Leadership that listens

The request was not out of order. One criteria the city has for installing new sidewalks, where none exist, is to have the project complete a gap. The condition applies on Terrace Road. It runs between Eaton and De Anza avenues. Each have sidewalks. Furthermore, at the intersection of Terrace and Eaton, the city has installed handicap access ramps. Therefore, requesting the city to fill in the gap between Terrace and the adjacent streets is entirely reasonable.

Of note: When the petition was submitted to the city, the neighborhood also put in a request for a meeting with the council. Their request went unanswered.

At the council meeting March 28, 2022, there was an agenda item to “Adopt a Resolution Approving Plans and Specifications and Authorizing a Call for Bids for the 2022 Pavement Rehabilitation Project C9416-22.” Two interesting matters caught my attention with this item. First was to see it on the “Consent Calendar.” That is the last place anyone ever looks for an item of importance and typically is overlooked by citizens. Second, it’s where an item is placed into a basket with a number of other items. Everything is approved as a package with no input or discussion unless a councilmember or member of the public asks to have an item pulled. Everything in the basket is considered to be routine and of little concern to anyone but city staff. Their goal is simply to move things along. However, in this case, buried in the basket, and buried even further within a project with 20 other streets, was the Terrace Road project.

The project was buried, despite the fact that one of the residents of Terrace Road had contacted the city’s engineering department to inquire whether their petition was being considered. They were told it was being included in an agenda item scheduled for April 11, 2022. That caused another resident to bird dog the issue, only to find out at the last minute that the item had been scheduled for the March 28 meeting.

When I heard this story, I found it to be a tragic failure of local government. My first question was whether anyone from the council had contacted anyone who lived on Terrace Road or was part of the petition drive? The answer was, “no.” I was amazed. When I was on council and became aware of an issue like this, the first thing I’d do is go see for myself what the circumstances were and meet with people in the neighborhood.

In the staff report for the project, it stated, “The scope of work was developed based upon the PMP, staff observations, and resident concerns.” Another document stated, “Staff and Consultant worked with site-adjacent residents … during the preparation of construction documents to ensure the improvements would not result in any negative impacts.” A public records request was made for any correspondence that took place between city staff and residents of Terrace Road. The city’s response was they had no records on file that matched the request. Their response was also to exclude sidewalks from the project for Terrace Road.

Everything about this story points to the need for a city council to be involved when residents make a request like the one made by the residents on Terrace Road. City staff have their own agenda. Left to their own devices, they can rule over a city like a monarchy ruling over a nation. Their agenda is not always in alignment with what is important to citizens. One role of the council is to keep city staff in check and make sure the citizens are being properly served.

To conclude, I offer the city’s mission statement, developed when I was on the council: “The City of San Carlos provides high-quality services and facilities to its residents in an equitable, sustainable, transparent, responsive, and friendly manner to foster an inclusive, safe and healthy community now and in the future.”

A former member of the San Carlos City Council and mayor, Matt Grocott has been involved in political policy on the Peninsula for 17 years. He can be reached by email at mattgrocott@comcast.net.