Menlo Park City Council
December 16, 2025

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

SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
Date: 12/16/2025
Time: 5:30 p.m.

Locations: Teleconference and
Belle Haven Community Campus
100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025
Special Session
A. Call To Order
Mayor Nash called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m.

B. Roll Call

Present: Combs, Nash, Schmidt, Taylor (remote – AB 2449 Just Cause, exited at 8:35 p.m.), Wise

Absent: None
Staff: City Manager Justin Murphy, Assistant City Manager Stephen Stolte, Assistant City Attorney Mary Wagner, Assistant to the City Manager/ City Clerk Judi A. Herren C. Closed Session
C1. Conference with real property negotiators pursuant to Government Code §54956.8 Property location: 509 Sandlewood St., Menlo Park, CA
City negotiators: Justin I.C. Murphy, Mary Wagner, Tim Wong Under negotiation: Price, terms of payment, property negotiations C2. Conference with real property negotiators pursuant to Government Code §54956.8 Property location: 515 Sandlewood St., Menlo Park, CA
City negotiators: Justin I.C. Murphy, Mary Wagner, Tim Wong Under negotiation: Price, terms of payment, property negotiations Regular Session
D. Call To Order
Mayor Nash called the meeting to order at 6:43 p.m.

E. Report from Closed Session
No reportable actions.

F. Agenda Review
None.

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.gov G. Public Comment
 Miyko Harris-Parker expressed gratitude to the City Council and city staff.  Ma Yam Li requested additional and previously offered senior classes at the Belle Haven Community Campus (BHCC).
 Glafira Garcia spoke on concerns related to senior classes and space at BHCC and requested an update to the senior submitted petition.
 Alberto Tinjero spoke on concerns related to the BHCC restroom doors, billiards table, floors, and interactions with staff.
 Jason Primuth spoke in support of TIDE Academy remaining open.  Joy Sykes spoke in support of TIDE Academy remaining open.  Ismael Oseguera spoke on concerns that the new senior center does not have the same familyoriented focus as the previous center.  Charlotte Reed spoke on concerns related to pedestrian safety issues at Menlo Avenue (Attachment).
 Laura Peterson spoke on concerns related to staff interactions with seniors.  Patricia Mayall requested more care and attention be paid to the seniors of Menlo Park.  Olga Zhu spoke in support of TIDE Academy remaining open.  Tamar spoke in support of TIDE Academy remaining open.  Adina Levin spoke in support of the recently completed pedestrian crossing at El Camino Real and Ravenswood Avenue.

H. Consent Calendar
H1. Accept the City Council meeting minutes for November 18, 2025 (Attachment) H2. Authorize the city manager to execute an amendment to the lease agreement for City property at 555 Ravenswood Ave. (Staff Report #25-191-CC)
 Cathrine Carlton spoke in support of a lease amendment for the Junior League and on concerns related to the cost of a new roof at the Gatehouse.
 Sara Gee read a letter from former Senator Richard Gordon.  Kristy Bonham spoke in support of a lease amendment for the Junior League and the collaboration between the Junior League and Menlo Park Fire Protection District.  Charlotte Reed spoke in support of a lease amendment for the Junior League.  Lynna Do spoke in support of a lease amendment for the Junior League.  Kristin Fabos spoke in support of a lease amendment for the Junior League.

The City Council received clarification on the recommended one-year lease extension, current condition of the Gatehouse roof and maintenance and future agenda items related to the Gatehouse lease.

ACTION: Motion and second (Nash/ Combs), to approve the consent calendar, passed unanimously.

I. Study Session
I1. Provide direction for a public meetings transportation, location, interpretation and translation services accessibility policy (Staff Report #25-192-CC) City Clerk Herren made the presentation (Attachment).

City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.gov  Pam Jones spoke in support of a meeting accessibility policy, budgeting and actual costs.  Adina Levin spoke in support of a meeting accessibility policy.  Marlene spoke in support of public meeting accessibility and on concerns related to the efficacy of web-based translation tools.

