Latest
Web Site Updates:
 | The Palo Alto Daily News Endorses Toni Casey and Jim Abraham |
We
are very proud to let you know that the
Palo Alto
Daily News (on Oct 30th) endorsed Toni
Casey and Jim Abraham as two of the best candidates to
serve Los Altos Hills. Their article gave very positive reasons as to
why Toni and Jim will represent all residents most effectively. We are
enclosing the endorsement below.
If
you still have friends or neighbors who are undecided as to whom to
vote for, we would very much appreciate you sending or showing them
this editorial endorsement!
Thanks so much for all of your help and your support. We are hopeful
and optimistic that we will have two Civic Association council members
on November 4, 2000.
For your convenience, we have also listed the polling places for Los
Altos Hills Residents below:
Town’s
Precincts are #2377-2399:
-
Precincts 2378, 2391 and 2393 will vote
at Town Hall (
26379 Fremont Road
)
-
Precincts 2381, 2384 and 2387 will vote
at Beth Am (26790 Arastradero)
-
Precincts 2386, 2388, 2392 and 2396 will
vote at the Fischer residence (
25603 Fernhill Rd
)
-
Precincts 2389 and 2395 will vote at the
Foothills Congregational Church (
461 Orange Avenue
,
LA
)
Precincts 2377, 2379, 2380, 2382, 2383, 2385, 2390, 2394, 2397
and 2399 have been designated as “Mail Ballot Precincts” and will
be voting by mail. These have a different colored envelope than
“Vote by Mail” and they are not required to pay postage.
If
you have not yet mailed either your “Vote by Mail” or
“Absentee” ballots, you may drop them off at any Santa Clara
County polling place on Tuesday 11/4.
DON'T
FORGET TO VOTE. EVERY VOTE COUNTS! PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED A
RIDE!
Los Altos Hills Civic Association
| Jean
Mordo Admits that He was Incorrect in his Accusations |
| October
25 2008 Town-Wide Letter |
| October
2008 Town-Wide Letter- LAHCA Endorses Jim Abraham and Toni Casey |
| Jean Mordo
Illegally Attempts to Influence Planning Commission |
| October
2008 Town Happenings Newsletter |
| Toni
Casey for City Council Link |
| Jim
Abraham for City Council Link |
| Contact Information
Updated: President Toni Casey (phone 650-941-0192) |
| August
2008 Town Happenings Newsletter |
| June 2008 Town-Wide
Letter
June 15, 2008
Hello Neighbor!
In February 2008, the Los Altos Hills Civic
Association (LAHCA)
sent out a letter to all
residents introducing our homeowners support group
that was founded in 1999.
We have had a very positive response to our letter
and are sending a similar
letter out again in case you missed the February letter.
LAHCA’s mission is encouraging friendship among
neighbors, informing
residents of current Town issues, and improving resident
involvement in Town government. We have always recognized
the importance of maintaining our semi-rural community
served by a minimal, responsive, customer service oriented
town government.
Accomplishments of our elected officials include:
 |
Passed
the very popular Fast Track Ordinance to expedite the
building process. This ordinance has greatly reduced the
prior subjectivity, expense, frustration, and costly time
in the building process. |
|
Reduced
building permit fees to comply with state law. |
|
Initiated
Town-wide notices on important issues so that residents
had input before the town council voted. |
|
Initiated
the process with PG&E that has resulted in the beginning
of under grounding utilities in LAH at no cost to
residents. |
We look forward to the November election and will
support three candidates who share
our goals.
From our last letter, several of you shared your
town concerns. We invite all of you
to let us know what your issues are so that we can have them
addressed by the candidates
running for the November council election.
If you are not a Civic Association member, we invite
you to join!
If you are a current member, please accept our
thanks and encourage your neighbors
to join!
If you have any questions, feel free to give me a
call at 650-941-0192.
My best to you and to your family,
Toni Casey
President, Los Altos Hills Civic Association
Mayor, 1989-90, 96-97, 01-02
|
| May 2008 Alert (LAHCA Alert- LAH Speed Survey
Invalidated by Santa Clara County Superior Court) |
Los Altos Hills
Civic Association member and former planning commissioner Bill Kerns
successfully challenged a ticket issued by the sheriff’s department
for "speeding" along
Moody Road
when he was traveling with the flow of traffic. The Court ruled that
the Los
Altos Hills Town-Wide Speed Survey was “invalid”.
