JANUARY | 2026
1 MONTHLY REPORTS
DEPARTMENT AND DIVISION
CONSTRUCTION
PERMITS @ MID-YEAR
9 PD DRONE USAGE
Statistics on the number of
building and planning
permits issued @ mid-year
Statistics on the use of the
PD Drone
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
GENERAL ADMIN REPORT
Reports from General Administration, City Clerk's Office, Human Resources, Information Technology, and
Sustainability
Reports from the Finance Department, Key Budget Updates, and Financial Advisories
Reports from the Public Works Department, service requests, capital project updates, and Town field service reports A Division of Public Works, reports on Park maintenance and event activities as well as Park Committee updates
FINANCE REPORT
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT
PARKS DIVISION REPORT
80 FAIR OAKS LANE
ATHERTON, CA 94027
650-752-0504
[email protected]
WWW.CI.ATHERTON.CA.US Reports from the Building and Planning Departments on permit and construction activity throughout Town.
COMMUNITY SERVICES REPORT
Reports from the Police Department on crime activity, code enforcement, and traffic
POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT
02 9
10 17
26 34
27 42
TOWN FINANCIAL
REPORTS
Page No. 1
The City Clerk’s Division is a part of the City Manager’s Office and consists of the City Clerk, a Reception/Postal Clerk, and a Management Analyst I/II. These core personnel support the Town’s City Clerk, Human Resources, Sustainability, Risk Management, Information Technology, Event Management, and Town Reception/Postal services. The Town utilizes the services and assistance of various consultants in the performance of the Department’s responsibilities.
HR Systems & Activities
Status of Vacancies:
There are 44 full-time authorized positions within the 2025/26 Budget. Of that total, there are 14 employees within the City Manager’s Office, Finance Department, Building Department, and Public Works Department. Within the Police Department, there are 21 sworn public safety personnel and 9 non-sworn public safety personnel. The Police Department are recruiting for a full-time dispatcher and Police Officer for a Motor specialty assignment. Officer McDonald was promoted to Sergeant and will be sworn in at the January Council Meeting. The Public Works Department will host panel interviews for the open Management Analyst position at the end of January 2026. The Town is currently at 97% staffing.
Employee Benefits & Wellness Activities:
The Town of Atherton’s wellness program will continue to be a priority for the City Manager’s Office in 2026. The first installment will be held on March 19 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. The topic will be, “Breaking Through Burnout.”. The instructor will discuss how to understand the root causes of burnout and how to develop strategies.
These workshops will be in-person only and include lunch and refreshments. They are open to Town staff, consultants, appointed committee members, and council.
Community Outreach and Engagement
Senior Task Force (STF)
The STF presented outcomes from their September 2025 workshop to Council in December and received Council approval for their financial request to promote a March 21, 2026, workshop. This workshop will be focused on Memory and will be co-hosted with the Town of Woodside. Staff have been in contact with the STF related to support in developing outreach materials.
Page No. 2
City Clerk Monthly Report
January 21, 2026
Student and Youth Engagement
No new updates this month.
Outreach Events & Activities:
The Town will continue to build on its
community events momentum from
2025. Staff has begun preparation for
Earth Day in April, the Annual Waste
Wise recycling event in April, and will
partner with community groups such
as the Senior Task Force and Atherton
Youth Advisory Group to bring
forward relevant and engaging
activities that support all Atherton
residents.
Over the past year, the Town of
Atherton has continued to strengthen
its connection with residents through a
wide range of community events,
educational programs, and
collaborative initiatives. These efforts
reflect the Town’s commitment to
sustainability, public safety, youth
engagement, and small‑town
community spirit.
Atherton’s annual Earth Day Celebration brought together families, local organizations, and regional partners for hands‑on learning about climate action, waste reduction, and environmental stewardship. Complementing this effort, the Town also hosted our annual Waste Wise events, giving residents convenient opportunities to responsibly dispose of documents, electronics, and household materials while learning more about sustainable practices.
Public safety outreach remained a core focus. National Night Out once again drew a strong turnout as neighbors gathered with the Atherton Police Department for an evening of conversation, demonstrations, and community building. The department also partnered with local schools’ for Shop with a Cop, a heartwarming holiday tradition that supports children and families in need.
And continued community focused events such as Coffee with a Cop to continue the face-to-face engagement our department values.
Seasonal celebrations continued to bring the community together. The Town’s Halloween festivities filled Town Center with costumes, treats, and family‑friendly activities, while the Holiday Celebration welcomed residents for music, refreshments, and winter cheer. The Atherton Youth Advisory Group brought back Easter activities to Holbrook-Palmer Park in 2025.
Page No. 3
City Clerk Monthly Report
January 21, 2026
These events were made possible through strong partnerships with community groups, nearby jurisdictions, and local agencies, including the Atherton Library, Friends of the Library, Atherton Youth Advisory Group, and Senior Task Force. Together, these partnerships help expand programming, share resources, and create meaningful experiences for residents of all ages.
Collectively, these outreach efforts highlight Atherton’s dedication to fostering a connected, informed, and engaged community—one event at a time.
