protected]> Cc: Chow, Deanna M <[email protected]>; Chan, Calvin <[email protected]>; Sung Kwon <skwon@m‐ group.us>; Geoff Bradley <GBradley@m‐group.us>; Olson, Brian@DOC <[email protected]>; Asher Kohn <akohn@m‐group.us>; Turner, Christopher R <[email protected]> Subject: RE: City of Menlo Park ‐ Draft General Plan Safety Element Review CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Good morning, Tom –
We will certainly accept an electronic copy of your draft Safety Element, and any instructions or communications that might go with that.

Feel free to upload those to our Box.com intake for essential facility reviews, using this link:
https://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/upload-school
Please also name your files to indicate this is a draft Safety Element, so that we can recognize it and route it expeditiously.

Let me know if you need anything further.

Regards,
‐ Jennifer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jennifer Thornburg
Senior Engineering Geologist | California Geological
Survey
California Department of Conservation
715 P Street, MS 19-01, Sacramento, CA 95814
Cell: (916) 639-6899
E: [email protected]

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This communication with its contents may contain confidential and/or legally privileged information. It is solely for the use of the intended recipient(s). Unauthorized interception, review, use or disclosure is prohibited and may violate applicable laws including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and destroy all copies of the communication. #3 Page F-1.27
3 From: Smith, Tom A <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2022 8:54 AM
To: Thornburg, Jennifer@DOC <[email protected]>; Olson, Brian@DOC <[email protected]>
Cc: Chow, Deanna M <[email protected]>; Chan, Calvin <[email protected]>; Sung Kwon <skwon@m‐ group.us>; Geoff Bradley <GBradley@m‐group.us>; Asher Kohn <akohn@m‐group.us>; Turner, Christopher R <[email protected]>
Subject: City of Menlo Park ‐ Draft General Plan Safety Element Review Good morning Jennifer and Brian,
The City of Menlo Park prepared an updated draft Safety Element of its General Plan and released it for public review yesterday, December 12. Would you be able to let us know if the Department of Conservation would accept an electronic copy of the draft Safety Element for review, or if we need to provide a mailed paper copy? If there are any instructions regarding to whom or where we need to send the document, we would appreciate your guidance in helping to make sure we address this requirement.

Thank you,
Tom Smith

Tom A. Smith
Principal Planner
City Hall - 1st Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 650-330-6730
menlopark.gov

#3 Page F-1.28
1 From: Lynne Bramlett [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2022 2:06 AM
To: _CCIN <[email protected]>
Cc: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Subject: Disappointment with Safety & Environmental Justice Elements CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear City Council,
I am out of the country and unable to attend your Dec 22 meeting to collect input on the Housing, Safety and Environmental Justice Elements.

Today, I write briefly to share my extreme disappointment with the limited public process for the Safety and Environmental Justice Elements. These should have received equal treatment with the Housing Element and all three presented in draft versions together, especially before approving Willow Village. The Safety and Environmental Justice had basically one public meeting (described as the Aug 26, 2021 one) with a public #4 Page F-1.29
2 audience mostly consisting of residents from Belle Haven. While a very important audience, especially for the EJ element, I did not consider it representative of the entire City. The surveys conducted by Climate Resilience Communities, an outside group, was limited in scope. As I understand the requirements of SB 1000, the environmental justice element is supposed to include deep and significant public engagement -- led by the community most impacted! The Safety and EJ elements also needed input from expert opinions. The Safety Element continued to skirt the major risk from the Hayward fault eruption. Council heard about this risk, in the form of the "HayWired Scenario" at a May 8, 2018 Study Session.

I have concerns about the contents of both the Safety and Environmental Justice Elements. Unfortunately, I don't have time to comment in detail until after my return, which may be too late for your approval process. I am concerned too that these plans have a high likelihood of not being put into operation. The 2013 Safety Element goals were mostly not operationalized. Meaning, we had a plan that wasn't actually implemented. Ditto the 2016 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan annex. The State requires yearly progress updates for ALL General Plan Elements -- not just the Housing Element. Can we start to follow State requirements for meaningful yearly reporting for ALL elements? The Open Space, Noise. Conservation Elements also need an at least public reporting process. You made a policy decision (thank you) requiring yearly updates for the 2021 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex. Please do the same for the City's complete suite of General Plan Elements.

Requests:

1. Please make a policy decision requiring the City to follow State law by providing yearly updates for all General plan elements? That would start to build in annual reporting and a way that Council and the public would have at least one yearly opportunity to stay informed.

2. Consider the City of Berkeley's example in the form of their Citizen Participation Element. I think you will need to build in policy changes for the City of Menlo Park to start having meaningful public engagement for major planning efforts. This is a great idea for the future.

3. Form a Blue Ribbon Commission, with a specific charter and work plan, focused on examining the City's planning efforts and then making a report to Council with recommendations.

Lynne Bramlett
#4 Page F-1.30
1 From: Karen Williams [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 4:30 PM
To: _CCIN <[email protected]>
Subject: Environmental justice element
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

I support rent control new housing , language culturally assistance for just cause relocation I support CRC #5 Page F-1.31
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, Feb 26, 2023, 12:45 PM
Subject: Prioritizing a Disaster Prepared Community -- Extensive Input into Safety Element -- Resending To: <[email protected]>
Cc: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Hello Council,
At your Feb 23 Emergency Meeting many members of the public expressed deep concerns about the City's response to the extended power outage situation and the prior one to the flooding in January. Better communication was frequently stressed along with a plan to reach the most vulnerable. Planning needs to be done BEFORE the disaster. Community-based groups want the City to follow the FEMA guidelines for a proactive Whole Community preparedness approach. Government efforts alone won't be nearly enough and the reactive approach is completely inadequate. I agree completely with the public's comments. A few mentioned earthquakes so I will link to the May 8, 2018 Study Session on the HayWired Scenario. That session included the direct warning of possible risk of litigation should enough people find out that the City could have done more to prepare this disaster, but did not act. Yet, following the scary briefing I only heard the then Mayor's general advice related to personal go bags. I'm interested in action to reduce the risk of loss of life, injury and damage to property. We also want to quickly rebuild after a disaster. However, I point out that the risk of litigation is real and, possibly getting increased, because more people are realizing that he City isn't doing enough. However, if we start acting to do what's recommended, I believe the risk goes way down.

I am sending my input into the Safety Element because I did not see my post on CCIN. I have fixed a few typos.

Otherwise, the input is the same. The knowledge of what we should be doing exists in terms of FEMA and disaster/emergency managers recommendations. We also have the NFPA 1600 standards for emergency/ disaster management programs, which include the requirement of an Advisory Committee. We need a collaborative model that follows evidence-based practices.

Safety_Element_V23.pdf
Lynne Bramlett
Organizing Member & President, MPC Ready
https://mpcready.org/
650-380-3028
#6 Page F-1.32
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 1 To: City Council of Menlo Park
From: Lynne Bramlett
Re: 2023-31 DRAFT Safety Element Public Input
Date: February 21, 2023
Dear Mayor Wolosin, Members of the City Council, City Manager and Senior Staff, I am writing to express my suggestions into the nature and scope of the draft 2023 Safety Element, and the public outreach and engagement process.

The Safety Element warrants a comprehensive update. The current draft is little changed from 2013. Resident volunteers would like to be part of a work team process that I suggest below.

Recommendations:

As soon as possible, set up a work group meeting between selected City Staff and consultants working on the Safety Element, Climate Resilient Communities and Belle Haven Action, MPC Ready, and residents who have submitted detailed input into the Safety Element and/or Reimagining Public Safety Initiative. Also invite the Police Chief, Fire Marshall, and a representative from the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Management. The team would review guidelines from the Calif. Office of Planning and Research and some best practice examples.

They would discuss and review input received to date and identify any needed maps, studies or other documentation needed to lend scientific credibility and authority. The work team should also establish an outreach and engagement strategy across various groups. They could divide up the work of reaching: the business and faith community, schools, nonprofits and community groups and neighborhood associations.

The Safety Element also needs a focused implementation plan.

At minimum, I believe the following is needed:
• Make the Safety Element a standalone element. Separate out (and later update) the unchanged 2013 Noise, and Open Space and Conservation Elements. • Follow OPR Guidelines for Policy Language. As the OPR General Plan Guidelines, 2017, states: As policy priorities are established, formulating strong policy is a key first step. For example, rather than “consider implementing” use the work “implement.” also instead of using the phrase, “consider the development of,” use “develop and implement.” Additionally, to create more accountable policy language use “priority on” rather than “emphasis on” to highlight policy areas of particular focus.
• Make the document more useful as a planning-through-implementation document. Put useful context before grouped policies, programs and actions. I would start with a definition of the hazard and then supply concisely written Existing Conditions context applicable to Menlo Park. See the Town of Portola Valley example. The Existing Conditions information should be supported with footnote references to current reports, mapping tools, etc. from reputable sources. The reader needs the context to evaluate the proposed policies and programs, and make suggestions. Put the most important information first. Put more in an Appendix section, such as definitions. Add a short set of Objectives for policies, programs and/or actions.
• Add a table that lists all maps that Menlo Park has developed. • On the cover, list a Senior Staff Member contact for the Safety Element and contact information. Supply a Project team and remove the 2013 Acknowledgements. #6 Page F-1.33
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 2 • Include a summary of the Safety Element public outreach process. Include a table with public meetings, their dates and the number of attendees.

Background
Much has changed since 2013 when the original Safety Element was developed and when Menlo Park started the process of outsourcing its disaster preparedness through response. The Safety Element should incorporate evidence-based practices. Global climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of disasters, as is also the City’s higher density development.

Fortunately, the City Council agreed (June 2022) to add a new staff position dedicated to Emergency/Disaster Preparedness. Experts advise a senior leader, reporting into the City Manager or the governing body. A dedicated senior role reduces the possibility of this new role being pulled into various “special projects” for other department managers.

In parallel, the Fire District plans to establish a new Community Resilience Unit, which will include a Community Volunteer Coordinator. The Fire District’s leadership represents a foundation pillar for Menlo Park’s synergistic efforts to improve disaster resilience.

Suggestions for Revision of Policies, Programs and Actions I would slightly revise the original goal and then add six objectives to group the polices, programs and actions. The original goal had text following it that suggests the objectives. Anything in green font is the original. My suggestions are in red.

Safety Element Goal: Assure a Prioritize a disaster prepared and safe community
ELEMENT OBJECTIVES: The policies, programs and actions of the Disaster Preparedness and Safety Element are intended to achieve the following six objectives:

1. Establish and implement an effective disaster preparedness through recovery program that anticipates the potential for disasters, and incorporates communitybased disaster preparedness and response planning involving businesses, nongovernment organizations, faith community, schools and neighborhoods.

2. Plan for and regulate the uses of land to minimize exposure to hazards from either natural or human-related causes and to contribute to a disaster resilience community.

3. Reduce the potential for loss of life, injury, economic damage, and displacement resulting from earthquakes and associated hazards.

4. Reduce the potential for loss of life, injury, economic damage and displacement resulting from urban and wildland-urban interface fire, and associated hazards.

5. Reduce the potential for loss of life, injury, economic damage and displacement resulting from flooding, and associated hazards.

6. Provide public safety services of the highest quality. #6 Page F-1.34
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 3

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Disaster Preparedness
Table 1: Safety Element Implementation
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Implementation
Establish a specific work-team process focused on
systematic implementation of the Safety Element Goals,
Objectives, Policies, Programs and Actions
New Program: Yearly
Progress Report &
Work Plan
Work team to review Safety Element policies, programs
and actions and then develop a yearly progress report and work plan for review by the City Council. Team to include representatives from the Menlo Park Fire Protection
District, City Staff, City Advisory Committees, community stakeholder groups, schools, businesses and the faith
community. Additional agencies to be consulted in
developing the Action Plan include: utility providers,
adjacent communities, San Mateo County Health and
Department of Emergency Management, emergency
operations personnel and large landowners.

New Program: Planning
Fellowships &
Student Interns
Partner with local educational institutions to bolster inhouse Safety Element implementation capacity, and to help empower the next generation of planning, by
providing students and young professionals with valuable learn-by-doing experiences.
39 Program S1.P
Coordinate the
General Plan with
City Emergency
Planning Efforts
Work team to help Implement and coordinate the review
of the Safety element with other General Plan elements
and City emergency plans, the Local Hazard Mitigation
Plan (LHMP) and Emergency Operations Plan (EOP),
and make recommendations for necessary revisions
needed for internal consistency between plans.
37 Program S1.A Link
Revise the City’s
Housing and Safety
Elements
concurrently.

