BY DAVE PRICE
Daily Post Editor
Congressman Sam Liccardo needs to help his constituents with an urgent problem.
Russian businessman Vitaly Yusufov plans to put up a 39-story skyscraper on the former Sunset magazine campus at the corner of Willow and Middlefield roads in Menlo Park.
This would be the tallest building between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and it would cast a long shadow into the quiet neighborhoods of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
A loophole in state law called the Builder’s Remedy allows for this tall building that would normally violate local zoning codes.
Here’s where Liccardo could hit a home run for his constituents.
Russian oil money
It’s obvious that Yusufov has inherited his money from his father, former Russian Energy Minister Igor Yusufov. His father faces sanctions in Ukraine and Canada.
But for reasons that are unclear, the Yusufovs aren’t on the U.S. government’s sanctions list. So they’re investing their billions in projects like the Sunset towers.
That’s right — the country we oppose in this war is freely investing billions of dollars in the United States.
Call Scott Bessent
Liccardo can stop this project immediately by asking Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to put the Yusufovs on the sanctions list. The moment that happens, the 39-story tower is dead.
But Liccardo’s actions on this have been baffling.
Liccardo has declined to speak to a reporter for the Daily Post about any efforts he’s made to have sanctions imposed on Yusufov.
Last week, he was one of 152 Democrats in the House to vote “no” on the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (H.R. 5334). The act still passed, 262-159, on a bipartisan basis. It also passed earlier in the Senate 86-11 and was signed into law.
For what it’s worth, 58 Democrats voted for the bill, so Liccardo is definitely in the minority in his own party’s ranks.
But all is not lost. There’s nothing stopping Liccardo from calling Secretary Bessent today and urging him to put the Yusufovs on the sanctions list.
This issue isn’t going away
If Liccardo doesn’t get the Yusufovs on the sanctions list, this issue could bite him when it hurts the most. Liccardo is assured of winning reelection in November. He’s facing a nobody Republican who can’t even bring himself to return phone calls from the newspaper.
But next year, when the construction cranes go up at 80 Willow and people see how big this building will be, Liccardo will be under enormous pressure. People will be asking him, “Why didn’t you stop this when you had the chance?”
Liccardo could face a primary
The door will be open for a Democrat to challenge him in the 2028 primary. The Mid-Peninsula is full of wealthy Democrats who could finance their own campaign for the House. The campaign theme would be simple — Liccardo let this skyscraper happen. And he’ll lose, badly. And then not even the Yusufovs will have pity upon him.
Editor Dave Price’s column appears on Mondays.
A clarification: The original version of this column suggested that Liccardo declined an interview about why he voted against the Russian sanctions bill. Actually, the Post had been attempting to reach him prior to the vote to discuss sanctions against Yusufov.
There must be a way to block this project that doesn’t depend on Liccardo doing something.
Wait… I thought 80 Willow Ave. was in the process of becoming a National Historic Place?
A gaudy skyscraper has absolutely no place here, Russian developer or not.
As usual, Liccardo is serving himself rather than his constituents. This building project needs to be stopped. It’s incomprehensible that he’s not part of the solution.
Make the call to Liccardo’s office (202) 225-8104
No one believes Sam Liccardo will ever do anything meaningful to benefit his constituents or his community. Waiting on him is the ultimate fool’s errand.
Absolutely brilliant piece! We should all keep demanding that Liccardo respond and finally act.
Shame on him for making us pressure him to do what’s right for his constituents.
(Whenever I read about his self-serving inaction I’m reminded of all the egomaniacs who ran opposing Joe Simitian knowing they had no chance to win and thus siphoned off the votes Simitian needed. I’m thinking specifically of Julie Lythcott-Haims who hadn’t even finished her first term as a city council member but thought she deserved to ascend to a higher office, siphoned off 8,000 votes and finally read the tea leafs to know NOT to run for a second term. As always, pay attention to her endorsements so we get another Julie clone.)
Liccardo won’t succeed in sanctioning Yusufov because that would require working with the Trump administration. When your style is bomb-throwing, you won’t find many open doors. If he had toned it down a bit and tried to work in a bipartisan fashion, he’d have a chance at getting sanctions against Yusufov. Liccardo should call Joe Simitian and get a lesson on how to do this.
For once Trump is not the problem here. Trust me.
The “builder’s remedy” is the result of decades-long games by cities with respect to housing; some incentive to fix this was probably needed. But 80 Willow is clearly off the rails.
Like others here, I think Joe Simitian would have done more to stand up for folks here, as he long did. I cannot disagree with Jam about vanity candidates. But let’s not forget Peter Dixon and Greg Tanaka. And let’s remind folks who think their vote doesn’t matter: _one vote_ here would have avoided a tie and could well have avoided a subsequent recount. When you don’t vote—or you vote for someone with no chance of winning—you’re simply deferring to folks willing to make a sometimes tough choice.
Interesting take, Dave Price. If you don’t like what someone is doing that is 100% legal, sick the corrupt government on them. Very, very trumpian of you, I must say. Does the end justify the means?
I think it’s ridiculous that some greedy developer or, worse still, a Russian oligarch can override the Menlo Park planning commission and city council and approve 80 Willow whether nearby residents like it or not. But it wasn’t Donald Trump who did this, it was people like Scott Weiner who empowered the builders remedy, and people like Rob Bonta, Marc Berman and Sam Liccardo who are backing Weiner and his Sacramento posse up. So if you voted for Bonta, Berman or Liccardo you are getting what you voted for. I do hope San Francisco voters send Weiner to Washington not because I like him but because it will get him out of California. He’s a carpetbagger.
You’re right. One just has to look at the people endorsed and funded by the Santa Clara Democratic Party to realize they’re as bad as the Trumpers in picking the least qualified ideologues who’ll blindly follow the party line. Just follow the money and look at how much more money keeps flowing to their candidates and I say that as someone who’s been a lifelong Democrat.
You’re wrong on this. It was the negligence and incompetence of our city council with regard to the housing plan. They allowed this to happen. 100%
It ought to be illegal for billionaires from an enemy country to launder their money here. Oh wait! Money laundering is illegal. Maybe that’s why Yusufov hasn’t visited his project. He doesn’t want the FBI to put him in handcuffs snd throw him into jail.
Kudos to Dave Price
Liccardo called for sanctions