President’s Day Office Closure

City Hall and Recreation & Community Services will be closed on Monday, February 19, 2018 in observance of President’s Day. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, February 20.

Assistant City Manager

Community Development

Design Review Commission Remains Busy

The level of development activity of late has remained relatively high. The agenda for the Design Review Commission this week reflects how busy the Commissioners have been. Following is a sampling of the projects they reviewed – note that each is a new home:

622 Covington Road: Design review for a new two-story house. The project includes 2,299 square feet at the first story and 1,372 square feet at the second story.

1390 Holly Avenue: Design review for a new two-story house. The proposed project will include 2,710 square feet at the first story and 950 square feet at the second story with a 2,784 square-foot basement.

1460 Oakhurst Avenue: Design review for a new 4,557 square-foot one-story house that exceeds 20 feet in height.

The Commission carefully reviews the recommendations of staff, the plans for the project and the input from the applicant and those who wish to provide input at the public comment portion of the agenda. Commissioners take all this information into consideration before reaching a decision on a project.

Public Works

Foothill Expressway Improvements Between El Monte and San Antonio

This improvement project on Foothill Expressway between El Monte Avenue and San Antonio Road will include widening of Foothill Expressway from 4 to 6 lanes by extending right turn lanes and intersection improvements such as squaring free right turns where feasible. Signal modifications are also planned at the El Monte Avenue and San Antonio Road intersection. This project is a Tier 1 project in the County Expressway Plan, which is also included in the 2016 Measure B sales tax.

County staff presented this project during planning and initial design stage at various City Council, Commission and public meetings in Los Altos. Based on the feedback provided at the previous meetings, final design elements have been selected and County staff will present the updated plan at the February 28, 2018 Complete Streets Commission meeting which will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Los Altos Youth Center, 1 N. San Antonio Road. A staff report with more details about the project will be available on the Commission meeting page on Friday before the meeting.

School Route Improvement Projects Public Meeting

On Monday, February 12, 2018, the Complete Streets Commission reviewed and discussed proposed school route improvement projects that include walkway and intersection improvements at various locations near schools. An Open House was held prior to the Commission meeting to discuss the projects with the public. This meeting was attended by over 40 residents who provided feedback during the open house and submitted comments at the Commission meeting. At this meeting, project engineering consultant, CSG Consultants, presented concepts for the proposed improvements. Staff reports and materials have been posted online at losaltosca.gov/csc212. The public comment period will remain open until February 28, 2018. Questions may be directed to the Public Works Department, Engineering Division at (650) 947-2780 or engineering@losaltosca.gov.

Community Rating System

The City of Los Altos has been an active participant in the Community Rating System (CRS) for almost 20 years. This is a national program to increase awareness of the possibility of flooding in areas designated as “Special Flood Hazardous Areas” (SFHA). CRS is a voluntary program of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that allows participating communities to earn flood insurance premium discounts for their residents and businesses by agreeing to adopt and enforce an ordinance that meets or exceeds FEMA’s requirement to reduce the risk of flooding. Engineering staff mailed information to property owners in the SFHA to educate them on the national program which allows City property owners to receive a 10% discount on flood insurance premiums.

Fats, Oil and Grease (FOG) Program

Earlier this week, Engineering staff held a kick-off meeting with EEC Environmental (EEC) for the 2018 FOG inspections. EEC will begin inspecting the grease removal devices (grease traps and grease interceptors) at all food service establishments (FSEs) in Los Altos beginning in early March. This program helps minimize FOG from entering the sewer system by educating the FSEs’ staff on best management practices, which help prevent sewer back-ups and ensure compliance with the Los Altos Municipal Code.

Police Department Roof Replacement Project

Engineering issued a bid advertisement this week for the Police Department Roof Replacement project. The project includes removal, repair and replacement of the roof system at the Police Department building. The bid opening will be on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. and the work is anticipated to be completed in early summer 2018.

Police

AlertSCC Training

This week, Command and Public Information staff attended AlertSCC training hosted by the Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Services. AlertSCC is the mass notification system that will be used to send emergency information and instructions to anyone who lives or works in Santa Clara County. AlertSCC is configured to send messages to phone numbers included in the emergency 911 and 411 directory listings. Residents are encouraged to opt-in to receive alerts via cell phone, text or SMS message at www.alertscc.com. The Police Department has been using Nixle to send email and text notifications for several years, which we will continue to use for the foreseeable future. Nixle and AlertSCC are now owned by the same company, Everbridge, and anyone signed up for Nixle will be automatically enrolled in AlertSCC. For those interested in enrolling in text alerts from Los Altos Police, you can simply text your zip code to 888-777. For more information about AlertSCC, visit alertscc.com. 

