By Linda Taaffe
Council drafts own measure days after resident group submits initiative for approval
Los Altos Hills
wo similar initiatives to save open space land in Los Altos Hills could end up on a special election ballot next spring - one drafted by the Los Altos Hills City Council, the other by a resident group.
The council decided last week to launch an initiative to save hundreds of acres of city-owned open space, just days after the resident group LAH Open Space submitted a comparable initiative for city attorney approval.
Two measures, one cause
The city’s measure incorporates the same structure, section headings and most of the same language of the residents’ draft initiative.
Both initiatives would protect more than 150 acres of city-owned land as open space by requiring the city council to obtain resident approval before selling, abandoning or redesignating the properties. Properties protected in both initiatives include: Murietta Ridge, Byrne Preserve, Juan Prado Mesa Preserve, the O’Keefe Property, Rhus Ridge, the Little League Fields, Westwind Community Barn and Edith Park. The city-drafted initiative also names the city’s remaining 11 open space acres, including the town hall property on Fremont Road.
‘Devil in the details’
Open Space members say the council’s initiative is a step in right direction, but are worried about what they call the “devil in details.” They say the city measure includes more property but is less protective of the city’s open space.
“There are major defects in the initiative but I think the council’s decision is more good than bad. We’ve won on the basic issues,” said longtime environmental activist and resident Nancy Couperus. “I would hate to see it happen, but there could be two initatives on the ballot. We’re intending to continue with our own initiative unless the town fixes the (initiative’s) major defects … We’d like to help the town make their initiative better.”
Attorney Rachel Hooper said the city’s initiative contains several flaws and would allegedly be invalid under state law as it stands now.
“The town has hastily thrown together a measure that contains all the outward appearance of a protective and reasonable ordiance, unfortunately, the measure forgot to include much of the true substance of the final (LAH Open Space’s) initiative,” Hooper said.
The council’s initiative fails to redesignate key properties as open space and does not amend the General Plan, Hooper said. The measure would adopt land designations in the General Plan that were made in 1975.
Many of the designations do not reflect what these properties are today, Hooper said. Under the city’s measure, properties such as Juan Prado Mesa Preserve and Rhus Ridge would remain “very low density residential” and Murietta Ridge would remain “private recreation.”
This would allow the city to develop those properties or to close off recreation parcels to the public.
Hooper said the city plans to make the changes to the municipal code rather than amend the General Plan as required under state law.
Council members approved their own initiative saying it would be less complicated to include all public open space properties under such a measure.
LAH Open Space
Residents banded together earlier this year to preserve city property after the council suggested selling some open space land to bolster the town’s budget.
“It’s odd that the Town wouldn’t want to take advantage of all of our hard work and just work to adopt our initiative,” Couperus said.
The city attorney is expected Oct.15 to release the formal paperwork needed for residents to launch a petition drive to validate their initiative.
The group needs to collect between 800-900 signatures supporting the Los Altos Hills Open Space and Public Recreation Initiative - about 15 percent of the town’s registered voters - before it can be placed on a special election ballot next spring. If the group collects enough signatures, the city council could approve the initiative without holding a special election.
The city measure would require a special election.
