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Published on 10/19/1998 All articles from this issue

Letters to the Editor

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Weed ordinance good, tree choppers next?

At long last, the Los Altos City Council took steps and adopted a new weed abatement ordinance.

In simpler terms: Clean up your yard. If you don't, the city will and bill you for the work.

Now let's see the city council adopt an ordinance prohibiting the cutting of full grown trees, some hundreds of years old.

The beauty and character of Los Altos is being threatened by the Attilas (old and new) cutting down our trees.

Laura T. TarquinioLos Altos

LASD buildings need access for disabled

The Los Altos School District has done an unbelievable job trying to accommodate my daughter who is temporarily wheelchair bound. They are severely hampered by buildings that are hopelessly out of date and are not handicap-accessible. The bathroom stalls are too narrow, as are the doorways. There is no nurse's office or private place with a cot that could be used for her or other sick children or teachers.

Our schools have served long and well, but we cannot continue to put a Band-Aid on a problem that requires a more permanent fix. This bond measure would upgrade existing buildings and bring the district in compliance with current handicap access requirements. I urge all Los Altos homeowners to vote yes on Measure H in the upcoming election.

Sandy Newman Koo(No address given)

Why two-tier system should stay in LAH

As the site development authority of the Los Altos Hills Planning Commission is one of the main issues of the campaign, it might be of interest to know how and why it functions as It does today.

Up to about 10 years ago, the site development authority was handled at small hearings.

It was done informally. The town leaders, realizing that the outcome of these meetings was dependent on who was in attendance, decided to move the site development authority to the full planning commission, feeling that each application would be given the same attention.

When the commission acts as the site development authority, it has the duty to examine each application, applying specific criteria as set forth in our ordinances, codes,and polices, which have all been council approved. It is their responsibility to review the applications for siting of the structure as well as how the development affects adjoining properties and the neighborhood.

The planning commission protects every resident. It also grants residents a process by which they may appeal the commission's decision to the council.

If this two-tier system is destroyed, the next step would be the legal system and this will be most costly for both the applicant and for the town.

Carol GottliebLos Altos Hills

Protecting a rural way of life

We are dismayed at the number of letters being mailed to residents in favor of the candidates for Town Council who promise to ease restrictions on development, Toni Casey and Steve Finn. Every homeowner who has had a problem in building seems to be for Casey.

While the building process is not perfect and should be improved, it is irrational to eliminate controls on development.

We have lived in Europe and in other states and have seen the beneficial results of zoning on property values and on the beauty of an area. Simply having the resources to build does not guarantee that the structure will be in good taste or that it will blend into the surrounding neighborhood.

We have listened to all of the candidates and agree with both Dot Schreiner and Jim Steiner. We believe the people who choose to live here should be assured that our zoning is strict and that they can depend on the council to protect their investment and rural way of life.

Andy and Cathie PergaLos Altos Hills

Nothing funny about pathways threat

Ouch! Once again, Dave MacKenzie has hit my funny bone, this time by his Town Crier column (Oct. 14) wherein he satirizes the proliferation of mega-homes in Los Altos Hills.

Unfortunately, there is nothing funny about a related topic, possible plans to diminish or eliminate connecting pathways in the town.

The pathway concept was a fundamental part of the town founding, and possibly the only socially unique remainder of what was once a more human- oriented community.

Some people seemed appalled by the idea that children and even, ugh!, strangers, might choose to meander by our lands. But we hope that, in the forthcoming election, candidates are elected who have a broader concept of community spirit than that.

Keith H. McFarlandLos Altos Hills

Correct dysfunction at Town Hall

We have just finished building our home in Los Altos Hills. We became intensely involved with the town staff, the planning commission and subcommittees, and the town council.

To begin, we want to state up front that we are very impressed with the dedication of all persons serving these entities. Nevertheless, one must go through the process of building a home to fully appreciate just how dysfunctional these groups are among each other.

We spent tens of thousands of dollars, countless hours and almost a year getting our site plan approved.

In our opinion, the problem starts at the top. To wit, one of the councilpersons, who admittedly is a dedicated, tireless worker, made us go through four different site location proposals and then present all of them at our second planning commission hearing.

Steve Finn, a member of the commission at the time, queried the audience to see if anyone was interested.

To our amazement, not one person raised a hand, indicating only this councilperson was concerned.

The irony of all this is that he and other officials should be representing Los Altos Hills residents, not their own agendas.

We personally feel that planning commissioners and subcommittees serve a vital role and should not be abandoned.

However, as Toni Casey and Steve Finn advocate, the charters and visions of these entities need to be reestablished so that they mesh properly with each other.

In this manner, each would have specific and well understood responsibilities, represent the will and needs of the residents and would stop doing each other's work.

Jay and Jan Shideler

Los Altos Hills