HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/18/2021Town of Los Altos Hills
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California
Via teleconference according to the Governor's Executive Order N-29-20, Mayor Tankha called
the City Council Regular Meeting to order at 6:03 p.m.
Present: Mayor Tankha, Vice Mayor Tyson, Councilmember Mok, Councilmember
Schmidt, Councilmember Swan
Absent: None
Staff: City Manager Carl Cahill, City Attorney Steve Mattas, Planning/Building
Director Zachary Dahl, City Engineer/Public Works Director Nichol Bowersox,
Administrative Services Director Sarina Revillar, Principal Planner Steve
Padovan, Management Analyst Cody Einfalt, City Clerk Deborah Padovan
CALL TO ORDER (6:00 P.M.)
A. Roll Call
B. Pledge of Allegiance
1. AGENDA REVIEW
There were no changes to the agenda.
2. APPOINTMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS
A. Recognition of Science Fair Winner Russell Yang
Mayor Tankha introduced Russell Yang and recognized his work on a research project.
Russell, who attends Harker school, stated that he won the award for his work on a cancer
informatics project on distant metastasis.
B. Appointment to Los Altos Hills Community Relations Committee
City Clerk Deborah Padovan presented the application of Maddie Cheng.
Maddie Cheng, Los Altos Hills, introduced herself and expressed an interest in serving on
the Community Relations Committee.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to appoint Maddie
Cheng for a four-year term on the Los Altos Hills Community Relations Committee. The
motion was seconded by Mayor Tankha.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 18, 2021
AYES:
Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
C. Appointment to Los Altos Hills Public Art Committee
City Clerk Padovan presented the application of Vivian He.
Vivian He, Los Altos Hills, introduced herself and expressed an interest in serving on the
Public Art Committee.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Mayor Tankha moved to appoint Vivian He for a
four-year term on the Los Altos Hills Public Art Committee. The motion was seconded by
Vice Mayor Tyson.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES:
Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
D. Appointment to the Los Altos Hills Finance and Investment Committee
City Clerk Padovan presented the application of Kjell Karlsson.
Mr. Karlsson, Los Altos Hills, who previously served on the committee, explained his
finance background.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Mok moved to appoint Kjell
Karlsson for a four-year term on the Los Altos Hills Finance and Investment Committee.
The motion was seconded by Councilmember Swan.
MOTION PASSED 4-1:
AYES:
Tankha, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
Tyson
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
E. Presentation and Request for Approval for the Los Altos Hills Community Relations
Committee to Proceed with TEDx Programming for the Town
Roy Woolsey and Medha Rishi, Community Relations Committee Members, presented their
proposal for TEDx Programming for the Town.
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Council discussion ensued.
Public Comment
Teresa Baker, Los Altos Hills, said that Gardner Bullis can be used for TEDx talks.
Ludka Koskova Nesbit, Los Altos Hills, asked if the committee would consider an outdoor
setting as we have perfect weather and space.
Mayor Tankha asked the Committee to return in order to provide more details. No
action was taken.
F. Santa Clara County Sheriff s Office Status Report on the Implementation of the Racial and
Identity Profiling Act (RIPA)
Santa Clara County Sheriffs Captain Rich Urena reported on the RIPA and he
introduced Lieutenant Neil Valenzuela and Captain Adam Oberdorfer. Captain Urena
reported that in January the Town saw a total of eight (8) residential burglaries. The sheriff s
office has a taskforce working on burglaries in Los Altos Hills, Saratoga, and Cupertino. He
said they are working on the problem and asked residents to turn on alarms if they have one.
Captain Oberdorfer, Division Commander for Training Unit, said that AB 953 requires
all to law enforcement agencies collect perceived demographic and other detailed data
regarding stops that result in a detention or search. They must report to the California
Attorney General on April 1St the previous year's data that was collected. He provided
information on the implementation of the program in the sheriffs office. Their first report is
due April 1, 2022.
The Council asked questions of the sheriffs office and received responses.
Public Comment
Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, said he is appalled by this whole effort. All interactions
with the sheriffs office have been nothing but professional.
Barry Smith, Los Altos Hills, asked if the data is captured by individual deputies and that
there are a lot of faces in our diverse community that would be hard to determine someone's
ethnicity.