In 2026 staff are kicking off workshops to educate residents on topics that will have direct and meaningful impacts to Atherton.
Community Workshop on Understanding Senate Bill 79
• When: January 20, 2025 (at 6:00 PM)
• Where: Atherton Council Chambers – 80 Fair Oaks Lane, Atherton, CA 94027 New State Housing Law and Its Potential Impact on Our Community The Town of Atherton is closely monitoring Senate Bill (SB) 79, a new state housing law that prioritizes residential development near transit stops. This legislation mandates that housing projects located within specific distances of transit-oriented development (TOD) stops be considered a "permitted use" on sites currently zoned for residential, mixed-use, or commercial development.
How SB 79 Affects Atherton
The law was adopted in the Fall of 2025 and is set to take effect on July 1, 2026. For Atherton, the primary impact centers on properties near the Menlo Park Caltrain stop. Under the new standards, the Town cannot impose density maximums of less than 120 dwelling units per acre (du/ac) for eligible projects, and height limits cannot be lower than 75 feet.
If you want to learn more, we encourage you to attend January 20, 2026, at 6 PM workshop.
Chater City Community Workshop
• Thursday, January 29, 2026 – Kick-Off
• Thursday, February 26, 2026 – Community Workshop
• Thursday, April 30, 2026 – Wrap-Up Workshop
Page No. 4
City Clerk Monthly Report
January 21, 2026
All workshops will be held at 6:00 PM at Atherton
Council Chambers | 80 Fair Oaks Lane, Atherton,
CA 94027
Atherton is exploring whether becoming a Charter
City would provide greater local control over
municipal affairs such as governance, elections,
contracting, land use, and public finance, within
the limits of the California Constitution.
To learn more visit www.atherton.news/chartercity
IT Systems & Activities
The Town’s IT systems are operating within acceptable limits. Current IT priorities include:
• IT Special Projects:
o Assisted with restoring HPP cameras for surveillance
o Participated in HPP Jennings Pavillion technology review for upgrades and enhancements
o Spearheaded Historical Train building, coordinating with multiple vendors. (WIP) o Updated Infrastructure device firmware and repaired switches in troubled state, restoring web access to GUI.
o Updated VPN client for lawnet/rims in all police cars from version 11 to version 13. o Began implementation of Duo for a Police Department application, Sherlock o Continued conversion of .Gov and transitioning staff email domains.
Emergency Management Activities
1. SMC Emergency Managers Association Meetings
The most recent meeting was held on December 18, 2025, and there was a speaker from Santa Clara County Emergency Management Team on how they ran multi-day functional exercise.
The group postponed discussions on alert and warning systems, hazard evacuation plans, and crisis communication planning platforms and training until early 2026.
Sustainability
1. Waste Reduction
a. Roll-Off Bins / GreenWaste Franchise Amendment
A franchise amendment was approved by Council in late 2025. b. Environmental Program Committee
The Environmental Programs Committee (EPC) will meet in early January to review 2026 plans including themes for Earth Day.
Page No. 5
City Clerk Monthly Report
January 21, 2026
c. Refuse & Recycling Committee
There are no new reports. The Refuse & Recycling Committee made recommendations for franchise agreements that were approved by Council in 2025.
2. Electrification
a. E-Leaf Blower Program
Approximately 39 rebates remain available through the Town’s Electric Leaf Blower Rebate Program. The rebate program is anticipated to conclude at the end of FY 2025–26.
b. Town Solar
Staff have access to a dashboard that will track the 100% renewable energy generated by solar panels. This data will be made available for public review.
3. Climate Action Plan Dashboard
KLA will continue to support Atherton with the Climate Action Dashboard, that will include development of storylines and graphics.
ADU Match Program Update + ADU Mixer (November 13, 2025) HIP Housing will make a report to Council at the January 21, 2026, Council meeting.
City Clerk Activities CURRENT and ON THE HORIZON
There are currently 7 open Public Records Request that staff are working to complete.
Public Information Stats & Analytics
1. Athertonian
Staff are preparing the End-of-Year edition of The Athertonian, highlighting each department’s key initiatives, milestones, and accomplishments from 2025. This will be released at the end of January 2026.
2. Social Media and Public Information Platforms
Staff continue to post on social media and Nextdoor—at least once weekly—to drive online engagement and broaden outreach across the community. Content highlights include safety reminders, transportation updates, climate initiatives, and community events.
To further enhance outreach, staff are developing a photo repository to support diverse topics and create engaging, visually consistent graphics. The goal is to build a robust library of Atherton-specific and stock images to strengthen future posts and digital communications. The reporting period covers December 1 – December 30, 2025
Page No. 6
City Clerk Monthly Report
January 21, 2026
Platform Number of followers Impressions or Accounts
Reached
Twitter/X 0.3% increase, a total of 642 followers 182 impressions (12.5% decrease)
Instagram 2 % increase, a total of 2k followers 7.9 impressions (-11.1% decrease)
Facebook 3% increase, a total of 684 followers 1.1k impressions (14.3 % decrease)
NextDoor 10 new members, a total of 5,698
members, and 2,445 households
claimed
200 impressions (50 %
increase)
The Cross Channel Report is a cumulative report of social media performance across X, Instagram, and Facebook for the Town. One key metric staff is working to increase is our general social media activity.
