Los Altos City Council – March 2025
March 11
The City Council upheld the decision for the construction of an outdoor library patio at the Los Altos Library. The Los Altos Historical Commission’s Historical Alteration Permit and the Los Altos Planning Commission’s Design Review Permit were approved unanimously to allow construction. The patio will incorporate an outdoor courtyard with a new pergola, hardscape and pedestrian pathways, outdoor multi-purpose seating area including an audio-visual system, and landscaping.
The project includes the removal of three trees (one flowering cherry, one Japanese maple, and one purple plum) adjacent to the northern area of the Los Altos Library.
Council members denied three appeals filed by the Preservation Action League Los Altos (PALLA).
The first appeal concerned the Historical Alteration Permit. It was denied because the appellant wasn’t present at the Public Hearing to state her case.
The second appeal asked to send the Design Review Permit back to the Planning Commission for reconsideration. Among other reasons for appeal, the design didn’t consider the rural nature of the area. Council denied the appeal as without merit. It disregarded the rigorous study before the design was made.
The third appeal for an in depth Categorical Exemptions Quality Act (CEQA) review because of alleged omissions on the Historical Alteration Permit and the Design Review Permit was denied as inaccurate and incomplete.
Five comments from members of PALLA and residents felt that the city did not give proper notice for the meeting, did not allow continuance for the absence of an appellant, and did not perform a proper CEQA review. The council denied the appeals because no evidence in the appeals outweighed the findings of the commissions for permit approval.
March 25
The City Council introduced Parking Enforcement Updates. Staff recommended that the Los Altos police officers will no longer be responsible for parking enforcement in order to use their time for other police services. Instead, the responsibility will be outsourced to a private sector parking service that will hire parking enforcement officers.
The new regulations outline the procedures for parking citation enforcement and expanded enforcement of parking regulations. The Los Altos Police Department (LAPD) has designated some Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) as mobile and they will be used by enforcement officers, instead of chalk, for parking enforcement.
The LAPD will govern the use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) by the enforcement officers. Mobile ALPRs will be used solely for parking enforcement. Enforcement officers will only give out citations and not be able to enter the system to see ALPR data.
Enforcement officers will also implement the removal of vehicles. The provisions include vehicles found to be left on the street, highway, or public parking lot for seventy-two or more consecutive hours and vehicles parked longer than sixty minutes after a citation has been issued. In addition, where parking is prohibited, there must be signs posted giving notice of such removal.
Cost, approval, and selection of private sector parking services will be determined at the April 8 council meeting.
Claire Noonan, Observer