Ludka Koskova Nesbit, Los Altos Hills, said she would not think to call in after an
interaction with an officer. Feedback would not be done that way.
Dorit Perry, Los Altos Hills, asked the Captain about the burglaries in January. She said
that the eight victims are our families, neighbors, and friends. Eight homes attacked in this
way means there is a loss of security that will last for years.
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February 18, 2021
Logan Ramanathan, Los Altos Hills, asked if the Captain was aware of the statistical
inconsistencies and what steps did he plan to implement to sort these issues out.
Captain Urena responded that he was made aware of the concern and they will be using
RIPA data collected and be able to aggregate that data in a way done by other agencies.
Anand Ranganathan, Los Altos Hills, said the process that the Captain outlined to update
the data is similar to what they are doing now. He recommended that the sheriff invest in
quality assurance and that the Town should receive data from the sheriff on a regular basis.
Paul Schecter, Los Altos Hills, commented on the January burglaries and said personal
responsibility is involved. Individuals need to install security systems for their homes.
The information was received. No action was taken.
3. PRESENTATION/NEW BUSINESS
A. Two Resident Presentations on Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) and
Discussion and Direction Regarding an ALPR Policy in the Town of Los Altos Hills
(Staff: C. Einfalt)
Resident Rajiv Bhateja presented information on automatic license plates readers
and explained why the City Council should adopt them.
Resident Anand Ranganathan presented information on ALPRs and privacy
concerns.
Council discussion ensued. They asked questions of Lieutenant Neil Valenzuela
who responded that the sheriffs office would support any Council action.
Public Comment
Vara Ramakrishna, Los Altos Hills, shared her family's experience of being
burglarized on Christmas Day 2020. She spoke in support of ALPRs.
Roger Melen, Los Altos Hills, said he was robbed once years ago. Since that time,
he has installed an array of cameras to help prevent burglaries. He spoke in support
of ALPRs.
Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, agreed with the privacy concerns. He was not in
support of ALPRs. He was sympathetic to the rising crime rates in Los Altos Hills,
and proposed that residents should buy their own cameras and have the Town
reimburse the first 100 residents who submit receipts.
Shyamoli Banerjee, Los Altos Hills, said her house was vandalized and she wants
the readers in Town.
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Alexandra Patel, Los Altos Hills, said she was shocked to discover that there are
absolutely no cameras in our streets. She thought the neighborhood would be safe,
but her family is traumatized by the burglaries in Town.
Ameesh Divatia, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of license plate readers. He said
that our data is out there, but there are lots of ways of protecting data.
Don Druyanoff, Los Altos Hills, said his house was burglarized in the afternoon. He
had a sophisticated camera system, and the camera got the license plate number and
they caught the individuals who burglarized him. He spoke in support of ALPRs.
Jim Basiji, Los Altos Hills, said his house was burglarized and much damage was
done. The cost of burglaries and the violation of privacy is supremely high. He
spoke in support of ALPRs.
Logan Ramanathan, Los Altos Hills, said his house was burglarized in
December. He explained how the use of cameras are used and was in support of
ALPRs.
Rajiv Patel, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of ALPRs. He said that there is no
larger privacy violation than having your home be a part of a burglary. Catching
crooks, or more importantly, not having them come to Town, should be the focus.
Paul Schecter, Los Altos Hills, said it is alarming to hear about the burglaries. He
thanked both presenters but said the readers will not deter crime. A crook who plans
to commit a burglary is not going to care there are cameras in town. The readers
might be helpful for after the fact.
David Keetell, Los Altos Hills, said his home was burglarized in 2017. He spoke in
support of ALPRs.
Rajiv Bhateja, Los Altos Hills, said a petition was forwarded to the Town that has
over 200 households in support of ALPR's and residents can opt -out of the system if
they wish. They can be exclusively limited to people who live out of Town.
Nidhi Singh, Los Altos Hills, said his neighbors have been burglarized. He was in
support of ALPRs and thought the opt -out was a good solution.
Barry Smith, Los Altos Hills, said he would like to see any stolen cars on the
camera, an alert should immediately be sent to the local sheriff. If we wait until we
have been burglarized, then it is too late.
Roberta Riga, Los Altos Hills, expressed that any local government not utilizing all
available resources, is basically failing to do its job to protect its residents. She spoke
in support of ALPRs.