During this period, the total number of posts across all channels decreased by 8%, yet overall engagement grew by 14%, indicating stronger audience interaction despite fewer updates.
Follower growth remained steady at 2%, with Instagram leading in engagement increase (+17%).
Impressions declined by 11.5%, suggesting an opportunity to boost content reach. Consistency in follower growth and engagement improvements are positive signs to build upon. • Instagram engagement increased by 17% with stable posting frequency • Facebook followers grew by 3% despite a 10% drop in posts • X (Twitter) engagement and awareness doubled (+100%) even with fewer posts Town website subscriber group:
Distribution List Subscribers
Atherton Online 1,662
News Flash (CM & PD) 1,594 & 1,576
Alert Center (CM & PD) 1,368 & 1,574
Page No. 7
City Clerk Monthly Report
January 21, 2026
Distribution List Subscribers
Calendar (Meetings) 1,591
• Website Analytics:
o December 1 – December 30: 8.1K Active Users
o Last 7 Days Total Page Views: 1.6K
§ BID Postings = 168
§ Agenda = 157
§ Search = 143
• YouTube Analytics
o 382 Subscribers
o 1,101 Videos
o 137,615 Views
Page No. 8
The Finance Department consists of a Finance Director, Accountant and Junior Accountant. These core personnel provide the bulk of the Town’s accounting and payroll support. The Department utilizes the services of outside auditors, property tax analysts, and investment advisors in support of their efforts.
Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Revenues and Expenditures
Year to Date
Months Complete – 6
% of Year Complete –50%
Budget Revenue % Received
Park Program $ 79,700 $ 47,690 60%
Planning Permits $ 520,300 $ 258,870 50%
Business Licenses $ 298,000 $ 237,232 80%
Police $ 540,450 $ 248,246 46%
Sales Taxes $ 529,000 $ 118,041 22%
Miscellaneous $ 1,282,216 $ 675,618 53%
Public Works $ 685,700 $ 399,105 58%
Franchise Fees $ 943,000 $ 101,903 11%
Building Permits $ 2,449,400 $ 1,307,476 53%
Property Taxes $ 17,384,500 $ 10,075,467 58%
Total $ 24,712,266 $ 13,469,648 54.5%
Budget Expenditures % Expended
City Council $ 59,200 $ 41,794 70.5%
Administration $ 1,494,288 $ 789,452 52.8%
City Attorney $ 310,000 $ 80,744 26.0%
Finance $ 944,442 $ 517,455 54.7%
Planning $ 1,257,350 $ 445,633 35.4%
Building $ 1,811,370 $ 872,298 48.1%
Interdepartmental $ 1,215,162 $ 607,517 50.1%
Police $ 11,139,509 $ 5,896,190 52.9%
Public Works $ 3,902,933 $ 1,278,332 32.7%
Total $ 22,134,255 $ 10,529,415 47.5%
Page No. 9
The Public Works Department consists of a Public Works Director, Maintenance Manager, Associate Engineer, Town Arborist, Office Specialist and Management Analyst (vacant). These core personnel are supplemented by various contract service personnel and service vendors that operate on a Task Order basis. These include but are not limited to MCE, West Coast Arborists, Contract Sweeping Services, CalWest Lighting, Tony’s Clean Team, Interwest Group, and BrightView Landscaping.
Field Public Works Services are provided under contract via MCE. MCE provides four (4) personnel to perform general Town maintenance support including, but not limited to, vegetation trimming for sight distance and sign clearance, Park restroom oversight, meeting setup/takedown support, sign replacement, minor asphalt/DG repairs, street sign and marker replacements, basic maintenance for Town-maintained trees/plantings along roadways, Town event support, minor drainage projects and maintenance, basic building support services and minor roadway maintenance (pothole repairs). MCE personnel generally work from 7 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday; but, these same personnel provide emergency call-out services for after hours and on weekends.
Landscape maintenance services at Holbrook-Palmer Park and at the Town Center/Library complex are provided by BrightView Landscaping (BrightView). BrightView is also responsible for emptying Town-owned garbage cans at the park and Town Center.
Street Sweeping
Street Sweeping is a contract service via Contract Sweeping Services.
