July/August, 2004
Mandating Manners
Leslie Lodestro, LANN Membership Chair
When Kathy Putman and I led the LANN charge on notification for single story projects we did not anticipate the buzz saw of objections that we encountered from other board members, LANN members and City Council. I still think ours was a good and neighborly idea; requiring some kind of modest, non-threatening notification (ala sandwich sign) to immediate neighbors before the heavy equipment arrives. During the city council hearing on the issue it was generally agreed that neighbors should extend the courtesy of speaking to each other when they are about to embark on an activity that is potentially disruptive, like a major remodel. But a majority of the council drew the line when it came time to vote on an ordinance requiring notification. Councilman Ron Packard summed it up best when he asked if we could "mandate good manners?" He may be right when it comes to single story notification but there are certainly other ordinances that we have in town which do just that…..seek to enforce acceptable and neighborly behavior.
For example, you cannot let your dog bark incessantly. If you do and your neighbor complains by calling the police you will be greeted by a couple of officers who will issue a warning. If your dog continues to bark unchecked the city has the right to de-bark your dog or take it away.
Also, you (or your gardener) cannot run a gas powered leaf blower; they are too noisy and spew too many emissions. If you get caught once you will get a warning. Twice, and you will be issued a citation and a trip to court.
You’d better do the yard maintenance in front of your house or the city will cite you. The weeds cannot exceed 6 inches. Hedges and shrubs must be regularly pruned. So, you see we do mandate manners to a certain degree in Los Altos.
Here are a few more laws that we might add to the list:
(You hauled it out there, maybe even spot lit it, now you put it away.)
2) No oversized, Styrofoam carolers or wooden nativity scenes on the front lawn past February 1.
3) Christmas lights are to be turned off no later that February 1. While it is commendable that your lights are on a timer, come February 1 the festive novelty has worn off and it is time to unplug.
4) And while we are at it, Christmas lights must be removed from your house after the holiday is behind you.
5) No synthetic flowers outdoors. The only thing real about them is the bad taste they display.
6) Children may not pee in the front yard. I mention this because I would like to have the power to tell my three boys that it is "against the law to pee on the lawn!"
7) No cussing in public, especially by teens at the skateboard park.
8) The Britney Spears dress code should be illegal for girls in Los Altos. It is distracting for boys and men alike.
9) Gangster baggy pants should be prohibited for boys in Los Altos. No one wants to see your underwear and besides these pants present a travel impediment and make you look ridiculous when on foot.
10) It should be required to make acquaintance, if not friends, with all of your neighbors.
11) Annual, neighborhood block parties should be mandatory.
Mandating Manners, Con’t.
Those are just a few new laws to consider off the top of my head. You won’t see me at City Hall advocating any of these. I learned my lesson with the single story notification. But if you have any others you would like to add to the list let me know.
lannonline@aol.com or 949-5560If you would like to know more about the real codes that we do have on the city books, you can visit Janice Torchia, our code enforcement officer, at the Farmer’s market every Thursday between 4:00 and 8:00 PM. If you can’t get to the market to meet Janice, you can email or call her about any codes you are wondering about. She also has a great brochure that she can send you which outlines what the city considers to be "blight" on your property.
Her email is
janice.torchia@ci.los-altos.ca.us and her phone number is 947-2775New Applications for Housing
Kathy Putman, LANN Housing Chair
There is a lot of activity this month. In order to save space, homeowner’s names and project numbers are not included. The last two listings deal with applications for wireless antenna sites...so heads up!
What is the Los Altos High Gay-Straight Alliance?
Ruth Gibbs, LANN Contributor
My name is Ruth Gibbs and I am the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Advisor at Los Altos High School. With the recent publicity surrounding the request for public recognition for a Los Altos Gay Pride Day from GSA, LANN asked me to provide some additional background regarding GSA at Los Altos High School.
The club was organized five years ago when a student approached me to be the advisor. Members came one by one, very shy and apprehensive. I earned their trust and the club created a comfort zone and code of confidentiality. A mission statement was created and our foundation was set:
The Los Altos High School Gay-Straight Alliance is a student-run club made up of people working to promote tolerance of different sexual orientations and gender identities. The GSA unites students in order to foster discussion and raise awareness of issues that affect them, their peers, and their friends. We provide and encourage an environment that is both safe and respectful to all students. The GSA is committed to listening to students and taking action on issues of importance.
In our first year, the school had a suicide of a gay student who was not a member. Our club members were devastated and we worked hard to support each other and discussed that suicide is not an option. We created a Safety Zone poster that carried the message:
This zone is declared safe! Regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age and ability, you will be treated and respected as a human being. Ignorance, bigotry and harassment will not be tolerated.
This poster can be seen in every classroom at Los Altos High.
Since that first year, we have seen our membership and visibility grow. The club’s achievements have included: organizing several fundraisers, including one at the Los Altos Fire Station; establishing a scholarship fund; and producing a Gay Film Festival. One last goal of GSA for the 2003-2004 school year was the desire to go one step further with recognition of a Los Altos Gay Pride Day. The youth of GSA felt that there was a need for public recognition of the value of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people within the city. With this vision, they first discussed and asked Mayor John Moss for a proclamation for Gay Pride Day. While Moss supported the concept, he said it would have to go for a full council vote. The original vote by Council created "Tolerance Day".