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February 18, 2021
John Anderson, Flock, Brentwood, said not all ALPR providers are created equally
and proceeded to say why Flock cameras were superior.
Dorit Perry, Los Altos Hills, addressed the privacy concerns and she was in support
of the ALPR's. She said it was way past time for the protection of ourselves and our
neighbors.
Scott Rezendes, Los Altos Hills, said he is a recently retired federal law enforcement
officer and expressed support for a tool that is used by law enforcement to catch the
criminals.
Sunil Bopardikar, Los Altos Hills, said he has had two burglaries occur on his
street. He was strongly in favor of putting ALPRs in place.
Karishma Mehta, Los Altos Hills, said that she was very supportive of putting in
ALPR so the sheriff can be proactive.
Subina Desai, Los Altos Hills, said her neighbor's homes have been violated and we
need to have empathy and compassion. She spoke in support of ALPRs because she
believes it is a matter of time before she is burglarized.
Liz Roberts, Los Altos Hills, said her mother was home when she was burglarized in
the 1990s. She was in support of the ALPRs.
Sri G, Los Altos Hills, said they were burglarized, and they did not have cameras, so
it was an open and shut case. She spoke in support in ALPRs.
Derrick Wong, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of ALPRs. They were burglarized
in 2016 in the morning and lost money and mail.
Michelle Yu, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of ALPRs and said the Council needs
to listen to the residents who want the cameras.
Jay Sutaria, Los Altos Hills, said our movements are already captured by our
neighbors or on the eight cameras that are on Teslas. Specialized ALPRs capture
things well, not people in the car.
Teresa Baker, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of ALPRs.
Jason Miles, Mid -Peninsula ACLU, spoke about privacy rights. He said that just
because something is legal, does not make it ethical.
Bridget Morgan, Los Altos Hills, said she has been persuaded on both sides of the
argument and is in favor of a pilot project.
Council discussion ensued.
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Councilmember Mok said we could see an increase in crime and would like to be
more proactive and attempt to prevent crimes if possible. We need to do it and we
need to do it now. He said, "I want to feel completely safe in my Town."
Councilmember Swan said that the crime spurt is troubling. She asked about the
laws on personal cameras.
City Attorney Steve Mattas said the issue of private cameras that happen to capture
the public right of way, there is no prohibition. There is no expectation of privacy in
the public right-of-way.
Councilmember Swan said we should explore more options to discourage crime and
perhaps a surveillance and privacy policy ordinance is needed.
Councilmember Schmidt said we need to be diligent and thoughtful to put together
a program. We ought to develop a study to review license plate readers. We can also
dig in on the research to see how effective these programs are.
Vice Mayor Tyson said he was compelled by the speakers. Do the cameras
accomplish anything? And is there a detriment to people's privacy? Should we do a
pilot program and see how the data works that could be refined? Yes, he was in favor
of developing a policy.
Mayor Tankha thanked all the residents who came out and said, "we heard you very
clearly." When it comes to ALPRs there are good reasons for adopting them. She
acknowledged that there are some residents who have limited concerns on
privacy. Those should be addressed. However, the reality is that cameras are
everywhere. To address the privacy concerns, residents can opt -out; the readers
would only capture images of cars that belong to non-residents. She was in favor test
project to find out if they work for the Town.
There was Council consensus to return with a draft policy next month.
4. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Persons wishing to address the Council on any subject not on the agenda may do so now. Please
complete a Speaker Card located on the back table of the Council Chambers and submit it to the
City Clerk. Comments are limited to two (2) minutes per speaker. California law prohibits the
Council from acting on items that do not appear on the agenda. Under a Resolution previously
adopted by the Council, such items can be referred to staff for appropriate action, which may
include placement on the next available agenda.
Robert Sandor, Los Altos Hills, said that the City Manager contract will be coming up
in June. He was disappointed with the process last year and asked that it be public and
suggested that resident volunteers be part of the contract renewal process.
Michelle Yu, Los Altos Hills, spoke on behalf of a neighborhood collaborative, and
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asked that council members and staff to continue working on solutions to make East
Sunset safer.
Jitze Couperus, Los Altos Hills, said there is a lot of concerned people feeling they do
not have enough input in the performance of the Town and that the Town is not listening
to the residents. He said the Town Hall process has to be more transparent.
Gary Paton, Los Altos Hills, said that assessing the performance of the City Manager
should be a transparent process.
