Assistant City Manager

Wildfire: Be Fire Safe, Be Fire Ready

Community members are invited to join emergency preparedness volunteers of the City of Los Altos for an Inspiration Session. Wildfire: Be Fire Safe, Be Fire Ready will be held tonight, Thursday, October 4 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Hillview Community Center, Multipurpose Room located at 97 Hillview Avenue.

Fire can happen anywhere, at any time, and we’ve seen how dramatically wildfire has recently impacted other communities in California. Captain Bill Murphy from the Santa Clara County Fire Department and Eugenia Rendler of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council will share their knowledge with us so that we can improve the fire safety of our homes, create a defensible space and be ready to evacuate if needed. We will discuss wildfire and the risk in Los Altos, and cover topics such as:

We’ll also have a demonstration of a pet preparedness and evacuation kit, enjoy refreshments and offer a Door Prize to attendees! Please RSVP for this free event .

Community Development

Palo Alto Housing Partners with Los Altos

An agreement with Palo Alto Housing was finalized last week. Palo Alto Housing is a long-term provider of affordable housing opportunities and manager of affordable housing projects in the region. The organization will now lend their experience and expertise to Los Altos as it manages our city’s existing affordable housing supply. Palo Alto Housing will soon be sending out an introductory letter to owners and occupants of affordable housing units in Los Altos and advise that a monitoring effort will begin shortly. The purpose of the monitoring effort is to confirm that the affordable housing units here in town are being occupied in compliance with the agreements, conditions, and rules that established the affordable units at their outset. They will also provide management and oversight in the sale of some affordable units that have recently become available to ensure that new owners of these units meet income qualifications. It has been some time since the City has had an affordable housing partner and staff is pleased that this new partnership is underway.

Welcome Our New Planner

Eliana Hassan started her career as an assistant planner with Los Altos on Monday. Eliana has a degree in Environmental Design, with an Urban Planning emphasis, from the University of Colorado Boulder. She brings with her a lot of hands on experience earned while working for a variety of organizations in Colorado, including the Boulder County Transportation agency. She is excited to be starting her new assignment with Los Altos and is eager to learn more about the community and the development process here. Eliana will be helping citizens and applicants navigate land use rules and policies and will review proposals for new, and additions to, single-family homes. 

Police

North County Gun Buyback

On Saturday, September 29, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the cities and police departments of Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Santa Clara held the first ever North County Gun Buyback event. The event was a great success – 567 firearms in total were surrendered, 400 of them within the first two hours of the event. The firearms included: 264 handguns, 182 rifles, 98 shotguns and 23 assault weapons. The firearms will be destroyed, except for those that are identified as lost or stolen, which will be returned to the owner. We’d like to thank our partner agencies, Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church for hosting and all those who participated in the event.

WoW Day at Bullis Charter School

Today was WoW Day (Walk or Wheel) at Bullis Charter School. WoW Day is intended to promote a more active lifestyle for the students and reduce cars on the road. Officers were pleased to be invited once again to support the event and greet children as they arrived at school. Montclaire and Almond Elementary Schools will host a similar event next Wednesday, October 10 ^th on International Walk to School Day.

Public Works

Community Forum: Ready for the Rain?

GreenTown Los Altos will host a community forum focused on green stormwater management on October 10 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Los Altos Library located at 13 S. San Antonio Road. Meeting attendees will learn design techniques to naturally manage stormwater on residential properties and about the City’s efforts to develop a plan for installing green stormwater infrastructure on its streets and public properties. Representatives from the Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program, City staff and GreenTown Los Altos Water Team will present information at the forum. 

South Bay Green Gardens Photo Contest         

Calling all photographers – professional, amateurs and students! South Bay Green Gardens invites all to participate in their photo contest to showcase what sustainable garden feature(s) inspire you. The contest is free and open to photographers of all ages; submissions are due by October 20. The top five photos will be posted to the South Bay Green Gardens Facebook page where the public will vote to select the “People’s Choice Award.” The voting for the People’s Choice Award runs October 21 to 31. Winners will be announced on November 1. Submissions may be used on the South Bay Green Gardens website, social media sites and in printed publications. Contest information can be found at southbaygreengardens.org. Good luck! 