The City Council received clarification on cost of current and proposed interpretation services, use of city shuttle program for transportation to and from City Council meetings and expanding transportation services citywide.

The City Council discussed number of meetings held at the BHCC, transportation services, making the BHCC more accessible, additional analysis on interpretation services, human translation of documents and Environmental Justice (EJ) element engagement requirements and spirit.

The City Council directed staff to consider the following for a meeting accessibility policy:
 Pilot for transportation using a 72-hour request form and including shuttle from the City Council Chambers to BHCC when hosting meetings at BHCC.
 Host at least two City Council meetings at BHCC annually.  Provide interpretation upon request using the current 72-hour request form and current practice of automatically providing full interpretation services for annual City Council priority setting workshop, annual budget public hearing and General Plan Elements (such as the EJ and Safety Elements or Housing Element).
 Present interpretation request form options for City Council consideration (i.e., needs of the requester for audio, visual and public comment).
 Provide transportation services from Belle Haven neighborhood to the City Council Chambers for City Council priority setting workshop, annual budget public hearing and General Plan Elements.
 Provide human translation of written material of Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) reports and items related to General Plan Elements.

J. Regular Business
J1. Consider and adopt a resolution to approve a side letter of agreement amending the memorandum of understanding between the City of Menlo Park and the Menlo Park Police Officers’ Association to implement a Police Hiring and Retention Incentive Program (Staff Report #25-190-CC) Human Resources Manager Charla Freckman made the presentation (Attachment).

ACTION: Motion and second (Combs/ Schmidt), to adopt a resolution to approve a side letter of agreement amending the memorandum of understanding between the City of Menlo Park and the Menlo Park Police Officers’ Association to implement a Police Hiring and Retention Incentive Program for police academy graduates and lateral police officers to address recruitment and retention challenges, passed 4- 0-1 (Taylor absent).

J2. Appoint City Council representatives, alternates and liaisons to various local and regional agencies and as liaisons to City Council advisory bodies (Staff Report #25-188-CC) City Clerk Herren introduced the item.

ACTION: Motion and second (Wise/ Combs), to appoint representatives and alternates to various local and regional agencies and as liaisons to advisory bodies and continuing liaison appointments to San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) and San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) to a City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.gov future meeting, passed 4-0-1 (Taylor absent) (Attachment).

J3. Appoint City Councilmembers to Community Funding Program Standing Subcommittee and provide direction on Belle Haven Community Campus Ad Hoc Subcommittee (Staff Report #25-193-CC)
City Clerk Herren introduced the item.
 Pam Jones spoke in support of an ad-hoc subcommittee for BHCC.

The City Council discussed returning a new charge for a BHCC ad-hoc subcommittee.

ACTION: Motion and second (Nash/ Wise), to appoint Schmidt and Wise to the Community Funding Program Committee and disband the Belle Haven Community Campus ad hoc subcommittee, passed 4-0- 1 (Taylor absent) (Attachment).

K. Informational Items
K1. City Council agenda topics: January 2026 (Staff Report #25-194-CC) K2. Update on the City’s street maintenance projects for 2026 (Staff Report #25-189-CC) L. City Manager Report
City Manager Murphy reported out on the SAFER Bay project and provided an update on the request for proposals for housing on the Downtown parking plazas.

Assistant City Manager Stephen Stolte reported out on the project designs and furniture purchases for the 600 block of Santa Cruz Avenue.

M. City Councilmember Reports
Mayor Nash reported out on a Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) event.

Vice Mayor Wise reported out on police activity in District 5.

City Councilmember Schmidt reported out on upcoming ReThink Waste legislation.

N. Adjournment
Mayor Nash adjourned the meeting at 9:34 p.m.

Assistant to the City Manager/ City Clerk Judi A. Herren These minutes were approved at the City Council meeting January 27, 2026.