Month Curb Miles Weight (tons) Cubic Yards
January 25 38 12 6
February 25 39 6 12
March 2025 41 6 12
April 2025 38 6 12
May2025 36 6 12
June 2025 39 10 5
FY 24-25 Total 527 111 124
July 2025 38 6 12
August 2025 39 10 5
September 2025 66 4 2
October 2025 66 4 2
November 2025 60 18 12
December 2025 61 18 24
Total 330 60 57
Page No. 10
Services Requests December 2025
• Banner installation on Middlefield Road and Marsh Road • Installation of Christmas tree and décor at City Hall • Christmas Event Staging
• Dispatch Monitor installation
• Speed limit sign repair on Elena Avenue
• Holbrook-Palmer Park playground bathroom pump repair
• Holbrook-Palmer Park Fountain repair
• Holbrook-Palmer Park Playschool fence repair
• Holbrook-Palmer Park Playschool floor repair
• Holbrook-Palmer Park tennis court repairs
• Installation of delineators and relocation of Stop sign at Town Center • Installation of new roadway marker at Oak Grove Avenue and De Bell Drive • Installation of new roadway marker on Polhemus Avenue • Speed hump and sign removals on Selby Lane (east-west) • Speed hump and sign removals at Stockbridge Avene
• Speed hump and sign removals on Selby Lane (north-south) • Installation of “Flooded” signage throughout the Town (critical locations) • Storm Patrol and drain clearing (Townwide)
• Town Center flagpole light repair
• Installation of parking barriers at Town Center
• Responded to downed trees on Catalpa Drive, Austin Avenue, Polhemus Ave and Selby Lane • Road Patching on Stevenson Lane
General Maintenance and Special Services
• Weekly litter removal Along ECR, schools (Fridays 2 staff, 2 hours). • Remove Litter on Marsh Road, Middlefield Road & Alameda de las Pulgas. • Park General Duties: Garbage Cans, Town wide & ECR litter, ECR landscape & Corp yard clean-up, vehicle/tool maintenance.
• Fire extinguishers (checked/re-charged)
• Park General daily duties – mowing, empty garbage/recycling, restroom oversight, fire extinguishers (checked/re-charged), playground inspections, elevator inspections, open/close buildings, meeting room set-ups/tear downs.
Page No. 11
Photographs of Work Performed December 2025
Banner Installation Middlefield Road at Marsh Road
Christmas Tree and Décor Insatllation
Disptach Office Monitor Installation
Page No. 12
Elena Avenue Speed Limit Sign Repair
Holbrook-Palmer Park Playground Restroom Pump Repair
New Roadway Markers Oak Grove/De Bell and on Polhemus Ave Page No. 13
Speed Hump Removal ( Various Locations)
Road Patching Stevenson Lane
Trees Down (Various Locations)
Page No. 14
See Click Fix December 2025
Page No. 15
Public Works Maintenance
Budget versus Expenditures December 2025
Short
Code
Accounting Code Description Budget Actual %
A01 101-53-52031-053 Streets $432,600 $227,273.29 52.5% A02 101-57-52031-057 Parks (Grounds & Fac) $365,000 $165,661.26 45.4% A03 101-59-52031-059 Other Facilities $190,000 $38,589.39 20.3% A04 213-30-52031-000 Library $39,000 $12,206.95 31.3%
A05 101-58-52031-000 Tennis $13,000 $5,169.90 39.8%
E06 101-58-52030-058 Event Services $10,000 $1,241.92 12.4% Total $1,049,600 $450,142.71 42.9%
$-
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$350,000
$400,000
Streets Parks Other Fac Library Tennis Events
Public Works Budget to Expenditures
Budget Actual
Page No. 16
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 1 of 9 The Public Works Director oversees general Park maintenance and activities. The Park has several contract service personnel and vendors that manage various activities at the park.
Park Event Services are typically provided via contract. With the departure of Catered Too, temporary personnel have been contracted to manage all park events and rental services, to include rental of fields, buildings, and picnic areas until a permanent vendor is contracted. MCE provides facility support on a Task Order basis.
BrightView Landscaping provides landscape maintenance services for the park. Player Capital provides management and general maintenance of the six Tennis Courts.
There are three (3) structures available for event rental at the park – the Carriage House, the Main House, and the Pavilion. Outdoor venues may also be rented, and these include the Event Garden, Water Tower Green and North Meadow. Picnic areas in the park may be reserved for small group day rental. Menlo Atherton Little League manages and maintains the Willie Mays Ball Field.