 

Funded by the Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program and the Recycling & Waste Reduction Commission of Santa Clara County, the South Bay Green Gardens website is dedicated to sharing information and highlighting the beauty and benefits of sustainable landscaping. It offers information about: local events and workshops, landscape designs, photo galleries of sustainable gardens, water-efficient irrigation, mulch, soils, and composting, pest management, tree care, managing your rainwater, and more.

Park Updates

Grant Park Basketball Court : The basketball court at Grant Park was recently resurfaced and is now ready for fun and enjoyment!

Marymeade Park Tennis Courts: The three tennis courts at Marymeade Park are closed for resurfacing work. The courts are scheduled to reopen on October 20. Please consider the new courts at McKenzie or Montclaire Parks as an alternative.

Los Altos Youth Center Playground: Crews have begun work to replace playground equipment in front of the Los Altos Youth Center (LAYC). The work includes new structures, swings, play panels, and playground surfacing. The park is expected to reopen in late October.

Request for Proposals – Maintenance Service Center Lot Resurfacing

The Engineering Division issued a request for proposals (RFP) this week to select an engineering firm to design the Maintenance Services Center Lot Resurfacing Project. The City is looking for an engineering firm with pavement maintenance and rehabilitation experience and knowledge of the City’s standards, Santa Clara County Stormwater Management regulations and Water Board requirements. Staff will be looking for innovative ways to include green infrastructure in the design of the project.

Fremont Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation

The Engineering Division issued a request for proposals (RFP) this week to select an engineering firm to design the rehabilitation of the wooden pedestrian bridge that spans Permanente Creek and runs adjacent to the new Fremont Avenue Bridge in Loyola Corners. The selected designer will proceed in accordance with the “Rehabilitation versus Replacement” feasibility study completed last year, which identified rehabilitation as the preferred method of construction. 

Recreation & Community Services

Hillview Senior Program Updates

Friday, October 5: Join us for a two-part AARP driving class to renew your driver’s license on October 5 ^th and 12 ^th at 1 p.m. in Room 2.

Friday, October 5: Gather with friends at 1 p.m. to enjoy the movie, Last Holiday, on the super-size screen in Room 12. Members: Free, All others: $1.00.

Wednesday, October 10: Ruth Dugdall will be speaking about their book My Sister and Other Liars at 1 p.m. in Room 12.

Thursday, October 11: There will be a mini trip to the Lick Observatory at 10 a.m. Seats are limited. Members: $64.00, Non-Members: $74.00. Please meet in Room 10.

Questions about Senior programming can be directed to Senior program staff at (650) 947-2797.

Reminders

City Hall Closed Friday, October 5

Los Altos City Hall will be closed on Friday, October 5 as part of the Defined 9/80 Schedule. A complete list of public counter and administrative office hours, as well as a schedule of Friday closures, are available on the City’s website at   losaltosca.gov/hours. 

Pumpkin Carving with a Cop

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 27 and join Los Altos Police for our 3 ^rd annual Pumpkin Carving with a Cop! This year’s event will be held at the Los Altos Youth Center from 3 to 5 p.m. Los Altos Police Officers will be carving pumpkins alongside fellow jack o’ lantern enthusiasts during this fun, FREE, family-friendly event. Participants are asked to bring their own pumpkins and to RSVP. We will provide carving tools, snacks and refreshments. We hope to see you there!

Halloween Movie in the Park

The Los Altos Parks & Recreation Commission is pleased to present “Twas A Week Before Halloween Movie Night.” This free event will take place on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at Grant Park located at 1575 Holt Avenue. The following movies will be shown on an outdoor screen:

Bring a chair, blanket, or jacket and join us for this fun, family-friendly Halloween double feature.

City Council Open Office Hours on Monday

Visit Open Office Hours and personally connect with Los Altos City Council members. At each event, one City Council member will be available to the public for a two-hour period to answer questions, receive input and discuss topics of interest to community members. All are welcome.

Friday, October 19, 2018

3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Grant Park Community Center, Room 3

1575 Holt Avenue, Los Altos

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Grant Park Community Center, Room 3

1575 Holt Avenue, Los Altos