BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Palo Alto City Council candidates agree that City Hall should be opened up to the public, questioning City Manager Ed Shikada’s decision to lock up the elevators on the first floor.
From Mayor Greer Stone to senior advocate Henry Etzkowitz, all nine candidates interviewed by the Post last week said they would make changes to the building, most starting with a receptionist on the first floor.
“That’s the public’s building. They should be able to have access to it,” Stone said on Thursday.
Shikada locked the first-floor elevators and put the furniture in storage at the beginning of the pandemic.
He told council the changes would be permanent in a June 2021 email that was obtained by the Post using the California Public Records Act.
The elevators can only be opened with a key card, and there’s a computer kiosk in the lobby for people to call the upper floors.
“Nobody on council I know likes it,” said Councilman Pat Burt, who is running for a fourth term.
Burt said he wants the elevator to be coded so that visitors can access certain floors.
There’s been a trend of “First Amendment auditors” who go into public buildings, record employees and post their reactions online. City employees have been trained on how to respond, but they’re still worried about more violent events, Burt said on Wednesday.
Planning Commissioner Keith Reckdahl said he wants to see fewer employees working from home, where they might get distracted by their dishes or the laundry like himself.
Reckdahl said he’s more efficient when he goes into the office.
“I’m afraid, as taxpayers, we’re not getting the full attention of the employees. That potential bothers me” Reckdahl said on Friday.
The number of employees working from home ranges from 7% on Wednesdays to 23% on Fridays, according to a spreadsheet provided the city.
Employees in HR, IT, finance, transportation and planning are coming in less often than employees who are more hands-on, like police officers and librarians.
Planning Commissioner Cari Templeton said she’s uncomfortable that she can’t go to the City Clerk’s office without stopping in the lobby to call up.
“That’s just unusual,” Templeton said on Friday. “It’s probably time for us to look at reopening, and I mentioned that to Ed Shikada.”
Planning Commissioner George Lu said he had a positive experience at the first-ever City Hall Open House on Wednesday.
City employees were available to talk to residents and had exhibits showing what they do, Lu said.
The eighth floor where City Attorney Molly Stump works had more restrictions, Lu said.
Lu said he knows a lot of people have struck out with the city when they tried to get help with a permit or schedule an appointment.
“The horror story always goes that they get one meeting or exchange a couple emails, and then communication falls that,” Lu said. “Literally opening the floors isn’t a solution to that, but it’s the start of building a more responsive, more open culture.”
Senior advocate Henry Etzkowitz said he would convert under-utilized space ant City Hall into an incubator, a day care center or another useful purpose.
Human Relations Commissioner Katie Causey said she would be open to using the property for downtown housing.
Planning Commissioner Doria Summa said she’s glad chairs are back in the lobby, so people can come out of the elements and sit down.
“I think that’s a nice use for City Hall,” Summa said.
Parks Commissioner Anne Cribbs used to work for the city at the Lucie Stern Community Center, and she said she liked when people visited.
Cribbs said she prefers City Hall to be open.
“But I’m not a security expert and times have changed. I do believe that there are probably parts of all buildings that need to be more secure,” Cribbs said.
Shikada said in a memo to council last month that “staffing is being reviewed to add personal assistance to the lobby check-in desk.”
The city is also looking at hiring a security company for public meetings and business hours at City Hall after police officers move to their new headquarters by California Avenue, Shikada said.
“As with workplaces throughout the nation, workforce safety and secure operations at City Hall continue to evolve to reflect our dynamic social environment,” Shikada said.
At City Hall and other city buildings, there are publicly accessible staffed customer service counters where the public can get assistance from city staff during open hours. Additionally, all of the city libraries have “Staff Only” areas, as do the Community Centers and the Development Center. Should the public be permitted to roam the entirety of these locations as well? What about Police and Fire Stations?
There are no services provided in the staff-only areas. From a safety and security standpoint, there’s no reason for the public to access staff-only areas.