By Scott Wong

The Los Altos Hills city attorney and members of the town staff have been “terrifically uncooperative” with and antagonistic toward a residents’ group, Open Space, which hopes to secure their open space initiative on next spring’s special-election ballot, group organizers said.

City attorney Steve Mattas wrote an objective but excessively lengthy title and description of the initiative to confuse likely voters and undermine the group’s work, said one Los Altos Hills Open Space organizer.

“What we’re unhappy about is the length of it,” Nancy Couperus said. “It’s unnecessarily long.”

Mattas quickly refuted organizers’ claims that he intentionally lengthened the documents.

“I don’t dispute that the title was longer (than other ballot measures),” he said. “But I fulfilled my requirement in preparing to advise voters what the measure does.”

The title and summary, which appear on the 11-inch by 17-inch petition forms, are 70 and 750 words respectively and include a gridlike graphic, which leaves space for no more than three signatures per page, according to Couperus.

That has increased printing costs for the group, which needs to collect over 850 signatures or 15 percent of eligible voters in the next six months. Volunteers officially kicked off a petition drive Thursday in downtown Los Altos and Saturday at town hall.

Although as town attorney, he is required to work closely with council, Mattas said he exercised objectivity preparing the group’s ballot measure.

“My obligation is to be objective,” said Mattas. “The council was not consulted in its preparation at all.”

The city attorney’s action is the latest roadblock directed by council to disrupt the work of the group, according to Craig Breon, director of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and group organizer.

In the past, the LAH Open Space has made numerous overtures to council seeking compromise on a joint initiative, but so far council members have been unresponsive, Breon said.

“We’d rather be cooperative,” Breon said. “Instead there’s just a lot of antagonism.”

The citizen’s initiative aims to prevent the sale of over 150 acres of town-owned lands, changing their land-use designations to open space and public recreation.

Supporters said they hope the council adopts their plan to avoid a costly $50,000 special election.

The council proposed a similar resolution to appear on the spring ballot, one less complicated than the 14-page citizen’s measure, council members said.

Renee Palmonari, a Los Altos Hills resident, said after signing the petition she wasn’t aware of a competing initiative from the town, but only the issue at hand.

“I’m not against development,” she said. “The point is that it destroys the concept and reality of ‘country.’”