League of Women Voters of California
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2003 Election
	Francis Albert La Poll 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?

We need community swimming facilities. First, we must recognize the benefit to thousands of our citizens. Providing recreational swimming/lessons is a local government function, and mostly pays for itself. Second, work with the swimming community. Third, end discrimination which imposes on swimmers full capital and operating costs, a burden not placed on other recreational communities. This burden has led to programming which displaces community swimming and frightens neighbors. Fourth, understand and address neighbor concerns so swimming may peacefully co-exist with neighbors for another 50 years.

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

Most residents disagree there is a "parking availability" issue. If there is, the issue is who pays for solutions such as underground parking. Decades ago, some downtown property owners paid to create parking plazas, giving them to the City. Los Altos taxpayers have since paid to maintain them. As before, those directly benefitting financially should pay for future improvements: downtown property owners and businesses, especially those not part of the original plaza creation, yet benefitting from them. The City can help by establishing a new parking assessment district (and downtown property owners would vote whether to do so).

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?

In California, cities regulate land use. Counties have a residual role they often view as outside their core functions and try to shed. Special districts established primarily to prevent floods and ensure drinking water supply, lack the expertise, the resources, and the authority. The City must protect creeks from encroachment, alteration, and degradation; and assist the Santa Clara Valley Water District to accomplish its flood and water supply goals. Simultaneously, we must protect residents from District efforts to expand regulatory jurisdiction by defining creek banks to include all land radiating from a creek until level ground is reached, plus 150 feet--a definition that can cross streets!