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Name: Jennifer Wise
Age: 32
Occupation: Tax & Estate Planning Attorney
Years residing in the district: Four years
Key endorsements: Anna Eshoo, U.S. Representative of California’s 16th District; Ray Mueller, San Mateo County Supervisor and former City Councilmember of Menlo Park District 5; Maria Doerr, Menlo Park Councilmember for District 5; Jennifer Schindler, Chair, Menlo Park Planning Commission; Josh Becker, Senator of California State Senate District 13; Marc Berman, California State Representative, District 23; Francesca Segre, President of the Menlo Park School Board; Sally Cole, Chair of the Menlo Park Complete Streets Commission; Jeff Schmidt, Chair of the Menlo Park Environmental Quality Commission; Carol Orton, Chair of the Menlo Park Library Commission; Andrew Ehrich, Vice Chair of the Menlo Park Planning Commission; Mitchel Slomiak, Former Chair and Member, Menlo Park Environmental Quality Commission; San Mateo County Firefighters, Local 2400; San Mateo County Democrats and California Young Democrats.
Campaign website: JenniferMenloPark.com
Contact information: JenniferMenloPark@gmail.com
Questions:
1. What makes you the best candidate and what relevant experience do you bring to the position?
I am the best candidate for Menlo Park District 5 because I have deep local roots and commitment to this community. As a lifelong Peninsula resident, I appreciate what has always made the Peninsula an attractive place to live and want to maintain that. Additionally, I hope to live in Menlo Park for the rest of my life and am therefore personally invested in making sure our community and schools are the best they can be. I have worked at both the federal and county levels of government, and as an estate planning attorney, I listen to what local families care about most every day.
2. What would your top three priorities be as a Menlo Park City Council member?
a. Quality of life (revitalizing downtown, protecting and maintaining our parks)
b. Safety (safe walking paths to school, safe streets for pedestrians, bikes, and cars, home safety, climate action)
c. Families & community (implementing the housing element in a meaningful way, maintaining our excellent schools)
3. What do you believe are some of the greatest challenges facing the city?
In addition to the priorities I have identified above, I would say balancing Menlo Park’s budget and addressing the homelessness crisis are among the greatest challenges facing the City.
4. What are your thoughts on the city’s most recent housing element? Are there parts of the plan that you wish were done differently?
I am very proud of the city and all of the work that went into the housing element, this was a large undertaking. I am comfortable with the plan thus far. Looking forward, I would like the city to be very deliberate and intentional in implementing the housing element, making sure to take transportation and climate into consideration as well, as these issues are inextricably linked.
5. What should Menlo Park do more of? What should Menlo Park do less of?
We need to do more around climate if we want to meet the goals set by the Climate Action Plan by 2030. For example, I would like to see electrification initiatives continued and more EV chargers installed.
I know Menlo Park residents would like to see less traffic and congestion moving forward. It will be especially important to engage transportation experts, especially as we implement the housing element, to make sure our streets are as efficient as possible, as well as being pedestrian and bike friendly.
6. Should Menlo Park pursue a Caltrain quiet zone?
Yes, I am in favor of Menlo Park pursuing a Caltrain quiet zone.
7. What are your thoughts on the possible builder’s remedy development on the former Sunset Magazine campus?
I am concerned about the project as it is currently proposed. While I am in favor of building more housing in Menlo Park, the magnitude of this project seems extreme. It’s my understanding the largest tower will be the tallest skyscraper outside of San Francisco. This will stick out in Menlo Park, particularly the neighborhood the campus is set in.
8. How can the City Council ensure that all residents of Menlo Park are included in decisions that may affect them, their environment and their health?
Doing outreach to meet people where they are is very important. If elected, I plan on holding office hours and town halls to hear from residents.
9. What are your thoughts on the Transient Occupancy Tax increase (Measure CC) that is on the ballot for this election?
While increasing taxes is never attractive, I appreciate that the increase is not on Menlo Park residents. Additionally, the city staff report indicated that the Transient Occupancy Tax in all surrounding towns is currently higher than that of Menlo Park’s, and the increase would be in line with the rates in the area. Therefore, it seems unlikely that a visitor would choose a neighboring town over staying in Menlo Park due to the increase in the Occupancy Tax.
10. How can the City Council encourage vibrancy in Menlo Park’s downtown?
It’s important to me to support the businesses we currently have in any way we can. I would like to implement a downtown taskforce (or perhaps a new city commission) so we have a dedicated forum for business owners and concerned citizens to voice opinions and share ideas. Additionally, I am trying to get in contact with the downtown building owners so we can address why there are so many vacancies on Santa Cruz Avenue. Finally, I would love to see an initiative to clean up the street on Santa Cruz Avenue.
11. How successful has the town’s vision zero plan to reduce pedestrian and bicycle injuries and fatalities been? Is there anything about pedestrian and bicycle safety that you would change in the city?
According to the vision zero progress report presented in January of 2024, the number of injuries and collisions has reduced overall since the implementation of the plan, so it’s encouraging to see that the plan is making good progress. We still have work to do, and according to the plan, most injuries occur when drivers are driving at unsafe speeds. Therefore, focusing on traffic calming measures and added protections for pedestrians and bikers (such as raised walkways and flashing lights) are important moving forward.
12. What are your thoughts on automatic license plate readers in Menlo Park?
I believe City Council’s decision to approve license plate readers was the appropriate action. I have spoken with various members of Menlo Park’s police force, who all indicated that the license plate readers would be helpful for solving crimes, and local police forces (such as Atherton) reported that license plate readers helped solve some home break-in crimes.
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