By Measures C, D on June 5 ballot
Los Altos-area residents could be voting on a parcel tax for the Palo Alto Unified School District and a bond measure for the Cupertino Union School District in the June 5 election.
Cupertino officials are seeking an $80 million bond to renovate school facilities and relieve overcrowding. The bond would continue work on a facility modernization program begun in 1989 when half the district’s elementary schools were renovated with funds from the sale of surplus property. Voters passed Measure A six years ago to finance a second phase of renovation. Measure C would address additional renovation and expansion needs.
Cost to homeowners amounts to $22 per $100,000 of assessed property value, supporters said.
The district includes Montclaire School in Los Altos.
Palo Alto Unified supporters are trying to pass an annual tax of $293 per parcel for five years to fund competitive teacher salaries, maintain programs and keep class size low.
“Due to the high cost of living in the area, some of Palo Alto’s best teachers are accepting jobs in other communities,” Measure D supporters said. “Recruiting and retaining quality teachers is essential to maintaining a quality educational program.”
Many Los Altos Hills students attend Gunn High School in the Palo Alto district.
Mountain View
MV moves on housing impact fees
Mountain View City Council members have given the go-ahead on the creation of an ordinance charging commercial and industrial developers fees for the housing needs their jobs create.
The council last week directed staff to work on drafting a housing impact fee ordinance, which could be ready for a public hearing before members take a summer break in August, said senior planner Lynnie Melena.
Council and staff are reacting to consultant Keyser Marston’s nexus analysis that concludes “a measurable connection between job growth and the need for additional housing at affordable prices.” Factoring in low- and moderate-income housing needs, the analysis recommended charging $16.97 per square foot for industrial, office or high-tech development; $13.90 for hotels; and $14.84 for retail/entertainment.
Palo Alto and Sunnyvale are among the neighboring communities already employing housing impact fees.
Among issues to be addressed are the impact of such fees on those considering building projects in Mountain View and whether such a fee will make a difference in the city’s affordable housing picture.
Los Altos Hills
Construction worker electrocuted in LAH
Regional
A construction worker was electrocuted May 21 in Los Altos Hills while putting in pipe for new fire hydrants.
Beau Dyckman of Cupertino died of high-voltage electrocution when the cable from a crane attached to the pipe he was holding touched a power line.
Sgt. Mark Eastus of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department said the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA) and PG&E are conducting separate investigations.
The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office ruled the death an accident.
The incident occurred on Three Forks Lane.
- Bruce Barton
