Concurring...Palo Alto City Hall should be made more accessible to residents and journalists with legitimate reasons to be there.

Question...outside of the former COVID-related protocols, could the City Manager legitimately cite office and public security as another reason the inaccessibility?
During these divisive times, there are a lot of disgruntled individuals packing firearms and no one wants to witness or experience the tragedies that have taken place throughout America at various schools and shopping centers. The only way to fully and safely open City Hall might involve the necessity of having armed security guards or PAPD officers in the lobby and near the elevator entrances.

I would like to believe that voters in our congressional district can do better than electing either Julia Lythcott-Hains or Joe Simitian to Congress.

Ms. Lythcott-Hains is more representative of the modern-day progressive movement while Mr. Simitian is a senior citizen (70) who has been around local (city and county) politics for a long time.

While experience is a key criteria, it is time for fewer aging Baby Boomers dictating the future of our country and fewer cancel culture candidates creating political turmoil.

To answer Lance Redmond's question: The City Manager does claim that office security is the reason why he kept Covid-era restrictions on access to City Hall. But the evidence doesn't support him. A review of police logs turned up just two incidents, of vandalism, at City Hall since 2009.

Moreover, as I believe Rebecca Eisenberg commented on Diana Diamond's original piece about the strangely lingering lockdown, restrictions mandated to try to reduce the spread of Covid--which is what the City Manager has left in place--are intended to keep people out of City Hall and to, for contract tracing purposes, keep a list of everyone who comes in and who they see. But when security is an issue, you see things like metal detectors and armed guards.

I think Diana Diamond is right: What the City Manager's permanent lockdown is really about is 1) hiding how few employees are working at our seven story City Hall, while the rest of Silicon Valley returns to the office, and 2) trying to minimize the inconvenience that visitors, especially unexpected visitors, inevitably represent to senior staff.

The minimum age to run for a seat in the House of Representatives is 25, the U.S. Senate 30, and U.S. President 35. There should also be requirements or limitations imposed for any candidate over the age of 65. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MOCA) is one way to weed-out office-seekers past 65 who may lack the mental capacity to legislate and/or govern our nation.

Without naming any names, I imagine that a sizeable number of our U.S. Senators, Congresspersons, and Presidents over 75 (both past or present) could pass this simple test which measures cognitive ability and memory recall.

It is one thing to run for Congress as a younger person who views the role as a possible steeping stone to future political endeavors and another because there is no where left to go or aspire towards.

And in echoing the previous poster, we also do not need a candidate who is going to promote an overly progressive agenda that will alienate conservative and moderate voters.

Simitian VS Lythcott-Hains?

Like Biden VS Trump in 2024, we can do better than that!

What Diana Diamond describes at City Hall is happening at the Development Center across the street as well. When I stopped in last week, there was a receptionist, but that's it for staff. All of the room's chairs for staff, that is, the chairs at the five assistance bays, were empty.

The receptionist explained that there was always one person from Planning in the back office who would come out if someone asked for in-person assistance, as well as one person from a different department. But she said that almost everything was done on line. And customers had gotten the message: There were none of them in the room.

On-line permitting assistance may work very well for developers or builders, but not so much for ordinary residents like me. In fact, the permitting websites are sufficiently arcane that, as I understand it, City employees literally have to be certified in using them.

My takeaway from my visit is that, just as the City Manager is trying to discourage residents from coming to City Hall, he is also trying hard to wean residents away from expecting hands-on help from a city employee at the Development Center.

If entrance security into City Hall is a primary concern, why not have measures like they do at the county courthouse?

Just empty one's pockets and go through a metal detector. Done deal.

This will dispel any reason for the City Manager to close-off access to the various city departments.

As for Joe Simitian vs Julie Lythcott-Hains, picture a diner menu where you do not want to order anything listed.

"Without naming any names, I imagine that a sizeable number of our U.S. Senators, Congresspersons, and Presidents over 75 (both past or present) could pass this simple test which measures cognitive ability and memory recall."

^ I beg to differ and imagine that a sizeable number of our U.S. Senators, Congresspersons, and Presidents over 75 (both past or present) COULD NOT pass this simple test which measures cognitive ability and memory recall.

We see them in the news everyday and the mind-boggling fact that they are still governing this country is frightening.

