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Published on 09/14/1998 All articles from this issue

Letters to the editor

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'What can we do?' about sex offender

This past week, our neighborhood was notified that there is a registered sex offender living amongst us.

Unfortunately, the Los Altos Police Department did not inform us.

His presence was highlighted in an article from the Palo Alto Daily News two days after his latest arrest.

This registered sex offender was arrested this past week for an alleged voyeuristic act against an unsuspecting couple in their own home.

Information on him can be found on the "Megan's Law" Police CD-ROM for serious sex offenders. Per the Daily News, he has been convicted of sexual battery.

The Daily News reported that he lives in an area with more than 30 small children and their families. We are one of those families, and we are very concerned.

We are not only concerned with our own well-being, but also for our elderly neighbors and those who may not be able to defend themselves from this sex offender.

What can we do? We are frustrated that we were not notified when he first moved into the neighborhood. He evidently arrived sometime during the past six months.

We believe that people can make mistakes and can be reformed and should have a chance to pull their lives back together.

However, as this registered sex offender has allegedly shown, he continues to be a danger to our community.

Please help to inform the entire Los Altos community that he is here and potentially dangerous.

David and Carol CasasLos Altos

Commission pushing for high density housing

I am writing to state my opinion about the Los Altos Planning Commission's position to encourage high density zoning close to Sherwood Avenue and San Antonio Road.

I agree with the opinion of Mark Starr, whose letter appeared in the Town Crier two weeks ago, that it is unfair for the residents of North Los Altos close to El Camino Real to have to put up with most of the city's high density housing.

The city should be increasing the number of housing units by distributing small, medium-density complexes throughout the city, so that no neighborhood gets labeled as the "apartment" area. This could be done with garden apartments such as Mark Twain on San Antonio Road or with bungalows that have a craftsman architecture that is fitting with the older residential areas of Los Altos.

The planning commission and city council need to look at the city as a system, taking into account Mountain View's construction projects. Moreover, I am against "pods" which segregate people into geographical areas. I think the range of ages seen in most Los Altos neighborhoods, from children to seniors, is an asset to our community.

At the planning commission meeting on Sept. 3, numerous residents who live around Sherwood Avenue spoke against high density housing, many citing the impact this would have on the congestion at San Antonio Road and El Camino Real. Despite the number of comments against high density zoning, the majority of the planning commissioners seem to favor the general plan that currently has the area zoned for 38 units per acre.

My comment to the Planning Commission is this: The city has a proposed specific plan for the area between Sherwood Avenue, San Antonio Road and El Camino Real (a.k.a. Sherwood Triangle) which recommends seven units per acre for the residential portion.

An advisory committee worked on this plan for more than six months with the goal of creating guidelines that would improve the appearance, economic viability, and traffic congestion of Sherwood Triangle. The committee felt that future development in the Sherwood Triangle should be consistent in scale and character with the nearby neighborhoods.

It seems that the planning commission's argument for supporting 38 units per acre is that this density helps to implement the housing element of the general plan.

What about the tenets of the general plan that state that the rural, small town charm should be retained and that streets should be safe? Why are these goals not applied to the Sherwood Triangle? Finally, the planning commissioners have the responsibility to serve the city (i.e. the residents).

It does not seem right or reasonable for the planning commission to recommend any plan that is not supported by the majority of the residents.

Kate DisneyLos Altos

Reasons for the city to bury utilities

Los Altos would benefit from burying its utilities.

1. Safer. Many Los Altos residents have experienced utility service interruptions, lasting more than 24 hours. Underground utilities are more reliable and hence safer.

2. Less expensive to maintain. All the money spent trimming trees and replacing utility poles could be saved.

3. More beautiful. Burying our utilities will make our special town even more beautiful by removing the poles and utilities from our scenic vistas.

The benefits of "going underground" are so well established that our city building code requires certain types of new construction projects to bury their utility connections.

Palo Alto and other neighboring cities are burying their utilities.

Stuart L. Klein

Los Altos