So what were voters telling us in the wake of the Nov. 6 local election?
• While sometimes wary of it, residents by and large don’t want to micromanage government. That was one message we picked up from the defeat of Los Altos’ Measure C, an initiative that would have required voter approval for any change in city-owned property, be it sale, lease or rezoning. A similar-type measure also was defeated in Sunnyvale.
Maybe Donald Trump is, after all, the greatest president of all time.
For a variety of reasons, he did encourage a record number of voters to engage in the mid-term elections to make sure their voices were heard. To me, that is his biggest accomplishment so far.
Under the leadership of California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, “Vision for Success” is a bold initiative by the California Community Colleges to better meet California’s needs for increased higher education attainment and workforce development.
Among the six ambitious goals in the initiative to be achieved by 2022:
The Los Altos City Council recently adopted updates to accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and accessory structure regulations. Contrary to claims recently published in the Town Crier’s “Other Voices” column and letters to the editor, the city has held numerous public meetings to discuss the proposed changes and gather public comments over a 13-month period.
The housing crisis is not a new issue, but it is a complex one. The city council has committed to exploring ways to increase affordable housing. ADUs provide an opportunity to expand affordable housing in California cities, and the state has taken away some of the city’s ability to regulate ADUs.
My spouse and I biked up to downtown Los Altos in mid-October to watch the Los Altos High School homecoming parade.
The Oct. 17 Town Crier article “Los Altos City Council passes pot ordinance – stench remains” attributed some comments to me that were not entirely accurate.
On Oct. 9, the city council was considering a proposed ordinance that bans outdoor cultivation of cannabis and allows indoor cultivation of up to six cannabis plants per residence. California state law allows municipalities to ban outdoor cultivation – one important reason being that odors many people find disagreeable are emitted by cannabis plants while being cultivated – but in effect requires (thanks to Proposition 64, passed in 2016) that cities allow residents to cultivate as many as six cannabis plants indoors in a private residence or “fully enclosed and secure” accessory structure.
Los Altos City Council (2 seats):
Nancy Bremeau
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