J & K - Not Just Letters of the Alphabet in Menlo Park

I served for a short time on the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) for the City of Menlo Park. When I put my hat in the ring for that position (appointed by the City Council from a selection of applicants), it was because I wanted to help keep the city where I live the beautiful place it is now. Menlo Park has in its logo a large oak tree. I think that means something.

Menlo Park is a small community where I've become more attached to living and raising my family. So I studied issues pertaining to the environment and I started paying more attention to our community in general. It's a very complex game with opposing factions and I don't presume to understand it all after living in Menlo Park nearly three years and in neighboring Palo Alto for five. However, in this election, there are two local ballot measures on which I have made very clear choices.

The first is Measure J, pertaining to Bayfront Park, a piece of land bordering the wetlands (open space preserve), the bay, and Marsh Road. It was previously a land fill but is now a park (not unlike Shoreline Park). It has been somewhat reclaimed by wildlife - mostly birds and little ground squirrels. Over time, it could become part of the wetlands if allowed, but for now it provides opportunities to observe nearby wildlife and a walking trail. It's not usable for much else due to the volatility of the terrain.

I visited Bayfront Park before becoming pregnant and at first I didn't think it was anything special - just a big hill next to some salt flats and the highway - but after walking for a while in the area, I started noticing the variety of birds, the unique panoramic view and the surrounding marsh. I noticed that in paticular, there seemed to be a lot of birds roosting in the marsh area that's flat, below the hill and I thought about how it might be fun to bring my kids there to bird watch someday.

This area, because it is valuable real estate owned by the city, has been coveted as a potential soccer field for a while now. Plans have gone back and forth, proposals have been made, but not much research has been done to determine whether a) this is even remotely feasible to build the way the land is or b) how much it will cost. This discussion has continued for a long time and is now in the form of Measure J, one more attempt to use that part of the park as playing fields.

Proponents of the measure say it's the only way to get more fields for Menlo Park's children to play. Opponents say it's a unique environmental resource. But my feeling is that it all comes down to land scarcity and money. Land is becoming increasingly more expensive, we don't have many funds for parks, we don't have much space for things like soccer, and in my opinion something that's even more sad is we that don't have many nice trees to just squat under and read a book.

We do have land enough for soccer fields, but I believe we're looking in the wrong places to find it. Putting environmentalists and children on opposing sides of an issue is inherently wrong. Kids need to understand that it is possible to have a park, preserve nature and play sports. I'm voting no on J not because I have anything against more soccer fields but because I feel this is the wrong approach and most likely something much to expensive for the city to afford.

Measure K, on the other hand, is an easier for me to digest. Sure, it's an increase in tax dollars which many people will oppose in principle, but I look at why this measure is necessary. When California hit its budget crisis, my understanding is that the state pulled a lot of funds away from county and city services. I believe that city council members and city staff have worked hard and done a lot to survive this budget deficit, but it hasn't been enough.

My husband tells me that voting in favor of Measure K means we could pay approximately $10 more a month to the city. Now that I have a daughter, my response to that is if that money means she will have a safer city to live in, I'm happy to help. We just committed to buying a new home in Menlo Park, so we're here for a while. We need better crosswalks, more police protection, fire and emergency services and street repairs. We also need to keep children's services like day care and library facilities, and we need things like the shuttle - one of the unique services Menlo Park offers that helps seniors.

The other interesting thing about Measure K is that it is unanimously supported by the Menlo Park City Council. If you're not too familiar with the Menlo Park political scene, let me emphasize how rare that is. The reason I think all five council members are in favor is that they are the ones who deal every day with the dwindling staff and services. They know better than the rest of us that the money needed for these services must come from somewhere.

While serving on the EQC, I was amazed to learn just how much it costs to maintain "street trees" (those trees along the side of the road that are technically city land). We don't often think about all of the little costs that add up to what it takes to make a city function and thrive, but it's not cheap. That's why I endorsed measure K.