September 2002

Proposed Plan Will Help School Finance

In an effort to mitigate the need for future parcel tax increases beyond Measure H in November, a plan is being proposed to the School Board by Superintendent Gratiot, which will tackle head-on the fiscal issues which have been brewing for the past few years. Several components are included in the Board recommendation, and represent some impressive changes:

  1. Adding three or four new members who represent the parent/taxpayer population and who also have expertise in finance to the Citizen’s Advisory Committee on School Finance (CACF)
  2. Developing a fast track timeline for developing a long-range financial plan
  3. Presenting a public study session on school finance, long-range solutions, and operational implications

The parcel tax to raise money for our elementary schools and middle schools will be back on the ballot in November after a failed attempt in a special election last April. There is no doubt the district needs the money. What the general population may not understand is that this parcel tax increase (Measure H) could be followed by potential future increases. These increases would be required over the next several years in order to balance the budget unless the District can significantly change its spending patterns. Without significant changes, the prognosis for future fiscal health is grim.

Experts in school finance will tell you that windfalls from the State are not forthcoming and that to fix the school funding problems at the State level will take many years.

It is clear that the November parcel tax will be difficult to pass and it stands to reason that even if this one passes, future increases would be unlikely to be approved.

The long-range financial plan if adopted, will bring some assurance that the District can tame its expenses so that future increases beyond Measure H will be greatly reduced or possibly eliminated. It is hoped that the long-range plan will foster additional support for Measure H by demonstrating a commitment to secure the future financial health of the Los Altos elementary and middle schools.

The District and School Board are on the brink of adopting something integral to the District’s long-term viability. A very valuable and positive effort is underway in the wake of April’s defeat and criticism. A sincere focus on fiscal change may be the catalyst some voters will need to get them to the polls with a Yes vote for Measure H come November.

For more information on Measure H and finance plans, visit the Measure H website www.klasscampaign.org or better yet, attend a school board meeting. They are open to the public and typically occur the first and third Monday of the month. The location has been rotating between schools. For a complete list of this year's scheduled School Board meetings you can go to the District website; www.losaltos.k12.ca.us or call Janie Boscacci at the District office; 941-4010 X12

City Council to Hold Public Input Session on Speed Limits

Bill Crook, Traffic Chair

 

The Los Altos City Council will hold a public input session with regard to Los Altos streets

with a posted speed limit greater than 25 mph: Miramonte Avenue, Fremont Avenue and Grant Road. As of this writing, the session is targeted for the September 10 City Council meeting, 1 North San Antonio Road at 7:30pm.

The speed limit on Miramonte Avenue, between Portland Avenue and the Mountain View border, is 35 mph. This limit has been in place for many years and is supported by engineering speed studies. (The 35 mph speed limit reflects the speed that 85% of the motorists travel on this segment of the road.)

Governor Davis signed a bill into law in 2000 that amended the California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 627. The change allows local municipalities to deviate from the 85 percentile to account for:

The Los Altos City Council used CVC Section 627 in February of this year to set a radar enforceable speed limit on El Monte Avenue at 25 mph when the speed survey supported a 30 mph limit. On August 13, City Council again used Section 627 to set the speed limit on the portion of Springer Road controlled by Los Altos (between Foothill Expressway and El Monte Avenue) at 25 mph. And again, the speed survey supported a 30 mph limit. The Los Altos City Staff plans on working with the City of Mountain View in an attempt to get the portions of Springer Road that is controlled by Mountain View, (primarily northbound) also set at 25 mph.

There are a number of parents who would like to see Miramonte’s speed limit lowered from 35 mph to 25 mph. Reasons for making this section of the road 25 mph include:

      1. Miramonte is less than two blocks from Blach Middle School, where up to 40% of the students bike to school many weeks of the year. Miramonte is also the boundary for 3 elementary schools: Loyola, Springer and Oak.
      1. Motorists traveling southbound within this 35 mph section of Miramonte Avenue are the primary reason for difficulty in turning left from Berry Avenue. In recent weeks, the City Council has heard many comments on this intersection from Berry Avenue residents. The lines of sight at this intersection simply do not support 35+ mph southbound traffic flow.

The City Council seems willing to lower the speed limit of Miramonte to 25 mph as they did on El Monte Avenue and Springer Road. The key to using CVC 627 to lower the speed limit is public input -- demonstrating the residential nature of the road and pedestrian/bicycle usage along the road.

At the same council session, the City Counsel will solicit input on several additional Los Altos streets whose speed limit is greater than 25 mph, including Fremont Avenue from El Monte Avenue to Miramonte Avenue as well as the Grant Road section within Los Altos discussed above.

