Thanks for this detailed report and keep demanding responses from the city!

Enough with the shameful but predictable stonewalling from the City Manager and the City Attorney. More money for safety "consultants" who'll swear to the findings the client wants won't create good management practices or accountability from PAU.

Shameful the city paid the widow an additional sum to drop further lawsuits while the investigation continues. Even worse is the attorneys' accusation of the deceased of "willful" safety violations! Are they accusing him of willfully committing suicide to avoid their responsibility? Talk about blaming the victim!

The city's lack of transparency on this, on police accountability, the status of the refunds for the millions PAU still owes us etc etc. remains of grave concern. Some REAL oversight would be special.

Finally an in depth, investigative reported piece! This was an avoidable tragedy! Condolences to the family of Okhomina. The PA city again obfuscates responsibility. Behaving as if their new employee was a contract 1099 self employed worker.

GS please investigate & report the real story behind the lack of good, feasible, affordable housing market in town! This tragic story in the above shows me you know how.

From reading the story, the city was found to have violated numerous state worker safety rules, contributing to the death of this man. Ed Shikada would have residents and workers believe that everyone is lying or wrong or to blame except him, and that all the changes being supposedly made to safety protocols have nothing to do with this worker being killed, they are just making these changes for no reason. Meanwhile piles of taxpayer dollars are likely being expended on lawyers to fight OSHA and blame the victim. All while our utterly feckless City Council diddles Ed and itself, proclaiming Palo Alto to be the best place to live.

very sad loss

@online name
"Shameful the city paid the widow an additional sum to drop further lawsuits while the investigation continues."

It's baffling. and thanks Weekly for this in depth investigation.

It isn't clear though who decided to settle with the family while the investigation continues. Who decides in a situation like this to make it apparently only a legal strategy and who makes the call to conclude on a strategy to blame the victim?

Is it Council who made the decision to settle? Would that have been in a closed session?

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This is a shameful response by our City.
Thank you Gennady - this is brilliant reporting.