Recreation & Community Services

Spring Egg Hunt – Save the Date!

The City will host its annual Spring Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 31, 2018 on the soccer field adjacent to the Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Avenue. The fun kicks off with carnival games and 4H Bunny Project at 9:30 a.m. The Egg Hunt will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. Participant age range is walking to 10 years old. Please be sure to bring your own baskets. Plan to stick around after the hunt to enjoy a fun show for the kids by Sean Mendelson beginning at 10:20 a.m. There will be lots of singing and dancing. This year’s event will be co-sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Tiny Tot’s Now Enrolling

Enrollment for the Tiny Tot Terrific 3’s and Fabulous 4’s preschool programs have begun. Our Kinder Prep program currently has a wait-list. For information on our 2018/2019 Tiny Tots recreation, play-based preschool programs, click here.

For more information about our programs, please visit LosAltosRecreation.org or call (650) 947-2790.

Senior Program Updates

Senior Spring Fling: Calling all seniors! A Senior Spring Fling is scheduled for Friday, April 6, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Garden House located in Shoup Park, 400 University Avenue. Join us for a casual evening to welcome spring while mixing and mingling with old and new friends. Enjoy heavy h’orderves, beverages and an “Oldies, but Goodies” DJ. Tickets cost $10 per person and must be purchased by Thursday, March 29. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Hillview Community Center front office. The activity code for this event is 440711-01. This event is sponsored by the Senior Commission and Club 55. For more information, call (650) 947-2790.

Inter-Generational Tech-Tutor Workshop: Need help with your laptop, tablet or cell phone? Join us for this popular Workshop run by local high school students on February 21 at 3:30 p.m. at Hillview Community Center. The cost for Senior Center members is $1, and $3 for non-members.

Tax Preparation Program: This activity will be taking place each Monday through the month of April from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Hillview Community Center, Room 8.

Fall Prevention: Christine Moore and Gina Cali from the Santa Clara County Fire Department will be advising seniors on how to prevent falls in the home. This activity will be held on February 21 at 12:45 p.m. at Grant Park Community Center, 1575 Holt Avenue.

Mini Trip: Join us on a whimsical adventure to The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco on Thursday February 22. The museum features the life and legacy of Walt Disney shown through interactive galleries that include early drawings and animation. The cost for Senior Center members is $35.00; non-member cost is $45.00. Price includes entrance fee, transportation, and gratuity. Space is limited, please sign-up early.

To register or for more information about Senior Programs, call (650) 947-2797.

Reminders

Smoke-Free Los Altos Community Survey

At its March 13, 2018 meeting, City Council will consider an ordinance to expand the City’s current smoking prohibitions to include all public places such as sidewalks, streets, outdoor dining areas, and places of employment, as well as both common areas and individual units of multi-unit residences. Pursuant to the ordinance, smoking will only be permitted in private single-family residences, their respective yards and private vehicles. The ordinance applies all types of smoking products including tobacco, e-cigarettes, vaporizers and marijuana. Should the ordinance be adopted, the law will take effect 31 days following adoption. Please share your thoughts on the proposed ordinance by participating in the City’s Open City Hall survey. To learn more, visit losaltosca.gov/smokefree.

Invitation to Apply for a City Commission

City Council would like to invite residents to apply for appointment to openings on the following Commissions: Complete Streets, Design Review, Environmental, Financial, Parks and Recreation, Public Arts and Senior. Each Commission serves as an advisory body to City Council on their respective topics. Serving on a Commission provides a unique opportunity for residents to positively influence decisions made on behalf of the greater Los Altos community. Interested parties can find more information about each Commission online and must submit applications by Tuesday, February 27. For more information, contact the City Clerk’s Office at (650) 947-2720.

Survey: Dog Park & Off-Leash Hours for Dogs

The Los Altos Parks and Recreation Commission is working with the City to learn more about the interests of the community as it relates to dog activity in the parks. To accomplish this, the Commission would like to gather input via an online survey from both the dog owning and non-dog owning community on the possible inclusion of dog-friendly amenities and policies within the parks. Regardless of dog ownership, the Parks and Recreation Commission would like to hear the public’s thoughts on this topic. Your answers will help us understand the desire and concerns of the community regarding dog activity in Los Altos parks. We look forward to receiving your response by Wednesday, March 7, 2018.

Click here for survey