Facility Rentals for January 2025
Month North
Meadow
Children’s
Picnic
Area
Jennings
Pavilion
Main Carriage
House w/
NM
Field D Other House
23-Dec 0 2 1 1 0 0 0
24-Jan 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
24-Feb 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
24-Mar 3 4 1 1 0 0 2
24-Apr 4 2 0 0 0 0 0
24-May 3 7 2 4 1 0 0
24-Jun 6 9 0 2 2 0 0
FY 23-24 28 37 7 12 9 0 6
24-Jul 4 2 0 0 0 0 0
24-Aug 6 2 3 3 4 0 0
24-Sep 3 1 0 0 0 0 0
24-Oct 5 0 1 1 0 0 0
24-Nov 3 1 1 0 0 0 0
24-Dec 1 0 2 1 0 0 0
25-Jan 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
25-Feb 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-Mar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-Apr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-May 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-Jun 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FY 24-25 23 7 7 5 5 0 0
Page No. 17
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 2 of 9 Types of Rental Activity for January 2025
Month Social Gathering Wedding Corporate
Gathering Other
23-Dec 4 0 0 0
24-Jan 2 0 0 0
24-Feb 0 0 0 0
24-Mar 10 0 0 4
24-Apr 3 0 0 3
24-May 14 0 1 2
24-Jun 15 0 4 0
FY 23-24 81 0 6 15
24-Jul 6 0 0 0
24-Aug 16 1 1 0
24-Sep 4 0 0 0
24-Oct 7 0 0 0
24-Nov 5 0 0 0
24-Dec 4 0 0 0
25-Jan 3 0 0 0
25-Feb 0 0 0 0
25-Mar 0 0 0 0
25-Apr 0 0 0 0
25-May 0 0 0 0
25-Jun 0 0 0 0
Total 45 1 1 0
Page No. 18
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 3 of 9 Revenue from Rental Activity for January 2025
Month Revenue Fees 10% Catering Fee Revenue to Town
23-Dec $2,500.00 $1,413.84 $3,913.84
24-Jan $850.00 $0.00 $850.00
24-Feb $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
24-Mar $9,100.00 $0.00 $9,100.00
24-Apr $1,375.00 $0.00 $1,375.00
24-May $12,275.00 $0.00 $12,275.00
24-Jun $8,650.00 $0.00 $8,650.00
FY 23-24 Total $59,695.18
24-Jul $1,000.00 $0.00 $1,000.00
24-Aug $18,160.00 $0.00 $18,160.00
24-Sep $2662.00 $0.00 $2662.00
24-Oct $4652.00 $0.00 $4652.00
24-Nov $3617.00 $0.00 $3617.00
24-Dec $9417.00 $0.00 $9417.00
25-Jan $987.00 $0.00 $987.00
25-Feb
25-Mar
25-Apr
25-May
25-Jun
TOTAL $40,405.00
Page No. 19
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 4 of 9 General and Special Services for January 2025
• Pick up litter/trash.
• Remove trash bags.
• Blow/Pick Up Tree Leaves & Debris
• Inspect and Maintain Restrooms
• Inspect and Maintain Playgrounds
• Inspect and Maintain Main House Elevator
• Control undesirable weeds throughout property.
• Cut back and remove tree brush and dead vegetation.
• Apply seasonal fertilizers to turf and plants.
• Inspect and maintain landscape irrigation.
• Inspect and maintain landscape irrigation well and filter system. • Monitor potable water usage daily.
• Water non-established trees throughout the park (scheduled) • Blow tennis courts 2x per week, as required.
For January:
• Power Washing Baseball Field Stands
• Repaired gate at the Gilmore house
• Repaired lighting fixture at the Playschool
• Replaced Swings at the Playground
• Installed tree placards
• Event location trash removal
• Playschool heater repair
Page No. 20
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 5 of 9 Tennis Court Usage/Reservations
Player Capital Tennis (PCT) manages court operations.
Month
PC
Court
Hours
# of
Students
Private
Lessons
Key
Holder
Hours
Clay
Court
Hours
Pickleball
Court
Hours
23-Dec 672 309 397 349 6 N/A
24-Jan 631 325 377 335 4 8
24-Feb 542 297 323 299 6 15.5
24-Mar 653 337 441 393 5 24
24-Apr 677 344 462 422 11 52.5
24-May 724 365 472 433 8 84.5
24-Jun 741 371 496 425 42 124
FY-23-
24 8,052 3,889 5,306 4,465 126 308.5
24-Jul 812 415 443 465 64 75
24-Aug 705 408 433 380 39 117.5
24-Sep 805 315 407 395 15 116
24-Oct 797 342 397 325 22 132.5
24-Nov 667 345 415 362 6 169
24-Dec 642 295 367 322 15 125
25-Jan 597 299 351 321 9 167
25-Feb 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-Mar 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-Apr 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-May 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-Jun 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 5,025 2,419 2,813 2,570 170 902
Page No. 21
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 6 of 9 Photographs of Work Performed in January 2025
Power Washing of baseball stands
Playschool Light Fixture Repair
Page No. 22
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 7 of 9 Playschool Heater Repair
Playground Swing replacement
Playground Toddler swing replacement
Page No. 23
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 8 of 9 Event Location Trash Removal
Page No. 24
Parks Division Monthly Report –January 2025 Page 9 of 9 Park Tree Placards installed
Page No. 25
Submitted by:
Interwest Consulting Group
Community Services
Monthly Report
December 2025
Town of Atherton
Building Department
80 Fair Oaks Ln.
Atherton, California 94027
Phone: (650) 752-0560
Page No. 26
Town of Atherton
Building Safety Inspections
Construction and Permit Summary
Based on Fiscal Year - Year to Date
Fiscal Year for Budgetary Comparisons
FY 2025-26 FY 2024-25
YTD YTD
Total Construction Valuation1: $62,681,122 $184,501,153 $158,625,960 Plan Check Fees Collected: $87,761 $348,203 $210,437
Permit Fees Collected: $165,466 $718,255 $716,759
Other Fees Collected: $4,060 $56,010 $82,453
TOTAL: $257,286 $1,122,467 $1,009,649
Applications Received: 102 508 410
Residential:
New Single Family Residential Permits
Issued: 3 12 13
New Accessory Structures Issued: 21 102 127
Addition / Alteration Permits Issued: 4 40 49
Reroof / Water Well / Grading Permits
Issued: 9 67 91
Plumbing/Mechanical/Electrical
Permits Issued: 21 95 116
Demolition Permits Issued: 1 18 12
Non-Residential:
New Permits Issued: 0 2 3
TOTAL Permits Issued (2) 59 336 411
Inspections Performed: 537 3,176 4,240
Footnotes:
1Valuation: For permitted projects during this period.
