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Published on 08/11/1999 All articles from this issue

News Briefs

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Special meetings considering utility tax

Several groups in town held special meetings last week to consider endorsing the proposed ballot measure to raise the city of Los Altos utility-user tax from 3.5 to 6.25 percent.

"Even though the council voted to put the measure on the ballot, it didn't vote to endorse. Obviously the council does support it," Councilman King Lear said, "but it needs to vote."

Lear, who asked for the special meetings, has been working on writing the arguments in favor of the measure that go on the ballot.

Two groups, including the Neighborhood Traffic Advisory Task Force and the Citizen's Financial Advisory Committee, met last Thursday evening also to consider endorsing.

The Los Altos School District board held a special meeting Monday to discuss the ballot measure.

All were working to have their positions ready, at Lear's request, by the 5 p.m., Monday deadline for ballot endorsements.

The deadline for rebuttals is Aug. 19, said city clerk Carol Scharz.

Sher holding town hall meeting

State Senator Byron Sher (D-Stanford) will be holding a town hall meeting 1-2:30 p.m., Saturday, in Room A at Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos.

Sher, who represents Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View as the representative in the 11th state senate district, said he plans to touch on such hot-button topics as education, the high-tech industry and the environment. Sher also will highlight key transportation initiatives relative to Los Altos residents.

"I always look forward to meeting and discussing with constituents the issues that are of concern to the community," Sher said. "I also hope to offer those in attendance insight on the recent developments in Sacramento which may have a tangible impact on our transportation problems in the Bay Area," Sher said.

The town hall meeting is being co-sponsored by the Los Altos Town Crier. For more information, call Sher's district office at 364-2080. Light refreshments will be provided.

Suicidal woman threatens officers

An unidentified, despondent woman who said she was going to commit suicide threatened to shoot police officers if they tried to intervene, Mountain View police reported Friday.

Officers responded to a 2:45 p.m. call from a resident saying she had just spoken with the woman, who said she was going to kill herself by overdosing on medication. When officers responded to the call, at the 800 block along East El Camino Real, the woman said she was armed with a handgun and would shoot officers if they tried to interfere.

The police department's SWAT team was called in. At approximately 5:45 p.m., SWAT members entered the woman's home, finding her unconscious but still breathing.

"She appeared to have overdosed on medication," said public information officer Jim Bennett. "No weapon was found inside of the residence."

The woman was taken to Valley Medical Center in San Jose for treatment and "psychiatric commitment."

- Town Crier Staff Reports