The city of Los Altos seems to have a fixation on hiring consultants to tell us things we already know or to do things we should do ourselves. The Stormwater Master Plan is a good example. It was commissioned in 2009. There was no urgency, so the original contract was amended three times, cost $356,200 and the plan was released in 2016.
The crosswalk “improvement” project at Covington Road and Riverside Drive is yet another counterproductive city project, highlighting a disturbing trend.
At an intersection where there have been no accidents, unattractive “pork chops” were installed that are a hazard to navigation. No local residents can be found that raised safety issues triggering this project.
In the last few years as I have served on the Los Altos City Council, and now as I serve as mayor, one of the most satisfying parts of the job to me has been working with so many engaged residents. I’m proud that people in our city have been willing to persist in their goals to work with their neighbors to help make Los Altos a better place.
I lived in Los Altos and graduated from Los Altos High School in 1973. Hopefully, some longtime readers of the Town Crier will remember coach Fred Oppezzo. This is a long overdue tribute to my coach and friend, who passed away last October.
This is the story of a high school basketball team that won a championship 36 years ago. This is also the story of a group of boys and a couple of coaches who created some magic that went beyond wins (many) and losses (very few). More importantly, it is the story of lasting friendships created all those years ago.
After attending the Los Altos Hills City Council meeting June 20, I had two observations.
First, I was shocked that the pathway completion on Summerhill Avenue was not completed in the 13 years we lived off of Summerhill, nor in the five years since. The starts and stops in the paths along Summerhill force residents to just walk in what is a very busy street with several blind curves. Had a safe pathway existed, our children could have walked to school. Yet, instead of placing priority on a pathway that is unanimously desired and so sorely needed for the safety of residents, the town is arguing over a path on Robleda Road that is not only redundant, but requires a $50,000 feasibility study to determine whether it can even be constructed. What is wrong with this picture?
The 40th anniversary of the Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival, scheduled this weekend, gives us an opportunity to weigh its impact on downtown Los Altos.
Decades later, the festival remains Los Altos’ most popular event. Each year, we gather to celebrate sunny summertimes and enjoy a weekend escape.
I had the good fortune to be among the 12,000-plus invited guests at the 75th anniversary ceremonies commemorating the D-Day landings in Normandy.
The Town Crier welcomes letters to the editor on current events pertinent to Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View. Write to us at 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022, Attn: Editor, or email editor Bruce Barton at bruceb@latc.com. Because editorial space is limited, please confine letters to no more than 200 words. Include a phone number for verification purposes. Anonymous letters will not be printed.
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