BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
Menlo Park Mayor Betsy Nash is defending her seat on the Menlo Park City Council against former member Peter Ohtaki, who differs with her on removing natural gas from homes and the city’s controversial ballot measure, among other issues facing the city.
Ohtaki is for Measure V, the citizens initiative that would require a vote by residents anytime someone wants to rezone a single family house to build anything else, such as apartments. Nash is against it.
Opponents of the measure say its targeting the former Flood School site at 321 Sheridan Drive, where the Ravenswood School District wants to build between 80 and 90 apartments for district employees.
Nash said it’s hard to react to Ravenswood’s plans when no formal application has been filed by the school district yet. She said the two sides that need to be negotiating are the neighbors and the school district.
Ohtaki says his support of Measure V is “less about the Flood School project” and more about protecting neighborhoods.
“With the pressure of the housing element, we need to make sure future councils cannot change the family friendly character of our neighborhoods,” Ohtaki said.
The two also differ over removing natural gas appliances from homes.
City Council approved a Climate Action Plan, which includes the goal “explore policy/program options to convert 95% of existing buildings to all-electric by 2030.” There is no set way to accomplish that goal and the council has debated how aggressively to get residents to make the switch.
Nash says one of her main priorities is the environment and wants people to stop using gas in their homes, but voluntarily. She said there is work to help people who want to take out their gas appliances but can’t afford to.
Ohtaki said he is against the near-term switch because he says the electric grid right now can’t support the additional demand without pulling power from natural gas-powered plants.
The two are facing off to represent the city’s District 4, it is the only contested council race this year. No one filed to run against District 1 Councilwoman Cecilia Taylor and District 2’s Councilman Drew Combs.
District 4 is west of El Camino Real, including the city’s downtown and Allied Arts neighborhoods. It runs between Santa Cruz Avenue and Valparaiso Avenue to the city’s border with West Menlo Park and between Santa Cruz and the creek until San Mateo Drive.
Nash is running again because, she says, there’s still a lot she wants to get done and it takes time to get momentum as a new council member, and then Covid happened. She says her three goals if re-elected is to get more housing, and in particular affordable housing, in the city and to meet the state’s requirement that the city zone for 2,946 homes.
Nash says she’s improved things for residents by establishing a weekly newsletter that residents have told her is beneficial and makes them feel connected to the city.
Ohtaki says his priority would be figuring out a way to prevent lot split bill SB9 from causing “uncontrolled development” in the city.
Ohtaki also says he will be “bringing back common sense” to council. He was on the council from 2011 to 2019, when he lost to Nash. Ohtaki said back then council would seriously weigh the pros and cons and be more analytical in its approach to issues.
I’m going to be voting for Ohtaki because I want to keep my natural gas. It’s less expensive than electricity and more reliable. When was the last time you ever heard of a gas outage? Now we’re getting electric outages all the time. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket. When the environmentalists eliminate gas from their homes, then we can talk about what’s good for the rest of us. But I feel this will become another “rules for thee, not for me” ploy by the politicians.
Nash is so out of touch with the homeowners of Menlo Park it’s stunning. A newsletter? Development at the Flood School isn’t her problem? She needs to be work for the people of Menlo Park instead of a list of solutions without problems.
“She said there is work to help people who want to take out their gas appliances but can’t afford to.”
OK you want to keep your natural gas, Nash is not trying to take it away. Can you read?
This is a rare example of two good candidates, both Stanford , one from research (Nash) and one from finance (Ohtaki), I like them both and if they were single I’d set them up, just to crowbar them back somewhere near the middle. Nash’s inability to pick a side on Measure V is a giant red flag, and Nash either wakes up unable to pick a side or is so woke as to be afraid of offending everyone, it’s a problem. Ohtaki returns calls and actually returns email, but will he finally focus on Menlo now that he’s failed higher office thrice? PS, those voters not Mastering the Art of French Cooking don’t care about natural gas as long as the windows are open.
Gas is less expensive and more reliable. But, yeah, if you’re living in a bubble you’re going to think that the only people who want gas are into French cooking. What an astute observation!
Betsy Nash, Menlo Park Property magnate is out of touch with Menlo Park and reality. She owns two adjacent 1/2 acre parcels in Menlo Park. One of these would qualify for the housing element and she could be building affordable housing which she wants everyone else to do in their neighborhood. Why didn’t she lead, because she isn’t a leader. Natural gas, yes she tried to vote it out of Menlo Park already when your gas appliance fails she didn’t want you to be able to replace it with another one. Whats the practical ramification. Well if you have a failure you probably live in an older house with a 100 or 200 amp panel. Those new electric appliances they take 50 amps+. Now you need a panel upgrade from PGE, OK wait for 6-12 months for that to happen. If Betsy had her way your house would be legally uninhabitable until the upgrade occurred. She comes from a science background, but couldn’t do this basic analysis? Not a leader and lacking basic analytical skills, Menlo Park deserves better.
Nash is way out of touch for Menlo Park. People live here for the schools and the family friendly neighborhoods. She must have a connection to developers, because that’s the only group that will benefit from overbuilding. Developers will make a mint building multiple units on small lots — mostly in Belle Haven and the Willows– where lots are more less costly and it won’t be “affordable housing.” The developers will sell them at $3 million each and in the end the neighborhoods will be overdeveloped, the developers will be richer and the rest of us will move on. The school district will not have the donors it has now. Ohtaki is the one to vote for now.