By Linda Taaffe

State officials reportedly have asked Los Altos to drop a city law limiting enrollment at home child-care centers with more than eight children. The local law allegedly violates state health and safety regulations, according to a letter from the Department of Social Services. City officials were unavailable for comment.

The ordinance requires centers with more than eight children to operate on at least one acre of land and to obtain a conditional use permit. California law allows family facilities to be licensed to care for up to 14 children each, based on health and safety issues.

The Los Altos City Council agreed last week to review the ordinance after 40-plus child-care supporters protested the restriction during Tuesday’s council meeting.

Local providers claim the additional restrictions could lead to financial hardship, creating child-care shortages.

“This (law) has nothing to do with health or safety. It’s all about property values,” one parent told the council.

Others urged the council to crack down on providers. Twenty-six out of 27 residents on Raymundo Avenue signed a petition to prevent a child-care operation from opening on their quiet street. They claim such an operation will bring traffic and other problems to their street.

No one had paid much attention to the law since the city passed it in the 1960s until last month when staff became aware that the Department of Social Services had been licensing large family facilities without city approval or notification.

County officials allegedly told city staff “they didn’t have time to notify the city when licensing large family facilities, due to funding constraints,” according to Los Altos Community Development Director James Walgren.

In its effort to enforce the law, city staff gave operators six months to reduce their enrollments to eight children each. The city temporarily suspended the request a week later after an attorney representing the 13 notified child-care operators challenged the law. Operators said they had no idea they were in violation of any city laws.