Just like there is a time to take away an elder person's car keys, there comes a time to take away an elder's seat in Congress or residency in The White House and it has nothing to do with one's party leanings.

Both Republican and Democratic political dinosaurs over 70 need to go because they are not reflective of the future-scape and will only bog things down.

Emily, From what I can gather, entrance security at City Hall is not the City Manager's primary concern. His primary concern is something else, most likely concealing from the public how empty those expensive-to-maintain seven floors of City Hall are.

If what the City Manager is concerned about is security, why would he, as Diana Diamond describes, get rid of all the tables and seating in the lobby? That just discourages residents. It certainly doesn't discourage potential wrongdoers, who right now can literally walk, masked, into the empty lobby of City Hall and, unimpeded, wreck mayhem. To put it another way, empty, unattended places don't prevent trouble, they invite it.

Really disappointed at the ageism evident in many of these comments. What ever happened to judging people according to the content of their character?

Character flaws and attributes aside, octogenarians should not be serving as presidents, legislators, or judges in any capacity because mental acuity diminishes with old age.

Stubbornness and an inability to fully conceptualize the big picture are key indicators of impending senity.

When one has fewer tomorrows than yesterdays left in one's life, it is time to consider stepping down and turning the reins of governance and jurisprudence over to the younger generations.

Correction: senity > senility

@Selena Wallace:
Bernie Sanders (82) and Nancy Pelosi (83) are still going strong. Cannot say the same for Joe Biden (81).

The late Dianne Feinstein served in the U.S. Senate until her passing at 90 and Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC) was 101 at the time of his death in 2003.

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is the oldest current U.S. Senator at 88 and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is 81.

Like professional athletes, some folks simply don't know when it's time to walk away.

Even the Native Americans knew when to stop relying on the opinions of old people.

Re: "...because mental acuity diminishes with old age."

What really matters is the thinking skills and experience of the candidate as they are now, not what they were when the candidate was 25 years old. Sure, some won't be capable now; others never were capable to start with. That's why we as voters get to decide.

What we shouldn't do is make our decisions based on stereotypes without examining the individuals' actual capabilities. That route, which many here seem to support, just diminishes us.

Re: "When one has fewer tomorrows than yesterdays left in one's life, it is time to consider stepping down ..."

Retirement at age 45 as suggested above seems quite extreme. :)

"Retirement at age 45 as suggested above seems quite extreme. :)"
@Mondoman

To be able to retire at 45 as I did is a blessing because barring accident or disease, one still has the realistic opportunity and capability to enjoy and explore various outlets that are both physically and mentally demanding. This is why they have Senior Circuits and handicapped scoring for older participants. This is to ensure competitive fairness for those with declining physical and mental capacities.

"That's why we as voters get to decide."

Voters don't always get it right. Look what happened in 2016. What began as a populist voter rebellion has now become a radical cult and the country is even more divided than ever.

"...Biden VS Trump in 2024, we can do better than that!"

I would certainly hope so as both are too old and lacking the mental capacities to be an effective POTUS.

There's absolutely no reason for me to ever have to enter City Hall but for those who need to, the option should remain available regardless of security considerations.

As for the old folks, my wife was watching the Golden Bachelor on TV and found it very entertaining and heartwarming to see geriatrics pursuing their last chance at love and romance as there is hope for all despite the Grim Reaper keeping a watchful eye on those whose time has passed.

It's different in politics as there is no love lost or gained and political aspirants should be capable of fulfilling multiple terms if they are to be considered seriously for any office.

An older person (over 70) should think twice before running for public office lest their goal is to be a one-termer.

Joe Simitian is too old to be running for Congress. Anna Eshoo is also a former County Supervisor but she ran for Congress while she was still in her 50s and her predecessor Tom Campbell was in his 40s when he decided to run for the U.S. Senate.

Barbara Boxer was 65 when she retired from the U.S. Senate though Dianne Feinstein continued to run for office while she was in her late 80s and the rest is history as to how well that went.

Our country needs younger representation and fewer dinosaurs taking up space in Congress.

Thank you, Diana Diamond, for continuing to discuss the COVID lockdown of City Hall. It's just not right. Vandalism and crime there has been debunked. If security is a concern, then the City Manager should, indeed, install the appropriate security. Otherwise, the entire point is that our local government should be accessible. That's the job. Let's lift barriers to democracy.