2 The total permits issued for each Fiscal Year reflect totals through the corresponding month
PLAN CHECK
INSPECTIONS
REVENUE
PERMITS
Dec-25
Page No. 27
Staff Level Reviews
Planning Commission Items
Plan Review
TOTAL 67
Town of Atherton
Building Safety & Inspection
Tree Removal Info. / Consu / C.E
Planning Commission Update:
1.Consideration of a request for Appeal (APL25-002) of Notice of Violation/Penalty (CE-25-576) for the removal of a heritage Redwood tree at 97 Placitas Avenue (APN 060-191-140). Withdrawn by applicant prior to meeting.
2.Consideration of a request for Appeal (APL25-003) of Notice of Violation/Penalty (CE-25-350) for damage to a heritage tree at 79 Mesa Court (APN 073-201-170). Penalty was upheld by the Planning Commission, unanimously.
3.Requests for three Heritage Tree Removals (HTR25-0008) to construct a new single-family dwelling with an accessory building (gym) at 84 Elena Avenue (APN 070-212-080) within the R-1A Zoning District. This project was previously noticed for the September 24, 2025, Planning Commission hearing, where it was continued. Since that time the project was modified to eliminate the need for a variance and increase the number of heritage tree removals from two trees to three. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the removal requests after discussion and public comment from both the applicant and adjacent neighbors.
4.Consideration of a resolution recommending amendments to the Atherton Municipal Code (AMC) to adopt an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. The Planning Commission voted to adopt a resolution that the Council adopt an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, as recommended by staff, but to remove the applicability of the ordinance to properties within the RM-10 zoning overlay. Ayes: Polito, Levison, Leugers, and Tonelli. Abstain: Seabolt The 2026 PC calendar is available here. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 22 4
147
13 9 13 2
Planning Projects
December 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025
Inspections
This Month
Activity Activity
Fiscal Year to Date
Arborist Activity Summary
December 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025
Site Visits
Page No. 28
Summary of New Single Family Residential Permits Issued by Month 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020
1 5 1 1 0 1
0 3 0 1 2 1
1 2 0 2 5 0
2 1 4 2 3 0
2 2 0 4 1 3
2 0 3 3 4 2
Jan. to June Totals 8 13 8 13 15 7
4 2 1 3 2 4
2 5 3 2 2 5
1 2 4 2 3 2
3 5 0 3 1 1
0 1 0 1 3 3
3 0 2 2 1 3
July to Dec Totals 13 15 10 13 12 18
21 28 18 26 27 25
Project
Type
No of
Plan
Checks
Average
Review
Days
Target
**
Overdue
Plan
Checks
65 11 10
120 5 5
12 2 3
197 0
** Target: in working days
Major Plan Check: New Houses, New Accessory Structures, New non-Residential Minor Plan Check: Small Additions, Reroof, Alterations, Misc.
Town of Atherton
Building Inspection & Plan Check
Month
January
November
July
August
September
October
February
March
April
May
June
Total Number of Plan Checks
December
Total New SFD
Permits:
Plan Check Performance
December 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025 Major Plan Check Minor Plan Check Cycles
1st Review
Subsequent Rev.
1st Review
Subsequent Rev.
Page No. 29
Summary Graphs
42 88 88 77 71 71 90 88
68 105 73 72 102
50 68 66 49 83 83 74 83 68 65 80
46 59
607
795
694
763 736 736
1025
625
528
641
499
346
537
0 200
400
600
800
1000
1200 Counts
Plan Checks, Permits, Inspections
PC
Permits
Inspections
$3,254,891
$14,933,367
$8,208,767
$10,390,844
$26,029,377
$14,069,605
$32,658,959
$47,741,142
$14,351,152
$24,310,277
$26,027,877
$2,964,337
$62,681,122
$0
$10,000,000
$20,000,000
$30,000,000
$40,000,000
$50,000,000
$60,000,000
$70,000,000
Permit Valuation
Page No. 30
Summary Graphs
$81,773.00
$132,953.00
$150,074.00
$97,730.00
$182,287.00
$257,207.00
$244,301.00
$220,576.00
$195,765.00
$233,982.00
$155,508.00
$209,302.00
$257,286.00
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
Dec-24 Jan-25 Feb-25 Mar-25 Apr-25 May-25 Jun-25 Jul-25 Aug-25 Sep-25 Oct-25 Nov-25 Dec-25 Fees (Plan Check & Permit Fees)
$56,010
$348,203
$718,255
$1,122,468
$169,000
$562,000
$1,706,400
$2,437,400
33.14% 61.96% 42.09%
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
Other Plan Check Fees Permit Fees Total
YTD vs. Budgeted
FYTD 25-26
Budgeted 25-26
Percentage of
Budget
Page No. 31
Town of Atherton
Summary of ADU's - JADU's - SFR,
Entitled, Permitted, Finaled
Feb March April June Total July Aug Oct Nov Dec Total Totals Entitled ADU 2 3 2 1 16 3 0 2 3 7 16 32
Pemitted ADU 3 1 3 4 7 5 23 8 3 4 3 2 5 25 48
Finaled ADU 3 6 3 2 0 0 14 0 1 2 1 0 5 9 23
Entitled JADU 2 3 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 2 2 7
Pemitted JADU 0 1 2 0 5 2 0 0 0 1 3 8
Finaled JADU 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2
