A New Series To Help Menlo Park Voters Prepare For November 3, Local Elections (Episode 1)
I believe the evidence that the Menlo Park city government is failing to responsibly organize, plan and implement needed city-wide affordable housing is overwhelmingly undeniable, and the likely dire consequences of failure now appear unavoidable. These include:
a) failing to meet its state-mandated Housing Element requirements for all categories of affordable housing which could result in face harsh penalties,
b) failing to protect the future economic health, civic value and overall appeal of Downtown Menlo Park.
c) subjecting our entire community to years of severe political, social, economic and financial turmoil and hardships.
d) failing to truly represent most voters who are pro-housing, pro-Downtown and pro-Menlo Park.
Fortunately, avoiding these problems – though extremely challenging – is still doable, but the time for identifying practical solutions is running out. I also believe the City currently lacks the will and capabilities to make necessary reforms to its affordable housing efforts. So, I encourage voters be THE catalysts for making them by supporting the Citizen’s Initiative and carefully selecting council members who are capable and committed to championing them.
There is some very good news. In July, city planning staff confirmed there are more than enough affordable housing sites in Menlo Park to meet state-mandated, requirements. And on November 3, voters will have excellent opportunities to initiate reforms.
Purpose of This Series
I have closely tracked Menlo Park’s affordable housing efforts since early 2024 and regularly reported my findings, assessments and recommendations in my Almanac blog. This has been a huge but rewarding journey and challenge. The planning of city-wide affordable housing involves many “technically” complex issues, difficult trade-offs, unknowns, and uncertainties. Competing political choices continue to generate intense controversy within our community. And our city’s trademark lack of transparency has undermined community trust and fostered an environment that nourishes the constant spread of misleading and inaccurate information. So, I understand how extremely difficult it is for voters to understand this subject, form their own well-founded positions and make sound decisions. I hope to help them overcome these challenges by (a) clearly providing facts and sound assumptions, (b) defusing the negative power of misinformation and disinformation and (c) sharing the rationales for my own views and positions.
In this post, I explain the important opportunities voters will have in the November Elections. Then I will address a set of important topics. (Contact me at danahendrickson2009@gmail.com, if you want to receive email notifications.)
- The City is not producing enough affordable housing, and the outlook is poor
- Key reasons voters cannot currently trust our City to avoid failures
- Ways to build an effective City affordable housing program
- Critiques of ongoing City affordable housing planning
- Fact-checking council member candidates and campaigns
- Fact-checking advocacy groups, e.g., Save Downtown Menlo, Menlo Together Homes For Menlo, Housing Institute
Vote Twice November 3rd
=> Citizens’ Initiative
=> Councilmember Elections
Voters will elect three council members who will represent Districts 1, 2 and 4 starting in 2027. That year the State will perform its first comprehensive audit of the City’s progress on affordable housing, and I expect the State will judge the progress harshly, as it will expect Menlo Park to have approved building permits for at least 50% of its total housing unit requirements in every household income category. Otherwise, the State could subject Menlo Park to significant penalties force Menlo Park to develop credible strategies and plans and prove the feasibility of any proposed new projects. Menlo Park could not pass this audit if it were required now.
I strongly encourage voters to elect candidates who are energetic and creative problem solvers and will represent EVERYONE who lives in Menlo Park, not just those within their own districts. Our community simply cannot afford to elect “protectionists”, anyone who automatically opposes new affordable housing in their districts.
Wrap-Up
- I believe most voters are pro-affordable housing, pro-Downtown and pro-Menlo Park and they – not city government including only three councilmembers – should determine what trade-offs are acceptable.
- Starting in August, I intend to evaluate all the candidates who are seeking to represent BOTH the City and Districts 1, 2 and 4 based on their qualifications and priorities.
On November 3 voters can vote twice. I encourage them to clearly understand their choices and cast votes that strengthen the City Council, protect our Downtown, and enable our community to develop sound city-wide, affordable housing plans with minimum political pain. This is very doable, but it requires voters to elect the right council members and insist our community – not as few as three city council members – decides our future.
This is great! Thank you for doing this. It is a mystery to me why our City Council is hell bent on a downtown housing plan that just will not work. “Yes!” to housing but “No!” to a plan that is destined to fail. Let’s be fact-based and smart about this.