Menlo Together hosts first Menlo Park City Council Candidate Forum – more forums on the horizon

Menlo Together is hosting the initial Menlo Park City Council Candidate Forum, moderated by Almanac editor Renee Batti. The event will take place on October 1 at the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center Juniper Room at 700 Alma St. in Menlo Park at 7:00 pm.

The City of Menlo Park has changed the way City Council members are elected, from at large elections to “by district” elections. The district map accompanies this post. Here is an interactive map that allows residents to determine what district they are in.

Three districts are electing City Council members in 2018. Three candidates are running in District 1: Mike Dunn, Cecilia T. Taylor and George Yang. Candidates running in District 2 are Drew Coombs and Kirsten Keith. Candidates running in District 4 are Betsy Nash, Peter Ohtaki and Ron Shepherd.

The candidates will discuss key issues in Menlo Park, including housing availability and affordability, transportation, environmental sustainability, and social equity.

Menlo Together is a newly-formed group of Menlo Park and Peninsula residents who envision a city that is integrated and diverse, multi-generational, and environmentally sustainable.

The initial forum is co-sponsored by: Friends of Caltrain, Housing Leadership Council, Menlo Spark, Parents for Safe Routes, Belle Haven Action, TransForm, Youth United for Community Action, Nuestra Casa, Imagine Menlo, Radical Resilience: Silicon Valley, Cafe Zoe, Belle Haven Neighborhood Association, and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.

RSVP is required by September 30: RSVP on Eventbrite.

Other upcoming candidate forums include:

• Tuesday, October 2, at 6:30 pm – District 2 at the corner of Menalto and Gilbert (outside). Hosted by Menalto Businesses.
• Wednesday, October 3, at 6:30 pm – District 1 at the Menlo Park Senior Center (110 Terminal Ave.). Hosted by the Belle Haven Neighborhood Association.
• Wednesday, October 10, at 7:00 pm – District 2 at the Belle Haven Library (413 Ivy Drive). Hosted by the League of Women Voters.
• Wednesday, October 17, at 7:00 pm – District 1 at the Belle Haven Library (413 Ivy Drive). Hosted by the League of Women Voters.
• Monday, October 22, at 7pm – District 4 at Little House (800 Middle Ave.). Hosted by the League of Women Voters.