Palo Alto’s Foothills Park should be opened to the public. The current exclusionary policy limiting admission to only Palo Alto residents is antiquated and indefensible. The 1969 law banning non-Palo Altans from visiting the Park unless accompanied by a city resident makes Foothills the only publicly owned park in California that excludes nonresidents.
Some justify the restriction by pointing all the way back to Palo Alto’s purchase of the land in 1959, when the City asked neighboring communities to participate in the purchase, but they declined. But we should not let the decisions and policies of the 1950s guide us in 2020. Just as we have condemned the civil rights abuses of our past, we should move past the circumstances of Foothills’ origin story and focus on the right decision for today’s Park visitors.
Others rationalize the restriction by arguing that unlimited public access would cause environmental degradation to the Park’s ecosystems. But removing the residency requirement does not equate to unlimited access. The City could still control overuse by limiting the total number of people who can enter the park on any one day. There is no reason why the entry of a Palo Alto resident poses lesser environmental risk than a visitor from East Palo Alto or San Jose.
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The racist housing policies of Palo Alto’s past, such as redlining and blockbusting, have made it historically difficult for Black and Brown people to become residents. Today, Palo Alto is among the five most expensive cities to live in the U.S. Altogether, this limits Park access to the fortunate few: Palo Altans who are on average less diverse and more affluent than the typical Bay Area resident. Does only this privileged class deserve access to the publicly owned green rolling hills, forested slopes and spectacular views of the entire South Bay?
If we want to restrict Park access to the true native stewards, then only the native Ramaytush Ohlone people should be allowed in. Otherwise, it’s time for Palo Alto to open up Foothills Park to the general public.