By Filing period begins for 2 empty city seats

Candidates interested in running for open spots on the Los Altos City Council or Los Altos School District must file papers between Monday and 5 p.m., Aug. 10, to run in the November election.

The filing period could be extended to Aug. 20 in either race if incumbent candidates do not choose to file.

There are two open council seats, currently filled by Mayor King Lear and John Moss.

There are three open seats in the Los Altos School District, currently filled by Jay Thomas, Duane Roberts and Victor Reid.

Los Altos

Police chief search winds down

Los Altos City Manager Phil Rose said last week that he expected the city to name a new police chief over the next two to three weeks.

City staff narrowed the list of candidates from 35 to eight and were in the interview process last week, he said.

Rose would not say if any of the candidates were from within the Los Altos Police Department.

If the city’s search goes as planned, a new police chief will join the department in August to work with Police Chief Lucy Carlton before she retires from her nine-year post with Los Altos this September.

The Los Altos City Council began recruiting for a police chief last December in order to provide more time for Carlton’s successor to work with staff on a new long-term plan to restructure and rebuild the police department, which experienced an unprecedented level of turnover last year.

The department has since accelerated its recruitment efforts and has filled all of the previously vacant positions.

Mountain View

Surgery center receives accreditation

Los Altos

The El Camino Surgery Center received a full three-year accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) after an extensive on-site survey of its facilities and services in March.

Located on the El Camino Hospital campus, it is one of about 1,200 ambulatory health-care organizations in the United States accredited by AAAHC. The surgery center is an outpatient, ambulatory care center offering a range of surgical and diagnostic services.

More than 180 physicians use the center, which has 70 staff members, including registered nurses, certified nursing or medical assistants, surgical technologists and support staff.

Accreditation means the surgery center has met nationally recognized standards of care.

- Town Crier Staff Reports