Bill has told the
Civic Association to let our residents know that if you have been
cited for a speeding ticket in Los Altos Hills that involved police
radar on any road and have not already paid the ticket, you may also
submit a challenge. For detailed information regarding
Bill Kerns’ successful challenge, you may contact him at 650-948-9110
or bill@billkerns.com.
The Civic
Association has contacted the Town Manager regarding the court's
ruling of a "speed trap" on
Moody Road
and we have requested that they notify the Sheriff's Department to let
them know of the court's ruling.
We want to thank you for your membership and support of the Los
Altos Hills Civic Association. Please pass this Alert along to
your friends in LAH and encourage them to join the Civic Association
by sending in their annual family dues of $35.00 made payable to the
LAH Civic Association,
P.O. Box 4013
,
Los Altos
,
CA
94024-4013
.
My Best,
Toni
Casey
President
650-941-0192
| February 2008 Town-Wide Letter |
Hello Neighbor!
I’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to join the
Los Altos Hills Civic Association. (LAHCA).
We were founded in l999 by a group of residents who realized
that the voice of homeowners concerned with property rights in LAH was
not being heard by our Town government.
We adopted the mission of keeping residents informed, encouraging more
involvement on town committees, and hosting social events so that
neighbors could meet neighbors. LAHCA has always recognized the
importance of maintaining our semi-rural community and minimal town
government.
For a detailed description of our
positions, please visit our web site at
www.lahca.com.
We want to clearly distinguish our organization from a competing
organization, Hills 2000, Friends of the Hills. Hills 2000 was formed
in 2000 to counter our mission of representing the rights of
homeowners.
For example, Civic Association elected officials, former mayor,
Steve Finn and myself were responsible for initiating and passing the
Fast Track Ordinance in 2000. This very popular ordinance allows for
building or remodeling a home that meets all the town requirements
with no substantive opposition to be approved by the City Council
without a Planning Commission hearing. This ordinance has greatly
reduced the prior subjectivity, expense, frustration, and costly time
in the building process.
In contrast, Hills 2000 opposed Fast Track. Current Board
member and former council member Elayne Dauber voted No on Fast Track.
LAHCA elected officials also reduced building permit fees,
initiated town-wide notices on important issues affecting your
lifestyle, and made a customer service orientation a top priority at
Town Hall. Unfortunately, the current town staff has discontinued the
customer feedback questionnaire we implemented.
Hills 2000-Friends of the Hills’s
mission statement advocates planning and conservation measures that
will ensure the continued preservation of the rural ambience of the
Hills. Unfortunately, their agenda often includes achieving these
goals at the expense of homeowners’ rights and without town wide
input. Members of the Board of Directors of Hills 2000 promote
subjective building rules, support mandatory public pathways through
residents’ backyards, and unnecessary conservation easements on
private property, significantly reducing the value of your property.
We look forward to the 2008 November election, as three seats are
open on our Town Council. Our
goal is to fill these seats with Civic
Association like-minded residents.
Whether you have lived in town for many
years, a few years, or have just joined our community, and you are
thinking of landscaping, an addition, remodeling, or building a new
home, the Civic Association
believes that the town staff, the Planning Commission, and the Town
Council should assist you in the process in a very fair, timely, and
responsive manner.
We look forward to hearing from you and
having you as a member of
the Civic Association.
A remit envelope is enclosed for your convenience. If you are a
current member, please accept our thanks and encourage your neighbors
to join!
If you have any questions, please call
me at 650-941-0192.
My best to you and to your family,
Toni
Casey
President, Los Altos Hills Civic
Association
Former Mayor, 1989-90, 96-97, 01-02
The Godbe survey found that only 28% of residents
support school redistricting, and redistricting was the only issue
residents didn’t even rank as being “somewhat important.”
On Sunday 8/27 vandals smashed the windows of a car parked in a
driveway on Mora Drive at the intersection of Sun Hills. There was no
theft, just pure vandalism. There was another incident at the end of
July when two cars were similarly vandalized on Eloise Circle.
It is suspected that the August 27 vandalism occurred as the result
of an unauthorized party in the Waldorf School parking lot (corner of
Eastbrook and Mora Drive). Beer bottles were found in the parking lot
and several mailboxes in the area were also damaged. The new
superintendent of Waldorf School spoke with the Sheriff's office and
is going to have a chain installed to prevent access to the parking
lot when the school is closed.
If you see suspicious activity, please call the sheriff's office
right away.
From a home phone you can dial 911. From a cell phone, call either
408-229-2311 or 408-299-3233. These are both direct-dial emergency
numbers that can also be used for non-emergency calls. It is best not
to make 911 calls on a cell phone since they are routed through the
CHP in Vallejo and response can be delayed.
