From: herb
To: Council, City; Clerk, City
Subject: December 1, 2025 City Council Meeting, Item #9: Additional High Pressure Steam Cleaning Services for Downtown University and California Avenue Business Districts Date: Sunday, November 30, 2025 3:29:06 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
DECEMBER 1, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING
AGENDA ITEM #9: Additional High Pressure Steam Cleaning Services for Downtown University and California Avenue Business Districts
The staff report for this item states that the reason for the City spending additional funds to clean sidewalks and streets in the University Avenue and California Avenue Business Districts is the complaints from increased pedestrian street traffic in those areas, but the complaints are not the reason that the sidewalks and streets are dirtier and need additional cleaning.
The reason for the need for additional cleaning are the fact that businesses that are allowed to operate on the sidewalks and streets are creating additional debris that they have been required since 1953 to dispose of properly, and those
businesses should be paying for the additional cleaning paid for by this contract.
Any funds paid into the parking assessment districts might now be allocated to cleaning parking lots, but those funds cannot be used for cleaning the sidewalks and streets.
Any fees paid by businesses now operating in the streets do not even compensate the City for the cost of the parking spaces that need to be replaced in new lots or parking structures, but those funds cannot be used for cleaning sidewalks and streets.
Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 9.48.050 adopted by Ordinance No. 1504 in 1953 reads:
9.48.050 Obligation to clean sidewalk.
The occupant or tenant, or in the absence of an occupant or tenant, the owner of any real estate in Palo Alto in front of which there is a paved sidewalk shall keep the sidewalk free of dirt, debris and litter. Sweepings from the sidewalk shall not be swept or otherwise made or allowed to go into the street but shall be disposed of by the person responsible for the cleaning of the sidewalk.
(Ord. 1504 (part), 1953: prior code § 20.1)
An assessment district should be formed for those business operating on the sidewalks in the University Avenue and California Avenue Business Districts to pay for the additional cleaning of sidewalks in those business districts, and a separate assessment district should be formed for those businesses operating in the streets to pay for the additional cleaning of streets in those business districts.
Thank you for your consideration of these comments.
Herb Borock