Vara Ramakrishnan, Los Altos Hills, said that she has attended a lot of different City
Council meetings in various Bay Area cities and she complimented Town staff.
John Swan, Los Altos Hills, spoke about transparency and asked, "how can we leverage
technology that we encourage the overall transparency of our Town governance?"
Bridget Morgan, Los Altos Hills, for the record, after they were annexed, she became
involved in the governance of Los Altos Hills. She stated that she has never felt that Los
Altos Hills represented anything other than complete transparency and encouraged all
residents who are committed to good governance to get involved, pay attention, and read
agendas.
The Council took a recess at 9:35 p.m.
The Council reconvened to Open Session at 9:40 p.m.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Vice Mayor Tyson moved to continue the meeting
past 10 p.m. The motion was seconded by Mayor Tankha.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES: Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES: None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
5. CONSENT CALENDAR
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Vice Mayor Tyson moved to approve the
CONSENT CALENDAR, with the exception of Item 5.13, which was removed, and Items
5.L and 5.N. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Mok.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES: Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: None
RECUSE: None
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
February 18, 2021
ABSENT: None
A. Approval of City Council Special Meeting Minutes: January 21, 2021
A Approval of City ouneil Regular- Meeting l�Minu T•,n,,afy 21, 2021 This item Was
removed from the agenda and not considered.
C. Approval of City Council Special Goal Setting Meeting Minutes: February 5, 2021
D. Review of Disbursements: January 1-31, 2021 $1,531,614.01
E. Resolution 05-21 the Town of Los Altos Hills Establishing Standing Committees and
Adopting General and Special Rules Pertaining Thereto to Modify the Number of
Committee Members to the Pathways Committee to a Maximum of Nine (9)
Members (Staff. D. Padovan)
F. Rejection of Claim: Jeff and Nathalie Cabili ABGV27101AI (Staff. D. Padovan)
G. Resolution 06-21 Approving the Town of Los Altos Hills Fund Balance Reserve
Policy (Staff: S. Revillar)
H. Resolution 07-21 Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Amendment 3 to the
Contract between the Town and Maze and Associates to Extend Audit Services
Through Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2025 (Staff. S. Revillar)
I. Receive Quarterly Investment Portfolio Report -Quarter Ending December 31, 2020
(Staff. S. Revillar)
J. Resolution 08-21 Denying a Conditional Development Permit, Site Development
Permit, and a Variance for the Construction of a New Two -Story House at 10728
Mora Drive (Staff. Z. Dahl)
K. Resolution 09-21 Denying a Conditional Development Permit, Site Development
Permit, and a Variance for the Construction of a New Two -Story House at 10758
Mora Drive (Staff. Z. Dahl)
The Council now considered Consent Calendar Item S.L.
L. Resolution to Award a Contract for Tree Care And Maintenance Services for Town -
Owned Properties (Staff N. Bowersox)
Mayor Tankha pulled Item 5.L and asked why the Town only received one bid for
this project.
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Public Works Director Nichol Bowersox explained that the Town reached out to
three contractors. One was non-responsive, the other was booked for the entire year,
and so McClenahan was the lone bidder.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Mayor Tankha moved to adopt Resolution 11-
21 to Award a Contract for Tree Care And Maintenance Services for Town -Owned
Properties. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Swan.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES:
Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
M. Resolution 10-21 to Approve the Application for the Wild Plum Lane Sanitary Sewer
Main Extension Improvement Project with a Future Sewer Reimbursement
Agreement Proposal (Staff: N. Bowersox)
The Council now considered Consent Calendar Item 5.N.
N. Resolution To Approve The Plans And Specifications For The Town Hall Addition
Project - Phase 1 - Rebid and Authorize Staff To Advertise The Project For Bids
(Staff. N. Bowersox)
Conuncilmember Swan said she pulled the item as she wanted to see the
architectural drawings.
Vice Mayor Tyson recalled that this was for Phase 1, the enclosure in the back of the
chambers.