California State Assemblyman Evan Low gets our vote. He is young (40), politically experienced in Sacramento, and best represents the local Asian-American community.

Julie Lythcott-Haims (recently-elected PACC council member) and Joe Simitian (venerable SC County supervisor) cannot claim the same cultural alliances, credentials, and qualifications to serve in Congress.

No need for us to enter City Hall because we pay our utility bills by mail and have absolutely to reason to meet with city dignitaries and administrators.

Besides, isn't there an old American adage that goes, "You can't beat City Hall?" No different than trying to convince a steering committee in our former homeland.

America and China have many similarities

As Sam Shepard (I think) said, democracy is a very fragile thing. You have to take care of it.

The City Manager's unilateral decision to permanently lock down of City Hall is an assault on democracy.

City Hall is the people's house. We Palo Altans own it, we pay to maintain it and we pay the salaries of everyone who works there.

It is extraordinary that we should, for example, have to ask permission to enter our own house. It is extraordinary that the City Manager, also for example, unfettered by any oversight or rules, is maintaining a list of who comes in the building and who they're seeing.

Li Zhiang, I thought your comment about the similarity between our country and China--China, an unabashed dictatorship--was one of the saddest things I've ever read on this site. I hope our City Council proves you wrong.

TRUE democracy is a very fragile thing indeed and the word is often used way too freely to describe duly elected dictators in countries such as Hungary, Turkey, and Russia among others.

Whether a true democracy and smaller localized democracies exist in America is for others to decide because to run for public office often requires a lot of money which often reduces our idealistic concept of a true democracy to just another plutocracy governed by wealth and private/corporate interests.

If elected officials truly represent your best interests and concerns, then you might have a functioning democracy but in most cases it is a delusion.

In American Trilogy by John Dos Passos, the author mocks Woodrow Wilson's phrase "to make the world safe for democracy" by calling it "to make the world safe for hypocrisy."

Li Zhiang brought up a valid point and it is highly unlikely that the PA City Council will prove otherwise.

They could start by ORDERING the City Manager to make some constructive changes that reflect the best interests of Palo Alto resident voters. Instead, they cower and take orders from him.

Call it 'democracy inaction.'

With all this talk in the news about democracy being threatened in the United States, don't people realize that democracy has been hanging by a thread since the founding of our country?

Palo Alto is no different.

The PACC (aka a duly elected municipal steering committee) simply chooses a dictator (aka the City Manager) who calls the shots.

Palo Alto residents have no real voice in municipal matters other than to be ignored and governed by those we have 'duly elected.'

Kudos to Li Zhiang who doesn't wear blinders.

Why can't City Hall have a receptionist or security station where visitors can (1) identify themselves, (2) sign-in, (3) state their business, and (4) be directed to the proper department or city administrator?

Considering all of the lieutenant city managers and administrators employed by the city, there should be someone available to openly address and resolve any resident concerns and/or complaints.

Instead as the author noted, the premises are sealed-off to the public and the entire facility is pretty much under lock and key.

Palo Alto City Hall is a far cry from the Pentagon or a high-security think tank so why the continued lockdown?

Speaking of democracy, has the Palo Alto City Charter been replaced by George Orwell's Animal Farm?

No difference between America and China except that Americans are allowed to openly criticize their leaders.

Didn't the Palo Alto City Council recently approve a noteworthy raise in salary for the City Manager? This clearly indicates that they endorse his policies and practices.

There are no checks and balances in Palo Alto city governance, only hefty checks made payable to the city manager.

@J. Fleming...our City Council rarely prove intelligent people wrong when it comes to questioning their performance, perspectives, and good judgement.

If Palo Alto has such a despotic City Manager along with an ineffective City Council, why do so many people want to reside in Palo Alto?

Is it the public schools, convenient access to upscale shopping venues, and variety of overpriced restaurants?

Regarding the Palo Alto City Manager's salary and raise...Mr. Shikada's salary is commensurate with other city manager salaries throughout California and if anything, he should be receiving more given the comparative CA cities, some of which are nothing to write home about.

