Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in East Palo Alto public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
30 issues with medium priority
SAFER Bay flood protection project costs and timeline
The levee/flood project protecting the city from bay flooding would get extended engineering contracts through 2031 and a construction management budget increase of roughly $148,000.
Reimagine Dumbarton Busway and Trail
SamTrans wants to turn the old rail line into a dedicated bus lane plus a walking and biking trail connecting East Palo Alto to Redwood City, possibly with service running deeper into EPA. Construction is optimistically the early 2030s.
Domestic Violence Awareness and CORA Services
The council declared October Domestic Violence Awareness Month and heard from CORA, which has served East Palo Alto for nearly a decade and just moved to a new office co-located with JobTrain, where walk-in traffic has already increased.
Public Works and Transportation Commission appointments
Five candidates competed for two seats. Rafael Avendaño, a parks and safe-streets advocate new to town, won the full term; Ray Zhu, an engineer focused on walkable, bikeable streets, took the alternate seat on a revote after Betsy Yanis withdrew.
New parking and bus zones
LAZ Parking issued over 8,700 citations since April, but the permit parking program residents want won't be ready until mid-2027 — Dinan and residents want it faster.
Parking enforcement fairness
LAZ Parking issued over 8,700 citations since April, but the permit parking program residents want won't be ready until mid-2027 — Dinan and residents want it faster.
Bell Street Park trees and fire access easement
The council approved the least-disruptive fire access easement but the project will still remove mature trees; the developer pledged 12 replacement trees in the park and said it will try to save trees during construction, with residents urging community input on species.
Sunrise Towing displacement
The family towing business, which serves the city, was given three months to leave its Ontario Street site and asked the council for help finding a new location or extending its tenancy.
November 2026 General Municipal Election
Two city council seats — held by Ruben Abrica and Martha Barragan — expire in December 2026, and this resolution sets the election to fill them. The city will pay San Mateo County roughly $52,000 to $62,400 to run the vote, already covered in the budget.
FY2027 Transient Occupancy Tax Grants
Sixteen youth and community organizations will share roughly $508,000 in TOT grant funding, after the council added four groups at $30,000 each to the twelve originally recommended. Staff warned that administering 16 grants strains a small team.
Aggressive Dogs and Public Safety Near EPA Center
Councilmember Dinan blasted the county animal control contract — about $689,000 a year — for poor response times and no local spay/neuter or vaccine services. County data showed strong return-to-owner and field-call numbers, and the council approved the contract while asking for closer collaboration.
Measure HH workforce development program
The city is spending $1.1 million in Measure HH parcel tax money on job training. The council split the procurement, hiring a master contractor and evaluator first, and debated whether funds can support high school tutoring and robotics programs.
Fireworks complaints and community response
A resident described hours of 100-plus decibel illegal fireworks on July 4 and asked the council to create a resident task force to change community attitudes, noting police response was inadequate.
YMCA weekend access funding
The city funded free weekend YMCA access last year but proposed nothing for year two — until Councilmember Dinan pushed $175,000 from reserves to keep it going. About 683 residents have used the programs, and the council may explore funding weekday access next.
Epicenter arts and cultural programming
Epicenter's first year drew thousands to concerts, a Juneteenth jubilee, and cultural festivals, but the proposed budget contained no money to continue it. The council added $100,000 from reserves to fund a second year.
Traffic and air quality concerns
Longtime resident Gail Dixon told the council the city has the Peninsula's highest asthma rate, blaming cut-through traffic and dust from Highway 101, Willow Road, and University Avenue. She urged the city to restrict through-traffic during certain hours.
Meeting disruption policy (SB 707)
State law required the city to adopt rules for handling meeting disruptions by July 1. The new policy covers Zoom outages, comment time limits, removal of disruptive attendees, and — after Councilmember Barragan raised it — limits on signs left on chairs or blocking views.
City vacancies and SEIU staffing concerns
Vacancy rate is down to 4.8%, but SEIU says maintenance worker, public works secretary, and building inspector positions have sat empty, stretching workloads.
Traffic signal timing on city streets
Councilmember Dinan demanded the budget include a consultant to fix mistimed traffic signals — bad backups on Runnymede, University, Embarcadero, and East Bayshore that cost commuters 45 minutes getting through town. Public works has no signal-timing expert on staff.
BMR monitoring fee debate
Below-market-rate homeowners pay $129 a month — about $1,548 a year — for monitoring of their units. Councilmember Dinan called the fee excessive for low-income owners; others defended it as the price of enforcing deed restrictions that has recovered units sold improperly. The fee is now frozen until the EPA CAN DO contract expires in October.
101 Corridor Connect mini-grants
SMCTA is offering up to $750,000 per project — no local match — to jumpstart priority projects along the 101. East Palo Alto projects on the list include the University Avenue Grand Corridor, Pulgas Avenue, Willow Road, and several Active 101 bike/ped locations. Applications are due in July.
Legislative advocacy platform
The city's first legislative platform gives staff a framework to take positions on state and federal legislation aligned with council priorities — including $2 million recently won for Woodland Avenue safety and $600,000 for a creek floodway study.
First-time homebuyer program feasibility
With median East Palo Alto home prices around $1.1 million and a housing assistance fund of only about $405,000, staff said a traditional down-payment loan program isn't feasible. Council steered toward education, closing-cost help, and possibly targeting below-market-rate units.
Development Code update (ZTA25-002)
A package of zoning cleanups — smaller setbacks for apartments, home businesses in accessory buildings, easier temporary permits, and allowing tire shops and schools in mixed-use zones — was heard and continued to May 5 so objective design standards can be added.
Connect Bay Area Act (SB 63) transit funding
SamTrans pitched a potential half-cent sales tax that could bring San Mateo County about $50 million a year for 14 years. Council and residents emphasized better frequency, weekend service, and keeping fare discounts — and were urged to fill out the survey before it closes.
Strategic priorities progress and deferred projects
Staff reported 39 of 59 strategic priority projects active, including the completed Colibri Commons and the 101 overcrossing. Four projects — library funding and design, the ten-year fiscal strategy, and water infrastructure financing — are deferred, which Vice Mayor Abrica flagged as worrying.
Council Member Ethics Controversy
An East Palo Alto councilman is refusing to step down after writing a character letter for a child sex abuse defendant, and colleagues and residents are pushing back hard. It’s live political drama over who represents you on the council.
Summer park activation program
Twelve organizations will share $192,015 to run summer programs in city parks, serving toddlers through seniors, with new demographic and gender-inclusion reporting.
Youth Civic Engagement
East Palo Alto is setting up youth panels so teens can weigh in on city decisions that affect them. It’s a push to turn young residents from spectators into actual participants. The details aren’t locked in yet, but the goal is real influence, not just a photo op.
safe parking program for RV residents
East Palo Alto is getting statewide buzz for its safe parking program that gives people living in RVs a designated place to stay. If you care about homelessness or how cities handle RV dwellers, this is a policy to watch. KQED frames it as a possible model for other California cities.