Event Coverage
Mayor hopes to use Palo Alto’s innovation to build green economy
Palo Alto's mayor shared her vision and the City Council's goals and priorities with Realtors and affiliates at Friday's Palo Alto Tour Meeting. Yoriko Kishimoto is the first Asian American mayor in the history of Palo Alto.
Kishimoto was born in Japan and has been a resident of Palo Alto since 1988. Prior to serving as mayor in 2007, Kishimoto was elected to the Palo Alto City Council in 2002, re-elected in 2006 and served as vice mayor.
"The philosophical framework I bring on focuses on what impact policy will have on seven generations," Kishimoto said, referring to protecting the environment for our children's children's children, seven generations from now, to make sure the rights of citizens of the community to use and enjoy air, water, wildlife and other renewable resources are not impaired, and to assure their use and availability for future generations.
Kishimoto said she views Palo Alto from a global perspective. "Its strength lies in innovation and technology and it's one of the best places to raise a family."
Her passions for the city include making it a walkable community, with lots of open space, good streets and sidewalks, a good library and public safety. She said there is talk of a regional wireless project and looks forward to bringing ultra-high speed fiber access to Palo Alto homes.
But she noted that the success of Palo Alto is a "double-edged sword."
"In the last seven years, we've added about 2,000 housing units and the impact on the schools is the thorniest issue," she said. The Stanford projects, the shopping center, a new hotel are also good for the economy, yet present challenges.
"We do live in a legacy that was founded for us a hundred years ago. We are the world center for innovation and technology. The demand for jobs and housing is unlimited, but we need to balance that with the environment. Unless we change the course of how we do business, we're in a serious collision course," Kishimoto raised her concerns.
Palo Alto's mayor said she hopes the city and Stanford can work together "to create a sustainable economy."
"Palo Alto can and must build a green economy, taking advantage of new innovation. It is one of the city's biggest challenges," she said.
Other challenges facing the city include dealing what could be a huge turnover in upper management once baby boomers retire, retirement pay and pensions, a disaster policy, public safety, the library master plan and of course, the budget, which has undergone cuts each year.
Kishimoto said she is confident the challenges can be dealt with. "In Palo Alto we do have the best opportunities to bring economic development and environment protection together and we can have it through innovation."
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