Work team continue to review and make
recommendations to City Council to revise the Safety
Element, as necessary, concurrently with updates to the General Plan Housing Element whenever new state
guidelines from _____ on new data or evidence related
to prevention of natural and human hazards becomes
available.
37 Program S1.B:

Maintain Up-toDate Hazard Maps
and Databases.

Maintain and publish at the City’s website links to Menlo Park developed databases and maps of geologic and other hazards to identify areas prone to hazards. Use for
planning purposes on an on-going basis concurrently
with updates to the General Plan Housing Element.
32 Policy S1.13:

Mitigation and
Disaster Recovery
Funding
Work team to identify ways to maximize opportunities to secure federal funding for mitigation and disaster
recovery projects. This could include inter-jurisdictional cooperations.
#6 Page F-1.35
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 4 Table 2: Role of Residents in Community Resilience
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Community
Disaster
Preparedness
Partnership
Establish a community disaster preparedness partnership across residents, businesses, schools, faith community, nonprofits and other relevant stakeholder groups.

New Policy: Disaster
Preparedness
Advisory Committee
Establish a Disaster Preparedness Advisory Committee.

See Town of Portola Valley example.

New Program: Volunteer
Engagement and
Experience
Establish a program designed to increase the number of
residents volunteering to advance public safety and
disaster preparedness. Provide project options, from “do it in a day” to long-term ones. For example, able-bodied
residents can be asked to help keep neighborhood storm
drains clear. Annually recognize and reward residents
volunteering at a yearly event.

New Action: Help
Residents Acquire
supplies
Encourage the acquisition of needed supplies, such as
safety googles, vests, contractor’s broom, canvas/leather gloves, rain boots and water proof pants, etc.

New Policy:

Neighborhood
Communication
Training
Work collaboratively with neighborhood-level disaster
preparedness organizations (i.e. HAM/FRS, CERT, MPC
Ready) to help neighborhoods add proficiency in amateur radio communication skills.

New Program: FRS and
HAM radio
acquisition
Publish the channels that residents should use as back-ups when power or the internet is down. Offer “loans” or give FRS/HAM radios to those part of an effort focused on
helping to build a neighborhood-level communication
network. Help train and supply radios, as needed, where the cost would otherwise prohibit participation.

New Action: Monitor
CCIN
Track, compile and make recommendations to City
Council about residents’ disaster preparedness and safetyrelated concerns and ideas posted to CCIN . #6 Page F-1.36
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 5 Table 3: Neighborhood-level Disaster Preparedness
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Communitypreparedness
Support
Work collaboratively with the Fire District and
community-based groups to support and extend efforts to provide education, emergency/disaster preparedness
training and supplies to the community to support
neighborhood-level disaster preparedness.

New Policy: Support
Neighborhoodlevel Efforts
Support organized efforts, such as Neighborhood Watch,
CERT and from MPC Ready, that help neighbors build
social connections, reduce the potential for crime, and build household and neighborhood-level disaster
preparedness.

New Program:

Increase
Prepared
Neighborhoods
Work collaboratively with community-based groups, and
neighborhood associations, to organize disaster
preparedness and other training activities on a block-byblock or neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. Highlight prepared neighborhoods at the City’s website. Help Fire District and community-based groups to organize more.

Help establish central assembly point locations within
each neighborhood for aid and information exchanges.

New Program:

Household
Readiness
Support and extend community-based efforts to increase
number of households prepared with 7-14 days of
emergency supplies. Establish a program designed to help all income levels get household ready.

New Policy:

Neighborhood
Disaster supply
caches
Establish a program designed to establish communitybased and neighborhood-maintained disaster supplies caches that may be used by residents during the first days immediately after a disaster until such time as City
services become available.

New Action: Adopt a
Storm Drain
Work with Fire District and neighborhood-level disaster preparedness organizations to establish an “Adopt a
Storm drain” program designed to proactively keep drains clear of debris. Drains to be adopted by “organized
neighborhoods.”
New Program:

Neighborhood
Training
Work collaboratively with neighborhood-level disaster
preparedness organizations (i.e., CERT and MPC Ready)
to train neighbors to lay sandbags, clear drains, identify and report issues and hazards, and monitor social media platforms for neighbors in need of help.
#6 Page F-1.37
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 6 Table 4: City’s Role in Leadership and Coordination
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: City’s
Leadership &
Coordination
Ensure that the city provides leadership and coordination of the private sector, public institutions and other public bodies in emergency and disaster preparedness through recovery planning.
31 Policy S1.4:

InterJurisdictional
Cooperation
Continue to Support and help to improve interjurisdictional collaboration, communication, cooperation and coordination with regard to public safety concerns related to natural hazards disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and mitigation. recovery.
36 Policy S1.35:

Disaster
Preparedness
Planning
Ensure Prioritize collaborative disaster preparedness
planning across the whole community in cooperation with other public agencies and appropriate public-interest
organizations. Encourage and support residents to organize in volunteer response groups AND neighborhood-level
disaster preparedness efforts. Collaborate with all related Public Safety Agencies, and community-based groups, for a coordinated response.

New Program:

Collaborative
Plan
Development
and Updates
Lead a collaborative “whole community” planning approach to update City’s Emergency Operations Plan. Include the roles and responsibilities for the stakeholders in the EOP, and in subsequent relevant plans. Also establish an action plan to develop other plans, such as the Pre-Disaster
Recovery Plan, Continuity of Government/Continuity of
Operations, Threats, Hazards, Risk Identification and
Stakeholder Preparedness Review. (THIRA). Representatives to include: community-based organizations, Fire District, schools, businesses, non-profits, Red Cross and other
relevant stakeholders.

New Action: Annual
Report: State of
Disaster
Preparedness
Prepare an annual report, in conjunction with the Fire
District, and relevant non-government organizations active in disasters, on the state of disaster preparedness in Menlo Park.

New Action:

Translations
Increase translational services at public meetings.

New Program:

Collaborative
Mitigation and
Response
Planning
Promote collaborative mitigation and response planning
with neighboring jurisdictions, other agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses and industries, educational
institutions, and residents.
37 Program S1.G
Share Hazard
Data with Other
Agencies
Participate in a cooperative countywide program known as ____, under the direction of ____, to pool natural hazard data developed through special studies or via the project review process and continue to update and implement the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
#6 Page F-1.38
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 7 Table 5: City Employee Preparedness
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Employee
Preparedness
Encourage, motivate and help ensure City employees get
individually and household prepared for disasters.

New Program:

Preparedness
Incentives
Devise a program helping employees to acquire 7-14 days of shelter-in-place supplies of water, food, medicine, and other necessities for each household member, including pets. Also support the ability of all able-bodied City employees to purchase a set of supplies and tools useful in their role as Disaster Service Workers. Items to include: contractor’s broom, weather or canvas/leather gloves, hard hat, safety googles, safety vests, a paddle for moving water, and
okay/help sign for windows.

New Action:

Disaster
Service
Worker
Training
Yearly review with City staff, at a public meeting attended by representation from the County Department of Emergency
Management and the Fire District, employee duties and
expectations as disaster service workers following a disaster.

New Program:

Menlo Park
CERT
Response
Team
Promote CERT training. Request that the Fire District provide CERT Training to City employees and provide incentives for participation. Hold post-training drills and other activities designed to create a trained and ready Menlo Park employee and resident CERT team with disaster response deployment protocols.

New Program:

FRS/HAM
Integration
Encourage employee training in the use of hand-held radios and the acquiring of the HAM radio license. Encourage
employees, especially those living in Menlo Park, to help support the building of neighborhood-level communication response protocols following a disaster.

New Action:

Financial
Preparedness
Hold training sessions focused on disaster financial
preparedness for City staff. Expand program to invite
community members.
#6 Page F-1.39
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 8 Table 6: Public Information and Warning Systems
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended modifications
36 Policy S1:37:

Emergency
Notification
System
Continue to support and improve on the Emergency
Notification System for disaster Information release in emergencies. Maintain official communication updates
to the city website and communication outlets (e.g.,
SMC Alerts and social media channels).

New Program: SMC
Alert Educational
Campaign
Establish a program designed to achieve 70% or higher
Menlo Park resident enrollment in SMC Alert.
36 Policy S1.40:

Public Health
Collaborate with County health services (and other
health services as appropriate) on communication and
mitigation/adaptation strategies during public health
crises, such as communicable and infectious diseases.
39 Program S.1R
Public
Communication
Develop communication protocols for disseminating
information to the Menlo Park Community, including
public-facing businesses (such as retail and
restaurants) and congregative living facilities during
public health crises.

New Program:

Reaching
Vulnerable
Populations
Establish clear plans and protocols for alerting the
more vulnerable members of the Menlo Park
community. Work with elected officials, other
jurisdictions, and community members to develop prescribed message templates to expedite release. Plan to include communications in Spanish, Mandarin and
other languages spoken by population segments. Plan
to include methods of reaching those without the
internet or mobile devices, the hearing and visual
impaired, etc. Establish who has authority to send alert notifications.

New Program: Test
City’s emergency
notification
systems
Regularly test the City’s 911 and other systems to
identify capacity issues. Determine if all public safety answering points (i.e., 911, 211, etc.) are integrated to handle surges in call volume. Determine staffing
requirements and establish a staffing plan. Include
stresses on emergency communication systems in
disaster exercise planning.

New Program: Reliable
amateur
communications
protocols
Work with Fire District, neighborhood-level disaster
preparedness organizations (i.e., MPC Ready), and the
HAM/FRS amateur radio community to develop, and
regularly test and practice, neighborhood-level
protocols designed to quickly relay accurate
information about block and neighborhood conditions
to the City’s designated contact point.
#6 Page F-1.40
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 9 Table 7: City’s Role in Public Education
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Public
Education
Programs
Work collaboratively with the Fire District, and relevant community-based organizations, to sponsor and support
comprehensive public education programs for emergency and disaster preparedness.
39 Program S1.Q
Senior
Outreach
Develop disaster preparedness outreach and education for sensitive populations including persons with disabilities and older adults. Engagement should include prevention, shelterin-place and evacuation plans. Special care should be given to engage individuals who require in-home support.

New Program:

Information
to new
tenants and
homeowners
Explore possible programs that would enable, encourage or require new landlords, property managers and realtors to provide information to new tenants and ne homeowners about emergency and disaster preparedness, evacuation routes and home safety.

New Program:

Expanded
Website
Information
Expand public awareness of specific hazards and risks by making available all relevant information in easily
understandable and downloadable form. Information to
include maps and reports on various hazards, information on vulnerability and risk reduction techniques, evacuation routes, emergency services and information on financial and technical assistance resources.

New Program:

Expanded
Outreach
Provide emergency and disaster preparedness information to residents through libraries, the city website, social media, radio and other locations.
36 Policy S1.36:

Community
Preparedness
Collaborate with Fire District, the County’s Department of Emergency Management, and community stakeholder groups
to Encourage improved safety programs for schools,
institutions and industries to promote greater public awareness of all types of hazards and appropriate response and support the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management in its efforts to promote Office of Emergency Management program on emergency disaster preparedness.
39 Program S1.O
Encourage
Disaster Drills
in Schools
Coordinate Collaborate with the Fire District, to encourage school districts in and local private schools to conducting disaster drills in schools, augmented with a community
awareness campaign on how, when and where children are to be reunited with their parents.

New Action:

Children and
Youth
Education
Work with Fire District to offer age-appropriate education and training programs related to teaching children and youth how to better prepare for disasters and emergencies, such as how to size up the safety of a scene, use a rope ladder to evacuate a multi-story building, etc.
#6 Page F-1.41
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 10 Table 8: At-Risk and Special Needs Communities
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended modifications
39 Program S1.U
Emergency
Preparedness
for Sensitive
Populations
Review and improve Develop disaster response capabilities, recovery operations and evacuation planning and recovery capabilities to protect and meet the needs of all members of the community, especially the most vulnerable and
disadvantaged. for sensitive populations in the event of earthquake or other disaster.

New Program:

Special needs
populations
Work with community-based organizations, and non-profits, to establish programs focused on the safety of special needs populations, including those with access and functional needs, mobility issues, those lacking personal transportation (car, scooter or bike) and electronic devices and access to the internet, and the low-income and unhoused populations.

New Policy:

Completeness
of Support for
Special
Populations
Ensure completeness and availability of identified
emergency/disaster supplies and resources and resources to all segments of the population, focusing especially on the most vulnerable. Include possible needs for temporary
shelter or housing, and items such as medical supplies and services, generators, pumps, sandbags, road and storm drain clearing and communication facilities.

New Policy:

Outreach to
Limited
English
Proficiency
Speakers
Ensure that all outreach and educational materials be
available in Spanish, and in other languages needed to reach population segments with limited English language
proficiency.

