By Election roundup

Town Crier Staff Report

Voters in the Los Altos area face two questions when they go to the polls Tuesday: Are they in favor of a tax increase on local hotels and who will fill three seats on the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees?

Measure A asks, “Shall the City Council of the City of Los Altos be authorized, annually, to set the rate of the Transient Occupancy Tax of the city at a rate not to exceed 11 percent?”

Los Altos Mayor King Lear thinks the answer is a “no-brainer.” A yes vote means the potential for hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional income to the city, which the state can’t take away, Lear said, for services such as street maintenance and public safety.

The city currently charges 8 percent, the lowest rate on the Peninsula, Lear said. He noted 336 additional hotel rooms are on the way with two Los Altos hotels under construction along El Camino Real that will allow the city to capitalize on the tax increase.

“Not one dime comes out of the pockets of the property owners,” said Councilman John Moss, allaying fears many residents might have about shelling out money when they see or hear the word “tax.” He added “the hotel tax is really important to Los Altos,” given the state has taken money from the city every year since 1991 and the current state budget picture is dismal.

There is no opposition argument on the Nov. 6 ballot.

To get the tax proposal on the ballot, Lear and Moss, who are up for re-election, are also on the ballot even through they will be running unopposed.

The Los Altos School District has four candidates, three of them incumbents, vying for three seats on the board of trustees. The incumbents are Victor Reid III, Duane Roberts and Jay Thomas, all of Los Altos. The lone challenger is Bill Cooper of Mountain View.

The incumbents boasted of the district’s top ranking in cumulative STAR test score results three years running. Thomas, Roberts and Reid all voiced a desire to continue work on the district’s facilities renovation plan and to help with budget challenges in the wake of an expected state shortfall next year. They noted that teacher retention remains a challenge because of the area’s high cost of living.

Cooper also listed teacher retention as a priority and noted he would place a higher emphasis on the arts. He also said he could effectively sell district voters on the need for a parcel tax increase next year.

The race has been marked by a minor controversy: Cooper alleges the Los Altos Teachers’ Association endorsed the incumbents without talking to him.

Association President Laura Bence said the association’s endorsement reflected praise for the job the incumbents have done.

Thomas, Reid and Roberts were among the board members approving a sizable salary increase for teachers late last year.