League of Women Voters of California
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2003 Election
	Robert "Curtis" Cole Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Los Altos

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mtn. View Area and asked of all candidates for this office.

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. Do you feel that our community needs a high-caliber, public swim complex and if so, how should the city accomplish this?

A community pool is a valuable and worthwhile asset for children, teens, and adults. The City should continue its support for a community pool and reach a decision in 2004. The pool supporters will promote the benefits of the pool complex. The neighborhood residents and the environmental impact report, due early next year, will highlight the costs associated with the project. The City Council must craft a solution where the benefits outweigh the costs and the effect on the neighborhood is acceptable, in the Council's view. Los Altos faces a challenge of maintaining our city's unique character while accepting the need for updating commercial properties, residences, and community facilities. Los Altos had a community pool in the past which benefited our neighborhoods, rather than harming them; that should be our standard for the future.

2. What would you propose to solve parking availability in downtown?

The City's downtown zoning codes provide the means to ensure that properties off of the public plazas provide adequate parking for their employees and customers when the properties are redeveloped. For example, any forthcoming proposal to update the Post Office on First street should bring that property into compliance so its employees do not park off site and take up downtown customer parking. A development at the city owned First and Main site, especially one done in conjunction with a Safeway property redevelopment, is an opportunity to provide quality public parking at that end of town. The pilot parking permit program will provide insight into the use of plaza parking spots by non-plaza businesses. Ultimately, the City must work with the businesses, the LAVA, and the property owners to identify the scope of the parking problem and discuss the resources available to develop a viable solution.

3. What do you see as the City Council's role in helping to preserve and enhance the vitality of our creeks and riparian corridors and their function for conveying storm water runoff?

The City Council exercises primary authority over land use planning and permitting. While stewardship of the watershed is implemented at the local level; our water and riparian habitats are a regional issue. Los Altos must work in partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), the county, other cities, property owners, and other stakeholders to develop policies, guidelines and standards for the protection of water and watershed resources. The City's general plan and zoning laws implement these standards by controlling elements such as structure size, setbacks, and grading around riparian corridors. The City Council must understand and represent the property owners in discussions with the SCVWD, and must effectively communicate and implement the principles and policies collaboratively developed with the SCVWD to the community and property owners affected by those policies.