New Applications for Housing

Kathy Putman, LANN Housing Chair

This month there is only one application for a new two-story home, two applications for second story additions, and a property owner who wishes to subdivide his lot on Covington. We include the application for a new supermarket building at Foothill Plaza for those members who live in the vicinity, or for those who just want to keep a watchful eye on commercial development. Not a bad idea...

1. 02-SC-35--M. Paff --24711 Summerhill Avenue: Consideration of design review  for first and second story additions. Project planner: Connolly

2. 02-SC-37--N. Lee--1415 Kring Way: Consideration of design review for a second story addition.

3. 02-SC-38--Jay Laptolo & M. Laptalo--1450 Montclaire Pl.:Consideration of design review for a new two story home.

4. 00-DL-01--M. Migdal--710 Covington Road: Consideration of a tentative subdivision map approval extension. Project Planner: Kornfield

5. 02-D-05--T. Harrington--2310 Homestead Road: Consideration of design review for a new supermarket building and parking lot improvements at Foothill Plaza: Project Planner: Kornfield

Protecting Los Altos Landmarks

Leslie Lodestro, LANN President

There are 122 homes or buildings on the current Los Altos Historic Resources Inventory list. The Los Altos Historical Commission is responsible for selecting and assigning properties to the list. Structures are selected for the list based on a scale of standards called the Kalman system. Properties are rated and if they score a rating of 60 or greater they find their way onto the list. The list is then logged with the Planning Department so that when and if the owner of the property develops plans to modify or remodel the building measures can be taken to encourage preservation and historical integrity.

Because historic preservation guidelines in the City’s General Plan are vague and informal, the Historical Commission is working with the City to tighten up and draft guideline language that will be incorporated into the General Plan. Currently, without the enthusiasm of a homeowner or building owner to maintain the integrity of an old structure, there is little right now the city does proactively to protect the property. There have been some recent examples of local, historically significant properties being demolished against city wishes. The Spanish style bungalow on Springer and Arroyo that was removed was under consideration for the Historic Inventory list. Some feel that it has been previously overlooked and that the timing for its review was unfortunate in that it was demolished before any protection could be discussed. More recently, in Los Altos Hills the Winbigler house on Fremont Street was flattened against city wishes.

There are four classifications for Historic properties recognized by the City. They are, in order of importance; Local Landmark, Historically Important, Historically Significant and Contributing (to the historic fabric of the community). There are lucrative tax benefits for homes that are recognized as historic and which are maintained as historic. A federal tax act called the Mills act can offers significant tax savings although it is somewhat difficult to qualify and takes a lawyer to complete the complex paperwork.

For a complete listing of Los Altos’ historic inventory you can visit the Planning Department located at City Hall and simply request to view the registry. Their hours for reviewing the Historic Inventory list are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 12 noon and from 2 pm to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. To give a sampling, below is a list of 12 of the Designated Historic Landmarks that now exist in Los Altos:

- Civic Center Orchard

- Redwood Groves

- 51 South San Antonio Road (Los Altos History House)

- 288 First Street (SP Railroad Station)

- 300 Main Street (Shoup Building)

- 316 Main Street (Eschenbruecher Hardware Store)

- 388 & 398 Main Street (First National Bank and Red and White Grocery Store)

- 397 Main Street (Copeland Building)

- 440 Rinconada Court (residence)

- 647 North San Antonio Road (San Antonio Women's Club)

- 762 Edgewood Lane (residence)

-500 University Ave (residence)

LANN Board Members???Housing Correction

President Leslie Lodestro

Vice President Ken Lorell

Treasurer Dianne Edmonds

Secretary Kathy Wright

Editor Vickie Clements

Housing Chair Kathy Putman

Traffic Chair Bill Crook

Schools Chair Bill Cooper

Contributor Karen Greguras

Webmaster Jerry Wright

Advisors Mike Abrams

Lou Becker

David Casas

Kate Disney

Lisa Laehy

Housing Correction

In the August newsletter section titled "Los Altos Housing Trend Analysis 2001-2002," it was incorrectly reported that there had been more applications for two-story additions than for single story additions to existing homes. In fact, just the opposite is true. Between January 2001 and June 2002, residents who expanded their living space favored single story additions over two-story additions by a ratio of two to one; 81 single story and 39 two-story applications were applied for during that time.

The dominance of single story additions to existing homes suggests that residents may wish to maintain the single story character of the neighborhood that they bought into, whenever possible.