On Tuesday, May 23, at around 9:30 PM, an armed man forced his way
into a hillside home off Moody Road. It is believed that the intruder
had stalked another resident of Los Altos Hills who owned a Ferrari
and that he thought he was robbing the home of the Ferrari owner.
After the intruder realized he was at the wrong home he simply took
cash and costume jewelry and left the victims unharmed.
The masked gunman gained entry to the home by throwing small rocks
up against the house to lure the homeowners outside. The gunman was
lurking just outside the door and immediately accosted the homeowners
at gunpoint, tied them up and robbed them. The couple managed to untie
themselves and call 911 after the gunmen left the property. Although
the Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies were at the scene within 5
minutes and searched the hillside with sheriff's deputies, helicopter
infrared cameras and searchlights, and tracking dog for several hours,
the robber was not apprehended.
If anyone saw any suspicious characters in the vicinity of Moody
Road that evening or if you have any information that could help
apprehend this person, please contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff's
Department.
Please forward this email to all of your friends in Los Altos
Hills.
|
February 25, 2006 Alert (Auto Burglaries)
To
all LAH residents,
First,
I would like to introduce myself.
I am Deputy Rob Rudden and I am currently assigned to your
Town during the hours of
7am to 5 pm
, Monday through Thursday. I have
been a Deputy for 8 years and have been with the County for 16
years. I previously worked as a Corrections Officer at
the
County
Jail
. As a Deputy, I have
been previously assigned to East Side San Jose,
Burbank
district,
County
Parks
, and Courts.
Now
let’s talk about what you as residents need to do to help us
better serve you. Recently there has been a rash of auto
burglaries all around your neighborhoods. Let me clarify
something, these are not really auto burglaries, because the majority
of all of these vehicles were left UNLOCKED!
Some even with the garage door open all night. These crimes
are taking place in the middle of the night. Our night shift
deputies are aware of these crimes, but they can't be on every
street in a 10 hour shift.
I
know you feel safe in your neighborhood, but to a thief, leaving
your vehicles unlocked is an invitation for theft.
PREVENTION
#1: Lock all vehicles, day or night.
PREVENTION
#2: Get a motion light installed in your driveway, it may
deter them from continuing onto your property.
I
will try to keep all of you posted on criminal happenings and supply
you with prevention tips.
So
until next time,
Deputy
Rob Rudden
|
|
January 5, 2006 Alert (Storm Cleanup)
The Los Altos Garbage Company will have collection vehicles
located at three sites on Saturday
January 7th and
January 14th 2006
for the drop off of unlimited
green waste and wood as a result of the recent storms. All
other debris will not be accepted. Listed
below are the collection sites that will be operating from
9 am - 2 pm
on both collection days.
•
Foothill
College
Parking Lot
• Magdalena & Highway 280 (west side)
• Page Mill Road & Highway 280 (park & ride parking lot)
|
|
October
2005 Alert (Cell Phone Coverage):
We have heard from several Los Altos Hills residents that are
very concerned about the lack of good cell phone coverage in Los
Altos Hills. We have also shown below a Verizon cell phone coverage
map, showing the reception quality before and after the Westwind
Barn tower is installed.
Verizon Cell Phone Coverage-Before and After
Westwind Barn Tower is Installed
Before
After
Also, here is a copy of the Town's staff report on Wireless
Communications- Agenda item 11.1 Status Report.pdf.
The Staff report includes a list of the cell phone tower sites currently
in Town, a list of possible sites, information about cell phone RF
safety, and letters/emails from various residents.
If you agree with the need for better cell phone coverage and if
you support the Westwind Barn Tower, please contact our City Council
members to voice your support. The Tower was approved at the
Planning Commission and is now going to the City Council for final
approval.
There is an important Public Hearing on Cell Phone Coverage (and
specifically Verizon's request to install a Cell phone tower at
Westwind Barn) this coming Thursday 11/3 at 6:30 PM at Town Hall,
26379 Fremont Road. Please attend, if you can. The City has
also sent out a postcard notifying residents of this hearing.
Below is a letter from one of the closest neighbors to the site,
Dubose Montgomery.
We'd also like to remind you of our Holiday Party this year on
December 11th for members only. Please send in your annual
membership dues of $25 or you can pay at the door. The official
invitation will be mailed in early November.
LAHCA
*********************************************
Dear friends in Los Altos Hills,
As you know your cell phone coverage in Los Altos Hills is
abysmal.