Council discussion ensued.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Swan moved to adopt
Resolution 12-21 Approving the Plans and Specifications for the Town Hall Addition
Project - Phase 1 - Rebid and Authorize Staff to Advertise the Project for Bids. The
motion was seconded by Councilmember Schmidt.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES:
Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
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February 18, 2021
6. PUBLIC HEARINGS
➢ City Council Ex Parte Contacts Policy Disclosure
Ex Parte Communications: Councilmember Schmidt said she spoke with Bob
Elson; Vice Mayor Tyson said that he spoke with Bob Elson in the past about this
project, but not recently; Councilmember Mok said he spoke with Bob Elson;
Councilmember Swan said she spoke with Bob Elson; Mayor Tankha did not
have any ex parte communications.
A. La Paloma Road to Robleda Road Off -Road Pathway —File #SP 19-0005
Adoption of an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the construction
of the eastern segment of an approved off-road path between La Paloma Road and
Robleda Road. CEQA Review: Mitigated Negative Declaration (Staff: Z.Dahl/S.
Padovan)
Mayor Tankha opened the Public Hearing.
Principal Planner Steve Padovan presented the La Paloma/Robleda Pathway initial
study and mitigated negative declaration of the pathway.
Public Comment
Jay Sutaria, Los Altos Hills, said he was pleased to see the initial study and the
recommended mitigations. He was disappointed that the funding was not until next
year. He suggested the Council allocate additional funds now for design,
construction, and landscape screening.
Bridget Morgan, Los Altos Hills, expressed a minority view from the Pathways
Committee. She has opposed this project on environmental degradation grounds.
Teresa Baker, Los Altos Hills, said this pathway is wonderful and it will turn out
beautiful. It will not harm anything there. It will be a safe path for multi -use.
Sue Welch, Los Altos Hills, respectfully asked the Council to accept the Mitigated
Negative Declaration (MND), fund the project, and build the path.
Carol Gottlieb, Los Altos Hills, asked the Council support the MND, have it become
a multi -use path, and work with Purissima Hills Water District to obtain an easement
for switchback purposes.
Alisa Bredo, Los Altos Hills, expressed support for the project. She said it is
important to have these connections to get people off the roads and encouraged the
Council to look into the water district land.
Tian Zhang, Los Altos Hills, said that significant portion of this pathway is close to
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February 18, 2021
their house. They were not in support of the pathway.
Mayor Tankha closed the Public Hearing.
Council discussion ensued.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Mok moved to adopt Resolution
13-21 adopting the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the construction
of the eastern segment of an approved off-road path between La Paloma Road and
Robleda Road. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Swan.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES:
Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
B. Zoning Ordinance Amendments — Town of Los Altos Hills
Introduction of an Ordinance to amend various sections within Chapter 1
(Subdivisions) of Title 9, and Chapter 1 (Zoning) and Chapter 2 (Site
Development) of Title 10 of the Los Altos Hills Municipal Code pertaining to
updating the appeals process and clarifying the effective date of decisions made
by the Planning Director, the Staff Committee and the Planning Commission;
and an amendment to Article 6 (Off -Street Parking) in Chapter 1 of Title 10 to
reestablish minimum parking stall dimension requirements. CEQA Review:
Categorically Exempt per Section 15061(B)(3). (Staff. Z. Dahl)
Motion to Waive Reading and Introduce the Ordinance
Planning Director Zach Dahl presented the staff report.
Mayor Tankha opened the Public Hearing.
Seeing no one wishing to speak, Mayor Tankha closed the Public Hearing.
Council discussion ensued.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to waive
reading and introduce an Ordinance to amend various sections within Chapter 1
(Subdivisions) of Title 9, and Chapter 1 (Zoning) and Chapter 2 (Site Development) of
Title 10 of the Los Altos Hills Municipal Code pertaining to updating the appeals process
and clarifying the effective date of decisions made by the Planning Director, the Staff
Committee and the Planning Commission; and an amendment to Article 6 (Off -Street
Parking) in Chapter 1 of Title 10 to reestablish minimum parking stall dimension
requirements. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Mok.
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MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES:
Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
7. NEW BUSINESS
A. Receive 2020-21 Mid -Year Financial Report and Adopt a Resolution Approving the
Mid -Year Budget Appropriations; and Adopt a Resolution Updating the FY 20-21
Salary Schedule (Staff. S. Revillar)
Administrative Services Director Sarina Revillar presented the staff report.
Council discussion ensued.
Carol Gottlieb, Los Altos Hills, said she did not see the Summerhill pathway on the
capital improvement projects. Staff confirmed that Summerhill was on the list.
