Letters to the Editor: Leaf blowers, housing element compliance

Here’s another very simple way to keep the air we breathe cleaner: When you get in your parked car, look at your cellphone first. Then … turn on your engine and drive off. Sooo many folks turn on car engines and sit there checking cellphones. There’s a reason these signs are up in our school parking lots.

Rita Cartalano

Los Altos

LAH housing depends on compliance

Ann Duwe and Duffy Price, regrettably, do not understand how the builder’s remedy works (“Other Voices,” March 1). It’s right in the Housing Accountability Act: “A local agency shall not disapprove a housing development project ... unless ... the jurisdiction has adopted a housing element ... (that) is in substantial compliance. ...” (There are other provisions, but they don’t apply here.)

The two builder’s remedy applicants maintain that Los Altos Hills’ housing element is not in substantial compliance, and therefore the town cannot deny their projects. We’ll soon learn whether the state says Los Altos Hills is in substantial compliance. If it isn’t, then the town must approve the projects.

Anne Paulson

Los Altos

City has lessons to learn from storm

The recent power outages should have taught us some valuable lessons. For a start, that cooperation and sharing information in a crisis situation are essential tools.

Our friends who had internet kept us informed of expectations on when electricity would be restored, and we checked on our immediate neighbors’ well-being, where we were able to.

We were quite concerned that both the Los Altos Library and Community Center were without power. Our understanding has been that these are planned places of refuge in times of extreme weather, hot or cold, yet they would not be usable as such, as they currently operate. We hope the city will pay attention to this. Backup generators seem to be in order here?

Speaking of which, we were inordinately pleased that the downtown Safeway had its own power – a source for fresh meals, power outlets for charging and morning coffee! It was our real refuge during the shutdown.

We feel that PG&E’s personnel did a tremendous job under the circumstances, but we hope they, too, will learn from this extreme event. Hats off to Emergency Services crews as well, who managed to be both responsive and kind.

Don and Lizebeth Burch

Los Altos

Post-storm, shore up infrastructure

The Great Blackout of 2023 ended respectably fast, I think, considering the regional extent and severity of damage. We can still see unrepaired houses, cars, fences and trees.

But citizens are letting off steam directed at PG&E, and clamoring for government to do something about it.

Undergrounding all wired utilities sounds nice, if we could muster $1 billion to do that in the whole Town Crier delivery area.

Can we lean on weather statistics? That perfect storm of profound drought, serial atmospheric rivers and near-tornado wind events happens only a few times per century.

Unless it’s proper to plan for changing climate. Then find money to shore up utility infrastructure, just as communities are enhancing levees and water reservoirs and seawalls.

Richard Feldman

Los Altos

Thanks to those who honored orchardist

I want to thank all those who came out for the March 19 tree planting to honor our late orchardist, Phil Doetsch.

I’m especially grateful to Jane Packard of the Orchard Commons Committee, who organized the event; Tyler Furuichi for providing the Blenheim apricot seedling; author Robin Chapman, who presented a “Quick Trip Through Orchard History” and who reminds us of our past through her books and Town Crier articles; and all those from GreenTown Los Altos and our wonderful History Museum for their support.

We are fortunate to have the Heritage Orchard as part of our rich Los Altos legacy.

Lynette Lee Eng

Los Altos City Council member

Ethnic studies analysis gives credit to teens

Thanks to Jennah Pendleton for her excellent op-ed about the ethnic studies debate (“Are kids mature enough for ethnic studies? The answer is not open to debate,” March 22).

It’s refreshing to hear a logical analysis of the situation, giving credit to today’s teens, who often have more critical thinking skills than those who try to ban ethnic studies, ban books and control access to knowledge and ideas.

Let’s hear more from Jennah!

Pat Marriott

Los Altos

Priorities: Don’t rank dog park over library

It is interesting and disheartening to learn what is important to the Los Altos City Council.

One of the crown jewels of Los Altos – the public library, which has the highest circulation and patronage of the eight libraries in the Santa Clara County Library District – is not as important as a woof and sniff playground (better known as the potential planned dog park in the parking lot next to the library).

Not only will the library lose 25% of its valuable and much used parking, but the dog owners can use much of the remainder of that parking, often reducing the overall library parking by up to 50% if only 15 dog owners are using the dog park.

Let me understand this correctly: 15 dog owners are more important than 1,000 library patrons.

Tom Popek

Los Altos