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Progress Report
During 2008 I had the privilege of serving as your Mayor during my third year of my first term on the Los Altos City Council. It seems appropriate to step back and review our major accomplishments since you elected me in November 2005.
Celebrating Volunteerism
As many of you know, during my mayoral year I celebrated volunteerism by recognizing over 30 people and organizations that share their time and talents with our community. Volunteers are the heart of our community and make Los Altos the wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family that it is. Thank you all for everything that you do.
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I believe that elected officials in our community should be accessible to our residents. In that regard, while I was Mayor I wrote community update articles for the Los Altos Neighborhood Network newsletter as well as the City’s Communique’ newsletter, and held several community meetings in both South and North Los Altos to provide opportunities for residents to share their views with city council members and to ask questions in a more informal setting.
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City Staff Changes
In 2007, our city manager and police chief retired and public works director resigned. The City Council appointed Councilman Lou Becker and I to manage the search for a new City Manager, and Doug Schmitz started in September 2007. Doug’s accomplishments to date are noteworthy: he hired new Chief of Police Tuck Younis; realigned key staff responsibilities; fostered a new level of communication among the city council, the city staff and the community; and directed the addition of the trees and flowers and other cosmetic improvements that have noticeably enhanced the appearance of San Antonio Road and downtown.
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City Finances
The financial position of the City of Los Altos continues to be sound. We have carefully managed our expenses over the years, and will begin our new fiscal year on July 1st with a very conservative 2009-2010 Service and Financial Plan.
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Public Safety and Traffic Calming
Public safety and traffic calming are the #1 concern of City residents and therefore are a top priority for me.
We successfully negotiated multi-year contracts with the Los Altos Peace Officers Association and the Santa Clara County Fire Department without any loss of personnel or disruption of services.
The long-awaited pedestrian crosswalk warning light systems have been installed at six intersections along San Antonio Road.
The City Council also authorized hiring a traffic consultant to assist the staff with expediting Neighborhood Traffic Management Program applications so that permanent traffic calming solutions can be put in place on our residential streets. In addition, we are working at the State level to address the infamous 85th percentile rule that in effect sets speed limits that can be enforced by radar based on the speeds of the fastest drivers.
Finally, we have received two additional Safe Routes to Schools grants totaling nearly $1 million since the project on El Monte Avenue near Almond School was completed several years ago, bringing the total amount of grant monies invested in traffic calming in our community to nearly $2 million.
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New Park Playground Equipment
The City has completed an ambitious project funded through a major grant for replacing all of the aging and non-ADA compliant playground equipment in our 8 City parks. The new equipment meets current ADA requirements and was designed by the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission in partnership with the City Recreation Department staff.
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The city has hired an architectural firm to design a master plan for the community center bounded by San Antonio Road and Hillview Avenue. A master plan advisory committee, co-chaired by Councilmen Lou Becker and David Casas, is working closely with the city and the design firm in this process, scheduled to be completed in 2009. Key to its success is input from the community, so please share your views at the public outreach meetings that are being held throughout this process.
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Downtown
The first two downtown zoning committees, chaired by Councilman Ron Packard, worked diligently over the past several years to review the zoning regulations for the downtown triangle. Updated ordinances have been approved by the city council and are now in effect.
The building renaissance on 1st Street that began with the redevelopment of the Ramsey property on the corner of West Edith is continuing. The City is developing streetscape plans for 1st Street between Main and West Edith, and for San Antonio Road between West Edith and First Street.
As a next step, the downtown development committee, on which I now serve as chair and Councilman Lou Becker as vice chair, is developing commercial design guidelines for downtown, similar to the city’s residential design guidelines, and is also pursuing other issues related to downtown, including ways to attract more customers and increase the availability of convenient parking.
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Loyola Corners
A specific plan for historic Loyola Corners was developed some years ago and is currently under review. Traffic circulation is an area of particular emphasis; Santa Clara County has allocated funds for work on the bridge across Foothill Expressway at Fremont. The City is developing a streetscape plan for Loyola Corners in an effort to enhance its appearance and attract new business energy to this neighborhood.
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Green Initiatives
During my first term, the Los Altos City Council has taken important steps to make our community more environmentally sustainable. Several years ago, Council passed a green building ordinance that is now in effect. As Mayor, I signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement with the unanimous support of all Councilmembers. While I was Mayor, Council funded the City’s participation in a regional program to measure municipal greenhouse gas emissions. With the City’s waste management contract coming up for renewal in 2010, Council has directed staff to include a number of environmentally-friendly goals in the Request For Proposal.
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Honoring My Campaign Promises
As I promised during my campaign, I continue to work to:
Manage city finances conservatively, with balanced budgets and sufficient emergency reserves
Maintain the character of our residential neighborhoods
Improve public safety and calm traffic
Support community resources like a public swim facility
Promote vibrant business districts with convenient parking
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Current Council Assignments
In addition to serving on the Los Altos City Council itself, each year the Mayor assigns each Council member a number of additional responsibilities in our community and our region. I’m currently serving as the Council’s representative to the following organizations:
Council Personnel Committee (with Councilman Lou Becker)
Downtown Development Committee Chair (with Vice Chair Lou Becker)
Stevens Creek Trail Joint Cities Working Team
Los Altos Chamber of Commerce Business Round Table
Santa Clara County Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee (HCDAC)
Santa Clara County Emergency Preparedness Council (alternate)
Valley Transportation Authority Policy Advisory Committee (alternate)
At the State level, I’m also the League of California Cities Peninsula Division representative on their Community Services policy committee.
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- Board of Directors, Los Altos Village Association
- Membership Committee Chair
- Los Altos Chamber of Commerce
- Rotary Club of Los Altos
- Membership Committee
- Scholarship Committee
- Fine Art in the Park neighborhood liaison
- Fine Art in the Park Mayors’ Choice awards program chair
- Los Altos Community Picnic Planning Committee
- Los Altos Community Foundation Founder
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