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Gennady Sheyner
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About Gennady
Gennady Sheyner has been covering Palo Alto since 2008. His beats include City Hall, with a special focus on housing, utilities and transportation. He also covers regional politics for the Palo Alto Weekly, Palo Alto Online and its sister publications. He has won awards for his coverage of elections, land use, business, technology and breaking news.A native of Ukraine, Gennady grew up in San Francisco and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a bachelor’s degree in English and from Columbia University with a master’s degree in journalism. Prior to joining Embarcadero Media, he spent three years covering breaking news and local politics for The Waterbury Republican-American, a daily newspaper in Connecticut. He is a massive fan of English football, marathons and churros.
Stories by Gennady
New rules target 'revolving door' between City Hall and developers
The revolving door between Palo Alto City Hall and the high-stakes world of private development is opaque and, for local watchdogs, highly problematic. On Tuesday night, a City Council committee considered ways to strengthen the city's rules around conflicts of interest for city staff and commissioners.[Tuesday, October 27, 2015]
Palo Alto to require 'pre-screening' hearings for major developments
Seeking to add some transparency to the city's development process, Palo Alto officials on Monday unanimously instituted a new rule that requires developers seeking zone changes to participate in special "pre-screening" hearings in front of the City Council.[Tuesday, October 27, 2015]
Palo Alto looks to hone, expand health programs
Palo Alto's newest official priority is tricky to define and difficult to oppose. But in voicing support for a resolution Monday, the City Council decided that "Healthy Cities" should be more than a feel-good priority, even if feeling good is a critical component.[Tuesday, October 27, 2015]
Palo Alto, Stanford clash over fire services
Nearly four decades after the Palo Alto Fire Department and Stanford University entered into a partnership for fire-protection services, the two sides have hit a rocky patch in their relationship and are preparing for possible litigation.[Thursday, October 22, 2015]
Tension grows between City Council, planning commission
In theory, the Palo Alto Planning and Transportation Commission serves at the pleasure of the City Council. In practice, pleasure has been in short supply for both parties of late.[Wednesday, October 21, 2015]
Palo Alto to reconsider minimum wage for tipped workers
Palo Alto's new minimum-wage law officially became a reality on Monday night, though in formally approving the new ordinance the City Council agreed to reconsider its application to tipped employees.[Wednesday, October 21, 2015]
Palo Alto to move ahead with storm-drain election
Normally out of sight and out of mind, Palo Alto's storm drains will be in the public spotlight in fall 2016 as part of a special election that the City Council agreed to pursue Monday night.[Tuesday, October 20, 2015]
City chips in $5M toward Avenidas expansion
With more Palo Altans entering their golden years, the city's main senior-service provider is looking to turn back time by rejuvenating its historic facility to serve its growing customer base. On Monday, Avenidas took a big step toward realizing this vision when the City Council agreed to contribute $5 million to the cause.[Tuesday, October 20, 2015]
City seeks $1 billion for improved rail crossings from VTA tax
Calling it a critical project not just for Palo Alto but for commuters throughout the Santa Clara County, city officials on Tuesday night made a fresh pitch for grade separation of the rail corridor throughout the county and argued that at least 15 percent of the proceeds of a proposed countywide tax measure should be dedicated for this effort.[Sunday, October 18, 2015]
Palo Alto to consider encouraging more granny units
They are small, relatively affordable and can be built without zone changes or public hearings. Now, Palo Alto officials are preparing to take a closer look at in-law apartments -- often known as "granny units," "secondary units" or "accessory-dwelling units" -- as a partial solution for the city's colossal housing shortage.[Saturday, October 17, 2015]