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Mok moved to adopt Resolution
14-21 Approving the Mid -Year Budget Appropriations. The motion was seconded by Vice
Mayor Tyson.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES:
Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to adopt
Resolution 15-21 Updating the FY 20-21 Salary Schedule. The motion was seconded by
Vice Mayor Tyson.
MOTION PASSED 5-0:
AYES:
Tankha, Tyson, Mok, Schmidt, Swan
NOES:
None
ABSTAIN:
None
RECUSE:
None
ABSENT:
None
8. COUNCIL INITIATED TOWN GOALS 2021
A. Discussion and Consideration to Establish a Council Subcommittee to Review Law
Enforcement Services and Communication (Councilmember Mok)
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Councilmember Mok presented the item. He said that wants to feel safe in this
Town and wants to look at a number of areas where we can improve; including
providing more detailed information on the sheriff's weekly reports; and discussions
on license plate readers. He would like to have residents have input on the topic.
DIRECTION: Councilmembers Mok and Swan agreed to serve on an Ad Hoc Law
Enforcement Services and Communication subcommittee. City Attorney Mattas
clarified that the subcommittee could invite members of the public.
B. Discussion and Possible Action to Establish a Taskforce to Review Fire Safety in
Town (Councilmember Schmidt)
Councilmember Schmidt presented the item. She would like to model it off of Los
Gatos on making the Town more fire safe. She would like the fire district to be
included along with private residents.
DIRECTION: Councilmember Schmidt shall serve on a Council Ad Hoc
Subcommittee to explore fire safety options.
City Attorney Mattas provided guidance for the structure of the subcommittees.
Council discussion ensued for Items 8.13 and 8.D.
D. Discussion and Consideration to Establish a Council Subcommittee to Review Fire
Service Options for Los Altos Hills and the Surrounding Unincorporated Area
(Staff. C. Cahill)
DIRECTION: Mayor Tankha and Vice Mayor Tyson shall continue as a
subcommittee to review fire service options for Los Altos Hills
C. Discussion and Possible Action to Retain Professional Services to Represent and
Inform the Town on Matters Related to Housing Legislation, Specifically Relating
to Proposed Senate Bill 9 (Mayor Tankha)
Mayor Tankha presented the item.
Council discussion ensued.
No action was taken.
9. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES, SUB -COMMITTEES, AND
COUNCILMEMBERS ON OUTSIDE AGENCIES
A. Report by the Undergrounding Subcommittee (Councilmember Tyson)
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Vice Mayor Tyson reported on the activities of the Undergrounding Subcommittee.
The report was received. No action was taken.
B. Status Reports from All Councilmembers on Outside Agencies Activities
There were no reports.
10. STAFF REPORTS
A. City Manager — Update on Solid Waste Contract Review Committee
City Manager Cahill updated the Council on the review of the garbage contract.
Emily Hanson, Greenwaste, provided an explanation on the garbage contract rates.
Allan Epstein, Los Altos Hills, pointed out that Greenwaste asked for a particular
increase, the amount of money they received was more than they asked. Greenwaste
has not received 9%, but an increase closer to 35% because of the waiving of the
franchise fees for four years.
Council discussion ensued. No action was taken.
B. City Attorney — No report.
C. City Clerk — No report.
D. Planning/Building Director - Update on Rancho San Antonio Parking
Planning Director Dahl provided a status update on Mid -Peninsula Regional Open
Space parking matter. He said that a number of trailhead entrances are in the Town
and parking has been an issue due to usage during Covid-19. Staff is monitoring the
matter and will be looking for Mid -Pen's study which may be presented in April.
E. Administrative Services Director — No report.
F. Public Works Director
Public Works Director Bowersox thanked Senior Engineer Kaho Kong as tomorrow
is his last day. She said he has been instrumental in the Public Works Department.
11. COUNCIL INITIATED
Councilmember Swan thanked Director Bowersox for getting the Sunset pathway done
after many years. She requested that an emerging technology committee formation be
agendized for March. Additionally, she would like an ad hoc committee to look at the
green sheets initiatives and requested it be agendized for March.
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12. ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 11:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah Paddovan
Deborah Padovan
City Clerk
The minutes of the February 18, 2021 regular City Council meeting were approved as presented
at the March 18, 2021 regular City Council meeting.
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