New Policy:

Unhoused
Safety
Work with County Public Health and other local government agencies, non-profits, and community-based organizations to devise plans focused on helping to protect the unhoused population in Menlo Park from emergencies and disasters.

New Program:

Baseline
Assessment of
Disaster
Readiness
Using FEMA recommended guidelines, work with
community-based organizations and other volunteers to
conduct a baseline assessment of disaster readiness, paying particular attention to gathering information on the most vulnerable.

New Program:

Financial
Assistance to
Reduce Risk
Identify or develop programs to provide financial incentives or assistance to low-income households for fire, earthquake and flooding home hardening, and other measures to reduce risk.

New Policy: Post
Disaster
Housing
Security
Prioritize assisting low-income households and renters to be able to remain in their housing following a disaster.
#6 Page F-1.42
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 11 Table 9: City’s Role in Response
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Staff
Training
City departments shall conduct an appropriate level of staff training addressing emergency/disaster readiness, evacuation routes, first aid, staging areas and procedures, continuity of services, and response and recovery operations
New Action: Whole
Community
Response
Training
Encourage and support coordinated response training between local and regional police, fire and public health agencies in preparation for natural and human-made disasters.

Incorporate CERTs.

New Program:

Disaster
Response
Training
Work collaboratively with the Fire District, and relevant community-based organizations, to educate and train residents in how to respond to emergency and disaster situations in their neighborhoods.

New Program:

Community
Exercises
Conduct community-facing drills, simulations and exercises to enhance disaster preparedness and build local capacity to better respond to impacts resulting from known hazards
New Program:

Plan testing
Test, maintain and revise the City’s disaster response plan(s) consistent with California Standardized Emergency
Management System (SEMS). Establish clear coordination of roles and expectations across the County Department of
Emergency Services, County Public Health, Fire District, neighboring jurisdictions, local school districts and schools, trained volunteers from relevant community-based
organizations and other agencies.

New Policy:

Reduce Post
Disaster
Damage
Establish and maintain a rapid plan to safely reduce potential post-disaster damage, and to rapidly access damage. Formulate and adopt damage assessment protocols and train appropriate inspection personnel, and volunteers, to implement these protocols.

New Program:

Volunteer
Force
Establish a rapid way to call up, train and deploy a volunteer force willing to help clear storm drains, safely remove debris, staff sandbag distribution centers, monitor creek water levels, and help with others related tasks before or following winter storms. Volunteer force could also be deployed to assist those requiring aid, such as by delivering sandbags or other supplies.

CERTs, volunteers with community-based organizations, and willing residents the foundation of this program. Supplement with a plan for spontaneous volunteers who want to help.

Police Chief or another designated City authority to work with volunteers.
#6 Page F-1.43
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 12 Table 10: Evacuation Routes & Emergency Assembly Points Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended modifications
36 Policy S1.338:

Emergency
Connectors
and
Evacuation
routes
Maintain Establish a system of emergency connectors and evacuation routes as part of the City’s disaster planning. and evaluate their capacity, safety and viability under a range of disaster and emergency scenarios.

New Policy:

Publicize
evacuation
routes
Designate and publicize evacuation routes and emergency service locations (hospitals, fire stations, etc.) within the city and sub region. Include existing City pathways and other pedestrian rights-of-ways and bike routes in the
published designated evacuation route map. Prioritize
undergrounding of utilities for designated routes, unless that would make the route less safe.

New Policy:

Establish
Emergency
Assembly
Points
Work with community-based organizations, and the Fire
District, to establish and publish a series of marked
Emergency Assembly Points.

Table 11: Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Post
Disaster
Recovery
Planning
Establish pre-event planning for post-disaster recovery as an integral element of the disaster preparedness program of the City Council and each of the City Departments.

New Program:

Continuity of
City
Government
Provide for the continuation of City government and
services following a major disaster. Establish plans,
including such aspects as emergency supplies, sufficient to carry out assigned disaster responsibilities.

New Action:

Decisionmaking
structure
Outline a structure and process for decision-and policymaking, involving elected officials and other relevant advisory commissions and committees. Specify roles,
priorities and responsibilities of the various departments within the City Organization. At least yearly, review and/or practice the established process and protocols via
simulations and/or drills.
#6 Page F-1.44
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 13 New Action: Disaster
Recovery Plan
Prepare a basic disaster recovery plan that outlines the major issues and tasks that are likely to be the key elements of community recovery. Examine issues such as debris
removal, provision of shelter, interim housing, restoration of services, interim business resumption facilities,
protection of key resources including historic ones,
standards for replacement of structures located in
hazardous areas and/or posing hazards, and restoring
neighborhood and community character.

New Action:

Integrate
community into
Recovery Plan
Integrate recovery planning as an element of the
community-based disaster response plan. Identify possible roles for community organizations, business, faith
community, schools and neighborhoods in the recovery
process.

New Policy: Post
Disaster
Interim
Housing
Strategy
Establish a post-disaster interim housing strategy.

New Program: Keep
Residents
Housed
Work with City Officials, the Red Cross and a coalition of stakeholders to develop a realistic post disaster housing recovery plan focused on keeping residents in Menlo Park after a major disaster. Plan needs to include temporary shelters while quickly enabling building owners to make repairs. Plan to focus on increasing the ability of residents to a) shelter in their homes or with a neighbor, b) in
temporary locations (such as mobile housing sites) near where they live, or with a Menlo Park resident willing to temporarily house displaced residents. These efforts should be supplemented by Red Cross-led shelter locations.

Program to include public education about the reality of life in a shelter (i.e., there are rules and typically they do not take pets) and the desirability of being prepared to shelter at home or in one’s backyard until services are restored.

New Action: Shelter
Location
Communication
Plan
Prepare a pre-need communication plan designed to
quickly publish locations of temporary and Red Cross
shelters.
#6 Page F-1.45
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 14

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Land Use to Promote Resilience
Table 12: Emergency Vehicle Access & Fire Flow (Water)
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
32 Policy S1.11:

Visibility and
Access to
Address Safety
Concerns
Require that development be designed to permit
maximum visibility and access to law enforcement,
ambulance, and fire control vehicles consistent with
privacy and other design considerations.
36 Policy S1.39:

Emergency
Vehicle Access
Require that all private roads be designed to allow access for emergency vehicles as a prerequisite to the granting of permits and approvals for construction.

New Program: Public
Notice:

Insufficient
Emergency
Routes
Publicly disclose new development locations without
sufficient emergency route access or capacity. Work with residents to develop plans designed to help mitigate for their risk. Ensure all are aware of their Zonehaven zone, and registered with SMC Alert and other alert systems.

New Policy: Fire
District
Response Time
Ensure that new roadways are developed in accordance
with Fire District adopted response time standards for
emergency vehicle access. Publish these standards at
City’s website. Update Municipal Code as needed.

New Program:

Development
Access to
Emergency
Vehicles
In all new development, require access to be provided in accordance with Fire District adopted response time
standards for emergency vehicle access, including
adequate widths, turning radii, hard standing areas, and vertical clearance.

New Program:

Widen Critical
Right of Ways
Develop a plan to widen critical rights-of-ways that do not provide adequate clearance for emergency vehicles.

For areas that are not feasibly accessible to emergency vehicles, develop a contingency plan for reaching and
evacuating people in need of treatment.

New Policy: Water
Supplies and
Fire Flow
Require adequate water supply and fire flow throughout
the city to meet fire demand during times of peak
domestic water demand through a cooperative
relationship with the local water districts serving Menlo Park.

New Policy: Higher
Water Flow
Require Fire District approval for larger housing projects that require higher water fire flow demands on water
infrastructure. Ensure needed mitigation efforts are
incorporated into project design, and adhered to in the implementation.

New Policy: Traffic
Calming
Devices &
Emergency
Vehicles
Require usage of Fire District approved traffic calming devices on non-primary Fire District response routes
only.
#6 Page F-1.46
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 15 Table 13: Location of New Development
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
31 Policy S1:

Location of
Future
Development
Permit development only in those areas where potential
danger to the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the community can be adequately mitigated to
moderate or below levels, as detailed in the City’s risk classification chart.
33 Policy S1.14:

Geotechnical
Studies
Continue to require site-specific geologic and
geotechnical studies, from certified engineering
geologists or other qualified professionals, for land
development or construction projects subject to
geologic hazards, including fault rupture, severe ground shaking, liquefaction. Landslides and collapsible or
expansive soils in areas of potential land instability as shown on the State and/or other local geologic hazard
maps or identified through other means.
33 Policy S1.15:

Potential Land
Instability
Prohibit development in areas of potential land
instability identified on State and/or local geologic
hazard maps, or identified through other means, unless
a geologic investigation by a qualified geologist
demonstrates hazards can be mitigated to a moderate or
below acceptable level as defined by the State of
California in __________ and/also consistent with
any applicable State and local standard and
requirement such as ____________.

New Program: EIR
Workshops
Hold public workshops on the Environmental Impact
Report process, designed to educate the public on the
process and procedure required by law and how to
make effective comments.
37 Program S1.D
Require Early
Investigation of
potential
Hazard
Conditions
Require that potential geologic, seismic, soils and/or
hydrological problems confronting public or private
development be thoroughly investigated at the earliest
states of the design process, and that these topics be
comprehensively evaluated in the environmental review
process by technical experts.
31 Policy S1.3:

Hazard Data
and Standards.

Integrate hazard data (food, earthquake, sea level rise, etc.) from ________and risk evaluations that follow
________criteria into the development review process
and maintain, develop and adopt up-to-date FEMA
standards, such as ___, ____ and ___ to reduce the
level of risk from natural and human caused hazards for all land uses.

New Action: Risk
Assessment
Chart
Develop, maintain, and update a risk assessment chart,
with any necessary references to State statues, and
include it in the Safety Element.
#6 Page F-1.47
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 16 37 Program S1.E
Modify the
Zoning and
Subdivision
Ordinances as
Needed to
Address Hazard
Mitigation
Modify the Zoning Ordinances as needed when new
information on natural hazards becomes available from
___________ , and to provide for hazard reduction
measures such as __________as part of the design
criteria for development review. Review the Subdivision Ordinance (No: __________) and modify as needed to
include hazard reduction in the process of dividing land for development.
37 Program S1.B:

Maintain Upto-Date Hazard
Maps and
Databases.

Maintain databases and maps of geologic and other
hazards, and post links to these at the City’s website, to identify areas prone to hazards for planning purposes on an on-going basis concurrently with updates to the
General Plan Housing Element.
31 Policy S1.5:

New Habitable
Structures
Require that all new habitable structures incorporate
adequate hazard mitigation measures as detailed in
_____________to reduce identified risks from natural
and human-caused hazards.

Table 14: Long-Range Hazard Considerations
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Adequate
Mitigation
Measures
Periodically review trends and projections of future fire, flood and earthquake risk and corresponding hazard risk reduction capabilities to ensure that mitigation measures are adequate.

New Program:

Review
ConnectMenlo
Conduct an objective outside review of the
ConnectMenlo Program-level EIR and zoning
ordinances to determine if new information on hazards
and risks warrants additional mitigation measures.

New Policy: Climate
Change Trends
Incorporate forecasted impacts from climate change into trends and projections of future risks and consideration of policies to address identified risk.

New Program:

National Policy
and NFPA 1600
Review
Periodically review national policy and National Fire
Protection Association NFPA 1600 standards for all
hazards disaster/emergency management and business
continuity programs and make relevant updates to the
City’s disaster/emergency preparedness efforts.

