July 9
The City Council approved that Councilmember Neysa Fligor and Mayor Jonathan Weinberg form a subcommittee of the city council to explore a potential Childcare Subsidy Program. They will consider the feasibility of creating a city-sponsored childcare program similar to those in Mountain View and Palo Alto.
On May 28, 2024, the Council adopted a resolution in support of childcare for all. The subcommittee will use the goals recognized in the resolution to research and create a potential plan for affordable childcare that:
- provides vital infrastructure to working parents and supports early childhood development.
- allows families to remain in a geographic area, creating a stronger economy and improving business productivity and consumer spending.
- decreases family poverty.
The subcommittee expects to make a recommendation to the council by October 31, 2024.
The City Council approved the calendar for the transition to district elections since the city must have a plan to transition to district elections by October 31, 2024. State law requires the city to hold at least five public meetings before adopting a map of districts.
The first two meetings held on June 11 and July 13 received input on communities of interest within the city prior to any maps being drawn. Most city residents do not want to change from at-large to a five-district city council. A ‘four-district/at-large mayor’ and ‘ranked voting for members’ choices for the council were brought up and found unlikely to pass muster with the law.
After staff development of draft maps, a third meeting to present draft maps will be held on Wednesday August 28, 2024. After more community outreach and feedback at community sites, draft maps and a presentation of the results of community outreach will be heard at the council meeting on September 24, 2024. A final revision of maps will be made. Adoption of the final map of five districts will be presented at the council meeting on October 8, 2024. As part of the outreach process, the city has given and will continue to give notice for each meeting including ads in the local newspaper, social media posts, and flyers within the community.
August 27
The City Council adopted a resolution declaring Parking Plaza 7 and 8 as surplus land located within city limits as defined by the Government Code. The city’s decision came from the 6th Cycle Housing Element that was adopted in January 2023. The Housing Element identifies a program to facilitate housing on city-owned sites. Specifically, the city is committed to making the parking plazas in downtown Los Altos accommodate new developments, including affordable housing and underground parking. The parking plazas were first identified in the city’s adopted Downtown Vision Plan. Public comments displayed dismay at further buildings downtown. Council member, Sally Meadows, explained that to keep single-family neighborhoods, multi-family housing is being placed in mixed-use areas of the city.
The City Council directed staff to explore private sector parking enforcement services and to make parking restrictions uniform in similarly situated neighborhoods. Currently, the Los Altos Police Department enforces parking. However, parking limits vary throughout the city and can be confusing to residents and visitors. In addition
- There is an uneven use of ‘no parking’ signs in the city.
- The Police Department has only one Community Services Officer (CSO) who provides parking enforcement. Possible underground parking would increase the officer’s responsibilities.
- A new State law (AB 413-Lee AD24) known as the “daylighting” law prohibits stopping, standing, or parking within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk. This new law would have to be communicated to the public and might, at the start, increase the number of parking violations which the parking officer would have to handle.
To increase proactive parking enforcement, suggested solutions are
- the city could assign current police personnel to complete parking enforcement.
- hire additional CSOs.
- seek a private sector partner.
Staff researched the alternatives and recommended seeking out a private sector partner because the costs associated with contracting this service are lower than hiring additional staff. A contracted partner would have parking enforcement as the only priority. Also, a private sector service may be able to solve the uneven use of ‘no parking’ signs and other irregularities in city parking.
Claire Noonan, Observer