Redwood City sets priorities

Two measures focused on pedestrian safety proposed by Mayor Giselle Hale and Councilmember Alicia Aguirre were combined into one and received a 6-1 backing. Heeding the calls from local activists, the measures proposed expediting approved safety improvements along El Camino Real and other high trafficked areas of the city.

Another recommendation by Aguirre was combined with one raised by Councilmember Michael Smith that aims to strengthen the city’s response to homelessness, again receiving a 6-1 vote. While Aguirre’s recommendation focused on addressing mental health, Smith recommended the city lead a collaborative effort to establish an aligned program with the county and Caltrans to more quickly achieve functional zero, meaning homelessness is rare, brief and never chronic.

“There is an investment happening in the community but there’s still the phenomenon of these encampments happening,” Smith said. “I want us to be in a proactive position, in the driver’s seat in advocating for our community on this issue.”

With a 4-3 vote, the council also supported a recommendation by Vice Mayor Diana Reddy, which calls for the city to develop an anti-harassment ordinance in collaboration with renter advocates and landlord.

The second part of the recommendation would lead to stronger relocation benefits being established for renters, requiring landlords to temporarily evict a tenant during unit repairs to offer the unit back to the tenant at a similarly affordable price.

“This is immediately critical and needed in our community,” Reddy said.

The final measure to be pushed forward with a 4-3 vote was a recommendation by Councilmember Diane Howard to add the creation of an art center to the list of community benefits the city would encourage developers to consider adding to their projects.

“This is something Redwood City residents as well as the surrounding community wants to see in Redwood City,” Howard said.

Other suggested items that did not gain wide enough support can be considered and acted on outside of the upcoming budget consideration. Among that list was a recommendation by Hale to write a letter requesting the Board of Supervisors create a protective buffer zone around Planned Parenthood center just outside city limits.

Councilmember Lissette Espinoza-Garnica raised two tax related items aimed at using commercial business tax revenue to support homelessness and housing initiatives. Both items failed to gain support during Saturday’s meeting but could be considered by the Finance and Audit Subcommittee at a later date if the council recommends the members to do so.

Work around some items is already underway, prompting councilmembers to direct their votes for alternative issues. For instance, a recommendation by Howard for the city to provide its support of the Port of Redwood City’s ferry project will be addressed within the month as the necessary governing bodies consider a proposed business plan starting this Wednesday.

More detailed information on scope and cost of the approved items will be brought forward to the council during the city’s upcoming budget cycle, Stevenson Diaz said.

Ultimately, Stevenson Diaz said the city will continue focusing on “right-sizing” staff size, services and resources to take on the council priorities while still managing through the pandemic.

“The pandemic is not done with us and I think the last month of that has been a very unfortunate illustration of enduring power that the pandemic has and how it’s affecting both us as an organization and as a community,” Stevenson Diaz said. “We need to align our resources as an organization with the services most important to our residents.”

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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