LOS ALTOS HILLS
CALIFORNIA
T .OS Altos Hills
V J
Tows Newsletter
Volume XXVI No. 2 June 2003
V )
CALENDAR
JUNE 4, Wed., 7 PM
New Bullis Charter
School Status Forum,
Bullis School. Public
invited. Info.
vvww.bullischarterschool.com
JUNE 22, Sun., 10
AM-4 PM, LAH
Horsemen's Assoc.
PLAYDAY; mounted
games, relay races,
pole bending, obstacle
course and more.
Event at the LAH
Town Ring. Open to
riders of all ages.
Spectators welcome.
Info. Alisa Bredo 948-
3660
JUNE 26 ,Thur. 1-6
PM, Open Space
Committee Workshop,
"Creating Conserva-
tion Easements".
Location: Independence
Hall, Woodside. Space
Limited. Reservations
Required: RSVP 941-
4808
JULY 12-13, Sat. &
Sun., Los Altos Arts &
Wine Festival, 10 AM-
6 PM Downtown Los
Altos, Info. Call: 949-
5282
NEW TOWN HALL
Residents Prefer Rural!
I\ui Duxlnuw \H -
Altos Town Hall Architect
T
he residents have made their choice - the style of the New Town Hall should be rural.
The results of the recent resident preference poll on the style for the New Town Hall are: 258
residents preferred the Rural design; 173 favored the Mission; Craftsman received 122 and Sus-
tainable received 83. Approximately 257f of the Town households responded to the survey.
The special New Town Hall Committee determined that the new building should be 8,000 square feet with
a budget of $3.5 million. After the poll had been tabulated, the committee asked the participating architects
to submit proposals along with detailed budgets. A proposal from CJW Architecture of Portola Valley was
also considered. As part of the proposal stage, the committee focused on budgets and the personal qualities
of the architects. After studying all the prt)posals. contacting references and interviewing three finalists, the
committee unanimously selected Duxbury Architects of Los Altos. In addition to designing numerous large
and significant residences in Los Altos Hills and the surrounding communities. Peter Duxbury has extensive
experience with large commercial and office projects. His warm style along with his impeccable references
and intimate knowledge of the Town were important decision factors for the committee. Interestingly,
although Peter drew the "Craftsman" style rendering for the preference poll, he prefers the rural style as
well. Peter states. "As part of the process, I was directed by the committee to come up with a particular
interpretation, but I find myself intrigued by the rural design, which ultimately proved to be the most popu-
lar with the Town."
Bullis Charter School Update
Many Bullis parents and other members of the Los Altos And Los Altos Hills community continue to
work toward the Bullis Charter School. The Bullis Charter School would open up new options for a
town-wide LAH elementary school allowing children in both the Palo Alto and Los Altos School Dis-
tricts areas to attend a truly neighborhood school in Los Altos Hills rather than being forced to drive to
district alternatives in other cities. At the Thursday. April 17th LAH Council Meeting, the LAH Town
Council voted 5-0 to endorse a town resolution that supports public education in LAH and supports the
Bullis Charter School.
At the May 5. 2003 Los Altos School Board of trustees meeting, the district denied the Bullis Charter
School application, and the Bullis Charter School group are continuing with appeals at the county and
state levels which is very common for new charter schools. On June 4th at 7 PM there will be a Bullis
Charter School status meeting at the Bullis School. Check the Bullis Charter School website at
www.bullischarterschool.com for more information on this event and school information.
Los Altos Hills
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The Town Newsletter
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City Manager MaureenCassingham
CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Santa Clara Valley Water District Trails, Parks and Open
Space Grant Program.
Staff is currently reviewing the Santa Clara Water District's
request for proposals for their
Trails, Parks and Open Space
Grant Program. Approxi-
mately $900,000 is available
annually over the fifteen-year
program beginning FY 03-04
to provide financial assistance â– g
for the expansion of public
access to trails, open space and
parks along creeks in Santa
Clara County. City Engineer
Mintze Cheng is determining
which Town projects might be
eligible for the program and will present the necessary applica-
tion/resolution to Council for consideration before the May 30
deadline.