Cities With the Highest Paid Managers in 2023

1. Montebello �" $1,000,000
2. Palmdale �" $719,484
3. Sacramento �" $547,905
4. Santa Clara �" $529,352
5. San Buenaventura �" $507,635
6. Beverly Hills �" $478,497
7. Beaumont �" $428,343
8. Carson �" $417,611
9. Lafayette �" $417,298
10.Downey �" $411,248

Given the preponderance of mass shootings and the rash of recent COVID infections, the City Manager has exercised sound logic in keeping City Hall off-limits to petty inquiries and insignificant walk-through traffic.

Unless security is beefed-up and visitors required to show proof of recent COVID vaccination + the mandatory wearing of N-95 facemasks, no one should be allowed in other than city employees.

Bullets and viruses do not take holidays.

If the city manager of a third-tier city like Montebello is making $1M per year in annual salary, Mr. Shikada should be receiving far more than his current base salary and the PACC should consider doing everything in its power to keep him from leaving Palo Alto for greener pastures.

As for City Hall being closed to the public, how many residents actually have to go there to conduct actual business? Very few I would imagine.

Palo Alto residents are getting a bargain based on Mr. Shikada's current city salary and proposed raise to $408,496.00.

Since no one seems to have complained when previous Palo Alto City Managers were awarded raises, I suspect that any outcry over his present salary and proposed raise is grounded in xenophobia.

Shame on Palo Alto.

@Jessica Chao
Palo Alto has a racist past going back to the days of Leland Stanford and it continued well into the early-mid 20th century as evidenced by its residential real estate practices which dictated where people of color could reside in Palo Alto.

I would like to believe that successive generations have evolved past that particular mindset but perhaps there are some who inherited and still embrace the racism of their ancestors.

The City Manager is very well compensated. According to Transparent California, in 2022 his total compensation, including benefits, was $618,214/year. And he gets every other Friday off.

That $618,214 number is twice as high as Governor Newsom's total compensation, by the way.

So you know: Many, many people objected to the repeated generous raises City Council gave to Mr Shikada's predecessor, Jim Keene.

Why begrudge the City Manager for his lucrative salary and benefits package?

Doesn't the responsibility for this allocation rest with the Palo Alto City Council?

The PACC members on the whole are not representing the best interests of Palo Alto residents and should be voted out of office or recalled.

Only concerned and responsible Palo Alto voters can initiate such a movement but the majority of residents could care less.

It is one thing to incessantly whine and another to do something constructive about it.

Like former POTUS45, former Palo Alto mayor LIz Kniss has left a profound mark on the current undertakings of the PACC.

The council members prefer to be led (by others) rather than actually lead on their own and this is disturbing.

It kind of makes one wonder why there is even a PA City Council in the first place
is

The City Manager gig is an over-paid position here and elsewhere. Many people in Palo Alto have pointed this out over the years, but that's like whistling in the wind given our model of government. Technically, the CM is accountable to CC. Effectively and realistically, he is accountable to no one.

The continued lock down of City Hall is a good example of what happens in an autocracy, as is the ridiculous, unfounded curfew Shikada imposed in 2020. Shikada seizes on issues and uses them to justify actions that satisfy his agenda but don't do much good for the City and its residents. He is isolated from the public, and I think that is his preference. Anyone who wants to should be able to connect with the City Manager and City Staff. I would like to see the City implement an "Ask the City Manager" segment at each CC meeting. Why not?

One of the posters suggested that the new "security measures" are in place to conceal how few people are in the office each day. I think there may be something to that. We often hear the CM say that Staff is too busy to be burdened with more work. Maybe a normal work week would alleviate that problem. And promote higher availability.

As for Eshoo's seat, there's a new candidate, Peter Dixon, who brings valuable perspectives to the race. Prior to reading about him my candidate of choice was Simitian. Now that Dixon has thrown his hat in the ring, I will be paying close attention to what he says and does between now and election day. He's young (40), was a Marine deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, worked in the State Department, and founded a cybersecurity company. All that touches a lot of bases. This guy knows what war means. I like that in a candidate.

t is great to see another Marine, Peter Dixon, ready to pick up the torch that was once carried so well be Pete McCloskey. He also shares the same values as our wonderful Anna Eshoo.