City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025

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G-PUBLIC COMMENT
Direction on public meeting
accessibility policy
Judi A. Herren, Assistant to the City Manager/ City Clerk 1 I1-PRESENTATION
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 6 of 24
Agenda
 Policy context The community Current practices Accessibility policy framework City Council direction 2 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 7 of 24
Policy context
 Aligns with Environmental Justice (EJ) Element Supports equitable civic engagement 3 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 8 of 24
The community
 38% of residents speak a language other than English at home Spanish is the most common non-English language (15%) Interpretation and translation provided based on anticipated need or by public request
4 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 9 of 24
Current practices
 Transportation offered for select meetings
- Three meetings since 2023- Specific topics:
• Annual City Council priority setting workshop• Annual budget public hearing• General Plan Elements (such as EJ Element or Housing Element)  Meetings at Belle Haven Community Campus (BHCC)
- Two City Council meetings held in 2025- Six of seven commissions held in 2025  Spanish interpretation provided
- On public request- Used for key topics
 Translation of select materials
- Police updates, Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) reports, General Plan items 5 City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025 Page 10 of 24 Transportation recommendations
 Shuttle service from Belle Haven for key meetings
- Annual City Council priority setting workshop - Annual budget public hearing- General Plan Elements  Estimated cost: $220/meeting
6 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 11 of 24
Location recommendations
 Host two City Council meetings/year at BHCC Each commission to hold one meeting/year at BHCC Additional staff time: approx. 20 hours/meeting 7 City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025 Page 12 of 24 Interpretation services recommendations
 Interpretation: live, in-person and/or virtual Use Zoom platform for virtual Spanish captioning One virtual interpreter for public comment - Live interpretation for received Spanish public comment  Estimated cost: $700/meeting (currently $3,000/four
interpreters)
8 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 13 of 24
Translation services recommendations
 Certified (human) translation for key agenda items:
- Police quarterly updates and RIPA reports- General Plan Elements items • Estimated cost: $400 for a staff report and attachments  Exploring web-based tools for broader access
9 City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025 Page 14 of 24 Fiscal impact
 No immediate budget impact Future implementation will require funding Estimated costs per (4-hour) meeting:
- Transportation: $220- Interpretation: $700- Translation: $400 10 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 15 of 24
Next steps
 Staff to draft policy based on City Council direction Include standards, best practices, and cost estimates Return for Council approval in early 2026 11 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 16 of 24
Discussion and direction
 Staff recommendations:
- Transportation
• Continue current practices
- Locations
• Two City Council meetings and one commission one meeting annually at BHCC annually
- Interpretation
• Spanish closed captioning at all public meetings• One virtual to provide live interpretation for received Spanish public comment -
Translation:
• Police RIPA updates and General Plan Elements• Web-based translation tool to translate agendas, minutes and public hearing notices
12 City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025 Page 17 of 24 Police Hiring and Incentive Program
Overview and Highlights
Charla Freckmann, Human Resources Manager
J1-PRESENTATION
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 18 of 24
Background
 Competition to fill Police Officer positions is challenging for public safety agencies across California.
 Vacancy rate for Menlo Park positions represented by the Police Officers’ Association (POA) is 14.29% (includes police officers and corporals).  Proposed Police Hiring and Retention Incentive Program with the intent to attract trained qualified lateral recruits for Police Officer as well as PoliceAcademy graduates.

City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025 Page 19 of 24 Program structure – Police academy graduate
The Police Hiring and Retention Program is comprised of two levels: (1) police academy graduate and (2) lateral police officer. Police academy graduate hiring incentives:$10,000 total incentive based on:
- $5,000 upon successful completion of the FTO program; and- $5,000 upon successfully passing the probationary period and completing one year of service.

City Council Special Meeting Minutes
December 16, 2025 Page 20 of 24
Program structure – Lateral police officer
Lateral police officer hiring incentives:$40,000 total incentive based on:
- $10,000 upon acceptance of a final offer of employment; - $10,000 upon successfully passing probation period and completing one year of service;
- $5,000 upon successfully passing probation and completing two years of service;
- $5,000 upon successfully passing probation and completing three years of service; and
- $10,000 upon successfully passing probation and completing four years of service.

City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025 Page 21 of 24 Program administration and review
 Human resources (HR) will administer the program according to the program guidelines (attachment to staff report).
 HR and the police department will review the program at least once annually to evaluate the program and provide recommendations to the citymanager.  Status update about the program will be included in the vacancy report to City Council in May 2026.

