Election Update

By Stephen Finn

Toni Casey and Steve Finn are listening to the residents' concerns- permit process and fees, pathways, undergrounding utilities, and public vs. private streets.

Dear Neighbor,

We'd like to give you an election update and share with you what we have been hearing from residents who we are meeting on the campaign trail.

First of all, we are very disappointed that Jim Steiner has violated the Campaign Code of Ethics (signed by all four council candidates) in his kick-off party invitation. Steiner wrote that there is "a pair of candidates who believe in unrestricted ‘property rights' (meaning anything goes in housing construction...)". Steiner admitted to the League of Women Voters that he was referring to us. The League, which has been directed by the Los Altos Hills City Council to monitor our election, has found that Steiner did not provide factual support for his statement and has therefore violated the Code of Ethics.

Steiner provided no factual support because there is none. Toni has an eight-year public record on the Council and Steve has a two-year record on the Planning Commission. Steiner deliberately misrepresented our records and our positions. Negative campaigning and distortion of candidates' records have no place in our town, and we hope there will be no more violations.

Here's what we have been hearing from you:

Streamlining the permit approval process. There is a great deal of support, some concern, and some misunderstanding regarding our proposal to streamline the site development permit process for new homes and major remodels by eliminating the extra step of approval at the Planning Commission. We are very committed to improving this process for residents, and we want each of you to have a complete understanding. Therefore, we have included in this letter a position paper on our Planning Commission Proposal and welcome your comments.

Improving our pathway system. Most of you support our position that our pathway system is one of the most coveted assets: and that our paths along the road need a better maintenance plan. You also agree that off-road paths (backyard and side yard paths) should be voluntary and not mandated when homeowners apply for a building permit. There is nothing in our proposal to threaten the pathway system. Just the opposite. We are pledging to you that we will make the pathway system a greater priority in the budget and direct town staff to implement an improved system.

Revising the building permit fee structure. We are amazed at the number and amount of fees you are telling us about. The problem appears to be even greater than we had previously known. We are committed to having a thorough analysis of town fees to assure that you are not over-charged and to assure that fees are commensurate with the fees of surrounding communities.

Undergrounding our utilities. Many of you would like help from the Town in how we as a community might put together assessment districts with Town assistance so that a long term plan includes a goal to put all utilities underground. Because of your comments, we are making this underground utilities plan a priority of ours. What better way to improve the rural character and enhance our town's inherent beauty.

Clarifying public versus private streets. Many of you who live on "private streets" have been unaware that your streets are private and are trying to get your streets designated as public streets. The Town Council has adopted a policy on how you might do this and we are committed to helping you understand and use this policy.

As always, we welcome your comments & we ask for your vote on November 3!

Toni Casey (650) 941-1871 Steve Finn (650) 948-5678 Fax: (650)941-9721