New Program:

Update Risk
Assessment Tool
Using best available data and tools, update the flood, fire and earthquake risk assessment regularly to account for climate change or other factors, and alert public and
private landowners in future high-risk areas regarding
changes in hazard severity or risk levels
New Program: Avoid
Expansion in
High-Risk Areas
Avoid significant expansion of new development, critical facilities, and infrastructure in areas subject to extreme threat or high risk from fires, flooding and/or
earthquake-related risk unless all feasible risk reduction measures have been incorporated into project designs or conditions of approval
#6 Page F-1.48
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 17 Table 15: Public Utilities & Critical Infrastructure
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Strengthen
Utilities
Promote the strengthening of planned utilities, the
retrofit and rehabilitation of existing weak structures and lifeline utilities, and the relocation or strengthening of certain critical facilities to increase public safety and minimize potential damage from seismic and geological
hazards.
31 Policy S1.2:

Location of
Public
Improvements
Avoid Prohibit locating new public improvements,
utilities and waste water treatment facilities in Menlo Park areas with identified flood, geologic and/or soil
hazards to avoid any extraordinary maintenance and
operating expenses, and risk to public health. When the location of public improvements utility is already there, establish and enforce effective mitigation measures.
32 Policy S1.6:

Design and
Location of
Utilities
Monitor appropriate location, design, construction,
maintenance and inspection standards for utility systems traversing hazard areas within the city limits. This would include evaluating and upgrading outdated systems and
infrastructure, integrating green infrastructure as much as practical, coordinating with the State Public Utilities Commission and location new utility systems away from
potential hazard areas.
37 Program S1.F
Work with the
Public utilities
Commission
Work with the California Public Utilities Commission to require public utilities to apply the policies in this element to the planning and operation of their facilities, and to coordinate their activities with local planning agencies. 36 Policy S1.33:

Location of
Critical
Facilities
Locate Menlo Park planned critical facilities (e.g.,
hospitals, schools, Emergency Operations Center (E.O.C.) to minimize impacts from hazards, and encourage critical facilities planned by outside agencies (e.g., hospitals or clinics, schools) to also locate these facilitates to minimize impacts from hazards.
36 Policy S1.34:

Continued
Functioning of
Utilities and
Critical Use
Facilities
(Essential
Service
Buildings)
Encourage local public utilities and service providers to locate and design facilities and systems to ensure
continued service in emergency conditions. Ask utility
providers to Maintain ensure structural and operational integrity of essential public facilities during flooding and other emergency conditions.
#6 Page F-1.49
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 18 Table 16: Hazardous Materials
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
33 Policy S1.18:

Potential Exposure
of New Residential
Development to
Hazardous
Materials
Minimize risk associated with hazardous materials by
assessing exposure to hazardous materials of new
residential development and sensitive populations near
existing industrial and manufacturing areas.

New Action: Increased
notification of
development sites
with hazardous
materials
In public notices, staff reports, and other targeted or relevant communications pertaining to a particular
development site with known hazardous materials,
include prominent links to the State’s Department of
Toxic Substances Control, Cortese List along with status of “clean up.”
33 Policy S1.19:

Potentially
hazardous
Materials
Conditions
Investigation
Continue to require developers to conduct an
investigation, by a qualified specialist, of soils,
groundwater, and buildings affected by hazardous
materials potentially released from prior land uses in
areas historically used for commercial or industrial uses, and identify and implement mitigation measures to
avoid adversely affecting the environment or the health and safety of residents or new uses.
33 Policy S1.20:

Disposal of
Existing Hazardous
Materials on Sites
Planning for
Housing
Continue to require that sites planned for housing be
cleared of hazardous materials (e.g., paint, solvents,
chlorine) and the hazardous materials disposed in
compliance with State, county and federal laws.
33 Policy S1.17:

Hazardous
Materials
Regulations
Review and strengthen, if necessary, regulations for the structural design and/or uses involving hazardous
materials to minimize risk to local populations. Enforce compliance with current State and local requirements for the manufacturing, use, storage, transportation, and
disposal of hazardous materials, and the designation of appropriate truck routes in Menlo Park.
34 Policy S1.21:

Pipeline Safety
Require, to the extent practical, that new pipelines and other channels carrying hazardous materials be placed to avoid residential areas and in particular, areas where the population is less mobile.
38 Program S1.K
Track Remediation
Needs for Existing
Known Hazardous
Soils and Other
Hazardous
Materials.

Monitor remediation of existing known hazards, such as
contaminated soils and clean-up of leaking or abandoned underground storage tanks, and publish findings at the
City’s website. .
#6 Page F-1.50
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 19 38 Program S1.J
Require health and
Safety Plan for
Hazardous
Materials
Require the preparation of health and safety plans to be used to protect the general public and all workers in
construction areas from potentially hazardous materials.

The plan shall describe the practices and procedures to protect worker health in the event of an accidental
release of hazardous materials or if previously
undiscovered hazardous materials are encountered
during construction. The plan shall include items such as spill prevention, cleanup and evacuation procedures. The plan will help protect the public and works by providing procedures and contingencies that will help reduce the
exposure to hazardous materials.

Table 17: Improve City Mitigation Programs
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Aircraft
Safety
Work with the Federal Aviation Administration, the San
Francisco Airport, and local airports to establish aircraft corridors which minimize the exposure of Menlo Park
residents to excessive noise and potential harm from air traffic hazards.

New Policy: Train
Crossing
Safety
Use technology to improve safety at grade crossings while causing the least environmental harm, including Quiet
Zone improvements such as upgraded and updated warning
devices, additional gate arms, extended and raised
mediums, improved signage, and coordinated traffic
signals.
38 Program S1.N
Investigating
Potential
Impact of
Train
Derailment on
Emergency
Services
Coordinate with Caltrain and Union Pacific. Expand to
encompass emergency plans for all transit and paratransit operations.
36 Policy S1.41:

Heat
Adaptation
Support strategies to help reduce the heat island effect and minimize its effect on the Menlo Park Community.
39 Program S1.S
Public Heat
Respite
Incorporate public respite areas from heat when
remodeling or developing new public buildings and open
space. This could include landscaping, architectural, or design features as well as policies to allow community
members into public buildings on days and nights with
extreme heat.
#6 Page F-1.51
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 20 39 Program S1.T
Heat Island
minimization
Develop street tree and landscaping policies that minimize heat islands within Menlo Park, particularly in
Disadvantaged Communities (see Figure S.13.) Heat Island Effect Map. Incorporate innovative shade design, water
features and cooling centers at parks. Identify opportunities to implement cool corridors and other interventions to
improve pedestrian comfort. Install cool pavement material on city streets. Explore climate-adapted urban design
principles particularly for high heat areas, such as crossventilation, enhanced open space, use of cool material, green roofing and requirements for both heating and
cooling of buildings.

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Reduce Seismic Hazards
Table 18: Reduce Risk from Seismic Related Hazards
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Emergency
Water Storage
Establish enough water storage to serve as an
alternate drinking, sanitation, medical and firefighting water supply for at least 7 days in the event of a failure of water infrastructure delivery pipelines
and/or local water districts serving Menlo Park.
32 Policy S1.7:

Hazard
Reduction
Reform building code to require higher standards for
building safety and post-earthquake re-occupancy to
reduce post-disaster displacement of residents,
especially renters. Continue to require new
development to reduce the seismic vulnerability of
buildings and susceptibility to other hazards through
enforcement of the California Building Standards
Code and other programs.
37 Program S1.C:

Review
Building code
updates
Work with a coalition of City officials, design
professionals and community members to amend the
City of Menlo Park’s building code by _____ to
require higher standards for new buildings,
considering not only basic safety but also postdisaster usage and occupancy. Continue to review State Building Code updates and incorporate local
amendments as appropriate to require that new
construction be designed under the most current
safety standards. The review of updates should also
consider requirements for facilities housing sensitive
populations, such as seniors and persons living with
disabilities.
#6 Page F-1.52
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 21 38 Program S1.H
Enforce Seismic
Risk Analysis
and Adequate
Construction
Standards
Enforce seismic risk analysis and adequate
construction standards through the building permit
and inspection process.
38 Program S1.I
Review
Approach to
Buildings in
High Seismic
Risk Areas
Continue to support the California Residential
Mitigation Program’s (CRMP) Earthquake Brace &
Bolt program and consider establishing a program to
help both residential and non-residential property
owners identify if they own a building in a high
seismic hazards risk area or a seismically vulnerable
building, including soft-story buildings, and identify
what incentives exist to encourage repair or
demolition.

New Policy: Retrofit
Soft Story
Residential
Buildings
Prioritize the retrofitting of the City of Menlo Park’s most seismically vulnerable “soft-story” residential
buildings. Soft story buildings have one of the highest risks of significant damage during a large earthquake.

New Program: Softstory retrofitsWork with a coalition of City officials, retrofit experts, landowners and community members to make
recommendations designed to retrofit the hundreds of
seismically dangerous Menlo Park “soft-story”
buildings. Soft-story buildings share the following
characteristics: 1) Wood-frame construction of two
stories or more permitted according to building codes
of 1978 and before. 2) Ground floor portion of the
structure contains parking or other similar open
walls, which cause soft or weak structural elements.

Pursue State funding from new grant programs. Other
ideas could include an Earthquake Retrofit fair,
seismic retrofit ordinances, efforts to educate tenants on the risk, and to incent building owners to retrofit. 33 Policy S1.16:

Funding
Earthquake
Resistance
Improvements
Support State and Federal financial assistance or tax
incentive programs to encourage repair, demolition or
abatement of earthquake hazardous structures.

New Policy:

Strengthen
Utilities
Promote the strengthening of planned utilities, the
retrofit and rehabilitation of existing weak structures and lifeline utilities, and the relocation or
strengthening of certain critical facilities to increase public safety and minimize potential damage from
seismic and geological hazards.
#6 Page F-1.53
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 22

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Fire Hazards
Table 19: Reduce Fire Hazards & Risk
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Meaningful Fire
District Involvement
Meaningfully involve the Fire District in the
major project design and review process.

New Policy: Assist private
landowners in home
hardening
Use public and private funding, where
available, to the greatest extent practical to
assist private landowners in implementing
defensible space and building retrofits to
achieve a low-risk condition.
35 Policy S1.32: Fire
Resistant Design
Encourage new homes to incorporate fire
resistant design and strategies such as the use
of fire-resistant materials and landscaping, and
creating defensible space e.g., areas free of
highly flammable vegetation.

New Program: Reduce risk
of wildfire-urban
interface fires
Ensure public and private landowners
minimize the risk of wildfire moving from
wildland areas to developed properties, or from
property to property (including from embers)
by increasing structural hardening measures
(e.g., fire-rated roofing and fire-resistant
construction materials and techniques),
maintaining and improving defensible space.

New Program: WildfireUrban Interface riskreduction programDevelop a comprehensive wildfire-urban interface risk reduction program and associated
funding/financing for existing development to
improve defensible space, increase home and
structural hardening, and increase vegetation
and fuels management in areas of Menlo Park
at higher risk from fire.
32 Policy S1.10: Safety
Review of Development
Projects
Continue to require hazard mitigation, fire
prevention and adequate access for emergency
vehicles in new development. Make standards
easily accessible to the general public.
35 Policy S1.30: Fire
Equipment and
Personnel Access.

Require adequate access and clearance, to the
maximum extent practical, for fire equipment,
fire suppression personnel, and evacuation for
high occupancy structures. in coordination with
the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. Publish
these standards at the City’s website.
#6 Page F-1.54
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 23 38 Program S1.M Fire
Sprinkler
Requirements
Work with the Fire District to evaluate whether
to encourage sprinkler requirements that are
beyond State-Minimum Code.

New Program: Sprinklers in
downtown businesses
Work with the Fire District to develop an
incentive and funding/financing program
aimed at encouraging building owners to add
sprinklers to downtown City of Menlo Park
businesses that currently lack sprinklers.

Extend program to other small business zones,
as needed.

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Flooding and Dam Failure
Table 20: Flooding and Water Storage Facilities Failure Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Minimize
risk from flooding
Minimize injury, loss of life, property damage and
economic and social disruption caused by flooding
and inundation hazards.

New Policy: Municipal
Regulations
Ensure flood plain regulations in the municipal
code meet the latest FEMA requirements regarding
new construction, redevelopment and major
remodels.

New Action: Master
Storm Drainage
Report
Develop or update a Master Storm Drainage
Report to identify areas of the City’s drainage
system that may require update or modification.

New Action: Drainage
Improvement
Program
Develop a drainage improvement program that
identifies culverts and pipes that do not meet
current standards and/or natural drainages that
can benefit from natural systems enhancements.

New Policy: Impervious
surface
Employ strategies and design features that will
reduce the amount of impervious surface (i.e.,
paved area) within new development projects.

New Policy: Owner
Initiative and
Proactiveness
Encourage owners of buildings in flood-prone
areas to take appropriate measures to reduce the
likelihood of flood damage to their property.
34 Policy S1.26:

Creeks and
Drainage Ways
Seek to retain San Francisquito and Atherton
creeks/channels in their natural state in order to
prevent undue erosion of creek banks. Protect
creek-side habitat by limiting development near
creek bank and provide maintenance access along
creeks where appropriate.
#6 Page F-1.55
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 24 35 Policy S1.28:

Regional Water
Quality Central
Board (RWQCB)
Requirements
Enforce stormwater pollution prevention practices
and appropriate watershed management plans in
the RWQCB general National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System requirements, the San Mateo
County Water Pollution Prevention Program, and
the City’s Stormwater Management Program.