The vote surprised many students in GSA, whom felt that the council completely missed the GSA’s message and what GSA was trying to accomplish. The student’s sentiments were that words such as tolerance and tolerant have become buzzwords and the meanings have been lost in the details of misconstrued uses. Many analogies were made to Rosa Parks. Fifty years after the civil rights movement began, there are still people believing a community should be tolerant of intolerance.
The ensuing two weeks after that vote were an education and affirmation for GSA to continue the drive for their original proclamation. The media attention and public support for GSA’s rights bombarded City Council. Two weeks later, Council re-voted and added Gay Pride Day to Tolerance Day June 7.
The first Los Altos Gay Pride Day was very successful. Members of the City Council and the community, along with parents and supporters, joined GSA for pizza at the high school. Several businesses celebrated as well. Gays should not simply be tolerated; they live with that 364 days out of the year. For one day a year, they should be very proud of who and what
Gay-Straight Alliance, C’ont.
they are. The life they lead is a hard one. Many attend the church of their choice, have relationships like other teens, and it is very important to these young people to feel good about themselves and not simply be "tolerated" with.
GSA is extremely pleased with their work and feels it is a step toward making people feel the community is a more accepting place. Graduating seniors of GSA feel they are leaving a small legacy. All members have made a very courageous step by recognizing the dignity and value of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students of their community and should be commended for their dedication to civil rights.
$35 Million Project for Permanente and Hale Creeks
Bill Crook, LANN Traffic Chair
The Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) recently held a series of public meetings on the Permanente Creek Planning Study. Permanente and Hale Creeks will not support flows up to the new federal standard of 1% (100 year) flood. Damage from a major flood with no changes to the current creek structure would be widespread (estimated in excess of $45M). The last major flood on the Permanente Creek was in the early 1950s. At that time, the flood plane was primarily orchard.
SCVWD presented 13 conceptual alternative elements to address a number of previously identified problems. The alternatives included:
The project has been funded for $35 million and is in the initial planning stages. SCVWD at this point is seeking input from the community on which of the alternatives they prefer to see implemented. A combination of several alternatives will be required to meet the objectives of protecting the community from a 1% flood. For example, one combination of alternatives that meets the flood protection and budget goals would implement an upstream reservoir at Hansen-Permanente, an off-stream peak flow reduction pond at McKelvey Park, a bypass from upper Hale to lower Hale, and repair of some of the concrete flow channels as well as some stream restoration. There are other combinations that can be used to address the 1% flood. All have associated challenges for SCVWD such as the environmental approval for an upstream reservoir.
While the control of flooding along the Permanente Creek watershed has a number of available options, the options available for Hale Creek are more limited and have the greatest chance of impacting Los Altos residents. For example, an overflow bypass culvert or a diversion culvert will probably be required to meet SCVWD’s objectives for Hale Creek. The question is where the culvert taps into the creek and the route the culvert takes.
Creeks, Con’t.
A Hale Creek culvert would probably pick up the overflow near were the creek passes underneath Foothill Expressway. If the diversion channel were implemented, the culvert would head down Riverside to Berry and connect with the Permanente Diversion Channel at Miramonte and Berry. If an overflow bypass were implemented, the culvert would head down either Parma to Rosita or down Riverside, connecting with Springer Road. The final destination for an overflow bypass would be the cemented portion of Hale Creek at Rosita and Springer. The size of the culvert would be large (up to 10 feet by 10 feet square) and would be buried deep enough to ensure gravity flow from intake to discharge.
The funding for this flood protection project comes from voter approval of the Clean, Safe Creeks Program (Measure B) in November of 2000. The current project schedule will support a planning study to be completed by May 2006 and a design completed by June 2008. Project construction will be conducted between 2008 and 2015.
For more information about the project, you may contact the project manager Afshin Rouhani by telephone at 408-265-2607 ext. 2616 or by e-mail at arouhani@valleywater.org. Greg Zlotnick is our District 5 representative on the SCVWD Board of Directors. You may get more information by visiting the project web site:
Important Renewal Information
It's renewal time for many of our members. Did you know that if you look at
the label on the front of your newsletter there is a date listed? That date indicates
the time when your subscription will end. It will usually be highlighted in either
pink or yellow if you are coming close to, or beyond your renewal date. If your membership is due to expire you should find an envelope tucked inside your newsletter which makes it easy to send in your dues. Dues are still just $15.00 per year. LANN will not pressure you to renew, but you will see a gentle reminder stamped on your newsletter encouraging you to renew when the time comes. We also make one friendly phone call to remind you. If your membership is overdue you will receive one final newsletter which will be indicated with a stamp on the front which says "last issue".
Your membership is important to us and we hope that we have fulfilled your expectations as an organization which works to inform and preserve our small town character.
All board members are volunteers, and the dues are used to pay the cost of the newsletter.
If you have any questions about your membership or the renewal process, please feel free to call or email me. Thank you for your continued support.
Leslie Lodestro
Membership Chair
650-949-5560
llode@aol.com
Lann Board Members
Co-President Mike Abrams
Co-President Dianne Edmonds
Vice President Ken Lorell
Treasurer David Jaques
Secretary Kathy Wright
Editor Vickie Clements
Housing Chair Kathy Putman
Membership Chair Leslie Lodestro
Traffic Chair Bill Crook
Schools Chair David Luskin
Contributor Karen Greguras
Webmaster Jerry Wright
Advisors Tom Anderson
Lou Becker
David Casas
Kate Disney