The Los Altos City Council Tuesday night was scheduled to repeal and replace the local urgency ordinance it passed Nov. 22 allowing the city's community service officer to cite people for making illegal U-turns.
The council passed the ordinance as an additional enforcement tool to try to curb downtown drivers from crossing the double yellow line to snag parking places, officials said.
The city discovered that a loophole in the ordinance made it difficult to enforce.
The Santa Clara County Superior Court Traffic Commissioner said that turning left to cross over the double yellow line is not a U-turn in some cases, according to a staff report. This means the courts have acquitted such charges in traffic court.
The new ordinance would prohibit drivers from making a left turn over the double yellow line. According to the staff report, this "would be an essential and unavoidable movement to enter a parking space on the opposite side of the street."
The new amendment prohibits any driver "to make a left run into the oncoming traffic lane to enter a parking space in the downtown area bounded by San Antonio Road, Foothill Expressway and West Edith Avenue."
The ordinance was slated to take effect immediately if approved.
City approves $63,287 for police position
The Los Altos Police Department will keep its additional field service officer for another year. The City Council approved at its Dec. 7 meeting to use approximately $63,287 in state money to continue funding the position created in 1996.
This is the fourth year the state has provided a windfall of funds to law enforcement agencies. The funds are the city's share of the $100 million in AB 3229 dollars the state appropriated in 1996 to be distributed to all counties for "front-line law enforcement, specifically defined to include anti-gang and community crime prevention programs," said Police Chief Lucy Carlton in a staff report.
The additional person on the day shift assists school resource officer Brent Butler, with juvenile related investigations and enforcement.
Carlton said the current funding ends next July, but it is anticipated that the State Legislature will introduce similar legislation at the beginning of 2000 to keep this funding available for future years.
Carlton said the city would eliminate the position if the state chooses not to continue the funding after 2000. In a staff report, Carlton said the department anticipates at least three vacancies over the next year, so current employees would retain positions within the department.
Lounge could replace former Club Mirage
The Los Altos City Council was slated to decide at its regular meeting Tuesday night whether to allow the former Club Mirage at 4926 El Camino Real, which it shut down in September, to reopen as Piccolo's Restaurant and cocktail lounge.
The city revoked Club Mirage's conditional use permit last August for violating zoning requirements. Police said the business had operated more like a nightclub than the restaurant for which it had a permit.
The site opened in 1997 as Healthy Choice Kabob House. The owner changed the restaurant last May to Club Mirage, which featured three dance floors and live salsa music.
The owner of Club Mirage last month requested a permit to reopen the site as Piccolo's, a modified restaurant and cocktail lounge.
The Planning commission voted unanimously on Nov. 4 to encourage a "bona fide, wellmanaged, well-maintained restaurant" at the site of the former Club Mirage. The planning commission said the new concept is to serve private groups with dinners and receptions.
The Council's approval was the next step in the project.
- Linda Taaffe