Revise, as necessary, City plans so they integrate
water quality and watershed protection with water
supply, flood control, habitat protection,
groundwater recharge, and other sustainable
development principles and policies.
35 Policy S1.29: Sea
Level Rise
Consider sea level rise in siting new facilities or
residents within potentially affected areas and
maintain up-to-date sea level rise inundation data
from U.S. Geological Survey. Data should indicate
the projected extent of flooding should the project
experience one (1) percent annual chance storm
with or without sea level rise.
• The baseline scenario shows flooding with a 1
percent annual chance storm.
• The mid-level scenario shows flooding with a 1
percent chance annual storm and 3.3 feet of sea
level rise.
• The high-end scenario shows flooding with a 1
percent annual storm and 6.6 feet of sea level
rise.
34 Policy S1.22: Flood
and Tsunami
Hazard Planning
and Mapping.

Consider the Actively monitor the threat of
flooding and tsunamis in planning and
management practices to minimize risk to life,
environment, and property. and Maintain and
publish tsunami hazard zones maps and flood
maps as new information is provided by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
and other regional agencies. Establish a detailed
risk-assessment evaluation tool designed to
objectively assess risk and to permit only uses and
development where damage and impacts to health
and safety can be minimized to a pre-established
level in the event of inundation.
#6 Page F-1.56
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 25 34 Policy S1.23: Flood
Damage Prevention
Continue to apply standards for any construction
projects (new structures and existing structures
proposed for substantial improvement) in areas of
special 100-year floodplain zone flood hazard in
accordance with FEMA and the Flood Damage
Prevention Ordinance, including the use of floodresistant construction materials and construction methods that minimize flood damage. To the
extent practical, locate new essential public
facilities outside of flood zones, such as City
operations facilities, police and fire stations, and
hospitals, unless risks are minimized.

New Policy: Evacuation
Planning
Require all essential and critical facilities in or
within 200 feet of a 100-year or 500-year flood
zones to develop disaster response and evacuation
plans that address the actions that will be taken in
the event of flooding.
34 Policy S1.24:

Potential Dam
Inundation
Consider potential of risks from dam inundation in
the development approval process by _______.

New Program: Dam
Education
Educate the public on the potential risks from
“sunny day” Bear Gulch and Felt Lake dam
inundation possibilities. Also educate the public as
to what to be aware of when traveling in other
areas with dams.

New Policy: Water
storage facilities
Evaluate and monitor water storage facilities to
determine which facilities might pose an
inundation hazard to downstream properties.
38 Program S1.L
Evaluate New
Community
Facilities Proposed
in Dam Inundation
Zones
Require that new community facilities located
within dam inundation zones evaluate the potential
for flooding and the impact on evacuation during
the development approval process and develop
appropriate evacuation plans and other mitigation
measures as part of the approval process.
34 Policy S1.25 Dam
Safety
Support programs by the California Division of
Safety of Dams to retrofit or replace dams or to
increase earthquake resistance of dams and
mitigate impacts of dam failures. State efforts to
inspect dams and evaluate dam safety
requirements shall also be supported. Notify
residents living in potential dam inundation areas
of dam retrofitting efforts, and their risks should
the dams fail before the retrofitting is completed.
34 Policy S1.27:

Erosion and
Sediment Control
Continue to require the use of best management
practices for erosion and sediment control
measures with proposed development in
compliance with application regional regulations.
#6 Page F-1.57
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 26

POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS
Public Safety Services
Table 21: Public Safety Services
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
32 Policy S1.9:

Community Safety
Services and
Facilities
In Coordination with other agencies, maintain
adequate and cost-effective levels of safety services,
facilities and programs to address safety concerns in
Menlo Park.

New Policy: Adequate
equipment,
personnel and
support
Provide the Police Department with adequate
personnel, equipment and state-of-the art
technology to effectively combat crime, meet
existing and projected service demands and provide
crime prevention programs. These resources should
be provided before anticipated needs.

New Policy; Police
Involvement in
Review Process
Involve the City of Menlo Park Police Department in
the development project design and review process.

New Policy:

Community
Programs
Continue to support, develop and implement
programs that help to develop positive relationships
between the Police Department and community
members and increase mutual trust and respect.
32 Policy S1.12:

Provide a Safe
Transportation
System
Aligning with Circulation Element policies CIRC-1
through CIRC-1.9, provide and maintain a safe
circulation system that promotes a healthy, safe and
active community throughout Menlo Park.

New Policy: Reimagine
Policing
Prioritize efforts to reimagine community-based
policing in Menlo Park.

New Program: Working
Group
Continue the efforts begun in 2022 towards the idea
of making transformational reforms to public safety.

Create a small working group, that includes the
Police Chief or delegate, designed to identify areas
for greater synergy across long-range planning and
activities. Consider ideas such as establishing a new
Public Safety and Disaster Resilience Department.
#6 Page F-1.58
Prepared by Lynne Bramlett. Last Update: February 21, 2023 27 Table 22: Reduce Crime
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy: Crime
Preventative
Characteristics
and Design
Features
Promote and integrate crime preventative
characteristics into all phases of the planning and
development process. Maximize natural
surveillance through physical design features, such
as visible entryways from surrounding structures
and businesses; well-designed and visible walkways
and gates; well-lighted driveways, walkways and
exteriors, and landscaping that enhances visibility.

New Policy: well-lit
community
areas
Ensure that community areas and amenities such as
transit stopes, sidewalks, plazas, parks, trails and
bike paths are appropriately lighted, free of hiding
places, and frequently patrolled.

New Policy:

Complementary
uses
Maximize security of public spaces, recreational
facilities, and new development by encouraging
complementary uses that support safety.

New Policy: Crime
Prevention
Education
Provide crime prevention education programs,
including how to prevent or reduce bike thefts.

Table 23: Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
Draft Safety
Element Page
Reference Recommended Modifications
New Policy:

Circulation
Improvements
Make circulation improvements, such as placing clear
signs for bikers and pedestrians, and providing buffers and traffic calming to tame automobile traffic around
pedestrians and cyclists. Work with the Fire District to ensure that traffic calming devices do not restrict
emergency vehicle access.

New Policy: Encourage
walking and
biking
Furnish streets with bike racks, benches, lighting and
landscaping, and repairing dangerous sidewalks, to
encourage bicycle riding and walking
New Policy: Safe
pedestrian and
bicycle movement
Enhance and maintain safe pedestrian and bicycle
movement through the integration of traffic control
devices, crosswalks, and pedestrian-oriented lightning, into the design of streets, sidewalks, trails and school routes throughout Menlo Park.

New Policy Safe
Routes for Kids
Support creation of safe routes that encourage children to walk or bike to schools and recreational facilities.

New Policy: Remove
impediments
Identify and attempt to remove impediments to
pedestrian and bicycle access associated with rail,
street, freeway and waterway crossings, and poorly
marked or maintained pathways and sidewalks.
#6 Page F-1.59
1 From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2023 3:56 PM
To: _Planning Commission
Subject: Fwd: Prioritizing a Disaster Prepared Community -- Extensive Input into Safety Element -- Resending
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear Planning Commission,
I thought that I should also send you my input into the Safety Element. Pages 14-23 include a particular focus on matters pertaining to new development. Please see the below email to the Council. The items in red font are my suggestions. The Planning Commission is an important recommending body. While your role seems more focused on approving projects, I hope that you will consider adding more oversight to your role as it pertains to public safety as part of the development process. I spent considerable time researching what other jurisdictions have implemented and I incorporated ideas I thought particularly applicable to Menlo Park. We are concentrating our development in a multi-hazard area with high-density. This is known to increase the potential of loss of life, injury and property damage following disasters.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I would attend your meeting but I have a prior engagement.

Thank you for your service to Menlo Park.

Lynne Bramlett
Organizing Member & President, MPC Ready
https://mpcready.org/
650-380-3028
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, Feb 26, 2023 at 11:45 AM
Subject: Prioritizing a Disaster Prepared Community -- Extensive Input into Safety Element -- Resending To: <[email protected]>
Cc: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Hello Council,
At your Feb 23 Emergency Meeting many members of the public expressed deep concerns about the City's response to the extended power outage situation and the prior one to the flooding in January. Better communication was frequently stressed along with a plan to reach the most vulnerable. Planning needs to be done BEFORE the disaster. Community-based groups want the City to follow the FEMA guidelines for a proactive Whole Community preparedness approach. Government efforts alone won't be nearly enough and the reactive approach is completely inadequate. I agree completely with the public's comments. A few mentioned earthquakes so I will link to the May 8, 2018 Study Session on the HayWired Scenario. That session included the direct warning of possible risk of litigation should enough people find out that the City could have done #7 Page F-1.60
2 more to prepare this disaster, but did not act. Yet, following the scary briefing I only heard the then Mayor's general advice related to personal go bags. I'm interested in action to reduce the risk of loss of life, injury and damage to property. We also want to quickly rebuild after a disaster. However, I point out that the risk of litigation is real and, possibly getting increased, because more people are realizing that he City isn't doing enough. However, if we start acting to do what's recommended, I believe the risk goes way down.

I am sending my input into the Safety Element because I did not see my post on CCIN. I have fixed a few typos.

Otherwise, the input is the same. The knowledge of what we should be doing exists in terms of FEMA and disaster/emergency managers recommendations. We also have the NFPA 1600 standards for emergency/disaster management programs, which include the requirement of an Advisory Committee. We need a collaborative model that follows evidence-based practices.

Safety_Element_V23.pdf
Lynne Bramlett
Organizing Member & President, MPC Ready
https://mpcready.org/
650-380-3028
#7 Page F-1.61
1 From: Carolyn Ordonez <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 2:08 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: Comments on environmental Justice draft
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

I want to start with the end of the draft. I live in the Flood Triangle and I consider myself interested in my neighborhood and how it fits into the city of Menlo Park. I receive a weekly newsletter from the city. I receive upcoming agenda items from councilwoman Nash weekly. I often attend city council meetings and planning commission meetings via zoom.

I never saw a survey who’s results are presented in the draft. I would have taken the survey. I don’t know what the outreach was but I surely was not informed.

Why is Flood Triangle, Lorelei Manor and Suburban Park always lumped together? All of Flood Triangle is directly adjacent to the 101 Freeway. A portion  of Suburban Park is adjacent and Lorelei Manor is not adjacent to 101 at all.

Flood Triangle is not in a flood zone. A portion of Lorelei Manor and Suburban Park are in a flood zone.

It is possible that Flood Triangle has a higher pollution Burden Score if the other two neighborhoods were not included in the average. The Pollution Burden score for the combined three neighborhoods is 71. 71 is incredibly close to the 75 that means so much to the environmental justice elements.

Please, separate the neighborhoods.

The Physical Description of Suburban Park, Flood Triangle and Lorelei Manor is incorrect on several points.

The bus service for the neighborhoods is only for the middle school students. No bus service for residents exists. I can not walk to Bay Road and stand at the bus stop and expect to get a ride anywhere. There is not a grocery store near by for all areas of the neighborhoods. There are not ‘ great transportation options’ here unless you want to get in your car.

Flood park is definitely in the neighborhood but is not maintained and doesn’t serve the neighborhoods. Soon the park will be under construction and not a useable space. Statements that are reality would be nice.

The description mentions Suburban Park as needing to exit on Bay Road. This is true for all three neighborhoods. I find a bias toward one neighborhood in the description.

I have felt since the day I moved to Menlo Park, 40 years ago, that the city of Menlo Park ignores the flood Triangle neighborhood. There is not ‘city wide equity’ and the housing element sites are reinforcing the inequality. We have a pollution burden rank of 18.6, a pollution burden score of 71.  These numbers are JUST about there to be included in an underserved community.

Both numbers indicate a problem and and do not fit section 39711, Health and Safety Code. ‘ Areas disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative public health effects, exposure or environmental degradation ‘.

Policy 1.4 Program 1.E
#8 Page F-1.62
2 ‘Systematically assess neighborhood connectivity infrastructure.’ If that means good quality roadways it is a frustrating exercise to get the City of Menlo Park to pay any attention to the streets of the Flood Triangle.

What does ‘access to public facilities mean’? Libraries, community centers? Not in my neighborhood.

Flood Triangle is caught in the middle, not underserved enough and not served enough. #8 Page F-1.63
1 From: Naomi Goodman <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 10:38 AM
To: _CCIN; _Planning Commission
Cc: Susan DesJardin
Subject: March 2 Webinar on Life Sciences/Biotech Safety Considerations for City Planning CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Members of the City Council,
I hope that members of the City Council and the Planning Commission will attend an upcoming webinar:

Planning For Life Sciences in Bay Area Communities.   This webinar, sponsored by the Sierra Club, will be informative for the Safety Element of the Housing Element Update. https://www.sierraclub.org/loma‐prieta/march‐2‐webinar‐planning‐life‐sciences‐bay‐area‐communities Life sciences/ biotech developments are being proposed and constructed at many locations along the Bayshore, from South San Francisco to Sunnyvale. Builders prefer biotech to office and light industry uses due to the premium price that they can get for these buildings.  Although I am not aware of any such developments proposed for Menlo Park at this time, it is important that the City have policies in place to protect residents and the environmental health of the Bay.