Entitled SFR 1 0 2 1 3 0 7 2 2 0 1 0 2 7 14
Permitted SFR 0 1 2 2 8 4 2 3 0 3 13 21
Finaled SFR 5 1 3 3 14 0 1 3 0 5 13 27
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 Totals
Entitled ADU 53 35 26 32 146
Pemitted ADU 25 44 46 48 163
Finaled ADU 17 24 14 23 78
Entitled JADU 10 9 4 7 30
Pemitted JADU 5 8 0 8 21
Finaled JADU 0 2 7 1 10
Entitled SFR 20 17 26 14 77
Permitted SFR 26 18 28 21 93
Finaled SFR 17 29 11 27 84
1 Jan
3 0
1 1
0 Sept
1 0
May
5 0
1 0
1 4
0 0
2 1
Page No. 32
December 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025
Project Address Issue Date CTL Deadline Adjusted CTL ** Penalties Pd. Est. Completion 234 Park Ln 3/7/2022 3/7/2025 7/24/2025 $220,000 7/1/2026 89 Douglas 6/30/2022 6/30/2025 11/16/2025 $30,000 3/16/2026 Total Penalties Deposited: $250,000
NOTE: Penalties do not become revenue to the Town until all appeals have been exhausted. * Under new modified ordinance. Additional Penalty fees due ** Covid-19 CTL adjustments due to shutdown.
Year Amount Forfieted
2015 thru 2018 $511,200.00
2019 $307,200.00
2020 $329,600.00
2021 $333,000.00
2022 $828,000.00
2023 $559,000.00
2024 $780,000.00
2025 $427,000.00
Total to Date $4,075,000.00
Forfieted Construction Time Limit Penalties
Town of Atherton
Building Safety & Inspection
Active Construction Time Limit Penalties
Page No. 33
The Atherton Police Department consists of 31 personnel, sworn and non-sworn. Of the sworn personnel, there is a Police Chief, a Commander, five (5) Sergeants, and fourteen (14) Officers.
Non-sworn personnel consist of an Executive Assistant/Training Manager, a Communications Supervisor, two (2) Code Enforcement Officers, a Community Services Officer, and five (5) Dispatchers.
These personnel provide 24-hour police patrol, dispatch, traffic enforcement, school resource, crime investigation, crime prevention and other law enforcement services to the community.
Personnel typically work a 12-hour shift schedule (4-on/3-off) with a priority staffing level of three (3) sworn personnel at all times.
Graphics and data provided in this report can be found via CitizenRIMS. CitizenRIMS is an active, online database of calls for service to the Atherton Police Department available via the Town’s website. The database provides information on active and historic calls for service, criminal activity and statistics, missing persons, stolen vehicles, arrests, and crime bulletins. Through CitizenRIMS residents can also sign up for Security Camera Registration and Vacation Home Checks.
Visit CitizenRIMS using the preceding link or this QR Code >>>>>>>>>
Overall Activity for the Month of December 2025
During this reporting period, there were 40 investigations. Of that total, 19 offenders were cited, arrested, referred to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, or referred to the San Mateo County Juvenile District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Offenses included driving with a suspended license, misdemeanor warrant, felony warrant, DUI, restricted driver operating a vehicle without an interlock device, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia, loitering on private property, possession of over 1oz/28.5 grams of marijuana, and child abuse.
Of the 2,211 total police incidents for the month, 1,424 were officer-initiated incidents. These incidents resulted in 478 citations being issued for vehicle code and other violations. Officers initiated 1,135 other types of incidents that included investigating suspicious vehicles, traffic collisions, citizen flag downs, home checks, code enforcement and construction checks, follow-up investigations, pedestrian stops, traffic enforcement details, medical calls, and welfare checks.
Page No. 34
Traffic Incidents
Overall, there were 378 traffic incident locations, some with multiple stops, for the reporting period. A map of yhe incident locations for the period can be found via CitizenRIMs at the following link: https://atherton.citizenrims.com/map. Enter the Start and End Date for the search and select “Traffic” as an Activity Type.
Traffic Collisions
There were 12 collision locations during this reporting period. The map below indicates the locations of the incidents for the reporting period.
Traffic Complaints
The Atherton Police Department did not receive any traffic complaints for the month of December. The Atherton Police Department conducted extra patrols on Middlefield Road and on Valparaiso Avenue for the changed 30 mph speed limit to the 25 mph speed limit.
Page No. 35
Bicycle Traffic Stops
There were 6 bicycle related calls initiated during this reporting period. These calls were for improper lighting (4), a red light violation (1), and an illegal E-scooter/speeding. These stops resulted in 5 verbal warnings and 1 warning citation.