Semper Fi

Vietnam Veteran
USAF and USMC (5th Force Recon)

Since being a member of U.S. Congress involves making both domestic and international decisions in addition to heeding the needs of their local constituencies, I am curious where these candidates stand on key issues such as the Israel and the Ukraine wars, immigration and additional border controls, curbing inflation, climate change, and where they stand on 'woke' issues.

In addition to neutralizing the hard-core right in Congress, we do not need any more idealistic do-gooders and overly-woke U.S. Congresspersons...just practical and realistic moderate minds with common sense and who can see the big picture.

Good luck with that.

Experience is not a prerequisite nor important when it comes to running for Congress. Some examples include Lauren Boebert (former tavern owner) of Colorado and Margorie Taylor Greene (construction company owner) of Georgia. There are others as well.

The candidate merely needs to appeal to the overall consciousness of their respective congressional district and in this case the eventual winner will be someone who embraces the majority political and social mindset of the 16th Congressional District.

The eventual winner will be liberal and moderately progressive but perhaps most importantly, anti-MAGA and anti-POTUS45.

Please at least do Julie Lythcott-Haims the courtesy of getting her name right. Also, just because she doesn't have narrowly-defined government experience does not mean she's not eminently qualified. She holds degrees from Stanford, Harvard Law, and California College of the Arts. She has tons of leadership and board experience across nonprofit and education, including on the Board of Trustees at California College of the Arts.

"Also, just because she doesn't have narrowly-defined government experience does not mean she's not eminently qualified. She holds degrees from Stanford, Harvard Law, and California College of the Arts..."

Of course experience matters as does taking an interest in one's current job and recognizing that city issues are complex and require more than divisive simplistic sloganeering. Even while campaigning for City Council, JHL explicitly said she was more interested in a NATIONAL platform for big issues rather than providing city oversight and reviewing decisions made /pushed by city staff and all their consultants, many of whom have no local knowledge.

Don't we already have enough DC politicians more interested in division than finding constructive solutions?

Where JLH went to college is irrelevant to me (responding to jamiebarnett). I judge people more by their actions at the present time. I haven't liked many of her comments/positions while on the PACC, and that is what I evaluate her on, not on her diplomas or her volunteer work. (Not saying she isn't smart, but so are millions of other people. Smart isn't enough.)

Prior political experience, volunteer work, and board leadership backgrounds are immaterial.

The late Republican Congressman from Palm Springs, Sonny Bono had none of those qualifications and neither did the cinematic Mr. Smith who went to Washington. Add former collegiate football coach Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) to the list as well.

And lest we forget, POTUS45 had none of that background experience.

Voters want a voice who will speak up on their behalf and legislate responsibly.

"Voters want a voice who will speak up on their behalf and legislate responsibly "

^ Like the current PACC members?

"Re: "When one has fewer tomorrows than yesterdays left in one's life, it is time to consider stepping down ..."

Retirement at age 45 as suggested above seems quite extreme. :) "

Welcome to Sillycone Valley, home of Elizabeth Holmes and SBF and all the young tech bros with their get-rich-schemes, willingness to underpay gig workers and simplistic sloganeering over substance and understanding of complicated issues. Remember that here they stop keeping labor statistics at age 44.

As for Shikada, the man's an unresponsive disgrace and absurdly greedy. What's even worse is that the City Council just granted him and the city attorney another huge raise! Thanks for ripping off all the utility customers! It's been almost 10 years since the judge ordered the city to pay us back as a result if the 2016 Miriam Green lawsuit.

How special he's got such a huge PR staff to stonewall the press and the public.

Too bad so many stopped following the news and vote for the loudest least qualified in the room.

Greed, selfishness, entitlement, laziness uber alles.

There is absolutely nothing that we as residents and voters of Palo Alto can do regarding the City Hall lobby restrictions or the decisions of the Palo Alto City Council.

"The PACC (aka a duly elected municipal steering committee) simply chooses a dictator (aka the City Manager) who calls the shots."

^ This is becoming the blueprint for democracy in America.

The City Manager has the sole support of the City Council and the council members simply go about passing whatever measures they choose.

Voting means absolutely nothing in this city because the council members all have personal agendas which they believe will further advance their aspirations in local politics or the public sector.

Given the ongoing council-approved overdevelopment of our city who would want to remain here except for maybe well-to-do parents with school-aged children?

It is time for us to vacate Palo Alto as there is nothing left here worth staying for.