The cell phone carriers would like to put a few towers here to
improve our service, but some residents don't want any cell towers
anywhere near to where they live, and others in town are opposed to
cell phones in general.
I believe the only way to improve the coverage situation is to
work with the providers and strategically locate a few towers
throughout town. At the present time, a tower is proposed on
town-owned land at Westwind Barn and it is the first attempt to get
a tower at a higher elevation and a few miles west of 280.
This tower is critical if we ever hope to improve cell phone
service in town. I am one of the closest neighbors to this new
proposed tower and fully support it. However, a handful of vocal
town residents showed up at the recent Planning Commission hearing
for the tower application and objected to it, trying to de-rail its
approval. Fortunately a few other residents showed up in support of
the application and the Planning Commission approved the new tower
3-1.
Now, however, on November 3rd the Town Council must make the
final vote for this tower to be installed, and the opposition group
is gathering momentum to try to block it using photos depicting an
ugly tower at Westwind Barn.
My request to you is that you send an e-mail to the five Town
Council members saying if you believe cell phone coverage in town
needs to be improved, not only for normal convenience reasons, but
also for emergency purposes in case of earthquakes or fires:
Breene Kerr: breene@bkp.com
Dean Warshawsky: dean@telteksys.com
Craig Jones: craigjones@craigjones.org
Mike O'Malley: mikeomalley@sbcglobal.net
Jean Mordo: jeanmordo@yahoo.com
Also, state whether you support the addition of the new tower at
Westwind Barn. Obviously if you can attend the council meeting
on November 3rd and speak during the public hearing at 6:30 PM, that
would be best, but an e-mail or fax (650-941-3160) sent to the Town
Council will help your opinion to be heard. And, I would
suggest sending your e-mail or fax even if you plan to attend the
meeting.
Thanks,
DuBose Montgomery
|
|
September
2005 Alert (Town Issues):
Many of you may not be
aware of what is presently happening in our Town, including the
following:
-
Our
Town Council is poised to spend up to $3 million of Town
funds to buy land for
Bullis
Charter
School
, which presently has only 74 LAH students in attendance. The
Council has not solicited any recommendation from the Town's
Finance and Investment Committee, but only asked them how much
money the Town could spend. The Los Altos Hills Civic
Association believes that any Town expenditure of this magnitude
and benefiting so few residents should be placed on the election
ballot for a vote.
Reference Source
(Craig Jones response, CC
Meeting Minutes, PEC reports/surveys, and LATC articles)
-
The
Environmental Design Committee is looking into limiting the
maximum size of homes in LAH. They have researched other
Towns and will be making a presentation to the Town Council
soon.
Reference Source
(Craig Jones Response, CC
Meeting Minutes)
-
The
Open Space Committee is developing a new open space/conservation
easement ordinance which would require that any area over 30%
(16.7 degrees) slope be dedicated as open space easement at the
time of site development.
|
Reference Source
(Craig Jones Response, Eric Clow Response, Proposed Ordinance, General
Plan Information, LAHCA Newsletter)
-
The
Council has hired a wildlife corridor expert to review and map
the Town's wildlife corridors and help make recommendations on
how to protect them with some new ordinances, including allowing
only open fencing to be used in such areas.
Reference Source
(Craig Jones Response, CC
Meeting Minutes)
-
The
new Environmental Initiatives Committee is developing new
ordinances requiring solar panels and/or energy efficient design
features to be implemented on homes with over 6,000 sq. ft. of
floor area. The committee presented its initial
recommendations on September 15th, but the Council, after 2
hours of discussion and public input, decided to postpone their
decision on the committee's proposal for 1 month.
Reference Source
(Craig Jones Response, CC
Meeting Minutes and LATC Article)
-
A
new Ad Hoc committee (composed of Councilmembers
Jean Mordo
and Dean Warshawsky and Planning Commissioners Bart Carey and
Eric Clow) is developing proposals for more restrictive
ordinances regarding fencing and highly visible homes.
Reference Source
(Craig Jones Response, Eric Clow Response, Proposed Ordinance, CC
Meeting Minutes)
-
The
Town is developing a joint plan with VTA (Valley Transportation
Authority) to spend $1M to construct a roadside pathway along
El Monte/Moody Road
, which would include restricting traffic flow to 1 lane in each
direction between 280 freeway and
Foothill
College.
Reference Source
(Craig Jones Response, CC
Meeting Minutes)
We urge everyone to become more aware of what is
happening in our Town and we encourage your involvement in local
Town government.
|
Los Altos Hills Civic Association