Sheriff's Department Presentation on Home Burglary and
Identity Theft Protection
The date for the Sheriff's detective's presentation to Los Altos
Hills residents regarding home and identity theft protection is
Thursday, May 29, 2003 at 7 PM. Location is the Multi-Purpose
Room at Bullis School. Announcements to residents will be via
the Town's emergency email database, and local press. Steve
Garcia, Town Public Safety Officer, will handle the meeting
logistics including reservations since space is limited.
Proposed Extension of Comcast Cable Television Franchise
Given the recent AT&T Comcast merger and transfer of
control of the Town's Cable TV franchise to Comcast, an
extension of the current franchise from its termination date of
June 20, 2003 to December 31, 2003 will permit the parties
more time to effectively negotiate a new franchise. The
extension agreement will be presented for Council consideration
at their meeting of May 15 or June 5, 2003.
Update on SBC Project Pronto for Town-wide DSL
The Town has received an update from Stacey Wagner, SBC
External Affairs Director, regarding the progress of Project
Pronto in providing DSL in Los Altos Hills. Due to recent
rulings by the California Public Utilities Commission and the
economic downturn, work has been stopped on Project Pronto
for 2003. While the Project was first thought to provide DSL
service to all Town residents, economics negated the possibility
of serving 100% of the Town. Town staff continues to receive
service interest inquiries which are forwarded to SBC for them
to determine when / if DSL service can be offered.
The Town has been contacted by residents seeking Town
intervention with current providers like SBC to require them to
provide DSL or Town assumption of the role of direct wireless
services (WIFI) provider. The Town has no authority to compel
the providers to deliver DSL services. As proposals involving
the Town are received, they will be reviewed and scheduled for
Council consideration if within the Town's authority as a
municipal corporation.
-Maureen Cassingham, City Manager
Mintze Cheng, City Engineer/Public
Works Director
LOS ALTOS SEWER BASIN UPDATE
The Town conveys its sewage to the Palo Alto Regional Water
Control Plant through two different sewer basins, the Los Altos
and Palo Alto Basins. In
accordance with the 1985
Sewer Agreement with City
of Los Altos, the Town has
been allocated 1,100
connections in the Los Altos
Basin, which serves the
southern half of the Town. In
2002, when Town staff tried
to process requests for new
sewer connections in the Los
Altos Sewer Basin, it
discovered that the City of
Los Altos had sold sewer
capacity rights beyond the
original 1,100 connections, leaving the Town with just a handful
of connections to deal with failing septic systems and new home
development until a new agreement could be negotiated with Los
Altos.
Until the City of Los Altos grants the Town additional sewer
capacity rights, the Town currently has no capacity rights available
for purchase by residents in the Los Altos Sewer Basin. The
Town's Public Works Department has a list of property owners
who have excess capacity rights and have expressed willingness to
sell their rights to other Town residents. If a resident in the Los
Altos Sewer Basin wants to connect to the public sewer and does
not currently own a connection right, this list can be obtained from
the Town and property owners can directly acquire a right through I
private negotiations.
It is our hope that Town and City will be able to reach a new ^
Sewer Agreement to provide more connection rights to the Town
in later part of 2003.
— Mintze Cheng, City Engineer/Public Works Director
UNDERGROUNDING UTILITIES REPORT
The Undergrounding Committee is meeting on a regular basis to
develop plans for educating the residents about the cost options,
features and benefits of undergrounding utilities.
The city council recently passed a resolution reaffirming its
support to offer and encourage undergrounding for the Town. The
committee is looking at all of the financial options for funding the
effort and will soon send out to the residents a packet of informa-
tion addressing most frequently asked questions and costs of
eliminating the telephone poles and electrical wires in the Town.
Additionally, the committee has been in contact with several CA
communities that have successfully implemented undergrounding.
Key issues, in addition to how much it will cost include whether or
not to undertake doing the entire Town or breaking the effort up
into small grassroots assessment districts. In the long run,
economies of scale can be achieved if the entire Town is done - the
challenge is minimizing the financial impact on residents.
The committee is developing informational materials for the
Town. Once educated on the issues, next the committee will
survey the Town to determine if there is sufficient interest for a
town-wide project; if not, the survey results will help identify
which neighborhoods are most interested.