Naomi Goodman
Menlo Park
#9 Page F-1.64
1 From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 10:51 AM
To: _CCIN
Cc: _Planning Commission; Lynne Bramlett
Subject: Invitation to attend HayWired Scenario Exercise Toolkit Workshops this March CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Hello,
Please see the forwarded invitation to attend one of three trainings on the new HayWired Scenario Exercise toolkit. I signed up for the March 27 training in SF. The USGS briefed Menlo Park on the HawWired Scenario on May 8, 2018 at a Council Study Session. An eruption of the Hayward fault, as described in the HayWired Scenario, is predicted to have a significant serious impact to Menlo Park -- especially District 1. I hope that some of you will join me in attending at least one of the workshops.

Dear colleagues,
You are invited to attend one (or more) of three workshops in March that will provide an orientation to a new Haywired Scenario Exercise Toolkit. The workshops are designed for individuals interested in holding discussion-based exercises within their organization in order to improve planning, mitigation, preparedness, and recovery.

The Toolkit is based on the USGS HayWired Earthquake Scenario, which explores a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the Hayward Fault and the physical, technological, and societal impacts it will cause throughout the densely urbanized and interconnected Bay Area region. This comprehensive scenario report provides a wealth of information spanning many themes and topics.

To facilitate the use of this information, the United States Geological Survey, Earthquake Country Alliance, California Resiliency Alliance, and many other partners have designed a Toolkit for use by businesses, government agencies, non-profits, community groups, and other organizations to plan, lead, and learn from discussion-based exercises. #10
Page F-1.65
2 Each workshop will include an overview of the Toolkit and its accompanying Facilitator Tools that provide detailed guidance and useful imagery for many potential exercise ideas. This will be followed by group discussion-based exercises so that attendees can experience how they can put the Toolkit into action. Each workshop will use a different exercise idea from the Toolkit.

Workshop Locations and Dates:

United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park
Thursday, March 9, 2023
9 am – 12:30 pm
San Francisco Department of Public Works
Thursday, March 27, 2023
9 am – 12:30 pm
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Oakland
Thursday, March 29, 2023
1 pm - 4:30 pm

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER
We hope you can join us!
Monika Stoeffl, Executive Director, California Resiliency Alliance Mark Benthien, Executive Director, Earthquake Country Alliance (@ SCEC) #10
Page F-1.66
3 ------------------------------------------------------------ Each year, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) applies to FEMA for NEHRP state assistance, a portion of which is then subawarded to the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) to administer ECA’s earthquake education, outreach, and mitigation activities. Additional ECA activities are supported through SCEC’s funding from NSF and USGS, and at times other sponsors.

SCEC/ECA’s mailing address is:

University of Southern California
3651 Trousdale Parkway #169,
Los Angeles, CA 90089
To join ECA (free), complete our membership request form.

To discontinue your ECA membership and be removed from our email lists, please use our unsubscribe page.
#10
Page F-1.67
1 From: Mark Schlocker <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 11:04 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: Environmental Justice Element Feedback
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Hi Calvin,
2 topics from somebody who has experienced "poor environmental conditions" and "low levels of homeownership" per slide 21 in the Environmental Justice Element Community Meeting slides.

Poor environmental conditions:

These exist West of 101 as well. I've spent the last 4 years living in various locations in Menlo Park along Caltrain. The horn creates poor environmental conditions. My proposal is train grade separation like San Carlos, Belmont, and Hillsdale. Safer too. Better for traffic, sustaining the higher population density you are trying to achieve without ruining the quality of life of vocal homeowners.

Low levels of homeownership:

Everybody who didn't buy over 5-10 years ago is economically burdened. It's never going to be cheap here but cheap(er) would benefit many.

My proposal is to satisfy extreme single family housing demand at SRI/Parkline. Abolish/waiver your 7,000 square foot lot requirement. People will be plenty happy with half that. See Coronado, CA which did exactly that and the houses are still worth $2M-$3M on 3,500 sqft lots because people like them. 100 new SFH would take up 10 acres and you have 53 acres left for everything else. Bonus if you can do this with NO HOA.

Even doctors or dual tech can't afford a single family house here anymore. Only elites. It's not worth living here long-term anymore. More SFH inventory can help more people want to stay.

The solution is not more apartments. Pre-covid I lived in an older apartment that was never at capacity. Post-covid you see Springline open up with 183 units and they are not even half full after 7 months of trying to fill it. Offering 2 months free, still not full.

How does anybody expect to fill 400+ more apartments/condos at Parkline? Mark Schlocker
#11 Page F-1.68
1 From: Naomi Goodman <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 9, 2023 1:33 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: Comment on Draft Environmental Justice Element CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Mr. Chan,
Subject: Comments on Draft Environmental Justice Element, Public Review Draft Mr. Chan,
Please include the following considerations in the Environmental Justice Element.

1. Making a community welcoming to minorities requires not only policies to prevent displacement and gentrification, but also policies to preserve cultural resources and businesses valued by those minorities.  The Housing Element proposes to replace the only two Hispanic groceries in Menlo Park west of the freeway (El Rancho Market and La Hacienda) with housing.  These businesses provide essential services to Belle Haven and East Palo Alto.  If they are displaced, there needs to be city assistance to help them relocate in the same general area.

2. The rapid growth of the Life Sciences District, with five new projects in the works and many existing facilities in operation, poses risks to the health and safety of residents in Belle Haven and East Palo Alto.  Please see my March 9, 2023 comments on the Draft Safety Element for details. In addition, many life sciences facilities are bad neighbors: they operate 24/7 with accompanying truck traffic, have noisy HVAC systems, and loom over neighboring houses (1).  Added facilities will encourage highly‐paid technical staff to move to the area, worsening gentrification.  The placement of biotech facilities immediately adjacent to East Palo Alto homes poses an environmental justice concern. This should be recognized in the Environmental Justice Element even if these homes are not in Menlo Park. (1) Webinar:  Life Sciences/Biotech Safety Considerations for City Planning. Hosted by Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, March 2, 2023. https://sites.google.com/view/lifescienceswebinarinfo/home Please contact me if you have any questions.
#12 Page F-1.69
2 Naomi Goodman, MSPH
897 Woodland Ave
Menlo Park, 94025
650‐322‐2124
#12 Page F-1.70
March 9, 2023
1 To: Menlo Park City Council
From: Naomi Goodman, MSPH
Subject: Comments on Safety Element: 2022-2023 Update, Public Review Draft Councilors,
The Draft Safety Element of the Housing Update is missing several critical measures needed to protect the residents of Menlo Park from natural and manmade hazards. Please add these elements to the Safety Element with sufficient detail to define needed steps and a timeline for action.

1. Address impacts of legacy hazardous waste contamination on future land use East Menlo Park has an extensive history of industrial land use, dating back to the 1940s. The Draft Safety Element contains a list of sites with potential chemical hazards from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control EnviroStor database and Water Resources Board Underground Storage Tank and Cleanup Program Sites list. However, the plan does not specify how these listings will be used to guide project review or to ensure safety. By themselves, these sources are not sufficient to evaluate future risk to residents or workers at these sites, for the following reasons:
a. Sites that have been “closed” may have been cleaned up to levels that are not protective for a land use different from that evaluated in the closure action. b. Past site investigations did not test for chemicals that have recently been recognized as hazardous, such as per-and-poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), or the sites may have residual contamination at levels above recent, more stringent cleanup standards. c. Soil and groundwater contamination often migrates beyond property boundaries; contaminated groundwater may underly land distant from the source, posing a risk via soil vapor migration into buildings.
d. Sea level rise along the Bayshore has the potential to move buried contaminants to shallow soil or groundwater distant from the source.

Please add a requirement to the Safety Element to hire an independent consultant to review proposed projects in areas of the city with past industrial use, and to recommend whether further investigation is needed. The consulting firm should have expertise in the successive stages of a site assessment and cleanup: Phase 1/Phase 2 site investigations, chemical sampling and analysis, risk assessment, and hazardous waste site remediation. The Safety Element should define the criteria triggering each stage of the assessment. The Safety Element should provide for formation of a citizen task group to guide and review the results of the site assessments.

2. Address safety for existing and future Life Sciences developments In 2002, Menlo Park created a Life Sciences District to attract life sciences research and development (R&D) facilities. These facilities are attractive to cities because they produce revenue; however, they pose significant hazards that are not addressed in the Safety Element, or in Chapter 16.44 of the Municipal Code that created the District. #13 Page F-1.71
March 9, 2023
2 It is critical that Menlo Park adopt language in the Safety Element to address the potential hazards of life sciences R&D, particularly with the proximity of the Life Sciences District to residential areas and schools in Belle Haven and East Palo Alto. The Safety Element should state the acceptable limits on the level of risk to human health and the environment as defined by allowable Biosafety Level (BSL), with increasing risk represented by BSL-1 to BSL-41. A Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter, Nov 11, 2022 white paper2 gives an apt summary of the risks:
“Bio-tech labs deal with a wide range of infectious agents from benign to lethal.

Therefore, it comes with a certain level of risk. However, these risks are not well understood. Cities need to manage the risks with a clear understanding of differences between biosafety levels (BSL) 1- 4. “
“In an urbanized setting, some of the biological infectious agents being studied, at BSL 2 and 3, and animal research could create a health emergency in the event of human error, accidents or in disasters such as serious seismic events. Furthermore, siting of such facilities in shoreline areas, identified as flood zones and high liquefaction zones, can create potential vulnerabilities for the regional Bay ecology and human health should public infrastructure be compromised and emergency protocols fail.” There are currently five proposed Life Sciences R&D projects under review in East Menlo Park, in an area that already has a high concentration of such facilities and is identified by the U.S.

Geological Survey as a high liquefaction zone3:
 1050 O’Brien Drive and 1320 Willow Road
 1030 O’Brien Drive
 1105 and 1165 O’Brien Drive
 1350 Adams Court
 CSBio Phase 3 (1075 O’Brien Drive)
There are currently no policies or ordinances in Menlo Park, San Mateo County, or the State of California that regulate the risk level of activities in these facilities or give the city power to withdraw an operating permit if unsafe conditions exist.

I urge the Council to place a temporary ban on BSL-3 facilities until appropriate controls can be put in place at the City or County Level. BSL-4 facilities should never be situated near residential areas.
1 See background on biosafety levels and regulatory approaches on Page 4 of this letter. 2Planning Review and Entitlements of Biotech Developments. Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, Nov. 11, 2022 https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/2023- 02/BioTech%20Biosafety%20Level%20Laboratories%20guidelines%2011-11-22.pdf 3 USGS Liquifaction Susceptibility Map,
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/education/geologicmaps/kml/liquefaction.kmz #13 Page F-1.72
March 9, 2023
3 I concur with the recommendations of the Sierra Club white paper. These points should be addressed in the Safety Element.
#13 Page F-1.73
March 9, 2023
4 Biosafety Levels and Regulatory Approaches – Background As detailed in a recent webinar4, The National Institutes of Health defines four risk groups (RG) for bioscience research. Examples of organisms in each risk group are shown below.

Four biosafety levels (BSL) are defined for life sciences laboratories, BSL-1 through BSL-4, in order of increasing requirements to prevent harm to humans and the environment through release of a living organism (e.g., inoculated test animal, infectious agent). The BSL for a particular laboratory is based on a risk assessment that considers the RG of the organism and the use to which it is put. As the BSL level increases, government laboratories must adhere to increasingly stringent standards for equipment, worker protection, decontamination, waste disposal, release incident reporting, etc.

Unfortunately, privately owned biotech R&D facilities, such as the development projects pending in District 1, are not required to adhere to the National Institute of Health requirements for BSL levels 1 through 3. Below the BSL-4 level, there are no constraints on the type of research that is conducted other than US-EPA and OSHA standards that apply to all industries that use hazardous chemicals.

Municipalities that host life sciences facilities have adopted two different paths to minimize risks. Some have placed a blanket ban on BSL-3 labs, while others have required review by an advisory committee of citizens with a life science background, trained in the NIH procedures. In general, smaller cities similar to Menlo Park have opted for a ban, given the difficulty of training volunteers in the review process and dealing with the required monitoring and auditing duties. The webinar page in Footnote 1 lists examples of towns and cities in the Boston, MA-area that have enacted policies and ordinances. 4 Webinar: Life Sciences/Biotech Safety Considerations for City Planning. Hosted by Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, March 2, 2023. https://sites.google.com/view/lifescienceswebinarinfo/home #13 Page F-1.74
March 9, 2023
5 3. Seismic Risk
As a lifelong California resident, I am acutely aware of earthquake risks. Driving from my home in the Willows to downtown Menlo Park, I pass dozens of soft-story buildings. These are typically two- to eight-unit apartments or condominiums with residential areas built over parking, often supported by nothing more than a few poles. An example of a soft-story building is shown in Figure 1:

Figure 1 Example of a four-unit, soft-story building

Soft-story buildings can fail catastrophically in a strong earthquake, with possible loss of life and housing stock. Although the Safety Element mentions plans to encourage retrofit of these buildings, that will not result in timely action. We need to be more proactive.

