AI disclosure. The analysis and framing on this page were
substantially AI-drafted from the primary sources cited throughout, then reviewed and edited by the
site operator before publication. See the site's
standing AI use
disclosure for how that process works generally.
The Vote No campaign's endorsements web page listed the City of Palo Alto as having endorsed its
position. It hadn't.
- A June 22, 2026 California Public Records Act request asked Palo Alto to verify an "endorsement"
attributed to it on homesformenlopark.com/endorsements,
the site for the campaign opposing the downtown parking ordinance.
- Palo Alto's Assistant City Clerk responded on June 25: the City "has reviewed its files and
has determined there are no responsive documents," and "has not taken a position on
this ballot measure."[1]
- The city's response confirms it contacted the campaign directly — "we have been in touch
with the website organizers regarding the error, and the City organization has been removed from the
page."[1]
- The same page lists the campaign's sponsor as Housing Leadership Action of San Mateo County, and
names its leadership as Evelyn Stivers (Executive Director, Housing Leadership Council) and Karen
Grove (Co-founder, Menlo Together).[1]
Why it's worth a second look
The error was real and it was fixed only after a formal public records request forced the question —
not proactively. That's a low bar to clear (don't list endorsements you don't have), and it's worth
naming plainly when a campaign on either side of this fight doesn't clear it. Whether it was a
careless mistake by the Vote No group or something else, the practical result was the same: voters
researching this measure saw a government endorsement that didn't exist, for as long as nobody
checked.