Page No. 36
Criminal Activity and Suspicious Circumstances
The Department responded to 123 locations (some locations multiple times) for property crimes (15), person crimes (2), and incidents of suspicious circumstances (105).
Property Crimes – 15 Person Crimes – 2
Suspicious Circumstances - 105
Page No. 37
Municipal Code Violations
The Department responded to approximately 32 incidents/calls for service regarding municipal code violations. Those incidents included but were not limited to construction work hour violations, construction parking violations, right-of-way encroachments and obstructions, nonpermitted work on private/public property, overgrown/non-maintained vegetation, mobile food vendors, free speech/real estate/construction signs, animal nuisances, zoning questions/violations, unmaintained properties, fire damaged structures, neighbor disputes, and heritage tree concerns.
Holbrook Palmer Park
Holbrook Palmer Park had 77 incidents during this reporting period, 73 of which were security checks, foot patrols by officers, and closing/opening the park. The other incidents were for suspicious vehicles and ordinance violations.
Page No. 38
Premise Watch
Officers completed 702 House/Vacation checks during the reporting period.
School Incidents
Officers responded to 138 school incidents during the reporting period. These incidents were mostly officer-initiated security checks and adopt a school visits.
Incidents of note from this reporting period:
• On 12/09, the SRO investigated a bicycle stolen from a school campus and authored a report.
• On 12/19, the SRO received a report from Child Protective Services alleging possible child abuse. The SRO investigated and the alleged crime did not occur.
The current reporting period is highlighted in the table below. All other columns represent the months preceding and prior year.
Page No. 39
Response Times
In general, there are 3 types of Calls for Service from the Police Department. In order of priority:
High, Medium, and Low.
High Priority calls are in-progress events where persons or high-value property are in immediate danger and require a multiple officer response. This is a lights and siren response to a crime in progress, injury collision, or medical emergency.
Medium Priority calls are in-progress events without immediate danger to persons or property.
Multiple officers may be necessary for these calls. These calls take precedence over all other calls for service and require an immediate police response (non-lights and siren), but the incident may not be in progress. The most common medium priority calls are burglary, robbery, sexual assault, and residential burglary alarm activations. The latter is the most frequent call in Atherton.
Low Priority calls are other calls for service. Events that may no longer be in-progress, so immediate response is not as urgent. Normally requires a single officer. Officers may or may not be immediately dispatched to these calls. Low priority calls are dogs off leash the Park, parking violations, construction noise or activity, and follow-up police reports.
During the Reporting Period there were:
Priority Level Number of Calls Average Response Time Goal High 4 2:25 <4 minutes
Medium 391 4:57 <6 minutes
Low 239 4:03 <8 minutes
Response times are calculated from the time the call is dispatched until the time the officer arrives on the scene. The table below depicts the Department’s Medium Priority response times for the past 6 months.
MONTH YEAR RESPONSE
TIME
November 2025 5:16
October 2025 5:54
September 2025 6:38
August 2025 6:56
July 2025 5:21
June 2025 5:50
Page No. 40
Total Training Hours for the Reporting Period: 144 HOURS
NAME TRAINING/HOURS DATES
McCulley SMCPSCA Seminar/24 hours Dec. 3 – 5
Metzger SLI-559/24 hours Dec. 14 – 17
Shum Search, Seizure, & Search Wrt./16 hours Dec. 15 – 16 Rivera UAS Operators Course/40 hours Dec. 15 – 19
Larsen UAS Operators Course/40 hours Dec. 15 - 19
The table below depicts the amount of officer-initiated activity and the number of traffic citations issued for the past six months:
MONTH OFFICER INITIATED ACTIVITY CITATIONS
December 1,424 478
November 879 500
October 1,410 761
September 1,493 866
August 1,309 734
July 1,428 823
Page No. 41
Noise Ordinance Violations
Month Total
Reports Construction SingleFamily School Other In Violation Unable to
Locate
Jan 5 0 2 0 3 1 1
Feb 5 0 4 0 1 0 2
Mar 7 1 3 0 3 1 1
Apr 8 0 7 0 1 1 0
May 4 0 4 0 0 1 0
Jun 5 0 3 0 2 0 0
Jul 4 0 3 0 1 1 0
Aug 5 0 5 0 0 0 0
Sep 14 8 8 0 1 7 3
Oct 7 4 3 0 0 0 0
Nov 4 0 3 0 1 0 0
Dec 2 0 1 0 1 0 0
Drone Use
Month Total Deployments Suspicious
Person/Veh Traffic Collision Alarm Training/Test Other
Jan 12 1 0 3 7 1
Feb 23 3 1 3 15 1
Mar 21 4 0 6 9 2
Apr 20 2 1 5 8 4
May 29 3 2 15 3 6
Jun 25 0 0 9 10 6
Jul 29 3 0 12 8 6
Aug 24 0 1 6 8 9
Sep 37 0 0 5 23 9
Oct 41 1 1 15 10 14
Nov 16 2 0 5 6 3
Dec 19 1 0 5 8 5
Page No. 42
Code Enforcement Activity Report
Summary:
Page No. 43