To understand the magnitude of the problem, in November 2021 I undertook an informal survey to estimate the number of multi-unit buildings having residential units over parking, in the entirety of Menlo Park. This was done by viewing buildings in Google Maps Street View and 3D mode. I marked properties containing potential soft-story buildings on county parcel maps. The determination whether these are in fact soft-story requires inspection by a structural engineer.

An example of my survey output is shown in Figure 2, for the Mills Tract neighborhood; parcels containing apparent soft-story buildings are marked in purple. Similar maps were prepared for other neighborhoods with a high concentration of multi-unit buildings. A total of 239 parcels were identified that contain potential soft-story buildings. This survey, while of uncertain accuracy, gives a sobering picture of the magnitude of the problem. Many of these parcels contain multiple buildings, and the units per building typically vary from two to eight. The count also includes much larger buildings with underground garages that may or may not meet current earthquake codes. Thus, the total number of housing units at risk may be several thousand and the number of residents potentially affected may be as high as 5,000. #13 Page F-1.75
March 9, 2023
6 Figure 2. Mills Tract parcels containing potential soft-story buildings (purple) These results point to the need to conduct a more rigorous survey and to find ways to incentivize or require owners to retrofit or replace these buildings. A “soft-story” retrofit ordinance, such as those in Palo Alto and Berkeley, could be coupled with financial incentives to replace the buildings with taller structures, to help meet a future state housing allocation.

For the Safety Plan, please include the following actions to be undertaken as soon as possible:
 Hire a structural engineer to conduct a survey of soft-story units across Menlo Park  Develop a soft-story retrofit ordinance applicable to multi-unit buildings  Apply for state or federal funding to support loans or grants for building retrofits Please contact me if you have any questions.

Naomi Goodman, MSPH
897 Woodland Ave
Menlo Park, 94025
650-322-2124
Cc:

Calvin Chan, Senior Planner, City of Menlo Park
Planning Commission, City of Menlo Park
#13 Page F-1.76
1 From: Tom Bolich <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 9, 2023 12:31 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: COMMENTS ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PLAN
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Back on May 31, 2022, I provided comments on your Draft Housing Element to the City Council relative to Site 38 on Sheridan Drive, adjacent to Suburban Park, and it appears that those concerns have not been fully addressed in your Draft Environmental Justice proposal. Specifically, in the following two sections: Element 5.3 - Housing Distribution, and in Housing Element-Chapter 8, Program H2.B - Protect Existing Housing.

As I pointed out in my previous correspondence, while I understand that SB-1 mandates require each city in California to update their General Plan Housing Element and your Environmental Justice Plan, I would question why you failed to keep your 2nd “Specific Purpose” – Maintain Quality of Life, in mind when you considered the various sites around Menlo Park for higher density housing. Quality of Life Point #9 clearly says that the city should only “encourage new housing in locations supported by existing or planned infrastructure.” Site 38 ia served by relatively narrow streets with only two outlets to Bay Road, and which is nowhere near any of the facilities or infrastructure required (as defined by your own Housing document) to serve high-density housing - facilities such as schools, transit service or Caltrain, commercial businesses or grocery stores. As a result, Site #38 has an AFFH score of only 2 out of a possible 7.

Placing a multi-story, high-density housing development on the old Flood School property Site #38 would therefore appear to be in direct opposition to your own stated Environmental Justice goals, as stated in Chapter 8 of the Housing Element under Program H2.B, to preserve and protect the quality and quantity of existing housing within Menlo Park neighborhoods. Adding between high density housing at the end of Sheridan Drive, whose only outlet would be Hedge Road, would severely impact the existing quality of life on this existing neighborhood.

I would therefore urge you to please focus the Environmental Justice Plan’s Housing Distribution on those sites located closer to downtown Menlo Park where they would be in proximity to major transportation corridors (El Camino Real) and public transit (Caltrain), along with all the other required infrastructure described under AFFFH goals. By selecting sites closer to the downtown area, you would also better address your Policy LU-2.1 on Neighborhood Compatibility, ensuring that the new residential development is compatible with the scale, look, and feel of the surrounding neighborhood and the city’s character.

Thank you for considering these comments in the context of the City’s Environmental Justice Plan! Yours truly,
Thomas Bolich
#14 Page F-1.77
1 From: Katherine Dumont <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2023 4:50 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Subject: Feedback on EJE & SE
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear Senior Planner Chan,
I support prioritizing the EJ&S Element policies and programs that were identified by city-sponsored outreach to Belle Haven and Bayfront--the two communities most adversely affected by climate change and past discriminatory policies.

These include:

Support for Complete streets and funding of transportation infrastructure improvements to support cyclist and pedestrian safety and to mitigate automobile congestion and air pollution.

Support and funding for programs aimed at providing Safe and Healthy Housing for underserved communities, including:
 Anti-Displacement Policies to protect low-income residents, including tenant protection programs
 Zoning and land use decisions that support affordable housing being distributed throughout the city
 Protecting residents from the effects of sea-level rise, groundwater rise, and extreme heat.

Support and fund programs to support equitable access to healthy food and community resources.

In the meeting I attended, there was a lot of frustration expressed about the lack of action by the City; community members felt the city had ignored their feedback in the past. Therefore, ongoing community engagement and outreach, done in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manner, is especially important.

Thank you,
Katherine Dumont
Menlo Park resident
#15 Page F-1.78
1 From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2023 1:06 PM
To: _CCIN
Cc: Chan, Calvin; Lynne Bramlett
Subject: Environmental Justice Element Input
Attachments: Memo_EJ_Input_LynneBramlett.pdf
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear City Council and Staff,
Please see my attached input into the Environmental Justice Element. The input focuses on these key areas:

1. The document should be more concisely written and better organized. I offer my services to help.

2. The history portion should be fact-based. It omitted key details.

3. The elephant in the room is the development pipeline in District 1. This is a major cash cow for the city.

Development needs addressing.

4. Outreach. I would like a table with public meetings and the numbers attending, and perhaps categorization. While I realize the EJ element rightly focuses on District 1, it is also a way to educate residents across all of Menlo Park. To me, many are unaware of the City's concentration of development in District 1. Getting them informed would be important to later efforts focused on reducing the development revenue stream. More residents need to know about the direct harm development is causing to people.

5. Goals, Policies and programs. I believe these need major work. I did not focus on these as I know the Climate Resilient Communities led effort has done so. I have been unable to join their efforts due to my travel schedule. However, I agree with their ideas. I also agree with the input you have received from resident Naomi Goodman.

I would like the city to form a working group composed of staff and representatives from Belle Haven focused community organizations and then work to revise the draft before the next revision goes out for public review.

Lynne Bramlett
650-380-3028
#16 Page F-1.79
To: City Council of Menlo Park
Cc: Calvin Chan
Re: Public Input into City’s Draft EJ Element
Date: March 10, 2023
Overall Comments:

1. The document should be more concisely written and better organized. It includes repetitive information, wordy sentences and “self-congratulatory” statements. A capable editor is needed. All unnecessary information should be removed. Less important information should go into an Appendix. The Neighborhood Profiles seem unnecessary.

They took up much space and I think they could confuse people into believing that injustice has been spread, more or less evenly, throughout Menlo Park. Many residents, I believe, have no idea as to the extent of the development and past injustices. So, I would remove the neighborhood profiles. I offer my services to help improve this document as a written piece.

2. The history portion should be fact-based. It omitted financial and other relevant details of the City’s history with its former Las Pulgas Redevelopment agency. It also omitted the ConnectMenlo exercise, which did not follow State requirements for an authentic general plan update. It presented Menlo Park as a City voluntarily interested in preparing an Environmental Justice Element. However, Menlo Park is required to prepare one, or to revise its existing General Plan Elements to include Environmental Justice features. The document referred to the ConnectMenlo Guiding Principles as meaningful.

Unfortunately, these are platitudes only that lack measurement and reporting.

3. The elephant in the room is the development pipeline in District 1. This shows no sign of abating. Efforts to slow or temporarily halt the development have not succeeded.

For decades, the District 1 development has been a major “cash cow” for Menlo Park. The development is creating most of the environmental injustices. If the City sincerely cared about environmental justice for District 1, I would expect to see specific draft policies, programs or actions focused on fixing the root-cause of the problem: development. The development represents a major conflict of interest between the public good and the city’s desire for the revenue. It’s time for the city to evaluate ways to reduce the city’s dependence on development revenue coming from District 1. Policies related to same would be appropriate to include in this EJ Element.

4. Outreach. Please add concise table with public meetings and how many attended.

5. Goals, Policies and Programs. These were often vaguely worded. There were so many, they needed prioritization and a plan to implement them. As noted above, I saw none directly related to fixing the root-cause of the injustice: development in District 1.

The Climate Resilient Communities efforts have led to many valuable suggestions for improving the EJ Element. I support these efforts. I also ask the City to take a more collaborative approach to the next revision. Work with a core team to revise the draft. #16 Page F-1.80
1 From: Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2023 12:58 PM
To: Chan, Calvin
Cc: Lynne Bramlett
Subject: Re: Environmental Justice Element Input
Attachments: CMP_Email_Logo_100dpi_05d92d5b-e8e3-498f-93a6-d0da509bd602111111111.png CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Thank you Calvin. The Safety Element input that I submitted earlier has suggested policies and programs related to development in District 1. They could be added to the EJ Element. The EJ Element is also supposed to be community driven with significant public engagement and leadership from the impacted community. CRC is not based in Belle Haven. They are paid by Menlo Park. I see a conflict of interest.

We need local Belle Haven leadership to drive further input and the revision process. A coalition of stakeholders should take this process over. The lack of any development related policies, in the city's draft is extremely troublesome.

Based on my understanding of the SB1000 legal requirements, Menlo Park is grossly out of compliance. This needs rectifying.

Lynne
On Mon, Mar 13, 2023, 12:11 PM Chan, Calvin <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello Lynne,
Thank you for the correspondence. I have shared with other members of the project team.

Calvin
Calvin Chan
Senior Planner
City Hall - 1st Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 650-330-6763
menlopark.gov
*Note our emails have changed to @menlopark.gov
#17 Page F-1.81
2 From: Lynne Bramlett [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, March 10, 2023 1:06 PM
To: _CCIN <[email protected]>
Cc: Chan, Calvin <[email protected]>; Lynne Bramlett <[email protected]> Subject: Environmental Justice Element Input

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Unless you recognize the sender's email address and know the content is safe, DO NOT click links, open attachments or reply.

Dear City Council and Staff,

Please see my attached input into the Environmental Justice Element. The input focuses on these key areas:

1. The document should be more concisely written and better organized. I offer my services to help.

2. The history portion should be fact-based. It omitted key details.

3. The elephant in the room is the development pipeline in District 1. This is a major cash cow for the city.

Development needs addressing.

4. Outreach. I would like a table with public meetings and the numbers attending, and perhaps categorization. While I realize the EJ element rightly focuses on District 1, it is also a way to educate residents across all of Menlo Park. To me, many are unaware of the City's concentration of development in District 1. Getting them informed would be important to later efforts focused on reducing the development revenue stream. More residents need to know about the direct harm development is causing to people.

5. Goals, Policies and programs. I believe these need major work. I did not focus on these as I know the Climate Resilient Communities led effort has done so. I have been unable to join their efforts due to my travel schedule. However, I agree with their ideas. I also agree with the input you have received from resident Naomi Goodman.

I would like the city to form a working group composed of staff and representatives from Belle Haven focused community organizations and then work to revise the draft before the next revision goes out for public review.

Lynne Bramlett
650-380-3028
#17 Page F-1.82

SAN MATEO, SANTA CLARA & SAN BENITO COUNTIES
April 26, 2023
Menlo Park Planning Commission and
David Hogan, Sr. Contract Planner
Community Development
701 Laurel St.