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Los Altos Hills
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Volume XXVI No. 2
June 2003
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Planning Director Carl Cahill
PLANNING DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Recent Actions and Fast Track Statistics
Town Planning Department approvals for new development
since March 2003 through May 13 2003. include the follow-
ing: six new residences
approved through the Fast
Track review process, three
additions, two pools and
five landscape screening
plans. The Planning
Commission reviewed the
following: one secondary
unit, one addition, two
variance requests, and three
landscape plans. The
Planning Department
completed an analysis of
the Fast Track Review program. Since the year 2000. fifty-one
single-family residences, 22 secondary units and 17 major
additions have been reviewed and approved through the Fast
Track program. The report was reviewed by the Planning
Commission and forwarded to the City Council
View Ordinance
The Planning Commission also forwarded its recommenda-
tions with regard to a proposed view and sunlight access
ordinance modeled after a similar ordinance in Tiburon that
has withstood legal challenge. The proposed ordinance
establishes property owner rights to view and sunlight access
from unreasonable obstruction by the growth of trees. The
ordinance also establishes guidelines by which persons may
seek restoration of such views or sunlight that existed at any
time since they purchased the property or up to 15 years prior
to the adoption of the ordinance whichever time period is
shorter. Enforcement will be the responsibility of the initiating
party. The proposed ordinance also recognizes the value of
landscaping for privacy and screening as well as the beauty of
the Town's mature scenic trees. The ordinance enumerates
various restoration techniques including trimming, thinning,
windowing as a means of restoring views and sunlight without
the loss of trees. The City Council first considered the
proposed ordinance on May 1. 2003. The ordinance will be
introduced for adoption by the City Council on May 15. 2003.
Secondary Units
Due to changes in State law (Gov. Code Section 65852.2),
effective July, 1 2003, secondary units that comply with a
municipality's ordinance requirements and site development
standards will no longer be subject to discretionary review
(public hearing). For further information please contact the
Town Planning Department.
— Carl Cahill, Planning Director
For Council AgcnJa and Minutes,
See our Website:
www. losaltoshills. ca.i>ov
Baby Allison Rebekah
Cahill Family Delivers On the FAST TRACK
Shortly after returning home from attending the March
21st Volunteer Recognition Dinner
at the Fremont Hills Country Club,
Planning Director Carl Cahill's
expectant wife. Heather mentioned
to husband Carl that she wasn't
feeling quite right.
Since the baby wasn't due for
another few weeks, Carl wasn't
too concerned. (It should be noted
that Carl was in the middle of watching his favorite late
night episode of "Star Trek.") However, after hearing Deb
mention her concerns for the second time. Carl suggested
that they call the doctor.
Within a few minutes, they were in the car streaking
down late night empty streets heading for UCSF Medical
Center. Once there. Debbie delivered a beautiful baby girl
within a few minutes.
Baby Allison Rebekah happily joins her older brother and
sister. Caleb and Laura in the Cahill family. However, she
is the first to arrive via the "fast track!" Congratulations!
Adobe Creek Watershed
The Adobe Creek Watershed Group is a grassroots citizens'
organization whose mission is to address flooding and erosion
problems along Adobe Creek in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills
(near Edith Park) while protecting habitat.
On April 3 of this year the Los Altos Hills Town Council
rejected the Santa Clara Valley Water District's request for
easements (one of the requirements for building the project).
Opposition to the District's project came from residents who
were concerned that environmental issues had not been ad-
equately acknowledged. These residents envisioned a project
that better addresses the restoration of Adobe Creek and its
associated habitat.
Supporters and opponents of the District project have now
come together to form the Adobe Creek Watershed Group and
have taken a first step in applying for a Stream Restoration
Grant. Receipt of the grant would allow the Watershed Group to
further significantly the goal of protecting Adobe Creek, a
major environmental resource, while at the same time protecting
the neighborhoods through which it runs.
The group requested letters of support for the grant from both
Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. Both councils scheduled special
meetings and voted unanimously to support the grant effort.
With support letters from over 30 creekside owners, and letters
from such respected organizations as the Santa Clara Valley
Audubon Society, Hidden Villa, and the Midpeninsula Regional
Open Space District, the Watershed Group is off to a great start.