City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025 Page 22 of 24 2026 City Council assignments
MAYOR ASSIGNMENTS 2026 Primary 2026 Alternate
Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Betsy Nash Jennifer Wise League of California Cities (Peninsula Division) Betsy Nash Jennifer Wise Palo Alto Community Fund Advisory Board
San Mateo County Council of Cities and City Selection Committee Betsy Nash Jennifer Wise

REGIONAL BOARD MEMBERS
Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) and San Francisco Bay Area Regional Water System Financing Authority
REGIONAL ASSIGNMENTS 2026 Primary 2026 Alternate
Caltrain Modernization Local Policy Group Jennifer Wise Drew Combs City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG) Cecilia Taylor Betsy Nash HEART Board Member Agency Committee (MAC) Jeff Schmidt Drew Combs Home for All
Meta Local Community Fund Cecilia Taylor Jennifer Wise
Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) Community Choice Energy Betsy Nash Jennifer Wise Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance (Commute.org) Jeff Schmidt Drew Combs San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority Drew Combs Cecilia Taylor San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District
San Mateo Operational Area Emergency Services Organization (Emergency Services Council) Drew Combs Cecilia Taylor Searsville Advisory Group Jennifer Wise Betsy Nash
SFO Airport/Community Roundtable Drew Combs Cecilia Taylor South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA) Jeff Schmidt Cecilia Taylor Stanford Community Resources Group Jennifer Wise Betsy Nash

ADVISORY BODY LIAISONS
Complete Streets Commission
Environmental Quality Commission
Finance and Audit Committee
Housing Commission
Library Commission
Parks and Recreation Commission
Planning Commission
OUTSIDE AGENCY LIAISONS 2026 Member 1 2026 Member 2
San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise District (FSLR, OneShoreline) Cecilia Taylor Betsy Nash *appointed Dec. 17, 2024 to serve through June 30, 2029 **appointed Dec. 16, 2025 to serve through Dec. 31, 2027 Jeff Schmidt
Cecilia Taylor
Catherine Carlton**
Betsy Nash
Drew Combs
2026 Member
Betsy Nash*
2026 Member
Cecilia Taylor
Betsy Nash
Drew Combs
Jeff Schmidt
Jennifer Wise
J2-VOTE ATTACHMENT City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025

2026 City Council assignments
CITY COUNCIL STANDING SUBCOMMITTEE 2026 2026 Notes Purpose Community Funding Program Committee Schmidt Wise Meets annually in April Evaluate annual requests for human service needs funds. The Community Funding Program subcommittee meets to review and make recommendations to the City Council on how best to allocate the funding.

DISBANDED CITY COUNCIL AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEES Notes Purpose Belle Haven Community Campus Subcommittee (ad hoc subcommittee) Disband Disband Established Jan. 9, 2024
Updated purpose statement March 11, 2025
Disbanded Dec. 16, 2025
Advise on operational challenges for the BHCC and Belle Haven Pool facility and programming
Commonwealth 3 Development Agreement Negotiations Subcommittee (ad hoc committee) Disband Disband
Established March 28, 2023
Disbanded Dec. 17, 2024
Advise on the negotiation of the development agreement for the Commonwealth Building 3 office project at 162-164 Jefferson Dr.

Homeless/Unhoused Subcommittee (ad hoc committee) Disband Disband Established Sept. 10, 2024
Disbanded Dec. 9, 2025
Requesting a study session on homelessness/unhoused population in Menlo Park. This includes, encampments, persons sleeping on the ground, sleeping in a car, sleeping in RV’s, etc. I am concerned that the colder and wetter months are near.

Parkline Development Agreement Negotiations Subcommittee (ad hoc committee) Disband Disband Established March 28, 2023 Disbanded Dec. 9, 2025
Advise on the negotiation of the development agreement for Parkline mixed-use project at 333 Ravenswood Ave.

J3-VOTE ATTACHMENT City Council Special Meeting Minutes December 16, 2025