Menlo Park, CA 94025
Via email: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Sierra Club Comments on prohibiting BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs in Menlo Park Dear Mr. Hogan and Menlo Park Planning Commissioners,
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter’s Sustainable Land Use Committee advocates for land use issues and the Chapter’s Bay Alive campaign advocates for the ecological health of San Francisco Bay. We are concerned about the potential safety hazards of life sciences projects situated close to residential areas and to the Bay. The Menlo Park Life Sciences District is of particular concern because it is in an area of moderate to high liquefaction susceptibility1 and one that could be impacted in the future by sea level rise. We also note its adjacency to residential neighborhoods in East Palo Alto.

We strongly recommend that no Biosafety Level (BSL)-3 labs be permitted in Menlo Park, and that BSL-4 labs also be excluded. We recommend that, if this project is approved, the permit stipulate that the facility not be equipped or permitted for Biosafety Level (BSL)-3 or BSL-4 activities, which pose the greatest risk if there is a release of dangerous, contagious organisms.

We understand from comments at the Planning Commission study session on this project that Menlo Park does not currently have any BSL-3 labs. There are currently no BSL-4 labs in California.

Four biosafety levels (BSL), BSL-1 through BSL-4, are defined for all life sciences laboratories, in order of increasing requirements, to prevent harm to humans and the environment through 1CA Dept of Conservation Regulatory Maps, CGS Warehouse, Zones of Required Investigation https://maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/informationwarehouse/regulatorymaps/ MTC/ABAG Hazard Map:
https://mtc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=4a6f3f1259df42eab29b35dfcd086fc8 #18 Page F-1.83
release of a living organism (e.g., inoculated test animal, infectious agent, infected worker, accidents).2 The BSL is determined based on the inherent danger of the organism and the type of research conducted. As the BSL level increases, federally funded laboratories must adhere to increasingly stringent National Institute of Health (NIH) standards for equipment, worker protection, decontamination, waste disposal, release incident reporting, and so forth. Unfortunately, privately funded research and privately owned biotech R&D facilities, such as that proposed for 1125 O’Brien, are not required to adhere to the NIH requirements for BSL levels 1 through 3. BSL-4 labs, which work with highly lethal agents such as Ebola, should never be allowed near residential areas.

Recently, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter organized a webinar titled Planning for Life Sciences Development for Bay Area Cities.
3 The event featured experts from the
Boston/Cambridge area, a historic hub for life sciences in the US, and included biosafety experts. An important fact emerged: several cities in the greater Boston/Cambridge metropolitan area have reversed their biosafety policies to no longer allow BSL-3 or BSL4 labs in their cities, and more are joining their ranks. Some do not even allow BSL-2 labs. Please see a list of cities and links to their ordinances included HERE.

Why have they made these changes? With decades of experience with the industry and the growing awareness of the increasingly lethal agents used in BSL-3 “highcontainment” labs, cities are now “walking-back” from allowing the high-risk labs into their communities.4
BSL-3 “high-containment” labs involve the higher-risk pathogens that are relatively very difficult to control, as they are usually airborne and very contagious when released. They require complete dependence on mechanical systems that can fail through human error, mechanical failure or disasters5. They work better in institutions such as universities that have layers of safety oversight committees to ensure an understanding of risks, transparency, regular reporting and inspections, and biosafety procedures for worker, public and environmental safety.
2 Activities and projects conducted in biological laboratories are categorized by biosafety level. The four biosafety levels are BSL-1, BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest (maximum) level of containment. There are additional specific rules and designations for animal research (ABSL), agricultural research (BSL-Ag), and other types of research. These other types of labs require their own specific set of rules and regulations, because they are dealing with larger organisms, such as plants, animals, and insects. https://www.phe.gov/s3/BioriskManagement/biosafety/Pages/Biosafety-Levels.aspx 3 “Planning for Life Sciences Development for Bay Area Cities,” a Webinar for Municipal Leaders, March 2, 2023 4 “The asymmetric threat posed by biological weapons will continue to increase as new tools and techniques are developed …by the society-wide economic, emotional, and government-destabilizing impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, it can be argued that the total cost of this pandemic—including the loss of life and the stress to the economy—could be rivaled only by the deployment of an atomic bomb.” https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/engineered-pathogens-and-unnatural-biologicalweapons-the-future-threat-of-synthetic-biology/ 5 Boston University, June 1, 2016: “A malfunctioning network switch at BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) resulted in a shutdown of parts of the lab’s ventilation monitoring system …The University has suspended BSL-3 research until the outside engineers’ review recommended remedial work to prevent future ventilation system malfunctions.” #18 Page F-1.84
Menlo Park does not have processes in place to protect residents and the environment from risks at these facilities, nor are there any other local or state regulatory agencies with responsibility for ensuring that private biotech labs do not impact the community. ● There is no mention of biohazards, biosafety, or biosecurity in the Menlo Park Safety Element6, in Connect Menlo7, or in the zoning ordinance that established the Life Sciences District. The City is completely unprepared for a biohazard release incident. ● San Mateo County Environmental Health staff have reported8 that they have no authority or responsibility for biohazard incidents, with the exception of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The State hazardous materials databases, which the fire department and emergency responders depend upon, include chemical and radiological hazards but do not include biological hazards. The federal government does not regulate or oversee privately funded biotech labs and the research they do other than licensing companies to work with hazardous organisms.
● The City’s Life Sciences zone heavily impacts the East Palo Alto and Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhoods, already impacted and vulnerable residential areas and school sites, potentially endangering children and other residents with unknown infectious agents. ● This facility would be located within a few hundred yards of sensitive natural ecosystems that affect the Bay itself. Flooding and seismic events are known hazards in this part of the Bay Area, therefore ecological impact concerns of BSL-3 labs are a critical issue.

The federal government and the scientific community are expressing increasing concern about the growth of new risky research in privately funded BSL-3 labs and the lack of oversight9. Several recent news articles have elaborated on these concerns.10 11 Without 6 https://menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Development/Planning-Division/Comprehensiveplanning/Housing-Element/2023-2031-Housing-Element-Update/Safety-Element 7https://menlopark.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Development/Planning-Division/Comprehensiveplanning/ConnectMenlo 8 In a meeting with the San Mateo County Office of Environmental Health and the Sierra Club Biosafety working group on January 9, 2023 and including San Mateo County Supervisor Pine and staff on February 2, 2023. 9 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have formed an advisory committee, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). The NSABB has held meetings in 2022 and 2023 about Biosafety, with specific focus on Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight (PC3O) and Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC). In a transcript of a NSABB Sept 2022 meeting a board member notes:
“We have to deal with the problem of domestic research that’s not funded by the US government. That’s a big chunk right now, especially out here in the west with Silicon Valley.” 10 You should be afraid of the next “lab leak”, NY Times Nov 23, 2021. “ In fact, the most concerning aspect about high containment biolabs is that, considered as a collective, they may only be as safe as the worst lab among them. A breach or a breakdown at one could imperil us all.” 11 “Research with exotic viruses risks a deadly outbreak, scientists warn” Washington Post, April 11, 2023. #18 Page F-1.85
proper regulation or oversight required by the NIH or other public health agencies, allowing the proliferation of these facilities without appropriate controls presents a significant risk to public safety.

In Summary

1. We strongly urge you to reject the establishment of any BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs in Menlo Park.

2. With respect to the 1125 O’Brien EIR, which does not address the concerns expressed in this letter, we request that the EIR evaluate the potential impacts on human health and the environment of an accidental release of a spectrum of biological agents that would potentially be allowed based on the BSL levels that Menlo Park decides to allow for the building and that the building infrastructure will be designed to accommodate in the future.

For example, if HVAC systems could be designed to include BSL-2 or BSL-3 with its positive air pressure requirements, the EIR should evaluate the consequences of a failure of that system and its impact on nearby residents and ecological receptors.

Please note that, besides biosafety, this letter does not address any of the other issues which should be reviewed regarding this project, such as impacts on the nearby communities of EPA and Belle Haven, including noise (the city’s noise standards for labs’ HVAC equipment will need setbacks greater than in Menlo Park’s current Life Sciences ordinance or sound barrier enclosures for rooftop equipment), lab lighting (requiring shades after hours for neighbors’ protection), air quality of lab exhausts, shading by tall HVAC equipment, climate action plan impacts due to requests to allow gas-fired HVAC equipment and exemption from reach codes needed for climate action plan goals, excessive water and energy consumption, and other sustainability and environmental concerns.

Respectfully submitted,
Gita Dev, Co-Chair, Sustainable Land Use Committee, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Gladwyn d’Souza, Chair, Conservation Committee, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Cc: Menlo Park City Council members
James Eggers, Executive Director, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Jennifer Chang Hetterly, Campaign Lead, Bay Alive, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Dave Pine, Chair, Board Of Supervisors, San Mateo County <[email protected]> Ray Mueller, Board of Supervisors District 3, San Mateo County <[email protected]> Len Materman, OneShoreline, San Mateo County <[email protected]> A growing number of scientists are reconsidering the dangers of prospecting for unknown viruses and conducting other high stakes work with pathogens
#18 Page F-1.86
“Excellence In Service”
March 30, 2023
Deanna Chow – Assistant Community Development Director
Re: Response to comment for the City of Menlo Park Safety Element: 2022‐2023 Update.

Please find the following recommendations for consideration and inclusion to the Safety Element for building future resiliency for the City of Menlo Park.

Pg. 9   SB99 – City of Menlo Park and MPFPD shall identify and prioritize residential development without two evacuation routes and determine applicable solutions.

AB747.  Even though we have an adopted LHMP, we recommend determining viability of the evacuation routes with projected population increases, continued road sharing and reducing road width or lanes.

Menlo Park Fire Protection District strongly recommends that the Fire District adopted Primary Response Routes, which are also recognized in the City of Menlo Park Housing/Safety Element be adopted as evacuation routes.  These evacuation routes shall then be prioritized to be maximized for traffic flow and not allow restrictions be placed on them.  Flexibility can be designed for safe traffic flow and then be optimized easily for evacuations.

Pg 31 – Safety Goal.   The safety goal S1 – Assure A Safe Community.   This includes community emergency preparedness.  Being aware of the risks and potential is key to implementing community preparedness.   The City of Menlo Park is immediately adjacent and in an area of influence to a High Severity Wildland Interface Zone.  Highway 280 is the physical barrier.  We need to recognize that we have a community that is at risk to the WUI and should be identified to be prepared as such.

We recommend that the area West of Alameda de las Pulgas be identified as an adjacent area of influence to the WUI and incorporate safety measures to aid in prevention and conflagration in this community.

We strongly recommend a new Policy that would require Class A roofing and non‐combustible siding for all new construction.

S1.32 states this and should be stronger in identification.

Pg 35 – Fire Safety Policies.

S1.30 – Require adequate access and clearance, to the maximum extent practical, for fire equipment, fire suppression personnel, and evacuation for high occupancy structures in coordination with the MPFPD.    Practice has been to be minimum with continued road width reductions, and reducing traffic lanes and increasing traffic calming.  Maximum needs to be practiced and encouraged in high density development areas and wildfire areas of influence.

S1.38   Emergency Connectors and Evacuation Routes.   Menlo Park is bifurcated by the railroad tracks and does not have any major arteries that connect West/East.  Planning for increased mobility across the City, evacuation routes that can accommodate increased traffic flows need to be a priority along with slowing traffic for safety concerns.

Menlo Park Fire Protection District
170 Middlefield Road • Menlo Park, CA 94025 • Tel: 650.688.8400 • Fax: 650.323.9129 Website: www.menlofire.org • Email: [email protected]
Fire Chief
Mark Lorenzen
Board of Directors
Chuck Bernstein
Gary Bloom
Virginia Chang-Kiraly
Robert Jones
Robert J. Silano
#19 Page F-1.87
“Excellence In Service”
Pg 74.  Section VII.    Safety Background
The background is clear in identification of fire hazard severity areas and maintaining operation of essential public facilities, designing adequate infrastructure, evacuation routes with capacity and locations.  This Safety Element addresses climate change and requires climate adaptation and resiliency strategies.

The MPFPD strongly recommends this identification and recommends stronger building code requirements for areas of influence to WUI, improved evacuation routes, reduction of hazardous trees and improved vegetation planning and management.

Pg 77 survey results show that residents’ main concerns are drought and wildfire and smoke respectively.  We need to address those concerns proactively within the City of Menlo Park.

Pg 101 – Economic Assets.    Climate change may disrupt development through impacts to infrastructure and building.  Without upgrades to infrastructure, issues such as strained power grid, rising costs for construction, or worsening roads could become more common due to wildfires, more frequent droughts, and less precipitation.

Identify improving adopted and recognized primary response and evacuation routes.

Pg 102.  The Menlo Park Fire District facilities are not identified as Vulnerable facilities.

Thank you for your consideration!
Jon Johnston
Division Chief/Fire Marshal
#19 Page F-1.88
DRAFT