"...the council members all have personal agendas which they believe will further advance their aspirations in local politics or the public sector."

Calvin Coolidge was a city council member in Northampton, Vermont prior to embarking on a more expansive political career.

Coolidge is the only former city council member in the history of the United States to be elected POTUS and James Garfield was the only U.S. House of Representative member to become president.

The majority of U.S. presidents were either former generals or governors and Warren Harding, JFK, and Barack Obama are the only U.S. senators to become president.

Donald Trump is the only POTUS who did not have any of these previous backgrounds.

I experienced the City Hall gatekeeper protocols several months ago when I entered the lobby in an effort to clarify conflicting responses from two different departments that handled building approval and utilities management.

I was told that I could not enter the appropriate floors to access these departments and when I asked if they could contact the appropriate individual(s) to meet me in the lobby I was informed that all of them were in staff meetings and could not be interrupted at this time.

I was then advised to go online to contact them if I had any inquiries or to leave a phone message on their answering system.

When I mentioned that I had already done this with no follow-up responses, I was told to try again as these individuals are very busy and often have other priorities to attend to.

My journey to City Hall yielded zero results towards resolving my concerns and we have decided to move ahead with our remodeling plans sans any approval or advisements from city officials.

Since one cannot fight City Hall or even discuss matters with them in person, we have opted to ignore whatever building ordinances that may exist as it is a civil matter and not a criminal one which involves the police.

Since we pay our taxes and utility bills in a timely manner, there is no reason for us to abide by any of the drivel generated by the City Council or the City Manager.

The average person on the street doesn't even know who the mayor is and at best, probably couldn't name more than 1 city council member.

And to make things even more ludicrous, I have encountered several Palo Alto residents who cannot differentiate Ed Shikada from Greg Tanaka.

Why not simply confront these elusive individuals when they are out in public (i.e. having lunch, walking to their cars etc.)? As long as you are not violating their personal privacy by trespassing on private property or verbally harassing them on the street, the public domain is open access.

And the same applies to the mayor, city council members, and the city manager.

Confront them and ask questions.

Re Lost Causes comments on the difficulty of getting access to the right people, that unfortunately is a long-standing tradition. Many decades ago I called the main number and asked to speak to a specific department about either a transportation or utilities issue. The receptionist very tremulously said something like, "Oh I'm not supposed to connect you but your situation sounds horrible so I will connect you. Just don't say I helped you."

When I was reached the department head, he first demanded to know how I got his number. When I asked him to how to be connected to the right person for my situation, he got REALLY testy.

Being persistent, I'd also contacted a few journalists and was told that the city manager (at the time) had instructed all department heads to ignore press inquiries.

Remind me again A) why the city manager has such a huge "communications" / pr / community relations team when they don't communicate and can't even produce a current police blotter and B) who they think they're supposed to interacting with while ignoring the "public" and the taxpaying "community".

If this City Hall indifference towards the concerns of Palo Alto residents and local journalists has been going on for decades, why are people either putting-up with these affronts or accepting it?

Why doesn't anyone raise their complaints and address the City Council on this matter?

Why doesn't anyone address this issue with the respective city staffers and administrators when they are in public?

It one thing to constantly gripe and another to actually do something productive about it.

Maybe white people are less vociferous than black folks when it comes to addressing and resolving both societal and municipal neglect.

For those whom English is a second language, it is sometimes difficult to communicate with City Hall officials when the opportunity arises.

Given the established Mandarin population in Palo Alto, some city employees should be fluent in Mandarin to better serve the community and all city-related informational brochures should be translated into Mandarin as well.

My elderly father contacted the city to inquire about a fallen tree branch and no one could understand him because he does not speak English.

For a progressive city that embraces diversity and culture, this lack of
sensitivity and inclusion towards its Chinese population is a travesty.

On the City of Palo Alto webpage there is a Staff Feedback form to address various issues and complaints.

Has anyone ever used it and what were the re4sults?

@Regina: people have tried in various ways: writing letters to the editor, posting comments to pertinent blogs and news stories, speaking at City Council, writing City Council, volunteering service, and continuing to try to get through on the phone. The fractured dynamic is not new and it did not begin with Shikada. However, it has significantly worsened under his reign (word deliberately chosen).