Declaring the City of Palo Alto, California "robust and resilient," Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto called on Palo Altans in her State of the City Address to build a "Green Economy through Innovation" and a "Walkable Society."
"In Palo Alto, we are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by 2010, 1990 levels by 2020 and by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050," said the mayor. To be successful, she proposed a path of "partnerships and collaboration, and a focus on innovation."
Clad in a purple suit and a golden scarf, Kishimoto said to a full-house in the city council chambers, "We are at the center of the knowledge economy, a global center for innovation… Palo Alto is the first city in California to win a prestigious award from the Environmental Protection Agency as a Green Power Community. Residents and businesses can choose to receive 100 percent renewable electricity by signing up for our Palo Alto Green program. 14 percent of households have signed up, and we hope to increase that to 15 or 20 percent."
"Since 2001, we have signed long-term contracts for wind and landfill gases expected to meet 20 percent of our supply needs. Our goal is to have new renewable energy provide 30 percent of our portfolio by 2012. And this is on top of our main source of electricity, hydropower, which is already carbon neutral."
Speaking in front of an audience full of Palo Alto insiders, current and former elected officers, and mayors from neighboring cities, Kishimoto called for a walkable community "to be one symbol of the next level of our green economy."
"In this busy, complicated, high-technology world, having a walkable community might seem a great luxury but it is a tenet that we must constantly strive to protect.
"Our Parks and Recreation Commission has challenged us to 10,000 steps a day and I am wholeheartedly supporting them," said Kishimoto, "It is one of the best and cheapest ways to support our walkable communities and maintain one's health."
The Mayor also announced that California Avenue may be seeing a new farmer's market this year. She also encouraged Downtown Palo Alto to explore the idea of opening parts of downtown streets for one or two nights a month to strollers so residents can eat under the stars al fresco in the nice weather and enjoy the shops and movie theaters.
The mayor called for no-net-traffic in Palo Alto by taking advantage of Stanford's world-class Marguerite Shuttles, a system utilizing a Global Positioning System and web technology. Deploying this system in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and the vicinity will take many trips off the road according to Kishimoto.
Kishimoto also proposed a new Public Safety Building and an "Emergency Operations Center that will withstand the inevitable earthquakes and a better 911-dispatch center for routine emergencies." These two proposals will be the first major city building projects since the building of the City Hall in 1970.
The Mayor's speech also covered a variety of topics such as building a citywide 100-megabit-per-second ultra broadband system, the city budget, full-time staff reductions, affordable housing, and volunteer programs to supplement the city's green initiatives.
Palo Alto's "State of the City" tradition was started in 1989 by then-Mayor Larry Klein.
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