Are Palo Alto’s priorities really doable – or just pipe dreams?

These were the Palo Alto City Council’s 2023 priorities for the city:

Economic Recovery and Transition, Climate Change & Natural Environment – Protection and Adaptation, Housing for Social & Economic Balance, and Community Health & Safety

Lovely words, handcrafted by the entire council last January and except for a few word changes, were the same as the 2022 priorities

Priorities in this city are defined as topics that get “unusual and significant attention” during the coming year and city policies call for each priority to remain in place for only about three years.

The 2022 and 2023 ones were vague, offered no goals nor any way to measure progress on achieving those priorities, and were so broad that it’s hard to understand their meaning. For example, what specifically needs to be done under the “Climate Change and Natural Environment”? Be aware of climate change? Take care of the environment? How? Where? In what ways?

But then I learned that staff had come up with specific things to do – and those really made sense.

For example, under “Climate Change Protection,” some of the things to be done in 2023 were:
• Implement Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) through purchase of meters/equipment in February 2023 for installation.
• Approve consultant to update Bike and Pedestrian Transportation Plan (Additional Bike/Ped Grade Crossings will be included in network discussions, schedule pending consultant selection).
• Begin first phase construction for grid modernization in summer 2023 (if needed) and consultant resources to plan for gas transition.
• Install first 1,000 heat pump water heaters through the advanced pilot program and approve expanded full-scale program.
• Approve advanced pilot program for whole residential home electrification by the end of 2023.
• Accept Electric Vehicle Strategic Plan.

That’s why I hope the council and the public receives a report very soon from City Manager Ed Shikada about the progress and problems the city has had in trying to respond to the 2023 priorities because council deliberation of 2024 priorities will be developed at meeting on Monday, Jan. 29, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. It’s open to the public, and it could be interesting.

A public notice did go out asking residents for their suggestions for 2024 priorities, and there are some, but the submission deadline was last week, so we’re, shall I say, out of luck.

But the Council’s Policy and Services Committee said last year it will review the workshop format as they prepare for the 2024 priority setting retreat. Good!

As I reflect on priority setting, maybe the council should instead of priorities decide on four or five goals for the coming year. Goals, to me, seem more specific, more doable, than broadly phrased priorities, which sound like a group of politically correct words strung together. I’d like residents to believe that this city will have definite goals that actually can be accomplished this coming year.

Wouldn’t that be a wonderful happening for this city — “accomplishment.” Oftentimes, it seems to take so long for things to get done and projects completed in our fair city.