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Councilmember Tyson expressed his gratitude to Supervisor Simitian who has guided us every step of the way and said "we have received careful and wise coaching." Public Comment: Rick Ellinger, Los Altos Hills, said he has been engaged in emergency services since 1985 and would request that the Town augment the staff report to include that Los Altos Hills is unique. Numerous neighborhoods which are choke points for evacuation require enhanced public safety and a CERT program. Anne DeGheest, Los Altos Hills, said that she manages an emergency response team of 45 households and believes this is a land grab. She opposes the recommendation of consolidation. Bob Molinari, Los Altos Hills, values the services of the district for brush trimming and chipping. Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, would like to hear what the Council is doing in terms of an alternative to County services. Martha Bowden, Los Altos Hills, said the Liddicoat fire was 100 yards from her home. She asked, "what district would the fire district be merged with? It appears to be the south county, which is very far away." The Town needs to modify ordinances that are in place as to landscaping plans not allowing trees close to the house. Jim Basiji, Los Altos Hills, said the Town needs specific wildfire preparedness. The CZU fire was a very close call, only 8 miles from his home. Jitze Couperus, Los Altos Hills, said the fire district is small, but nimble, and can make decisions much faster than the County Board of Supervisors. Phil Mahoney, Los Altos Hills, thanked Supervisor Simitian for his tireless work and said he did a great job in the County's Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee (HLUET) meeting. We all have a lot of work to do, we need to pull together and have other supervisors enlightened to the issue. He expressed that it is time for the council to get serious about fire. Neal Mielke, Los Altos Hills, thanked Supervisor Simitian as he was masterful throughout this process - especially in this meeting. He asked: what can we do to further our cause for the October 6th meeting? The petition has been circulating. Should we continue to gather more signatures? Would it be helpful and feasible that we try to get support from neighboring communities and their City Councils? Supervisor Simitian responded that if we want to ensure that the comments are heard, the community must speak up. It is important that residents share your concerns and if your desire is to avoid the revocation of authority and consolidation, on October 6th you need to say so. 2 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes September 17, 2020