For more information e-mail adobecreek@hotmail.com
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Los Altos Hills
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The To\^n Ne\^sletter
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New Open Space Committee Appointed
At the May 1st City Council meeting, nine residents
were appointed to the new Open Space Committee. They
are: Diane Cassam, Patty Ciesla, Raylene Collins,
Nancy Couperus, Mary Davey, Elaine Nelson, Roger
Spreen, Duffy Price, & Jean Struthers.
Working under the direction of the City Council, the
objectives of the new Committee are to: advise and assist
the City Council and staff in implementing the policies
and goals of
the Open
Space and
Conserva-
tion
Element of
the General
Plan,
specifically
with respect
to acquisi-
tion and
maintenance
of voluntary
conservation easements and open space; to advise and
assist the work for the preservation, restoration and
enhancement of the public open space; to study and
recommend ordinances and resolutions relating to
acquisition, construction, maintenance and use of open
space within the Town, including the identification of
properties for which preservation is recommended; to
provide support to conservation education programs and
to provide informational forums and programs to the
public regarding open space if advised to do so by the City
Council; and to develop relationships with neighboring
towns and regional entities to identify mutually beneficial
open space opportunities.
The Open Space Committee meets at Town Hall the
second Friday of the month, from 3 to 5 PM. Meetings are
open to the public.
Membem of the New Open Space Commiltee are: L to R. Diane
Cassam, Mary Davey, Duffy Price, Elaine Nelson, Barbara Mordo
(Assoc. Member), Pally Ciesla, Ray Collins, Nancy Couperus. (Not
pictured: Jean Strulhers & Roger Spreen..)
Town Newsletter - Statement of Purpose
To communicate current issues, services, and activities in Los Altos
Hills to the residents of the Town and to facilitate, encourage and
improve interaction between the residents and Town government. The
2002 Newsletter will be published quarterly in the months of March,
June, September, and December. Deadline for the next issue is
July 31, 2003.
Internet Address: www.losaltoshills.ca.gov
About Our Publication
The Town Newsletter is published with assistance from our
Town Volunteer Committees.
Editor: Dorothy Duffy Price
Associate Editors: Barbara Lamparter, Linda Seidel, Karen Emerzian
Los Altos Hills City Council ^^
• Robert Fenwick, Mayor • Emily Cheng , Mayor Pro Tern ^W
• Breene Kerr • Mike O'Malley •Dean Warshawsky Recycled Paper
SaraJi i\lalla.\ & her horse "Blue."
Westwind Barn
Welcome New Barn Manager - Sarah Mallas
Sarah Mallas, the new
Westwind Bam manager knew
that her destiny would include
horses ever since she first got
"aback" as a child. The rest is
history.
"Kids today are denied the
great opportunities to nourish
their love of horses. I remember
that my parents would drop me
off at the bam to spend the day,
where I would clean tack and
play in the lofts just to be with
horses. This is unthinkable today due to the liability issues.
It is such a shame," states Sarah.
Sarah's bam manager role and responsibilities include
office & facility management, initiating and coordinating
services & projects, communications with the members,
supervision of the bam employees, and health & welfare of
the horses and riders.
Carol Kvingedal, Board member states, "I tmst Sarah with
my two horses. Safety is her first priority and she is capable
of handling any circumstance from sick horses to emer-
gency issues that are bound to arise when dealing with
horses."
Currently the bam has reached capacity of 55 horses.
There is a wait list of 14 people who wish to stall horses at
the bam (priority is given to LAH residents).
Sarah's main priorities are serving the wishes of the Board
of Friends of Westwind and the owners of the horses. Even
though Sarah is small in stature, she is very big in her
understanding of what it takes to manage a bam. Judging by
Sarah's hands-on style of management and the progress in
organizing and managing - she is a "keeper."
TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS
Community Volunteers Needed
Town Standing Committees (Four Year Terms):
Environmental Design & Protection,
Finance/Investment, Parks & Recreation, and
Information & Safety, North County Library Authority,
Youth Commissioner & Library Comrnissioner
Applications are available at Town Hall, 26379
Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California 94022 during
regular office hours (8:00 a.m. to noon; 1:00 to 5:00
p.m.). For additional information, please call the
City Clerk at 941-7222, ext. 226.
Los Altos Hills
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The To\^n Nei^sletter
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WHATISCHAC?
The Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC)
began as a grassroots movement in 1973, led by a group of
parents and community leaders who were concerned about
the growing problem of alcohol and drug abuse in Moun-
tain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. These cities and
their school districts as partners originally supplied 100%
of CHAC's support. Since 1973 the demand for, and
variety of CHAC's services has grown greatly, and today
this partnership provides less than 20% of CHAC's
funding. The majority of program funds are now raised
through individual donations, corporations, local busi-
nesses, churches, service clubs, and foundations.
CHAC's programs, including intern presence in 25 local
schools, address a variety of emotional problems that affect
children and teens, and cause stress within their families.
These problems include drug and alcohol abuse, physical
and psychological abuse, teen pregnancy and truancy,
domestic violence, gang participation, child custody
conflicts, premature sexual behavior, suicide prevention,
economic hardship, and other crises or situations that are
destructive to self or family. All of CHAC's programs are
designed to protect young people from high-risk behavior
while building personal assets such as school success,
valuing diversity, maintaining good health, and the ability
to delay gratification that will ensure that they have the
greatest chance for success in life.
— Ror)! Kaplan, LAH CHAC Representative
Open Space Committee
Educational Event
Pictured above is nine year old Pinewood School student
and LAH resident, Evan Cranston, holding the Great
Homed Owl which made an appearance at the Joint Audubon
Society and Open Space event held on Maich 10th. The new
Open Space Committee will hold similar events throughout the
year. The next event will be a workshop on Conservation
Easements and will be held in collaboration with the City of
Woodside Open Space Committee on June 26, 2003 1-6 PM in
Woodside at Independence Hall. Public invited.
Welcome Aboard
New Parks & Recreation Director
How many times do you find a bona fide professional
baseball umpire working in city government? Well, LAH
has one!
Jimmy E. Forbis, Jr. recently was appointed as the new
Parks & Recreation Supervisor to oversee the coordination
and program
development for
the Town's recently
expanded Parks &
Recreation
Department.
Following his
academic career, he
worked six months
a year as a
professional
baseball umpire,
working in the
Pioneer, NY-
Pennsylvania, Midwest, and California Leagues. He
umpired over 500 professional baseball games in four years.
His goals for the new Parks & Recreation department are
to see the department become a clearinghouse for related
activities that take place in the Town. There are over 1500
children under 17 years of age in the Town who can
participate in the Parks & Recreation programs. Sharing his
experiences as a baseball umpire will no doubt be meaning-
ful to many of the Little Leaguers, too. Welcome aboard,
Jimmy!
Jimmy Forbis, Parks & Recreation Director
IN MEMORIAM
RICHARD A. LAMPARTER
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of
Richard A. Lamparter, who died
of a heart attack on April 20,
2003. Up until his last day he
enjoyed hikes, good wine, travel,
photography and time spent with
his family. He was the beloved
husband of Los Altos Hills
resident and community volun-
teer, Barbara Lamparter.
As a volunteer for the commu-
nity, Richard was dedicated to the
preservation of the rural nature of
Los Altos Hills. He served on
town committees and was always
the first to volunteer to assist in
the annual Town-sponsored picnic and other community
activities. Richard enjoyed hiking the pathways system and
was an ardent supporter of the open space initiative and the
pathways preservation referendum. He will be missed.
A Los Altos Hills Open Space Memorial Fund has been
established in his memory.
Richard A. Lamparter 1935-2003
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Los Altos Hills
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The To'wn Ne\^sletter
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Westwind Barn
Preservation Efforts Underway
New Group Formed
As a result of the successful passage of the Los Altos Hills
Open Space and Recreation Initiative,
a new group, "Supporters of Westwind
Community Bam" has been formed to
support Westwind Bam as an asset for
the community. On May 3rd the group
held their first community meeting at
the Bam to gather ideas for new
programs. The group would like to
invite interested residents and friends
to participate in the efforts to preserve
the Bam. The first fundraiser is
planned for October 2003. The group
expects to be a §50 1(c)(3) nonprofit
organization with the dual mission of
restoring the Westwind Bam and its
facilities and providing new on-site environmental, educational,
and arts programs for the community. The group intends that the
new programs, such as art classes and environmental seminars,
would not adversely impact the neighbors or the operation of the
Bam. Founders of the new group are local residents: Carolyn
Appel, Colette and Kim Cranston, Nancy Couperus, Valerie